BMWs Are Designed To Leak Oil Forever! - Adventures in E46 Oil Leak Repair

Ugh, I have never been able to get my BMW to stop leaking from the rear main seal. It's a problem that's been plaguing me forever. In this video, I'm going to try to repair them for good.

This video is for entertainment purposes only. 50sKid assumes no liability for any repairs or modifications performed by the viewer as a result of the information contained in this video.

My E46 is slowly returning all its base elements to the Earth, oil and metal!

[jackprick]

A couple of ideas for you and your viewers. One is when replacing the RMS, you need to inspect the sealing surface on the crank. If there is any evidence of wear, then you need to install the seal at a different depth. For some engines, bmw sells a shim. The shim might by about 0.020”. You install the seal into the housing as normal, then you use the shim to knock in further into the housing by the thickness of the shim. So now your seal is ridding on fresh crank surface. As far as the housing gasket, always use a thin coat of sealant to prevent leaks and make sure you use a nice bead at the corners. Second idea for the transmission: on manual transmissions there is always a vent port at the top of the transmission. If that vent port is plugged, the transmission will not be able to “breath”. Learned this from experience. Changed several seals to finally figure this out. Good luck

[pierfrancesco]

You are the best! what I learn from your videos is worth millions The whole e46 community thanks you!

[kyleleriger]

Man I’ve been watching you for years! Saved me a lot man! I own an 06 zhp ci. Have kept it in mint condition because of you!

[chrisdemott]

Rebuild the crankcase ventilation system. If you don't have vacuum in the crankcase they will leak. Especially if the engine starts building crankcase pressure

[naomin]

I’m a big fan of your tenacious nature. The answer is there but elusive. The oil on the starter may indicate another source? If it was me I’d seek out an old BMW master mech and buy him a jug of his choosing. Think of the joy when you nail it!!

[joelsmind]

Man Jason, I been watching your videos ever since I got my E46. I'm ecstatic to see your channel back up and running! My E46 has been leaking oil from the drain plug, Im certain Jiffy Lube guys over tightened it the one time I paid someone to do my oil. SMH. Lessoned learned. I will be watching that video you have replacing the oil pan! Sincerely, Jason you have saved me a ton of money and allowed me to gain a skill. I appreciate you brotha!

[oregoncritter]

Jason, thanks for posting the videos, your older video helped me when I was changing the oil pan gasket on my 2007 X3. I feel your pain, as I'm always fighting oil leaks on the X3 too. I think along with the idiot lights, the next worse thing about BMWs is way oil seals are engineered. I'm going to solve my oil leaks permanently though as that X3 is now up for sale.

[hoffie]

Here in Australia I have used a spray sealer named " Hylomar" .
Is a fantastic product which would be better than silicone especially for metal gaskets.
I have reused metal gaskets over the years with no issues.
I think Rolls Royce had something to do with it years ago and now licensed out.
Spray on wait a few minutes til tacky then reassemble. Fantastic product

[thelaw]

There are so many things that learned because of you. If it wasn't for your Channel, I woundn't know half of what I know now about e46

[jacquer]

I have owned 15 different bmw from e30 to e90 and not once had a oil problem in the last 30yrs.
Search and repair always works.

[joerenda]

I watch your videos quite a bit and I want to send a thank you for all your support on our cars. This information is well done and greatly appreciated. 👍

[joaomanuel]

I can feel the pain in everyword u said.. and am your follower... now i feel like crying .. because my only hope i had was you..

[obsessedwithcars]

you are extremely knowledgeable and you make this look easy. many thanks to your videos as my neighbor has one of these and i am constantly working on it. with that being said my honda and nissan are 22 years old and have had no issues other than brakes and fluid changes. these bmws are insanely high maintenance

[JoseDelgado-hocf]

Totally understand your situation and frustration. I'm one small inconvenience from driving my E85 off a cliff

[lukecoleman]

So glad you're posting again man, sorry about the leaks, I know the pain.

[ruslankostelnyi]

Michael Scott would be proud of your t-shirt!

[alanlanker]

Jason, I can’t speak to the leak in the transmission but with regard to the rear main engine area this happened to me and it turned out that oil was seeping out the bolt threads from the pan to the rear main seal cover. Pull those bolts and coat the threads with rtv and reinstall.

[peteyperlo]

Personally, the Grey 'Ultra' RTV works much better for me Vs the "Red' RTV. I do recommend following the application guide: let the RTV tack before final torqueing and also wait ~24 hours before replenishing fluids/liquids. Time is your ally in sealing an engine. My Repairing general aviation air cooled engines is a real chore - that's where I learned from an old friend/ Inspector about letting it cure and not adding fluids etc. The oil galley plug you mention earlier in Video - Did you pull that plug and re-seal the threads? Also - before Appling the any sealant/ gasket - are you thoroughly degreasing both surfaces? Also adding the leak dye helps you trace/ track the leak back to the source. There are different colored dyes: use one color in transmission and another color in the engine. Will need to get a black light and the tinted glasses. Another possible leak source (not far away) in that area: engine oil dipstick: both the 'O' rings @ the top & bottom of dipstick and possibly the CCV inlet hose into the dipstick (or a cap/plug if using a 'Catch Can' / CCV delete mod). Good luck, thanks for the Vid's and pls keep them coming!

[peterwilson]

Hello and thanks for your videos which were brilliant in helping me work on my immaculate 100, 000km E46 330CI. I love this car but in the end it drove me mad. Probably the finest car engine around to me - the 6 cyl BMW - but ... I was an autoelectrician then became an aircraft engineer. Did a degree in Engineering then worked on a design project in Germany. No doubt they are brilliant and dedicated engineers. But in my opinion the cars have just become too complex and material choice is definitely made with the assumption these cars will be recycled at 10 years . Plastics on engines, hoses that seep, gaskets / seals that harden and leak. It just all becomes too hard and expensive. Even the transmission shifter failed. A few cent nylon captive washer that isnt up to task failed and it was to be 700$NZ for a new shifter assy. Fortunately my friend pointed out an o-ring would do the task and last.. But finally I had to give the car its freedom! Best of luck to you as I can understand why you love the cars. And a sucessful fix is always satisfying. I have owned and maintained over 40 cars including Alfas, TR6s, Rolls Royce Wraith 2, and the BMW was the best drivers car. (Interestingly I owned a Passat V6 for a couple of years and that leaked oil onto the exhaust and even the agent was unable to fix it. ). Cheers.