[Zero_09]

Thanks for the DIY Guide. Going to try it this weekend

[mrh335]

Maybe it is obvious, but do you need to drain the oil in order to do this repair or to just suck out oil with a syringe or baster from the housing once the filter is removed?

On the coolant, it seems best to just remove a quart or so to prevent spillage. Is it possible to just suck some coolant from the coolant reservoir instead of removing plugs and draining?

Anyone doing this should inspect their coolant, if the coolant is blue it's okay if it's brown enough oil has leaked into the coolant from the failed oil filter housing gasket that you should drain the radiator and refill with 50:50 bmw OEM coolant and distiller water pre mixed in a clean container before pouring in.

This job is a lot easier once you have the coolant drained, typically by the time this gasket is leaking the coolant is due for replacement, also if the gasket has been leaking for a while little rubber chucks will break off and circulate within the cooling system, draining the radiator will get the majority of this out, which is why I also recommend draining the fluid when doing the OFHG.

Make sure to search for the coolant filling/bleeding procedure, it's very easy on these cars another reason to do it.


You don't have to worry about the oil there's very little to worry about during this repair the little left after removing the filter can be cleaned up with paper towels. I didn't touch the coolant hose that connects to the housing there's really no need too, you risk damaging the connector/oring if you try to remove it on a high mileage car, the hose is flexible enough.

If you think removing the plug on the bottom of the radiator is a big deal and your thinking about trying to suck coolant out of the expansion tank you probably shouldn't attempt this repair.

As far as access to the rear bolt under the manifold I was able to get to all the bolts with a combination of universal joints and extensions, didn't touch the manifold if needed be you can loosen the manifold and pull up on it a little to get better access but use caution not to pull too much or you risk damaging those brittle plastic emissions hoses/wiring.


All of the above applies to N52/N51 cars N54 has a lot more stuff on the way in addition to the oil cooler exchanger which has its own gasket which should be replaced.

As far as torque, good luck finding the torque value or getting a torque wrench in there without removing the manifold, I used 1/4 drive tools and torqued it as tight as I could (using the force needed to remove as a gauge) with 1/4 drive tools and mines been leak free for 60k. I estimate the torque value to be around 20-30 ft lbs.

Oh and lastly as per my BMW master tech, all you should be using to clean the mating surface on the head is a clean rag and brake cleaner, avoid using anything abrasive as this will change the RA roughness average of the finish and reduce the performance of the already shitty gasket. This also goes for the majority sealing surfaces, valve cover gasket oil pan etc.

[1368633]

I did this repair today, it took me 2 hours.

The e12 ratchet torxs wrench is a must! (Thx for the amazon link!)

The only thing I removed was the sensor, I left the oil filter and everything else in its place.

Its all pretty straight forward, the screw in the back is a major PITA but once you get that out, its a breeze from there. I also tied the wrench with a string so it wouldn't fall in to the engine bay. I also used the string to get the PITA screw back in, pull the string up, let gravity ratchet the wrench down, repeat.

Not sure if leaving the filter in helps, but it was surprisingly not that messy. I lost maybe a 1\3 qt of coolant, and 1\8 a cup of oil.

If you can change pads and rotors , you can do this.

My difficulty scale, based on repairs/maintanence i have done (1 easy - 10 hardest )

Oil change - 1
Pads, rotor, sensor - 3
Oil filter housing gasket - 3
Valve cover gasket - 7

[AdamN52]

I tackled this yesterday - wasn't that bad. E10 external torx ratcheting wrench is a MUST from my experience (unless you want to remove your intake manifold). I had to run to the store to pick up a set. I tried using 1/4" E10 socket with universal joints and extensions, but couldn't get at it.

I did not drain any coolant before hand. I caught about a liter from the hose connected to the housing in a coffee can. I did spill some, but had rags stuffed in the bay on top of the pulleys and stuff. No harm done.

I drained my oil and soaked up the remainder in the housing with a rag - was due for an oil change anyways.

All in all this was a pretty easy task - just that one bolt under the manifold that makes it a bit tricky.

[TheTallJS]

Thanks for the thread. Very helpful. Just did this today, using all manual tools and a small little ratcheting E10 wrench from amazon. Didn't take off the intake manifold so it was tricky and time consuming. Didn't drain the fluid, so covered the belts with plastic wrap and newspapers to keep them dry. A quart or so of coolant leaked out so it was a bit messy.

This was my first time doing this, and I need to say that this was fairly difficult, maybe 7/10 difficulty. Took about 3 hours for me to do. Really hope to never do this again...

Tips: Get a turkey baster and suck up as much as you can out of the reservoir. And note that the bottom screw, the one closest to the radiator fan, is facing the opposite direction. I was stoopid with that screw, luckily didn't break anything.

[Buratino117]

I have been looking into this for a little bit now ...I am asking myself (and would like to hear some opinions on this one) if a gasket maker like Three Bond TB1207B or maybe something like Toyota FIPG could be used on this application...While removal of the liquid gasked can be a pain to clean if problems would come up, maybe it woul be more practical and trouble free for a good lenght of time...My car currently has about 68k but looking at the car previous work orders I see that it gasket leak and replacement was offered when the car had about 56k miles. I did a search on this but nothing on this subject anywhere...If is good for a Toyota truck waterpump and able to last for 120k, maybe it could be lasting pretty long on our engines as well...Looking at the flimsy BMW gasket (that I already have) it does not give a large amount of confidence regarding the time that would last. Liquid gasket has been used in many aplications and don t see what the issue would be here.

[asiemers]

My gasket looked like the one in the tutorial and was causing a leak along the front of my engine block. This was a very easy DIY it took me over an hour but only because getting the rear and lower bolts off was tedious and time consuming but anyone with minimal mechanical experience can tackle this.
Some notes; removing the oil filter and blotting up the oil inside greatly reduces the mess and prevents oil from dripping down into the coolant channel. I didn't take the coolant hose off and did lose about a quart of coolant but topping it off and bleeding the system was simple. I used brake cleaner and a paint chisel with a rag wrapped around it to scrape the stuck on crap on the housing parts, you can then wrap a rag around a small screw driver and scrape out the grooves in the top part of the housing where the gasket was sitting. Ohh and be careful not to over torque the bolts, they do break if tightened too much and.

[claurance2]

I replaced my ofh gasket this weekend and it wasn't too bad It was a learning experience. Took about 4 to 5 hours just taking my time and making 2 trips to the parts store. Of course my coolant return hose was cracked inside gotta order a new one. Here's my question can I use my engine degreaser on the front of the motor without damaging anything? It's pretty thick with grime in that area.

[Meeni]

do not water the alternator, and avoid putting oil/degreaser on the belt.

[FrankyGTR]

i just changed my N54 engine oil yesterday then noticed the minor leak do i need to empty oil again completely or just the oil in the housing

[donR]

I just did this job from this DIY, as mentioned the N54 is a bit more difficult:
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=791674

As per the DIY, I used a syringe and small hose to suck the oil out from the filter housing. I then packed rags around the housing and removed the oil cooler lines to drain the remaining oil from the OFH.

No need to empty the oil completely, just top up at the end of the job.

What I do suggest is to leave on any water hoses if possible as the insides are brittle and upon removal either need new O-rings and/or the hose. See other DIY for further info. I ended up removing both the cylinder head coolant hose and top radiator/OFH hose to drain a bit of coolant but it really created a lot of work and hassle in the end as I didn't have the replacement O-rings and/or hoses on hand. That cylinder head hose also looks a right pain to replace if you have to but has to come off if you only have a torx socket to use.

Also if you lose any coolant DONT FORGET TO PRIME THE WATER PUMP. Procedure is in DIY and requires 10mins of the water pump running without engine running so make sure you have a fully charged battery or powerful charger.

[josega90]

Just did this this past weekend on my n55, at 29k miles. Abit early for the gasket to fail in my opinion, but what do ya know. I also had a crack in my coolant expansion tank, no idea why. Overall it was pretty easy and straight forward, just annoying because you have to unbolt the manifold

[Denny347]

Just replaced mine today. I was due for an oil change anyway. So, I removed the belly pan, drained the oil, then pulled the housing off. I did not need to drain any coolant out but a did loose a tiny amount when I pulled the housing away from the engine. I am at 97k miles and noticed the oil sludge accumulating at the front of the engine. When removed, I noted that the factory gasket was fairly brittle and very flat, it lost its "gasketness". I tell you, this was WAY easier than I thought...way easier. I dilly dallied and it took 1.5 hours including the oil change. Bolt access was NO issue either. I used a Torx socket and U-joint in 1/4" with an extension to get to the bolt under the intake. I tried a 3/8" version and it was just too big, 1/4" works perfectly. AS for the lower, pointing down, bolt, I used this ratchet. Very easy and no issues. I spent $12 for the gasket, maybe $30 for the tools, and 1.5 hours of my time. I cannot imagine paying a shop a couple of hundred to do this.

[Denny347]

How I reached the bolt under the intake.

[NA55]

Originally Posted by Denny347

How I reached the bolt under the intake.

Thank you!

[FrankyGTR]

Parts guy says theres 2 gaskets for ofh ??? Whats up with that?

[jin]

I just did this yesterday and there was some pitting on the OFH. I didnt have any gasket sealer to put on it so just put the gasket in and bolted the OFH back on.

Should I worry about this? I can quite easily take it back off and put something on it.

[bin01123]

Did this job today on the wife's N51. It really isn't a bad job to do and you must have the tools mentioned above to complete this.

[Black09BMW]

Just did this last night. I'm not an expert at all when doing car maintenance but I can follow a guide pretty well. This took me a couple hours to do but if I was focusing I could have had it done in under an hour. I didn't drain the oil or coolant but when I unscrewed all of the bolts I did loose a bit of coolant. I added some back in after I replaced the gasket and did the bleeding process. I will have to admit it is very cool that our cars do the process on its own I have never seen that before. I didn't buy the e10-e12 torx wrench as no stores around me had it in stock. I did manage to get a small set of sockets for it but was only able to use them for one of the bolts. So for the bolt in the back and on the bottom in the front I used an 8mm socket and wrench I believe. The pictures posted above by someone on how they got to the rear bolt is exactly what I did and it worked flawlessly.

[fastordiy]

Mission complete took me only 30mins. here is what I did and how I did it.
tools
-1/4 inch socket wrench
-1/4 inch extension 5inches long.
-1/4 inch swivel
-8mm socket
-8mm box wrench ( for lower bolt near belts ).
-Magnetic wand (makes life easier when dealing with the bolt under the intake manifold)

-Let the engine sit overnight (for oil to drop into the engine thus avoiding any spillage).(No need to remove Oil filter)
-Drain 1-2 quarts coolant from the bottom of the radiator on the drivers side(plastic bolt be careful).
-Tighten the plastic drain bolt.
-Remove each bolt with its appropriate tool(please use magnetic wand when dealing with bolt under the intake manifold.)
-Separate housing for engine block
-You should have no spillage at this time
-Clean housing area
-Lube the new gasket with motor oil
-Torque bolts to spec
-Add coolant
-Bleed coolant system https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDrEn1qmJOo&t=219s
-And congrats ! that was super easy ! and you just saved your self a couple hundred bucks!!!!!!!!!!!

[BMAX]

I have a 2008 335i sedan (n54) and I appear to have an extra part in front of the oil filter housing. I believe it is an oil cooler thermostat housing. Can anyone give me info for removing that. It appears there are two bolts on top that will disconnect the two hoses underneath then three e 10 torx bolts to remove the part. Then proceed as per info in this thread. Thanks in advance and I will take pics of this extra step unless someone already posted it and I missed it
Todd