E46 Oil Leak

[kingkaha08 0]

My e46 318i 2004 Msport has an oil leak

N46 engine

I have changed the seals for the rocker cover twice! And she still is leaking! It is leaking directly onto the exhaust manifold and on the engine tray (directly below the oil cap) and near the rear by the vacuum pump..

cars done 75,000kms

few threads suggested the vacuum pump/seals may need replacing and some suggested the ccv? Is there anyway to determine if its one or the other or something different without ripping into the engine?

Posted pics below to help..

Im not mechanically minded so im going to have to pay for the labor

Can anyone help please?

[zero 1162]

Hey Chez, check out my thread here, as I have been going through the same thing with the same motor;

http://bimmersport.co.nz/topic/48568-ccv-valve-help/

Basically these engines leak oil like a sieve, but there is things you can do to prevent it.

The ccv (also called the oil seperator, or cvv) gets blocked and puts pressure on the rest of the engine. So the oil goes for the easiest escape route which is usually a gasket or o-ring somewhere. If you fix the leak, it will just leak again in either the same place or somewhere new, so its always best to fix the cause which 99% of the time is the ccv.

If you leave the blocked ccv you will end up with the oil eventually leaking through the valve seals and into the cylinder which is expensive to repair.

Unfortunately that is the stage I am up to as the previous owner didn't maintain the car properly.

After you have fixed the ccv, then fix all the leaks.

If you live in Auckland I'm happy to show you what I have learned.

[kingkaha08 0]

Thanx for the info appreciate def gt the mechanic to have a look at the cvv and see what the go is..

Bummer im in the south Island

Cheers