*DIY M50 VANOS Oil leak-Fix found!

[russiankid]

As many of you know, I've been fighting with a nasty oil leak on my M50 with VANOS. The leak was these two caps that look like freeze plugs. To my knowledge, all E34's have the same setup as I do. The setup is a clip holding the cap. On newer models, the plugs were pressed in;and if they leaked, you are screwed.

The other day I got a nasty oil leak again. I got tired of it pissing oil on the driveway; so I pulled the housing out. Then I removed the caps. This is done by sticking a small flat head screw driver in the special notch to pry the clip that holds the caps in. After that, I used my finger nails to wiggle the caps out.


Well what do I find in there? An o-ring!


It appears to be that the lower cap covers a relief valve and the upper one just covers a hole?

Lower:


Upper:


Anyways, I went to Autozone and got a box of assortment distributor o-rings for GM vehicles. It had a perfect match!




Fitted onto a cap:


I haven't reassembled this yet so I cannot confirm if it will leak or not. But the old o-rings were hard and flat, so I don't see how they could seal the caps. I'll report back tomorrow once I get it all assembled.

The reason I posted this is because I've searched a lot on finding a fix for this but without any luck. So I decided to figure it out myself. Hopefully this will help people in the future. A new housing is $400+, o-rings cost me $3.

P.S. If you notice that yours is leaking and you say to yourself "Its only leaking a little bit, I can deal with it." Well don't put it off. I put it off because it leaked a little bit. Then, as I mentioned, one pleasant afternoon I start the car up and oil is pouring out.

Edit:Part number is 90441. This is in the HELP section at Autozone. The manufacturer is Dorman.

[zubbie]

good detective work. I hope it fixes the problem

[4500 RPM]

Hope it fixes it. Have you looked into Dr. Vanos if it doesn't?

[russiankid]

Dr.Vanos, to my knowledge, has nothing to do with the oil filter housing. It is suppose to replace the solenoid and a few other things that rattle over time.

[Aufen2bimmer]

Great Info - hopefully this fixes it

[upallnight]

Yeah

Thanks for sharing.

[4500 RPM]

Dr.Vanos, to my knowledge, has nothing to do with the oil filter housing. It is suppose to replace the solenoid and a few other things that rattle over time.

Gotcha, didn't know what was included in the kit...got confused when you talked about a new VaNOS unit.

[HE53]

Im interested to see if that fixes it. I noticed tonight I have an oil leak in that area. I plan on searching for it this weekend.

[attack eagle]

WEll written!!!

This should be in the FAQ section!

[5mall5nail5]

Awesome

FWIW I think the non vanos housing is plugged with threaded plugs.

[strayts]

nice product placement w/ that coke.

[4U2NV FLC]

Keep us posted. Thanks, Johnny

[russiankid]

WARNING! Check your oil before starting! I drove the car a little bit and got home and the engine oil level warning came up.

Anyways, both caps are dry so far. They popped into position right after the oil pressure built up and they stayed dry.

[somerandomdude]

Hmmm...I'm gonna have to look into that also....

[russiankid]

I will post the part number up tomorrow, to tired to get it today.

Hardest part of the job is getting the housing out of the car.

[somerandomdude]

Yeah I saw that. I was looking at it and I'm like yeah. This is going to be on hold until the weekend.

[russiankid]

Yeah I saw that. I was looking at it and I'm like yeah. This is going to be on hold until the weekend.

Over all it took me 45 minutes to get the housing out. Since I have school it took overall two days to complete. Tomorrow my HID's go in.

[somerandomdude]

Nice. How are they?

[russiankid]

Haven't installed them yet. I didn't have time to get them in today.

[e34freak1993]

A aprt number for what?

[russiankid]

A aprt number for what?

The o-rings.

[russiankid]

Part number is 90441. This is in the HELP section at Autozone. The manufacturer is Dorman.

[cngzsn]

That's where I seem to have an oil leak as well (if it's not the oil pan gasket, that is). Thanks for the input. Now all I need to do is to figure out how to remove the oil filter housing. Thanks Bentley for nothing on this subject

[russiankid]

That's where I seem to have an oil leak as well (if it's not the oil pan gasket, that is). Thanks for the input. Now all I need to do is to figure out how to remove the oil filter housing. Thanks Bentley for nothing on this subject

1.Remove air duct tubing for alternator.
2.Remove air box.
3.Remove fan,shroud, and belt.
4.Remove alternator by removing the idler pulley and lower bolt. Remove two bolts that hold the wiring on.
5.Undo the two top bolts that hold the power steering pump to the housing. I didn't remove them completely I just slid them out.
6.Undo the bolt for the oil filter cap so oil can drain back into the oil pan.
7.Remove the banjo bolt for the oil line on the VANOS solenoid.
8.Follow the oil line and you will notice its clipped to the fuel line. Remove the clip so you want rip the lines when removing the housing. Also, remove the connector for the oil pressure switch
9.Now, get a piece of paper and draw the bolt pattern. I used bags, labeled 1-6, and on my diagram I labeled where each bolt goes.
10. Remove the 6 bolts and pull housing out. You will have to find the best way to get it out. Both times I pulled it out I angled it a little differently around the radiator hose. Its not hard, just wiggle it around.

Installation is reverse of removal.

[cngzsn]

^