Oil Filter Housing Gasket - '02 530i

I gave in and started filling my online shopping cart, starting with the CCV. Also finished the disassembly steps in the DIY procedure and pulled out the old CCV unit and all the associated hoses. Sludge-wise, I think everything would have been fine for a while longer, but it's probably good to go ahead and replace it all because of how badly some of the plastic and rubber parts have aged. No freakin way that thing would have come out without cutting the S-shaped connecting line.

Also, in the center of the last pic with the red connections, please tell me that's not what I think it is, or at least tell me they rarely fail. Looks like a pain to work on if it ever needs it.

in the center of the last pic with the red connections, please tell me that's not what I think it is, or at least tell me they rarely fail.

Yup, solenoid attached to starter motor.


They are easy to replace when your transmission is out for a clutch job.

Otherwise, they are a PITA.

I chose NOT to replace mine last summer when I replaced clutch DMF, seals, etc... though it was "right there". The biggest PITA about replacing them is the center metal dowel pin that pushes into the bellhousing and locates the starter to the ring gear on the flexplate/flywheel. The backside of the bellhousing is open to the elements and the dowel pin rusts and seizes in the bore. Common advice is to sand and heavily anitseize the dowel pin when removing and reinstalling or replacing the starter. Receiver hole on the bellhousing is not a good design.

Originally Posted by Jase007

Yup, solenoid attached to starter motor.


They are easy to replace when your transmission is out for a clutch job.

Otherwise, they are a PITA.

That's what I was afraid of. In my mind at least, I always figured starters need to be designed & located for reasonably easy servicing.

Is the rusting/siezing issue the same for the auto transmissions? (I have an '02 530i Sport with the Steptronic transmission.)

Originally Posted by ElwoodBlues

Good thing I got mine from www.DrOilFilterHousingGasket.com. Guaranteed compatible with all engines and all motor oils.

Good point, mine was just replaced with an OEM... oops!

great job.
while doing your valve cover gasket, you will see if ur engine is clean or not regarding sludge.

Originally Posted by mujjuman

great job.
while doing your valve cover gasket, you will see if ur engine is clean or not regarding sludge.

Good point. Hopefully no major surprises when I open it up. Should get to that soon because I ordered a boat load of parts today:
- CCV and all related hoses
- Throttle Housing Gasket
- Beisan VANOS kit
- VCG, VANOS Gasket, & misc. parts listed in Beisan DIY

Once all that arrives & I grab some spark plugs locally, maybe I'll be done under the hood for a little while.
(Well, except for cooling system - still gotta sort that out. )

It is with a sense of joy and sadness that I read your threads on the oil filter housing oil gasket. For weeks, I have been chasing an oil leak with oil puddling on the forward, left hand side of the engine block and did not want to even consider a case or housing leak. Yesterday, I removed the alternator and replaced the oil line with the banjo fittings that goes to the filter housing assembly with the banjo fittings. This line was caked with oil and dirt residue and the rubber meets the rigid tube, it swiveled with ease. Put everything back together and I still have the leak. That is the sad part. The happy part is that I have finally come to terms with going in to replace the gasket. How many elapsed hours did it take? I am an aircraft mechanic so it might take me five more minutes if I have to read any procedures.
Thanks for showing me the way.

This previously-unknown-to-me thread popped up because the previous post was made today (which I don't know the answer to).

After reading this thread from start to finish, I wish I had known all this BEFORE my alternator suddenly failed on me last week; so I'm trying to be proactive moving forward.

In a more perfect world, is THIS the right summary of what needs to be looked at for an I6 E39 with 100K or more miles?

HINDSIGHT:
0. Alternator & drive belt system (tensioners, idler roller, belts)
1. Oil Filter Housing (OFH) and crankcase ventilation valve (CCV) and idle control valve gasket (ICV) & throttle body gasket:
2. Vanos, Valve Cover Gasket (VCG), & spark plugs
3. Cooling system overhaul (expansion tank, radiator, fan clutch, water pump, upper and lower radiator hoses, thermostat & housing)

Originally Posted by bmccarthy

... How many elapsed hours did it take?

Hard to say exactly because when I did it, I was going very slowly and methodically, and then I ended up doing some extrawork at the same time. Judging by the time stamps on some of the pics I took, it looks like about 4 hours to take it off, but if I had to do it again, I could probably do it all in 3-4 hours (just the gasket, reomve & reinstall).

If your going to r & r the alternator, the oil filter housing gasket is a logical item to deal with at the same time you slap a new belt, tensioner and idler pulley. It is nice to be able to go in from the side (to access the pulleys and tensioner) after removing the air filter box assembly. I don't think the radiator issues will be helped or hindered by the filter housing gasket or alternator change out. That said, the thermostat and top radiator hose would be easier to change with everything opened. I can do that blindfolded since I have changed everything that you have mentioned at 120,000 miles. On my project, the only other issue that surfaced was a crack in the radiator black plastic so I had to do it all when I started to see antifreeze leaking. The ccv would also be logical if you have the energy. VCG and plugs can really be a separate operation for a different day unless you need some extra time away from your other girl friend...

I have several questions, that may seem silly, but I'm going to put myself out there in sheer desperation. I have OCD and this forum is feeding my disease! Seriously though you guys sure know your stuff! So my car goes through about a qt of oil per 1k miles. It has been doing this for about two years and I'm told this is within what BMW finds acceptable, I however am tired of dealing with it. Bought my car 5 years ago with about 80k and I now have 125k. A friend replaced front and rear main seals? He also replaced my clutch. I drive my car hard and fast...but in a good way. I must say I've been told I drive very well for a girl, one of those backhanded compliments. Still going through 1 qt per 1k, so took it to dealer. Dealer says I need to replace the Oil Filter Housing Gasket (11 42 1 719 855) and Camshaft Position Sensor Ring (12 14 1 748 398). Here are my quesitons...

1) Are Vanos Seals the same as Oil Fitting Washer or Gasket ring or alum. crush washer?

2) Do you recommend replacing the Banjo Bolt and there is only one right?

Anything else you can tell me would be so much appreciated. I have trust issues and so don't know who to believe, but you guys seem as I said to know your stuff.

Thanks, Rose

Originally Posted by ElwoodBlues

Good thing I got mine from www.DrOilFilterHousingGasket.com. Guaranteed compatible with all engines and all motor oils.

That link does not work, nor did I find any doctor filter housing gasket site.
Could you please repost the linky?

Originally Posted by Medeiros

1) Are Vanos Seals the same as Oil Fitting Washer or Gasket ring or alum. crush washer?

No, the VANOS seals require the removal of the valve cover and a new valve cover gasket, do spark plugs at the same time. ALL e39's over 30,000 have some sort of VANOS failure, good idea to do the Besian (seach this forum) seal replacement, I'm doing mine in SEP, cost about $200 for all the parts with plugs.

The oil filter housing gasket is on the other side / front of the engine and is the gasket that meets the engine block for the oil filter "housing" that holds your oil filter. It hangs off the engine and is another known gasket failure on e39's. Mine was replaced by an Indy, it is PITA project and you might want to do the dip stick / oil valve repair at the same time.

The alum. "crush" washer could be on the oil pan bolt below your engine that you replace when you drain out the oil. They crush and form an oil tight seal between the bolt and the oil pan... always replace these when you change your oil as a 2nd crush wont be the same as the first and they will weep oil over time.

Originally Posted by Medeiros

2) Do you recommend replacing the Banjo Bolt and there is only one right?

Not sure what you mean by the "Banjo Bolt", have not had to deal with that one yet! Your best bet is to start with the sticky links at the top of the forum and read, read, read....

Originally Posted by 16valex

CCV is crankcase ventilation or we called it PCV and VCG is valve cover gasket. All M54 I6 engine has a bit of design flaw problem with CCV. The CCV can get partial clog and thus will cause high pressure build up in your crank case causing valve cover gasket and oil filter housing gasket to leak.

I plan to do the VANOS seal fix in SEP and already did the oil housing gasket. My VCG appears to leak near the passenger side rear and some oil drips down on the hot exhaust shield but not too much. I guess I have to tackle the CCV too... If I do the VANOS / VCG and delay the CCV will my new VCG leak and if so, will it damage it? I know the CCV is on the entire other side of the engine so was not planning to tear into both sides at once...

Originally Posted by doru

That link does not work, nor did I find any doctor filter housing gasket site.
Could you please repost the linky?

Sorry, there is no link. We were all just joking around. I was making up an address similar to the Dr Vanos site. Go back and read the posts from poolman and cn90 just before mine where they were baiting me into thinking I needed even more parts.

Originally Posted by ElwoodBlues

Sorry, there is no link. We were all just joking around. I was making up an address similar to the Dr Vanos site. Go back and read the posts from poolman and cn90 just before mine where they were baiting me into thinking I needed even more parts.

elwoodblues how has it been since the fix? any updates or suggestions i too want to at some point in existence be able to say that my e39 was bone dry of any oil leak (i have OFH gasket and ccv hw due sooner than later)

Originally Posted by energizedmortal

elwoodblues how has it been since the fix? any updates or suggestions i too want to at some point in existence be able to say that my e39 was bone dry of any oil leak (i have OFH gasket and ccv hw due sooner than later)

Probably been around 8K since fixing my OFH gasket, and still no signs of leakage.

Originally Posted by ElwoodBlues

Probably been around 8K since fixing my OFH gasket, and still no signs of leakage.

For the record, I added this thread just now to the bestlinks:
- CCV FAILS: crankcase ventilation valve diaphragm tears, freezes (1), &/or clogs (1), necessitating CCV replacement (M54,M54,M54) (M52,M52) (M52TU) (M62,M62) ('99 528i) ('98 528i); raising pressures, often causing the OFH oil filter housing to leak (1) (2) (3) (4); frequently blowing the VCG valve cover gasket (1); and sometimes the head gasket (1) (2); often causing vacuum leaks (1) (2) (3)

When i start my car in the mornings it idles real bad, it shakes a lot but it goes away. Could this be from the CCV?

I'm new to this - my 2003 530i filter housing is dripping and want to do the "whole" job. What threads should look at to get the detailed instructions that I would need to get the job done?

Originally Posted by j1mwcooper

I'm new to this - my 2003 530i filter housing is dripping and want to do the "whole" job. What threads should look at to get the detailed instructions that I would need to get the job done?

What do you mean by "whole job"? Are you talking about what else you might want to tackle while you have things disassembled in the general area? If so, try here: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...708&highlight=

For detailed instructions on just the OFH job, stick with the DIY by CN90. (The first link in the beginning of this thread.)