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Oil Filter Housing Gasket DIY w/ some pics

364K views 248 replies 124 participants last post by  dirty vert 
#1 · (Edited)
I just replaced the $6 gasket recently and decided to take a few pics. This is my first time doing the job and it was fairly easy. My car was leaking oil about 1 quart every 2500 miles.

1. drive car on ramps or put on jack stands.

2. remove bottom engine splash shield

3. remove air filter box and remove the 2 nuts holding up the power steering reservoir. Put it to the side.

4. Remove fan and fan shroud

5. remove upper radiator hose (optional step, it just help clear up some room)

6. remove the alternator belt.

7. disconnect the negative of the battery first before messing with the alternator. (added by SSM1991)

remove alternator at these locations. I think the 2 bolts are 13mm. pull the electrical connector and unscrew the red battery terminal (13mm). Also remove the lower air 3 inch duct.



8. with the alternator out, its time to remove the 6 bolts (13mm) that holding the oil filter housing to the engine. Important: Remember the locations of each bolt because they're different lengths. It will help alot when it's time to re-install the housing. Also remove the oil line at the top near the radiator hose and remove the electrical connector to the oil housing.





9. Pull the housing away from the engine. as you can see there are small collections of oil nearby. I didn't completely removed the housing, I just pull it off enough to remove the gasket.



10. picture of gasket that's harden and brittle. it's cracking in a few spots.



11. replace with new gasket and reverse all steps to finish.

12. top off coolant and some oil. Oil doesn't really leak out at all when you pull the housing off.
 
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#79 ·
A couple days ago I talked with a mechanic, former BMW mech. We also discussed my current progress on my 330ci where I am replacing OFH gasket. He said that at dealership they always replaced whole housing because the labor is significant (about 3 hours) and if the housing is warped or cracked they would need to do whole job again for FREE! So, they just charge a client for entire housing and install new one. "A cheap insurance" for stealership to avoid customer coming back with complains.
 
#83 ·
I just finished mine and was not that bad. Just make sure you have enough time to do it right.
To remove the gasket I used a surgical type pick to get the gasket out. Just dig into the gasket at an angle a little bit and pull upwards. Do it in few areas and it pop right out. Does not scratch the groove at all where the gasket sits.
Also to remove the banjo bolt for the oil line, use a wrench that pivots. I could not get a socket wrench in there. No room. Also dont forget to replace the two crush washers.
 
#86 ·
I just replaced the OFHG. When I removed the housing some oil dripped out, I followed the DIY exactly. I still have drips. I cleaned everything up pretty good. SO, I am not sure if I am leaking from a new place or if the oil that spilled is still falling off engine parts. I cleaned it up again, I will wait 1 week and see if there are new puddles. Anything to check out. I also replace my VCG about 8 months ago.
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#89 ·
I followed this DIY to do mine. The hardest part was putting the alternator back on. Tip: use a narrow screwdriver and insert it through the top thread hole (alternator through mount location on engine) so you can line up the bottom bolt. I really have to get a 3/8 in. torque wrench because I cant quite get to 25 m torque on the oil filter cap. :( I either leave it too lose, or tend to pinch the oil gasket.
 
#90 · (Edited)
Just did my friends this past weekend, not hard but the cleaning job took some time, alternator was very easy, no problems there. Need to jockey the entire housing a few time to get it lined up and over the dowels but that was all. Will probably do mine this coming weekend or maybe during the week if I get the time. We also replaced the vanos oil line which was leaking as well on the metal ends. Mine is doing the same. It took us about 4 to 5 hours complete off and back on. Next one I can see being quicker.
 
#92 ·
Were the six bolts torqued down to spec? Gasket possibly moved during installation.
Try using a flexible magnetic pickup tool that has a LED light on the magnet portion. The light is bright and you can bend it and snake into tight areas to check leaks. Works well. A small flex mirror may help also.
You can pick one up at the auto parts store.

GL
 
#96 ·
I just did this on a 323i a little while ago. It was not as hard as I thought it would be. Not sure why everyone has issues with the alternator, seemed easy to me.
 
#98 ·
2001 330 i

Guys did all that ws listed - gasket and all. Thanks for the great DIY - I have a new problem - Once I put everything back - now oil is pressurizing and leaking in streams from the oil filter cap - in streams like spilling lava over (top is scrwed on and closed of course) And when I turn the engine off it is making a slurping/sucking noise. Everything seems nice and snug.. I did replace the oil switch as well .It is not throwing any codes inside or oil light on either. Did I miss something - is that little fan type thing inside the oild filter housing stuck or something?? I am wondering if I scrwed n teh filter back or if I left some gap... dont even know what to look for. and Dont want to take the whole thing apart. I am hoping its just the oil filter gasket

2001 -330i
2003 m3
 
#99 · (Edited)
I replaced the housing gasket on my newly acquired 2001 330i that had 117k miles on it.

I told the previous owner that it had an oil leak and he said that it was actually a PS leak that was already fixed. Either it also had a PS leak or his mechanic doesn't know the difference between engine oil and power steering fluid because it was definitely my leak...

I was able to do it all without removing the fan (it is an automatic car so the mechanical fan is a pain to remove). If you remove the fan it is probably a good idea to change the thermostat and possibly the water pump while it is off. And of course check your belt and replace it if needed.

TIP:

Remember to buy both the new housing gasket and new Vanos line crush washers. I forgot the crush washers so in a pinch I reused my old ones (but I plan on replacing them in a week or two when I do the Vanos seal repair).

In a pinch if you forgot to get new crush washers like I did AND you have copper crush washers you can heat them with a propane torch until they start to change color and then pour water on them to quickly cool/quench them. This will re-anneal them so that they will be soft enough to reuse.

I still recommend getting new washers but re-annealing copper washers can work if you forget.

-Rich
 
#101 ·
MP333 thanks for the reply. Sorry for the frantic post- I did not have the radiator hose on completely and hence the sucking noises.

While I was doing all this I did do the oil filter housing gasket too, belts and tensioner s as well ! 98 K and runs alike a charm !

By the way the autozone test , showed that the alternator was fine, I could not really hear any bearing noise with a stethescope . But as soon as I replaced the alternator the Battery light went away... Phew..! (voltage reg and alternator are too close in price not to just change the whole thing) Also Autozone guys don't know much about Bimmers - More than one perosn asked me if my alternator was a turbo after I told them it was an 01 Bimmer.
 
#108 ·
After doing my OFHG this weekend and having the same question I consulted the Chilton Manual that I have for my 325i. It listed the torque spec at 22 nM or 194.175 inch pounds. I torqued the bolts to this spec and had no leaks when the job was done. Please do this at your risk, I am not a certified mechanic...........legal disclaimer out of the way!!!!!!

To the OP and all the others who have posted on this thread and the others DIY threads I want to say thank you. Having this DIY and others have saved me a great deal of money while working on my car.
 
#109 ·
Torque specs are based on the bolt size and tensile strength rating.

22Nm is about right for a 8.8 class bolt.

Whenever I don't have a spec handy I just check the bolt grade and then look at a chart like this:
http://www.imperialinc.com/pdf/A_FastenerTorqueCharts.pdf

Are they an 8.8 bolt or a 10.9? I can't remember if they have the mark on them or not but generally they should be marked.

10.9 bolts can handle more torque than the 8.8 can. Either way 194 in*lbs (16 ft*lbs) isn't really very tight and if you overtorque them you could snap the bolt off (which is the biggest concern).

They might also be on the loose side of the spec so that there is no risk of damaging the aluminum block that they are screwing into.

-Rich
 
#110 ·
rbryantaz:
I would not worry about tourqueing the head off of the 8.8 hardened steel bolt in this application. I would be more worried with blowing the threads out of the Aluminum Engine Block. Let's face it, the aluminum of the block is a softer metal and will give before the head does on the bolt.
 
#111 ·
The torque on the boss distributed across 5-6 threads where you are torquing directly on the bolt.... Given that I don't think it is clear that the aluminum would strip out first.

I would actually expect that the boss would twist off before the threads would give up (for the holes with a boss that sticks out on the block). In my experience, generally bolts snap off near the boss.

IMO Either way you could have to wrench pretty hard to break either. Only a true amateur would snap one off. I didn't use a torque wrench when I the job, I just used judgement and basically tightened it with my wrist instead of using my whole body.

-Rich
 
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