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Leaking oil cap - or this?

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19K views 51 replies 21 participants last post by  Spydyr  
J
#1 ·
Keep looking at cap, and meaning to buy a new one.
But, seeing as this is rubber, could it be number 13: RealOEM.com BMW E39 M5 Cylinder head cover

After every drive this is covered in oil, and I'm not convinced it's all, if any, from cap?
 
M
#2 ·
Put up a couple of pics for analysis mate !!

Lets hope the oil is not pissing out of somewhere else.....

FYI : I out on the M3 oil cap and it seems all good !
 
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M
#4 ·
Oops sorry, brain fade on my side.

Those rubber grommets are known to fail and leak oil.

You need 20 of the 15's and 6 of the 13's I believe, so 26 in total !! Let the fun begin !
 
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J
#5 ·
Bugger! See a few others look damp too.
Keep oil cap in back of mind as oil consumption went from being stupid to none at all, now back to stupid...
So you'd go for M3 over new M5 cap?
This one the lugs are loose/worn, have put a ring of gasket paper under the rubber seal, and is very tight now so can't see how it could leak really; but will be replacing.

These seals, would I get away with doing 1 at a time?



Image
 
M
#6 ·
Changing them one at a time, or when and as is necessary seems fine to me !!

The beauty of the M3 cap is it says ///M on it, plus seems to fit much better than my old Castrol square one... I just went with it. I wouldn't really want ot be bending any of those lugs, just incase one decides to fall into your engine ...ouch :(
 
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J
#7 ·
Needs stronger man than me to bend those lugs ;)
Guess the amount these things get topped up bound to get slack lol.

That seal bottom right of pic, is that number 13?
Just gonna see which look damp and do them for now, have a nose around see what access is like etc.
Suppose doing 1 at a time covers are kept square by other bolts - this was my thinking, didn't want to replace gaskets if didn't have to!

Will go with M3 cap then, cheers :D
 
#8 · (Edited)
If you are going to replace any of the grommets it may be a good idea to do one at a time. I had to replace the (6) Piece 13 seals on my 100k old car because of weepage arouind the Collar Screws (Piece 12). If you replace the Piece 15 seals be advised that there is a washer underneath the Cap Nut (Piece 14) that is installed on top of the rubber seal so make sure you don't lose track of the washers.

To bend the tabs I used the back of a screwdriver handle to slightly bend them. It worked well and the OE cap sealed fine after that. I then replcaed it with an M3 cap because I believe it a cooler cap than the OE. I have since replaced it with a Bimmian oil cap because I wanted something different.
 
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#10 ·
I can not see your picture because I am at work (I think it has something to do with the format; sometimes I see them fine, other times not) but after repeatedly spraying down and cleaning the area over the timing chains with brake cleaner, I tracked it down to those six rubber grommets. It was never a puddle or visible oil it was just wet enough that dust was attracted to it and it was creating a mess. It was contributing slightly to oil consumption, I think. It is always hard to tell when it comes to consumption but it seemed to drop practically to zero after the replacement. The valve cover grommets never appeared to be leaking and you really only need (16) of Piece 15 because two each on either side simply hold the coil cover on. Then again, for the price, why not replace them I suppose?
 
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M
#14 ·
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K
#22 ·
Grommets are an easy fix (much easier for some when plenum is removed) and it's hard to majorly overtighten them. The stem of the nut or bolt bottoms out just when the squish of the grommet starts to be too much
 
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#23 ·
I'll add this since it hasn't been mentioned but there is no need to wrestle off the old Piece 13 grommets from the Piece 12 collar screws located around the VANOS units. After removing the screws just snip the old grommets off with a pair of diagonal cutters. To install the new grommets I just rested the screw head on a piece of 2x4 and pressed the grommet onto the shaft and over the collar. Very easy.

Hope this helps.
 
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C
#28 ·
To be honest with you, your issue looks like the cap to me. The areas you see oil here are the areas where the oil typically runs down to. I also find it runs down behind plug cover too. I have been paranoid about this and spent too much time worrying it was my rockers, it wasn't. I would replace the grommets though, worth doing and takes a few mins. Get a really powerful degrease and spray and clean the area. Then look at it again a day or two later and decide. These caps are rubbish they all leak, if your rockers are bad they'll be worse than this, take a look around for oil leaks from the bottom or at the tops of the covers, if it's dry then leave it..
 
#29 ·
I do not agree that they all leak. My 100k+ mile OEM cap did not leak, the M3 cap I replaced it with did not leak and neither did the Bimminan aluminum cap. What I found made the critical difference for me was that EVERY time I removed the cap for ANY reason that I cleaned the seating surface and the gasket before reinstalling the cap. If I was at home I would spray copious amounts of brake cleaner on the underside of the cap, including underneath the gasket (i.e. between the underside of the cap and the "top" of the gasket). I would then wipe it down drying all of the residual oil and cleaner. Yes, it was/is a pain but guess what? No leaks. Ever. In a pinch, like at a gas station after adding oil (rare), I just wiped off all of the oil I could. After this sometimes there would be some VERY slight residue. Hardly enough that I was concerned about it.

I tested my theory by removing the cap and then reinstalling it. After this I would see much more leakage indication. I don't know, maybe my experience is/was unique.

-Josiah
 
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C
#30 · (Edited)
I didn't quite mean literally every single one. I have yet to see an oil cap that doesn't leak and I've seen a lot. I have tried cleaning, I have tried bending clips, I have tried 3 new ones... I think.. you have one of the VERY few... miracle working oil caps mate.. seriously.. it's rare.. a legend among BMW E39 M5 owners.. a bit like the Yeti :)
 
B
#32 ·
What is the part # of this M3 cap people keep talking about? I have a weep around the same area, my mechanic advised replacing valve cover gasket, at a pretty steep cost (mostly labor). Maybe I should try replacing the cap and gromet first.
 
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#34 · (Edited)
bimmerule said:
What is the part # of this M3 cap people keep talking about? I have a weep around the same area, my mechanic advised replacing valve cover gasket, at a pretty steep cost (mostly labor). Maybe I should try replacing the cap and gromet first.
Click to expand...
If you have ANY signs of leakage around the grommets or cap I would definitely suggest replacing any/all of those before replacing the valve cover gaskets unless there are signs of leakage at those points. I know that my oil consumption dropped significantly after replacing the grommets around the VANOS.
 
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