I just did my oil change on saturday. I noticed that it was leaking oil after i went for a ride an parked it back at my house. It's leaking from the drain plug..OHH Man. I hope this doesn't become a expensive oil change. The washer is in. I did notice when taking the plug out that the bolt was a lil sharp from the thread. Do you think i should change the bolt or will this only make it worse. Basically what i'm worried about is stripping the thread on the oil pan.. I don't want to have to change the bottom part of the oil pan. Any suggestions? Can i put something there so it will stop leaking and hold on to my next oil change? The leak is not very big but you are able to notice it on the place where you park.
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You sure its leaking from the plug area. Sometimes the leak can occur from the previos draining or filling if you spilt some oil.
If it is from the drain plug are you sure you put it back in properly? I would try this to confirm where leaking....Clean the drain bolt area with a rag or something as see if it leaks. If does i would find a way to retighten the bolt. If the bolt is stripped and you need a new washer I would just get one from the dealership or your local auto part store and replace. -
Did you use a new crush washer?Comment
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Originally posted by 97BLKM3COUPE
Did you use a new crush washer?
No I didn't. You think this would cause the slow leak.
NRG, yeah i did clean it from the drain plug area and it is leaking from there.Comment
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Ya I think if you use a new washer, maybe even replace the bolt. Less hassele and I think you should be fine after that.Comment
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You should use a new washer every time.
Problem is now, you're going to lose most of your oil unless you turn the car upside down (you can put it back in again, it's just a hassle and I hate reusing oil, even new stuff).
I actually think the plug on a BMW is torqued. If this is the case, check that you've done it up tightly enough.
Somebody will know the setting if there is one... I don't sorry.Comment
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http://www.logun.org/oil.htm
thats how you change your oil on a 95. And the tourqe ratings are on that.Comment
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Ok i think I have a bigger problem now. Changed what you guys recomended and there is still a very slow leak. I lifted the car up and it is from the drain plug. I checked all over and it's just underneath the drain plug.. Now What???? Take it to a mechanic or is there anything else I can do.Comment
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Maybe buy a new drain plug. If you overtightened it a bit, it will crack and the head is designed to break off so there is no damage to the pan. See if a new plug helps.Comment
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You said it was "a lil sharp from the thread." It's possible the bolt was cross-threaded. The last time the bolt was put in, if the person started it crooked and continued to crank it down, it would re-cut the threads on the bolt or the pan. After you removed it and put it back, it could easily leak past the now munched up threads.
From what I'm reading, it looks like the bolt is designed to be softer than the pan, so I agree with replacing the bolt/washer and seeing if that does it.Comment
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You might be getting some oil from the dip stick tube, where it mounts to the pan. I need to replace mine, and my bmw friend told me that it is somthing that fails often because its a steel tube and aluminum pan and the "O" ring goes bad. Just somthing to look at.Comment
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One thing you might try to stop the leak is to undo the bolt a little bit and put a few (or more) wraps of teflon tape around the bolt theads by the head. If the washer isn't sealing, then maybe you can seal the threads. The tape should be able to handle the temperature of the oil, I would think.
The caveat is that I haven't specifically tried this fix in this application, but it's what I would do as a temporary fix if I had the issue. JimComment
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