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**Cubieman** · 02-11-2026, 01:02 PM

Clean and check again, could be vanos gasket, specially the lower left corner as viewed from the front of the vehicle. I have oil in more or less the same area (runs back under the head) and in my case it's the timing cover.

**BL92** · 02-12-2026, 01:41 AM

Timing cover gaskets next on my list as well

Check these below

Oil leak / sometimes smells of burnt oil - Valve cover gasket? (SOLVED) - NA M3 Forums

https://nam3forum.com/forums/forum/main-forum/e46-2001-2006/204383-oil-leak-sometimes-smells-of-burnt-oil-valve-cover-gasket-solved

Hi all, As the title states, my valve cover gasket is leaking, although it was replaced 20k miles ago. Here are the symptoms: From underneath the car: - Exhaust side of head and block is all oil residue - o2 sensor has signs of burning oil on it - this seems to have come from oil on the o2 sensor wires, pooling, and then

Leaky valve cover - NA M3 Forums

https://nam3forum.com/forums/forum/main-forum/e46-2001-2006/93001-leaky-valve-cover

Guys! i am struggling with a leaky valve cover and I have done it two times already and still leaking here is the background 1 after valve adjustment and VANOS i installed a new elring gasket, i followed the TIS procedure and. Added rtv to the vanos joint and the half moons . It was fine for almost 9 months and started

Vanos Seal Leak - Rebuild (again) while I'm in there? - NA M3 Forums

https://nam3forum.com/forums/forum/main-forum/e46-2001-2006/233629-vanos-seal-leak-rebuild-again-while-i-m-in-there

Hey folks, I noticed a fairly slow leak from the lower seal between the VANOS unit and my engine block, about here: (filedata/fetch?id=233630&d=1694662463) You can see this in the image I attached to the thread. So, to fix this, I'm guessing I will have to slightly pull the VANOS unit back from the head, enough to

Mystery oil leak - NA M3 Forums

https://nam3forum.com/forums/forum/main-forum/e46-2001-2006/169620-mystery-oil-leak

What could cause oil to build up on the edges of the HG besides the HG itself being bad? I am getting a bit of what I believe to be oil building up under the vanos in the highlighted area. I have not found any significant amounts of oil/drops, the highlighted area is simply greasy/dirty. I have checked the following items and

Help me diagnose my oil leak - NA M3 Forums

https://nam3forum.com/forums/forum/main-forum/e46-2001-2006/60155-help-me-diagnose-my-oil-leak

I noticed a bunch of oil on my vanos pressure canister a while back and was led by you fine folks to change out the vanos gasket and timing chain tensioner seal as possible culprits. Fast forward to this weekend and I noticed more oil on the canister, around the block adjacent to the vanos line, and on the lower part of the

Severe Oil Leak in the front passenger side of engine. - NA M3 Forums

https://nam3forum.com/forums/forum/main-forum/e46-2001-2006/155523-severe-oil-leak-in-the-front-passenger-side-of-engine

Hey guys im dealing with a severe oil leak in the passenger side front on my M3. I attached some photos. I suspected the tensioner but i have a new crush ring installed on it and torqued down when i did my vanos/chain guide service. The leak is covering the whole front passenger side... VANOS oil canister is wet (the bottom

Another Vanos Oil Line Leak Or Something Else? - NA M3 Forums

https://nam3forum.com/forums/forum/main-forum/e46-2001-2006/107284-another-vanos-oil-line-leak-or-something-else

Pic1: Lots of oil build up around the entire area but maybe someone can tell if this is the standard look for a leak from the vanos line or from elsewhere? attachment Pic 2: What part is this and is it a possible culprit or just an innocent victim of all the oil build up? Click image for larger version Name: Views: 0

Found my oil leak! - NA M3 Forums

https://nam3forum.com/forums/forum/main-forum/e46-2001-2006/194458-found-my-oil-leak

I’ve had a relatively minor oil leak I’ve been chasing down. Looks like it’s the freeze plug behind the vanos solenoids. This pic is after cleaning up the engine. You can see a little bit of fresh oil at the bottom. It was time to do a valve adjustment anyways. (filedata/fetch?id=194459&d=1669878660)

Massive Oil Leak - NA M3 Forums

https://nam3forum.com/forums/forum/main-forum/e46-2001-2006/77773-massive-oil-leak

When I was on the freeway, my car developed a massive oil leak. Oil is everywhere on the front passenger side of the engine. Oil is all over the bottom side of the headers, frame rail, undertray, steering rack, suspension, and the front right wheel well. Prior to this, my car did not have any real leaks. I recently changed

As Cubie mentioned, check this bolt

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Oil Leak Near Timing Chain Tensioner

Oil Leak Near Timing Chain Tensioner

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