Oil leak

[ATB88]

Wait that picture looks like the oil return line not the VANOS line. Unless there is a VANOS line that has a braided end that I am not aware of.


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Isn't the stock line flexible/braided at the end that attaches to the VANOS pressure accumulator?

[eacmen]

Isn't the stock line flexible/braided at the end that attaches to the VANOS pressure accumulator?

The OEM end of the VANOS supply line is a banjo fitting with some heat shielding around it. https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...sy-11367837614

The valve cover oil return line is a similar hard pipe but the bottom (on post-facelift cars) is a braided AN-style line that goes into the oil pan: https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...pe-11157832781

The photo looks like the oil return line to me.

[heinzboehmer]

The OEM end of the VANOS supply line is a banjo fitting with some heat shielding around it. https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...sy-11367837614

The valve cover oil return line is a similar hard pipe but the bottom (on post-facelift cars) is a braided AN-style line that goes into the oil pan: https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...pe-11157832781

The photo looks like the oil return line to me.

I'm pretty sure the VANOS line had a braided flexible section under the heat shield. Also the hard part of the oil return line is silver not black

[Phoenix///M3]

Guys it's the vanos oil line. Banjo bolts top and bottom. I cut off the silver heat shield held on with a little hose clamp at the braided / accumulator end to get a look at where it connects to the hard line.

Genuine replacement is 11367837614 but I went with the RE stainless replacement from Turner.






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[eacmen]

Guys it's the vanos oil line. Banjo bolts top and bottom. I cut off the silver heat shield held on with a little hose clamp at the braided / accumulator end to get a look at where it connects to the hard line.

Genuine replacement is 11367837614 but I went with the RE stainless replacement from Turner.






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Learn something new every day. Never took the heat shield off.


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[Phoenix///M3]

Learn something new every day. Never took the heat shield off.


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You would think they could have just used a braided line the whole way. High pressure hard line bolted to a high reving, vibrating engine 🤔

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[tone]

Should be an easy fix! If you don't have one, I'd grab a fan tool to make the job a lot easier. There are $15 versions on Amazon that are objectively junk, but good enough to get the job done.

[Phoenix///M3]

Should be an easy fix! If you don't have one, I'd grab a fan tool to make the job a lot easier. There are $15 versions on Amazon that are objectively junk, but good enough to get the job done.

I was able to get mine off with no special tools. I found a good YouTube video of a guy showing three methods on an E46. One was just holding a pry bar against one of the fan bolts while leveraging against a large adjustable wrench on the big nut. Super easy.

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[tone]

I was able to get mine off with no special tools. I found a good YouTube video of a guy showing three methods on an E46. One was just holding a pry bar against one of the fan bolts while leveraging against a large adjustable wrench on the big nut. Super easy.

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Ha. Lucky you! I tried some of the YouTube methods and ended up breaking a hose clamp

At the time, the fan tool felt like the best $15 I've ever spent!

[AXDB]

Oil leak that bad should be easy fo spot. Clean off the oil. Top off the oil and start it up.

Exhaust side is likely to be CPV, VCG, Timing Chain Tensioner, VANOS supply, or CPS.

Front side is likely that freeze plug on the timing chain cover, VANOS gasket (lower left bolt), front main seal.

Rear is VCG or rear main seal.

Intake side is CPS, OFGH.


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CPS??

[eacmen]

CPS??

camshaft position sensor o-ring


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[AXDB]

camshaft position sensor o-ring


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Thanks. Diagnosing as well and considering how the crank case builds pressure. Only relief on the s54 is the tube from valve cover to airbox.

Thanks!

[eacmen]

Thanks. Diagnosing as well and considering how the crank case builds pressure. Only relief on the s54 is the tube from valve cover to airbox.

Thanks!

When the CPS oring goes bad it will leak more oil than you would think. But usually fails on the exhaust side, and you'll smell it on the headers. The intake side seems more resilient.


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[sapote]

You would think they could have just used a braided line the whole way.

I'm sure the junior engineer had proposed this, because it's easier and cheaper to make. But the senior engineer decided to have hard/braided line instead which was more expensive to make. The reason is that it's more harder to bolt down the braid line at the two locations as on the hard pipe.

[sapote]

And we have a winner. Pin hole in the vanos oil line right at the mounting bracket which was also broken. You couldn't see it when I took it off but bending the line back and forth a bit exposed it.

The root cause, I bet, is that there was no bolted down (or loosen bolt) at this location which allowed the pipe/bracket vibrated against the engine, leading to stress and cracked pipe.