Oil Pan gasket leak at what mileage?

henkinc · 05-28-2021, 02:30 PM

I had the oil filter cartridge gasket (and turbo oil lines) replaced at 50 k miles....and told there is a small leak from valve cover to watch out for. That is a sizeable labor charge. I understand the oil pan gasket replacement involves even more labor. I have no evidence of an oil pan leak.
My question is: do these various gaskets go at more or less the same time on a given car? Or are the first to go the oil filter cartridge and valve cover gaskets?
And does the oil pan gasket tend to last longest?
Just looking for relative miles, not absolute, since driving conditions vary.

Charlie

Wires · 05-28-2021, 02:39 PM

Areas exposed to high temperature differentials or dissimilar materials will expand and contract at different rates. The gaskets do dry out over time, so can start to leak during those expansion and contraction events.

Someone can correct me, but oil pan, transmission, transfer case and differentials tend to be a lot more rare. Not that they cannot happen, but you shouldn't need to be "planning for maintenance" on them.

thejeremyman9 · 05-28-2021, 03:30 PM

Oil pan gasket (OPG) is quite common on F30 N55s. Mine was leaking at 44k and its a California car that's always garaged, never exposed to freezing temps, etc. I would say its slightly less common than OFHG and VCG, but still something you should more or less expect by 100k miles. Generally speaking cars that are exposed to more harsh environmental conditions will experience failure sooner for the reasons Wires alluded to, but that's just a generalization.

The labor for the OPG is because you need to drop or at least lower the subframe.

henkinc · 05-28-2021, 03:46 PM

thanks for the reply.
Charlie

dmaxdmax · 05-28-2021, 07:01 PM

Valve cover is a straightforward repair if you have the tools. If you don't have the tools, the labor cost for the vcg would more than cover the cost of tools...and maybe a little more.

I'm sure there are a number of diy vids on this.

ZoranTerzic · 06-11-2021, 08:00 PM

I had both my oil pan gasket and rocker cover gasket replaced at 40,000 miles on my 2013 435i

tardboi · 06-12-2021, 12:19 AM

Oil pan, valve cover, and oil filter housing gaskets on my 2015 335 were all replaced at 35k miles.

MacklinUSOB · 06-12-2021, 10:12 AM

OPG replaced on my RWD 328i @ 60,000 miles.

I believe the xDrive OPGs are more resilient because the pan and block are both aluminum whereas RWD is plastic.

sspade · 06-12-2021, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacklinUSOB

OPG replaced on my RWD 328i @ 60,000 miles.

I believe the xDrive OPGs are more resilient because the pan and block are both aluminum whereas RWD is plastic.

Interesting, havent heard of many N20 oil pan gasket leaks. Especially at 60k.

Was it just seeping a bit or did it end up leaking so bad that you HAD to change it? Expensive job if paying out of pocket considering the subframe must be lowered.

Good call on the x-drive pan, I agree totally. Ive always wondered and kinda planned to put a metal one on my RWD if it ever came time to replace. You'd think they are compatible being the same engine but maybe not...

Polo08816 · 06-12-2021, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by henkinc

I had the oil filter cartridge gasket (and turbo oil lines) replaced at 50 k miles....and told there is a small leak from valve cover to watch out for. That is a sizeable labor charge. I understand the oil pan gasket replacement involves even more labor. I have no evidence of an oil pan leak.
My question is: do these various gaskets go at more or less the same time on a given car? Or are the first to go the oil filter cartridge and valve cover gaskets?
And does the oil pan gasket tend to last longest?
Just looking for relative miles, not absolute, since driving conditions vary.

Charlie

I had my oil pan gasket replaced under an extended warranty around 60k miles if my memory serves me correctly.

MacklinUSOB · 06-12-2021, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sspade

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacklinUSOB

OPG replaced on my RWD 328i @ 60,000 miles.

I believe the xDrive OPGs are more resilient because the pan and block are both aluminum whereas RWD is plastic.

Interesting, havent heard of many N20 oil pan gasket leaks. Especially at 60k.

Was it just seeping a bit or did it end up leaking so bad that you HAD to change it? Expensive job if paying out of pocket considering the subframe must be lowered.

Good call on the x-drive pan, I agree totally. Ive always wondered and kinda planned to put a metal one on my RWD if it ever came time to replace. You'd think they are compatible being the same engine but maybe not...

I don't recall my leak being awful but by the time it was discovered it had well soiled the under tray. My Route 66 warranty covered the job so no sweat off my back.

I track the car so it wouldn't surprise me if it started seeping again in a couple of years. At that point I would surely upgrade to the URO aluminum sump.

https://www.bimmerworld.com/Engine/B...rive-Only.html

DanFed1998 · 02-02-2022, 04:25 PM

i was driving on the road the other day and ran over a possum, he was pretty big, big enough to take out my radiator and the a couple days later i noticed oil dripping a pretty big amount under the car when i had my 328i started and im just wondering could my oil pan be damaged or are there any lines that could of broke ?

05-28-2021, 02:30 PM	#1
henkinc Private First Class 16 Rep 132 Posts Drives: F30 335xi MT Join Date: Jul 2018 Location: Virginia iTrader: (0)	Oil Pan gasket leak at what mileage? I had the oil filter cartridge gasket (and turbo oil lines) replaced at 50 k miles....and told there is a small leak from valve cover to watch out for. That is a sizeable labor charge. I understand the oil pan gasket replacement involves even more labor. I have no evidence of an oil pan leak. My question is: do these various gaskets go at more or less the same time on a given car? Or are the first to go the oil filter cartridge and valve cover gaskets? And does the oil pan gasket tend to last longest? Just looking for relative miles, not absolute, since driving conditions vary. Charlie
	Appreciate 0 Tweet Quote

05-28-2021, 02:39 PM	#2
Wires Brigadier General 1646 Rep 4,876 Posts Drives: 2016 340i xDrive Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Calgary iTrader: (0)	Areas exposed to high temperature differentials or dissimilar materials will expand and contract at different rates. The gaskets do dry out over time, so can start to leak during those expansion and contraction events. Someone can correct me, but oil pan, transmission, transfer case and differentials tend to be a lot more rare. Not that they cannot happen, but you shouldn't need to be "planning for maintenance" on them.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

05-28-2021, 03:30 PM	#3
thejeremyman9 Major General 4358 Rep 7,598 Posts Drives: 2015 BMW 335i Join Date: May 2019 Location: Cali iTrader: (0)	Oil pan gasket (OPG) is quite common on F30 N55s. Mine was leaking at 44k and its a California car that's always garaged, never exposed to freezing temps, etc. I would say its slightly less common than OFHG and VCG, but still something you should more or less expect by 100k miles. Generally speaking cars that are exposed to more harsh environmental conditions will experience failure sooner for the reasons Wires alluded to, but that's just a generalization. The labor for the OPG is because you need to drop or at least lower the subframe.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

05-28-2021, 03:46 PM	#4
henkinc Private First Class 16 Rep 132 Posts Drives: F30 335xi MT Join Date: Jul 2018 Location: Virginia iTrader: (0)	makes sense thanks for the reply. Charlie
	Appreciate 0 Quote

05-28-2021, 07:01 PM	#5
dmaxdmax Captain 417 Rep 923 Posts Drives: 2016 M235i 6-spd Join Date: Jan 2020 Location: New Jersey iTrader: (0)	Valve cover is a straightforward repair if you have the tools. If you don't have the tools, the labor cost for the vcg would more than cover the cost of tools...and maybe a little more. I'm sure there are a number of diy vids on this. __________________ '92 325i, '99 328i, '16 340i, '16 M235i all manuals dmax on FB My last pre-covid standup set
	Appreciate 0 Quote

06-11-2021, 08:00 PM	#6
ZoranTerzic Private First Class 141 Rep 139 Posts Drives: f32 435i Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: Sydney NSW iTrader: (0)	I had both my oil pan gasket and rocker cover gasket replaced at 40,000 miles on my 2013 435i
	Appreciate 0 Quote

06-12-2021, 12:19 AM	#7
tardboi First Lieutenant 83 Rep 367 Posts Drives: 335i xDrive MSport Join Date: Aug 2019 Location: Wisconsin iTrader: (1)	Oil pan, valve cover, and oil filter housing gaskets on my 2015 335 were all replaced at 35k miles.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

06-12-2021, 10:12 AM	#8
MacklinUSOB Captain 518 Rep 891 Posts Drives: f30 328i 6MT Sport Join Date: Jan 2017 Location: Connecticut iTrader: (0)	OPG replaced on my RWD 328i @ 60,000 miles. I believe the xDrive OPGs are more resilient because the pan and block are both aluminum whereas RWD is plastic. __________________ 328i RWD \| MW on CRed Slick Top \| 6MT \| BM3 \| MPE \| GPlus FMIC \| CSF Radiator \| Millway Street Camber Plates & Monoballs \| KW V2 6k/18k Swift Springs \| F80 LCA/TS \| SPL Bump Steer Kit \| APEX SM-10 \| R-S4 \| DS2500 \| RBF600 \| SS Lines \| Past: E36 328is & E38 740i
	Appreciate 0 Quote

02-02-2022, 04:25 PM	#12
DanFed1998 Registered 0 Rep 1 Posts Drives: BMW 2007 328xi Join Date: Feb 2022 Location: Edmonton, Alberta iTrader: (0)	Hit a possum leaking under engine, help! i was driving on the road the other day and ran over a possum, he was pretty big, big enough to take out my radiator and the a couple days later i noticed oil dripping a pretty big amount under the car when i had my 328i started and im just wondering could my oil pan be damaged or are there any lines that could of broke ?
	Appreciate 0 Quote