general question regarding oil gasket

[sc1989]

Hello all,

as you may have or may have not seen my previous post regarding the oil filler cap / gasket (post: http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=814445) I have become a bit paranoid.

I am well aware that our filler caps are notorious for having issues with leaking near the cap, oil splurting out from the cap, etc. My question is, I had my original factory cap replaced on the e92 m3 (2013 build) and saw the part number; it is the new model. I noticed today that there was some dried oil near the filler cap, and some oil spot/residue on the engine bay ; center and on the side of the air intake. I naturally was worried so I checked the cap tightness, re tightened it and cleaned whatever was there. Most of it was dry.

i apologize for this semi-rant; my question is a) is this normal to have some oil seep out from under the cap b) can it be fixed easily or will i have to do a DIY to get some solution c) is there a danger of having it splurt out like the previous time (See original post).

Again the cap is tight, the o-ring is there, no visible damage on the o-ring.

thanks guys

[thekurgan]

It isn't normal for oil to seep out from the cap. Are you sure the cap gasket isn't binding up when tightened? If enough oil spurts out it may get onto the serpentine belts aside from making a mess requiring steam cleaning of the areas.

[sc1989]

Originally Posted by thekurgan

It isn't normal for oil to seep out from the cap. Are you sure the cap gasket isn't binding up when tightened? If enough oil spurts out it may get onto the serpentine belts aside from making a mess requiring steam cleaning of the areas.

how would I confirm that what you are saying is or isn't true. it seemed ok after spirited driving (prior to which I cleaned surrounding areas thoroughly). Should I just request the dealer for a replacement cap etc.

[thekurgan]

Originally Posted by sc1989

how would I confirm that what you are saying is or isn't true. it seemed ok after spirited driving (prior to which I cleaned surrounding areas thoroughly). Should I just request the dealer for a replacement cap etc.

With the old cap, if I pressed down too hard while turning, I could feel it and I replaced the cap with the new style. I removed the gasket and put some oil under and on top of it, so it slides as it's turned. This seems to be the only BMW engine where this problem has existed for me. Must be a lot of oil splash right by the fill neck.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by thekurgan

With the old cap, if I pressed down too hard while turning, I could feel it and I replaced the cap with the new style. I removed the gasket and put some oil under and on top of it, so it slides as it's turned. This seems to be the only BMW engine where this problem has existed for me. Must be a lot of oil splash right by the fill neck.

I replaced my oil cap with the new type (part) now it's ok , (i had only a very small oil leak)
But....check this out....link v vv
http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=704497

[thekurgan]

I snapped these for another post, but you can see where oil accumulates on the bottom right corner of the new cap (left) as well. I suspect this is the area, if the gasket is bound up or damaged, oil will seep. I also notice there are rubber protectors on the alignment tabs.

[sc1989]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

I replaced my oil cap with the new type (part) now it's ok , (i had only a very small oil leak)
But....check this out....link v vv
http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=704497

i actually read your post! that's where i went before making this! yea I have the same cap at least according to the service invoice we have the same part #. Thanks man!

Originally Posted by thekurgan

I snapped these for another post, but you can see where oil accumulates on the bottom right corner of the new cap (left) as well. I suspect this is the area, if the gasket is bound up or damaged, oil will seep. I also notice there are rubber protectors on the alignment tabs.

I will have to take a look again, I didn't want to fiddle to much with the cap. If that bottom right part is the area where the damage is occurring how can we fix this? Who should we alert about this issue? Personally speaking, after my service experience i don't really have that much faith in the dealership i went to. It's the closest one too :/ .

[thekurgan]

Originally Posted by sc1989

I will have to take a look again, I didn't want to fiddle to much with the cap. If that bottom right part is the area where the damage is occurring how can we fix this? Who should we alert about this issue? Personally speaking, after my service experience i don't really have that much faith in the dealership i went to. It's the closest one too :/ .

I think it's probably going to be an educational/instruction issue. Maybe BMW figured with 15k oil change intervals, the cap wouldn't be messed with that much, so if techs are trained to watch out for the gasket binding, etc. there will be fewer incidents. I'm willing to bet most M3 owners don't open their hood once per week, and they probably should.