The other day I started up my '91 iX and without warning blew most of the volume of the engine oil out in a big puddle under the car. A post-mortem revealed that the gasket on the oil filter had pushed out, allowing most of the oil to gush out.
It was a good-quality Wix filter, and I had oiled the filter gasket before putting it on, the same as I always do in the decades worth of oil changes that I've done. It had already gone about 2000 miles since the last oil change.
I'm wondering if I'm facing a problem with oil pressure too high. (Unfortunately we don't get oil pressure gauges in our E30s, just idiot lights. :-() It was a reasonably cold day when this happened (10˚F/-12˚C), and I've read some reports that the oil pressure relief valve could fail, and if it does, it's more likely to happen when it's cold.
I've changed the oil and replaced the filter, and the car is running fine for now, but we've got lots of cold winter days left this year and I'm concerned that it's just going to happen again unless I can find the underlying cause.
Does the M20 have a oil pressure relief valve? Where is it? Is it part 7 in this diagram? http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...diagId=11_4329
It was a good-quality Wix filter, and I had oiled the filter gasket before putting it on, the same as I always do in the decades worth of oil changes that I've done. It had already gone about 2000 miles since the last oil change.
I'm wondering if I'm facing a problem with oil pressure too high. (Unfortunately we don't get oil pressure gauges in our E30s, just idiot lights. :-() It was a reasonably cold day when this happened (10˚F/-12˚C), and I've read some reports that the oil pressure relief valve could fail, and if it does, it's more likely to happen when it's cold.
I've changed the oil and replaced the filter, and the car is running fine for now, but we've got lots of cold winter days left this year and I'm concerned that it's just going to happen again unless I can find the underlying cause.
Does the M20 have a oil pressure relief valve? Where is it? Is it part 7 in this diagram? http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...diagId=11_4329
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