Why don't I listen to you guys? (Oil Leak)

[funcrew]

As soon as I bought my first E30 with 63K miles on it, I read all the "what motor oil to use" threads here and elsewhere & decided that it was OK to use synthetic oil, as long as it had 1200+ppm of ZDDP (zinc) to keep the M20 flat tappet cam happy. I conveniently dismissed the R3V advice that synthetic would make the M20 leak oil as the prissy fear-mongering of superstitious old ladies.

A month later and 800 miles after a dose of Mobil1 15W/50W specially formulated for old flat tappet cams, the M20 starts bleeding like a stuck pig. I get a nagging feeling that I should have listened (again).

Here's what I found - A steady drip from the oil filter housing at the spot indicated by the arrow:



So, 3 questions:

Q: Why don't I listen to people smarter than me?

Q: Does this drip location indicate a common M20 leak spot?

Q: If so, how do I fix it, and what parts do I need to order?

Thanks to all, and I'll gladly put up with verbal abuse if the right answer comes with it :)

[rsafier]

1) you made an informed decision. I really don't think anybody can agree completely on the synthetic vs. dino agruement tho there are those that believe strongly with one side or the other. IMHO synthetic is the way to go, it only "causes" leaks on engines that had marginal seals already that were only not leaking because gunk had prevented it from happening already.

2) don't think its all that common but not a lot of other places to start leaking from. That is the t-stat for the oil cooler setup.

3) as for your fix, here you go http://e30.bmwdiy.info/oil-leak/index.html

Its a low milage car, I never trust them, the rubber seals always seem to go on them compared to that 300K beater that has never really sat for a long time to let them dry out.

[funcrew]

Its a low milage car, I never trust them, the rubber seals always seem to go on them compared to that 300K beater that has never really sat for a long time to let them dry out.

What you said. This car appears to have been stored all winter for some years in New England, so everything dried out and shot; lots of maintenance required regardless of what the odometer says.

The upside is that it seems to run amazingly strong for bone-stock 168HP.

I looked up on Realoem and ordered from RMEuropean:

1 - Oil filter housing to block o-ring (may not be needed)
1 - Oil filter housing hollow bolt o-ring (may not be needed)
1 - Seal kit for the oil thermostat round thingy per the red arrow in my photo

This Saturday I'll try to get this fixed. What else would I be doing than working on the '30?

[StereoInstaller1]

haHA, your'e a dumbass!

Nah, just kidding..

While you are looking for leaks, check your cam seals very carefully, seems to be the #1 most common oil leak on M20s.

I wanna know how the synth works out.

[Stevie30]

You are still having entirely too much fun with that car. My professional training tells me that you are suffering from a rare disorder known as e30 addiction. Some people, me for one, have symptoms twice as bad as others. The only known cure is to obtain a second e30. Have fun!!!!

[funcrew]

haHA, your'e a dumbass!

Nah, just kidding..

While you are looking for leaks, check your cam seals very carefully, seems to be the #1 most common oil leak on M20s.

I wanna know how the synth works out.

Mine wasn't leaking, but I did replace the cam seal when I did the TB & water pump the first month I had the car.

[funcrew]

Thanks to all. I followed the link from above:

http://e30.bmwdiy.info/oil-leak/index.html

and did it just like that, except I didn't have a 4-inch C-clamp. I threw away the guts of the oil thermostat & just replaced the new cover and o-ring. I used a tiny eyeglasses-size screwdriver to pry the old clamp ring out of the housing - not sure how you could do without this. Also it is not necessary to remove the oil filter per the DIY, you just need a catch bucket for the oil that comes out, which also catches all the parts that come tumbling out when you're too lazy to go get a 4-inch C-clamp per the instructions.

End result; mine was leaking about a drip every 2 seconds; now it's bone dry.

[Mossman]

glad you got it taken care of, my m20 also started leaking from all over the place when I used synth in it. I'm a dumb arse. I know the oil pan gasket is shot but there's also something from the front of the motor I haven't quite tracked down yet so I'm gonna throw an s52 in it :)

[Mossman]

glad you got it taken care of, my m20 also started leaking from all over the place when I used synth in it. I'm a dumb arse. I know the oil pan gasket is shot but there's also something from the front of the motor I haven't quite tracked down yet so I'm gonna throw an s52 in it :)

[z31maniac]

Hmmm, I've got 20-50 Royal Purple in the car and it doesn't leak. And the previous owner used Redline Synthetic as well.

Glad you got your problem taken care of.