Slippy

Hello, I have a 2007 series 1 which has a large oil leak, will get half way through a full oil fill in an hour or less.

I will try and put as much info as possible about the leak and if anyone has any ideas what it might be I would love to hear them.

- The oil sits on the front cross member and drips off of it.
- The oil causes a lot of smoke to come up out of the engine bay, can't see exactly where the smoke comes from unfortunately
- Doesn't leak noticeably at idle, needs at least a few revs and leaks a lot more when driving than sitting and revving
- Small amounts of oil over the top of most the engine, pools by the oil filter pedestal and where the engine meets transmission, runs down the side and onto the oil pan and down onto the cross member. Oil all over bottom of transmission, ppf and just coating the bottom near that area
- Rear main seal, oil filter pedestal gasket, oil filter and oil pressure switch have been replaced with no effect
- Front of the engine is clean, so can't see it being front main seal or oil coolers or front cooler lines
- Oil cooler line that goes into oil filter pedestal looks fine (they are all braided lines)

This leak has been a pain, especially as the oil filter pedestal gasket took almost 5 weeks to arrive and I only just got the chance to take her on a little test drive. Any insight or ideas will be much appreciated, thanks for reading

Loki

iTrader: (1)

The fact that there is oil on top of the engine and on the front crossmember tells me it's getting misted up from the front.
I know you said the front of the engine is clean, but what about the underside of the engine cover, the steering rack, alternator and other stuff in that area?
The smoke probably comes from the exhaust manifold, that's the hottest area, but that doesn't meant that's where the leak is if oil is getting slung all over the place.

The common problem areas are all up front: front main seal which will mist oil all over the place under high rpm and oil cooler lines, which rust out with time.
In the back beside the stuff you looked at already, maybe the dipstick?

Slippy

Thanks for the response, everything at the front of the engine is completely clean (alternator, engine cover and everything down below). I also can't see any mist when revving it, so I don't think it is at the front still. I will have a look at the dipstick stuff tomorrow along with the omp lines and double check over the oil cooler lines though they are aftermarket braided ones so I don't think it is them.

N0BuenO

It sounds like a serious leak if you're going through half of your oil in an hour... Do you have the oil metering pump still attached? Those lines are very brittle and run across the top of the engine.

Slippy

I didn't think it was the OMP lines at first as I didn't imagine they would produce enough oil for the leak. However now with the other main contenders being replaced it seems like suspect number 1. My plan now is to disconnect the omp connector and clear the code before going for a small test drive. I have heard other people remove the omp completely and just premix so I think it is safe to test it like this with some premix. Thanks.

N0BuenO

I was thinking of doing something similar. I am currently premixing with .5oz AMSOIL/1gal fuel and have installed a Sohn adapter.

Loki

iTrader: (1)

It will go into limp mode and limit you to 3000rpm with the OMP unplugged. It's not the lines, the OMP doesn't flow that kind of volume even at full tilt. However the OMP gasket to the block could be a weakness. Especially if the OMP has ever been removed.

Slippy

Yes I think this is the best next step, thanks for your help. Currently draining the fuel so I can mix some extra premix in just to be on the safe side. Will post back if it is OMP in case you are interested or if this thread helps someone else. Thanks again

Slippy

That is what I thought initially that it wouldn't be moving that volume of oil, I will try this now as it is almost ready to try now but I will check that gasket after. Thanks

N0BuenO

I did some reading and found another user had a similar problem that only occurred when raising the RPMs. If you can, have someone rev while examining the oil cooler lines on the driver's side, where the quick connection from the oil cooler compartment to the engine bay is.
They described the "leak was actually shooting like a fine stream into the wheel well cowling, and it was running down and emptying onto the cross member."

Slippy

I have checked around the OMP gasket and it is clean and the front of the quarter of the engine and forward is all clean even down low now I can see better with the battery box and air filter out. One thing I have noticed is the oil pan seal looks terrible, I know oil can get everywhere but I am having a hard time believing it can get that much to the top of the engine. I would also think it would leak just as much when sitting / idling than under load? I have tried revving whilst someone watches inside the engine bay and can't see anything from oil cooler lines or any other visible parts. Any help appreciated, thanks.