[Fc4rockstar]

Hey guys, I have a bmw 328i from 2007 with 115k. I been owning the car for almost year and I have a list of problems and was wondering if I can get your feedback on what to do.

My main problem is I have an oil leak thatÂ’s coming from the back of the engine. I changed the valve cover and the gaskets because at first I was having a leak from there. Shortly after I changed the valve cover my car started leaking oil from the camshaft sensor which I replaced. I thought the car was doing all good until one day I hit the brakes hard and I saw a bunch of smoke coming from underneath the hood. I popped the hood open and saw the smoke coming from behind the engine. I checked the valve cover and saw nothing. But I can see the oil falling onto the exhaust. Some say itÂ’s a the rear main seal but I cannot find any useful information about that for my exact bmw. I need help this car is literally stressing me out.

Also the car ticks (lifter tick) really loud, is there any way of getting rid of that? I heard flushing the engine but not too sure if that would help. Please help and thanks for reading

UPDATE
well I'm providing an update to my situation, so basically I found the problem with the oil leak, it seemed like my ccv went bad. It was creating like high oil pressure and the oil used to leak thru somewhere (not sure from where) and it used to fall on the exhaust. So pretty much I changed the ccv and now she runs perfectly. I drove her aggressively on the highway and I did a couple of hard brakes and smoke was not blowing out or burning oil smell. There is one thing,

I should've mentioned it here but I forgot about it. So a few months back, I worked on my valve cover and when I finished the car started misfiring on cylinder 4 (Injection valve cylinder 4, input signal) with code 2E33. Normally I would think it's a bad coil, plug, or injector but the misfire went away by itself. I actually put all new 6 NGK plugs when i first got it. So back to the story, after I changed my ccv, the same misfire came back so I changed the injector and the plug with an OEM from the dealer. I also did the coil swap (4 to 1 and 1 to 4) The same misfire was still there until I cleared the codes and it went away, even the car stopped shaking. So I'm pretty puzzled here, did you guys ever hear anything like that?

[BravoJohny33]

Lots of our cars have lifter tick. No way to get rid of it.

[Cruiser124]

When the rear main seal goes bad it leaks oil from the bottom of the engine, by the bell housing. I just replaced this on my 335xi. If you can see it falling onto the exhaust this makes me think it's higher up, and maybe VC/gasket. If you have the ability, get underneath the car and have a look for yourself.

When it comes to oil leaks I always like to clean the area thoroughly. Then let the car run or take it for a short drive, and inspect.

I wouldn't jump to any conclusions yet, but there are many common oil leaks associated with these engines and mileage. Sure others will chime in.

Lifter tick on the n52 is very common, and the best thing you can do is drive the car, and get those rpms up there once warm.

[ChuckThomas]

Try switching oil to Castrol 0w40 European formula. For lifter tick, there is a procedure to bleed the lifters, try that. Also, get under the car and assess the leak. Clean up all the oil you possibly can reach. Check to make sure you have enough oil, go on the highway and drive it like you stole it. Then get up under the car as soon as possible and see where the fresh oil has leaked.

[Fc4rockstar]

Originally Posted by ChuckThomas

Try switching oil to Castrol 0w40 European formula. For lifter tick, there is a procedure to bleed the lifters, try that. Also, get under the car and assess the leak. Clean up all the oil you possibly can reach. Check to make sure you have enough oil, go on the highway and drive it like you stole it. Then get up under the car as soon as possible and see where the fresh oil has leaked.

Thank you! I will do so

[MrSweet1991]

Originally Posted by Fc4rockstar

Hey guys, I have a bmw 328i from 2007 with 115k. I been owning the car for almost year and I have a list of problems and was wondering if I can get your feedback on what to do.

My main problem is I have an oil leak that’s coming from the back of the engine. I changed the valve cover and the gaskets because at first I was having a leak from there. Shortly after I changed the valve cover my car started leaking oil from the camshaft sensor which I replaced. I thought the car was doing all good until one day I hit the brakes hard and I saw a bunch of smoke coming from underneath the hood. I popped the hood open and saw the smoke coming from behind the engine. I checked the valve cover and saw nothing. But I can see the oil falling onto the exhaust. Some say it’s a the rear main seal but I cannot find any useful information about that for my exact bmw. I need help this car is literally stressing me out.

Also the car ticks (lifter tick) really loud, is there any way of getting rid of that? I heard flushing the engine but not too sure if that would help. Please help and thanks for reading

Most of our cars suffer from the hydraulic lifters failing which then creates a ticking sound because the hydraulic lifters adjust the valves correctly and when they stop functioning properly the valves won't clear properly.

BMW's advice to try and bleed the lifters is to wait for the car to get up to temperature and then hold at a certain rpm for 3 minutes and you can try up to 3 times I believe. The information is a little vague now as it was a little while ago that I read the procedure. Frequent oil changes can help remedy the lifters also.

As for the oil leak make sure it's not seeping from the valve cover down onto the manifold if it's not the rear seal.

[Fc4rockstar]

Originally Posted by MrSweet1991

Most of our cars suffer from the hydraulic lifters failing which then creates a ticking sound because the hydraulic lifters adjust the valves correctly and when they stop functioning properly the valves won't clear properly.

BMW's advice to try and bleed the lifters is to wait for the car to get up to temperature and then hold at a certain rpm for 3 minutes and you can try up to 3 times I believe. The information is a little vague now as it was a little while ago that I read the procedure. Frequent oil changes can help remedy the lifters also.

As for the oil leak make sure it's not seeping from the valve cover down onto the manifold if it's not the rear seal.

I actually tried the bleeding method, but unfortunately it didn't work. My bmw mechanic said the cause could be to sludge buildup from lack of oil changes. He advised me to flush the engine a couple times but he said it might not fix the problem unless I replace the lifters. Thank you for feedback, I'll be lifting the car up on Monday to clean it out and to check for oil leaks. Thank you again

[MrSweet1991]

That's a shame I was hoping it may have worked for yourself as well. Hopefully the oil leak won't be something that's really labour intensive or cost an arm and a leg.. Time will tell I suppose but fingers crossed!