How Do YOU Seal The Oil Filter Housing To The Timing Case?

[bmwman91]

So I am getting some pretty crazy oil leakage (250ml / 300 miles) and it looks like it is mostly all coming from around the oil filter housing where it mates to the timing case. Makes sense since the highest oil pressures are seen right there. When I assembled it on there, I used a stock paper gasket and some Permatex Ultra Grey RTV, although I think that I tightened it down immediately rather than going finger tight until the RTV cured and then applying full torque...so most of the RTV probably squeezed out. On top of that, I have been running Castrol 10W-60 TWS oil, which is sort of known to seep through gaskets like crazy (and I suspect that it was never really intended for use with paper gaskets).

So, how have you guys stopped your leaky oil filter housings? Skip the paper gasket and only use RTV? Be more patient and let the RTV cure before torquing? Sacrifice goats to the car gods?

Thanks.

PS
I am also going to be switching back to Mobil 1 15W-50 at my next change in a few thousand miles since it leaks a lot less than this fancy stuff, and it costs half as much!

[monty23psk]

First, I use 0w-15 from Mobil 1. Euro formula and what they recommend for the m42.

Regarding leak, I had 2 leaks. First was the oil pressure sender iteself. Then also the paper gasket. I replaced it over a year ago with the same gasket, no sealer and no leaks. I had more leakage from the sender, than the gasket. I assume you have the oil pool in that small area on the block....lol

[bigskyis]

0-15w Mobil 1? Do you live in the Antarctic?

[bigskyis]

For the OP: "The Right Stuff". I think that is what it is called. If that won't seal it...you are in deep kim chi. I had a 56 Ford F-100 with the original 223-6. That was the only stuff that would seal the valve cover to the cylinder head and ended that oil leak. Give it a shot.

[DesktopDave]

I haven't sealed that yet, mine's been leaking as long as I've had it. But I've been looking for some of the Hylomar blue - old formula. Rolls Royce developed it, and I've heard great things about it from many sources. If it's good enough for Italian cars and Brit bikes, it's good enough for my Bavarian.

Since that's relatively hard to find (the common Loctite Hylomar isn't as good) I'm also told that Hondabond HT is a great choice too, as long as the sealing surfaces are cleaned well with acetone first.

[benz-tech]

might I suggest Mercedes 'Black" sealant. It has been the cure-all for nearly every leak on our cars. I used it to seal the timing case on my m42 with no gaskets at all and it hasn't leaked a drop. Any MB tech would be more than willing to part with a few of the several tubes we usually have sitting around. I am currently out of box-stock at the moment, though.

[monty23psk]

0-15w Mobil 1? Do you live in the Antarctic?

sorry, typo, mean 0w-50 but that was also a typo. Mobil 1 recommends 0w-40, which is what I use.

[bmwman91]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Maybe I just goofed up when I installed the gasket with the RTV. Or maybe it is just the Castrol TWS oil. Either way I am going to replace the gasket and switch back to a more "normal" synthetic oil.

monty23psk,
Where did you see M1 recommending 0W-40 for the M42? Based on their datasheet, the most appropriate oil is their synthetic 15W-50. it has the highest phosphorus and zinc levels of any of the non-racing oils, and it says that it is specifically for flat-tappet applications (and the M42 is one such application). Having high phosphorus and zinc levels is actually super important because some EPA changes to oils in 2008 caused the majority of oils out there to become inferior for use on our engine (and any with flat tappets really). Their 15W-50 is one of very few oils left out there that has high enough levels to do a good job. Metric Mechanic ran pretty extensive oil tests and M1 15W-50 was the 2nd best one (with #3 providing 5x less protection...a big jump). #1 was the Castrol 10W-60 WTS stuff, which was ~2x as good as the M1 15W-50, but the crazy leakiness, $17/L price and some things someone told me about it really needing to be changed every 5000 miles has turned me off to it. M1 15W-50 easily goes 10000 miles if you swap filters every 5000 miles.

http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Files/Mobil_1_Product_Guide.pdf

[colin86325]

Did you change out the o-ring as well, or just the gasket? 

[monty23psk]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Maybe I just goofed up when I installed the gasket with the RTV. Or maybe it is just the Castrol TWS oil. Either way I am going to replace the gasket and switch back to a more "normal" synthetic oil.

monty23psk,
Where did you see M1 recommending 0W-40 for the M42? Based on their datasheet, the most appropriate oil is their synthetic 15W-50. it has the highest phosphorus and zinc levels of any of the non-racing oils, and it says that it is specifically for flat-tappet applications (and the M42 is one such application). Having high phosphorus and zinc levels is actually super important because some EPA changes to oils in 2008 caused the majority of oils out there to become inferior for use on our engine (and any with flat tappets really). Their 15W-50 is one of very few oils left out there that has high enough levels to do a good job. Metric Mechanic ran pretty extensive oil tests and M1 15W-50 was the 2nd best one (with #3 providing 5x less protection...a big jump). #1 was the Castrol 10W-60 WTS stuff, which was ~2x as good as the M1 15W-50, but the crazy leakiness, $17/L price and some things someone told me about it really needing to be changed every 5000 miles has turned me off to it. M1 15W-50 easily goes 10000 miles if you swap filters every 5000 miles.

http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Files/Mobil_1_Product_Guide.pdf

I too use to use 15w-50 as it also helped with leakage on the paper gasket seals and that is what I use on the e28. The 15w will help with heavy usage and I don't track or auto-x my car, at least yet. I switched to 0w-40 on the m42 after reading Mobil 1's recommendation about a year ago. I do have a slight leak on the front timing cover between the top and bottom pieces and I believe I didn't use enough of the sealer BMW recommends on the factory repair manual. I bought the Permatex equivalent.  With the 0w-40, the leak is a little worse, or maybe the gap is just larger with time. But I have no leaks on the oil filter housing only using the paper gasket with no sealer.

 I do change my filter and oil every 5k miles while sometimes going into the 6k range. I was thinking about going to 10k with filter changes in between, as you did, just like Honda does with their cars . But still on the fence as the bottom half of my car has never been rebuilt.
Here is a link from Mobil 1's website after entering your car info:

http://www.mobiloil.com/usa-english/motoroil/car_care/which_oil/WhichOilManualResults.aspx?option=2

[bmwman91]

Did you change out the o-ring as well, or just the gasket? 

Yeah, I used a fresh one and sealed it with a little bit of Permatex Ultra Grey. There is a small pool of oil in the "usual" spot in the block near the pressure sender. I'll double check, but I am pretty sure that the sender is dry.

I too use to use 15w-50 as it also helped with leakage on the paper gasket seals and that is what I use on the e28. The 15w will help with heavy usage and I don't track or auto-x my car, at least yet. I switched to 0w-40 on the m42 after reading Mobil 1's recommendation about a year ago. I do have a slight leak on the front timing cover between the top and bottom pieces and I believe I didn't use enough of the sealer BMW recommends on the factory repair manual. I bought the Permatex equivalent.  With the 0w-40, the leak is a little worse, or maybe the gap is just larger with time. But I have no leaks on the oil filter housing only using the paper gasket with no sealer.

 I do change my filter and oil every 5k miles while sometimes going into the 6k range. I was thinking about going to 10k with filter changes in between, as you did, just like Honda does with their cars . But still on the fence as the bottom half of my car has never been rebuilt.
Here is a link from Mobil 1's website after entering your car info:

http://www.mobiloil.com/usa-english/motoroil/car_care/which_oil/WhichOilManualResults.aspx?option=2

Interesting. I'd assume that the 0W-40 might help gas mileage a little bit. Since my engine is nowhere near stock I'll probably stick with the 15W-50, mainly to protect the noses on my high lift cams. I already had one pair get eaten up thanks to sub-par oil (10W-40 Pennzoil mineral oil for break-in).

Is the leak right above the timing chain tensioner piston where the end of the outer profile gasket butts up against the inner one? If so, that is pretty easy to deal with. Clean the area really well and slap some Permatex Ultra Grey RTV on there. Try to work it into the gap and then add a little more on top. Let it cure for 24 hours and then you are good to go. Last time I had the timing cover off I made sure to put a good amount of RTV in at the ends to keep things sealed up without having to do it from the outside.

[monty23psk]

Did you change out the o-ring as well, or just the gasket?

I did both.

[monty23psk]

Did you change out the o-ring as well, or just the gasket? 

Yeah, I used a fresh one and sealed it with a little bit of Permatex Ultra Grey. There is a small pool of oil in the "usual" spot in the block near the pressure sender. I'll double check, but I am pretty sure that the sender is dry.

I too use to use 15w-50 as it also helped with leakage on the paper gasket seals and that is what I use on the e28. The 15w will help with heavy usage and I don't track or auto-x my car, at least yet. I switched to 0w-40 on the m42 after reading Mobil 1's recommendation about a year ago. I do have a slight leak on the front timing cover between the top and bottom pieces and I believe I didn't use enough of the sealer BMW recommends on the factory repair manual. I bought the Permatex equivalent.  With the 0w-40, the leak is a little worse, or maybe the gap is just larger with time. But I have no leaks on the oil filter housing only using the paper gasket with no sealer.

 I do change my filter and oil every 5k miles while sometimes going into the 6k range. I was thinking about going to 10k with filter changes in between, as you did, just like Honda does with their cars . But still on the fence as the bottom half of my car has never been rebuilt.
Here is a link from Mobil 1's website after entering your car info:

http://www.mobiloil.com/usa-english/motoroil/car_care/which_oil/WhichOilManualResults.aspx?option=2

Interesting. I'd assume that the 0W-40 might help gas mileage a little bit. Since my engine is nowhere near stock I'll probably stick with the 15W-50, mainly to protect the noses on my high lift cams. I already had one pair get eaten up thanks to sub-par oil (10W-40 Pennzoil mineral oil for break-in).

Is the leak right above the timing chain tensioner piston where the end of the outer profile gasket butts up against the inner one? If so, that is pretty easy to deal with. Clean the area really well and slap some Permatex Ultra Grey RTV on there. Try to work it into the gap and then add a little more on top. Let it cure for 24 hours and then you are good to go. Last time I had the timing cover off I made sure to put a good amount of RTV in at the ends to keep things sealed up without having to do it from the outside.

15w-50 should be fine as your engine is not stock.

Yup, leak it exactly where you stated and that is what I was planning to do. Hoping I can get to it during long holiday break.

[wazzu70]

"The right stuff" is awesome. Its the main thing I go to for sealing gaskets anymore.

When using RTV, you need to let it cure before tightening it down. Thats the key!

[bmwman91]

Well, looks like I will give The Right Stuff a shot. I do like that it doesn't require re-torquing things.

As Dave mentioned, the Hylomar Blue has been well reviewed too, but it is hard to find!