Oil Filter Housing Gasket - Advice needed

[Youdey]

There is a leak coming from the Oil Filter Housing Gasket. To replace this do I just need the Oil Filter Housing Gasket part which is about £6 or is there more that I would need to do?
Whilst doing this is there anything else that I should be looking at replacing or doing? I had my garage recommend me replacing the breather hose as they say when Oil Filter Housing Gasket goes its likely the breather hose is close to going too.
Many Thanks

 

[patriot66]

As you have to remove the alternator to enable access to the OFH I'd have a look at all your belts, pulleys, tensioners, water pump and thermostat at the same time. When you say 'breather hose' then I presume you may mean the CCV system ? On an '03 Z4 this will be 100% goosed so I'd fit a new one at the same time. All age/wear related items that WILL sooner or later give problems

 

[Youdey]

As you have to remove the alternator to enable access to the OFH I'd have a look at all your belts, pulleys, tensioners, water pump and thermostat at the same time. When you say 'breather hose' then I presume you may mean the CCV system ? On an '03 Z4 this will be 100% goosed so I'd fit a new one at the same time. All age/wear related items that WILL sooner or later give problems

Yes, I did mean CCV. Are there any other general wear & tear parts that I'll need to keep an eye on? Recently bought my Z4 so just want it to be in top shape & avoid anything going badly wrong.

 

[Chris_D]

While you're poking around and have things dismounted checkyour DISA valve and fit a new gasket. A search of the forumwill reveal the DISA issues/procedure.
Remove and clean the ICV. Don't pushthe flap while it's off however.
+1 to replace the CCV system and get the cold-climate version as it has thicker lagging on the tubes.
I went for the Febi Bilstein and it was relatively straightforward if not a bit time-consuming.

 

[Youdey]

Are there any good guides or videos on how to do the work & what to be looking out for when checking the parts?
Also should I be fine to get an Oil Filter Housing Gasket from somewhere like gsf / euro car parts or should I look for a BMW one?

 

[patriot66]

Are there any good guides or videos on how to do the work & what to be looking out for when checking the parts?
Also should I be fine to get an Oil Filter Housing Gasket from somewhere like gsf / euro car parts or should I look for a BMW one?

I always use a decent brand of gasket like Febi Bilstein, Elring etc usually from Amazon or Ebay.
Have a look at 50sKid on YouTube. Loads of helpful videos. He has a E46 330Ci which mechanically is much the same as Z4 E85. Pelican Parts have lots of good step by step walk throughs on there website

 

[Youdey]

Thanks, have ordered the parts & have found some guides

 

[patriot66]

 

[Youdey]

The part has finally come & I've started to take everything apart however I am struggling to take the cap off the alternator belt release. Also, I can't get down to the air con belt as the gap between the front & the engine is too small & far. I can't get under the car & by the looks of it the only way to increase the space is by taking the front of the car off

 

[BumpyZ4]

You can either get to the A/C belt from underneath or you can remove the radiator cover up top and get to it.

 

[colb]

Probable best to access it from underneath, would suggest you invest in a pair of ramps to drive the car on to get sufficient height to work underneath.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/233998175610?epid=1522941417&hash=item367b60cd7a:g:dhgAAOSwxRFglAW4
If you are really stuck I am in Newport and host of Zedshed Cymru where members of zroadster.org and some on here take part in to do jobs on our cars Z3 and Z4. My home garage is equipped with a car scissor lift which gets the cars high enough to do most jobs underneath. PM me if your stuck, and car is not drivable, have some ramps here I could drop over to you.

 

[patriot66]

The part has finally come & I've started to take everything apart however I am struggling to take the cap off the alternator belt release. Also, I can't get down to the air con belt as the gap between the front & the engine is too small & far. I can't get under the car & by the looks of it the only way to increase the space is by taking the front of the car off

Working from above you can quite easily get a long 16mm socket and ratchet or breaker bar on the nut part of the alternator belt tensioner as circled in this photo.No need to remove any pulley caps. Lever the tensioner clockwise iirc.
Taking the top panel off the radiator won't gain you anymore access down to the air con belt tensioner as the radiator itself is still in the way. You WILL have to raise the car somehow, either on ramps, jack it up on axle stands or old scaffolding boards with a wedged end and some bricks will also suffice. You only really need to raise the car 6 inches or so to get to the 7 x 8mm self-tapping bolts that secure the undertray. You can then get a large torx bit (not sure what size it is) on a ratchet to release tension on the air con tensioner as circled in this photo, clockwise again iirc. Hope this helps

 

[colb]

Youdey paid a visit to the Zedshed Cymru today armed with a replacement gasket forthe oil filter housing. First job however was to have a look at the cause of his airbag light. He had been told it was the left satelite module gone bad from water ingress. Scanned the car and only code showing up is 93DB [37851] Step up converter defective.
No codes for satellite module, we did swap a used satellite module he had but that didnt allow the code to clear, I suspect the main module has gone bad but needs more research. BMW Scanner and INPA confirmed the fault code, couldn't spot anything else with the system.
Having given up with the airbag light attention turned to replacing the oil filter housing gasket, airbox out and alternator removed, bolts from alternator out and then the six oil filter housing bolts after loosenijg the oil filter top to drain the oil back to the sump. Once off the gasket was very hard through age and heat fatique. Block and housing cleaned up with degreaser then nerw gasket fitted and it was all put together. Hardest part was getting the alternator back on and lining the bolts up, the lower pivot bolt holes are a very tight fit and required some help with a hammer to get it lined up. All being well thats the leak solved, its looking like my Z4 will need this doing soon just noticed a bit of wet down there.