After posting about my oily engine bay a couple weeks ago, I was informed by a few other Opponaughts that my 128i was suffering from a potentially fatal issue that affects all N52-engined BMWs. So I set about remedying that.
A couple hundred dollars, one Friday, and an emergency dealer parts department run later, I had replaced not only the leaky gasket, but the coolant, oil, drive belt (with accompanying tensioner and idler pulley), and radiator drain plug (the emergency parts run). It was a lot of work on a very hot day, but it’s also the first serious wrenching I’ve done in a couple years and I enjoyed it very much and am looking forward to working on it again.
It’s been a week now and the leak seems to be gone and there’s no more bearing whine at idle. I’m happy to report mission accomplished. Thanks to His Stigness, Arch Duke Maxyenko, and Shift24 for your help in preparing for this job. It’s great to have a community like this that I can depend on when I need help with things like this.
Pics of the freshly washed 1-series for your time.