oil filter housing leak
 

Hey everyone , i need your help and expertise.
i got an oil leak from oil filter housing , i guess ive had it for a minute since sometimes i was wondering what happened to some of my oil especially if my oil intervals were over 5k miles. it would sometimes show me a warning to check my oil at next station.
i found it on accident when i replaced my V belt.
But anyways , in case to do so i would have to remove the thermostat , and my question is .........
Should i also replace the thermostat?
(my temperature gauge is is fluctuating sometimes when driving on freeway , but its always within the normal range , doesnt go too high or too low , but i read way back in the day that it is a normal behavior)
i already got the gasket for it (and of coarse for filter housing and oil cooler) as before i thought i will only replace that (gasket) since i have no problem with thermostat...yet.
also
Anything else i should be aware of ? any tips? previous experience?..anything helps. thanks.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mbw...9ad0199121.jpg

You don't have to replace t/stat but if money isn't a issue why not? You have a v8, it's a tight fit. Make sure you crack oil filter loose so oil will drain out of housing into front cover. Have alot of brake clean/de-greaser.... good luck!

If you're opening it up you might as well replace the thermostat if it's gunked up or rusty. The temp fluctuation is normal I think, mine does it as well, but it goes back to nominal withing less than a minute. Since you're in there, replace the o-rings for the camshaft magnetic actuators and camshaft position sensors. Those tend to leak too. Also, when playing with the oil cooler I suggest draining the coolant, it will make the job cleaner. Good luck!

well i actually had thought that the leak is from those cam shaft position sensors.. but after i washed the engine bay , they been clean eversince so i will leave those as is , and they arent that hard to get to, so even if they do leak i can replace then with minimal disassembly time.

and as far as coolant goes , exactly what i was thinking , i dont think it was ever changed before , so i might do that just as a preventive thing , aaaaaaaand to make the diy easier , since it has to be removed in order to take the fan out to gain more room in there(looks like on v6 models that part is much easier and no need to remove fan nor cooling tube)
thanks brotha.

I'd do the thermostat, the two pulleys, tensioner and belt. Did it with both cars. Those parts are known to go and there's many threads on here about them getting replaced.

The only perk of owning a M273 is the smile it can put on ones face. It will make you forget about all the bloody knuckles and bruises you might get while working on them. I wasn't aware of the necessity of the fan removal, but I guess it does make sense if you want an easier DIY. The cooling tube is easy to remove, at least the upper one.
BTW, the coolant has a 15 years lifetime ( per W212 maintenance table for M273/M272), so unless it's been contaminated you don't need to replace it. Are you replacing the water pump as well?

yea man , i still like it even though its been like 5 years of me owning it.
been pretty reliable also besides this oil leak and some other little things.
i would say that the fan removal isn't needed if you working on v6 or lesser cylinder .models as they got more space between the engine and the fan to work with.
but im also planing on doing the coolant because i do think it got a bit contaminated(even if its not i already got a new coolant yesterday , and its not gonna hurt)
also im gonna change the oil..

as far as water pump... no.. i decided not to replace anything else simply because everything is working fine for now.. dont wanna do too much extra.

UPDATE :
So i finally did this today.
after i took out the belt to inspect the area more detailed i found an oil spot right underneath the oil cooler.
and also got a better view of the oil spot at the bottom of the filter housing.
took out the fan because there was not enough room to get around , extra labor but definitely made the job easier (thats a V8 for you lol , on v6's you probably would have enough room to play without removing it)
turned out a little easier than i thought. Thanks everyone.
also drained my coolant and refilled it with Zerex G05
and changed my oil and filter with mobil 1 0w40
we will see if i be loosing oil again or not..hopefully wont have to top off like i used to before.https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mbw...cca686882b.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mbw...9477c90779.jpg
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https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mbw...d0f36290d0.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mbw...6ed0145141.jpg

Me too
 

I had to replaced my oil housing gaskets last year, as they were starting to leak on my 07 E63. As these cars age, all of your gaskets age as well, and your going to have oil leaks.
That's just the nature of things. I also had to replaced my valve cover gaskets, cam position sensor housing gaskets and the oil return lines o-rings. I haven't had another oil leak until, I have another oil leak. :y

yeah thats understandable , that these gaskets get old.
but some have this issues and some dont.
on your e63 you had to change that because your engine produces more power , and gaskets wear out sooner? Possible theory..maybe.

lol hopefully no more leaks for you..and myself.

Good job! I only replaced the oil cooler radiator gasket, not the whole body. I probably will need to get in there soon, but I'm waiting on the belt and tensioner pulley to start going bad.
Your camshaft actuator and sensor area is very clean, did you clean it after removing the oil cooler or was it like that before you got in there?

Thank you!
i had to take off the belt tensioner as well and it still was in a good shape , no bearing play nor any wear. So idk how long itll take one to go out. But it is a pretty easy job now that ive done it i can say for sure.

yes i washed engine bay a month ago because i wanted to see from where the oil was coming out and they still look clean even though
They were pretty dirty and covered in sand and oil lol

what does the black gasket used for?

Jay; That's the Stat gasket (pretending like I know when actually he mentioned he bought one just in case)