anyone have a link to a write up on how to remove the oil pan? i've got the bentley but i would like some additional information sources...and i'm also trying to do it w/o an engine lift.

Jack her up and put her on stands, un bolt the engine supports, jack the engine up about 3-4" by placing the jack under the flat part of the pan, use some 2x4 to spread the weight as much as possible.Now place a couple pieces of wood in the gaps and let the engine back down on the wood. Now you have enough room to remove the pan, remove all of the oil pan bolts, drop it down onto the cross member, and remove the oil pump and chain, drop it into the pan and now you can pull the pan out .
Putting it back together is the reverse.
Chris

you forgot the whole disconnecting the alternator and p/s pump.
btw i just spent a good 2 hours just replacing a p/s hose :(

You didn't think it was going to be easy did you? There is virtually nothing in the engine bay that can be worked on without dismantling half a dozen things on these cars.
It's a pain but we do love them.

well i've practically got everything dismantled i'm just trying to figure out how to get the oil pan out w/o an engine lift. i also don't have any wood or anything to use with the jack :(

so i tried jacking it up see how big of wood pieces i would need and i realized i missed a torx bolt on the bell housing cover and i don't have enough clearance to undo it w/o the engine all the way down. well when i let the engine down the engine mount bolts won't align into the holes :(

I don't believe you need to seperate the motor from the trans to get the pan out. If you undo your motor mounts the trans will come up with the motor until the trans kisses the sheetmetal of the tunnel. That's as far as you're going. What may have happened now is the tranny has rolled a bit or the engine's just a bit off. Is the bell housing flush to the engine block? and the bolts don't line up? then get yourself a fairly stout but thin screwdriver or a drift and gently put it in a bolt hole and feel for the bellhousing hole. If it's there but on an angle, then use that screwdriver or the drift to lever the trans back into line. Hold it in position and try to start a bolt in another hole next to it. Be patient, you may have to reposition the jack under the trans if it is sagging a bit. If it's sagging or hung up, you'll see a gap between the motor and trans either at the top or bottom. Like I said, be patient and don't force anything. At this point you don't want to risk stripping a thread in the bellhousing. Double check that the motor is laying back down in the cradle in it's original position before you lifted it. Take another look at your trans and the hole alignment. You may have to jack the trans just a hair to take it's weight off the mainshaft and jostle it around a bit and reseat it. If you yanked it so far that the mainshaft is out of the end of the crank and has bound the clutch we will be having another discussion shortly...remember, take your time and give it a good look from all angles. And don't force anything! A little bit of jostling and jacking up and down just a hair and it should slide back into place...keep us posted!

it wasn't the bell housing it was the bell housing cover... it covers part of the oil pan so it needs to be removed. but anyways i finally got it after messing with it for a good 30 mins.

now i still have the problem of not being able to line the engine mount bolts back into the holes in the subframe.. any help with that?

Thats just going to be playing around with prybars and what not in the correct places to line everything up again. This would probably be a good time to get a buddy over to help make things a little easier on you.

-Jeff

You need some tapered drifts or tapered "line up" tools and perhaps a pry bar

what are tapered drifts or line up tools?

and i finally got the oil pan off, why do i need to take the oil pump out?

and how do i know if the oil pump should be replaced?

tapered drifts are basically rods that taper off towards one end. They are definitely a good thing to have. I think some people call them lady fingers as well...or im just crazy.

Well, after going through all of this headache getting the pan off, you might as well put a new pump in for piece of mind. Its just a simple chain driven gear pump from what i understand, so it shouldnt be too expensive.

-Jeff

the pump goes for around $200 from what i've seen. of course i'd like to replace it just for peace of mind. but i've already spent over $2500 on parts, i can't be replacing everything just for peace of mind.

ah i see, that is quite pricey. Well, if you are confident with your tinkering abilities, pull it apart and look for the wear on the pumps gears and walls. Gear pumps are pretty tough. I wouldnt expect it to go bad very easily if the car has been maintained well, i mean it should stay pretty well lubricated haha, pending there is the right amount of oil in the engine.

-Jeff

well the bottom of the engine looks surprisingly good (especially for +200k miles). i've got pictures but unfortunately my card reader is broken :(.

but while i'm down there, is there anything i can do to clean it and make it all nice and sparkly?

simple green

haha

-Jeff

Sears has a handy 16" tapered pry bar, useful for many things, including lining up holes:

http://s7.sears.com/is/image/Sears/00942892000?qlt=90,0&resMode=sharp&op_usm=0.9,0.5,0,0

Tapered drifts or line up tools are usually smaller. The tapered shafts are used to push through both holes to line them up. Sears has 7", 9" and 12" (The 12" is pictured below):

http://s7.sears.com/is/image/Sears/00942903000?qlt=90,0&resMode=sharp&op_usm=0.9,0.5,0,0

i actually did use simple green and a pressure washer on the wheel wells and the bottom of the car before i took apart anything. but i dunno about engine internals...

i'm not quite sure i get how to use those. but i'll prolly end up going to sears and getting something and i'm sure i'll figure it out with the tool in my hand.

If you're talking about cleaning the lower end of the engine, like the crankshaft DON'T!
You will also clean out the oil that is lubricating and protecting the bearing surfaces.
It doesn't need to be shiny, it needs to be oily.
To get the engine lined up again with bolt holes jack up the engine just a bit so that it will pivot little and get yourself something to pry with, a 2x4, half of a broom stick an old pipe, something lever the engine side to side or back and forth till you can get 1 bolt in then the same again to get the second bolt in.
You might have spent alot on parts already but the oil pump is the heart of the engine,
it's the only thing that matters.

Those bars are for lining up two holes to put a bolt in. Since the engine mount already has a stud on it, I don't see how they'd be of any use. Don't take the oil pump apart, there is nothing that can go wrong with the pump itself unless it sucks up sand or something. 99% of oil pump problems are from the pressure relief valve. I would take it out and make sure the bore isn't scored before passing on a new one.

well too late. i got the oil pan back on and everything. the previous owner replaced the oil pan 3 times so i believe the oil pump prolly got replaced at some point with the pan.
i jacked up the engine just a tad then tapped it here and there a few times with a hammer and it fell into place. the engine mounts did rotate a lil though, is that bad?

Those bars are for lining up two holes to put a bolt in. Since the engine mount already has a stud on it, I don't see how they'd be of any use.

Yeah, you don't need the drifts for this style mount, sorry for the confusion.

Don't take the oil pump apart, there is nothing that can go wrong with the pump itself unless it sucks up sand or something. 99% of oil pump problems are from the pressure relief valve. I would take it out and make sure the bore isn't scored before passing on a new one.So Ref #18/19 is the relief valve you are talking about? Sounds like a good idea to replace them.

http://bmwfans.info/original/images/246_p.png

come to think of it the oil pan really wasn't that hard to replace...

So Ref #18/19 is the relief valve you are talking about? Sounds like a good idea to replace them.

Yessir. I don't think you can safely replace the piston though because its such a close fit in the bore, the new one may bind.

BTW, oil pumps as well as almost all BMW parts have the dates on them, its easy to tell if they have been replaced.