E30 Zone

Right, I'm a bit stuck.

I'm trying to replace my sump, I've got as far as getting all the bolts removed but I can't see any way of actually manouvering the thing off!

I can see the oil pump and having loosed the mounting bolts, that looks like it should drop into the sump and out of the way. But, at the back of the sump, hanging down from the engine block (below and roughly in line with where the oil pressure switch is) is what looks like a thick rod with a possibly 20mm hex head with a very thin sprung tube coming out of the bottom of it.

This is completely getting in the way. I considered trying to get a spanner in there and seeing if it will undo, but I don't really want bits falling off/out into the sump.

The only other option I could think of was to unbolt the steering rack and drop it to give more room, but with this rod thing in the way the rack won't move forward enough to drop out of it's mounts.

Help!! I really need to get this done today.

Did this recently -

http://www.e30zone.co.uk/modules.php?na ... ump+gasket

It's a really fiddly job. Good luck.

Well, I gave up in the end, just syphoned out the old oil from the sump, and bolted it all back up again.

SD - how did you jack the engine up, and did you have to take the steering rack out of it's mountings completely?

Jackle wrote:Well, I gave up in the end, just syphoned out the old oil from the sump, and bolted it all back up again.

SD - how did you jack the engine up, and did you have to take the steering rack out of it's mountings completely?

So why were you taking it off in the first place ? There are easier ways to change the oil!
Hope you fitted a new gasket. They are notorious for leaks.
To get the sump off, you really need to raise the engine.
Easiest way is to release the mounts and lift the engine with a crane, but failing that, you can jack up the engine and fit blocks where the mounts fit.
If the steering rack is in the way, all you have to do is split the steering shaft from the rack pinion and remove the two rack mounting bolts. Rack will come out forwards and just hang on the track rods.

Brian, I was taking it off to replace it. The drain plug in the one that's fitted has lost it's thread - it'll turn either way but not move in or out....

I do have a new gasket in the garage ready to fit but I didn't put in on this time, mainly because I couldn't get sufficient access to the mating surfaces to remove the old gasket and clean up the surfaces, plus I wouldn't have been able to get the new gasket on around the pressure release valve and the oil pump.

So to raise the engine, I'd undo the mounting bolts and then, once raised, add blocks no top of/below or instead of the rubber mounts? Where would be the best place to use as a jacking point?

Lastly - I tried to get the steering rack out on Sunday, but it wouldn't come far enough forward to fall out of the mountings, even with the sump unbolted and moved as far forward as I could there wasn't enough clearence to allow the rack to come out. If I could have removed the pressure relief valve I might have been able to move the sump enough to get the rack out, but without being able to drop the sump a bit more I can't get in to get the valve off.

Thinking about this, with the engine raised a bit it would probably solve the clearence issues with the rack etc.

I'll have to give it another go soon, at least well before the next oil change is due anyway!

Haynes and Bentley make no mention of raising the engine! Guess I should have done a bit more research on here first.

It's fairly common practice these days to remove old oil from an engine by a suction tube down the dipstick hole.
If I had to jack an engine, then I would use a thick plank of wood, at least as large as the flat bottom of the sump.
To make the rack easier to remove and replace, it's common to bend the lower tabs of the mount down a bit. They will pull back into place when you refit the bolts.