E30 Zone

hi: guys

my oil sump plug is spinning freely......even by hand

i need to change the oil but was too scared to take it out...just in-case i cant get it to seal again...

how can this problem be solved?

cheers

IF you can remove the sump plug, then you'll have to get the thread heli-coiled, you'll have to phone round places and find somewhere that can do this for you. Otherwise you might have to replace the sump

is that a big job? changing the sump?

Depends on what engine, 4 post are easy because the sump is in two halves, and you only have to drop the bottom part. 6 cylinder engines are more involved, as you probably have to either lift the engine up, or drop the x-member to gain access to remove the sump.

I somehow managed years ago to change the sump gasket on a 323i with no jack, and literally a few spanners / sockets at the side of the road. Looking back i can't work out how i managed it!

I had to change the sump on my 320i, wasn't a fun job, engine does need to be lifted a little, or some of the steering components shifted down a little.

Good luck if u have to do it mate!

I've just done this on my 325 and its a really pain in the arse! There was no way the sump plug was going to come out withn the sump still on the car, so I had to remove the sump and then slowly undo the plug while applying loads of pressure from the back (using a bolt, washers and a block of wood). The thread in the hole was knackered, luckily I had a replacemnt sump, otherwise you'll need to either drill and retap to use a bigger plug, or use a heli-coil.

I go my sump off on my driveway with the front of the car up on ramps, took about 4 days on and off to get it done. You'll have to undo the engine mount bolts (top and bottom), raise the engine a few inches and then pack the engine mounts with wood so it doesn't drop. You'll probably find you need to undo the exhaust mounting bolts othewise the engine probably won't move much!

Then once you've dropped the oil pump into the sump it'll all slide out the front quite easy. Getting it all back on is another matter - especially as you don't want to be disturbing the new sump gasket you've just carefully lined up and stuck on to the bottom of the engine! You'll need a mate with you to do this as you'll need both hands to get the oil pump back on.

As said before, if you do need to do this good luck! And give yourself plenty of time.

Oh, and if you haven't already got one you'll probably need a 17mm deep socket to undo the top engine mount nut, I found a couple of long extensions helped as well so I could undo it from above the engine.

If your existing sump plug is sealing properly, and you are happy that it will stay that way, then it's possible to change your engine oil by a suction pipe down the dipstick tube.

Last time i changed my oil on my 325, well first time actually, i found the thread was knackered in the sump and the plug was sealed with instant gasket stuff.

After finding out what a pain in the arse it was to change the sump, and not being able to find anyone local willing to do a helicoil on it, i decided to try it myself with heamatite red (sp?) which is the instant gasket compound that never really goes off. Hey presto, jobs a good un. Not even a drip since and that was a good few months back now. Think it cost me about 2 quid. Bargain.

Reading the job of changing the sump is a real pain......personally wouldn't go this route, you could just leave it as Brian says but you could unscrew the plug and have a look at the threads.

It may be that the plug is stripped, sump not to bad etc and a new plug would rectify the job.

If its the Sump that stripped then still get a new plug and clean the area in and around the threads thoroughly after all the oil has drained.

Then consider what you are going to use as thread sealer, options are PTFE tape , and you can wind this on to the thread quite liberally to make it a tight fit. Could use STAG red paste which really sorts leaks out when its gone off.
There wont be any vibration at the sump thats going to undo the plug, at worst it will drip and you will have to have another go at it.

Either way , I would be doing this or looking for any such screwed/threaded item that I could machine and make do, rather than replace the sump.