E30 Zone

Fun isn't it! Thought it would be a case of - drain the oil, undo all the bolts, take it off, put on a new gasket, bolt it back on, job done.

Took me about 5 hours today to get to the stage where I have now changed the gasket, just got to bolt everything back together (subframe back up, steering column etc) and fill up with oil. Was budgeting 2 hours at most.

Ah well, it's all a learning experience isn't it! Bit surprised that the Hayne's manual rates it alongside changing sparkplugs in their rating of difficulty of the job....

Satisfying once I'd got the newly cleaned and shiney sump back on anyway. Car's been leaking oil for ages and I've finally got round to sorting it.

Did well dude,

Not a fun job is it , not technically challengeing but agreed, the " haynes book of lies " does underrate it slightly

It is very easy with the engine on the garage floor....hope you get the oil out from behind your fingernails before work on Monday....was it the sump that was leaking,or was it the front/rear crank seal? Hope it was not caused by that road run to Haggis land..

i was lucky and had an engine crane when i did mine, but alas it still took hours!

^ kin needed one though Eh Simon

Sorry dude

taking the engine out my sport tmoro weather permitting

this is just one of the jobs that will be done

oh well at least i have a crane to use

is the gasket fine on its own?? or shhould i be using sealer too??

Sealer can be used, but just a smear dude, I hate blu hylomar with a passion and TBH, I fit mine "dry" with just a dab where the front and rear oil seal covers create a seam.

Enjoy

Supported my lump from garage roof then dropped the crossmember and rack right out. So much easier.

Yes I made the fatal mistake of believing Mr Haynes! He is a bloody liar.

In the end I found it easier to just tilt engine back slightly with hoist.

I have seen the man in person...

He was driving one of those lexus soft top hard top things... I think that says a lot about him...

dazleeds wrote:taking the engine out my sport tmoro weather permitting

this is just one of the jobs that will be done

oh well at least i have a crane to use

is the gasket fine on its own?? or shhould i be using sealer too??

As Ant said - best to be pretty sparing with it - more useful just to hold the gasket in place when you're manoevring the sump into position.

Any tips for reconnecting the steering coupling Ant? Basically got p**sed off with the job this evening and leaving the rest till tomorrow. Can't get that bloody joint to reconnect - trying to get the bit sticking out the top of the steering rack with splines on
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... g=32&fg=10

to connect to the universal joint thing shown in this diagram:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... g=32&fg=30

Is it just brute force and opening it up using the slit in the side of it or are there any little zone tips I don't know about?

Sure I'll manage it when less tired anyway...

Edit: And Ant I will email you a proper email asking about megasquirt etc - just been busy lately and not gotten around to it. The most attractive idea is that of doing away with the AFM, ICV, TPS system - I'm hoping it means I can just incinerate them all while laughing manically? Don't fully understand exactly what MS (how much of it is hardware, how much is software etc) so I'll have a few questions - or you can direct me to more info to read before I get in contact with you again if you want.

daimlerman wrote:It is very easy with the engine on the garage floor....hope you get the oil out from behind your fingernails before work on Monday....was it the sump that was leaking,or was it the front/rear crank seal?

Well I bloody hope it was the sump, otherwise I've wasted my day!!!

I'd cleaned the engine down first to see where it was leaking. Complicated by the fact that it was from two place - one that I thought was the crank seal, but turned out to be one of those 4 little rubber blocks just under the rocker cover gasket had perished. Replaced those 4 and the gasket and no more leaking from the top end. Second bit was very definitely (I'll find out if it's definitely stopped in a few days be looking at my garage floor) from the sump gasket, just forwards of where that secondary covering that protects the flywheel is.

That reminds me, is it necessary to replace that seal on the front of that flywheel protecting cover guys or not? Looked alright to me and didn't look like it was for anything more than weather protection.

daimlerman wrote:Hope it was not caused by that road run to Haggis land..

Been going on a lot longer than that, but it was the Scottish trip that made me decide to do it. Was getting more oil leaking out on the long trips where I was going for 80-85mph for hours at a time on the motorway. Hot engine must have thinned the oil down I guess. Kept having to stop every couple of days and top up.

maxfield wrote:I have seen the man in person...

He was driving one of those lexus soft top hard top things... I think that says a lot about him...

How did you know it was him? Was he doing signed copies or something?

did the job the other day -haynes is a complete tool... (meant as offensively as possible) The bentley manual on the other hand is a pretty good guide

Firefly2005 wrote:How did you know it was him? Was he doing signed copies or something?

Because I was driving a car round the museum track...

Because I was driving a car round the museum track...

you should have gone up to him and said face to face YOUR A LIER!! he would have laghft and made you look a fool!

I was having wayyyyyyyyy too much fun to get out the car or off the track!

Why would he make me look like a fool?

Why would I call him a liar I've never used one of his books for any mechanical knowledge?

oh well i used haynes manuals and there full of crap!!

If I was to buy any book it would be the 'restoration bible'.

I have the haynes manual in PDF... I'm too tight to pay for it

I'm too tight to pay for it

but yet you would spend hundreds on coats and shoes!!

Beats spending it on drugs

Back on topic...

Before I get accused of more post whoring...