E34 oil pan will not come off!!!

[MattM]

i need to replace the oil pan gasket in my 24V swapped E30. I dropped the subframe out and have the engine supported by overhead crane, and i still cant get the pan out. Ive removed all the bolts, and 2 longer ones at the back, but it still wont come out, the front pulls down abit, but the back near the tranny wont budge....

[omar85]

i had the same problem

there are 2 in the back that i missed

http://r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=135280&highlight=oil+pan

[MattM]

this is mated to the getrag 260, any better description of where the last 2 are? which side do they go in from? from the top? from the block? or from the trany? there is nothing going between the tranny and the pan, because nothing lines up(common on a 260+m50 swap)

[e30serg]

I think you're missing 2 of the rear bolts going into the engine block from the bottom.

[erik325i]

this is mated to the getrag 260, any better description of where the last 2 are? which side do they go in from? from the top? from the block? or from the trany?

All of the bolts go up from the bottom of the pan besides the ones bolting the tranny to the oilpan. Since you said there are no bolts going from the tranny, just keep looking around for the last bolts underneath. There's not hidden. You must have just overlooked it.

Use a flashlight and double check the rear of the pan.

Erik

[MattM]

ive got all the small standard ones along the sides and the front on the flange, and the 2 long ones at the back, i dont see any others, yet the pan wont budge on the driver side.. im almost ready to just the pull the entire engine out again, ive spent the entire day doing what should have been a 3 hour job:evil:

[erik325i]

ive got all the small standard ones along the sides and the front on the flange, and the 2 long ones at the back, i dont see any others, yet the pan wont budge

Use a flashlight and double check the rear of the pan.

Erik

If the pan won't budge, there are still bolts that you missed.
You said you removed the two long bolts in the rear. I know some pans have 4 long bolts in the rear. I can't remember off the top of my head if the e34 pan has 2 or 4 long bolts.
Just take a deep breath, have a beer or six, and thoroughly double check everything.

[MattM]

the only thing i can think of is one of the long bolts in the rear is noticably shorter then the other, i wonder if its broken off up in there, and holding the pan... no bolts in the bottom, none of the holes from the tranny even line up with the pan(getrag 260) so i know theres nothing on the side... im pulling the engine out in the morning and will get to the bottom of this, sucks, because i am basically pulling everything that i have just finished setting up over the last month:twisted:

the pan moves around, just wont slide out, doesnt want to move much at the rear...

[mazur]

So you took the bolts out that are in those holes at the very rear? That's what got me last time.

[MattM]

i got the 2 long ones at the very bottom/rear of the pan, and the many short ones all along the sides and the front, theres mention of 2 others in holes somewhere, but i dont see them or any holes...

looking at this pic that i stole from another thread, i seem to be missing the one that mentions 'broken bolt, and its match on the other side, are these the hidden ones? if so, how do i get them out? and the 'these 2' are the long ones correct?

[jakeb]

There are 4 long ones....two very long and two sorta long at the back of the pan. I think they are "up" a little bit. So either you are not seeing them or they are broken.... I would assume the first.

[MattM]

and they are accessable with the getrag 260 on the engine? when i pry it open a crack at the back i can see 2 bolts, but i cannot get to them without seperating the tranny...

[sharksforthecup]

Post pics already!

[MattM]

i dont think i will be able to get them in a picture, its only a tiny gap(width of a screwdriver) and with one eye closed and a flashlight i can see 2 bolt heads... LOL... ive already started prep to pull the engine back out, not really want i wanted to do this week, but i guess i am now.. LOL

[HellzMindPlaya]

Yeah, I think I remember seeing them... They are on the back side of the pan, you can get at them if you drop the transmission... I remember looking at them and thinking... What dumbass designed this, there are two bolts that you can only get at if you can take the transmission out, or are very good with tools and very tight places.

You might be able to get at them with a small (1/4) inch ratchet and a short extension through the whole on the front of the oil pan (inspection whole.) Going to need a small swivel too.