Should I not have oil in there?

[Dan-O]

Like I've said before, I'm an E46 guy so this is new territory. Any help I can get would be GREATLY appreciated.


Here's the deal:

I find a black 325i with good interior and a supposed 68k miles on it that didn't run and "needed a fuel pump". Kid says he daily'd it till 2 weeks ago when it quit. Well, he failed to tell me the reason it failed to quit was a blown head gasket and he had poured that shitty "head gasket fixer" and clogged about every water chanel and radiator/hoses. So, I clean the water jackets, radiator and hoses so no more gunk. Installed new waterpump and a head off another 325i that looked in great shape.

I got the timing right on both marks, start it up (takes 3 cranks) and it sounded like sh*t. I only ran it for 5-10 seconds at a time, 3 times just to see if it would lean out. I gave up last night and pulled the valve cover to see no oil had been delivered:




What are the best ways to diagnose oil delivery? Where should I start? (I've been searching)

[Dan-O]

I'm finding diagrams but what's most common to go out on these e30s?

[felix]

Given that the head's been off I would suspect something to do with that. Head gasket on wrong blocking the oil supply to the head?

[Dan-O]

Thanks for the reply man, I'm at a loss!


Sorry, I left out the fact I replaced all the gaskets with the correct part #'s, had my guy check em.

On top of that, the old head warped due to lack of oil supply

[jlevie]

The first thing to do would be to install a new oil filter (if you haven't already), make sure the engine has sufficient oil, and check the oil pressure with a gauge. If the engine isn't making oil pressure, none will reach the head.

[stumble_t]

On top of that, the old head warped due to lack of oil supply

Have you confirmed that the pump is actually doing its job?
and the oiler isn't clogged?

look here

[Dan-O]

I did an oil change when I installed the head, threads on the filter looked great. I removed the hood, I'm going to drop the pan and check all the above.

Question: when an oil pump is removed, how do I verify it's functional?

[Dan-O]

Have you confirmed that the pump is actually doing its job?
and the oiler isn't clogged?

look here

thanks man!

[jlevie]

Before you drop the pan, connect an oil pressure gauge and see what the oil pressure is.

While it is possible that the oil pump could have failed or the pressure relief valve is stuck open, the history of this engine makes me suspect that bottom end is severely worn and that is why there's no oil pressure. Well, that or the engine is so plugged up that oil can't reach the head. Without knowing the full history you don't know if the headgasket failure was allowing coolant in the oil. If it was, there's a good chance of severe wear on the rod and main bearings. And if stop leak got into the oil there's no telling what that would do.

Oh yeah, the head didn't warp from lack of oil. It warped because of overheating.

My advice would be to pull the engine, tear it down, and inspect the crank and bearings for wear (with tenth reading micrometers and bore gauge). Rod out all of the oil passages before reassembly with new parts where needed. That or get another engine in better condition.

[Dan-O]

Before you drop the pan, connect an oil pressure gauge and see what the oil pressure is.

While it is possible that the oil pump could have failed or the pressure relief valve is stuck open, the history of this engine makes me suspect that bottom end is severely worn and that is why there's no oil pressure. Well, that or the engine is so plugged up that oil can't reach the head. Without knowing the full history you don't know if the headgasket failure was allowing coolant in the oil. If it was, there's a good chance of severe wear on the rod and main bearings. And if stop leak got into the oil there's no telling what that would do.

Oh yeah, the head didn't warp from lack of oil. It warped because of overheating.

My advice would be to pull the engine, tear it down, and inspect the crank and bearings for wear (with tenth reading micrometers and bore gauge). Rod out all of the oil passages before reassembly with new parts where needed. That or get another engine in better condition.

best advice yet, thanks man! I removed the hood and front fenders in preparation for the engine to come out.

When I said the head warped because of the oil, I meant extreme heat and lack of oil. Are these motors cheap? If I pick one up from a "pull it yourself" place that's guaranteed to run, what would be recommended prior to install?

[jlevie]

When replacing an engine I would do:

rear main seal
timing belt, water pump, thermostat
cam seals
intake & exhaust gaskets
oil return tube gaskets
oil pan gasket
clutch, pressure plate, throwout & pilot bearing
valve adjustment, valve cover gasket, and the four bungs