Is it possible to remove the baffle in the oil pan?

[Cinnabar325is]

Title sounds crazy, so let me explain. Just replaced the rod bearings and I'm trying to completely remove all the pieces of the old ones from the oil pan.

In the deep part of the pan, there's a cast aluminum baffle covering the "bump out" in the pan. It seems to be held into the main pan by 2 little pegs going into rubber grommets above the bump out. On the opposite side, it sits on a little boss coming up from the bottom of the pan. There's no fastening hardware in sight.

I'm afraid that lots of bearing pieces are in the portion of the oil pan hidden by this baffle, but I can't clean them out unless I remove the baffle. Has anybody done this? It's cast aluminum, so I don't want to go prying on it too much.



Second question: Is there any way to adjust the oil pump to increase oil pressure. Bentley doesn't mention it and it didn't seem obvious by the examining the pump itself, so the answer is probably no, but I thought it was worth asking.

I'm thinking the con rod bearing situation will have the pressure down a bit and it would be nice to compensate with the pump.

Thanks.

[Kershaw]

grab the pan and shake it. anything come out?

if you're that worried. have a machine shop hot tank it.

[KenC]

The pump is mechanical, so you can't increase the pressure (unless you drive at 5k all the time). If the M20 is like the M42, there is a pressure relief valve too.

You had chunks of bearing in your pan? Yikes

[erik325i]

I don't have an e30 pan right in front of me, but at least with the e36 pan, you just need to drill out one spot weld to remove the stock baffle.

While the baffle is out, you may as well replace it with an upgraded oilpan baffle from VAC.

[richard.bratton]

It sounds like your engine is beyond just replacing rod bearings. When your bearings failed, your oil pump likely pushed the bearing chunks through out your engine and bits of bearings are inside your oil galleys, the oil cooler, and the chunks likely damaged your oil pump gears, main bearings and the cam bearing journals. If you don't take the motor down fully and remove the bearing "shrapnel", you'll just destroy your motor quickly after replacing the rod bearings...

To answer your question, there are two oil relief valves in the M20 engine. One valve is in the oil pump and one valve is bolted to the bottom of the block. These valves control your oil pressure. If you have loose bearing tolerances, you'll never build enough pressure for the relief valves to function.

[TimR]

I've seen recently upgrading to the M20 oil pump on some threads here and eslewhere, just go hunting.

[riceh8r]

your oil pump likely pushed the bearing chunks through out your engine

wouldn't the oil filter screen stop all of that ?

[Adrian_Visser]

If you have low oil pressure it is likely because of excessively worn main bearings.

When I punched a hole through my oil pan on the eta I found chunks of aluminium in the oil pickup screen. It scared the shit out of me and I basically expected the engine to fail on me right after I replaced the pan. It didn't, shit ran for 3 years after that no problem.

[richard.bratton]

wouldn't the oil filter screen stop all of that ?

Some of it, but no, it won't stop it all. I didn't make this up, Jim @ Metric Mechanic believes this to be a common problem.