Oil Pan gasket changing

[nefarious7907]

You want to talk about fun this is probably the most fun thing you can spend your time doing. This takes forever and probably be easier if you just pulled the motor to do this and it probably would take just as long. In my case this job is going to take a little longer than expected. I was doing this at night with little light and I stripped the torx bolt on the inspection cover I thought that they were 8mm. If anyone else has horror stories about changing the oil pan on an M20 please post.

[kowalski]

i have lots on the M42 because it was lowerd until i put my skid plate on, went through 3 of them all 1200$ worth of them:( which eventualy cause me to spin a bearing and throw a rod so make that 2200$ worth.

[Jordan]

Put the car up on jack stands, prop the engine mounts, unbolt and drop the entire front suspension and subframe, pull pan, replace gasket, reverse.

It takes like 4hrs or less if you know what you are doing.

[Jand3rson]

If you have access to an engine hoist, you can do it a little faster without having to drop the front suspension and subframe. Here's my write-up on the process:

http://www.strictlyeta.net/technical/oilpan.html

It should only take about 2-3 hours that way. The write-up is on how to change the oil pan itself, but the process is the same.

[PeterCip]

Put the car up on jack stands, prop the engine mounts, unbolt and drop the entire front suspension and subframe, pull pan, replace gasket, reverse.

It takes like 4hrs or less if you know what you are doing.

I'm with jordan, this isn't a very difficult task. had to do it a bunch with the turbo project..
its a science.
-p

[BS87]

Put the car up on jack stands, prop the engine mounts, unbolt and drop the entire front suspension and subframe, pull pan, replace gasket, reverse.

It takes like 4hrs or less if you know what you are doing.

Sorry for the "newb" question, but what exactly you mean by prop the engine mounts? put stands under them?

[crazy_hotrodder]

omg you guys should have done way more research. i am doing the oil pan as we speak. i got a referance to this web site, http://www.bmwe30.net/cgi-bin/datacg...amp;Section=08 they tell you how to do the job without useing a hoist. you have to play around with the ps rack a lot but it came out. once you have the whole thing unbolted then you just have to fit your hand in the front(there is enough room) find your 3 oil pump bolts and the valve behind the pump and the whole thing will come out. you don't need a hoist or remove the controle arms, or the front crossmember, or even the engine mounts. this job sould only take about an hour. so get it done right, and if you don't belive me to bad. i have to take mine out again because i ruined the gasket.