Gray oil and Metal shavings in my Oil Pan.

[russhixmo]

I'm with creeker

[io_RobbieRodgers]

+1 for that idea, however I'm going to try to leave the engine inside the bay. What's the best way to go about getting the crank out? Put the car in gear, put a pipe on my cheater bar and pray the crank bolt loosens before it starts turning my wheels? Which gear is best to achieve most resistance, 1st or 5th? Shit, I wish I had enough money to finish my M10 flywheel conversion while I'm at it.

[mr.vang]

It's an M42 with 115k.

I had just JB-Welded the oil pan not two months ago

you should of bought a new pan instead you cheap out and jb-weld a cracked pan.

[Ceeker]

+1 for that idea, however I'm going to try to leave the engine inside the bay. What's the best way to go about getting the crank out? Put the car in gear, put a pipe on my cheater bar and pray the crank bolt loosens before it starts turning my wheels? Which gear is best to achieve most resistance, 1st or 5th? Shit, I wish I had enough money to finish my M10 flywheel conversion while I'm at it.

why do you want to take the crank shaft out?

You will need a really BIG extension to do this. Chalk your rear wheels so the car doesn't move. doesn't matter which car as long as its in gear. Best to use air gun with 150psi. the motor will turn slightly with air but it will come off in about 30 sec of hammering with the air tool.

You do realize you have to remove the connecting rod caps first. therefore, hand crank the engine to bring pistons down so that you have access to the con rod bolts. much easier this way instead of trying to pull the pistons through with it. Be very careful, you have about 80-100lb there ready to drop on your chest. Get someone there with you to help.

or leave the crank in and get a trouble light to inspect the con rod journals and cap surfaces while you're checking the crank journals. Maybe everything is fine? change the con rod bearings retighten the caps and move to the crank bearings. throw those in and throw your pan back on.

note: at that point you have the option to either remove the crank or leave it in. just remember you'll need a couple mains to hold the crank in when you loosen everything off otherwise you might find you'll be hugging it while underneath.(Grin)

But don't just listen to me..get others opinions...heck I could be totally wrong here. :)

[pandaboo911]

I would tear down the engine, inspect everything, take pieces to an engine/machine shop, and give that friend the quote. Use the money to buy an m20 ;)

If there was oil starvation the damage isn't necessarily limited to the bottom end.

I don't let my friends drive my e30 ever for this reason, the last time I did I received a blown 2nd gear and a cooked clutch.

[io_RobbieRodgers]

Panda, I totally would, except he's a broke-ass bandersnatch. And thanks for the sensible advice, creeker. I've been spending about 4 hours a night googling for information, but sometimes it's not very concise.

Also, there's no good reason NOT to JB-weld an oil pan with a hairline crack in it like mine had. I've never heard of a welded pan causing a problem, and if you hit the pan hard again it's going to break, whether it's JB-Welded or new. I'd rather break a pan I spent $5 JB-Welding than a $150 new one.

[tom d]

another way to get the engine out of the car is to undo everything and the jack the car up really high, letting the engine stay on the floor.

ditto!

[twistednut]

First, you can't pull the crankshaft out of an m42 without pulling the entire timing case. You can pull all of the lower main bearing caps to check for damage. The #5 main bearing will have the most damaged if it has been oil starved since it is the farthest away from the oil pump. The bearing you are most interested in is the #4 main which is the 180 degree trust bearing. Pull it and run your fingernail across the crankshaft surface. If it catches on anything the crank is toast. You are lucky and it is smooth you need to look at the flange the bearing rides on on the crank shaft. The rear will have more wear than the front but there needs to be relatively the same amount of lip left on the back as there is on the front or you are just wasting time and money replacing the mains.

[io_RobbieRodgers]

Toast? Seriously toast? If there's minor wear, the journals can't just be resurfaced? I'd like some second opinions on this... I couldn't get the #5 off today because there's not enough room between the block and the bolt to get a socket in there. I guess I'll hold off ordering parts till tuesday till I have more info... FYI I looked at the #3 bearing and the wear looks like discoloration, but couldn't visually see any grooves.