NOR-CAL General Chat.

[Vivek]

does it clank terribly when running? Very loud valve train and timing chain rattle. Timing chain tensioner is new (installed uncompressed, the safer way) and isn't getting pressure
have you tried running it with cam cover off to see if there is lubrication happening in the cylinder head?
No but I'm 99.9999% sure it's not because it looks dry and the oil filter was completely dry, so oil wasn't even flowing from the sump, through the pump, to the filter.

is there anything stuck in the oil filter housing under the filter? Nope
Does your oil filter housing bolt have a new O ring on the bottom? perhaps it got damaged on install or forgotten? O-ring is fine (new), no blockages in the passages between the oil filter housing and block. The O-ring between the filter housing and the block, on the bottom of the bolt, and around the filter housing cap are all brand new.


have you tried pumping a thick oil into the oil pressure switch hole? i.e. 75-90 gear oil; see if you can force said air out somehow? No and I would like to try this but I don't know how. Would it be worth a shot to just buy a tube and squeeze some in? I'd like to somehow get a better seal than just holding the bottle onto the hole but idk how.

*************

if pump and engine have never been taken apart and engine was running when removed there is about 0% chance of the oil pump going bad in-between cars unless something very wrong happened; i.e. someone evil filled your oil pan with RTV from the dipstick etc I agree, but Steven is convinced that it's the pump because he says shit goes wrong unexplainably. If I replace the pump, I'll likely pay him to do it because 1) I don't want to and 2) then he knows it was done correctly if it doesn't work

IIRC, M42 = OBD1, M44 = OBD2.

Honestly, I'd get it towed to a shop. Put the $1500 into having the issue solved by a tech since everyone here seems to be chasing our tails and going nowhere. [/unpopular opinion puffin]

Ehh. I was gonna but then I came to my senses. Once it's at a shop, they have me by the balls for whatever it's gonna cost. And to swap in another m42 I'd like to keep the cost around 1k, assuming I get a warranteed engine from a wrecker, I'd have to pay a premium for it.

The shop will want to start with the basics also and that $1500 will disappear quick and the car still might not be fixed...

Yep.

[Bimmerman325i]

Check oil pump nut? Pickup tube? They shear on M5x, design is similar on m4x no?

[Wh33lhop]

Anybody got a 3.25lsd, 2.93lsd or even a 2.93 open sitting around? Must make no noise and come with an e30 rear cover.

[Vivek]

Check oil pump nut? Pickup tube? They shear on M5x, design is similar on m4x no?

Would the oil pump nut be under the timing case? I never touched the pickup and it looks fine to me.

[Pantless Spency]

Shitty situation for lbv.

[Wanganstyle]

does it clank terribly when running?
***
Very loud valve train and timing chain rattle. Timing chain tensioner is new (installed uncompressed, the safer way) and isn't getting pressure
***
have you tried running it with cam cover off to see if there is lubrication happening in the cylinder head?
***
No but I'm 99.9999% sure it's not because it looks dry and the oil filter was completely dry, so oil wasn't even flowing from the sump, through the pump, to the filter.
***
is there anything stuck in the oil filter housing under the filter?

Nope
***

Does your oil filter housing bolt have a new O ring on the bottom? perhaps it got damaged on install or forgotten? O-ring is fine (new), no blockages in the passages between the oil filter housing and block. The O-ring between the filter housing and the block, on the bottom of the bolt, and around the filter housing cap are all brand new.


have you tried pumping a thick oil into the oil pressure switch hole? i.e. 75-90 gear oil; see if you can force said air out somehow? No and I would like to try this but I don't know how. Would it be worth a shot to just buy a tube and squeeze some in? I'd like to somehow get a better seal than just holding the bottle onto the hole but idk how.

*************

if pump and engine have never been taken apart and engine was running when removed there is about 0% chance of the oil pump going bad in-between cars unless something very wrong happened; i.e. someone evil filled your oil pan with RTV from the dipstick etc I agree, but Steven is convinced that it's the pump because he says shit goes wrong unexplainably. If I replace the pump, I'll likely pay him to do it because 1) I don't want to and 2) then he knows it was done correctly if it doesn't work

Perhaps the engine had lost its oil pump drive and that's why it was removed and sold to you?

Or somehow abused it so badly between the time you paid for it and picked it up that it died....

the only situation I can see of that an oil pump would be mysteriously loose function in a short period of time would be under ridiculous abuse.

Are you sure the M42 didn't come out of a lemons car LOL - I can see lemons racing destroying a oil pump or a shit ton of drifting and spinning out (sending oil pump in reverse)

**************
Japanese engines sit around in various warehouses for YEARS, perhaps decades before they are sold/installed/ran; they never mysteriously loose an oil pump.


A local friend bought a e36 M3 at 240K miles that had been sitting for years; literally 2.5 years; no-op'ed and towed from shop to shop.

It had oil pressure and enough oil (terrible condition) and fired right up

[Vivek]

Perhaps the engine had lost its oil pump drive and that's why it was removed and sold to you?

Or somehow abused it so badly between the time you paid for it and picked it up that it died....

the only situation I can see of that an oil pump would be mysteriously loose function in a short period of time would be under ridiculous abuse.

Are you sure the M42 didn't come out of a lemons car LOL - I can see lemons racing destroying a oil pump or a shit ton of drifting and spinning out (sending oil pump in reverse)

**************
Japanese engines sit around in various warehouses for YEARS, perhaps decades before they are sold/installed/ran; they never mysteriously loose an oil pump.


A local friend bought a e36 M3 at 240K miles that had been sitting for years; literally 2.5 years; no-op'ed and towed from shop to shop.

It had oil pressure and enough oil (terrible condition) and fired right up

Honestly I wish this could be the case. I paid for the engine after I picked it up, because I got it from Steven. I've known this guy for years, before he was into e30's, and I know the engine was running 100% before I got it. Excellent compression (180+ cold across all 4), timing gears and cam lobes literally looked brand new. It was pulled for an s50 swap.

Only possible thing is that the engine was drained then turned at odd angles (on it's side, upside down, etc) during transport and when I was working on it on a stand, but people do that all the damn time with no adverse effects.

[Cabriolet]

steven owned the m42 before lbv. i drove it, it was "fine" shit for power but nothing wrong with it. lbv got it cleaned it and put it in, no one has been screwing with it or beating on it.

[Vivek]

Shitty situation for lbv.

Tell me about it. All I want is to drop in a new engine and be done with it, but I can't find anywhere to buy one. I'd strongly prefer one with a warranty so I don't have to deal with this again.

[Wanganstyle]

Honestly I wish this could be the case. I paid for the engine after I picked it up, because I got it from Steven. I've known this guy for years, before he was into e30's, and I know the engine was running 100% before I got it. Excellent compression (180+ cold across all 4), timing gears and cam lobes literally looked brand new. It was pulled for an s50 swap.

Only possible thing is that the engine was drained then turned at odd angles (on it's side, upside down, etc) during transport and when I was working on it on a stand, but people do that all the damn time with no adverse effects.

correct; people put engines upside down all the time and they have no ill effects; fire it up post service and its just fine.

have you tried pumping oil into the oil pressure sensor hole? If there is air in the system pumping oil into the pressure sensor hole may get it out.

I'd try doing that before changing oil pumps;

You could also remove the oil pressure sender and crank the engine slowly by hand; if there is air in the system + the oil pump is connected + its pickup has oil to capacity then SOMETHING should happen when the crankshaft moves.

Have also heard of some engines loosing the seal between oil pickup and oil pump; if this is the case the pump will keep sucking in AIR if there is no seal to the oil pump.

[Vivek]

correct; people put engines upside down all the time and they have no ill effects; fire it up post service and its just fine.

have you tried pumping oil into the oil pressure sensor hole? If there is air in the system pumping oil into the pressure sensor hole may get it out.

I'd try doing that before changing oil pumps;

You could also remove the oil pressure sender and crank the engine slowly by hand; if there is air in the system + the oil pump is connected + its pickup has oil to capacity then SOMETHING should happen when the crankshaft moves.

Have also heard of some engines loosing the seal between oil pickup and oil pump; if this is the case the pump will keep sucking in AIR if there is no seal to the oil pump.

How would you suggest I pump oil into the sensor hole? I want to try that but I'm not sure how to get a good seal on it. I've pulled the pressure sender and cranked the motor with the starter. It did absolutely nothing :(

I tried to prime it by pouring oil into the oil filter housing, hoping it'd drain into the pump and fill the air space. It drained down but didn't help anything. As far as losing a seal goes: the pickup is bolted to the upper pan with a gasket in between. I never touched that because I didn't wanna risk messing it up and something like this happening. I checked the upper pan gasket where the oil pickup passage is when I pulled it to do the relief valve (after this problem occurred) and it seemed fine. No gasket shift or anything like that.

[Wanganstyle]

How would you suggest I pump oil into the sensor hole? I want to try that but I'm not sure how to get a good seal on it. I've pulled the pressure sender and cranked the motor with the starter. It did absolutely nothing :(

I tried to prime it by pouring oil into the oil filter housing, hoping it'd drain into the pump and fill the air space. It drained down but didn't help anything. As far as losing a seal goes: the pickup is bolted to the upper pan with a gasket in between. I never touched that because I didn't wanna risk messing it up and something like this happening. I checked the upper pan gasket where the oil pickup passage is when I pulled it to do the relief valve (after this problem occurred) and it seemed fine. No gasket shift or anything like that.

gaskets do wear. If you change the oil pump and there is still a seal leak guess what.......problem won't go away.



As far as pressuring oil into the sensor hole; home depot+mcgyver something?

It has thread holes; you can find a nipple and hose and bottle to attach to it-


if it's not new how do you know it's good? Something is obviously not sealing.

Sounds like your pump is sucking air if you swear it was a good engine when removed from prior car.

Some think bumping of the oil pan can cause this.

http://www.m42club.com/forum/index.php?topic=594.0

[Cabriolet]

"There is no problem, so bad, that you can't make it worse" - Chris Hadfield

[mbonanni]

What Eric is trying to say is that there are starving kids in Africa and you're here worrying about you car. Wow man, wow.

[MR 325]

Why?

If one can afford to buy a z8 you can also purchase 2x e34 m5's to flank it

E34 M5 is awesome you should get one if you like it so much

Why? Because Z8's are ugly and E34 M5's aren't.

Just because I like the E34 M5 doesn't mean I need to buy one. I'd probably go for the E39 M5 over it anyway.