I'm a BMW dealership tech and came across your video. I have to say, I've seen my share of BMW diy videos posted by clueless people but your video is very on point and you are very charismatic. I actually chuckled out loud to myself at your jokes. Very good video. Keep up the great work!
Emma Saito hi I'm trying to determine what engines are compatible with my vehicle 2006 BMW X5 M54B30 E53 3.0i SAV AWD automatic. I am going to be looking at a engine soon an would like to know the above imposed question, and if that's case upon getting it in mounted down connectors plugged in etc the vehicle should start right up correct? Or will I need to change or re program computer so that it does start? Thank you. My email address is: coontakentay@hotmail.com
Seeing you struggling with the gasket when putting up the pan, I would like to offer a tip if it has not been mentioned by others already. I did the transmission filter a while ago and yes it was the same challenge. I used wire ties (the ones they have at the grocery stores to tie up bags) to hold the gasket in place and after I got a few bolts in loosely, I removed the ties. Made the job easier.
sadly, many modern rear wheel drive cars engineered similarly. Its hard to fit all the steering and suspension parts in otherwise. Good news for us grease monkeys is it makes perfectly good cars go to auction because the cost to do some basic repair like this gets deemed too high vs the value of the car if you have to pay for labor. If your not paying for labor, this is like a $30 job and a few hours of your time.
As someone who has done a good amount of work on their E46 thanks to videos like this over the past 5 or so years. WOW, this is the most labor intensive and challenging repair I have seen!!!
I’ve worked on many cars and in the grand scheme of things doing oil pan / clutch on these is actually not bad when you understand your car and take your time.
Can't thank you enough for this video! Thanks to you, I was able to swap out the old crusty oil pan gasket in about 6ish hours. No more leaks! To anyone hesitating to do this themselves - it is not difficult, just tedious. If you have the tools and watch this video, you can do this job.
I just have an impact driver (I have no torque wrenches, likely none of the sockets, no jack, and definitely don’t have the large tool that the engine hangs on). I’ve never done any work on a car. It would be absurd for me to try to do this myself, right?
@@_lmagine I bought a 2005 330i with 160k miles that wasn't well cared for previously. So yes, there were other leaks to address. Oil filter housing gasket, valve cover gasket, o-ring for cam sensor. All easy fixes and worth it if you're doing it yourself.
Another tip; once you take any component off during the disassembly process, screw the bolts back into the holes. That way you won’t lose the bolts or get confused later on as to which one goes where. It will save you a lot of time in the long run.
As an actual "50skid", I want to thank you your efforts. I've used most of your E46 videos to keep mine going. Thought I was going to do this as well, but am not terribly disappointed that we decided to trade it in instead. Can't thank you enough.
I remember doing this on my 5.0 mustang... an all day job on your back. 50sKid makes it look like a fraction of the time. Just called my mechanic and they quoted $750 for this job. Love the idea of replacing the Opportunity parts. I have learned so much from your videos, I appreciate you!
50skid you're the man you're one of the best on UA-cam I have learned so much from you every video that you make has educated me so much brother thank you I appreciate you keep up the good work
Tip for gasket placement: use a small tie wrap on couple of strategic bolt holes to hold the gasket in place while re-installing the pan and cut and remove after pan is roughly in place with loose bolts lightly screwed on.
Excellent video, when disconnecting flexible steering joint on my car it was just enough to remove the upper E10 bolt only, it had enough play to go up, you just need to yanked it up hard enough it actually comes out of the slot without removing the lower E10 bolt and worrying about installing it back correctly. Also I would highly recommend replacing the oil dipstick housing o-ring since you have to take it out anyway. And yes, safety glasses all the time when working under the car. This one is one of the best DYI's , cheers to BMW enthusiasts.
Just did this repair using this video, thanks a lot for making it! I always watch your videos before doing repairs on my car. Worst part in the job for me was stripping one of the bolts from the oil pan when installing it back. Drilling it out was pain in the ass.. so anyone trying this please use torque wrench or use very little force when torquing the bolts.
Your videos helped me save tons of money from the dealership. Very informative, always! Gave my well maintained E 46 to my daughter so she could escape the VW lease. I'm now in an E 90 and really love the way this car handles with the sports package. I will still continue to watch your videos, many of the applications carry over. Headed to Florida soon, looking for an M3 next. Thanks for your knowledge!!!
Well I've got to say it, Jason thank you! When I bought our 2002 325i for our kids, it looked nice, but I didn't realize that the second owner didn't look after it very well... I replaced the oil housing side gasket, whatever it's called, but then realized it was still leaking oil... realized it was either the oil pan gasket, the rear main seal or the transmision pump.... last week I changed the oil pan gasket, issue solved, no more leaking oil. I guess I would have eventually figured it out, but you're videos have made it much easier. I hope you make lots of money because these videos are here, however it works. Thanks again! Steve
Thanks for the many memories. That's one thing I don't miss about my e46 330i. I had to finish this job with front jacked up (started on ramps), and ended up removing stuff that I shouldn't have, while not removing a few things that could have made my life easier. Wish this video was around back then. And I still can't pronounce "guibo" lol!
MrRick1303 i was gonna say the same, but figured I'd go through the comments to see if anyone else had. The skinnier, medium length zip ties work best. One on each corner and snip them off as you go around installing bolts.
@@moisture106 yeah I like to chase the threads with a thread chaser to clean out any burs or damage to the threads also don't tighten the bolts with an impact
For anyone wanting an easy way to keep the gasket in place, while sliding the pan back in; use some needle thread to tie the gasket to the pan. Just run the thread through a few holes. Once you have the pan up and lightly secured in place with a couple bolts, then pull the string out. Done! 😁
I must say I have watch numerous videos about replacing the oil pan gasket on my BMW., and I must say by far this is the best one of the all., to point, simple to follow. Great job, and thanks
If you want your oil pan gasket to NEVER leak again, apply Hondabond, or Yamabond to the mating surfaces. Also helpful in that you can glue the gasket to the pan before offering it up to the block. For many years I've used Hondabond exclusively on all engines I assemble regardless of the OEM recommended sealants. I cannot stress enough how good the results are in oiltightness.
scheusselmensch where can I get those bonding compounds you mentioned here to use on oil pan gasket before mating it to bottom of block....thank you. Please email me the info to: coontakentay@hotmail.com
@scheusselmensch thank you so much for the idea! I had asked that very question on another forum as I've had very good experience with hondabond working on Hondas before.
planning on replacing my pan gasket here soon just replaced my entire cooling system and radiator watching your videos has really helped me alot but im up for any work i need to do on my e46 it seeems like its never ending but i know it will all be worth it thanks again for making very clear and in depth videos saved me thousands of dollars of work
Your video was awesome. It helped me a lot while I performed the same job on a X3. Took me a total of 20 hours. Leak is gone and no trace of oil from the RMS.
Hi, thanks for very helpful series of E46 videos. Just changed the oil pan gasket and in process of changing few other things while at it. Just want to add that I went ahead and removed the whole sway bar completely as it was only left hanging from the links and also disconnected left side tie rod end from the knuckle and the lower control arm ball joint from the knuckle and was able to move the whole steering rack and the sub frame away and that game me a lot more access to the oil pan. Thanks for the amazing job you are doing on your videos. Next is heater inlet line.
I just did this yesterday. All you need to remove to get at the oil dipstick is the engine air filter box. My PS pump had a bolt on front and one going through from the rear, still super easy to remove. The steering shaft telescopes up though not enough to get it back in when the k-member is all the way up. Also keep in mind there is a small void in the shaft where the e10 bolt goes in. This helps the shaft lock in and helps you get the shaft in the right position, not too high up or too deep down. Also add a bit of red thread lock on that e10 bolt. FF🌎 Good job my friend! BTW, us manual guys have it made on this one 😄😎
yes, the steering coupler doesn't slide up to its original spot where I marked it. I have the k-member all bolted up but I still need to get the coupler to go up like 1/2 but it does not want to.
A good tip that I use on BMW's and will work with other cars is to use 4-6 short studs same thread as the oil pan bolts, you will install the studs spread out evenly in the short bolt holes not the long. Will need very small rubber o-rings, you slip the gasket in place, put a rubber o-ring over each stud and this will hold the gasket in place. I work alone and this is the way to do it. Even faster than when two people try and install. Install all the bolts not tight, and remove the studs, go slow and in case the rubber seal gets left behind just use a small needle like scribe and can fish out. If you do a later BMW you can cut the old aluminium bolts and make studs from them and they are larger so you can hack saw a screw slot for easy removal. This will be very helpful, especially for a one mechanic operation. Try it!
Greetings 50s Kid, or should I say my hero, the "Renaissance Man": had one heck of a time trying to put back the subframe...it's hard enough as it is for one person...I finally used a transmission jack, which has a larger cradle and put some square plywood in it...it balanced the frame much better so I could align it, and made the job a lot easier...thanks again, man...;-)
By far the best e46 oil pan gasket video on UA-cam. New sub, but thank you for the amount of quality in all of your videos. If I need anything for my e46, this is where I'll be. Keep up the amazing work.
I recently did this and it's really not that bad but I used an impact gun and air racket. I have a stick and did not have to remove the steering column from the rack, I just loosed it and slid it down. I didn't remove all those items from the common repair video either, I just pulled out the dipstick from the pan and let it hang. Same with power steering pump. just left it in with one loose bolt till the pan was ready to drop and I had no issues with clearance. I probably have better clearance with a stick but it was pretty straight forward for anyone thinking about doing this.
Hey man, thanks for making such an informative and helpful video. I just replaced my pan gasket yesterday thanks to your DIY and it went flawlessly. Keep up the great work!
I finally got around to tacking this project on my wife’s 325CI. I must say, your step by step process, and torque specifications has made this job much easier to accomplish. Thanks again Jasón!
I know I’m years late, but for those doing it now or in the future a little trick to keep the gasket in place is to zip tie it to the pan in 6 places or how ever many you want then partially screw in some bolts and cut the zip ties off to finish off the rest.
Great!. Thanks to this video It looks a lot easier than I thought it was going to be. Worth 5 or 6 hours to save the car.. I love my 330i by far the best car I have owned
Tip to keep the oil pan gasket in it's place... Where ever your hands are holding the oil pan just put two bolts so the gasket stays in place and doesn't move. When everything is aligned just tighten the bolts a little bit so you'll have no problem putting on the rest. Hope this helps you guys.. ☺️
I just did this job with my experienced mechanic from Germany who works on all kinds of cars, and even he was surprised how much work this was!!! If you are alone and not inclined I would not recommend this job.
I'm working on getting my 06 ZHP coupe engine sorted again after my old engine died after ingesting some water in Sept 2014. Didn't have a single leak and have had to do valve cover, ofhg, thermostat + waterpump and pulley, various pulleys (all had been done on the previous engine since 09/2012 when i got my car). Frustrating with the retreading of work but I'm getting it there. Just have this stupid oil pan gasket to deal with now. It seems like such a bear so I'm letting it go for a bit (3-4 drops reach the ground over 12 hrs time). I'm not looking forward to it but this video will be my template to success. Thanks for creating such a great video.
A) I wish I had separated the vertical aim headlight switch, mine broke. B) I wish I had tried to put the dipstick tube back in before I mounted k member. It would avoided removing disa, heat shield and all that adds 2hours to job. Great video! Couldn't have gotten it done with out you!
Thank You for making all your videos . You have saved me a lot of money and at the same time have given me confidence to tackle some of the issues which i wouldn't have on my E46. These cars are not as bad to work on and if you have the right tools at hand it's quiet enjoyable.
Excellent video, thank you! I did this repair last night. I was able to leave the fan and shroud on, the engine covers, and belts. I used a medium-deep 16mm socket to de-tension the inner belt and just loosen it from the P/S pump. I did have the benefit of a lift, though.
Thanks so much for uploading this video. I was at the car shop today and was shown the oil leak but I'm not very car savvy and you've helped me understand it so much better.
Just as written before below the engine mounts video: Thanks for all the effort and patience filming and commenting what you are doing, whilie I 'd only be able to curse and shout... :-)
50sKid, I believe you forgot to mention to remove the top bolts off of the motor mounts prior to lifting up the engine. I tried to raise my engine following the procedure in the video and the whole front end of my car lifted up. You should really add in a little pop up on the screen to let people know this, thanks!
Did the oil pan on my xi touring, biggest pita! little zip ties on a couple of corners helped to keep it together while I raised and tightened it. Then you just clip them off. My zhp will need this next.
700 isn't bad. since my mom has a 09 535xi and was quoted 1000 to do the valve cover gasket. i ended up doing it myself in a few hours. thank goodness i work at a garage lol
I think this is way out of league for a DIY project but you've provided great information. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and for making this video.
as long as your not careless and easily distracted, you can DIY This. Tip for newbies is to put bolts back where they go after you take parts off, so you dont end up with a bucket of bolts and no clue where they go when you start to put it back together.
Do the little jobs first and you will soon get the confidence to be graduating to the bigger ones! DIY project is just what he's doing, and these videos are great as he explains his pitfalls and what to avoid. Get the Bentley manual it provides an awesome wealth of information.
Thanks for the videos 50sKid. I have both a 330i and x5 3.0 manual with about 120k on each. Needless to say I have used many of your videos to fix various things. Thank you for taking the time to put these up. I hope I never have to do the oil pan gasket again though.
Fantastic video and contribution. Thank you! I'm about to undertake this on my 2008 335i N54. I hope I can use much of this in that work but I think I will have to combine it with the couple other videos out there from Vehicular DIY and one other. Only thing I wanted to say is that I just received the Engine Support Bar and it specifically says in the instructions *not* to support the engine with only the hook, but to use the chains to support the engine from the mounting points for safety. So I'm planning to use both through the loop of the tow hook just to be safe.
Im replacing my steering rack, PS Pump, PS lines, and motor mounts....also my oil pan is leaking pretty bad....might as well do it all at once...thanks again for another very informative video to help make the process streamlined!
for 7 foot pounds you need an inch pound torque wrench. 7 ftlb is 84 inch pounds. which falls in the accurate range for a 20-200 inch pound torque wrench.
Just a quick note. You might want to emphasize the need for an external torx socket for those novice types (like me) who may not have them in their kit.
and here i was thinking that a pan gasket on a 4wd ram was a pain in the ass, got my own gasket for my e46 on order and your video has really let me know what im looking forward to :P
Very good video, but ...on RTV install, use your finger to apply a band at the joints, and on gasket placement, use 3-4 short bolts to hold the gasket to the block while you navigate the pan, then use long bolts to engage the pan, gasket and block, then remove the short bolts, slide the pan up on the long guide bolts and secure with final hardware. Also, no mention of transmission lines on the removal end that I could see, and also some items are not required to be removed, such as the cabin air filter and associated tray, etc.. Very nice job though.
VERY GOOD showing of what needs tro be done; **Thank you** edit--- in some cars,especially on older ones without overtightning prevention, you can just retighten the oil pan bolts a bit to re-seal, but with this kind of gasket it's not likely.
just bougtht a x5 a year ago from a dealer to build credit now a small leak turned into a full blown heavy leak im thinking its the oil pan gasket , im still paying for the car i just want it to be reliable. I also read online that I might as well change all the gaskets, oil filter housing , water pump , vanos valve cover, maybe the head gasket to? what are your thoughts, I going to tackle this this weekend.
Oh boy this looks pretty difficult and I hope this isn't my issue but I bought my E46 a couple months ago for pretty much nothing but it was fairly beat up but after a bit of love I got it running but I still have a oil leak(s) and the bottom of the engine is coated in oil so it's hard to pinpoint so i guess I need to clean and make sure it's my gasket before I start this project
great video...Might have to take on this task soon. Going to clean up the bottom one more time to confirm it is the pan gasket cause oil is all over the place.
The golden years of BMW are over. Owners are bailing out and quite frankly having enough of these sad sagas. I was a long time BMW owner and quite resourceful at addressing their short comings. Then it dawn on me why I should spend my time and resources to address their inept ability to make a reliable car. Who in their right mind would incorporate plastic parts in their belt pulleys, water pumps, thermostat, ..... and aluminum fasteners ..... just to name a few. Why should I continue to buy their cars if they just couldn't care less in putting their owners at risk of being stranded when these mishaps (which is entirely preventable) from happening ? They must think that we are stupid.
Whoever is completing this job make sure you disconnect the headlight level sensor first and support that front sway bar before you drop it. I though I had it under control at it took out my headlight level sensor.
Thanks for a great video. My wife's E46 has this problem....sort of. It leaks, but so slow that oil level drop isn't perceptible on dipstick until around 6-8 months. After watching this video for about 2 minutes I knew I wasn't going to be doing this my self. In fact, unless it gets worse (been 4 years now) I might not do it at all. My BMW dealer originally pointed this out. At the time I had no idea. Nothing was perceptible on the garage floor. Now 4 years later, it is noticeable. Stupid engineering to have to do this to change a gasket. Simply stupid..
The 8 bolts on the aluminum reinforcement plate are "torque to yield" bolts. After you tighten them to 44 ft-lbs, then you turn them 90 degrees, then you turn them another 30 degrees. They need to be replaced every time you remove/reinstall the plate. They are not cheap @ $3 each.
Looks like this video helped me diagnose my leak. Awesome video! I will take my e46 to a professional I personally know to determine the issue in its entirety. New sub! Looking forward to seeing future videos.
that steering column is telescopic I believe, when I replaced the guibo or whatever (to theoretically tighten up my steering though I suspect it did nothing at all) I think you can push on it to then get clearance to seat it back in the guibo
I have to do this at work today when I go in.. I was looking at Mitchell's repair info thinking fuck this job to hell.. Then I get on youtube and see an absolute champion busting this shit out at his house lol
Thank you so much for such detailed and descriptive videos!!! From start to finish how long would you say it took you? What do you think caused the rear main seal leak? Just worn out or in your opinion, is there a risk to the seal when doing this job? I ask because I'm struggling with an oil light staying on a little too long on cold starts and I want to get the pan off and have a look at the pump and the pickup to see if anything has come loose that might allow the oil to drain back from the pathways. The vehicle, 2005 325i, has 192,000 miles on it. So I worry about doing this job (which I think i'm just capable enough to do) and causing a leak to the rear main seal (which I know I'm not capable {or at least confident enough} to do). Any thoughts would be appreciated. Keep the videos coming!
This job would take 6-8 hours. But your problem is being caused by a bad check valve in the oil filter housing. Check out my oil filter housing video. If you remove your housing from the car entirely, you will see a little round check valve inside where the gasket surrounds. That's what you have to replace. I'm not certain where to get a new check valve, though. You'll have to do your own research on that. Here is a picture: forum.e46fanatics.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=456002&d=1339525482
I completely agree with your thinking. I replaced the oil filter housing assembly with a brand new one. The problem still persists though. So my thinking is the oil pickup tube is loose or the bolts holding the pump on have come loose. I've seen a few videos where people find some oil pump bolts in the bottom of their pan but I don't recall if they're m54s or not. Thanks again for all your videos.
Hello. I got a question I did the oil pan on my 07 335I . the problem I have now is I don't have oil pressure. Can you prime the oil pump from the outside without taking everything apart?
I'm a BMW dealership tech and came across your video.
I have to say, I've seen my share of BMW diy videos posted by clueless people but your video is very on point and you are very charismatic. I actually chuckled out loud to myself at your jokes.
Very good video. Keep up the great work!
Thanks very much!
Emma Sait
Emma Saito hi I'm trying to determine what engines are compatible with my vehicle 2006 BMW X5 M54B30 E53 3.0i SAV AWD automatic. I am going to be looking at a engine soon an would like to know the above imposed question, and if that's case upon getting it in mounted down connectors plugged in etc the vehicle should start right up correct? Or will I need to change or re program computer so that it does start? Thank you. My email address is: coontakentay@hotmail.com
Hi 50skid, couldn't you support the engine via a floor jack off the transmission? Or perhaps too much weight so far in front? Thanks!
Hello how do you prime the oil pump after you put everything together. 07 335i thanks
Seeing you struggling with the gasket when putting up the pan, I would like to offer a tip if it has not been mentioned by others already. I did the transmission filter a while ago and yes it was the same challenge. I used wire ties (the ones they have at the grocery stores to tie up bags) to hold the gasket in place and after I got a few bolts in loosely, I removed the ties. Made the job easier.
Brilliant! My 525i is up on stands for this job as I write. Your tip has solved an upcoming problem!
That is a great idea!
Boom
Job done. It worked beautifully
Used this concept! Worked great! Thank you!
Like a well educated surgeon explaining a procedure. Brilliant.
thx!
hej , would that be the same process for an e39 530i 2001 ?
Yes pretty much the same.
Wow, it's like BMW never thought the oil pan gasket would leak.
+K Kampy Yeah they could have engineered that better.
sadly, many modern rear wheel drive cars engineered similarly. Its hard to fit all the steering and suspension parts in otherwise. Good news for us grease monkeys is it makes perfectly good cars go to auction because the cost to do some basic repair like this gets deemed too high vs the value of the car if you have to pay for labor. If your not paying for labor, this is like a $30 job and a few hours of your time.
@Dominick Canaan did you find a bunch of dick pics?
As someone who has done a good amount of work on their E46 thanks to videos like this over the past 5 or so years. WOW, this is the most labor intensive and challenging repair I have seen!!!
you havent changed your clutch yet have you? ^^
@@Dmxravinthat’s easy lol
I’ve worked on many cars and in the grand scheme of things doing oil pan / clutch on these is actually not bad when you understand your car and take your time.
Can't thank you enough for this video! Thanks to you, I was able to swap out the old crusty oil pan gasket in about 6ish hours. No more leaks! To anyone hesitating to do this themselves - it is not difficult, just tedious. If you have the tools and watch this video, you can do this job.
I just have an impact driver (I have no torque wrenches, likely none of the sockets, no jack, and definitely don’t have the large tool that the engine hangs on). I’ve never done any work on a car. It would be absurd for me to try to do this myself, right?
@@timjohnson3913 yes. You can't do this job without the engine support brace and other correct tools.
@@_lmagine I bought a 2005 330i with 160k miles that wasn't well cared for previously. So yes, there were other leaks to address. Oil filter housing gasket, valve cover gasket, o-ring for cam sensor. All easy fixes and worth it if you're doing it yourself.
Another tip; once you take any component off during the disassembly process, screw the bolts back into the holes. That way you won’t lose the bolts or get confused later on as to which one goes where. It will save you a lot of time in the long run.
As an actual "50skid", I want to thank you your efforts. I've used most of your E46 videos to keep mine going. Thought I was going to do this as well, but am not terribly disappointed that we decided to trade it in instead. Can't thank you enough.
You go through so much pain and hassle, for us to enjoy these DIY videos. Thanks so much.
I'm going to have to do my oil pan gasket too. This tutorial is so helpful!
I remember doing this on my 5.0 mustang... an all day job on your back. 50sKid makes it look like a fraction of the time. Just called my mechanic and they quoted $750 for this job. Love the idea of replacing the Opportunity parts. I have learned so much from your videos, I appreciate you!
50skid you're the man you're one of the best on UA-cam I have learned so much from you every video that you make has educated me so much brother thank you I appreciate you keep up the good work
Finally did this job after living with a “sweaty” oil pan for almost 10 years 😄 SUCH a great walk through of the whole process! Thanks again!
Tip for gasket placement: use a small tie wrap on couple of strategic bolt holes to hold the gasket in place while re-installing the pan and cut and remove after pan is roughly in place with loose bolts lightly screwed on.
Excellent video, when disconnecting flexible steering joint on my car it was just enough to remove the upper E10 bolt only, it had enough play to go up, you just need to yanked it up hard enough it actually comes out of the slot without removing the lower E10 bolt and worrying about installing it back correctly. Also I would highly recommend replacing the oil dipstick housing o-ring since you have to take it out anyway. And yes, safety glasses all the time when working under the car. This one is one of the best DYI's , cheers to BMW enthusiasts.
Just did this repair using this video, thanks a lot for making it! I always watch your videos before doing repairs on my car. Worst part in the job for me was stripping one of the bolts from the oil pan when installing it back. Drilling it out was pain in the ass.. so anyone trying this please use torque wrench or use very little force when torquing the bolts.
Your videos helped me save tons of money from the dealership. Very informative, always! Gave my well maintained E 46 to my daughter so she could escape the VW lease. I'm now in an E 90 and really love the way this car handles with the sports package. I will still continue to watch your videos, many of the applications carry over. Headed to Florida soon, looking for an M3 next. Thanks for your knowledge!!!
Well I've got to say it, Jason thank you! When I bought our 2002 325i for our kids, it looked nice, but I didn't realize that the second owner didn't look after it very well... I replaced the oil housing side gasket, whatever it's called, but then realized it was still leaking oil... realized it was either the oil pan gasket, the rear main seal or the transmision pump.... last week I changed the oil pan gasket, issue solved, no more leaking oil. I guess I would have eventually figured it out, but you're videos have made it much easier. I hope you make lots of money because these videos are here, however it works. Thanks again! Steve
man 3 years later and im still amazed at your skill. I really wish i had the tools and confidence to do this to my car.
Thanks for the many memories. That's one thing I don't miss about my e46 330i. I had to finish this job with front jacked up (started on ramps), and ended up removing stuff that I shouldn't have, while not removing a few things that could have made my life easier. Wish this video was around back then. And I still can't pronounce "guibo" lol!
+cngzsn lol, thanks
I recently bought my first e46 and I can't tell you how much I appreciate you videos, thank you
friendly tip use zip ties to hold your oil pan gasket
MrRick1303 i was gonna say the same, but figured I'd go through the comments to see if anyone else had. The skinnier, medium length zip ties work best. One on each corner and snip them off as you go around installing bolts.
wow thanks for the tip ill this
Excellent tip. Thank you.
:( I snapped a bolt
@@moisture106 yeah I like to chase the threads with a thread chaser to clean out any burs or damage to the threads also don't tighten the bolts with an impact
There is no way I could have changed my oil pump without this video. Thank you
For anyone wanting an easy way to keep the gasket in place, while sliding the pan back in; use some needle thread to tie the gasket to the pan. Just run the thread through a few holes. Once you have the pan up and lightly secured in place with a couple bolts, then pull the string out. Done! 😁
I must say I have watch numerous videos about replacing the oil pan gasket on my BMW., and I must say by far this is the best one of the all., to point, simple to follow.
Great job, and thanks
If you want your oil pan gasket to NEVER leak again, apply Hondabond, or Yamabond to the mating surfaces. Also helpful in that you can glue the gasket to the pan before offering it up to the block. For many years I've used Hondabond exclusively on all engines I assemble regardless of the OEM recommended sealants. I cannot stress enough how good the results are in oiltightness.
scheusselmensch and
scheusselmensch m
scheusselmensch where can I get those bonding compounds you mentioned here to use on oil pan gasket before mating it to bottom of block....thank you. Please email me the info to: coontakentay@hotmail.com
@scheusselmensch thank you so much for the idea! I had asked that very question on another forum as I've had very good experience with hondabond working on Hondas before.
@@ukae4131 At any Honda dealer.
planning on replacing my pan gasket here soon just replaced my entire cooling system and radiator watching your videos has really helped me alot but im up for any work i need to do on my e46 it seeems like its never ending but i know it will all be worth it thanks again for making very clear and in depth videos saved me thousands of dollars of work
Your video was awesome. It helped me a lot while I performed the same job on a X3. Took me a total of 20 hours. Leak is gone and no trace of oil from the RMS.
Hi, thanks for very helpful series of E46 videos. Just changed the oil pan gasket and in process of changing few other things while at it.
Just want to add that I went ahead and removed the whole sway bar completely as it was only left hanging from the links and also disconnected left side tie rod end from the knuckle and the lower control arm ball joint from the knuckle and was able to move the whole steering rack and the sub frame away and that game me a lot more access to the oil pan.
Thanks for the amazing job you are doing on your videos.
Next is heater inlet line.
I just did this yesterday. All you need to remove to get at the oil dipstick is the engine air filter box.
My PS pump had a bolt on front and one going through from the rear, still super easy to remove.
The steering shaft telescopes up though not enough to get it back in when the k-member is all the way up. Also keep in mind there is a small void in the shaft where the e10 bolt goes in. This helps the shaft lock in and helps you get the shaft in the right position, not too high up or too deep down. Also add a bit of red thread lock on that e10 bolt.
FF🌎
Good job my friend!
BTW, us manual guys have it made on this one 😄😎
yes, the steering coupler doesn't slide up to its original spot where I marked it. I have the k-member all bolted up but I still need to get the coupler to go up like 1/2 but it does not want to.
A good tip that I use on BMW's and will work with other cars is to use 4-6 short studs same thread as the oil pan bolts,
you will install the studs spread out evenly in the short bolt holes not the long. Will need very small rubber o-rings, you slip the gasket in place, put a rubber o-ring over each stud and this will hold the gasket in place. I work alone and this is the way to do it.
Even faster than when two people try and install. Install all the bolts not tight, and remove the studs, go slow and in case the rubber seal gets left behind just use a small needle like scribe and can fish out. If you do a later BMW you can cut the old aluminium bolts and make studs from them and they are larger so you can hack saw a screw slot for easy removal. This will be very helpful, especially for a one mechanic operation. Try it!
That’s a great suggestion! It makes so much sense and would help with keeping the gasket aligned.
Your DIYs are better than the Bentley Manual! Doing job this now, I’m so thankful these videos are around.
Greetings 50s Kid, or should I say my hero, the "Renaissance Man": had one heck of a time trying to put back the subframe...it's hard enough as it is for one person...I finally used a transmission jack, which has a larger cradle and put some square plywood in it...it balanced the frame much better so I could align it, and made the job a lot easier...thanks again, man...;-)
By far the best e46 oil pan gasket video on UA-cam. New sub, but thank you for the amount of quality in all of your videos. If I need anything for my e46, this is where I'll be.
Keep up the amazing work.
So patient and so positive. You didn't even cuss once!
I recently did this and it's really not that bad but I used an impact gun and air racket. I have a stick and did not have to remove the steering column from the rack, I just loosed it and slid it down. I didn't remove all those items from the common repair video either, I just pulled out the dipstick from the pan and let it hang. Same with power steering pump. just left it in with one loose bolt till the pan was ready to drop and I had no issues with clearance. I probably have better clearance with a stick but it was pretty straight forward for anyone thinking about doing this.
Hey man, thanks for making such an informative and helpful video. I just replaced my pan gasket yesterday thanks to your DIY and it went flawlessly. Keep up the great work!
I finally got around to tacking this project on my wife’s 325CI. I must say, your step by step process, and torque specifications has made this job much easier to accomplish.
Thanks again Jasón!
As expected, best video on youtube for this Job. Gives me the confidence to tackle it in the spring, thanks.
+CompCrasher86 Thank you!
I know I’m years late, but for those doing it now or in the future a little trick to keep the gasket in place is to zip tie it to the pan in 6 places or how ever many you want then partially screw in some bolts and cut the zip ties off to finish off the rest.
Just about to remove - thank you for the tip!
Great!. Thanks to this video It looks a lot easier than I thought it was going to be. Worth 5 or 6 hours to save the car.. I love my 330i by far the best car I have owned
Tip to keep the oil pan gasket in it's place... Where ever your hands are holding the oil pan just put two bolts so the gasket stays in place and doesn't move. When everything is aligned just tighten the bolts a little bit so you'll have no problem putting on the rest. Hope this helps you guys.. ☺️
I just did this job with my experienced mechanic from Germany who works on all kinds of cars, and even he was surprised how much work this was!!! If you are alone and not inclined I would not recommend this job.
I'm working on getting my 06 ZHP coupe engine sorted again after my old engine died after ingesting some water in Sept 2014. Didn't have a single leak and have had to do valve cover, ofhg, thermostat + waterpump and pulley, various pulleys (all had been done on the previous engine since 09/2012 when i got my car). Frustrating with the retreading of work but I'm getting it there. Just have this stupid oil pan gasket to deal with now. It seems like such a bear so I'm letting it go for a bit (3-4 drops reach the ground over 12 hrs time). I'm not looking forward to it but this video will be my template to success. Thanks for creating such a great video.
+tyler951 Thanks. Good luck!
A) I wish I had separated the vertical aim headlight switch, mine broke. B) I wish I had tried to put the dipstick tube back in before I mounted k member. It would avoided removing disa, heat shield and all that adds 2hours to job. Great video! Couldn't have gotten it done with out you!
I just ordered a gasket, didn't realize this was such a Job 😟!
Glad I have your video for reference! Thanks
Thank You for making all your videos . You have saved me a lot of money and at the same time have given me confidence to tackle some of the issues which i wouldn't have on my E46. These cars are not as bad to work on and if you have the right tools at hand it's quiet enjoyable.
This dude is the real MVP! Thanks for the awesome knowledge
Dude, you are the only reason me and a lot of other people own e46s
Excellent video, thank you! I did this repair last night. I was able to leave the fan and shroud on, the engine covers, and belts. I used a medium-deep 16mm socket to de-tension the inner belt and just loosen it from the P/S pump. I did have the benefit of a lift, though.
Thanks so much for uploading this video. I was at the car shop today and was shown the oil leak but I'm not very car savvy and you've helped me understand it so much better.
Just as written before below the engine mounts video: Thanks for all the effort and patience filming and commenting what you are doing, whilie I 'd only be able to curse and shout... :-)
50sKid, I believe you forgot to mention to remove the top bolts off of the motor mounts prior to lifting up the engine. I tried to raise my engine following the procedure in the video and the whole front end of my car lifted up. You should really add in a little pop up on the screen to let people know this, thanks!
It's pretty obvious that you can't lift the engine when it's still connected to the body but yeah he could have mentioned it
You've earned my subscription. You're the man. I'll be buying a second e46 can't wait too see whats wrong.
Did the oil pan on my xi touring, biggest pita! little zip ties on a couple of corners helped to keep it together while I raised and tightened it. Then you just clip them off. My zhp will need this next.
people like you keep the car community moving :)
Great breakdown. I just did my motor mounts recently. This doesn’t look as bad as I thought it was going to be.
Thanks for making this video Jason, nicely done and very informative which made me realize that this DIY is way out of my league.
Man I live these videos, they've saved me so much money.
dude that's like $1000 work right there...
550
@@ismailm970 ive been quoted 700
700 isn't bad. since my mom has a 09 535xi and was quoted 1000 to do the valve cover gasket. i ended up doing it myself in a few hours. thank goodness i work at a garage lol
Just got a quote from bmw for $2025
@@DanT0007 150$ in 3rd world country
I think this is way out of league for a DIY project but you've provided great information. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and for making this video.
as long as your not careless and easily distracted, you can DIY This. Tip for newbies is to put bolts back where they go after you take parts off, so you dont end up with a bucket of bolts and no clue where they go when you start to put it back together.
Do the little jobs first and you will soon get the confidence to be graduating to the bigger ones! DIY project is just what he's doing, and these videos are great as he explains his pitfalls and what to avoid. Get the Bentley manual it provides an awesome wealth of information.
Thanks for the videos 50sKid. I have both a 330i and x5 3.0 manual with about 120k on each. Needless to say I have used many of your videos to fix various things. Thank you for taking the time to put these up. I hope I never have to do the oil pan gasket again though.
So easy to follow, everything explained well, thanks a lot sir! ✊🏾
Fantastic video and contribution. Thank you! I'm about to undertake this on my 2008 335i N54. I hope I can use much of this in that work but I think I will have to combine it with the couple other videos out there from Vehicular DIY and one other. Only thing I wanted to say is that I just received the Engine Support Bar and it specifically says in the instructions *not* to support the engine with only the hook, but to use the chains to support the engine from the mounting points for safety. So I'm planning to use both through the loop of the tow hook just to be safe.
Yeahhhhh these engines aren't really that heavy dude
Bang on, mate, no questions left unanswered. Thank you for the usual pedantic approach, well worth the wait. Cheers.
Im replacing my steering rack, PS Pump, PS lines, and motor mounts....also my oil pan is leaking pretty bad....might as well do it all at once...thanks again for another very informative video to help make the process streamlined!
The long awaited video! Great job!
for 7 foot pounds you need an inch pound torque wrench. 7 ftlb is 84 inch pounds. which falls in the accurate range for a 20-200 inch pound torque wrench.
Just a quick note. You might want to emphasize the need for an external torx socket for those novice types (like me) who may not have them in their kit.
Thank you for your detailed and clear video on how to replace the oil pan.
+gschlos08 You're welcome
I just did this in my 2003 330ci and so glad I did it, leaks far more oil thank you think! Makesure you get a ramp to do this 👍🏼
Going to tackle this beast of a job today thank you for your thorough dissection
and here i was thinking that a pan gasket on a 4wd ram was a pain in the ass, got my own gasket for my e46 on order and your video has really let me know what im looking forward to :P
bravo- best bmw 50s kid youtube video professional BWM technology repair and repair specialist
Very good video, but ...on RTV install, use your finger to apply a band at the joints, and on gasket placement, use 3-4 short bolts to hold the gasket to the block while you navigate the pan, then use long bolts to engage the pan, gasket and block, then remove the short bolts, slide the pan up on the long guide bolts and secure with final hardware. Also, no mention of transmission lines on the removal end that I could see, and also some items are not required to be removed, such as the cabin air filter and associated tray, etc.. Very nice job though.
VERY GOOD showing of what needs tro be done; **Thank you**
edit--- in some cars,especially on older ones without overtightning prevention, you can just retighten the oil pan bolts a bit to re-seal, but with this kind of gasket it's not likely.
just bougtht a x5 a year ago from a dealer to build credit now a small leak turned into a full blown heavy leak im thinking its the oil pan gasket , im still paying for the car i just want it to be reliable. I also read online that I might as well change all the gaskets, oil filter housing , water pump , vanos valve cover, maybe the head gasket to? what are your thoughts, I going to tackle this this weekend.
That long snap on flex head ratchet is the best ratchet ever.
awesome video gonna do this job along with changing my steering rack. i opened the tie rod boot and found a mix of grease and brownish goo.
Oh boy this looks pretty difficult and I hope this isn't my issue but I bought my E46 a couple months ago for pretty much nothing but it was fairly beat up but after a bit of love I got it running but I still have a oil leak(s) and the bottom of the engine is coated in oil so it's hard to pinpoint so i guess I need to clean and make sure it's my gasket before I start this project
great video...Might have to take on this task soon. Going to clean up the bottom one more time to confirm it is the pan gasket cause oil is all over the place.
The golden years of BMW are over. Owners are bailing out and quite frankly having enough of these sad sagas. I was a long time BMW owner and quite resourceful at addressing their short comings. Then it dawn on me why I should spend my time and resources to address their inept ability to make a reliable car. Who in their right mind would incorporate plastic parts in their belt pulleys, water pumps, thermostat, ..... and aluminum fasteners ..... just to name a few. Why should I continue to buy their cars if they just couldn't care less in putting their owners at risk of being stranded when these mishaps (which is entirely preventable) from happening ? They must think that we are stupid.
Whoever is completing this job make sure you disconnect the headlight level sensor first and support that front sway bar before you drop it. I though I had it under control at it took out my headlight level sensor.
Really good instructions on details. But it's still hard for me to do this kind of Job.
Thanks for a great video. My wife's E46 has this problem....sort of. It leaks, but so slow that oil level drop isn't perceptible on dipstick until around 6-8 months. After watching this video for about 2 minutes I knew I wasn't going to be doing this my self. In fact, unless it gets worse (been 4 years now) I might not do it at all. My BMW dealer originally pointed this out. At the time I had no idea. Nothing was perceptible on the garage floor. Now 4 years later, it is noticeable. Stupid engineering to have to do this to change a gasket. Simply stupid..
Mine went 275,XXX miles and 21 years before this started. My Toyota went 180,000, gaskets don't last forever.
The 8 bolts on the aluminum reinforcement plate are "torque to yield" bolts. After you tighten them to 44 ft-lbs, then you turn them 90 degrees, then you turn them another 30 degrees. They need to be replaced every time you remove/reinstall the plate. They are not cheap @ $3 each.
Well...................................no. :)
Looks like this video helped me diagnose my leak. Awesome video! I will take my e46 to a professional I personally know to determine the issue in its entirety. New sub! Looking forward to seeing future videos.
Excellent, I'll use this for my 04 M3, thanks!
that steering column is telescopic I believe, when I replaced the guibo or whatever (to theoretically tighten up my steering though I suspect it did nothing at all) I think you can push on it to then get clearance to seat it back in the guibo
Great video, but are you supposed to replace all sump pan bolts... ?
Nice job Jason - this is exactly how we did it.
You Sir, are a technician. Great work. Thank you.
Looks like its going to be a nice project over the winter for me...
oooph, the perfect time to do it lol
great video man, wish you had these a year or two back when I did my VANOS and other repairs but I still need to do my oil pan gasket so thanks a lot!
I read on a forum that you should replace almost all of the hardware. Thoughts on this?
Did you need to remove the oil dipstick tube? Only curious bc if not then lots of removal steps eliminated.
Thanks for all your amazing videos!!
Instead of using an engine support bar would an engine lift work instead?
Use cable ties to hold the gasket onto the sump, start a few of the bolts to get the sump in place, then cut the ties😉
Its necesary to remove the pump to get the oil pan out?
I have to do this at work today when I go in.. I was looking at Mitchell's repair info thinking fuck this job to hell.. Then I get on youtube and see an absolute champion busting this shit out at his house lol
Thank you so much for such detailed and descriptive videos!!!
From start to finish how long would you say it took you?
What do you think caused the rear main seal leak?
Just worn out or in your opinion, is there a risk to the seal when doing this job?
I ask because I'm struggling with an oil light staying on a little too long on cold starts and I want to get the pan off and have a look at the pump and the pickup to see if anything has come loose that might allow the oil to drain back from the pathways.
The vehicle, 2005 325i, has 192,000 miles on it.
So I worry about doing this job (which I think i'm just capable enough to do) and causing a leak to the rear main seal (which I know I'm not capable {or at least confident enough} to do).
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Keep the videos coming!
This job would take 6-8 hours. But your problem is being caused by a bad check valve in the oil filter housing. Check out my oil filter housing video. If you remove your housing from the car entirely, you will see a little round check valve inside where the gasket surrounds. That's what you have to replace. I'm not certain where to get a new check valve, though. You'll have to do your own research on that. Here is a picture: forum.e46fanatics.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=456002&d=1339525482
I completely agree with your thinking.
I replaced the oil filter housing assembly with a brand new one.
The problem still persists though.
So my thinking is the oil pickup tube is loose or the bolts holding the pump on have come loose.
I've seen a few videos where people find some oil pump bolts in the bottom of their pan but I don't recall if they're m54s or not.
Thanks again for all your videos.
Hello. I got a question I did the oil pan on my 07 335I . the problem I have now is I don't have oil pressure. Can you prime the oil pump from the outside without taking everything apart?