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Replaced oil pan gasket

221K views 334 replies 70 participants last post by  pamora 
#1 ·
I did it! I changed my oil pan gasket w/o dropping the sub-frame or lifting the motor. I had to cut the gasket to get it in.
I ran the motor for a little while yesterday. NO LEAKS. But time will tell!!
I’ll keep you posted whether it leaks or not.
It was not that difficult of a job. It would be much easier on a lift instead of rolling around underneath on a creeper with only a couple of inches of head room.
I spend most of the time studying where to cut the gasket in order to (1) be able to get it in and (2) have it in a position where it was accessible enough to get a good dose of gasket maker around the cut lines.
 
#94 · (Edited)
My '97 528 has been leaking engine oil for the last 4 years or so after switching to synthetic. I switched back to dino but it still leaks. Lately, it's increased from a few drops to many drops now and causing a mess in my garage floor every 2-3 days after cleaning it. I've changed the oil filter housing gasket and tightened the oil pan bolts a little more but to no avail.

Took it to Indy mechanic and he concludes it's got to be the oil pan gasket (not the rear main seal) given the oil pattern splashes underneath the vehicle. Needless to say, I would want to undertake this DIY project having been quoted around $650 for oil pan gasket replacement- I'm an average DIY guy.

Any one used this new technique lately? Any additional tips and experiences/gotchas?

Thanks!

'97 528ia 160K miles.
 
#100 ·
As I mentioned above, I did this job a couple weeks ago & I just couldn't get enough access without dropping the subframe. One point I would offer caution about. When I finally removed the old gasket, it was it pretty bad shape & I had to scrape some of the old rubber off of the block. If you don't have enough access to do this carefully it could be trouble. I'm thinking about the front & the rear of the pan in particular where access is limited by the harmonic damper & the transmission housing respectively.

Whatever your plans are, I'd hope for the best, but be prepared for the possibility that you may need to drop the subframe once you get started. It's not terribly difficult, but it involves a lot of disassembly.
Let me know if you need any specific pointers & I'll try to help.
 
#103 ·
So this thread is exactly what I was hoping to find. I have a 2001 325i with almost 160k miles. I have owned the car for 5 months and have been aware of the oil leak. It appears the valve cover gasket was over tightened and needs changed but I was getting very suspicious that the leak was more than that. I took it in to get brakes and oil change and have it looked at for the leak. It seems the oil pan gasket is the main issue. the pan is clean above the seam but covered in oil below it. *Does this sound to you guys that its good evidence that the oil pan gasket needs changed?

I have mechanic friends that could pull off this DIY method, but I am wondering if I should have concern about not doing it the right way in order to do a thorough cleaning b/c of the high mileage. The $ aspect is the real motivation for me to try it this way so I guess Im just looking for some advice from more experienced owners. Thanks.
 
#128 ·
hecs21 : you should check first it's not the oil filter housing gasket, but if you've done that and confirmed it isn't, then it probably is the oil pan gasket. Mine showed a weeping oily mess the entire way around the pan/block seam, with no obvious leak points as it seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere in particular. Upon cleaning, it would take about a week for the first drip to re-appear, but most of it ends up sprayed along the underside of your car.

It seems that it's a common enough occurence to develop an oil pan gasket leak, but it's not something that will happen to every car. Maybe it's driving conditions, skipped oil changes, overheated engines, bad oil - who knows what- but something causes it to happen on some I6's.

I doubt you'll find anything in the bottom of the pan. Apart from used oil, mine was squeaky clean. You can stick your finger in an swish around to determine if you've got sludge in there, but unless you see evidence of this elsewhere in the engine, I doubt it's an issue. I think most other people who have done this would agree.
 
#104 ·
I'm right in the middle of doing this. I have the patient up on stands and drained of oil, engine brace hooked up and ready to drop the crossmember. I'm changing engine and gearbox mounts at the same time.

Hecs21 : My oil pan is the same. leaks around the seam, no oil higher up the engine. You do need to first ascertain that it isn't the oil filter housing (see separate threads on this) because this is a more common leak. It's not easy to diagnose this so have someone check that out.

I think it's unlikely you need to clean the pan. In all the photos I have seen of oil pans removed, I've never seen one that is full of sludge and debris, unless something has let go. There was one thread with a sludgey engine, but you could see the sludge through the filler cap.

I was quoted 'at least' $900 to do this, which made me immediately run to the internet for a case of 'there's got to be another way'. And thankfully there is, it would seem.
 
#105 ·
Ahh- not so good

So I got the old gasket out. I decided to snip the old gasket in the location I expected to cut the new gasket.

So I positioned the snips and gave it a quick cut.

Only to hear the horrifying tinkle of bits and pieces landing in the bottom of the pan.

I tried to snake the old gasket out, and it broke in half.

See picture:



I cut at a diagonal (best way to get access) in the bottom right (LHS, rear of engine) and the front right of the gasket broke in half while attempting removal.

The tinkling of bits falling into the pan are pieces of rubber. Much of the rubber material is hard and brittle and it has broken off and fallen in during the process. No surprise why it was leaking everywhere - the old gasket is toast.

So I've got the engine on an engine brace, subframe is undone and sitting a few inches low, but I haven't touched the steering rack, power steering pump or sway bar mounts.

At this point I guess I'm in for dropping the entire crossmember right down to completely remove the pan and retreive the bits that fell in.

Anyone got some tips on getting the crossmember/subframe down further? What do I have to remove?
 
#106 ·
So I got the old gasket out. I decided to snip the old gasket in the location I expected to cut the new gasket.

So I positioned the snips and gave it a quick cut.

Only to hear the horrifying tinkle of bits and pieces landing in the bottom of the pan.

I tried to snake the old gasket out, and it broke in half.

See picture:



I cut at a diagonal (best way to get access) in the bottom right (LHS, rear of engine) and the front right of the gasket broke in half while attempting removal.

The tinkling of bits falling into the pan are pieces of rubber. Much of the rubber material is hard and brittle and it has broken off and fallen in during the process. No surprise why it was leaking everywhere - the old gasket is toast.

So I've got the engine on an engine brace, subframe is undone and sitting a few inches low, but I haven't touched the steering rack, power steering pump or sway bar mounts.

At this point I guess I'm in for dropping the entire crossmember right down to completely remove the pan and retreive the bits that fell in.

Anyone got some tips on getting the crossmember/subframe down further? What do I have to remove?
4 10mmx1.5 bolts that hold the subframe to the chassis. You might be talking about the chassis brace?

I have a small independent BMW performance/repair shop so this was done on a lift, but it went like this...

Hook the engine lift eyelet to brace and raise 5mm.

Remove splash shield and chassis brace.

Remove 2 lower motor mount nuts (AllData says upper nuts, worked fine using lower).

Raise engine another 10mm.

Loosen the power steering pump, leaving top bolt slightly threaded so the belt can stay on.

Remove bolt for dipstick and slide up slightly.

Remove 4 nuts for sway-bar and let hang.

Remove 4 bolts that hold subframe and let hang on control arms.

Remove oil pan bolts.

Remove PS and trans cooler line brackets.

The PS pump will move enough to let the pan drop, steering column linkage can remain, transmission cooler lines can remain, you will have just enough room to reach your hand in and guide the gasket around the oil pickup tube, and you will have plenty of room to clean thoroughly.

Installation is reverse procedure.

If doing this in your garage, you can lift the engine with a jack or engine hoist. That's how I replaced all the crankshaft bearings for the v10 in my Excursion last year.

I am about to button it up, maybe I will take some pics for you guys. A few extra minutes and you won't have to cut the gasket.
^
 
#110 ·
So an update.

I couldn't get the subframe any lower so switched to clean out mode. Put on some rubber gloves and gave it a very thorough internal caress - working blind, but just feeling for bits and pieces. I also found a chunk of plastic in there - bizarre - it was about an inch long and looked a bit like a piece of zip-tie (but it wasn't zip tie, just similar). I got out probably 70% of the bits (going by the missing parts of the gasket) - the only part I couldn't reach was down around the oil pickup.

I decided to bite the bullet and cut the gasket just to move forwards as I probably spent 4 hours going around in circles and getting nowhere. By this point I didn't care if it leaked oil every day for the rest of it's life I was just 'done' with trying to get more access to the pan. I'm already about about double the amount of time I expected to put in and I still have to put all the power steering pump, subframe, sway bar, dipstick, air box yadadada back on yet.

Forgive me BMW for what I am about to do:



Here's the gasket in-place - cut is just visible behind the oil pipe.

 
#118 ·
By this point I didn't care if it leaked oil every day for the rest of it's life I was just 'done' with trying to get more access to the pan.
Totally feel your pain. I was in the same boat & then just decided to cool off for a few days & think it through. I know it's a little late to help you, but for anyone else thinking about doing this, I was able to remove my subframe. I had to disconnect the 6 ~ 18mm bolts holding the subframe to the chassis, the sway bar, & the upper & lower control arms. I also disconnected the steering rack from the subframe, but I'm not sure if that was really necessary. When I lowered the jack holding the subframe & it actually came down it felt like a miracle. If I were going to do the job again I would have done all that before trying to remove the oil pan from the block. It would have saved a lot of time & effort with the improved access to the pan bolts, but removing the subframe was my plan B.

After I completed the job I was dismayed to find that I still had an oil pan gasket leak! I'm pretty sure it's just a matter of not tightening the bolts enough because I was afraid of stripping the threads. That said, I just haven't been motivated enough to get back under that car.
 
#112 ·
Update from Mudbone

Hi all,

I got a PM from Cam asking for an update and an answer to a couple of questions.

"1. How the heck you did it so well, while others had trouble removing old gaskets. Maybe they wait too long, at that time the gasket crumbles.
Did your old gasket come out nicely, i.e., not crumbled?

2. Long-term report: any leak?"

Answer to #1 - Could be I'm just lucky. The gasket was not "stuck" when I unbolted the oil pan. I merely pulled it away from the pan far enough to cut it in a couple of places and took them out.
The rubber on the gasket was actually still "sort of" pliable. Given that, I'm not sure why it was leaking. I was concerned about it before I began. My backup plan was to spray/pour mineral spirits into the oil pan to flush out anything that might fall in. Plan "B" was to buy "that Jim Dandy DeWalt boroscope" they have at Loew's in order to be able to look around in the pan for the debris. It is approx $300 and could probably be returned after use if sufficient care was taken.

Answer to #2 - Still NO LEAKS - Tight as a drum. I applied a generous portion of sealant at the 2 cut lines.

I hope this helps anyone considering undertaking the DIY.
 
#114 · (Edited)
Hi all,

I got a PM from Cam asking for an update and an answer to a couple of questions.

"1. How the heck you did it so well, while others had trouble removing old gaskets. Maybe they wait too long, at that time the gasket crumbles.
Did your old gasket come out nicely, i.e., not crumbled?

2. Long-term report: any leak?"

Answer to #1 - Could be I'm just lucky. The gasket was not "stuck" when I unbolted the oil pan. I merely pulled it away from the pan far enough to cut it in a couple of places and took them out.
The rubber on the gasket was actually still "sort of" pliable. Given that, I'm not sure why it was leaking. I was concerned about it before I began. My backup plan was to spray/pour mineral spirits into the oil pan to flush out anything that might fall in. Plan "B" was to buy "that Jim Dandy DeWalt boroscope" they have at Loew's in order to be able to look around in the pan for the debris. It is approx $300 and could probably be returned after use if sufficient care was taken.

Answer to #2 - Still NO LEAKS - Tight as a drum. I applied a generous portion of sealant at the 2 cut lines.

I hope this helps anyone considering undertaking the DIY.
Mudbone, you're a legend mechanic in my book. I have no idea how you got that pan down, old gasket out and new gasket in (in two pieces, as well) without dropping the subframe. It was hard enough to do that when I had enough clearance to stick my hand into the sump and fish around.

As for the flush - it's a tough one, because the front of the pan is lower than the middle, so you'd have to fill it right up and hope the bits float to get everything out. There is a good half inch of oil sitting in the front part of the pan after draining the oil. I took your advice and drained the oil for 48 hours before undoing the pan, and it still dribbled oil continually while it was off. In fact, the continuous dribble of oil made it very hard to get a good bead going on the sealant in the cut position (I did the corners as well).

I'll post more pics of my entire process either in this thread or a new thread. I did take a lot of photos. I did make mistakes which caused me to have to re-do a lot of things so I will be able to provide a lot of traps for young players to avoid.

EDIT : Forgot to add : this car has about 75,000 miles on it. The gasket was completely gone and brittle. It didn't stick to the block or the pan, but the rubber gasket part did shatter when I cut it to remove it. There's not much you can do about this except be prepared for it, maybe slide a thin piece of cardboard or plastic under the section you're going to cut before doing so. If I were to do it again, I would cut my old gasket in about 4 places and slip something underneath the snips before doing so, to prevent pieces falling in, so you can carefully remove the pieces without having to drag any of the gasket 'across' the pan. You want to remove the old gasket always in an outwards direction.
 
#115 ·
The gasket arrived two days ago but I'm yet to muster enough courage to tackle the project, especially given the the difficulties people are having with this method. But the quote I got from my mechanic for the job is enough motivation to DIY.:bawling:
 
#116 ·
musa - it's all about gathering all the parts, the contingencies and the tools. There are no shortcuts, you need all the stuff, and you need to be prepared, patient and methodoligical. I'd rate it a 5/10 for difficulty, and 8/10 for PITA level.

I advise getting a dipstick tube o-ring and maybe an oil level sender o-ring as well. You will end up removing both these parts so it's good to have a fresh o-ring to put in. The cost is negligible, and you'd hard to stop the gasket leaking only to create an o-ring leak.

Also consider replacing engine mounts while engine is off subframe if you're dropping the subframe. Chances are you could use some fresh ones.

The problem is that many localities have rules regarding oil leaks w/regard to inspections. Often no oil leaks is a requirement of vehicle registration. But the price of fixing is massive, so you'll probably end up under the car cursing. All part of the ownership experience I guess !
 
#117 ·
I am still amazed at how the Original Poster (Mudbone) did it without major issues.

Perhaps the most important thing is: if the old gasket comes off cleanly, then you are OK.
If the old gasket breaks up in bits and pieces, you then deal with the same issues as brc5 is having.
 
#126 ·
OK so short update. Car has been back on the road for a couple of days following the mother of all services (new susp bushes, new air springs, new motor mounts, new oil pan gasket, DICE iPod install).

I got stuck on the PCV-Dipstick breather hose, which I accidentally broke during the disassembly. Another warning for young players- take the breather hose off the dipstick tube at the dipstick end or you will be removing half the intake plumbing to get it back on again. I needlessly added about 90 minutes of work to the entire job by being careless with this old hose.

I also had to fix the double-ended rubber mount for the powersteering house -> subframe mounts. Due to the persistent leak of the PS fluid on this bushing it fell apart when touched, so I had to wire up a little cage to hold it back together while I source a new one.

I put a tell-tale layer of white paper towels under the engine in the garage to detect any drips of any kind.

A hundred or so k's later and no leaks whatsoever of engine oil, towels are still whiter than white. Crucially there is no wetness or weeping around the gasket 'cut' location (which was just to the rear of the dipstick area, behind the auto trans lines). There is a little wetness around the dipstick tube but I am unsure if this is pre-or-post install (a new o-ring went in). When I get the chance I will give the lower engine a degrease and wash and see how that plays out over time. I'm busy trying to make up the time with the other things I neglected while spending hours underneath the car covered in oil and occasionally cursing the BMW engineers for shrinkwrapping the suspension around the engine.

The new pan full of mobil 1 0w-40 has quietened down the startup noise which was a little tappet-tickety with the old oil. Previous owner was probably cheapskate with the oil. So that's another win.

Fingers crossed but it is success at this point. But much more enjoyable is the hugely improved ride arising from the replacment of the rear air springs and bushings, which is a whole other thread in itself.
 
#133 ·
So, only one person - the OP, was successful with the cutting method? The rest, seems, had to drop the subframe and/or rake after-all? I was very excited with this method but its minute success rate is giving me the jitters,....
 
#140 ·
I checked my oil pan recently, since the car has been sitting on jack stands for about 2 weeks.
Almost completely positive that the oil pan gasket is leaking.
I can see fresh oil leaking all along the pan.
I have been cleaning the area immensely.
IMO, it looks like I have to remove the steering rack in order to drop the pan.

Thanks!
Jason
 
#141 ·
Yep. steering rack and subframe, unless you are going to cut it. Honestly I would recommend finding a reasonbly priced good indy and let them do it. It is a royal PITA! Took me 12 hours on my back.
 
#142 ·
Yep. steering rack and subframe, unless you are going to cut it. Honestly I would recommend finding a reasonably priced good indy and let them do it. It is a royal PITA! Took me 12 hours on my back.
Nope, I don't feel like shelling out $400+ to have my very reputable independent BMW mechanic do the work.
I am doing the work my self.
I need to drop the front subframe any way in order to remove/install the new front sway bar.

Thanks!
Jason
 
#144 ·
where this gasket leaks usually ?
I have a small leak in the end of oil pan, it is between oil pan and transmission

it is leaking from E10 bolt, exactly where yellow array

oil pan gasket leak ?
Too hard to tell where your leak is coming from since the oil pan tilts towards the right side on the M54. If the RMS is leaking, it could end up on the right side where you have identified it. If it is any other leak towards the front of the engine, it could travel along the seam and end up there too.

My oil pan gasket leak was directly below the RMS. This is also where the distance between two oil pan bolts is the greatest.

The easiest way to see if it is the RMS or not, is to use the open port on the bottom of the bell housing. It's hard to look so take some q-tips and start swabbing around. You probably will not be able to look unless you have a tactical camera but the q-tip maybe the best method.

Clean it up well then go for a drive to see. Those auto part stores also have that fluorescent die you can use, but I would rather not go that route unless the leak was too hard to diagnose visually.
 
#152 ·
Too hard to tell where your leak is coming from since the oil pan tilts towards the right side on the M54. If the RMS is leaking, it could end up on the right side where you have identified it. If it is any other leak towards the front of the engine, it could travel along the seam and end up there too.

My oil pan gasket leak was directly below the RMS. This is also where the distance between two oil pan bolts is the greatest.

The easiest way to see if it is the RMS or not, is to use the open port on the bottom of the bell housing. It's hard to look so take some q-tips and start swabbing around. You probably will not be able to look unless you have a tactical camera but the q-tip maybe the best method.

Clean it up well then go for a drive to see. Those auto part stores also have that fluorescent die you can use, but I would rather not go that route unless the leak was too hard to diagnose visually.
Did you fix it via the gasket cutting method?
 
#146 ·
Mine was leaking there, and also in the very front at the corner (just weeping).

I would bet it's just your oil pan gasket. Word of advice, have it done somewhere unless you have a lift and are a glutton for punishment! :D
 
#147 ·
Mine was leaking there, and also in the very front at the corner (just weeping).

I would bet it's just your oil pan gasket. Word of advice, have it done somewhere unless you have a lift and are a glutton for punishment! :D
Anyone who knows me would say, yes, to that question...
:D
Plus, I do not have the money to have a mechanic do the work.
And, I feel way more comfortable doing any work on my car, because I know I will do it right, and clean any needed areas very well.
 
#148 ·
So i went to clean some of the residue off the area. Didnt get much cleaning done but saw that the oil was dripping on parts further towards the firewall area as well. I noticed the oil pan gasket was visible. Now corrent me if i am wrong but i dont think i should be seeing this much of the oil pan gasket exposed. It was enough exposed to where i could flex the gasket.









 
#149 ·
So i went to clean some of the residue off the area. Didnt get much cleaning done but saw that the oil was dripping on parts further towards the firewall area as well. I noticed the oil pan gasket was visible. Now corrent me if i am wrong but i dont think i should be seeing this much of the oil pan gasket exposed. It was enough exposed to where i could flex the gasket.
This is E39 forum, you have a 2008 model.
 
#151 ·
For cross-reference purpose, "perelet" from bimmerforums today posted a nice DIY dropping the subframe down: which is a 10h (or all weekend job) for the purists who don't want to cut the gasket.

This is in contrast to "Mudbone" technique (cutting the gasket and patch the cut area with RTV sealant).

Here is the DIY by "perelet" from bimmerforums:

E39 6cyl oil pan gasket replacement illustrated:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1823697
 
#155 ·
Thanks to everyone for this thread. I just did my OFH o-ring, Vanos, and rear subframe bushings on my 232K touring, all last weekend! I was dismayed to see that my oil pan was my biggest oil leak, leaking virtually everywhere on the passenger side pan/block junction. I will properly drop the front subframe and remove the pan entirely at some point when the control arms and motor mounts need replacement. However, I wanted to present yet another option to fix this problem, and NO disassembly is necessary (other than splash shield)!!

There is a product available at many auto parts stores (and Home Depot last time I was there) called Seal All Adhesive. It's the only adhesive I've ever seen that is truly gas and oil resistant. This stuff is NO JOKE. I have used it successfully on a leaking gas tank with 100% success. I figured if it can seal a leaking gas tank, sealing a leaky oil pan gasket would be a no-brainer. I was right.

I cleaned the seam between the pan and block very thoroughly with brake cleaner. I then squeezed about half a tube of Seal All into a small container and "painted" the length of the pan/block junction with the Seal All. I used it very generously, but you shouldn't need to lay it on as thick as I did (I used only a few thin coats to seal the gas tank). I let it sit overnight and there have been no leaks since!

It dries quite hard, but you can chip it off easily with a scraper in the future if you have occasion to remove the pan and replace the gasket. I highly recommend this product! It makes a great adhesive as well.

Happy wrenching,
Gregg
 

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