This video shows how to replace the oil pan gasket on a BMW 328i E90 with automatic transmission. This DIY saved me $1300 and I enjoyed the challenge.
My car has about 125K miles on it. The Oil Filter Housing started leaking at about 70K then the Valve Cover Gasket at 80K then the Water Pump failed at around 90K and now it was time for the oil pan. I could have probably driven the car another 10K miles more as the oil pan wasnt leaking very badly but decided to play it safe.
In retrospect I would have done the following things differently:
– Removed the two ATF coolant lines. I was afraid to loose a lot of transmission oil and I only had half a bottle backup so I left them in and only loosened them from the pan. However, from reading other forums online folks that took them out didnt end up loosing a lot of fluid. These lines made it very difficult to put back the oil pan and tighten the bolts. I eventually did it but with struggle.
– Double checked that my oil level sensor cable is plugged in correctly. After I drove for a little bit I got a “Oil Level Low” signal which made me think that I had leaked out all my oil. I panicked! I thought I had messed up things very badly. I got under the car and everything was bone dry. I didn’t see any leaking anywhere. I drained the oil to check whether it was truly empty and it turned out it was full. So I suspected it was the oil level sensor. I pulled out the oil level sensor plug and reinserted back in and added new oil. Problem fixed!
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Coming from a BMW tech, I wouldn't dare doing this on my back.
Thanks for an awesome video. My X5 with 55k is in the shop right now for oil pan leak. Still under CPO, so I guess they noticed a leak and had to replace it. I didn't know about the sub-frame removal until now. WOW, all for a $20 gasket. That's why they recommended wishbone, lower control arm and wheel alignment. I just hope they are as conscientious about putting things back and properly torquing everything as you are. I'm just worried that I'm gonna start hearing clunks because of something not reinstalled properly.
Thank you for taking the time to make a thorough detailed video!! This is the best explained video I’ve seen online so far!! One thing I did not hear you mention is when and how do you apply the blue Rc gasket sealer?
Did you use an angle torque wrench?its neccessary to buy one?
Nothing but respect! This is a tough job. Most people will not dare attempt this in their driveway.
would this also be possible by disconnecting the driveshaft, motor/ trans mounts, and just lifting the engine up a bit with a cherry picker
Do you have the torque specs for the motor mount ?
Did you put silicone on the gasket?
@45:46 do you have a name or part number for these bolts ? I called my local dealership and over the phone it was hard for me to specify which bolts were needed without fear of purchasing the wrong one.
Did you ever need to use the RTV?
How long did this job take you?
Excellent video. Thank you!
Does this apply to 328 with X Drive?
those jacks dont look to stable with your invention in the middle. one bump and the whole car could come crashing down.