Can the gasket between the oil pump housing

[Dick Schneiders]

and the oil pump take-up tube be replaced without dropping the oil pan and exposing the oil pump? I have tried to decipher what is said in the Bentley, but all I have figured out is that you do have to drop the pan to replace the oil pump. Dropping the pan is a major pain in the ass on the M50 engine. I haven't been under the car to see if I can figure it out yet. I simply want to, at this point, to replace the oil pump gasket to see if that solves my lifter noise when the car is at operating speed.

Thanks,

Dick Schneiders

[Bellicose Right Winger]

Have you considered installing an oil pressure gage on the engine to see if it's in spec?

Paul Shovestul

and the oil pump take-up tube be replaced without dropping the oil pan and exposing the oil pump? I have tried to decipher what is said in the Bentley, but all I have figured out is that you do have to drop the pan to replace the oil pump. Dropping the pan is a major pain in the ass on the M50 engine. I haven't been under the car to see if I can figure it out yet. I simply want to, at this point, to replace the oil pump gasket to see if that solves my lifter noise when the car is at operating speed.

Thanks,

Dick Schneiders

[Dick Schneiders]

Have you considered installing an oil pressure gage on the engine to see if it's in spec?

Paul Shovestul

[Bill R.]

warming up thoroughly then you would also have the low oil pressure warning when idling in gear when this happens..... It seems much more likely that its sucking air through the pickup tube gasket when the oil is thin which in effect aerates the oil causing the lifters to be spongy since there is air mixed with the oil.... You can still have enough pressure like this to keep the light off but instead of being a non compressable fluid inside the lifter there is enough air that its like brakes with air in the system where the pedal gets spongy or soft.
The same thing happens to the lifters they don't pump up firm taking up the clearance in the valve train. But as Paul said I would check the pressure anyway to be on the safe side...
And you don't have to remove the pan completely to change the gasket on the pickup but its a good idea because your going to need to clean and reseal the pan anyway.... for my own piece of mind with that mileage I would replace the pump while I had it open anyway...

[Dick Schneiders]

50,000 miles ago. The thing overheated because of a problem with the radiator and BMW replaced the engine under warranty. Typically, would a new engine also include a new oil pump, or would it come without the pump, pan, and a lot of other stuff that would be transferred over from the old engine? I hear what you are saying about going ahead and replacing the pump, even if the problem is the gasket, but if it only has 50,000 miles than that really shouldn't be necessary. I recall reading several postings about how difficult it is to remove the pan on the M50, and was hoping to avoid doing it.

Dick Schneiders

warming up thoroughly then you would also have the low oil pressure warning when idling in gear when this happens..... It seems much more likely that its sucking air through the pickup tube gasket when the oil is thin which in effect aerates the oil causing the lifters to be spongy since there is air mixed with the oil.... You can still have enough pressure like this to keep the light off but instead of being a non compressable fluid inside the lifter there is enough air that its like brakes with air in the system where the pedal gets spongy or soft.
The same thing happens to the lifters they don't pump up firm taking up the clearance in the valve train. But as Paul said I would check the pressure anyway to be on the safe side...
And you don't have to remove the pan completely to change the gasket on the pickup but its a good idea because your going to need to clean and reseal the pan anyway.... for my own piece of mind with that mileage I would replace the pump while I had it open anyway...