M50 oil pan gasket replacement check list

[bissellh]

I have to replace my leaking 92 525i E34 M50 oil pan gasket. I have never done this before and I am trying to make sure I do it right and check known problems while I am at it.

1. raise car
2. drian oil and remove oil filter
3. unbolt dip stick tube and remove
4. unbolt oil pan gasket and drop it down to cross member
5. unbolt ad remove oil pickup tube.
6. remove old gasket
7. clean contact surfaces between engine block and oil pan
8. smear bottom of gasket with RTV silicone and place on oil pan
9. smear top of gasket with RTV silicone and allow to dry for 15 minutes
10. place oil pan in place and bolt it down
... after 24 hours for the rtv silicone to dry ...
11. replace oil filter
12. fill with oil

I should replace the pick up tube and dip stick tube gaskets.
I should check that oil pump bolts are securely in place. If not, remove them, clean them and replace them with some thread lock.

Shoud I also replace the upper oil pan gasket while I am in there? What is this anyway? Is it an gasket for the oil pump?

[yaofeng]

No RTV. You will be getting a rubber coated metal gasket. it should be installed dry. The oil dipstick tube has a o-ring as I recall. You may want to also replace the oil level sender o-ring.

What is the upper gasket?

[bissellh]

No RTV. You will be getting a rubber coated metal gasket. it should be installed dry. The oil dipstick tube has a o-ring as I recall. You may want to also replace the oil level sender o-ring.

What is the upper gasket?

I will be replacing the oil level sender gasket since I have to replace a faulty oil lelvel sender too.

I just inspected the Elring oil pan gasket I orderered from Bavarian. It is not cork or metal. It is made of a paper material. Do you think it is good to use RTV silicone with this gasket?

I read about an upper oil pan gasket in another thread. I am trying to figure out what it is.

[Dave M]

I just inspected the Elring oil pan gasket I orderered from Bavarian. It is not cork or metal. It is made of a paper material. Do you think it is good to use RTV silicone with this gasket?

I read about an upper oil pan gasket in another thread. I am trying to figure out what it is.

Most believe that the metal/rubber are better gaskets (made by REINZ), but its a moot point now that yours is on its way. It might be a good idea to use some sort of 'helper spoog' (permatex/RTV etc) with the paper gasket.

Just for reference, the paper one is ~$20 at BMA, while the metal/rubber is ~$35.

No idea what an upper oil pan gasket is, unless one considers the o-ring at the level sender the lower gasket??

Dave

[bissellh]

Most believe that the metal/rubber are better gaskets (made by REINZ), but its a moot point now that yours is on its way. It might be a good idea to use some sort of 'helper spoog' (permatex/RTV etc) with the paper gasket.

Just for reference, the paper one is ~$20 at BMA, while the metal/rubber is ~$35.

No idea what an upper oil pan gasket is, unless one considers the o-ring at the level sender the lower gasket??

Dave

The upper pan gasket was something I read about on this forum, but it was for an M30 engine.

[bissellh]

No RTV. You will be getting a rubber coated metal gasket. it should be installed dry. The oil dipstick tube has a o-ring as I recall. You may want to also replace the oil level sender o-ring.

What is the upper gasket?

The upper pan gasket was something I read about on this forum, but it was for an M30 engine.

[yaofeng]

I think you'll find the consensus to install the gasket dry, cork, paper, or metal. Both my 525 and 540 have a rubber coated metal gasket when replaced. The original is cork.

BMW has a different philosophy of sealing mating parts. There is a gasket on every mating surface. My SAAB 9k's have no gasket. Both the timing cover and the sump are sealed by RTV only. Blue RTV for the sump and a different RTV for the timing cover. Both cars have the same polished steel block and polished aluminum sump and timing cover at the mating surfaces. Both work. I was tempted to use RTV only when I did the 525 but was too chicken to be the guinea pig. I used the replacement rubber coated metal gasket ordered.

[bissellh]

I finally finished the oil pan gasket replacement.

It was not without a lot of drama though. I was unaware of the two recessed bolts at the rear of the oil pan. I ended up loosening the tranny from the engine to release the oil pan. I thought there was lip on the back of the oil pan that had to be released. Ofcourse, that was a mistake. Then I jacked up the engine to gain clearance for the oil pan with the tranny still loose. That was just compounding the mistake. Luckily, nothing turned out to be damaged by that amateur move. I also ripped a paper gasket and ended up going with a metal/rubber one.

What I learned is that there are two hidden bolts fastening the oil pan. Someone said that the metal/rubber is better than paper or cork. I had already ordered and received mine when I heard that. Now I know how metal/rubber it is better. It is less prone to damage while installing.

Thanks for the responses!