Oil pan gasket

[MINIz guy]

Can I drop the oil pan on a 328i without disconnecting the steering shaft from the steering rack?

I've read a few posts and am not 100% sure it's doable. I want to unbolt the steering rack from the subframe, but leave the steering shaft connected to the rack so I don't have to realign the splines. I don't want to find out there isn't enough room to do this job once I start it.

[XnWarden]

I'm not sure if you will have enough clearance to get the steering rack off of the subframe with the column still attached. By all means try it and let us know.

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[BMWManiac]

Clean all the splines....take a paint pen and mark the face of the coupler (near the middle, by the hole) and then paint the splines up to where they end. Next, clean the rack splines, and paint the splines that are in the slot where you could stick a screw driver to separate them....then, you will have no issues

[spyderg0d]

Its not that a big deal. The steering wheel comes of with just 2 torx screws and 1 16mm bolt.. Its easier to drop the shaftb not fuck around with wiggling the oil pan around and possible breaking it, then just re alihning the steering wheel.. Your going to need an alignment anyway,. Why make it needlessly harder?

[TheJordanWhitte]

Just unbolt the rack from the sub frame and hang it up with zip ties or a bungee cord you don’t need to disconnect the shaft

[MINIz guy]

Just unbolt the rack from the sub frame and hang it up with zip ties or a bungee cord you don’t need to disconnect the shaft

Did you do this yourself with success? Really want to take this "lazy" way out and take less things apart.

[TheJordanWhitte]

Did you do this yourself with success? Really want to take this "lazy" way out and take less things apart.

You should be able to unbolt the two bolts and slide the rack off of the sub frame and then everything else should come down.

You don’t even have to drop the sub frame fully, you only need about 5 inches.

[E36xAkd]

Yup exactly what he said. So long as you can work around the clearance I’ve done it 3 times without having to completely drop it. First couple times I did until I found ways around it.

[hkdboarder42]

I just did mine a couple days ago. From my experience, no. It’s not possible. Just mark the splines with a paint pen like was previously stated. If I were you, I would disconnect one lower ball joint on one hub assembly, along with unbolting both lollipop bushing bolts (x4) so you can fully swing the assembly out of the way, to make 100% sure you get clean placement of the gasket on the RTV on all four corners (oil pan/block/timing cover mating surface, and correlating 3 way mating surface on the back). I tried to do it without swinging the assembly out of the way, put everything back together, and did not have a clean seal and still had a leak at one corner. Lost 8 whole hours to save my self 30 minutes of time, quite a shame.

[Thrifty S50]

It’s worth it to go the extra step and undo the steering shaft. You wont have to deal with a tight fit pulling the pan out, and most importantly putting the pan back in. Putting a pan back in with the gasket in place with 1” of clearance is not fun.

[MINIz guy]

I finally got around to doing this oil pan gasket, mainly because my front subframe cracked in a major way.

I disconnected the steering rack from the front subframe and removed the subframe. Leaving the rack connected to the steering shaft, I had about 6 inches of room to drop the pan. I don't think reassembly will be an issue, but we will see!

[Eric93se]

Remember to check the oil pump nut, check with your fingers first to see if its just finger tight.

[Eric93se]

Remember the OPN is reverse threaded.

[MINIz guy]

Pan came down to safety wire the OPN. It was still tight after 235k miles by my scientific test of applying 20 ft lbs to the nut and not having it budge.

Reassembly was cake. I attached the steering rack to the subframe then lifted the whole unit up. Didn't even need a helper or a jack to do the lifting.

[fab4272]

Sorry for reving an old thread. I've read a number of ways to do change the OPG, but lowering the subframe seems to be the consensus of the majority.

Pretty much understand what I need to do, except on one thing. Lowering the subframe about 5-6" to allow for the oil pan to be removed, do the front struts have enough travel? Or do I need to remove the strut mount nuts as well to let the strut lower further?

[Floxer]

Don't the control arms and tie rods just move along with the subframe and the struts can stay where they are?

[fab4272]

I think you're right. Took a look at another couple video's and they didn't remove or loosen the strut tower nuts.

Another recomendation is to use RTV, along with the new gasket. Any specific locations, or just along the whole gasket?

[pbonsalb]

At seams where the block is not continuous, like at the front and rear.