Damn! I think I'm a Oil Pump Nut Victim.

[donoman]

OK, so when it cranks from the starter, we're checking to see if the oil pressure light goes away? Are you sure the starter has enough RPM to generate sufficient pressure to turn the sensor off? Sorry if these are stupid question, I just bought my first M3 yesterday and have only worked extensively on motorcycles before.

[JeffCupino]

I just cant understand it. Why is it that everyone seems to drive for miles when there light comes on? No matter the road, there has been cars broken down on them. What if you lose a wheel? then your stopping, like it or not. Its like a choice between being stopped in a tight spot, and needing to pay a tow truck, and have lots of honking behind you, or spend thousands on a new or used motor. It just doesnt make sense to me. Its not worth it. Once that light goes on, if you shut down as fast as you can reach the key, the damage is probably nothing. I just cant understand why people sacrafice there engine for a safe parking spot.

See the oil light, step on the clutch, put the car in neutral, shut the key off, coast to the side of the road and stop. Dont even step on the gas.

Sorry to hear about this. Im going to do mine this summer, i swear.....

I am sorry man i dont mean to bash you but you need to be a little less harsh... he is asking for help not someone to lecture him on why he didnt shut off the car immediately. His decision was to get the car to a safe spot and he did it... just let him be... he cant change what he did now.

Good Luck phillyB with your car... i wish you the best and i hope you get it done. I was thinking that i wouldnt need to get this done since most of the people that have this problem probably has a crank pulley, but i guess im gonna do this soon also... you got me all paranoid! GOOD LUCK AGAIN



JEFF

[slcook54]

Phill, if you need any help let me know.

[rustamabd]

The cleanest way to not let the engine fire is to disconnect the injector wire. Its easily accessible and will guarantee complete loss of gas in the engine.

[adsingl]

You can read my previous posts. I drove softly for about 2 miles/2 minutes to get off interstate. NO DAMAGE to lower end, confirmed by bearing inspection and two oil analyses(plural sp?), one when pan came off, 2nd after pressure was restored and run for 15 minutes (to flush bearing surfaces of any metal to metal contact if any occured - final proof).
Why haven't some of us turned off immediately? Problem is, many of us don't realize until we read here that the sensor tripping the light comes on at such a low value that it really indicates next to no, or no, pressure. (outside of momentary track conditions).
But my engine didn't die, I turned it off, so I'm afraid you went too long and will likely have damage.
Personally, I believe *something* went wrong on the bottom end, so no need to determine if pump nut is off, oil pan comes off anyway.
You could remove sender and start car for 5 seconds with finger over hole to confirm zero pressure (or remove fuel relay and just crank), but since I believe you're already metal to metal, *I would NOT do this*.
Good luck,
ADS

[Def]

OK, so when it cranks from the starter, we're checking to see if the oil pressure light goes away? Are you sure the starter has enough RPM to generate sufficient pressure to turn the sensor off? Sorry if these are stupid question, I just bought my first M3 yesterday and have only worked extensively on motorcycles before.

Yea, after enough cranking the light will go off. It might take up to 10 seconds though since the starter RPM is so much lower than idle(it takes about that long on my Nissan after changing the oil to get the pressure back up).

Don't freak out too much about this happening to you, if your oil light goes off once you crank the car, then your oil pump nut is there(at least it should be unless you're as lucky as the one guy that was driving with his in his oil pickup!).

If you're paranoid, just go ahead and secure the nut to the oil pump. Doesn't seem all that hard, just time consuming.

[hc1001]

uhhh what if u were on the highway doing 65mph, in the left lane, and ur oil pressure light goes on? would u shut ur car off when ur doing 65mph? wouldnt the brakes not work.

so how would u go about this? throw it into neutral, shut off engine, set E-brake so it slows down the car and make ur way to the shoulder? because if u shut it down on the left lane, its very dangerous and someone might crash into u...

what would u do if u were in traffic and in the left lane? jus shut it down and sit in the left lane or make ur way to the shoulder then shut it off(btw, in traffic it would take anywhere from 2-15 mins trying to get from left to right depending on asshole drivers who wont let u cut in)?

[donoman]

Why wouldn't your brakes work, you shut down the ignition and you'll have to press harder but they'll still work.

[nightkrawler]

i started a thread about this and tried to get people who this has happened to, post info about their car. almost if not everyone who replied either raced/tracked the car or had a crank pully. i know when i said this, a few people disputed it but fwiw i asked the head tech at the dealership where i work and another tech who is a master. these 2 guys probably have 35yrs+ experience with working on bimmers. if they have ever heard or repaired an m3 for an opn failure. neither one had EVER worked on a car that this happened to, they never even heard of this happening to any e36. im in no way saying that this isnt an issue but imho, it has been posted about so much that it is causing major paranoia. remember, you only hear about the people who have had this problem. what about the thousands of other m3 owners who have never had the problem?

[phillyB///M3]

Another fan of the crank pulley I take it.

Hopefully you'll be able to get by with a new oil pump nut and a fesh set of main + rod bearings. If the crank is damaged though, then the cylinder walls and pistons will likely also be damaged.

good luck.

Yah I was running the crank pulley, damn.. I'm not sure if that was exactly what caused this but If you guys say theres strong evidence supporting this then I wont argue with it. yah. lets hope the damage isnt extreme but if it is I'm already searching around for an S52.

I just cant understand it. Why is it that everyone seems to drive for miles when there light comes on? No matter the road, there has been cars broken down on them. What if you lose a wheel? then your stopping, like it or not. Its like a choice between being stopped in a tight spot, and needing to pay a tow truck, and have lots of honking behind you, or spend thousands on a new or used motor. It just doesnt make sense to me. Its not worth it. Once that light goes on, if you shut down as fast as you can reach the key, the damage is probably nothing. I just cant understand why people sacrafice there engine for a safe parking spot.

See the oil light, step on the clutch, put the car in neutral, shut the key off, coast to the side of the road and stop. Dont even step on the gas.

Sorry to hear about this. Im going to do mine this summer, i swear.....

Like I said I had no option at the time... light went on while I was doing around 80mph in the fast lane, there was no shoulder.. cars arund me were speeding on the freeway (101 E),I had passengers and I would never risk their lives just to save my engine.I knew about this issue and I knew I should have shut it down but I was not about to cause a major accident on the freeway. Trust me, if you were in my situation you would have done the same. Anyhow, what happend happend and all I care about now is getting my car fixed.

I agree. There is virtually NO excuse for not turning off the motor immediately.

ummm, yes there is.. its called peoples lives.

Damn man sorry to hear about this . I hope all works out for you, and do tell us when you find out what it was. Sucks to see these threads, and they seem to be showing more and more lately. Good luck PhillyB

I'll let you guys know once I get a chance to open her up.. probably not till the weekend.

[jonnyg]

Ouch dude hope your motor isnt toast, but it gives you another reason to get that S52 you want

[phillyB///M3]

I am sorry man i dont mean to bash you but you need to be a little less harsh... he is asking for help not someone to lecture him on why he didnt shut off the car immediately. His decision was to get the car to a safe spot and he did it... just let him be... he cant change what he did now.

Good Luck phillyB with your car... i wish you the best and i hope you get it done. I was thinking that i wouldnt need to get this done since most of the people that have this problem probably has a crank pulley, but i guess im gonna do this soon also... you got me all paranoid! GOOD LUCK AGAIN



JEFF

Thanks man! yah, get it done ASAP.

Phill, if you need any help let me know.

Thanks Steve.. It might turn out being a good thing.. I might have a s52 engine swap project before summer.

uhhh what if u were on the highway doing 65mph, in the left lane, and ur oil pressure light goes on? would u shut ur car off when ur doing 65mph? wouldnt the brakes not work.

so how would u go about this? throw it into neutral, shut off engine, set E-brake so it slows down the car and make ur way to the shoulder? because if u shut it down on the left lane, its very dangerous and someone might crash into u...

what would u do if u were in traffic and in the left lane? jus shut it down and sit in the left lane or make ur way to the shoulder then shut it off(btw, in traffic it would take anywhere from 2-15 mins trying to get from left to right depending on asshole drivers who wont let u cut in)?

Exactly... There is no way I was going to try to stop my car at those speeds with hard brakes . I'm kind of glad it happend the way it did.... things could have been worse, I could have caused an accident, wrecked my car and injured someone. I love my car but I know I love my life a whole lot more.

Ouch dude hope your motor isnt toast, but it gives you another reason to get that S52 you want

Yupp, she'll be back in no time, better and stronger. Maybe next time i'll beat you on the dyno .

[Yuen]

That sucks, Phil. You did the right thing though, human life before engine life. Good luck with the S52

[fast4d]

couple things you might check.

pull the fuel pump fuse, remove the oil filter housing cap and crank the engine. that should tell you whether the pump is working. you might want to cover the housing with a rag.

if the nut fell off then drain the pan and look for it. use a magnet if you think it's still in the pan.

[eneyeengee]

damn phil, sorry to hear this.
i would have done the same thing and let my engine run until i coudl get off or to the side, cause i dont know about you guys but my steering wheel locks up once i shut off the engine, and i dont want to be going straight with hard brakes at 80mph in the fast lane.

looks like you have an s52 project on your hands now like some ppl are saying.
If you need anything just call me up.

[phillyB///M3]

couple things you might check.

pull the fuel pump fuse, remove the oil filter housing cap and crank the engine. that should tell you whether the pump is working. you might want to cover the housing with a rag.

if the nut fell off then drain the pan and look for it. use a magnet if you think it's still in the pan.

Thanks Alan... have you delt with this before? you sound like you have experience with the oil pump.

damn phil, sorry to hear this.
i would have done the same thing and let my engine run until i coudl get off or to the side, cause i dont know about you guys but my steering wheel locks up once i shut off the engine, and i dont want to be going straight with hard brakes at 80mph in the fast lane.

looks like you have an s52 project on your hands now like some ppl are saying.
If you need anything just call me up.

Thanks David,,, I guess its time to put some miles on the benz for now, The M will be back soon... I just got to deal with finals coming up soon and then the comeback begins.

BTW, a good thing did happen that night that made me feel better...I met Jennifer Love Hewitt at the City Walk Bowling alley that night.. damn that chick is hot!

[phillyB///M3]

Thanks everyone, I will post detailed pics on what I find.

[BMuu]

so a crank pulley can cause this problem? I have the engine out of my car and will probably be weding it on soon anyways but I have never heard of a crank pulley causing this problem.

[fivaxis]

You have to wonder why they don't have an oil pressure gage.

[phillyB///M3]

so a crank pulley can cause this problem? I have the engine out of my car and will probably be weding it on soon anyways but I have never heard of a crank pulley causing this problem.

I cant say that the crank pulley caused it but some people "claim" that only those running the crank pulley have had this problem (which i dought). That has yet to be proven though but I cant say it wasnt the cause. I just dont know what it was but yes i was running a crank pulley for about 50K.

[ChewToy]

I cant say that the crank pulley caused it but some people "claim" that only those running the crank pulley have had this problem (which i dought). That has yet to be proven though but I cant say it wasnt the cause. I just dont know what it was but yes i was running a crank pulley for about 50K.

I ran an ERT for many years and after a few track days and many autox's my oil nut eventually let go. Was it because of the UDP? Well let's say it probably didn't help. Our motors.. more than a lot of others need the harmonic dampener. Why? Have you seen how long a bmw inline six is? UDP's affect our motors that much more because the motor's are that much longer than a lot of other motors out there running UDP's.

Btw if you decide to buy a new S52, Turner can get them new for 5300-5500.00, tell Will I sent ya I highly recommend the cam kit while you're in there but this won't be cheap. After it was all said and done, I spent around 9400.00 on a new motor installed with a cam kit 'ouch'. With a cammed 3.2L OBDI I'm very happy now but it really sucked blowing up that 3.0L.

Good luck, hope this isn't too painful for you.

[techno550]

I ran an ERT for many years and after a few track days and many autox's my oil nut eventually let go. If you decide to buy a new S52, Turner can get them new for 5300-5500.00. I highly recommend the cam kit while you're in there but this won't be cheap. After it was all said and done, I spent around 9400.00 on a new motor installed with a cam kit 'ouch'. With a cammed 3.2L OBDI I'm very happy now but it really sucked blowing up that 3.0L.

Might be able to find a used 3.0 or 3.2 and turbo it for that price range. A fresh motor with cams, or just straight up fresh motor, would also be a really nice thing. Starting fresh is always good.

Just don't do anything stupid like putting the CP on the new motor.

[phillyB///M3]

I ran an ERT for many years and after a few track days and many autox's my oil nut eventually let go. Was it because of the UDP? Well let's say it probably didn't help. Our motors.. more than a lot of others need the harmonic dampener. Why? Have you seen how long a bmw inline six is? UDP's affect our motors that much more because the motor's are that much longer than a lot of other motors out there running UDP's.

Btw if you decide to buy a new S52, Turner can get them new for 5300-5500.00, tell Will I sent ya I highly recommend the cam kit while you're in there but this won't be cheap. After it was all said and done, I spent around 9400.00 on a new motor installed with a cam kit 'ouch'. With a cammed 3.2L OBDI I'm very happy now but it really sucked blowing up that 3.0L.

Good luck, hope this isn't too painful for you.

Yah, i guess the best advise for anyone running a crank pulley would be to get their oil pump nutt done also. But the again who knows what other kind of damage it might be causing (if it is causing damage that is).

yikes $9,400?... thats a lot man... I plan on getting a used s52, maybe $3,500-$4k, I was thinking about adding cams while I was at it but I dont think i'd be able to do that myself. I'm going to be swapping out the engine by myself ... I love taking on these kind of tasks even though I've never done it but I'll have plenty of resources and help. I'll just try dropping it in myself and If I cant handle it i will get it towed to a shop.

[phillyB///M3]

Might be able to find a used 3.0 or 3.2 and turbo it for that price range. A fresh motor with cams, or just straight up fresh motor, would also be a really nice thing. Starting fresh is always good.

Just don't do anything stupid like putting the CP on the new motor.

haha.. yah I know... i wouldnt risk it ... l was planning on taking it off anyways since I had pullies and a LTW flywheel going in with my new clutch. I guess the fun part of this is that I will get to disect an s50 and drop in a lower mileage s52 all on my own.

[///MacDaddy]

haha.. yah I know... i wouldnt risk it ... l was planning on taking it off anyways since I had pullies and a LTW flywheel going in with my new clutch. I guess the fun part of this is that I will get to disect an s50 and drop in a lower mileage s52 all on my own.

It's not an S52 but sounds like a hot motor....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...RK%3AMEWA%3AIT