M62 upper oil pan gasket DIY (in episodes)

[David.X5]

Have had an increasingly bad oil leak from the upper oil pan gasket. It's a big job but decided to tackle it this long weekend. Will post more info as I go. The initial steps I will just list out as they are common to lots of jobs.

Decided to replace the front wheel bearings while I have the knuckles off, but that will happen at the end. Waffling on whether I should replace the oil pump while it is all apart. My X is about to cross 15 years and 150k...

Parts List: (For a 03/2001 X5 4.4i with M62TU engine) (updated 11/28/2015)
upper gasket 11137500260
lower gasket 11137500261
oil separator tube banjo sealing rings (2) 13821432344
oil filter tube banjo sealing rings (2) 07119963200
drive shaft seals (2) 33107505601
diff o-ring seals (2) 31511213527
dipstick tube o-ring 11431707164
dipstick tube metal ring 11437838127 (mine was missing, might have been part of my leak)
level sensor seal 12611744292
oil pump (optional) 11411439260 (the oil pump includes oring where large pipe attaches to pump)
If replacing oil pump, also get the 6mm oring for the small pipe on the oil pump 11421713597
and the 18.0 x 2.5 mm o-ring - 11421741129 - for far end of the large diameter oil pipe from the oil pump (and yes, I know this is not the way it is shown in realoem.com).
1L front diff oil (SAF-XO) 07512293972
half shaft lock ring (2) 33131214961 (included if you buy dealer drive shaft seals)
half shaft nut (2) 33411133785
different plug sealing ring (2) 07119963355
oil filter 11427510717
oil (your favorite)
oil pickup sealing o-ring 11421435020

First session (3.5 hours)
1. Put rear wheels up on race ramps and the front on ReverseLogic jack stands with the BMW specific pivoting blocks. Seems very stable and lots of room to work.
2. Disconnected negative battery cable, propped trunk open to prevent it latching later.
3. Removed front wheels, plastic splash shield and aluminum belly pan
3.5. Drained engine oil and front diff oil (don't forget to open oil filter canister so that oil drains out now and not while you are working) :-(
4. Removed fan and fan shroud, intake tube with mass flow meter to throttle body, and air cleaner box
5. Removed engine acoustic cover, cabin air filter box (at rear of engine).
6. Positioned engine support (Harbor Freight 96524) and just snugged it up. This tool is about 1" too narrow for the X5, but it works.
7. Removed nuts from L & R engine mounts
8. Set a mark with my laser level and lifted engine slightly (~10mm) using the engine support frame to get weight off subframe
9. Removed L & R axle nuts
10. Disconnected tie rods at the sub frame (its a bolt, not a tapered joint). Popped steering rack ball joints loose from knuckle using Harbor Freight tool 99849 (their HD forged ball joint tool)
11. Disconnected L&R wheel sensors and brake wear sensor.
12. Unbolted L&R calipers from knuckle and zip-tied out of the way to protect the hoses.
13. Removed rotors.
14. Removed two big bolts holding knuckle to bottom of strut. Somehow held it up while giving the axle a few taps and it was free. Set knuckle aside for bearing replacement later.
15. Using two beefy screwdrivers, popped L&R axles out of diff. Boots look good (yay!). Set aside.
16. break time. made this list :-)

[crystalworks]

Great progress for 3.5 hours. Nice work.

[David.X5]

Update 2. 6 more hours (1 hour of that was probably my fault).

Oil pan is out.

Looks like 16-18 hours of shop time for the total job is about right after getting all the way into this. Whew.

Next steps are to remove all the items bolted to the oil pan, disconnect steering rack, loosen lots of oil pan screws, lower subframe, then remove pan...

16.5. Remove right side axle support. (need to remove starter cable to get access).
17. Remove front guibo. I put the car into neutral to rotate it to get to all the bolts. Make sure the car is level and well supported if you are going to do this - not a good time for a runaway. Put it back into gear before wrenching on it.
18. Loosened 3 of the 4 bolts holding the front diff on. The 4th (upper rear) is very hard to access, but will be accessible once the subframe is lowered
19. Removed nut holding dip stick tube into place.
20. Release banjo fitting on oil separator line
21. Release banjo fitting on oil filter return line
22. Remove alternator belt and unfasten power steering pump (don't disconnect hoses, zip tie out of the way). Two bolts and a nut. That rear nut is a PITA.
23. Remove AC belt and bottom two bolts on AC belt tensioner
24. Remove lower oil pan cover (I removed the level sensor as I will change that gasket now, too - but it could stay attached to the cover if you wanted).
25. Remove e-torx bolts holding oil pan to bell housing
26. Remove lots of 10mm (and two 13mm) head bolts all around the oil pan, working inside and out. I left two on opposites sides to keep it from crashing down when I wasn't ready. There are several different lengths. I think I can keep track, but if you can't make a map for yourself.

Lowering the subframe - this is where I wasted some time trying to be creative. TIS says lower it 4 inches and says to release the clamp attaching the steering column to the rack. I have had bad luck getting the racks lined up, so I was reluctant to do this, but it is a must. I put jack stands under the subframe in the rear and and old scissor jack under the subframe in the front so I could lower it in a control manner. TIS suggests supporting the subframe on long bolts. The local stores didn't have any - you would need four M12x1.5x150mm long bolts.

27. Provide support for subframe (it is heavy even without engine weight), and then loosen the 6 big e-torx bolts holding it on.
28. Loosen bolt clamping steering shaft to the steering rack. I had to pry on it a little bit to get the spline to slide off. Man, I do not like that design.
29. Lower subframe about 4 inches.
30. Unbolt last bolt on diff. I used my floor jack to hold the weight so I wouldn't break it (or me!). Wiggle it a little bit to get it loose, and then lower and move out of the way.
31. Take out remaining couple of bolts on oil pan. Nada. Doesn't budge. Go find the bolt you overlooked. Go ahead. I will wait. Good. Now go find the other bolt you overlooked. Stop playing with the dog and go look. See, I knew you could!
32. Pry oil pan a little bit to overcome the gasket adhesive. There are good lips for this toward the rear to pry on. It didn't take much.
33. Wiggle oil pan downwards and toward the rear. The subframe and steering rack are still a little in the way, but it will come out.
34. Clean up those gasket surfaces.
35. Time for a break. Or a drink. Or both.

[SlickGT1]

Wow. Good job. You just need pics. But I know it's a huge bitch taking pics and wrenching at the same time.

[David.X5]

Following up on this. Man, what a PITA! Spent weeks trying to track down an o-ring. Turns out realoem (and the dealer computer) shows the part numbers wrong. Part numbers 12 and 13 on this diagram are switched. I got the wrong o-ring twice before I went in to the dealer with the old o-ring and we sorted it out. You will need to order part #12 (a 18.0 x 2.5 mm o-ring - 11421741129) that fits where part #13 is shown (the far end of the large diameter oil pipe from the oil pump). I have edited the parts list above to show this correction

[IgotBMW]

Great info hear. Thanks for sharing!!


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[TriX5]

Nice job!

My engine and sub-frame removal is held up by one bolt on the main wiring harness in the back of the engine..... That and 400 sheets of drywall to be hung.....:-) [At least we got the close-in inspections out of the way.]

After 20 sheets I got stuck cause the Tundra's SAIP went belly up and the CEL came on a week later. That made me nervous and it now sits in the garage with the intake manifold removed waiting for parts to come in tomorrow. If I keep disassembling vehicles I'll be riding my bicycle to work soon..... ;-)

Good luck on the rest of that epic fix!

LV

[David.X5]

Strangest part of the whole thing, is my VANOS rattle has gone away. I did the Beisan repair 2.5 years ago and would have a startup rattle every now and then. Even sent Raj a video to listen to. Never had the energy to do it all again. So far, no more rattle with the new oil pump - so it seems to me that a worn check valve (? what else could it be) in the oil pump may contribute to that problem.

[TriX5]

Seems you put it all back together? Did you replace the oil pump or just the check valve?

[David.X5]

I did get it all back together. Still trying to edit my notes to include the torque values.
I replaced the whole oil pump.