oil extraction pump; will the dipstick tube permit it

[workingonit]

Originally Posted by Fifty150hs

That plate is not a protective plate, it is a stiffening plate. The bolts are very tight because of the required clamping force it needs to keep it from allowing the subframe from flexing. The torque on those, IIRC, is 45 ft/lbs plus 90 degrees. Someone on here before figured out what the clamping force was and it is high. Also, the manual calls for those nuts and bolts to be replaced. Don't ask about that as it will start an entirely too long discussion about whether it is necessary or not. Buy 12.9 bolts and nuts like I did and you'll never need to change them again no matter how many times you take them off and put them back on. Belmetrics.com is the place to get those.

Thanks for the info. I can guarantee that those bolts have been tightened to 3-4 times the 45 ft-lbs (as were the lug bolts on the wheels I removed awhile back). I'm a long-time shadetree mechanic, but was a grad of a GM tech school, so I know when and where to use proper torque; obviously, my engineer friend skipped using his torque wrench, and instead used his whang-bang-super impact on those bolts!

If I need to remove the "stiffener plate", I will replace those over-tightened ones with new 12.9 grade replacements, properly torqued to specs. If BMW deems it a neccessary piece to maintain chassis rigidity, then I shall respect their judgement.

I may have to soak those bolts with PB blaster or WD-40 for a week in advance of removal, and use my best breaker bar (and another hand under the car with a box-end wrench) to actually free the bolts, but is there a problem re-assembling it, as it might be under stress?

As the oil has just been changed, and all the suspension components nearby (and the tranny and driveline parts refreshed in the last 3 years/2000 miles), I'll probably not have to do anything there for a year, so I'll file this info in my growing X5 compendium.