All in - pulling the 4.6 engine and trans to fix oil leaks once and for all

[knucklebuster]

I recall doing this on a 4.6 not for the faint of heart .Good luck and you should powder coat you valve cover :thumbup

[GRBE53]

Originally Posted by stunt

Thanks BigBlack! Keeping fingers crossed the tear down will continue to go smooth, and the replacement of parts!

Went ahead and priced the parts. Mostly from realoem, but also checked eBay vendors where there was a significant savings. Here are my findings thus far:

I have been having really good luck with bmwpartsupply.com - they are out of California which seems wacky but I have had several larger parts shipped for their standard $15 shipping fee and they have been significantly lower than my local stealer on every single part. Order status and shipping updates are timely and I have called them to fix a screw up I made - they were very accommodating.

[sneary]

Good Luck on this mammoth project you took on . Just curious what the wire running to the negative terminal is for?

[tmv]

Put the part# in Furiousmethod.com - BMW Parts Price Comparison to find best price

[e30cabrio]

I am cheap and have spent too much time comparing. When all is said & done I found BMW Parts and Accessories at GetBMWparts.com is on average about 5 dollars cheaper.

[e30cabrio]

Getbmw's valleypan gasket :

Part Number 11141742042 Part Name COVER+GASKET MSRP $84.44 Core $0.00 Save $16.89 Online Price $67.55

[racingbmwm3]

Wondering why you are using an engine support if you are removing the engine?
My guess is you are removing the transmission, then removing the subframe and then removing the engine from below?
I guess too late now, but wouldn't it be easier to remove the engine and transmission as one unit with a hoist out the front of the car?

[Gurjit]

theres a video on youtube, they pull the engine straight out the front with the tranny

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfMKlTa7tjo

[stunt]

Interesting video pulling both engine and trans together!

I'm following the Bentley manual, and it states the tranny has to be removed before the engine can be pulled, which is why I got the engine support bar.

I might try pulling them together instead. I just about got the front clip off anyway.

I was able to get the right side motor mount top bolt off no problem, but the left (drive's side) is a pain to get to. I can get my hand on it from below, but can't get a wrench in there. Any tips?

Also, on the hood, I'm wondering if I can undo the clips and lay it against the windshield (with a towel in between of course). This way I don't have to worry about re-aligning later. I know there is also a service position, but I don't seem to be able to locate the special bracket that is needed.

[Brandon002]

No joke on the nice garage and lift comment.

I thought about doing this as well to replace all the gaskets on my engine. It would make life so much easier to replace them all with the engine out of the truck.

Unfortunately, I don't have a garage or lift like your's... so I have to contort my hands and arms in the engine bay when it warms up.