qube 3570 Report post Posted May 21, 2018 maybe a layer of tinfoil and baking paper just in case 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3AN 4016 Report post Posted May 29, 2018 (edited) Dropped the front subframe today to get at the oil pan, a couple of issues I'll need to work through tomorrow: 1. Can't detach the control arms from the subframe, nuts are off but the bolts won't slide through. I've sprayed them with lube and will check again tomorrow if they come out. It's not essential to get them out I can just hang the subframe down and work around it but it would be easier with it out entirely. 2. Some of the sump bolts are really difficult to get to and I'll need to be creative to get to at least two of them... not sure how yet, ran out of light. Edited May 29, 2018 by M3AN Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
turbolizard 38 Report post Posted May 29, 2018 (edited) 53 minutes ago, M3AN said: 1. Can't detach the control arms from the subframe, nuts are off but the bolts won't slide through. I've sprayed them with lube and will check again tomorrow if they come out. It's not essential to get them out I can just hang the subframe down and work around it but it would be easier with it out entirely. Do you mean the control arm ball joints, which attach to subframe? These are on a taper (rather than being bolts) and will need a bit more effort to get out, possibly a bit of carefully placed heat where they fit into the subframe. Edited May 29, 2018 by turbolizard spelling 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3AN 4016 Report post Posted May 29, 2018 2 minutes ago, turbolizard said: Do you mean the control arm ball joints, which attach to subframe? These are on a taper (rather than being bolts) and will need a bit more effort to get out, possibly a bit of carefully placed heat where they fit into the subframe. Yep, they're the ones, didn't realise that so thanks. I don't have a high enough heat source I'm afraid so I'll have to try something different... options include: 1. try them again tomorrow with a steel mallet, have sprayed them so might work. 2. disconnect the FCA's from the hub, difficult as they're free now and move around. 3. work around the subframe. 4. Disconnect the steering arms and drop both front shocks right out. It'll probably be 1 and/or 3, 2 might be difficult and 4 is just extra work. It all depends on how easily I can navigate around it all sitting in there. The subframe is low enough for sure, just working around it makes things more time consuming. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
turbolizard 38 Report post Posted May 29, 2018 4 minutes ago, M3AN said: I don't have a high enough heat source I'm afraid Believe it or not I have (when out of other options) successfully used both boiling water and a regular heat gun on separate occasions, although a gas flame is much better for getting heat where you want it. The heat just provides some differential expansion and you don't need much to get the taper to release. Heat it with whatever you have and give it a smack. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3AN 4016 Report post Posted May 29, 2018 Boiling water and a mallet it is then! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3AN 4016 Report post Posted May 30, 2018 Ugh, still working through this. Subframe is still on and loose and I don't see that budging any time soon. Working around that I have all but 1 pan bolt undone. Three of them took me a good hour because of access (or lack thereof) but this final one, the upper ET10 bolt through the transmission, has had 2 hours thrown at it with no progress. Access is poor but achievable, leverage on the other hand is not. I can't get anything long enough in there to get the torque required to crack it and there's not enough clearance around the head to get a proper rachet in there... sprayed it, will try again tomorrow. New (pre-loved) sump is on the way (thanks @BimmerShaun) so hoping to get this one out as that one arrive. That gives me a day or so. The joys! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3AN 4016 Report post Posted May 31, 2018 (edited) Got the bitch. Took another 2 hours and a visit to the local engineering shop. Got the guys to chop the end off a sacrificial 8mm 12 point spanner (it's an external Torx (six point) bolt - 6x2=12) and chop up a piece of steel tube and crimp the end for a tight fit. It was my last idea really. Only had about 1 degree of rotation to crack it but after a few tries I heard that reassuring break. Still took another 10 mins to wind it out, used a tiny ratchet to do that 1 click at a time... Edited July 1, 2018 by M3AN Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zero 1162 Report post Posted May 31, 2018 Well done. I admire your dedication. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3AN 4016 Report post Posted May 31, 2018 2 minutes ago, zero said: Well done. I admire your dedication. Cheers bro. I somehow think it was more visceral and satisfying than solving an EWS problem! I am starting to understand why some of the quotes I got (for interest sake only) were north of $700. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zero 1162 Report post Posted May 31, 2018 I wonder why it was so tight? Maybe it had had a shunt, or had rusted in? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aja540i 1906 Report post Posted May 31, 2018 9 hours ago, zero said: I wonder why it was so tight? Maybe it had had a shunt, or had rusted in? Because there's ALWAYS one ! 4 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3AN 4016 Report post Posted June 1, 2018 16 hours ago, zero said: I wonder why it was so tight? Maybe it had had a shunt, or had rusted in? TBH I don't think it was any/much tighter than the other two of the same type. It's just that access was too limited to put a proper tool in there and once anything was in, there simply wasn't enough space to move it. I literally had about 2mm of space to move the tiny 8mm spanner I ended up using - had the head of the bolt been rotated even another 15* I don't think I would have been able to seat the spanner at all. But the 2mm I did have was amplified (to about 10mm) with the extension and that was just enough. I used a small 1/4" ratchet to break the other two free no trouble. Getting it back on and torqued (lol) will be interesting. 7 hours ago, aja540i said: Because there's ALWAYS one ! Yes, I'm discovering this seems to be a law of mechanical engineering. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3AN 4016 Report post Posted June 1, 2018 (edited) Replacement sump and gasket both landed... sets me up for a fun long weekend! Don't think I'll get back under today and my parents have their 50th wedding anniversary (!) on Saturday so perhaps Sunday afternoon, all day Monday, we'll see. Thanks again to @BimmerShaun for a good deal, easy transaction and fast delivery on the replacement sump, it looks to be in great condition! ? Any thoughts on whether to use any sealant and if so how much and where? The gasket actually has what looks to be a sealing material already applied to each side (the black stuff in the picture). Cheers. The great news is that the difficult to get to bolt into the transmission will just need to be tight (but not too tight) and not specifically torqued as it's not a sealing bolt. Edited June 1, 2018 by M3AN Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BimmerShaun 10 Report post Posted June 2, 2018 Glad I could help! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michael. 2313 Report post Posted June 2, 2018 Anymore pictures of your DIY engine holder made of wood? Loooks interesting! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bradgalbraith 218 Report post Posted June 2, 2018 (edited) With those control arms you just need to whack them with a hammer and they pop right out, no need to heat up etc. Even if you try get a pry bar between them and the subframe a hammer always does the trick. It does have to be directly on top of the ball boint itself though, makes a massive difference. Edited June 3, 2018 by bradgalbraith 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3AN 4016 Report post Posted June 3, 2018 22 hours ago, Michael. said: Anymore pictures of your DIY engine holder made of wood? Loooks interesting! I can take some more no problem. Mark (@sweetm3) made it, it works very well indeed. 16 hours ago, bradgalbraith said: With those control arms you just need to whack them with a hammer and they pop right out, no need to heat up etc. Even if you try get a pet bar between them and the subframe a hammer always does the trick. I did give it a good try, no joy. But as it stands I think I can work around it okay. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_ethrty-Andy_ 2136 Report post Posted June 3, 2018 late to the party sorry, usually just drop the rear exhaust hangers and the transmission subframe so the whole assembly tilts down when i do anything related to the trans/gearbox. Also as above on the control arms, plenty of room for a small club hammer on the exhaust side, you need to be a bit more creative using whats available to you on the intake side. don't use a pry bar between the arm and the subframe, you can damage the ball joint and/or the arm. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3AN 4016 Report post Posted June 7, 2018 Some fine (if not cold) weather and I got the bugger out. After a week sitting there with no bolts it just fell off when I removed the dipstick tube. ? Getting it out around everything was a bit of a jigsaw but not too bad in the end. It would be much easier without an auto tranny and the fluid lines up to the cooler. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3AN 4016 Report post Posted June 13, 2018 (edited) The weather has been miserable and I'm working outside so progress has been slow but I got the replacement sump on and all torqued up on Saturday. Looking forward to a fine afternoon tomorrow when I'm hoping to put it all back together. Found a pro-tip for keeping the gasket in place when putting the sump back in... cable ties! Clip them off after you've put a couple of bolts in to locate it all. Worked a treat. Edit: remember to only put cable ties in places that will be easy to reach after you've mounted the sump! Two at the front on opposite sides as in pic and one at the back on the RHS is enough. Edited June 13, 2018 by M3AN 3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3AN 4016 Report post Posted June 16, 2018 (edited) Hmm, so if I take this from pick-a-part today (I only went for an alternator belt tensioner but these were near mint) and add it to... \ ...this from an abandoned project for the M3: I might be on to something... ? Edited June 16, 2018 by M3AN 3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BimmerShaun 10 Report post Posted June 16, 2018 They are soooooo nice. Wish my local pick-a-part had that sort of stuff laying around 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3AN 4016 Report post Posted June 16, 2018 And there's another set there, in the car right next door which are a little worse for wear and probably a bit damp but for around $80, still a steal! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qube 3570 Report post Posted June 16, 2018 What the hell Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
