The it was supposed to be just an oil pan gasket project

So what was supposed to be just an oil pan gasket snowballed into a 3 week "while I'm in there" project.

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We want to keep this car for a really long time so I thought it would be a good idea to address a few weak points on the car.
The oil pan removal was pretty strait forward: move a bunch of stuff out of the way do the oil pan can be removed.
I got an engine support bar from Harbor Freight for around $60 after using a 25% coupon.

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It worked really well and a good solid unit.

Partial pile of parts to go in

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Parts removal pile is growing

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Dropped the crossmember onto a floor jack and unbolted the the steering rack. It was much easier this way. I supported the rack with some bungies. I didn't remove the steering column joints ( thanks for the tip Vas)

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I completely removed the crossmember with the lower control arms still attached.

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I was amazed that after 141k hard miles, my lower control arms were in almost perfect shape with no real play in any of the joints. I probably could of gotten another 40k out of them but they're getting replaced because... While I'm in there...
Also, my motor mounts were in perfect shape. I was really surprised by this. I thought for sure after all the milage, hard driving, track day and drag strip runs that they'd be shot. They're getting replaced too.

oil pump removed:

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I replaced the oil pump with a rebuilt Achilles Motorsports pump. This pump a new shaft & sprocket that is keyed differently. It also uses a bolt instead of a nut and is driller for safety wire.


I thought I had some pics of the new pump installed but I don't

This is the famous oil pump nut. Mine wasn't loose at all and took a normal amount of effort to remove.

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This shaft sometimes shears off too.

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You can see the original oil pump and sprocket hanging down in this pic. Replacement is just like replacing any other part. You just need to prime the pump with oil before installing it.

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As long as the oil pan was out, I decided to install a baffle.
Here's the original baffle

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I drilled out the rivets and pryed it off.

Test fitting the VAC baffle

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I had a few issues getting it to fit properly but when I sent it to the machine shop for hot tank and welding, it fit perfectly. I have no idea what I was doing wrong

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Reinstallation of the oil pan was uneventful. There were two bolts/holes that I had to retap. I used a BMW gasket and used standard Silicone goo to seal up the seams in the front and back where the timing chain cover joins the block. I forget what the seam is in the back.

More to come...

Nice job man :) Glad to hear you got it done in your garage

Damn, that's a lot of great stuff! Sounds like the car will last you a long time.

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Originally Posted by Vas

Nice job man :) Glad to hear you got it done in your garage

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Yea it was pretty rough laying on the garage floor in 100 degree heat. I needed to get it buttoned up before San got here to swap exhausts so there were several 2 am nights. At least it was a bit cooler then. It was tough working round the twins schedule. I usually didn't get started until after 9 at night

Most Excellent work!! I hear ya on the 100 degree garage heat. I spent the weekend out in the garage working on my car. The heat really wears you down after awhile. [emoji45]

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Originally Posted by Sockethead

Yea it was pretty rough laying on the garage floor in 100 degree heat. I needed to get it buttoned up before San got here to swap exhausts so there were several 2 am nights. At least it was a bit cooler then. It was tough working round the twins schedule. I usually didn't get started until after 9 at night

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Sounds just as bad as me doing it outside on black asphalt lol.

No leaks to report?

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Originally Posted by WOLFN8TR

Most Excellent work!! I hear ya on the 100 degree garage heat. I spent the weekend out in the garage working on my car. The heat really wears you down after awhile. [emoji45]

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It sure does. I just took my time and a couple of fans going. That alone made a big difference. It was hard keeping the sweat from dripping on everything. I was pretty much soaking wet

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Originally Posted by Vas

Sounds just as bad as me doing it outside on black asphalt lol.

No leaks to report?

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Black asphalt is much worse! At least my garage floor is perfectly smooth, cool concrete.

No leaks! I was pretty paranoid about that; thinking about the nightmare of taking everything apart again...

Nice work Rob. So when does fi come into play?

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Originally Posted by Johnmadd

Nice work Rob. So when does fi come into play?

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IDK. I really wanted to use the Technique Tuning Turbo but Nick G has lost interest in the e46. There isn't anyone else doing a turbo kit and I don't have the time or resources to build one from scratch (which is what Kristen wants me to do). The ESS TS2 is out of production for the time being.
Those two kits, in my opinion, are the only two kits out there that are worth the price so FI is pretty much on hold for the time being.