i have a friend who had a nervous breakdown in february and is in rehab for a year. his poor wife has two young kids and a house to look after, works full time as an underpaid teacher at my kids' school, and to top it off.... has a needy a 2002 325iT steptronic. she can't afford to have stuff fixed so my wife and i decided to help her out (my wife is my brake bleeding partner
). it was overdue for an oil change and both front brake lines were cracked and rotting (i had noticed this when i replaced both front control arms, FCABs, and tie rods just before my friend was hospitalized).
i heard some clunking when i drove it back to my house and suspected that the left front strut was dead, which i confirmed when i had the wheels off. also when the wheels were off, i noticed the front pads and rotors were nearly done. great.
so i get to work - the oil pan drain bolt had almost zero resistance, and he is what i found when i removed it... well, whatever 'it' is. i'm really surprising it wasn't leaking, because this thing was barely making any kind of a seal at all.
this is why you should change you own oil. i'm assuming the oil change place they brought it to before put this into the oil pan... cause it sure ain't stock:
i spent about 45 minutes looking through fastener bins trying to find something suitable that i could use for an oil pan bolt - it's an M12 x 1.5, which is not really used anywhere on the car except for wheel lug bolts. and that wouldn't work. finally i found one that was the correct thread pitch, but was a bit long - so i stacked 6 thick washers under the head, and then a fresh crush washer, and in it went. i was relieved when it was in and tightened.
the oil filter and new brakes lines went in without drama. whew.
i also found the right front corner light had a lot of condensation in it.... i had a spare so i replaced it, and when i took the old one out (TYC brand - cheap aftermarket crap), look at how much water it had taken on!
all in all, a satisfying repair. as i delivered the car back to her this morning, thinking
how am i going to tell her it needs a front strut and new brakes when she has no money, i realized that hey, i'm going to have some not-yet-dead-and-not-leaking OEM sport front struts and a nearly-new set of 325i rotors and pads from my Touring in a month when i do the drivetrain/brake/suspension swap from the ZHP! a DD's need being met from my swap project - i love it. it truly is better to give than to receive.
happy Tuesday motoring, everyone!
Originally Posted by slater
i have a friend who had a nervous breakdown in february and is in rehab for a year. his poor wife has two young kids and a house to look after, works full time as an underpaid teacher at my kids' school, and to top it off.... has a needy a 2002 325iT steptronic. she can't afford to have stuff fixed so my wife and i decided to help her out (my wife is my brake bleeding partner
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