Gonna have a fun weekend need help

[Numark318i]

So tomarow ima go to the stealership and get a new oil pan gasket, valve cover gasket, new sway bar rods for the front(forgot the name..the ones that connect the bar to the control arm) and bushings for that.

Im getting all sotck parts cause i dont want to deal with orderign parts and getting PU bushings for my slightly odd sized front bar.

This all because my valve cover has a seep that thicker oil wont get rid of, same with the oil pan gasket.

Sway bar parts because the bushings seem a little worn, and i read that changing them might help with the shaking in my steering wheel.(all balanced and aligned)

so..any advice?

-Other parts i might need.
-How hard will it be to change the oil pan gasket.
-Any glue i should get for the gaskets.
-what toque for the bolts.
-any other concerns?

[e30_slideways]

pelicanparts.com
i get almost all my replacement parts there. cheap and fast shipping.
faster for you since your are in CA.
autozone or advance auto parts is good if not better for gaskets and random crap. cheaper too. obviously

oil pan gaskets are a huge bitch!! some have to drop the subframe to do it and thats not easy!! there is not alot of room down there to work. my brother did his e30 by draining the oil, taking off all the bolts, cleaning the surfaces, installed the gasket w/ some silicon gasket maker, and bolted it back in. the kicker... he never removed the pan completely, he just let it rest on the subframe.

dont use "glue" for gaskets, gasket sprays are ok, but not necessary. dont even worry about it, just use a clean rag and some brake parts cleaner to clean the surfaces. brake clean is cheap and evaporates 100% after a few moments. its gold!! buy a case of it!

if you have shaking in the steering wheel try this. jack up on side of the car and shake the wheel that is off the ground, does it shake or have some play in it? yes, time for new wheel bearings. No, check your sway links and tighten them.

other than that, you should be good.

[mzbmw325i]

oil pan gasket...a nightmare, it took me and my dad the whole day just to do this task and the left control arm. well we never had done it before and it took us by surprise.

i have an automatic, so the inner end of the pan goes under the front of the tranny, you have to remove that cover in order to remove the inner screws of the pan, i never imagined it would be so time consuming... then the pan is a pain pulling out (if u r to pull it out) the front of the pan hits the engine, and not much room at all

all i can say is good luck an do let us know how it went, and what steps u took

e30_slideways

your brother must be a magician to manage to replace the gasket without taking out the pan any secrets to that, not that i will be replacing a gasket any time soon on my car again

[c1apton]

2 things to add to your list:

Black RTV (gasket sealer)
RED locktite - so bolts don't vibrate out - small bottle/tube lasts longtime

[nick_318is]

You might want to consider that the dealer wont have the parts on hand.

[karlow]

Caution Red LocTite is perminate!
You will need to shake the wheels up & down, and right to left.
This will help you determine if the problem is a bearing, ball joints, tie-rod end, or the rack. If you are going to use RTV, there must be no oil! It will not setup if it is contaminated with oil before it cures.
This is not the type of job you will want to do twice!


KP
Wrench On!

[Numark318i]

..heh funny thing is i made this thread a while back.

although i do plan on changing the oil pan gasket. and yea, i prolly need to order the part, 2 days.

[e30_slideways]

if you are worried about oil and contaminants, get a clean cloth rag and a can of brake parts cleaner. it will dissolve oils and dries with no residue.

I have a case of this stuff, a must for e30 owners!!