[shauny2times]

nice diy..

 

[tomkocz]

good diy but where are the pictures?

 

[TR4G-]

thanks for the DIY!

I am going to tackle this and my oil change at once!

EDIT

woah! pelican parts has oil filter kits (filter washer plus gasket) for 6.50 each!!! sounds like a deal

 

[johnca]

Thanks For sharing :thumbsup:

 

[dan92neale330ci]

sounds simple enough

 

[haurelio]

yeah it looks pretty straight forward. the stupid light is so annoying. I already bought the new sensor will do this weekend.

 

[valkcampbell82]

help

ok i have replaced the sensor as u have shown and the car still wont start. if the fuses 15 an 30 are good can i unplug the sensor and the car run? other sites i have found say that if those fuses are good then the sensor plug is bad but the car will work without it, are they right. i need help ASAP

 

[ddaniel1]

ok i have replaced the sensor as u have shown and the car still wont start. if the fuses 15 an 30 are good can i unplug the sensor and the car run? other sites i have found say that if those fuses are good then the sensor plug is bad but the car will work without it, are they right. i need help ASAP

valkcampbell82, recommend you start a new post with your exact symptoms and what you have done so far, this DIY forum is very good but you will get more traffic in the General forum, lots of people willing to help but this is pretty vague, did the car start before you changed the sensor?

 

[modular93fox]

wow, cant believe somone needed a how to for this.. lol

 

[tristero]

This may be a dumb question, but has anyone looked at their oil level sensor after replacing it to see if sludge or grime in their oil at the bottom of the oil pan there caused the malfunction, rather than an actual electrical problem inside the sensor?

Note: All this applies to my experience with a 1995 525 with an m50 engine. Very similar engine. Very different car.

The oil-level sensor was doing funky things. Lighting up after starting, then going out. Flashing after corners. etc. There was a huge mess of oil on the bottom of the engine, and it sure looked like it was coming from this sensor; but to be honest, I think that the oil pan gasket, dipstick o-ring, and OFHG were ALL leaking on that engine. Leak amounted to no more than a drip or two on the driveway, but it was really seeping out all over the underside of that car. I couldn't identify the source even with flourescent dye, because it would just seep everywhere.

Anyway, the oil was seeping up the wire harness, and into the connector. I would clean this out, and the behavior would go away. Then it would come back in a week or two.

I actually thought that the oil was leaking out where the wires came out of the sensor: but this was NOT the case.

Does anyone have a DIY on this--I need to replace my oil pan gasket too.

@hk_e46: I heard it is quite a PITA. I have read around that not only do you have to remove this, but also the front subframe. Some have been able to do it without removing this subframe but they do mention something about lifting the engine about an inch or two, which would require an engine support or cherry picker. I probably would not quite trust the engine support seeing how the weight of the engine is still kept on the car. It would be nice to have a DIY with pictures though.

Pelican has a DIY. http://www.pelicanparts.com/BMW/tec...Pan-Gasket/101-Projects-19-Oil-Pan-Gasket.htm (but it's more for the e36).

What I did was to unbolt the two motor mounts. Since I was replacing all these other gaskets, I also removed the intake, to get better access to everything (and to clean the oil off, as well). Some may consider this overkill.

I also had to unbolt the transmission mounts and (auto) trans fluid cooler lines (kept them connected, but unbolted the mounts). (this is a great opportunity to refresh your motor and transmission mounts, if they need it).

I put a jack under the motor support (passenger-side), and used that to raise the engine; about 5-6". I actually removed the whole motor support on the driver's side, to get better access to clean, and the pan bolts, and really, to get a better shot in re-installing the dipstick tube, because the path through the mount was at a funny angle, and I was afraid I'd nick the new o-ring trying to press it into place.

Was it a PITA? Yes. But I did not need a cherry-picker, engine hoist, or support.

I have read varying accounts on whether this technique is doable on an e46. I think that it probably is not, and that you probably DO need to lower (not remove) the subframe. But I'm new to the e46 (other than my fuel pump) and have not really taken anything in the engine compartment yet.

 

[jmgary3]

Thanks!

Thank you for this DYI. My first, one week into ownership of a 2001 325ci. Great stuff!

 

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