Oil Pan Game: Help Confirm Part

[kimmerkaze]

Hey everyone,

Not a frequent poster but have been gaining a lot of knowledge reading through threads here.

I have a '91 318is. I had some cooling issues last year with some vacuum hose cracks. Although my coolant level stabilized after bleeding (replaced rad - another story), I still wanted piece of mind so decided to do HG and all other gasket replacements over the winter.

Well...here's one of my first surprises. Took out the lower oil pan and found 2 objects:

1) Upper oil pan internal bolt - no big deal not too worried
2) Valve stem collet!?!? - WTF



I've found out PO had someone do similar job to what I'm doing now. Gasket's I've been removing seem relatively fresh still, which is good.

However, just wanted opinions about #2, valve collet. I've removed camshafts and confirmed all collets are there and installed just fine.

Do you think someone just accidentally dropped it through an oil gallery while doing some valve work previously? Any concerns I should have?

Thanks

[bmwman91]

Wow, that's a first!

This motor is very vocal when pistons & valves make contact, so unless it sounds like a diesel engine when it runs, you are most likely fine. If you were able to visually confirm that all of the collet halves were present & accounted for in the head, then you can probably chock this up to a careless mechanic.

My advice is to pick up one of these:
http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-1798-magnetic-oil-drain-plug-for-most-bmws.aspx

When my timing chain deflector sprocket blew out, this sucker neatly collected up all of the loose ball bearings. It also helps to pull all of the ferrous filing waste out of the oil during normal operation, which can help lengthen bearing life.

Anyway, glad you caught this stuff. The collet could have ended up in the oil pump (the screen on the pickup is virtually worthless). That upper pan bolt can now go back in, with some thread locker (I'd apply some to its neighbors too), and you should be good to go!

[kimmerkaze]

Yeah I ran 20k on it before doing all this work so I had doubts it'd actually be missing. Just wanted to confirm though for some better sleep at night! haha

Upper oil pan is all out so definitely some threadlocker going on those when I put it back in.

Question for you bmwman91, do you have a recommended sealant or something I should be very lightly applying to HG when I put it back in? When I pulled everything apart there's this sort of clear gelatinous residue all around profile gasket and HG. I wonder if previous person working on engine used something. I plan on using a bit of RTV sealant when I put back oil pan and VC gaskets. Not sure if I should use that for HG.

Maybe I'll post up some more HG and oil pan gasket replacement pics in case anyone needs more references in the future...(whenever I get some time!)

[bmwman91]

As far as I am aware, nothing is supposed to be used on the head gasket. Hopefully someone else can chime in there. Permatex makes this stuff which supposedly is used with HG's.
http://www.permatex.com/products/Automotive/automotive_gasketing/gasket_sealants/auto_Permatex_Copper_Spray-A-Gasket_Hi-Temp_Adhesive_Sealant.htm

For the rubber profile gasket, I always use Permatex Ultra Black RTV sealant. It resists various automotive fluids, and can deal with high temperatures, all while not hurting the rubber.
http://www.permatex.com/products/Automotive/automotive_gasketing/gasket_makers/auto_Permatex_Ultra_Black_Maximum_Oil_Resistance_RTV_Silicone_Gasket_Maker.htm

For paper gaskets, I almost always use Permatex spray-a-gasket. It is good because it is high-temp, won't dissolve in oil or coolant, does not cure hard (remains tacky) and the spray version lets you get a nice thin coating.
http://www.permatex.com/products/Automotive/automotive_gasketing/gasket_sealants/auto_Permatex_High_Tack_Spray-A-Gasket_Sealant.htm

And of course, there are plenty of folks that use none at all. It is HIGHLY recommended on the profile gasket since it almost always leaks where the two halves meet, but some people use dry paper gaskets & have no issues.

[monty23psk]

As per BMW factory repair manual, profile gasket at the joint and valver cover gasket at the rear will need sealant. They take different versions due to heat but you can find equivalent in the more household US brands. First time I rebuilt engine, I didnt use any sealants and had no leaks. This time around decided to use it as I read it in the manual.

[exocet]

Hi all,
I've just found a valve collet in my oil pan too :eek: :



I hope it's because of a careless mechanic too !