Ticking then Death

[BMRMike]

I was driving my car away from the place I got new tires, and I heard a ticking noise that went with the engine (got faster as I sped up). I wanted to pull over but was on a stretch of road with no where to do that. Within a quarter mile my engine started stalling and finally completely died. After getting it towed the only thing I know is it has 0 oil pressure but not bone dry.  Is it the bolt issue?  Have I lost my car?  I'm a little terrified and desperate

[DesktopDave]

How do you know it has zero oil pressure? If the motor is siezed up, it'll be time for some machine work. A used motor mihgt be a better idea. Any M42 up to '95 should work, with varying numbers of parts to be swapped over.

[BMRMike]

Well right after it died, allstate had it towed to a Pepboys and I decided to spend 80 bucks hoping they would tell me something interesting.  All they could tell me is that the oil pressure ran out and then they broke my key.

[DesktopDave]

That sucks. I'd be inclined to drain the oil, remove the lower pan, then look to see if the upper pan bolts are missing or loose. You might be able to see the lip of the gasket too. Use some permatex blue thread locker to reinstall them, and don't over-torque them. IIRC spec is only 20 ft-lb.

If the motor hasn't gone too many miles bone-dry, it might actually run again once you restore full oil pressure. Even if it does, I wouldn't trust it, and it'll require an overhaul regardless. Those bearings can't run dry for long under load.

New main bearing sets are available from BMW and other suppliers, but that's a pretty involved job especially if the crank journals are damaged. It's likely easier to swap in a low-mileage used motor.