| ineedabrew |
Posted
Sunday, Sep 24th 3:48am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Member
Post nr. 1
Stone Mountain, GA
1979 BMW 323i |
Just curious if someone could give me tips on removing my crankshaft nut to replace the crankshaft oil seal. No problems with the camshaft seal, but how the heck do you keep the shaft from turning when loosening the nut. I've tried just about everything. And it is counterclockwise to loosen, right? Not sure if they used a reverse thread. How stinking tight to they torque these to??
Thanks ahead of time..
Jason |
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| Waferman |
Posted
Sunday, Sep 24th 4:14am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Member
Post nr. 14
Oregon
78 320i, 83 320iS |
Cant you put your car in top gear and put on the e-brake? |
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| ineedabrew |
Posted
Sunday, Sep 24th 4:56am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Member
Post nr. 2
Stone Mountain, GA
1979 BMW 323i |
I tried putting it in first gear and setting the brake but the car would creap just enough to not break the bolt loose. I will try a higher gear..maybe that is the trick. |
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| jayona |
Posted
Sunday, Sep 24th 6:19am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Member
Post nr. 9
Colorado, USA
E21 |
you know i was told to put a breaker bar on the socket to the crank, have it rest on the wheel well and "bump" the engine. that is, try to start it. VERY dangerous in my opinion but i managed after wrapping and laying the bar in heavy towels. Try it the right way and ask a bmw tech to loan you the tool that locks down the flywheel. good luck |
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| imaradiostar |
Posted
Sunday, Sep 24th 3:05pm [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Member
Post nr. 875
Nashville, TN
81 323i, 82 525i, 85 524td, 90 535i |
it's a two man operation- "big ass pliers" on the crank adapter and a large breaker bar/pipe on the bolt. It's a normal CCW to loosen type bolt. It helps to position the pliers so that they get tighter as you apply more force with the breaker bar. I usually let the pliers rest against the frame somewhere and just hold on tight!
jamie |
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| BruceH |
Posted
Sunday, Sep 24th 3:43pm [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Member
Post nr. 1016
Atlanta, GA USA
81 323 Baur, 85 745 |
Jason,
You are Stone Mountain? Wil Bryant is in Duluth and I am in Suwanee. Get some pix of your 323 up!
Bruce |
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| aussie323i |
Posted
Sunday, Sep 24th 3:57pm [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Member
Post nr. 524
australia
1979 323i |
hmmm... you do realise the bolt is torqued to 400Nm don't you (295 lbf ft if you don't think metric!  )
When I first removed the nut from my motor (it had obviously never been moved from new) It took a extension bar on the breaker about 1 metre long for it to break!!
I held the fly wheel with some 'big ass pliers' as jamie suggested 
good luck.... but it is a known PITA as a home job!! |
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| ineedabrew |
Posted
Sunday, Sep 24th 5:24pm [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Member
Post nr. 3
Stone Mountain, GA
1979 BMW 323i |
Hey thanks guys for the input. I have had a good bit of oil down the front of the engine. Most of it obviously from the cam seal...I am wondering if I should just leave the crank seal alone until I am sure it is a source of oil. Since it is such a PITA! I will get some pics up! I have seen posts about it being difficult to have stay put once removed...... |
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| ineedabrew |
Posted
Monday, Sep 25th 3:17am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Member
Post nr. 4
Stone Mountain, GA
1979 BMW 323i |
Finally got the thing off. Pair of vice grips on the collar washer ahead of the bolt. Clamped that on as tight as I could and swung it so it would lay on the side of the ac compressor. 3 ft breaker bar and about 80 lbs of force broke it loose! All seals replaced but, what a PITA!
Thanks for the help,
Jason |
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| imaradiostar |
Posted
Monday, Sep 25th 6:13am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Member
Post nr. 876
Nashville, TN
81 323i, 82 525i, 85 524td, 90 535i |
Good stuff! I hate to mention it now but if you didn't replace the paper gasket behind the aluminum front cover you might seriously consider it as I've seen it be the main source of oil on some cars. You can even use a small chunk cut from another oil pan gasket at the bottom edge if the original oil pan gasket is in bad shape.
Don't forget the intermediate shaft seal or the tiny o-ring on the cam seal housing!
jamie |
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| usang36 |
Posted
Monday, Sep 25th 8:41pm [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Member
Post nr. 19
Oregon
78 320i, 83 320iS |
Have you ever seen oil leak past the distributor drive housing? On my new rebuild I thought that it was the head leaking oil down the outside of cyl 4 but now it looks like the drive housing is leaking instead... |
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| imaradiostar |
Posted
Tuesday, Sep 26th 7:41am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Member
Post nr. 877
Nashville, TN
81 323i, 82 525i, 85 524td, 90 535i |
not an uncommon place to leak- on the big sixes there is a special washer toward the pass side that has rubber around the inside since that one bolt hole is exposed to oil pressure- it's the top rightmost hole. I dunno if it's the same on the m10 but I assume so. I can check tomorrow at work since I've got a 2002 head on my bench right now for teardown (I still have to take pics and post about my $150 rust-free 2002 with a cracked head).
You could slide a 10mm gearwrench down there and make sure all of the bolts are tight. If you don't own a gearwrench then shame on you- go order a set on the internet or run out to lowes and pick some up, I promise you won't regret it! Last I checked they (lowes) were selling an 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19 set for well under 100 bucks.
jamie |
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| usang36 |
Posted
Wednesday, Sep 27th 7:52pm [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Member
Post nr. 20
Oregon
78 320i, 83 320iS |
Thats what I wanted for xmas last year, but that required that a certian SO go to Sears and buy them, so she got me something else I dont remember...
The washer you spoke of isnt leaking, it may be the bottom of the housing I was thinking. I am afraid to tighten too much becase I had to tap a hole there once all ready and I dont want to strip another...I will try to tighten a little though. I was also thinking it is the head gasket leaking down the corner there. I cant tell for sure  It is coming up on it's 500 mile re torque after the rebuild, so hopefully that will solve it.
John |
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| imaradiostar |
Posted
Thursday, Sep 28th 12:24am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Member
Post nr. 879
Nashville, TN
81 323i, 82 525i, 85 524td, 90 535i |
yeah, leakage at the back of the head is pretty common too. My last e28 did that and it still does- one of my coworkers is driving it now. My current daily drive e34 has a coolant leak in that area- seems like a weak spot on these engines.
jamie |
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