OIL FILTER SEAL POPPING / SPEWING OIL

[Cyclone101]

lol, I didn't know there was a Port Elizabeth in the USA - weird!

Jacques, you following me around, I'm starting to get nervous :-)

I think it's the other way around. I've bee here a while now

And Preyupy is spot on! That amount of oil pressure could damage much more expensive parts. I would check the oil pump relieve valve first.

Regards

Jacques

[Cyclone101]

..."Never knew there was a Port Elizabeth in Jersey.

Every day I lean more... But I would say since

this is the FAQ, the odds would

be in Jersey's favor. 60/40 ? "

BMW'S have always been 50 / 50 weight balanced

Well, close to it but I see what you did there! lol

[classicman]

If like you said this is a fresh engine and it popped the filter seal first time you started it the oil pressure relief valve was assembled incorrectly. You will have to remove the pan to correct it. I am sure the vent tube was installed upside down. For some reason there has been a lot of that reciently.

Ok, so I finally got down to removing my sump and I removed the pressure relief valve. Attached is a photo of how the valve is assembled. Looks correct to me, but I'm a newby at this one, so if it is wrong, please point me in the right direction......

[KFunk]

What's up with that little spacer of some sort? Did you put it between the pipe and the washer that holds the pipe in place? Maybe I'm misunderstanding things, but I don't see anything like that on the diagrams, and don't remember seeing one in my oil pump....

I don't know where the heck it is supposed to go to, though.

But if for some reason it is mistakenly there, and it causes you to push up the spring and put more pressure on the relief valve piston, then perhaps that'd result in your intermittent problem... when the pressure is really high, it blows the seal, but if pressure is low it gets thru a little bit.

[c.d.iesel]

HERE''S AN UPDATED diagram with currently available part numbers - and the order in which the pressure relief is assembled

[Tommy]

Yea - the second part from right looks extra. It would certainly cause your problem. Any idea how the hell did it end up there?

Tommy

[classicman]

I have a used oil pump at home that looks exactly like the diagrams above, with the large retaining nut that holds the pressure relief valve in the pump.

The pump on my car, however, is different. The whole assembly is held in place by a circlip and not the large retaining nut. That spacer came out of the pump as is, and there is a recess in the housing that accommodates this spacer, so it looks like it is supposed to be there. I can't see why there are the two large holes in the spacer though as they don't line up with any holes in the housing??

The pump is an aftermarket pump listed for the M10 block for the E30 316, 318 and the E12 518's here in South Africa. None of our spares places have the 2002 listed. M10 is M10 though, so this shouldn't make a difference.

[Tommy]

Does the flared part of the pipe and the spring fit through the spacer?

Tommy

[classicman]

No, the spacer stops up against the flare. The washer then stops up against the spacer and then comes the circlip.

[Tommy]

The spacer certainly raises pressure way high. Check the spring length compared to this picture (originally from John A), if ok ditch the spacer and put it together.

Tommy

[c.d.iesel]

the BMW REPAIR MANUAL

states that the spring FREE LENGTH

should be 68mm (2.677")

[KFunk]

I have a used oil pump at home that looks exactly like the diagrams above, with the large retaining nut that holds the pressure relief valve in the pump.

The pump on my car, however, is different. The whole assembly is held in place by a circlip and not the large retaining nut. That spacer came out of the pump as is, and there is a recess in the housing that accommodates this spacer, so it looks like it is supposed to be there. I can't see why there are the two large holes in the spacer though as they don't line up with any holes in the housing??

The pump is an aftermarket pump listed for the M10 block for the E30 316, 318 and the E12 518's here in South Africa. None of our spares places have the 2002 listed. M10 is M10 though, so this shouldn't make a difference.

The large retaining nut style one is likely the original oil pump.... they changed styles, and now you can only get the one with the circlip. I kind of like the older style better, since its more rigid, and less easy to screw up....

I tried looking up an E30 316 on bimmer.com, and the parts diagram looks the same as the ones we're looking at (It doesn't show the spacer).

Whether its the same exact pump, I don't know. But I'd definitely research it a little more, and test fit stuff to see if things would hold in place without the spacer....

[Tommy]

Maybe BMW specs minimum length for used spring? At least spring from my new pump matched to that dimension few years ago.

Tommy

[classicman]

Ok, so I took the spacer out, all 16mm of it. I have no idea how this got there, must have come from the factory like this. Scary.

I measured the total length and free-play on the old pressure relief valve as well as the new on now without the spacer, and the lengths are the same and there is 2mm more free-play on the new set up installed over the old one. Hopefuly this won't result in reduced oil pressure.

I'd like to fit a pressure gauge to make sure though. There is an oil feed pipe off the oil filter housing that goes to the KF pump. Would it be feasible to put a T-piece in here for the oil pressure sender unit?

[c.d.iesel]

no - do not remove the injection pump oil feed line

take your oil pressure reading by removing the Low Pressure

warning switch next to the distributor and tap your test gauge there.