Pallet — removal and installation (BMW 3 Series E46)

Note: Installation will require a new gasket, new dipstick tube seal and sealant.

Removal

1. Remove the engine crankcase guard from under the engine. Drain the oil from the engine (see chapter 1).

2. Apply the parking brake, raise the front of the vehicle and place it on secure supports.

3. Remove the front body reinforcement from under the engine (Fig. 12.3). The bolts that secured the reinforcement can be thrown away - they must be replaced with new ones during assembly.



4. Remove the generator cooling duct from the front.

5. Remove the air cleaner (see chapter 4A).

6. To remove the pan, you need to lower the front subframe, which requires supporting the engine. Attach a lifting device sling to the engine lifting eye and pull the engine up so that its weight is removed from the supports.

7. On an automatic transmission model, disconnect the oil lines from the transmission pan. Be prepared for oil leakage.

8. Unscrew the mounting bolt, disconnect the oil return hose from the separator and pull the oil dipstick tube out of the pan (Fig. 12.8). Remove the sealing ring from the tube. The ring must be replaced during installation.





9. Set the front wheels to the straight-ahead position and lock the steering column. Mark the relative positions of the steering shaft coupling flange and the steering gear pinion. Unscrew the coupling clamp bolt and pull the coupling off the pinion (Fig. 12.9). Obviously, while the pinion is disconnected from the steering column, neither the steering wheel nor the front wheels should be turned.



10. Remove the accessory drive belt as shown in chapter 1.

11. At the rear of the power steering pump, remove the support bracket bolts, then remove the bolts securing the pump support bracket to the alternator support bracket, remove the pump and move it to the side without disconnecting the hoses from it. Tie the pump to something. Do not strain the hoses.



12. Loosen the engine mounting nuts to the right and left supports on the subframe. Raise the engine by 10-15 mm. Make sure that the rear side of the cylinder head does not crush the brake system pipes running along the engine bulkhead.

13. Unhook all hoses and wires attached to the tray.

14. Remove the bolts and disconnect the left and right lower suspension arm brackets from the chassis (fig. 12.14).



15. Remove the anti-roll bar tightening bolts (if necessary, see chapter 10).

16. Support the subframe with a jack-trolley, unscrew the bolts securing the subframe to the body and lower the subframe, being careful not to tear the power steering hoses (fig. 12.16). Remove the rubber block between the pan and the subframe (if there is one).



17. Gradually unscrew all the sump mounting bolts. Keep in mind that the rear sump mounting bolts can be unscrewed through the holes in the transmission housing (fig. 12.17). Also keep in mind that the three lower transmission-to-engine mounting bolts will also need to be removed as they are threaded into the oil pan.





18. Lower the tray.

19. Remove the pan gasket

Installation

20. Thoroughly clean the mating surfaces of the oil pan and engine crankcase.

21. Apply a small amount of Drei Bond 1209 sealant to the cylinder head contact surfaces of the rear crankshaft oil seal housing and the front timing chain cover (fig. 12.21).



22. Place the gasket on the pan flange.

23. Install the pan in place, making sure that the gasket does not move. Screw in the pan mounting bolts and tighten them only by hand for now.

24. Gradually tighten the pan bolts to the specified torque.

25. Tighten the transmission-to-engine and oil pan mounting bolts to the specified torque.

26. Otherwise, installation is carried out in the reverse order of removal, taking into account the following notes.

• a) When lifting the subframe, be careful not to pinch any hoses, tubes or wires.
• b) Replace the subframe and front amplifier mounting bolts with new ones.
• c) Tighten the engine mount nuts securely.
• d) Install and tension the accessory drive belt as described in Chapter 1.
• d) Before installing the dipstick tube, replace the sealing ring on it.
• e) Fill the engine with oil as indicated in chapter 1.
• g) On models with automatic transmission, check the transmission fluid level as described in Chapter 7B.