[mad1stgen]

Originally Posted by Mantraxalos

Maybe this is something I'll have to look into temporarily for my 330i. Someone mentioned to do it after draining oil and letting it sit. I'd probably try and do it that way. Thanks for keeping us up to date.

Please don't.

In fact, PM me. I'll make you a crazy deal on replacing the OPG the correct way seeing as you appear local to me. Anything to avoid this

[slowcar]

Originally Posted by mad1stgen

Please don't.

In fact, PM me. I'll make you a crazy deal on replacing the OPG the correct way seeing as you appear local to me. Anything to avoid this

whats a "crazy deal"?

[Efthreeoh]

I'd spend $1,500 to fix a $4,000 E90. A new equivalent sports sedan is now $40,000 minimum. And actually there is no modern equivalent to an E90, so that justifies it more.

[CTinline-six]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

I'd spend $1,500 to fix a $4,000 E90. A new equivalent sports sedan is now $40,000 minimum. And actually there is no modern equivalent to an E90, so that justifies it more.

+1

[Welcome to NBA Jam]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

I'd spend $1,500 to fix a $4,000 E90. A new equivalent sports sedan is now $40,000 minimum. And actually there is no modern equivalent to an E90, so that justifies it more.

Heck I think an indy can knock this job out for even cheaper. I've seen prices as low as $600.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by Welcome to NBA Jam

Heck I think an indy can knock this job out for even cheaper. I've seen prices as low as $600.

They probably follow the most excellent DIY on subject in the E90 Post DIY subforum.

"Best on the internet"

[rick100]

lets see how long it lasts...

even if its lasts a long time , it would be a nightmare trying to sell this car, unless someone doesnt bother to look underneath the car . I guess if you plan on keeping this car forever then who cares.

but u gotta do what u gotta do when money is tight

[CTinline-six]

Originally Posted by rick100

lets see how long it lasts...

even if its lasts a long time , it would be a nightmare trying to sell this car, unless someone doesnt bother to look underneath the car . I guess if you plan on keeping this car forever then who cares.

but u gotta do what u gotta do when money is tight

If money is tight I would just keep topping off the oil as needed instead of spraying RTV underneath the car and making a giant mess that will cause more headache to fix later.

[slowcar]

Originally Posted by Welcome to NBA Jam

Heck I think an indy can knock this job out for even cheaper. I've seen prices as low as $600.

$600 is a steal.

$1000 or 6+ hrs is when I start to get creative.

[Michaluk_E92]

I actually did the same thing on my car! I thought i was the only one! My excuse is i had a newborn and a pregnant wife, so time and money was limited. So far so good about 10k+ on the permatex spray sealant fix.

Edit: I should add, I found most of the bolts were loose, so after an initial clean of the whole gasket and bolt area with acetone in a spray bottle, I took the bolts out individually and cleaned each one and the bolt hole then used loctite 242 ( blue stuff ). Then tighted each one back down. No need for new bolt and the silly torque and angle procedure. loctite took care of that. Then I followed the instructions on the permatex spray sealant bottle. Honestly I wasn't sure this was going to work and fully expected to have replace the gasket properly, but to my surprise it has worked. I have checked the bolts when doing an oil change and they are still tight.

[oVeRdOsE.]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

I'd spend $1,500 to fix a $4,000 E90. A new equivalent sports sedan is now $40,000 minimum. And actually there is no modern equivalent to an E90, so that justifies it more.

this !

Even if my 3500$ clean e91 cost 3500$ in repair , still better than a 30k$ brand new hyundai elantra mid-loaded.

[Michaluk_E92]

Originally Posted by AdM1nsarEas$

put ur flame suit on boss

Yea, I have this condition where I don't care what people think.

[ryan stewart]

Originally Posted by CTinline-six

If money is tight I would just keep topping off the oil as needed instead of spraying RTV underneath the car and making a giant mess that will cause more headache to fix later.

Yeah that is what I do and its not really money being tight, Im just lazy. Its like a half liter between changes so I just keep an open bottle in the back and when I think about it I check the level and top it off. Mine isnt to the point of leaving a drip on the floor, it seems to just turn into a gel on the pan as it dries out from wind.

As for spending $1000 on a $3500 car. I never understood the logic of treating a car as a financial instrument. Youre spending $1000 on transportation. And if the car is paid off then you are doing what? Spending a thousand on likely at least 10,000 trouble free miles. That is still a LOT cheaper than buying another car and making payments AND taking depreciation.

[Bimmer_Engineer]

Originally Posted by ryan stewart

Yeah that is what I do and its not really money being tight, Im just lazy. Its like a half liter between changes so I just keep an open bottle in the back and when I think about it I check the level and top it off. Mine isnt to the point of leaving a drip on the floor, it seems to just turn into a gel on the pan as it dries out from wind.

As for spending $1000 on a $3500 car. I never understood the logic of treating a car as a financial instrument. Youre spending $1000 on transportation. And if the car is paid off then you are doing what? Spending a thousand on likely at least 10,000 trouble free miles. That is still a LOT cheaper than buying another car and making payments AND taking depreciation.

I agree with this logic. I don't make payments on it and at this point it's pretty much done depreciating. So the money I spend at this point is on fun to drive and reasonably fast transportation. It's way cheaper than buying a comparable late model car that runs 0-60 in 4.5 seconds.

[DustinWilson]

Originally Posted by porsche959

Had surprising success with a ghetto fab fix (permatex spray sealant). Was leaking about a tablespoon of oil every night from the rear, passenger corner of the oil pan (common leak). 120k miles, 6speed 325i.

Too cheap to spend 50% of the cars value on an oil pan gasket repair, too lazy to do it myself.

Before this, I tried every quick fix in the book - thicker oil, engine gasket sealer, atp stuff, etc. nothing worked.


1) make sure bolts are tight - mine were slightly loose but still leaked after torquing down.

2) buy this shit: https://www.permatex.com/products/adhesives-sealants/sealants/permatex-spray-sealant-leak-repair/

3) spray down area with brake cleaner multiple times ( I used 2 cans)

4) liberally spray area with spray sealer, I did 5-6 coats (full can). 1 min dry time between coats. Make sure you spray everything around the area, but be careful because this stuff will get everywhere and it’s ugly. It’s like a spitting goo out of a can, you’ll see. You want to make sure to get the bolts, gasket and slightly above the gasket so it can drip into the gasket area. Make sure to cover anything you don’t want goo on (ie the serpentine belt).

5) problem fixed

Maybe I’ll share some pics of how ugly but effective it is. Depends on demand. Gotta get under the car.





Edit for pics

You can see the white/clear goo everywhere. It looks Wet but is dry.

IF YOU CARE ABOUT UNDERBODY CLEANLINESS THIS IS NOT FOR YOU. Pony up the $1.2k or 13hrs and do the real job. I don’t give a shit about the underbody and run without the [...]

Any update 5.5 years later? lol. Curious how this held up

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by DustinWilson

Any update 5.5 years later? lol. Curious how this held up

The OP got banned a long time ago so he'll not respond.

He was a hack who experimented with crazy repairs on the N52. He was on a road trip in Virginia some years ago, pre-covid. His car broke down near me in my county in Virginia. It ended up being towed to a repair shop that was owned at the time by I guy I know. I saw the OP's car and it was a hacked POS. The engine blew, rod bearing IIRC. The OP abandoned it. The shop had it picked up by an auto recycler.

[lowrydr310]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

The OP got banned a long time ago so he'll not respond.

He was a hack who experimented with crazy repairs on the N52. He was on a road trip in Virginia some years ago, pre-covid. His car broke down near me in my county in Virginia. It ended up being towed to a repair shop that was owned at the time by I guy I know. I saw the OP's car and it was a hacked POS. The engine blew, rod bearing IIRC. The OP abandoned it. The shop had it picked up by an auto recycler.

How the hell do you blow a rod bearing on a N52? Maybe that coating on the inside of the engine flaked off and caused the bearings to fail

[EwenMac]

Thanks for the update, for one at 72 years of age who just spent 8 hours doing this job

I’m happy I did

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by lowrydr310

How the hell do you blow a rod bearing on a N52? Maybe that coating on the inside of the engine flaked off and caused the bearings to fail

[sonofsun]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

I'd spend $1,500 to fix a $4,000 E90. A new equivalent sports sedan is now $40,000 minimum. And actually there is no modern equivalent to an E90, so that justifies it more.

Totally a no brainer. Particularly in 2026 when new cars break down before 100k miles and are unfixable or need exclusive tools kept only by the stealers.

Lot of people don't do the math about EMI payments and insurance costs. They simply look at the residual value for resale which can be quite misleading.

If people want to give away their hard earned money to banks, dealers, car companies and insurance companies, who can stop them?

[whyzee125]

I've never understood the logic of people who won't put any money into maintaining a good car but will happily go finance a new car that's built cheaper, is depreciating, will still need maintenance, plus a monthly payment.

Baffles my brain

[Cloverdale]

Suspect the Permatex spray would work well on a radiator crack!