Preventative Maintenance: OIL PUMP BOLTS
This is a WARNING to all E38 owners - Check your oil pump to make sure the bolts are secure.
I found out about this potential "problem" with our beautiful 7's from the E38 Message Board. After getting worried enough by all of the horror stories, I took my 7 in and had the oil pan dropped to see if my bolts were lose too. Incidentally, my mechanic thought I was nuts for listening to advice from the board.
When they dropped the pan, everything appeared to be secure, but after removing the chain cover, they discovered 3 bolts were only hand tight!
Drivers Beware! For peace of mind, have your oil pump checked - you could save yourself from a major problem down the road.
This pic shows the view after dropping the oil pan. The three bolts you see are not the bolts that are lose. These three bolts are the bolts for the cover. Remove them to expose the chain...
Here is a pic with the cover off. The yellow circles show two (2) of the three bolts you should be inspecting.
Here is a close up one of the culprit bolts...
Here is a better angle of the second bolt...
And finally, the hidden third bolt, located behind the pump...
Below is a table with the proper torque calibrations for the bolts...
My mechanic called BMWNA to see if they had a specific "fix" to the problem. Not suprisingly, BMWNA denied any knowledge that such a "problem" existed with the E38s. They chalked it up as a unique occurrence. Go figure...
I hope this was helpful. I'm glad I checked on the status of my pump. I sure would hate to suffer severe damage to my 7 that I could have easily prevented.
