[rumdiy]

Hi Team

I'm undertaking the e90 325i oil pan gasket diy. I have the subframe lowered but before i start unbolting the oil pan, i noticed oil return hose connection to oil pan. N52 with 330i and 325i seems to have this setup. I didn't see that in many of the e90 DIYs on youtubes.

I checked with OEM diagram and indeed there is a oil return hose connection to oil pan. Question for the ones who went through this:

1) How do you take out the hose from under the car? i tried squeezing the damn thing but it doesn't budge and there is no room. I have done similar method to remove the vent pipe when i did valve cover gasket and worked fine as there was some space. Here it's really really tight.

2) Is it possible to remove it AFTER removing the aluminum bolts by dropping the pan slightly to have better reach? Or do i need to do it BEFORE.

3) I saw an e60 525i video where the oil return pipe [#6] was just hanging with the Oil Return hose without disconnecting, essentially it looked like oil return pipe came out of the oil pan. Not sure how 325i setup is. How is the oil return pipe secured on the oil pan? Is it threaded or simply pushed down?

Link to the diagram
https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...diagId=11_3733
[referring to #6 is the oil return pipe where the Oil Return Hose is connected]

Check the below OEM diagram for the oil return hose connection to oil return pipe.
[#4 is oil return hose]
https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...diagId=11_3738

FYI .. I did check following thread already.
https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1363815
And this video

But it's not easy to squeeze as its show where there is not much space.

Thank you.

[sabino56]

There are posts which say to just whack it with screw driver and hammer and it pops off. I didn’t want to try that. I ended up going to autozone and getting a set of plastic fuel line removal “tools” / shims or whatever. One fit pretty well and I had to cut the OD back in places to get it to fit up into connector. It was a pita but when I got the thing in right position it released the tabs and it just slid off.

[AoS810]

Just to confirm for those who have done the DIY.. is this oil return hose not an issue for 328i?

I have a 2008 E90 328i N51 and also a 2011 E91 328i N52 so just curious if I'll run into this headache.

[sabino56]

I don’t know differences between models. Mine is a 2006 N52. It has to do with where/how the oil from the pcv drains back into crankcase. On mine, it’s a tube into side of oil pan. You can probably follow the pcv plumbing to confirm

[e91Owner]

Originally Posted by AoS810

Just to confirm for those who have done the DIY.. is this oil return hose not an issue for 328i?

I have a 2008 E90 328i N51 and also a 2011 E91 328i N52 so just curious if I'll run into this headache.

No…. It only applies to e9x built through 8/2007. If you have a plastic valve cover without an external oil separator, you wouldn’t have this.

[Efthreeoh]

The Oil Pan DIY is very helpful, I'm not sure if you've read it. I posted in that thread about hitting the oil drain tube with a large long screwdriver. I was told by a BMW technician at a BMW dealership that is how every BMW tech removes the tube. I've removed the tube twice that way. It's the best technique.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by sabino56

There are posts which say to just whack it with screw driver and hammer and it pops off. I didn’t want to try that. I ended up going to autozone and getting a set of plastic fuel line removal “tools” / shims or whatever. One fit pretty well and I had to cut the OD back in places to get it to fit up into connector. It was a pita but when I got the thing in right position it released the tabs and it just slid off.

That'd be me.

[sabino56]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

The Oil Pan DIY is very helpful, I'm not sure if you've read it. I posted in that thread about hitting the oil drain tube with a large long screwdriver. I was told by a BMW technician at a BMW dealership that is how every BMW tech removes the tube. I've removed the tube twice that way. It's the best technique.

I didn’t have courage or fed up enough to try! Had pictures in my head of breaking the end into pieces and then having to get to the connection on bottom of the pcv to replace it….

So it works, hmmmm

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by sabino56

I didn’t have courage or fed up enough to try! Had pictures in my head of breaking the end into pieces and then having to get to the connection on bottom of the pcv to replace it….

So it works, hmmmm

The pipe had 300,000 miles on it the first time I punched it off.

[rumdiy]

Hi Team

I ended up using a large screwdriver to knock it out. This was a major PITA.