Oil pans, steering racks, wheel bearings! Oh my!

I know it’s going to be a great day when the sun is shining and the sky is crystal clear!  Especially since this time last Friday, it was snowing!   Speaking of snow, it’s still winter, which means we could continue to get more snow before the season ends.   If you’re in need of a daily driver, especially one that is good in snowy conditions, the 1989 BMW 325ix may be just the car for you!   It’s for sale here at the shop, so if you’re interested, please give us a call at 317.773.0074.  Click here to get all the details!

The 1990 BMW 325i was delivered to us from the paint shop yesterday, and we are very happy with the results!  Let’s take a look!

Due to some light coming in, there are a few patches of glare, as you can see on the wheel arch, and a few areas where some compound were left and will be carefully rubbed off.

Reggie removed the damaged oil pan from this 1995 BMW 525i:

After removing the oil pan, Reggie cleaned it and took it to the welding shop to be repaired:

Here is a close-up of the damaged/cracked area (exterior on the left, interior on the right):

This 2001 BMW 325i was in need of a new steering rack.  The owner heard a clunking noise up front.  It turns out that one of the boots was blown open and contaminated.  There was also play in the rack itself.

Before removing the steering rack, Reggie drained the power steering fluid:

A look at the old steering rack:

Reggie opens the new steering rack and gets it prepared for installation:

Applying some copper anti-seize will make it easier to get the rack apart the next time it needs to be replaced:

Reggie gets to work on installing the new part:

The new steering rack is in place!

Reggie re-installs the belly tray and the wheels before the bimmer gets sent off to the alignment shop:

The 1984 BMW 733i is having quite a bit of work done while it’s here at the shop.

Reggie cleaned the engine bay so it will be ready for its newly rebuilt head.  We’ve ordered a cam from Germany, and once that arrives, the head will be rebuilt.

Meanwhile, the head waits patiently on the sidelines while some other work is completed:

Next, he gets to work replacing both front wheel bearings.  They weren’t properly set, and had possibly been over-greased.   Furthermore, the history of these wheel bearings is unknown, so the safe bet is to replace them.   Reggie gets started on the driver’s side:

The new wheel bearing:

These particular wheel bearings are serviceable, meaning that they can be taken apart and cleaned.  In comparison, the rear wheel bearings on this bimmer are sealed.  Sealed bearings have to be completely replaced.   The rear wheel bearings did not have any play in them like the front ones did, so they are just fine.

Do you know what the name of the nut on the end of the spindle?   Look for the answer at the end of this post!

Reggie cleans the surface of the brake disc before re-installation:

And the process is repeated on the passenger side:

The owner of this 1997 BMW 328i was referred to us by a BMW event in his home state of Illinois!   On the agenda for this bimmer?  A  new clutch pressure plate, new clutch pilot bearing, new rear main seal, new shift rod seal, and resurfacing the flywheel.   The owner had requested that the input and output shaft seals be replaced.  However, Reggie found that neither one were leaking, and did not need to be replaced after all.

This 1986 BMW 325es is in for leaking rear vent windows, oil change, tire rotation, and converting open fuses to closed fuses.

If you’ve read this far to get to the answer to the trivia question above, I applaud you!  The nut on the spindle is called a castle nut.  If you knew the answer, again, I applaud you!

We’ll be back with more bimmer goodness next week!  Enjoy the weekend!