M42 surprise

[Boris3]

So finally getting into some work on the 1991 318is. Oil leak due to a bad lower pan repair so picked up a replacement lower pan

Turns out I'm also missing two upper pan bolts. Not in the lower pan so great mystery as to where they went. Four bolts next to the dipstick are there but the two pan bolts at the ends are not.

[Boris3]

Second pic

[Boris3]

Related question: oil pan paper gasket, install dry or permatex/rtv on one/both sides?

[B C]

Looks like its going to be the same  18mm long M6 hardware as the rest of the oil pan screws. Im guessing the previous mechanic became lazy/negligent/hungry.

 

I am running an oil pan baffle and crank scraper which sandwiches between the pan and the block. I tried using two paper gaskets + rtv, but it became a nightmare when trying to get the oil pan screw holes to line up on all of the pieces so that the screw could actually be threaded in.

 

I ended up using black rtv only, no paper gaskets, and have had great success.  Some manufacturers run gasketless from the factory, just rtv applied by an angry union guy or an angry union robotic arm.

[Boris3]

Thanks. Other four upper pan bolts were barely finger tight. Nice... Replaced the missing bolts and blue locktite on all six of them.

[Earl]

I use indian head shellac on my paper gaskets