Hey guys, i have a 2004 e60 with an m54 engine and currently has around 170k miles on it. Ive read that some e39 and e46 owners have gotten away with a method that involves cutting the oil pan gasket in various places then sneaking it in while having the pan lowered slightly. This requires a couple dabs of rtv in the cut sections of the gasket.

Heres a link to the method

I'm aware that it’s not the proper way of going about things and may be on the ghetto side.. but i do not have the tools or expertise to drop the sub-frame. Ive tried searching but couldn't find anyone that has successfully done it on a similar spec'd e60. Is this something that might be possible for the e60 with an m54?

 

Mind if I ask what the holdup is on dropping the subframe a bit? I have an xDrive model where the subframe is much larger and a more complex setup and I was surprised how simple it was. Now I removed mine altogether as I was going in for the turbos and just did oil pan gasket and front diff seals while I was in there. I bought a Harbor Freight engine support bar to hold the engine up and it wasn't bad getting the subframe down. I'm not sure how far you need to lower it on a RWD model. I did the same on my E46 to do the gasket and it was a piece of cake dropping the subframe on there. I personally would be too worried about leaks if you cut the gasket.

 

did you use a lift or jack stands to lift the car?

 

Well in my original post i stated that i just don't have the tools or expertise. Yes my car is a rwd auto. Ive already heard that its not as easy for someone in my position. I'd rather not invest 10+ hours on this job and would prefer to pay an indy at that point. People have had good results with this method and lets just be real, the original gasket was already leaking a bit when i bought the car in 2013.

This post was a feeler to see if anyone has performed this unorthodox method on m54 e60 without subframe lowering or engine lifting.

 

There's videos on YouTube showing how it's done. I debated it for years but ended up buying a bar to do it myself since I was doing all the mounts. Did mine on stands. The number 1 reason why i didn't do it with cutting the gasket was because I didn't want to do it again after a year of it failed prematurely

 

Id love to do it the right way but it seems like id be in over my head. Ive changed all the common leak points on this car two times already since my ownership of the vehicle. I'm gonna give this "hack" method a try if its possible. i gotta take a look at the oil pan to subframe clearance and check if all the bolts are even accessible. I have seen videos on YouTube of it before but not for the m54 e60. If it develops a leak then its just normal BMW stuff per usual, lol.