VIR last weekend, NASA HPDE group 3 - first session Saturday morning. Last lap of the session so I'm going a couple tenths slower to "connect the dots" of what I'd strung together during the session.
Mid corner of turn 3 once the car has taken a set I scan the instruments - and right as I'm looking away the oil light illuminates. Fortunately I'm going slow enough I can run wide offline, lift and clutch, and shut it off and coast off to drivers right at the exit of turn 4.
I got the "tow strap of shame" back to the paddock. The oil pressure warning sender tested good, the car was still full of 1 day old Redline 10-40, and with the oil filter removed and cranking the engine - no oil filled the filter housing. I was pretty certain that either the oil pump sprocket retaining nut had backed off (common problem - particularly if the car had just been stalled a few times on a drying skidpad recently...) or the oil pump shaft had broken.
Obviously the big question is how much bottom end damage had occurred during the event.
I opened it up to inspect this afternoon, and I'm the big, big winner.
Oil pump nut was in the pan - and the rod bearings and journals look like new. I reckon I should go buy a lottery ticket...
Good catch! What car is this??
1998 BMW M3 track car with a license plate.
And it's gonna have a real oil pressure gauge AND a huge warning light when it goes back together.
Plus I got an oil pan baffle and an upgraded oil pump shaft+sprocket deal - and new rod bearing and bolts. Since I'm there and all...
might as well.. you already did the hard part of opening her up.
Congrats on saving yourself from owning a VERY big and expensive paperweight
BTW - if anyone ever has to pull the pan on one of these - there's 2 more bolts accessible from the 2 cutouts on the bottom of the bellhousing. Those are the ones that keep it from tipping to drain the last ounce of oil on your head..
I'l going to go pull the windage tray and oil pump and to separate the cross member from the car to facilitate welding in reinforcements. Again - while I'm there...
Holy crap, that's some good luck!
My oil warning light is set for 45 llbs. (Pegasus) but now I'm thinking . . .
Safety wire that nut! (No, no the wire irritates my ears!) and loctite.
and go to church.
wheeeeeewwwww.
Unfortunately... welding the oil pump nut is at the top of the todo list of track-readiness for the E36. While you are in there - baffle the pan so the oil stays in the sump in fast sweepers. The M3 Lightweight came baffled from the factory but they cheaped out on the rest of us.
