i have to like once every 2 and half weeks just 1 quart bottle i check the dipstick everyday, but when its low it doesnt seem to go below the the last line it stays in the middle between full line the reason i put more in is so it stays on top way.. full. think it last another month? lol

Umm what do you mean by "full line" You mean, at the top of the number range?

The oil level should not be at the "full" mark. It should be in between the full and low mark. Too much oil will actually cause damage to your engine...

In any case, as long as you have oil on hand [keep a bottle in your trunk] and you check it regularly then it sounds like you will be fine for another month. However, try not to post pone this repair for too long.

yeah i dont fill it up that much its right where it should be sorry
and thanks for the help i will have to do this soon for sure
cause its getting mad oil all over the bottom sucks cause just got it steamcleaned a month ago

finally getting to it, this weekend but i got some questions..
im ordering the parts from pelican are they legit ? same as bmw original parts?
i have a 96 ti auto m44.
im ordering
http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/...33%20%31%2E%39

and this

http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/...iption=BUSHING


thats all i need? im just confused because on the info in pelican parts it says gasket "e30 318i m42" so i dont know if im ordering the right stuff... help! thanks.

the E30 and E36 318's used pretty much the same engine, so plenty of parts were shared between the two

thanks! wish me luck.

You don't need to replace the "bushing", just order the paper gasket and two o-rings.

Probably but... The Bushing comes with both o-rings and costs about 8 bucks. O-rings bought seperately cost 5 bucks each. So it's cheaper to buy the Bushing.

thanks for the excellent write. gonna try this tomorrow.

is there a specific reason not to hit the alternator with a hammer?

well, the best way to get the alternator to fit back in is to clean up the surfaces that are binding. Then line it up right, and you can tap it into place using a leather mallot or a hard rubber one that will not crack the housing on the alternator.
Caution is of upmost importance, patience is a necessity, and have fun.

I ended up shaving a few thousandths off the alternator and bracket mounts to get mine to press fit back in. Just make sure you have them lined up properly, and don't tap too hard. I think I used an old hammer handle I keep for just such occasions.....Putting a block of wood between the alternator and your hammer would also work. I cannot stress how important it is to make sure you have it aligned right.
I have been working on cars since 1967 when I got out of high school. I still had a bitch of a time getting mine in, someone had overtightened mine at one time or another. (probably the factory)) :cool:

Wow, this looks like it could work for me. Thanks Dave for the complete step by step.

Thanks for the write-up, and for saving it as a PDF so the images aren't lost. Hopefully between this job and a new valve cover gasket the driveway will stay clean for a while!

While you have it apart, check belts, change water pump and hoses. I got mine done earlier this year only to find out someone had changed the lower radiator hose and put it on backwards so it occaisonally rubbed on the pullys, started leaking, blew the head gasket and cost me $2500 for a top end gasket set and a valve job (while it was apart, had 145K on the motor).

Thanks for the write up. A couple of things that help me:

The o-rings are metric size 24x3. Any decent auto parts store should carry a set of metric o-rings with this size. Should be cheaper and easier than ordering from bmw. Also helpful to know if your local BMW dealer has the gasket but not the bush or o-rings in stock.

I didn't detach the power steering pump from the large bracket that it and the alternator mount on. I just removed the 5 bolts (4 into the block + 1 pivot) and moved the assembly (bracket, pump, and tensioner) out of the way enough to get to the 6 bolts holding the filter housing on. That made things go a little more quickly.