So I ordered my replacement supercharger inlet gasket, and crank positioner sensor o ring and I planned on working on this next weekend. I have done enough research to believe I have a good idea of how to proceed with replacing these items. Any suggestions from anyone that has done this on their own would be appreciated. Thanks!! Walter
Just keep track of which bolts fit what. Other than that, it's pretty straightforward. Oh, and the coolant makes a mess if you're gonna disconnect the radiator. And then it makes a mess again when you loosen the coolant reservoir top and break the vacuum.
You don't HAVE to, but it's much easier if you do. It's the difference between working in a 4-6" slot in front of the engine vs pulling the whole front end off and seeing everything. You can fold the AC condenser out of the way, but you have to disconnect the radiator hoses if you're going to pull the radiator off. Pick up a jug of BMW coolant and a jug of distilled water for reassembly.
Don't bother disconnecting the radiator: just remove the 10mm bolt that holds the coolant line strap onto the front of the intake manifold. Then take a piece of 2x4, maybe 5 inches long and hold out the radiator support piece (big black plastic) away from the motor. This'll give you plenty of access to do your jobs.
All work was completed today. Thanks for the Eric, block worked perfectly. About 3 hours. Amazing the dealer wanted $575 just for the supercharger inlet gasket.. Both parts were about $40 and 3 hours of time. Thank you all for your help!