M42club.com - Home of the BMW E30/E36 318i/iS
DISCUSSION => Engine + Driveline => Topic started by: bmwman91 on May 22, 2011, 01:47:35 AM
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I replaced the hydraulic tensioner piston like 20000 miles ago and I suspect it died tonight. I have been hearing small abnormal mechanical noises for a week or so, and then when I was about 1/2 a mile from home I noticed a steady, loud new noise. I turned off the radio, and it sounds like the "diesel" noise that is so characteristic of a dead tensioner. It runs fine, and I have been driving the car HARD over the last 20k miles. Still, the first one survived about 50000 miles. Did I get a dud? Could it be something else causing the noise? Maybe the tensioner rail blew apart (I replaced the chain & all guides / rails about 70000 miles ago.)?
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And to add insult to injury, I was going to drive the car to my parents' place tomorrow to rebuild the entire coolant & vacuum systems. Naturally, no BMW parts department is open on a Sunday (because you know, who would ever need parts on a weekend?) so it looks like I won't get anything done on it. I am not starting it again until the tensioner is replaced, which I guess will be Monday. I HOPE it is just the tensioner piston anyway...
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Those tensioners should least the life of the car .
I have no clue how long they last. I hope it's not the idler gear.
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I got in there just now. I took out the tensioner piston and it does not press on the guide rail at all until the screw cap is about 4/5 of the way on. I seem to recall it being a chore just to get the cap pushed on enough to thread it. The piston seems to be of the correct length, and I guess I really shouldn't expect it to have gone bad. Something inside must have let-loose. I pushed on the guide rail with a screwdriver and I can feel the chain go taught (as opposed to hitting something). I measured the travel, and it looks like the tensioner piston is only compressed 2-3mm when it is screwed in all the way.
It looks like I am going to be driving it very carefully to my dad's garage & pulling the timing case covers today. I'll order whatever needs replacing & take a half-day off from work this week. It is always something.....
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Yeah, it is always something or another. I'd start a thread & list my troubles but it'd just get me down. It's always worth it when I fire her up though...and the great gas mileage is a definite bonus these days.
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A picture is worth 1000 words. In this case, most of them are inappropriate lol. Why on earth is this stupid little sprocket $150?! Oh well...
I will have to scour the engine for the remains of the ball bearings. Hopefully my magnetic oil pan plug will have grabbed them!
The parts I will replace are:
Idler sprocket
Timing case gaskets (upper/lower/front profile)
Lower & upper oil pan gaskets
Oil & filter
(all the other coolant & vacuum stuff I had originally planned)
I am also planning to get in there & do some thread repair. Some bolts that hold the upper oil pan to the timing case are stripped & I have been worrying about them causing an oil pickup failure for years!
(http://bmw.e30tuner.com/images/my318is/pic/idlerfail/bmw001.jpg)
(http://bmw.e30tuner.com/images/my318is/pic/idlerfail/bmw002.jpg)
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A picture is worth 1000 words. In this case, most of them are inappropriate lol. Why on earth is this stupid little sprocket $150?! Oh well...
I will have to scour the engine for the remains of the ball bearings. Hopefully my magnetic oil pan plug will have grabbed them!
The parts I will replace are:
Idler sprocket
Timing case gaskets (upper/lower/front profile)
Lower & upper oil pan gaskets
Oil & filter
(all the other coolant & vacuum stuff I had originally planned)
I am also planning to get in there & do some thread repair. Some bolts that hold the upper oil pan to the timing case are stripped & I have been worrying about them causing an oil pickup failure for years!
(http://bmw.e30tuner.com/images/my318is/pic/idlerfail/bmw001.jpg)
(http://bmw.e30tuner.com/images/my318is/pic/idlerfail/bmw002.jpg)
Holy gunk-covered engine Batman!!!
But seriously, glad you found it before it caused real damage. Count the BB's in the new unit and make sure you found all of the old ones.
Change the oil pump pickup gasket, and get the updated Plastic oil pressure relief valve in the timing case(item #'s 5-8 on realoem.com) at the same time. I just got one from the dealer with those #'s and it is indeed plastic.
Then powerwash, or better yet, rent a steam cleaner to tidy that thing up.
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I'm glad you took it apart before more damage occurred! Sorry it's so involved. That idler is expensive, no doubt about it.
Swap the front case with an M44 & eliminate that idler! Maybe do a serpentine belt at the same time?
I did see a few people have good luck with the "durafix" zinc brazing rod if that's the way you're planning on going. The loads on that case are likely very light, the zinc would give enough structural support IMHO.
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Holy gunk-covered engine Batman!!!
But seriously, glad you found it before it caused real damage. Count the BB's in the new unit and make sure you found all of the old ones.
Change the oil pump pickup gasket, and get the updated Plastic oil pressure relief valve in the timing case(item #'s 5-8 on realoem.com) at the same time. I just got one from the dealer with those #'s and it is indeed plastic.
Then powerwash, or better yet, rent a steam cleaner to tidy that thing up.
I'll see about getting the updated pressure valve parts. Do you know what the update addressed?
I am hoping that my magnetic oil drain plug will have gathered up all the debris. I think that there were 6 balls in the bearing, along with the cage that separated them. I am just praying that none are stuck in the chain...I'll have to turn the motor over with a wrench & inspect every link. I have had a chunk of timing chain make its way into the oil pump (2005) and that made a LOT of work for me!
Yeah, the motor is disgusting. All that crap built up over the last 5 years. There is obviously a lot of oil leaking around the gaskets & gunking everything up. It has been frustrating, but I have been trying to avoid wrenching on the car needlessly. I will see about renting a steam cleaner to deal with this. HOPEFULLY I will leak less oil with all these gaskets being replaced. I cannot figure out if there is a specific place it is coming from or not. I got really tired of fixing things on this car years ago & sort of decided to turn a blind-eye to the mess. There are times I just want to drive it off of a cliff & get something "easy" to own, like a Civic.
I'm glad you took it apart before more damage occurred! Sorry it's so involved. That idler is expensive, no doubt about it.
Swap the front case with an M44 & eliminate that idler! Maybe do a serpentine belt at the same time?
I did see a few people have good luck with the "durafix" zinc brazing rod if that's the way you're planning on going. The loads on that case are likely very light, the zinc would give enough structural support IMHO.
If I had time, I would see about swapping timing cases & the belt apparatus. I'd also like to avoid replacing the timing case again since it is such a pain to get it back in with the profile gasket. Just out of curiosity though, is the M44 timing case a direct bolt-on?
What were you recommending the zinc brazing rod for?
While I am in there I am going to install helicoils in all the known stripped threads (2 in the upper oil pan-to-timing case interface by the pickup sump are stripped & that can lead to the oil pump sucking air, 1 or 2 for the timing case covers & 1 or 2 in the valve cover...probably the remaining 1 or 2 that I didn't already do lol).
How much work is it to convert to the serpentine belt setup?
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I'll see about getting the updated pressure valve parts. Do you know what the update addressed?
If I had time, I would see about swapping timing cases & the belt apparatus. I'd also like to avoid replacing the timing case again since it is such a pain to get it back in with the profile gasket. Just out of curiosity though, is the M44 timing case a direct bolt-on?
What were you recommending the zinc brazing rod for?
How much work is it to convert to the serpentine belt setup?
The updated parts are made of plastic, the large sleeve and the 'plunger' looking thing. I can only assume that the metal ones would corrode and coke up causing it to malfunction.
The case itself is a direct bolt up, gaskets/guides(except the deflection rail), oil pump/cover are according to my research, all interchangeable.
I am also curious now about the serp belt setup...hmmm
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Thanks for the suggestion on the oil pump pressure regulator stuff. I have been reading around on how to eliminate all the oil leaks that lead to my engine looking as awful as it does in the pictures above. It sounds like one contributing factor is the old pressure regulator. If it sticks, pressure gets too high and that exacerbates oil leaks (or might even blow-out gaskets).
I will be using a very thin bead of Permatex Ultra Black Oil-Resistant gasket sealer on both sides of the paper gaskets, which others have said has eliminated leakiness. I am wondering if the big paper gasket behind the timing case is leaking though. I really really really do not want to remove the timing case because it is such a PITA to put back (and I am in no mood to pull the head). Has anyone here found the big gasket between the timing case & the iron block to be a culprit for oil leaks (please say NO lol)???
The more I talk about this, the more I think I should pull the timing case, actually...I really should just pull the chain & blast it with compressed air to get any bearing fragments out anyway. I got the timing case back on without pulling the head using a wide, thin putty knife & some silicone RTV to slide it under the profile gasket last time.
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As promised, here are some pictures from the rebuild.
Prior to this unexpected failure, I had a box with every coolant & vacuum/intake hose piece sitting in the garage. Since I had to take the motor apart for the timing case repair, I figured I'd toss in all the other repairs with it. Every paper gasket was replaced, with both sides being coated with Permatex high-tack non-curing gasket sealer (high temp, oil & coolant resistant). I want to be DONE oil leaks & nasty filthy motor covers!
Anyway, I think a lot of coolant hoses on there were original. The throttle heater stuff was starting to leak. It is hard to see in the pic, but it is all crusty & green on the heater.
(http://bmw.e30tuner.com/images/my318is/pic/overhaul2011/bmw001.jpg)
The vacuum lines and coolant bits were in sad shape. All the oil from the crankcase had done a good job of eating the rubber in there, and the over-tightened hose clamps weren't helping the semi-rotten coolant hoses.
(http://bmw.e30tuner.com/images/my318is/pic/overhaul2011/bmw002.jpg)
As most M42 owners wonder, "what was BMW thinking / smoking with this idea?!"
(http://bmw.e30tuner.com/images/my318is/pic/overhaul2011/bmw003.jpg)
The motor was a grimy mess from years of leaky paper gaskets. Cleaning involved scraping with a putty knife over a garbage can, and then a bath in mineral spirits, a brillo pad & an old toothbrush. That did wonders. It is so much more pleasant to work with CLEAN parts since you can actually grip them without them popping out of your fingers!
(http://bmw.e30tuner.com/images/my318is/pic/overhaul2011/bmw004.jpg)
I did notice what may be a coolant leak from the head gasket. I just couldn't tell if it had been coming from the feed hose to the heater core (seemed intact), or the head gasket. I seem to recall seeing the wet spot before removing the hose, so it isn't a drop from disassembly. I looked closely at the full-sized picture, and it almost looks like the liquid ran down from the fitting. I'll just have to inspect this area in the coming weeks.
(http://bmw.e30tuner.com/images/my318is/pic/overhaul2011/bmw005.jpg)
So, when I pulled the oil pan I found: 6 ball bearings, neatly stuck to my magnetic drain plug. EVERYONE should spend the $10 or whatever on one of these. It can potentially save you $thousands!
(http://bmw.e30tuner.com/images/my318is/pic/overhaul2011/bmw006.jpg)
Once I removed the oil pan, I found the remains of the plastic bearing cage in 3 pieces. There were some very small chunks missing, and I assume they are in the waste oil.
(http://bmw.e30tuner.com/images/my318is/pic/overhaul2011/bmw007.jpg)
I removed the timing components for cleaning & inspection. Everything seemed fine. These things have about 70,000 miles on them now, which is maybe 50% of their lifespan. All were reused (except the busted idler sprocket...that was replaced with a new one). All other sprockets & guides looked like new though.
(http://bmw.e30tuner.com/images/my318is/pic/overhaul2011/bmw008.jpg)
here's another shot of the remains of the idler wheel. The spindle showed signs of damage on the race (pitting), which may have been the cause of failure. It could also have been a result of the failure. I'll never know.
(http://bmw.e30tuner.com/images/my318is/pic/overhaul2011/bmw009.jpg)
My fasteners, somewhat organized. As always, cross your fingers that you don't have any left, or find yourself missing some! I later filled these cups with mineral spirits & agitated the parts with a toothbrush to knock all the crud off.
(http://bmw.e30tuner.com/images/my318is/pic/overhaul2011/bmw010.jpg)
The skid plate was a disgusting mess of oil & sediment. It was almost 5mm thick in some places! I bought a giant bottle brush from the local hardware store & used it to clean the gaps in this, as well as my intake runners, using foamy engine degreaser. MULTIPLE people at the hardware store asked me if I was buying the bottle brush to clean my bong. Apparently I was one of the only people in there buying one for something OTHER than cleaning stoner-ware :p.
(http://bmw.e30tuner.com/images/my318is/pic/overhaul2011/bmw011.jpg)
Nasty, nasty, nasty.
(http://bmw.e30tuner.com/images/my318is/pic/overhaul2011/bmw012.jpg)
Oh boy, there's a lot of work to be done still...
(http://bmw.e30tuner.com/images/my318is/pic/overhaul2011/bmw013.jpg)
The old gasket was basically baked-on. A clean, smooth & SHARP gasket scraper tidied this up.
(http://bmw.e30tuner.com/images/my318is/pic/overhaul2011/bmw014.jpg)
Getting the timing case on with the head still there...this was my second time doing this, and it was as miserable as I expected. Things went badly at first when I couldn't get it lined up. Then, it STARTED RAINING! I closed the hood, cussed for about 5 minutes & then made room to push the car into the garage. Rain, in the end of May is mostly unheard of around here!
Anyway, I got some 0.005" brass shim stock from the local hardware store. I used it to slide the case under, with a little coaxing from a large clamp. Once I could get the bolts in, I let them finish the job. You MUST get the oil pump aligned with the crank prior to any of this.
I had silicone RTV on the profile gasket. It seemed like a "lubricant". Getting the brass sheet out involved removal of the kidney grille, vise grips and pulling as hard as I could manage. It was a close-call...I was pretty sure it wasn't coming out at first. So, if you do this, do what the service manual says & use some sort of lubricant on the gasket & head. Silicone engine assembly lube is probably fine.
(http://bmw.e30tuner.com/images/my318is/pic/overhaul2011/bmw015.jpg)
Thermostat housing...you really really need to make sure that the bleed groove is clear! I opted to cut the gasket a little to help reduce clogging there. Also, if you use gasket sealer, apply it thinner by this groove.
(http://bmw.e30tuner.com/images/my318is/pic/overhaul2011/bmw016.jpg)
Getting there. It seemed that the worst was over (and it was, for the most part).
(http://bmw.e30tuner.com/images/my318is/pic/overhaul2011/bmw017.jpg)
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The heater core hoses...WTF? I had to take pics of the original to figure out how to assemble the new one. I also had to cut the new hoses since I guess the heater thermostat is some sort of optional retrofitting.
(http://bmw.e30tuner.com/images/my318is/pic/overhaul2011/bmw018.jpg)
The new parts, waiting for cutting & assembly!
(http://bmw.e30tuner.com/images/my318is/pic/overhaul2011/bmw019.jpg)
Here is the crank-holding tool I devised. It is a piece of 1/2" thick steel plate. Rest it on a block of wood on the frame, and you are good to go with a large breaker bar! You MUST space it with stacked washers on the pulley hub so that it is not clamped onto the alignment pin that sticks out from the hub!
(http://bmw.e30tuner.com/images/my318is/pic/overhaul2011/bmw020.jpg)
Finally, starting to look somewhat assembled, and almost respectably clean. I'd have hit this with a bead blaster & re-ground the gasket surfaces, if I had the equipment.
(http://bmw.e30tuner.com/images/my318is/pic/overhaul2011/bmw021.jpg)
And finally, rebuilding the mess under the intake. You know it is too complicated when you need to look at the old one to get it right. Silly Germans...
(http://bmw.e30tuner.com/images/my318is/pic/overhaul2011/bmw022.jpg)
So there it is, my overhaul. I had a few "oh shit" moments when I first started it to see if it was going to explode, and bleed the coolant system. They were, in no particular order:
1) Loud rattling noise for ~5 seconds = timing chain tensioner & lifters pumping up
2) Lots of oil smoke = oil had dripped onto exhaust header
3) Coolant gauge reading off the scale + oil pressure light dimly lit = had mixed up the temp sender & pressure switch plugs
4) Unstable idle & poor running while bleeding = forgot to plug in brake booster line
5) Brownish oily liquid splattered below header/timing case on passenger side = water from rinsing the bled coolant mixing with residual dirt & oil
6) Coolant level dropping about 1" in tank after ~25 miles = last bits of air bleeding out + new hoses expanding under pressure & increasing in size
So, for now anyway, it runs clean, quiet & strong. I am cautiously optimistic. The top bolt hole for the driver's side chain guide is somewhat stripped, which made me a little nervous. I slathered the bolt in loc-tite & put it in as tightly as I could without "spinning" it. From what I can see of clearances, I do not believe that it could fall out into the engine even if the threads totally let go. It would butt against the upper cover & at least stay in the guide rail. I don't think that will happen though.
I had also been a little worried because some coolant spilled out of the motor when I was putting the timing case back, so there was a little water on the case gasket. I bolted it down anyway since the gasket was sprayed with sealer, and removing the case then would have destroyed the gasket. I think that 99.9% of it squeezed out, or got absorbed or something. I was also a little worried that yanking the brass shim out had scratched the head (the brass wrinkled a little when I yanked it out). After 50 miles though, the oil showed no signs of coolant contamination. Maybe my problem is that I think too much...40 hours of wrenching in 3 days will do that I suppose!
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the pictures!
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Awesome post - thanks for your diligence in photographing your progress for the rest of us.
Eric
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You haven't done the delete under heater plate mod? Any reasons? Maybe I missed it.
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That is great work, especially since you've already done some of the things I was considering. Thanks for the warning about RTV on the profile gasket...I'd definitely have made that mistake.
I'm looking forward to seeing if your methods for sealing the gaskets perform as expected.
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Awesome post - thanks for your diligence in photographing your progress for the rest of us.
Eric
Others have posted pics of their work, and it has helped me immensely. I figured I would try to return the favor!
You haven't done the delete under heater plate mod? Any reasons? Maybe I missed it.
I thought about deleting the stuff. However, after 11 years of E30 ownership, I have found that it is best not to second-guess BMW engineers. Although I doubt that I will ever have throttle icing problems, I do like ot go to the mountains and backpack/climb a lot, so it could happen someday, in a very remote & inconvenient location!
That is great work, especially since you've already done some of the things I was considering. Thanks for the warning about RTV on the profile gasket...I'd definitely have made that mistake.
I'm looking forward to seeing if your methods for sealing the gaskets perform as expected.
Yeah, the RTV seemed like a good idea, but it made things difficult. I think that some heavy silicone assembly lube is what you want to put on the bottom of the head and the top of the gasket. Still seal the bottom of the gasket to the timing case with RTV though (Permatex Ultra Black seems like quality stuff).
You should also put a heavy blob on the ends when you go to install the cover & its rubber gasket so that oil won't leat out of the junction. The inner gasket had stretched in my case, and I had to cut the ends off to get the outer gasket on, so I worked RTV in with my fingers to get it in any possible breach at the ends of the inner gasket. Then I added a blob for good measure & installed the cover + outer gasket.
I do seem to be getting some oil leaking into the center runner of my skid plate (OEM one), but it seems to be from the back of the engine. I have yet to get under there & determine the source. I thought I found oil a couple times, but it turned out to be coolant+water mixed with the old oily grime on the plate. It might just be more run-off from bleeding mixed with residual oil on the plate. I HOPE it is anyway!
If it isn't, then my guess would be the rear main seal since I haven't replaced that. I do not see anything coming off of the front of the engine where I was "working."
Oh, and if anyone in the Bay Area needs to borrow my crank locking tool, feel free to ask. I won't ship it though. The thing weighs like 40lbs!
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I am the same way, dont like moving away to much from what the engineers have done. If it was for the pictures that showed it without it from the euro models and for living in FL, I would not have done it. First rebuild I kept it stock.
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Nice job, Dude...you make us proud.
It makes me want to go start reassembling mine a bit....
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Thanks!
I gotta say, a big metal pan with paint thinner (low-odor mineral spirits), an old toothbrush, a super coarse scrubby pad and some gloves will do wonders for grimy old parts. For the really bad stuff, I broke out the MEK. Just take your time and clean it methodically, and it will go back together much more nicely than it came apart (since you can actually grip stuff without it slipping). A firm and un-dented gasket scraper is also a great investment.
I also filled the fastener cups with mineral spirits & let them sit for a good few hours, agitated them with the toothbrush, and repeated that a few times. After a rinse with some super hot water, they were nice & clean (although they still looked sort of nasty).
Years of working on stuff has finally taught me a little patience. I used to hurry things & cut corners and...well, garbage in, garbage out. I'm still impatient, but I know that taking longer now ends up saving time later!
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Someday when I have a house & a garage (and a second car) I am pulling the engine and tearing it down to the last bolt. Everything is getting bead-blasted, and all precision surfaces reground/bored. There's probably an Eaton M90 supercharger in there somewhere too.