Messages

1

Engine + Driveline / How Much Tick / Noise Should A Rebuilt M42 Make?

« on: August 27, 2012, 01:48:00 PM »

Mine ticked loudly for 5-7minutes after starting the first time....then for about another 15minuted but not as loud.  After a test drive I could barely hear it because I was cursing and deaf with rage over my timing case leaking.

Hope that helps......

2

General Topics / What part brands are you buying?

« on: February 05, 2012, 03:57:23 AM »

Depends what i'm replacing.  For brakes/steering & suspension stuff: Brembo & Lemforder/OE.  For engine stuff I will now stick with BMW gaskets/parts.  For sensors and whatnot, I will try Blunttech first and see what brands he has before I go to Pelican.  Blunt has better prices and service.  For oil, it's Castrol GTX 10w-30(winter) and 15w/40(summer) with Mahle filters.  I considered switching to Synthetic but it's too expensive here in Germany for me.

For the most part, I will go to the dealer for little stuff. The parts stores by me, even the good ones, are useless & expensive.  I would rather get raped by BMW, they use lube.  I usually get 10% off, 15% if I order alot.

3

Swaps, Turbos, Buildups / MikeDE's M42-Touring project....

« on: January 23, 2012, 12:35:13 PM »

^ It's been a few weeks since then and I believe the DME has adapted to the new injectors and o2 sensor I put in shorthly thereafter.  I still have a slight leak in my header at the cyl #1 runner and flange(where it attches to the head).  This is most likely affecting A/F as it is introducing unmetered air into the system.  I just have to get gas for my welder this week so I can fix it.

Updates to come.

BTW I live in Kreis Bad Dürkheim, and bwawuz02 is up around K-Town.

4

Engine + Driveline / Engine tuning M42B18

« on: January 23, 2012, 12:27:13 PM »

A chip would really wake the car up, I'd bet.  Likely that's the best  bang-for-your-krone.  Single mass M40 clutch and a higher ratio diff  (like a 4.1 or so) are a big help as well.  Dropping weight is another  easy mod...eliminate all the insulation, the spare tire, CF hood, patch  up the sunroof, racing buckets, etc.
 
Might want to double check the bearing clearances & fit a full-radius thrust bearing.  We only got a half-shell (an M50 has the right one IIRC).  There's a thread on here somewhere about it.  While you have it apart I'd be tempted to measure the oil pump, replace a  lot of gaskets, change the cam gears, idler gear, worn timing  components and the water pump.

Given that you can't use forced induction, I'd spend some time porting that head, removing the throttle heater and the mess under the intake if possible & fitting a cold-air intake.  Degree the cams, insulate the intake manifold, wrap the exhaust, install a wideband O2 sensor, and use the thinnest fully-synthetic oil you can get away with in the entire powertrain.

If you're really looking for more power, might be worth it to find an M47 crank for longer stroke.  It looks stock, you'd need a really good mechanic to note the difference.  IIRC S52 pistons are the best combo with these...

What Dave said....btw I have a nice 4.27lsd available, pm me if ya like.

5

Swaps, Turbos, Buildups / And so it begins... (another M42 build)

« on: January 11, 2012, 04:15:06 AM »

I would love to, but I would hate to run your engine too lean and possibly do damage (i think it was deekay who said his was running lean on 21lb/hr injectors); not to mention the sadness of having to take them back out and ruin your fun

working with a guy from 318ti.org to help keep the ITBs clean: http://www.318ti.org/forum/showthread.php?t=32174

Yeah, I need a catchcan too. My int mani was pretty oily for it being only 4mos since I did the motor.

6

Swaps, Turbos, Buildups / And so it begins... (another M42 build)

« on: January 10, 2012, 01:59:41 PM »

Damn you dude...and Happy New Year.  

 If you want we can test them out on my M42:D.

7

Engine + Driveline / Loosening Crank Bolt

« on: January 10, 2012, 01:34:23 PM »

Is it on a stand or is the FW on, or installable ATM??

If the FW's on or can be quickly bolted on, do so then bring the motor to TDC.  There is a hole in the block where you can insert a drill bit(5/8, 15mm, IIRC) into a hole in the FW.  This is how I broke mine loose the second time(the first was with my impact at the junkyard).  It is normal thread BTW, righty-tighty lefty-loosy.

8

Engine + Driveline / Oil pump clearances

« on: January 10, 2012, 01:27:10 PM »

I'd rather pay $40 than $60+.  What's your source?

I estimated, I paid like €37 over here in Germany.  Figured maybe it was a bit cheaper.  You'll pay more than $60 in gaskets/materials even if you catch the pump going bad quick enough.  If not, it's gonna cost a whole lot more.

Buy the pump.  Do you have M42 or M44??

9

Engine + Driveline / M44 timing case cover on E30 M42??

« on: January 10, 2012, 01:18:30 PM »

EDIT- Thanks locknload^, I wrote the reply before I saw yours.

MikeDE, did you ever figure out the oil pump issue?  Do you have to use the M42 pump?

I'd like to know the answer to that one too if anyone knows.

Read thru the build thread, I explained what happened after I did some research.

You have the standard E30 M42, then you have an early E36 M42, then the M44.


The early M42, till about 09/1993 used this timing case, #11141727191, with the idler gear.  Oil pump #11141714611(the thin one)  

The E36 M42, from 09/1993 till 09/1995, used this timing case, #11141739699, with the deflection rail.  Oil pump #11141714611(the thin one)

SOOO the M42B18's used (2) different timing cases BUT the same oil pumps.

The M44 uses the thicker one.  I bought that one first b/c I thought I had an M44 case at first glance.

Bottom line, if you know your case came out of an M44, use the M44 pump.  If it came out of a post-design change M42, use the M42 pump.

 
Even if you don't know if it's a late M42 or M44, the body(the outer part) of the pump must sit flush with the case when installed.  Too high or too low, it's wrong.

10

Engine + Driveline / Oil pump clearances

« on: January 07, 2012, 04:10:47 PM »

Buy a new one, it's $40.  Especially if the timing case is already off, which i'm guessing it already is since you're wanting to measure clearance.  New bolts for the oil pump cover as well.

11

Engine + Driveline / JiXer Phenolic Spacer: Review & thoughts...

« on: January 06, 2012, 04:49:15 PM »

How much length does it add to the intake track length? I can probably give a rough back-of-the-napkin estimate of whether or not it really changed the powerband.

10mm...plus an extra gasket.

12

Engine + Driveline / JiXer Phenolic Spacer: Review & thoughts...

« on: January 06, 2012, 02:03:39 PM »

Very cool, thanks for takign the time to write this up.  I'm surprised that the small thickness of the spacer had a noticeable effect on the powerband!

It may or may not have, but it doesn't feel the same to me anymore.  It feels like my old wheezy M40.

13

Swaps, Turbos, Buildups / JiXer phenolic spacer

« on: January 06, 2012, 11:01:40 AM »

(Just incase ya didn't see it in the Engine & Driveline subforum)

I bought the phenolic spacer from JiXer way back when, and a set of Bosch gen3 4-pintle injectors from another member whose name escapes me ATM.
 
Install of the Spacer was pretty straight forward.  Same as R&R of the intake manifold, with the exception of having to remove the short studs in the head and replacing them with the longer studs included in the Kit that came with the spacer.  
 
As for as having any issues with the manifold being further from the head, the only minor ones I encountered were with the manifold brackets.  The one that sits on the front of the motor, I spaced about a cm away from the head with some aluminum spacers I had lying around.  The rear bracket by the ICV I did nothing to except to use a Large washer on the int mani side of the bracket so it still grabbed the slot.
 
Now onto the important part:  How well does it work??  I believe it does its' job quite well, why do I say that??  I have an infrared pyrometer I used for before and after testing.  Pre-spacer after a mix of hwy/city driving, the head temp by Cyl 1 by the IM ports is about 195*F, the IM is also 195*F about 1.5-2" from the cyl head.   Post-Spacer same head temp, same driving pattern/trip, and my IM was measuring 135*F, a 60*F difference.
 
I just did a hard hwy trip of about 25mi(60-105mph), then another 5mi to my house(30-50mph).  Shot the head, 200*F, while the intake mani read 140*F, again 60*F difference.
 
In conclusion, it works pretty well.  There is only one downside I have noticed, I'll get to that in a minute.  Though it nothing at all to do with the quality of the spacer or the kit.  I feel that forced induction may benefit from it more for more than one reason.  One is the question of under hood temps(redhot exh manifolds/turbine housings/IC piping, etc).  Anything to help battle heatsoak in FI-applications is a plus.
 
(*KEEP in mind that I installed the Bosch Gen3's at the same time, this may have also had an positive impact on the low-end tq*)
 
The Second reason it may be suited better to FI coincides with my 'downside' of this spacer.  It effectively lengthens the intake manifold, substantially enough to alter the M42's high-and easy-revving nature.  It trimmed my powerband noticeably.  After the spacer I noticed it lost the willingness to rev easily above ~5000rpm.  It felt limp up there vs. beforehand when it ripped thorugh 2nd & 3rd gear like butter up through 6000+rpm, 4th was fairly decent on the hwy as well.  With FI, I don't think it would be as noticeable due to the extra power/wider powerband.  
 
Don't get me wrong, the lowend->midrange Tq was very, very nice, it reminded me a little bit of my Seta.  After 4500rpm, it wasn't the same though.  It would lose a bit of steam.  This topend rev-ability is why I chose the M42.
 
To try to counter this shift on the powerband, I tried to shift it back up there.  So yesterday, I pulled the VC, and advanced the intake cam a few degrees.  The washers were previously centered in the cam-gear slots.  I advanced the cam to the point where the edge of the washers now lined up with the edge of the slots on the cam gears.  So in other words, almost all the way.  
 
I did some hwy pulls in 3rd & 4th gear and it was a bit better.  Pulled to ~5400rpm then began to get winded.  The lower end of the rev range was still nearly as torquey as before.
I plan to keep an eye out for an extra lower intake maifold section.  I want to see if it's possible to shorten it slightly to maintain the original runner length when adding the spacer.

These are only my observations according to my butt-dyno.  It is a fantastic product that does it's job well.
 
If anyone else has installed it and noticed anything, please respond here.

14

Engine + Driveline / JiXer Phenolic Spacer: Review & thoughts...

« on: January 06, 2012, 11:00:38 AM »

I bought the phenolic spacer from JiXer way back when, and a set of Bosch gen3 4-pintle injectors from another member whose name escapes me ATM.
 
Install of the Spacer was pretty straight forward.  Same as R&R of the intake manifold, with the exception of having to remove the short studs in the head and replacing them with the longer studs included in the Kit that came with the spacer.  
 
As for as having any issues with the manifold being further from the head, the only minor ones I encountered were with the manifold brackets.  The one that sits on the front of the motor, I spaced about a cm away from the head with some aluminum spacers I had lying around.  The rear bracket by the ICV I did nothing to except to use a Large washer on the int mani side of the bracket so it still grabbed the slot.
 
Now onto the important part:  How well does it work??  I believe it does its' job quite well, why do I say that??  I have an infrared pyrometer I used for before and after testing.  Pre-spacer after a mix of hwy/city driving, the head temp by Cyl 1 by the IM ports is about 195*F, the IM is also 195*F about 1.5-2" from the cyl head.   Post-Spacer same head temp, same driving pattern/trip, and my IM was measuring 135*F, a 60*F difference.
 
I just did a hard hwy trip of about 25mi(60-105mph), then another 5mi to my house(30-50mph).  Shot the head, 200*F, while the intake mani read 140*F, again 60*F difference.
 
In conclusion, it works pretty well.  There is only one downside I have noticed, I'll get to that in a minute.  Though it nothing at all to do with the quality of the spacer or the kit.  I feel that forced induction may benefit from it more for more than one reason.  One is the question of under hood temps(redhot exh manifolds/turbine housings/IC piping, etc).  Anything to help battle heatsoak in FI-applications is a plus.
 
(*KEEP in mind that I installed the Bosch Gen3's at the same time, this may have also had an positive impact on the low-end tq*)
 
The Second reason it may be suited better to FI coincides with my 'downside' of this spacer.  It effectively lengthens the intake manifold, substantially enough to alter the M42's high-and easy-revving nature.  It trimmed my powerband noticeably.  After the spacer I noticed it lost the willingness to rev easily above ~5000rpm.  It felt limp up there vs. beforehand when it ripped thorugh 2nd & 3rd gear like butter up through 6000+rpm, 4th was fairly decent on the hwy as well.  With FI, I don't think it would be as noticeable due to the extra power/wider powerband.  
 
Don't get me wrong, the lowend->midrange Tq was very, very nice, it reminded me a little bit of my Seta.  After 4500rpm, it wasn't the same though.  It would lose a bit of steam.  This topend rev-ability is why I chose the M42.
 
To try to counter this shift on the powerband, I tried to shift it back up there.  So yesterday, I pulled the VC, and advanced the intake cam a few degrees.  The washers were previously centered in the cam-gear slots.  I advanced the cam to the point where the edge of the washers now lined up with the edge of the slots on the cam gears.  So in other words, almost all the way.  
 
I did some hwy pulls in 3rd & 4th gear and it was a bit better.  Pulled to ~5400rpm then began to get winded.  The lower end of the rev range was still nearly as torquey as before.
I plan to keep an eye out for an extra lower intake maifold section.  I want to see if it's possible to shorten it slightly to maintain the original runner length when adding the spacer.

These are only my observations according to my butt-dyno.  It is a fantastic product that does it's job well.
 
If anyone else has installed it and noticed anything, please respond here.

15

Swaps, Turbos, Buildups / MikeDE's M42-Touring project....

« on: January 01, 2012, 06:18:48 AM »

I just finished reading through this wonderful build- great work! I am super jealous of the touring. I would choose that over any other 318. I have a question though if you don't mind. I just found out my idler sprocket fell off of my timing case, taking part of the timing case with it. I want to switch out the M42 case with the nice and updated M44 timing case and lower deflection rail.

To do this, what needs to come off? So far all the timing covers are off and the A/C is removed. I am a little confused from the pictures about what is the minimum that needs to be taken off to switch those things out. My engine is still in the car and I may not be able to pull it out so easily. (Anything is possible if you believe though, right? :cool:) Anybody?

The oil filter housing has to come off of the m42 housing if you'll be swapping it over.  Oil pans have to come off to, use rtv and loctite blue on the bolts upon reinstallation.

The M42 timing case must also be removed, after removing all other components attched to it.  Timing chain must also come off.

Install a new oil pressure relief valve with the updated version if it's not already done.  A new tensioner is also a must.  And do a general check while everything is out.  I still have a brand new M44 oil pump &if you need it, pm me.  I also have a bunch of used excellent condition chain guides that I took off and replaced with new ones.  Why you ask, didn't want to take this thing apart again for as long as I owned it.  Pm me for pics and whatnot.

Mike's touring is very nice, saw it in person a few weeks ago. Hoping to own one someday myself, I would most likely just swap in an M/S50 and keep it as a daily. The M42 is my tinkering vehicle.

Thanks dude...I just installed my Bosch inj's and JiXer's phenolic spacer the other day.  I will be adding a writeup on this thread/forum and on r3v in the next few days.