Timing help - Turned crank without chain...

[doitover]

Sample size one. Mine moved a little but not enough to really think about. The center of the movement was pretty obvious from what I remember.

I borrowed the cam locking tool for a BMW mechanic in town.

I used an M8 bolt for the flywheel lock but noticed even with the lock in place the crank still moves. I measured the movement and it's about one tooth on the harmonic damper. The harmonic damper has 60 teeth so each tooth is 6 degrees.

I thought that was a lot, but then counted the teeth on the crankshaft sprocket. There are 18 teeth so each tooth is 20 degrees. That means the movement isn't enough to skip a tooth on the crank sprocket. So I should be ok right?

Does everyone have movement when the crank is locked to the flywheel?

[bmwman91]

It sounds like you should be able to get everything together properly. If you decide to double-check by looking for 81mm marks on a rod, be sure to be consistent in how the marker is positioned and where on the piston the rod hits or you will have a hard time getting things together properly. I usually take a Sharpie and lay it on the flat surfaces at the top of the plug holes to get a consistent pen position.

[alim_h]

I did a compression test... All the cylinders are 120+ except cylinder 1 (<30). What a shitty feeling.

On to replace some valves...

[bmwman91]

Yikes. You sure you hooked the gauge up properly?

[doitover]

Definitely read around on doing compression checks correctly. I know I was getting pretty inconsistent results until I saw someone suggest putting a couple of drops of oil in the cylinder. That and have the throttle wide open.

[alim_h]

Yeah the other cylinders are reading with good numbers - bent valve? I started tearing into the head. I'll keep you guys updated.

Thanks for the tips!