pulling head

[Isamemon]

91 318
pulling the head this weekend, I hope, I thought I was gonna do it last weekend
got all the parts, and have a chiltons manual and a haynes manual
and to be honest, this is the first time , in all my years, that a chilton is better then a haynes
aside from that, I have gone to many tech sections/forums including the one at pelican parts. al of the ones I went to  say that on reassmbly you need a special timing chain tensioner tool to correctly set the timing chain tension so in turn you can correctly set the vanos

is this true

if so, how come of the 3 places I went to that "specialize" in bmw tools, I could not find one

[KenC]

You don't have VANOS.

[nomad]

No special tool needed for timing chain if you can set the cams in the right spot.
This is how i held the cams in place (imagine the cams in place):

As stated: No Vanos.
Also, you'll need the right torx socket for the head bolts, look on ebay.

[Isamemon]

so far thanks for the help
but yikes
you mean its a special socket other then a torx socket with an extension
I have lots of torx sockets from working on other cars
maybe I wont be pulling the head this weekend
unless someone in Corvallis Or, wants to lend me one

[KenC]

I wouldn't try and put the head back on without the cam alignment tool...

[Isamemon]

is that the same as the "cam holding tool"

[KenC]

Yes.  M5X one is the same too.

[1991 E30 M42]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cam-Alignment-Engine-Tools-3-for-BMW-Repair_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ72Q3a1205Q7c66Q3a2Q7c65Q3a12Q7c39Q3a1Q7c240Q3a1318Q7c301Q3a0Q7c293Q3a1Q7c294Q3a50QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem170289100324QQitemZ170289100324QQptZMotorsQ5fAutomotiveQ5fTools

[Cristian G in Oz]

You can do it without the "special tool". You just need to be very careful when aligning the cams.
I did it with a straight edge, large spanner and ratchet.  My engine runs fine and I have had no issues.

Biggest piece of advice I will give is - take your time and double check everything. If you think it is not right or your not sure, go back and check it.

It is simple to do just do it right and don't cut corners.

Cristian

[Nomadic]

If you get the ebay cam holding tools,  I might buy them off you when you are done.   (resisting urge to try Nomad's wrench hack... )

If you haven't already, check your cam sprockets for wear (do a search here for more info.)  Take a peek at the timing rails to make sure they aren't coming apart.   I assume you are replacing the timing chain, and tensioner... probably a good idea at 140k.

[nomad]

Hey, don't knock it till you try it.

I was careful, took my time, everything went in just as it should. If I take the cam cover off I'll take pics of the timing placement for posterity. If you think about it, mechanically it is doing the same thing as the lock tool, but you have to set it up carefully. Use assembly lube where needed, use loctite where needed and use a torque wrench on all fasteners, double/triple check all.
FYI, a 1/4 drive torque wrench will be nice as the torque spec on the cam gear bolts and timing cover bolts is actually fairly light.
FYI- people have been doing it this way on many other cars for years.

The beauty of the cam gears on the M42 is they are adjustable. Same as the miata and some others.

[Isamemon]

darn
head is cracked
now what ??
#2 cylinder, in the head, between the water jacket and the exsaust valve. a visible crack
crap !
I know I have seen a thread on getting cracked heads repaired, but could not find it in the search

Ill call the machine shop monday morning

[nomad]

BTDT
I have a head for sale, let me know if you are interested.

I can show you two pics of probably an identical crack to yours in the #2.
I had the same issue. I bet if you take the exhaust valve out you'll see the crack goes up into the exahaust port too.

$400 to fix the head, no guarantee it'll be repairable and no guarantee it won't open up again with heat cycles. It's a tricky fix.