Author Topic: Replacing Hydraulic Lifters - help (Read 6054 times)

carl6405 · « **on:** March 16, 2009, 01:26:32 PM »

I have a 1993 318i with the M42 engine. I am working on replacing my lifters do to them being very noisy. Especially in the back part of the motor. (closest to firewall) I have the cylinder cover off and the front part that covers the timing chain. My question is, unbolting the cam's. I havnt unbolted them yet. Just wondering, being that it is a 4 cyl and the cams arnt that long, do I have to use that special tool that is suggested, to keep even pressure accross the cam while removing?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

B318M42W · « **Reply #1 on:** March 16, 2009, 03:56:20 PM »

yes you have to keep even pressure on the cams since they are hollow and have a tendancy to break under flexion.

nomad · « **Reply #2 on:** March 16, 2009, 05:53:32 PM »

I've done several on and off. Release 1/4 turn at a time evenly across all nuts and you'll be fine.

carl6405 · « **Reply #3 on:** March 17, 2009, 04:43:42 AM »

Nomad, Thank you. I did get cams off and used the 1/4 turn method. That works. I was hesitent to take it off like that. I was reading the Bentleys service manual about this and they were special tool this and special tool that in order for this job to be done. Heck, if that's all I had to go by to do this job, I would have ended up taking it to a shop and having to pay big bucks. Also, the Bentley's manual has you taking off the entire cylinder head to get to the lifters. So does the other book that I own, "101 Performance Projects for your BMW". That would have been a lot more labor. Thanks to my step son, who is a very good mechanic, he was giving me help over the phone.
Also, once you get the cams off, lift up on the cradle (not sure what the technical name is for the part) that the cam sits in, and the lifters will drop out.

Here are somo pics of my lifters. Take a look at the obviously bad lifter that I had in there.

Should I replace all my lifters? Or just the obvious bad ones?

Bad lifter. Look at how short the center post is compared to the other lifter.

JP 91iS · « **Reply #4 on:** March 17, 2009, 11:59:11 AM »

You should just replace all of them while you have access.

carl6405 · « **Reply #5 on:** March 17, 2009, 12:41:58 PM »

Yea, I know. Thats the best thing to do, but just been dealing with a bunch of other expenses lately. I guess its something that the plastic cash can take care of.

I have seen a lot of posts about ticking sound issues with their M42 motors. I think this is what the culprit is. And there isnt any magic oil that you can dump in to your motor that is going to fix a warn out lifter.

So far, this part of the job has not been that difficult. Hopefully, getting it back together with the new lifters will go as smoothly.

By the way... This car sat for 2 years with out being ran. That's before I owned it. I bought it from a police impound. It was a drug dealers car before I owned it.
Its hard to believe that the engine was running as well as it was. I drove a 325 with a 6cyl and I thought that my car had as much if not more get up and go.

nomad · « **Reply #6 on:** March 17, 2009, 07:01:02 PM »

Glad it worked.
Buy the ones for the VW motor, they are less expensive than OEM.
Search for the part number, I don't have it.

bmwpower · « **Reply #7 on:** March 17, 2009, 07:13:28 PM »

It looks more like it's stuck, than worn.

JoeDellio · « **Reply #8 on:** March 18, 2009, 04:48:31 PM »

Good luck, mine as well just replace them all. I dont know if youll be able to get the gears back on with the chain still attached though.

carl6405 · « **Reply #9 on:** March 18, 2009, 06:02:35 PM »

Thanks guys for your help. Yes, I went ahead and orderd all 16 from Pelican parts. $16/each. All of the lifters on the ignition side were worn exactly like the one there in the photo. Only 1 was like that on the exhaust side. Ive got the gears zip tide to keep the chain from dropping off the gear in the lower part of the motor. I was thinking that I could cut the zip tie and kind of pull up and push those gears back on to the cams.
Im thinking that with new lifters the ticking sounds from the motor should go away.

carl6405 · « **Reply #10 on:** March 18, 2009, 06:06:16 PM »

I'd like to ask you guys about the difference in the two lifters shown in the pics there.
BMWPower said that it looks like it is stuck. Actually that button in the middle is much shorter than the others. It looks like it was made that way. Does anyone think that the valves could have been replaced prior to me owning the vehicle, and the wrong onese were installed? Again, I have only had the car for about 6 months.

JoeDellio · « **Reply #11 on:** March 19, 2009, 09:53:44 AM »

Are the numbers the same on them? I can only see the numbers of the good one in the pic.

carl6405 · « **Reply #12 on:** March 19, 2009, 08:19:39 PM »

Joe, good tip! Numbers are different. Two different lifters!-
The lighter color'd lifters are 580 15 BMW 434 2 GERMAN EE INA
The darker are BMW 793 2 INA 5437
Wow. I'm surprised the car was running as good as it was.
Do you think the previous owner took it to a shop and they just slapped in what ever they had on the shelf at the time? Why else would there be two different types of lifters in the cylinder head?