A big job turns into a bigger one, 540i peace of mind

[E30SPDFRK]

About 2 months after I bought it, the timing chain guides decided to fail on my 01 540i. I bought this car to be a (realitively, it's still a BMW) reliable daily driver, so this annoyed me a bit, especially since it only has 100k. I parked the car for a while and just drove my e30, but the e30 decided to spin a rod bearing so the 5 is coming back into commision.

I don't want to have to deal with something like this again, so while I'm replacing the rails I'm going to replace the other known weak points of the engine. My expansion tank has a little bit of coolant residue on it, so the cooling system will be getting a new radiator, tank, hoses, water pump and thermostat. My vally pan gasket isn't leaking yet, but since the rest of the engine will be apart I decided to replace it as well along with an M60 manifold.


The reason for this thread though is because I'd like to go over my parts list before I order it all to make sure I'm not missing anything. It will be my first time turning a bolt on this car so I don't know if there are any little random parts that this car has and needs.

Parts list so far:

Guide rails:

-Left rail
-Right rail
-Middle rail
-Tensioner
-Tensioner O-ring
-Chain
-Lower timing case gaskets
-Upper timing case gaskets
-Valve cover gaskets
-Solenoid valve gaskets

Cooling system:
-Radiator
-Water pump
-Thermostat
-Upper hose
-Lower hose
-Water pump to expansion tank hose
-Expansion tank
-Coolant temp sensor

Vally pan:
-Vally pan gasket kit from BAVauto
-M60 manifold from now defunct 340i

While I'm in there:
-Fan
-Serp belt



If you see anything that I'm missing, please let me know. I'd like to order this stuff soon so I can start on the car this weekend.

And a picture of the car for all you illiterate people out there
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x96/e30spdfrk/the%20540i/DSCI0825.jpg

[ElleShooTiger]

Replaced all intake gaskets and the CCV, along with the seals for the CCV tubes. Oil pan I believe has to come off, so get those gaskets as well. Injector seals wouldnt hurt either.

DEFINITELY change the oil separator behind the left-side timing chain!

You're going to hate your life about 30% into the teardown hahaha, but its a lot easier to do everything at once than tearing into the engine a few times to get everything down.

[redbull713]

Replaced all intake gaskets and the CCV, along with the seals for the CCV tubes. Oil pan I believe has to come off, so get those gaskets as well. Injector seals wouldnt hurt either.

DEFINITELY change the oil separator behind the left-side timing chain!

You're going to hate your life about 30% into the teardown hahaha, but its a lot easier to do everything at once than tearing into the engine a few times to get everything down.

I was just wondering about the oil separator! Do you have a diy on how to change that? I already have the intake mani out as I am refreshing alot of parts. I hope it is not too much of a PITA compared to the rest of the job.

[ElJefe125]

The oil separator is located behind the timing chain on the drivers side, and is held there by two (i believe...) bolts that also hold the timing chain guide. Replacing this part is a two minute job if you already have the timing chain guides pulled off. Its really simple once you get everything out of the way. Here is a thread that I put together after doing my timing chain guides, perhaps something in there will be helpful. http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1633366

Good luck with the teardown!

[VFTS]

Did you spin a rod bearing on M60?

[redbull713]

How do I know if I need to change it? What is the symptom associated with this part being bad?? It seems like alot of extra work....

[ElleShooTiger]

I was just wondering about the oil separator! Do you have a diy on how to change that? I already have the intake mani out as I am refreshing alot of parts. I hope it is not too much of a PITA compared to the rest of the job.

Changing it is cake once the chains are out, its right behind the chain. Only 1 or 2 bolts hold it on. You will need to replace all the seals for it.

Its one of those cheap parts that will go bad right after you do timing chains, and require everything to be taken apart, again. haha

[Cyrix2k]

If I ever replace my timing components, I'm also going to do the rod bearings at the same time. It's probably overkill, especially on a lower mileage car like yours, but I'd like to stay safe.

[jburnham]

Here's my list for a similar job:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1623217

[filon102]

just a question: how did you know if ur guide rails are done? :shifty

[Mark@EAC]

We have parts lists for all three of your jobs mentioned if you would like to compare.

Timing guides:
http://www.eaceuroparts.com/content/tech-articles/bmw/bmw-m62-and-m62tu-timing-chain-rails-parts-list/

Valley pan:
http://www.eaceuroparts.com/content/tech-articles/bmw/bmw-e39-540-from-998-valley-pan-parts-list/

Cooling system:
http://www.eaceuroparts.com/content/tech-articles/bmw/bmw-e39-540i-from-998-cooling-system-parts-list/

[E30SPDFRK]

Replaced all intake gaskets and the CCV, along with the seals for the CCV tubes. Oil pan I believe has to come off, so get those gaskets as well. Injector seals wouldnt hurt either.

DEFINITELY change the oil separator behind the left-side timing chain!

You're going to hate your life about 30% into the teardown hahaha, but its a lot easier to do everything at once than tearing into the engine a few times to get everything down.
Forgot about the oil separator, I'll add that. Where is the CCV located? I forgot about the lower pan having to come off, the upper can stay put though, right?

The oil separator is located behind the timing chain on the drivers side, and is held there by two (i believe...) bolts that also hold the timing chain guide. Replacing this part is a two minute job if you already have the timing chain guides pulled off. Its really simple once you get everything out of the way. Here is a thread that I put together after doing my timing chain guides, perhaps something in there will be helpful. http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1633366

Good luck with the teardown!
Thanks for the link!

Did you spin a rod bearing on M60?
Yes, somehow.

If I ever replace my timing components, I'm also going to do the rod bearings at the same time. It's probably overkill, especially on a lower mileage car like yours, but I'd like to stay safe.
I've never pulled apart a BMW engine and found excessively worn rod bearings, mine is actually the first case I've heard of. I'm not touching them on this car, if they ever go bad I'll sell it.

Here's my list for a similar job:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1623217
Thanks!

just a question: how did you know if ur guide rails are done? :shifty
Stethoscope in the engine bay found the loudest noise coming from the timing case area, unplugged the vanos to be sure and the sound didn't change. And the fact that it's a fairly common problem led to the diagnosis.

We have parts lists for all three of your jobs mentioned if you would like to compare.

Timing guides:
http://www.eaceuroparts.com/content/tech-articles/bmw/bmw-m62-and-m62tu-timing-chain-rails-parts-list/

Valley pan:
http://www.eaceuroparts.com/content/tech-articles/bmw/bmw-e39-540-from-998-valley-pan-parts-list/

Cooling system:
http://www.eaceuroparts.com/content/tech-articles/bmw/bmw-e39-540i-from-998-cooling-system-parts-list/
Thanks, that's quite helpful. Just wondering, why don't you have part numbers listed as well? Or even better, a parts kit where you can just buy everything in one place? Seems like there would be a pretty good demand for these things.

[Mark@EAC]

Thanks, that's quite helpful. Just wondering, why don't you have part numbers listed as well? Or even better, a parts kit where you can just buy everything in one place? Seems like there would be a pretty good demand for these things.

We do not list out the part numbers right on those pages, but if you click the description of each part it takes you to the part and part number on our site.

We also do not bundle them at this time, for a couple reasons. One being some folks will not need every part listed or may already have purchased some, the other reason being that these parts fluctuate pricing on a day to day basis. Rather than constantly monitoring and changing prices we ask that the customer simply add the items they want to their cart. If that is inconvenient for you, you can always phone your order in and one of our reps can assemble the order for you.

[Cyrix2k]

^just a suggestion, but could someone make a script that could simply add all the required items to the shopping cart at once? This would take care of the price fluctuation and allow people who need all but one or two pieces to simply remove the unnecessary items.

[Fiziks]

How hard is it to just take a little time and add everything on those lists into your cart, lmao

[jamesthebikeguy]

Thats quite a parts list and a job to undertake!


How hard is it to just take a little time and add everything on those lists into your cart, lmao

Cause, what if you miss something?

Or better yet, isnt the purpose of customer service to help?

Regardless, the placing in the cart isnt hard at all...