Pricing a valve job

[sdc]

I've got a pretty decent tick and it's definintely going to need a valve job to get rid of it. It's not "hurting" the engine, just a nuisance. I know it's not going to be cheap, but I'd like to get an idea of how much one typically runs.

[328ischef]

i paid like 250$ I think for all 24 valves

[prophecy]

just got off the phone with a few shops.. first one i found was $300 for the whole deal.. 3 angle valvejob, pressure test inspection for cracks, (engine lab guy said its pretty rare for a cracked bmw head to go through there), decking/resurfacing, and a cleaning

engine lab said it would be 293 for everything.. i think i could find cheaper but i think it would be a good idea to not go with the cheapest for something like this, probably going to go with one of these two.

[kabal]

would a valve job like the one described above (3-angle cut, etc) make much of a difference perforamnce wise?

[sdc]

So I wouldn't be looking at a few grand? That's not bad at all.

[allen201]

..valve jobs are the devil.

You'll go broke on the labor unless:

1. You do it yourself. It's not *that* difficult.
2. You have a sort of "family friend" mechanic that will do it for cheap, or at least help you out / supervise / advise.

I'm guessing #2 isn't an option, so look seriously into #1. You have plenty of time to research, learn, ask questions, etc. A good place to start:

(I am not allowed to post URLs. Ummm ok.)
Go to www (dot) pelicanparts (dot) com and add this to the end:

/BMW/techarticles/E36-Camshaft-Removal/E36-camshaft-removal.htm

It's a day or three job for one person depending on skill, and assuming you have all the parts and tools you'll need (ignoring any dropoff/pickup of the head at a machine shop). If you can live without the car that long, nothing beats DIY.

Now that I've almost entirely avoided your question, I'll answer it vaguely.. valve jobs on multi-port ohc engines (uh like ours) routinely run from 1500 if nothing major needs done, to 2-3k if parts are hard to come by etc.

Usually valve jobs cost more than the car is worth.

[328ischef]

I dont know what he is talkinga bout, let me grab my receipt...
210$
BMW's cut their valves to the 3 angles OEM, you are just getting them regrond for a better seal.

Edit...i removed the head myself.

[328 is man]

i 2 wonder if the 3 angle valve job would lead to performance gain

[328ischef]

you already have one, feel the difference?

[prophecy]

325ischef: i have no fkn clue what alien201 is talking about either, like i said i just called some places and was quoted around 300

328 is man:
as 328ischef stated, the valves come from the factory cut at 3 angles so i dont think redoing them at 3 angles would change anything, unless theyre really worn or something. the one place mentioned that they could also do a 5 angle job for the same price..


and alien201, what are you confusing this with ? or did you just get a total rapejob ?

[allen201]

Hmm.. well what I'm talking about is the fact that new gaskets alone are ~$200 for all of the ones you'll need to do the job "right"; head gasket, valve cover gaskets and washers, valve stem seals.

The valves themselves are $20-$30 each, not sure on the springs.

This isn't including any of the machining costs for the valves or head that may need to be done, the labor, testing the head for cracks, replacing cam seals (since you're in there anyway), etc etc etc.

Either you found the best "little known valve shop" in the country, or the job wasn't done "properly" and old parts that should have been replaced (like the gaskets) were left on the vehicle to save on costs.

I'm not trying to be insulting, I'm just in shock, and I don't want the intrepid reader to walk into a place with unreasonable expectations -- and I've never heard of a valve job costing so little that wasn't either a DIY job, or going back "under the knife" inside a month.

[328 is man]

you already have one, feel the difference?

no $hit smartt a$$, i meant by redoing this would there be any performance brought back

[prophecy]

allen201:
here is the complete gasket/seal set for my car, tell me if this doesnt include something that they would need..

Head Gasket Set, 325i/is/iC (from 09/92)
BW-11-12-9-064-467 $152.30

http://69.0.158.19/live/A801038505REI.JPG


I think you're automatically assuming he needs to have all the valves/springs replaced, which i dont think is always the case. It is to my understanding that typically a valve job just consists of cleaning the head and resurfacing the components, based on how worn they are. New valves/springs/the whole shebang would indeed be much more costly than the $300 for the basic cleaning/restoring.

[prophecy]

328 is man:

apparently motors wear differently in different driving situations. apparently they'll also be more worn if used for longer than those that havent been used much. how much has your car been driven? how long have you been driving it? how hard has it been driven? has it just coasted down a hill one time then parked for the rest of its life? if you think its a problem get your tools out and take it apart. bring the head in somewhere to have it looked at. a reputable shop will give you an honest answer and you can get the work done if need be.

[hellrot325]

First, the prices quoted must be from the point the head is removed....tons more if the shop is going to pull the head. Easily over $1,000...closer to $2,000 depending what needs to be done.

Second, saying that you need a vlave job because of a "tick"? I think you are getting ahead of yourself. Have you done a compression test? That's the first test...if that comes up good then more likely the tick is a lifter issue.

[beatniks325]

and for 2k+ you are better off grabbing a 2.8 to drop in there ODB1 stye IMHO

[prophecy]

oh yea I hadnt even thought of that.. he must have meant just bringing the car in and having them do Everything. Definitely a minimum of $2000. Definitely totals the motor as beatnik said.