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Thread: Journal: M54 Head Gasket Replacement & Other Stuff Too

  1. #76
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    '02 530i & '15 X1 35i
    Quote Originally Posted by Mad Dog 20/20 View Post
    Hey, are some of the exhaust stud bores missing from the head, or is it supposed to be like that?
    Yea, WTH?

    That makes me not want do anything on my car now after seeing that. Looks like a potential exhaust leak.
    '02 E39 530i/5sp Topaz Blue/Black Interior - MegaSquirt3x - Garrett GTX3582R turbo - E85 fuel - Apex FL-5 - 265/295 tires - Custom Porsche Brembo BBK - 600whp @ 22 PSI
    '15 E84 X1 35i M Sport Alpine White/Coral Red Interior - H&R Sports & Bilstein B6 - Velgen VMB5 - 265/305 tires - ETS FMIC - MPI Charge pipe & DME Flash - 3.5" down pipe


  2. #77
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    When I put the first set of headers on my M54B30, I found that my OEM headers were not installed with a full compliment of studs. I can't remember exactly which ones were missing, but the missing threaded holes does surprise me. All of the stud locations were machined into my head, despite not all of them being used.

    Nice thread by the way.

  3. #78
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    Quote Originally Posted by PEI330Ci View Post
    When I put the first set of headers on my M54B30, I found that my OEM headers were not installed with a full compliment of studs. I can't remember exactly which ones were missing, but the missing threaded holes does surprise me. All of the stud locations were machined into my head, despite not all of them being used.

    Nice thread by the way.
    No problems? Lenny(M54B25) on E46 fantics is a good friend of mine, he's been pushing me to finish up my headers and install them.
    '02 E39 530i/5sp Topaz Blue/Black Interior - MegaSquirt3x - Garrett GTX3582R turbo - E85 fuel - Apex FL-5 - 265/295 tires - Custom Porsche Brembo BBK - 600whp @ 22 PSI
    '15 E84 X1 35i M Sport Alpine White/Coral Red Interior - H&R Sports & Bilstein B6 - Velgen VMB5 - 265/305 tires - ETS FMIC - MPI Charge pipe & DME Flash - 3.5" down pipe


  4. #79
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    2003-525i BMW
    Bimmerfiver---Those vac hose's you linked--Replaced those back some time ago--along with the ccv hoses--only one not changed out around the engine now is the hose from the purge valve to the intake--it's a Bi--ch to get to--will do it next
    may have to take the dang intake off to get to the sucker.

  5. #80
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    2002 530I 1999 M3
    Wow! Good work guys! When my engine gets to the point where a top end rebuild is in order, I think I will go to Stage 3 with my twin screw. I love doing this stuff myself, its great when you start it up and it runs the way you expect it too, what a sense of accomplishment. Of course, then there are those times when it doesnt run as its supposed to and you have to go back in and redo something, still it teaches you a lot. Hope you are both up and running soon
    2002 530IS 5 speed, Sapphire Black/Sand, M-Tech sport package, premium package, ESS Twin Screw supercharger, Southbend high performance clutch, Performance Gearing 3.15 LSD.....1999 M3 Cosmos Black/Black, Active Autowerks intercooled supercharger, H&R suspension and a bunch of other stuff....

  6. #81
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    '90 325iX, '00 528iT spo
    Looks good.

    Garrett: for a minute ... I thought you were rebuilding the touring engine .. LOL
    Jason

    '90 325iX 5M, '00 528iT 5M Sport (mfg. 5/1999)
    BMW CCA member #130075
    JScott Racing

  7. #82
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    Things slowed down a bit this week when the wife came back from the SPCA, with a new addition to the family. Dudley (7 months)is about the same color as a pint of Guinness



    Installed the new oil pressure relief check valve w/ gasket in the bottom of the head.


    Assembled the cams, with the help of my Father-In-Law. This is defiantly a 2 person job. It's a little nerve racking knowing the cams can bend ,or break if done incorrectly. They were set a little off center on cylinder #1 at first, in order to get the threads started on the carriers. Then turned to full spring compression on cylinder #1. Numbers 2-6 without any compression. Basically the reverse of the removal process.


    Lots of assy lube everywhere. Will also douse the oil over the cams when finally filling the assembled engine before start up..


    First inside look at the valves & seats. Soooooo sexy.


    Indexed spark plugs. The ground strap is between the exhaust ports. Tried the Loctite stick for the first time and highly recommend the product.


    http://www.topgear.com/us/games/more/quick_shift/

    Index washers come in color coded thicknesses so they can be position properly.


    Decided to go with a colder NGK plug (2668) due to the supercharger, and at the good results found by another forum member.
    Last edited by Jackcat559; 06-04-2009 at 07:06 PM.

  8. #83
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    Nice. You're almost home.

    That stick of anti-sieze is a great idea. Tubes are messy.

    I finished the M3 yesterday. She started right up, sounded great, and so I drove her around for about 40 min before she proceeded to throw a CEL for O2 sensors when I pulled into the driveway. This is when I remembered that both O2's got soaked in coolant when I drained the block - this is a no-no. New O2's on the way . . .

    Dudley is a cutie. Any idea what breed(s)?

    What tool is that you used to put the non-return valve back in?

    I was pretty surprised by how LITTLE torque a lot of the valvetrain/VANOS fastners get. 11 ft/lbs is nada.
    Garrett

  9. #84
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    Agh, ya beat me to the finish . Congrats! Well at least the O2's are an easy fix. Took a while to find the anti-seize stick. Finally found it at Summit Racing

    Right now Dudley's just a humpin' mutt. Maybe part choc lab? They clipped him the day before we picked him up. The neighbors hunting hound was a prison b!@tch yesterday.

    I was wondering if anyone would catch that tool. It's from my Clark Kent job's toolbox. In general used to adjust commercial / industrial heating "clam shell" style platens on griddles.

    Yeah a lot of the torque values are very much lower than I would expect. Did you soak the lifters in oil before installing?
    Last edited by Jackcat559; 05-25-2009 at 08:26 PM.

  10. #85
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jackcat559 View Post
    Agh, ya beat me to the finish . Congrats! Well at least the O2's are an easy fix. Took a while to find the anti-seize stick. Finally found it at Summit Racing

    Did you soak the lifters in oil before installing?
    Well, I had a bit of a head start. I've been "working" on this thing since like March, thanks to a lot of "out of town" weekends, work, parts delays, etc. It sure felt great to finally be finished and the ease with which the car started was a big relief.

    I installed all new lifters because I previously had a NASTY case of constant lifter tick. When I pulled them and tested them - 5 or 6 were actually "bad". I did not soak the new lifters. We actually had a recent mini-debate about the merits of soaking over on the M3 forum. I was a proponent of the soak, but after researching the construction/design of our lifters, I concluded that soaking could achieve very little if anything. CW say soak'em, though.

    When I started the motor, there was siginificant lifter and VANOS noise for the first few minutes. I then held the rpm at 2.5 k for maybe 30 sec, the lifters pumped-up and all the noise went away - and never came back. This made me very happy.
    Garrett

  11. #86
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    How did you test the lifters to see if they had failed? The soaking is interesting. Pelican kinda mentions it in regards to possibly having coolant inside from catastrophic head gasket failure. Bentley just says to use assy lube. I went for the lube, with the rational that the head was going to sit a week or two before start up (Plus the lube is less messy indoors). At which time most of the oil would have drain out anyway, causing lifter tick. Just as when the car would normally sit for weeks on end.

    Thanks for mentioning the lifter and vanos noise. I probably could have come to that conclusion, but it's good to know up front before I got all worked up. I'm already nervous about lint scoring the cams. Man that sounds nuts.
    Last edited by Jackcat559; 05-25-2009 at 10:58 PM.

  12. #87
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jackcat559 View Post
    How did you test the lifters to see if they had failed? The soaking is interesting. Pelican kinda mentions it in regards to possibly having coolant inside from catastrophic head gasket failure. Bentley just says to use assy lube. I went for the lube, with the rational that the head was going to sit a week or two before start up (Plus the lube is less messy indoors). At which time most of the oil would have drain out anyway, causing lifter tick. Just as when the car would normally sit for weeks on end.

    Thanks for mentioning the lifter and vanos noise. I probably could have come to that conclusion, but it's good to know up front before I got all worked up. I'm already nervous about lint scoring the cams. Man that sounds nuts.

    When you flip the lifter upside down, you see the plunger in the middle. You should be able to press REALLY hard on the plunger with a rigid (but non-marring) tool without the plunger compressing at all. It should feel solid as a rock. If it gives at all or feels even a little bit spongey or springy, then the lifter is toast.

    Your feelings re the pre-soak are pretty much what I concluded, too. Bentley (as you mentioned) and the TIS do not mention a pre-soak, either. The way the lifters are designed (ball check valve), you would need pressure to get the oil to load in the plunger. At best, a soak (with the bleed hole pointed up) would allow oil to very slowly enter the lifter body, which theroretically could shorten the time needed for pump-up on initial start-up, if you managed to get the car started within hours of the lifter install.

    EDIT: Just checked my work on the M3 over and resolved a potential vacuum leak (a tiny hose from the manifold to the air pump solenoid was not connected right). Took her for a spin and no CEL. I hope those new O2's have not shipped, yet . . .
    Last edited by Mad Dog 20/20; 05-26-2009 at 11:18 AM.
    Garrett

  13. #88
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    Oh Oh now I remember doing this briefly while the cams were originally in.

    Note: page 11 has a video of a bad lifter

    Re-enactment:
    Last edited by Jackcat559; 01-24-2010 at 04:12 AM.

  14. #89
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jackcat559 View Post
    Oh Oh now I remember doing this briefly while the cams were originally in.

    Re-enactment:
    Hilarious. If you didn't have any lifter tick issues, I would not even bother "testing" them. When they go, they tick like a mo-fo.
    Garrett

  15. #90
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    Only if the car would sit for weeks on end. Then maybe it would "tick" for a few minutes.

  16. #91
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    Jackcat-
    Where did you find the index washers?
    Just to be clear, you pointed the open-end of the sparkplug electrode up...???
    Correct?

    Mucho thanks!
    Jason



    Indexed spark plugs. The ground strap is between the exhaust ports. Tried the Loctite stick for the first time and highly recommend the product.


    Index washers come in color coded thicknesses so they can be position properly.


    Decided to go with a colder NGK plug (2668) due to the supercharger, and at the good results found by another forum member.

    Looking for an E39 belly pan , passenger front inner fender liner …

  17. #92
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    Tools

    [QUOTE=Jackcat559;16168539]No just to set the vanos timing. I have the cam locking tool also. The cams have to come off anyway. As long as the cams are braced when removing the sproket bolts the locking tool isn't needed. Good measure to use them though.

    The tools came through El Paso Tool on ebay. Direct shipped from Baum. There was another place that had them also, but Baum had a better reputation.

    The NGk Iridium were one of the recommended replacements. The original Bosh were too hot. Going to switch to something. I have a feeler out there now.

    Hey JackCat. Would you be so kind to rent me your vanos timing tool, timing chain adjuster, and cam lock set? I will pay you and for all the shipping. I will give you all my information, credit cards, drivers license, sign a contract, or whatever. I just cant see purchasing them for a one time use. My head is coming back from the machine shop on Wednesday.

    Thanks.

  18. #93
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    The washers came from http://www.summitracing.com/ and positioned so the ground was between the 2 exhaust valves (open end toward the intake valves). The general idea as I understand is to have a free throw from intake to exhaust with out the ground strap interfering.

  19. #94
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    Hey JackCat. Would you be so kind to rent me your vanos timing tool, timing chain adjuster, and cam lock set? I will pay you and for all the shipping, insurance. I will give you all my information, credit cards, drivers license, sign a contract, or whatever. I just cant see purchasing them for a one time use. My head is coming back from the machine shop on Wednesday.

    Thanks.

  20. #95
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    I appreciate your passion on borrowing my tools, but as of right now they are not going anywhere until my project is finished. Even then I'm not sure they will be lent out. Sorry.
    Last edited by Jackcat559; 05-31-2009 at 09:39 PM.

  21. #96
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    I totally understand.
    Have you torqued your head down yet? I am getting a little worried. I called a few local bmw repair shops today and every single one of them said that 9 out of 10 times you will not be able to torque the bolts down due to the aluminum block. They all said that they dont do head replacements because of this and said I will need to replace the engine if this happens. Now this has me worried and anxious. Can anyone shed some light on this? Thanks

  22. #97
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    Quote Originally Posted by allgoodsystems View Post
    9 out of 10 times you will not be able to torque the bolts down due to the aluminum block. They all said that they dont do head replacements because of this and said I will need to replace the engine if this happens. Now this has me worried and anxious. Can anyone shed some light on this? Thanks
    http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1125253
    Garrett

  23. #98
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    Thanks Mad Dog. Hopefully I will get lucky. My car didn't overheat and the head bolts were in there really tight when I removed them. We will see but I am still nervous. Now I just need to find someone to loan me their vanos and camshaft lock tools. This head replacement has already cost me more than i wanted as I keep finding things on it to replace so purchasing them outright is not an option right now.

    Thanks

  24. #99
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    Decided to attach the headers on the head off the block. Then install as one unit. While this did make installation a bit more awkward. The ease, and access to the bolts is greatly enhanced. Highly recommend this procedure. It may also help to have a cherry picker / engine hoist. The bolts are a single use copper, and also copper anti seize was used on the bolts as specified.
    Quick Tips:

    1- Coat the the O2 threads, with copper ati-seize.

    2- The exhaust bolts, SAP bolts, OE head bolts are one time use ONLY!

    3- If the exhaust and/or intake studs come out, put the back finger tight! DO NOT torque down the studs! Only the bolts.


    Verified correct O2 in position.




    Zip tied the O2 leads. The quick connects are easier to attach than screwing in the sensors later.








    Exhaust port difference.


    Late night beer.


    http://www.peugeot.co.uk/showrooms/107/parking-game/


    The odd bolt pattern.


    Last edited by Jackcat559; 11-25-2010 at 09:24 AM.

  25. #100
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jackcat559 View Post
    Decided to attach the headers on the head off the block. Then install as one unit. While this did make installation a bit more awkward. The is ease, and access to the bolts is greatly enhanced. Highly recommend this procedure. It may also help to have a cherry picker / engine hoist. The bolts are a single use copper, and also copper anti seize was used on the bolts as specified.

    Verified correct O2 in position.




    Zip tied the O2 leads. The quick connects are easier to attach than screwing in the sensors later.








    Exhaust port difference.


    Late night beer.




    The odd bolt pattern.


    makes me want to install my headers asap

    You should have ported just the exhaust ports.
    '02 E39 530i/5sp Topaz Blue/Black Interior - MegaSquirt3x - Garrett GTX3582R turbo - E85 fuel - Apex FL-5 - 265/295 tires - Custom Porsche Brembo BBK - 600whp @ 22 PSI
    '15 E84 X1 35i M Sport Alpine White/Coral Red Interior - H&R Sports & Bilstein B6 - Velgen VMB5 - 265/305 tires - ETS FMIC - MPI Charge pipe & DME Flash - 3.5" down pipe


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