Camshaft Removal Tool

[Starmountainkid]

Has anyone a camshaft removal tool, 1979 320i 4 cylinder? Or where I can purchase one?

[320iAman]

Its been some time ago. I just made a forked tool to press down the rocker arm with eccentric ect removed and then use a magnet to remove the retainers and did enough of these and it slid out.

Haines shows a forked tool and describes the procedure pp 23 ,No 12. using 3 forked tools and two people,leaving all assembled.

Someone here made a plate that attached on top and depresses enough of the rockers to remove and install the cam.

Randy

[Starmountainkid]

Thanks Randy. I did some research here and found the member with the plate he made, I e-mailed him if he still has any left. I guess I'll try to make forked tools, 3 needed I believe. Not sure how great I'll be at tool making, though.

I had a leaky head gasket is the problem, oil in water. Engine overheated due to a stuck closed thermostat. Glad it wasn't water in oil. Layed a metal straight edge across bottom of head and can't slide any feeler gages between straight edge and head, so maybe the head is not warped.

[320iAman]

Good,,its been some time since I did this,,add I slid the rocker arm out of the way and depressed the spring upper cap and removed the retainers..once enough of these were removed, the cam slid out., One man job vs two man job fully assembled.

Randy

[amarino]

Sorry, why do you need to remove the camshaft if you're just changing the head gasket? Or is this a "while its out might as well upgrade" situation?

Can also do something like this if you're just looking to swap out the cam and nothing else: https://www.bmw2002faq.com/forums/to...-special-tool/

[Starmountainkid]

Thanks for the advice! Yes, as long as I have the head off I'm going to refresh the head, install new rings and probably bearings, too. The engine burns some oil through the rings.

I've had this '79 320i for a little over 20 years with no major problems, just think a refreshed engine would be a good idea about now. Before this car, I had aa '71 2002 for 11 years, no major problems except rust. These at great cars when you find one well taken care of and keep up with maintenance.

I figure it's less expensive to rebuild the engine than to buy some newer BMW with iffy reliability. Parts on these cars are cheap, so why not keep them running.

[Layne]

1) The tool is pretty easy to make. I just did one for the M30. Just a rectangle of angle iron, with small pieces of angle welded on at each rocker so they press down on the eccentrics. The guy you're talking about who was making them is probably my local friend Matt, and he's not doing that anymore. He's actually pretty hard to get a hold of online. A couple things I learned... The tool must not touch the aluminum part of the rockers. They will break. And you must fully retract all of the eccentric adjusters before you begin. The valves will collide with each other and bend. Even with the eccentrics backed off, you have to watch really closely and adjust the pressure on the intake and exhaust side of the tool as needed so the valves miss each other.

2) The tool is completely unnecessary. I thought it would be easier than the old way, and maybe it is. But with the 2 major pitfalls listed above, plus needing to make it, it may not be worth it for a one-time thing. The 'old way' is simply to drive out the rocker shafts. Once you get a few rockers off, you can rotate the cam so that the ones remaining are not under pressure. Installation is the same. Put a few on, rotate cam so those ones are the open valves, then keep driving them in and putting the rest on. It's easier to do than it is to explain.

[tlapham]

1) The tool is pretty easy to make. I just did one for the M30. Just a rectangle of angle iron, with small pieces of angle welded on at each rocker so they press down on the eccentrics. The guy you're talking about who was making them is probably my local friend Matt, and he's not doing that anymore. He's actually pretty hard to get a hold of online. A couple things I learned... The tool must not touch the aluminum part of the rockers. They will break. And you must fully retract all of the eccentric adjusters before you begin. The valves will collide with each other and bend. Even with the eccentrics backed off, you have to watch really closely and adjust the pressure on the intake and exhaust side of the tool as needed so the valves miss each other.

2) The tool is completely unnecessary. I thought it would be easier than the old way, and maybe it is. But with the 2 major pitfalls listed above, plus needing to make it, it may not be worth it for a one-time thing. The 'old way' is simply to drive out the rocker shafts. Once you get a few rockers off, you can rotate the cam so that the ones remaining are not under pressure. Installation is the same. Put a few on, rotate cam so those ones are the open valves, then keep driving them in and putting the rest on. It's easier to do than it is to explain.

+1 Agreed, install camshaft first, drive in rocker shafts, rotate cam and assemble rockers as you go. There's more than one way to skin a cat, but sometimes simple is better.

[Starmountainkid]

Thanks a lot guys! I hadn't thought about the rocker shafts. Sounds like the easiest way.

[320iAman]

I'll be odd man out here, Hitting those rocker shafts after they have been in the Cylinder Head all that time and heat cycled so many times they can bend and cause the rocker-cam lobe contact not to be true and then see what I have seen chipped cam lobes eventually, I'd buy new rocker shafts if I was knocking them out and check trueness of contacts,,they contact each other some many times per minute that any appreciable deflection from horizontal contact can cause valve train not to be in specification with the valves, valve guide and so forth.. Food for thought,.

Randy

[Heretic E21]

1) The tool is pretty easy to make. I just did one for the M30. Just a rectangle of angle iron, with small pieces of angle welded on at each rocker so they press down on the eccentrics. The guy you're talking about who was making them is probably my local friend Matt, and he's not doing that anymore. He's actually pretty hard to get a hold of online. A couple things I learned... The tool must not touch the aluminum part of the rockers. They will break. And you must fully retract all of the eccentric adjusters before you begin. The valves will collide with each other and bend. Even with the eccentrics backed off, you have to watch really closely and adjust the pressure on the intake and exhaust side of the tool as needed so the valves miss each other.

2) The tool is completely unnecessary. I thought it would be easier than the old way, and maybe it is. But with the 2 major pitfalls listed above, plus needing to make it, it may not be worth it for a one-time thing. The 'old way' is simply to drive out the rocker shafts. Once you get a few rockers off, you can rotate the cam so that the ones remaining are not under pressure. Installation is the same. Put a few on, rotate cam so those ones are the open valves, then keep driving them in and putting the rest on. It's easier to do than it is to explain.

I just made one. It's pretty easy to whip up in a hour or so, if you have a chop saw and a welder. Mine is currently out on loan.

[320iAman]

One piece of angle iron or other metal,cut, welded,drilled holes and with rocker spring depressors , one man job tool, neat tool.


Randy

[Starmountainkid]

Thanks again guys!