e36 No compression in cylinder 2

[Cortez C.]

i have a 95 318ti and i had a bolt from an aftermarket throttle body get sucked into cylinder 2. i took the head of and there’s no damage to the wall but on the head you can see where it was hitting. cylinder walls nice and smooth, valves look a little crispy but are not bent, and the piston is looking good. you can see where to bolt hit and it got pretty close to valves so could it be the valve not sitting right?

i also have a problem where when i plug my coil pack in my dash lights come on and yes the keys are not in the ignition.

[bmwdirtracer]

If you had zero compression, the damage should be pretty obvious. The cylinder head might be cracked, or the valve bent and not closing properly, or even damage you're not seeing to the piston. Send the head to a good machine shop for pressure testing....or just find a used engine.

[dworthy]

+1

M-42's are pretty stout little motors, but the smartest thing here would be just to replace the motor.

[ross1]

So, where is the bolt?
It's pretty hard to imagine a bolt getting blown out the exhaust intact without having been caught between the valve head and the seat a few times.
You are missing the damage.

[Cortez C.]

hey sorry for the late reply. i had a bent valve and bad piston rings. ripping the engine out and rebuilding soon

[bmwdirtracer]

Reminds me of a coffee drink we had when I owned a restaurant. It was a double decaf nonfat latte. We called it "Why Bother"?

You'll spend a lot less money, and a lot less time, if you just buy a used engine. Or, buy a BMW that has the other two cylinders.

[Cortez C.]

believe it or not i tried looking for one but no luck. or if i do they want $1500-$2000 for it. it’d be cheaper to rebuild plus it’s a learning experience so

[dworthy]

Understandable. 1995 was the last year of the M-42, for in 1996 OBD-II came into effect and so did the M-44 motor. Be sure to have the head decked and pressure checked for cracks, etc. I would be sure to replace the valve guide seals as you are going in that deep, oh and there is also a gasket that's a must to replace on that motor #10 here: https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...diagId=11_6003

I am sure yours is leaking for you cannot replace it without pulling the head off to get to it.

Fun Fact, the TI only had that motor for a very short time, something like a year before switching over to the M-44.

[Cortez C.]

i appreciate it. i will look into that and get it replaced. thanks again

[Cortez C.]

do you know where i can find torque specs for the engine?

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do you know where i can find torque specs for the engine?

[dworthy]

In a Bentley shop manual? You can also spend about 30 bucks to get a 1 day to BMW TIS and download to your hearts content everything you might need.