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Thread: Lower chain case cover removal and reinstallation (M62TU)

  1. #1
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    Lower chain case cover removal and reinstallation (M62TU)

    i found removing the lower chain case cover very frustrating with very little forum coverage so i will share some pics and tips.

    there are a few threads and a diy about changing the timing chain guides, but they all assume that you already have the timing guides exposed.
    well, the truth is this isnt true until you about 10-15 hours into the project.

    so how do we get there?


    removing everything to be able to extract the valve covers and upper timing chain covers is time consuming but very straight forward. i will skip that part.
    removing the fan at the clutch nut, the fan shroud, drain the oil and coolant, remove all coolant hoses from the front of the engine, remove valve covers and upper chain covers
    is mostly either already covered or simple get the right size socket and remove it.

    once i had these removed i discovered that it was a few more hours to get that last lower cover off. you will have the upper chain case covers off and barely be able to see the lower cover at this point.

    in this pic you cant just see a little of the top edge on the left


    after the upper chain case covers were off it was about 3-4 hours before i got the lower cover off. it is really blocked and buried by even more stuff.

    here is a picture of the cover we are working on:


    as you can see there are many bolts and the cover is quite large so there are many systems that need to be removed first.


    1. draw a picture of the pulleys and belt so that you know how to route the belt later on. most of these pulleys will be removed.
    loosen the bolt on the main belt tensioner to relieve belt tension.
    after you have removed the bolt in the slotted area remove the 13mm bolt where the unit pivots. remove the tensioner and belt.

    2. now do the same for the smaller a/c belt
    note: the a/c tensioner using a 10mm in the slot.

    3.next remove the dipstick. the dipstick has one 10mm nut where it penetrates where the upper oil pan creates a shelf. you will most likely not fit a ratchet here.

    in this picture you will see where it goes through a hole to ultimately reach the little hole next to the green gasket. you can see light shining up through the hole.

    note: order new oildipstick o-ring



    4. next we go over to the alternator. the alternator is what sits in the big round section on the right half of the cover.




    the alternator is ringed by 6- 10mm bolts, but one of them is hidden by a pulley bracket.



    you will first need to remove the pulley located at the lower right corner of the alt bracket. pop the plastic cover off the pulley and underneath you will find you need a t-50 bit.
    on the backside of the pulley's bracket you will find a 13 mm bolt that needs to come off.
    you will also need to remove the large battery wire. it has a plastic nut so be careful not to strip it. you will also need to remove the wire plugged in.

    take note of the wire's connection point on the alt relative to the rest of the housing. becareful when assembling,the alternator will bolt on and fit back in any rotated position but the wires will only reach in this exact orientation. you may find it helpful to mark the alt and bracket so that you return the alt to the same postion.

    i had the entire alternator bolted down to torque spec only to find that the wires would not reach the plug ins. i had to take all of the bolts out and rotate the alt one bolt position to the left and then reinstall all of them.


    5. we need to remove what appears to be a belt driven oil pump that feeds the oil filter.
    it is the device in the lower right corner of this picture

    in my picture it is already removed and hanging. you will find it attached and blocking the lower timing cover. there are 2-13mm's holding it on. you will also see there is a threaded rod with adjuster thumb wheel holding it attached. DO NOT turn the thumb will or your pulley wont line up with the belt when you put it back together. there is a nut on the backside of the threaded rod. you will need to lay under the car to see this and remove it.


    6.remove the water pump and t-stat housing.
    this is held on by a few 10mm bolts around the perimeter. there is also a plug to unclip.

    i left mine plugged in and just layed the water pump on top of the engine because i was starting to worry about how many things i had unplugged and remembering how to figure out which plug goes where. as it turns out this is the very easy when you reassemble everything. most of the plugs may look the same but either have a different inside pattern only allowing them to connect to the correct device or they are clipped right next to where they need to go. i found plugging everything back in a much easier and stress free job than i imagined it to be.

    note: you will need a large and small water pipe o-ring as well as water pump gasket for reinstall.
    i may have this step out of order but you would have realized and removed it by now.

    7. remove the harmonic balancer and "jesus bolt".
    i tried the method of putting the car in reverse to lock the crank but it didnt work. using a 3' steel pipe for leverage i was able to lift the back driver's side wheel off the ground without budging the bolt. and i broke 2 extra heavy duty 1/2" breaker bars.

    without the crank holder tool (tool 11 2 450) and 3/4" drive socket and breaker bar with steel pipe this job would not have been possible.

    you will need the breaker bar to have a non-swiveling head or it will snap. this bolt is tighter than tight.
    the first pic is what i mean by swivel head. this breaker bar started to separate at the joint.
    the second is the static position (non-swiveling) head





    i bought the pipe at home depot for about $10. the 3/4 drive tools i borrowed.

    these tools may be very rare depending on who you know and where you live. 3/4 drive is not a common size. 1 inch drive may be even rarer.
    the socket is a 27mm if you need to order one. it seems these tools are available at many online retailers but are usually not a stock item so they take extra time so plan this job out ahead of time.

    your best chance of finding 3/4 drive locally is a shop that repairs heavy equipment such as diesel engine repair garages that service tractor trailors and excavating equipment, a farm equipment store/ mechanic, or a mill supply house. expect to pay $10 for the socket and about $50 for the breaker bar.

    i borrowed them from my uncle who has an excavating business and uses this size stuff on his dump trucks.

    here is a pic of my uncle's $500 snap-on 3/4 drive ratchet that i was afraid to break so i didnt use. it ends up as soon as the bolt is broken free it is removeable with just your fingers. i dont recommend using a ratchet even of the proper size because you may damage the gears inside and they cost multiples more than the breaker bar. break a breaker bar instead, its cheaper.

    to remove the bolt you will need to do the following:

    remove pulley. there are several, 6?- 13mm bolts holding the pulley on. you will not be able to get a visual on any of them due to how deep the pulley is.

    the best way to locate them is to look over the pulleys and you can see the bolts sticking out the backside to see which ones are left as you struggle to line up the socket without being able to look.
    the pulley should slide right off with a few taps from a rubber mallet if necessary.

    next remove the flywheel pin if you have already inserted it. you will need this out to reposition the crank to install the crank holder tool. the pin on the tool needs to line up to the hole in the collar so you may need to rotate the crank by turning the center bolt. it would be wise to make a mark at 12 o'clock on the flange and case cover to later realign the flywheel pin easier.

    the best position i found to attach the tool without destroying anything is to put it under the frame rail on the right side. if you put it on top of the frame rail on the left side you risk pinching many brake lines leading to the traction control device so this area will not work.

    you will need to remove a plastic air duct section to fit the tool below on the right. when you pull on the nut the tool will pull itself reverse clockwise up into the frame. the frame in this area has a pinch weld. you will need a peice of 2x4 (not shown, i recreated the pic with a different peice of wood that works equally well) to put on top of the tool but below the frame so that the tool doesnt crush the pinch weld. position the wood so the force is applied to the flatter area under the frame rail.

    the tool requires that you use 4-13mm bolts to attach it to the crank. the bolts from the crank pulley are not long enough. i borrowed the 13mm from the belt tensioners. one has two of them. the a/c tensioner has a third and the pulley bracket removed from the lower right corner of the alternator has the fourth.
    attach the special crank holder tool as shown:



    attach your socket and breaker plus at least 3' of steel pipe and pull!
    i have found that five foot steel pipe will hit the hood unless you know how to put the hood in "service position"
    the bolt is a 27mm but the closest 3/4 drive i could find was 1 1/16 inch.
    this socket was a little loose but the six sided socket variety are harder to strip than 12 point style.

    pull the pipe in a hard jerking motion. kinda slam your weight into the pull. i stood on the passenger's side of the car and pulled back jerking my weight into the pulls.i felt i could get more power into my thrust this way than if i stood on the driver's side and pushed.
    becareful that your socket does not fall off the bolt and send you flying. you may want a second person to keep the socket on the bolt for you because you will be standing about 4 feet away pulling on the bar and you will quickly see how wiggely the tool is at this length.

    i layed a bag of wood stove pellets on my fender so that if the bolt suddenly snapped loose i wouldnt smash the heck out of my car with the steel pipe. you may want to do something similiar.
    applying smooth pressure will most likely not free the bolt. the bolt will be extremely tight without getting much looser for the entire first 180 degrees of rotation until all of the sudden you can remove it with your fingers the last 99/100th of the way lol.
    be carefull approaching about 180 degrees of bolt rotation because when it get loose it is loose instantly out of nowhere.

    pull the collar off with the tool. if you jiggle the tool you will be able to work it off pretty easily. there is no need to separate the two because we need to reinstall it later so leave the 4 13mm bolts in for now.

    8. by now the cover is fully exposed. there will be a few wires on the left side that you need to pin back out of the way. in the following high tech computer simulation recreation of the timing cover outline you will see a cheat sheet of where all the bolts are. many on the left side are very hard to see.

    only crack the bolts loose for now.



    note that they are mostly 10mm but of various lengths. it would be wise to trace the cover and stab them thru cardboard as i did so that you know where each type of bolt goes.

    note that the bottom right, bottom left, and mid right are 13mm just kinda randomly thrown in the mix.
    note that there is a bolt inside the water pump snail that need to be removed.

    now you will need to go under the car and remove about 25-10mm bolts from the lower oil pan. expect this to take forever so if you have an air ratchet get it out.
    note: order lower oil pan gasket. this gasket is a thin layer of metal with a little bit of rubber around the inside edge. at first i was trying to rip only the rubber off until i realized the metal comes with it.

    once all the bolts are out, the pan will be adhered very strongly by some form magic.

    oh, btw drain the oil before you do this if you havent already lol
    give the pan a soft tap with a rubber mallet and it will bust loose. do not pry the lip of the pan with any tools or you might distort the shape of the pan. it is only stamped sheet metal. the bottom of your engine's oil resevoir is not where you want an oil leak.

    while you have the pan off and you are under the car inspect the bolts holding the oil pump on. they are know to come loose and fall out.
    this thread will explain where they are and what the proper torque is. the bmw 7 series shares the m62 engine with the 5 series.

    http://www.cardomain.com/ride/240317...e-5#2403170068


    inside the pan you will see bolts going up into the bottom of the lower timing cover
    the bottom of the cover looks like this:

    count the bolt holes in the bottom of the case and then count the bolts inside the oil pan. there is one missing inside the oil pan. the missing bolt is underneath the engine but outside of the oil pan! this one really got me for while. you will find it on the driver's side of the car. see how the bolts are not all in a straight row? its the far right back one.

    if you have successfully removed all the bolts the cover comes off without much force. the crank seal will provide friction but not much. if the cover is not moving you missed a bolt somewhere. review my pics and keep searching. trust me, you will miss at least one.

    note: order new crank seal.

    after de-griming the cover i removed the crank seal by carefully bashing it with a flat head screwdriver and hammer. lube the hole with a little oil before inserting the new seal. you will need to lay the cover on a flat surface with the outside facing up. the new seal is tapered on the back so the back needs to go in through the front of the cover first. bmw makes a tool for this but its not needed.

    i set the seal on the cover and pushed it in by hand until it was just barely set in postion without sitting cocked or popping out.
    i used a peice of 2x4 to lay on the seal to protect it as i tapped it in with a mallet. strike the mallet on the wood not directly on the seal. this is another horrible spot to create and oil link. it took how many hours to get this far? you know you wont do this twice if you discover an oil leak here so take you time and do not damage this seal.

    9. congratulation!!! after all that work to expose the chain guides this is the easiest part and we will only be inside for about ten minutes before its time to close it back up.

    inside you will see:


    see the green paper gasket? i forgot to order this. this is the upper oil pan gasket. the upper oil pan will not need to be removed for this job. if this green gasket is damaged from removing the cover just cut the appropriate section off the new gasket and be sure to use silcone gasket maker in the corners.

    first remove the left chain guide. it has one single bolt at the bottom where it hinges. i dont recall the size but you can see it is a torx socket.
    slide the rail off and then pull out the oil injector thing on the backside that plugs into the middle rail. the o-ring will require a hard pull to dislodge.

    next remove the right rail. the rail will be held on by 2-10mm bolts near the top. after these bolts are out slide the rail off the two lower pins.

    remove the middle rail. there is one torx bolt on each side at the top and three all the way at the bottom. it will be impossible to get your head at an angle to see them so feel around for them. the middle rail has 5 total and you will most likely need to slide the chain out of the way.

    behind the middle and right rail is the oil separator. remove and replace with a new one. it will be hard to push onto the pipe at the top because the tube is spring loaded. if you look down inside the from of the intake manifold ( about an inch from where it plugs into the oil separator but on the outside of the engine) you will see a clamp you might be able to push back against with a screw driver. i was only to get mine on the pipe about a 1/16th of an inch.

    when you put the rails back on the right rail's lower bolt goes into the separator locking it in place and the middle rail will hold it pushed to the pipe. with the separator locked in place the pipe will be held tight by the spring on the backside of the intake manifold near the ccv.

    if you need more help or some really good pics of where the guide's bolts are located the following thread is very helpful once you inside the lower cover

    http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1619653


    after the rails are reinstalled its time to put the cover back on.

    10. the cover is tricky to put on. i tacked my gaskets on using silicone gasket maker because the kept falling off the block. the lower two i tacked to the block but the upper center i had to tack to the case. it is very frustrating to guide the cover back on because it barely fits.

    notice on the inside of the cover (not shown) there is a curved part sticking out? what this does is hold the chain from below so that it does not fall off the crank sprocket when you loosen it. this peice will be very difficult to guide on and will most likely be whats holding the cover from going on. i had to go under the car and look thru the lower oil pan to see that the chain was pulled tight and guide the cover as someone else pushed it into position.
    once you have the cover positioned slide all the bolts in but dont turn any yet. you need to check that the gaskets are still lined up and not blocking the bolts holes. at least one of them will most likely have moved.

    loosely tighten all bolts. go underneath and do the same for the bolts inside the lower pan and the one on the outside. go around and evenly torque all the bolts down in several passes to avoid distorting the cover and sealing surface. if you tighten the front bolts first the cover might not pull all the way down when you tighten the bolts inside the oil pan.
    but if you tighten the bolts in the oil pan first the cover might not slide back tight to the block when you tighten the front bolts. it is very important to take you time going around and tightening them little by little in several passes. i used silicone gasket maker in the bottom back corners. just a very small glob will do. once the cover is tightened only a drop will be not squeezed out. i used the silicone to take my gaskets on because i could not get them to stay. they have a ridge around certain bolt holes so they kind clip in place onto the block but this did not work so well for me. really take you time here. there is nothing worse than putting all the bolts in only to realize you need to take them all back out because the last bolt wont slide in.


    11. once the cover is secure and properly torqued....lets put that jesus bolt back on! its almost as hard to retorque as it was to take off. almost, but not quite.
    slide the collar back on lining up with the key in the shaft.
    bolt the crank holder back on. i kept the tool exactly where it was because i wanted to move the crank as little as possible without the flywheel pin installed.
    because i had the chains off of the cams it would be possible to turn the crank and make a piston smash a valve because the crank is turning without the cams. I'm not sure how i even would with the bolt out.
    you will most likely still have the cams connected when you do this. just keep this in mind if you dont.

    without even moving the tool where it was i was able to make it work very nicely in the other direction, i just used some boards i had lieing around standing on end to brace it to the ground

    \

    the reason i could not put the tool over the frame was because of the oil lines that i really didnt feel like removing. im sure you wont feel like it either at this point.
    you can see more clearly in this pic:


    the manual states to tighten to 100ft-lbs then turn clockwise 60+60+30 degrees further.


    you will need to torque the bolt to 100 ft-lbs. then.....you need to turn it 150 degress further. this is easily calculated by the following method.

    mark the bolt at 12 o'clock.
    mark the case only at 12 and 6 o'clock.
    then even divide into 3 areas by marking at 2 and 4 o'clock
    each of these areas is 60 degrees. from 12 to 4 will be 120 degrees. the last 30 degrees is half of the last area. about where 5 o'clock would be.

    so when your done you did this:
    tightened to 100 ft lbs. then turned from 12 to 5 o'clock.

    word on the street is this torque value ends up as 300ftlbs, personally i think if i need a bar this big its obviously way more than 300, possibly closer to 4 or 5 hundred. most torque wrenches dont go past 250 so we will prob never find out.

    as much as i hate to say it, the installation is the reverse of the install. most of the items you reinstall will be fairly obvious as long as you kept all the different bolts organized. make sure to use a new gasket or o-ring anywhere you see one. most of this stuff would be a pain to have to repair a leak later on.

    the following is a link to the BMW TIS instruction for timing your engine and vanos.
    http://tis.spaghetticoder.org/s/view.pl?1/04/94/26

    you may want to reinstall the water pump/t-stat housing first. i did it last and found that the harmonic balancer was blocking access to one bolt and the belt tensioner was blocking access to another making these two bolts very difficult.


    the only thing i didnt find obvious of the re-install process was the function of the belt tensioner.

    here is my diy for the belts. it is very easy to do if you know how it works.
    http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1763405




    edit: before i throw my notes out let me throw some torque values at you

    belt tensioner 22ft
    pulley to alt 44ft
    timing cover 89 inch pound
    oil pan 9 ft lb
    water pump m6 10nm
    m7 15
    m8 22
    thermostat 89 inch pounds
    coolant pump 89 inch pounds
    oil pump 25 ft
    Last edited by topaz540i; 03-05-2012 at 03:23 PM. Reason: more pics, rewording
    ~2001 540i/6speed~
    Schmiedman M5 headers, SPEC stage2+ kevlar clutch, JBR 11lb lightweight flywheel, ESS Tuning m60 manifold software tune, 3" SS freeflow OBX catback, afe cold air intake, m60 intake manifold, Cdv delete, powerflex urethane sway bar bushings, M5 rear sway bar ,Autozone replacement driver side blinker light bulb, 545 short shifter zhp weighted, "dsc off" sticker, m5 3.15 lsd differential, m5 chassis rods, akebono ceramic pads, G2 caliper epoxy, ecs braided lines, BC-Racing br-plus series w/swift springs 8/6~
    On the night that I go back in time, you will be shot by terrorists. Please take whatever precautions are necessary to prevent this terrible disaster.

  2. #2
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    Very nice write-up.
    Last edited by jamesdc4; 03-05-2012 at 05:31 PM.

  3. #3
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    Thanks for the write up
    (oOO\(|||)(|||)/OOo) /00=[][]=00\

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    Thank you!

  5. #5
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    Awesome!!!
    You're right, while there are some great DIY's out there between the timing chain & valley pan DIYs, once people get into the lower timing chain area, pic taking drops way off. Very valuable, thanks Topaz!!!

  6. #6
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    Fantastic, thanks for this. Also, you can buy a torque angle gauge at Autozone. I found one a few months ago for a few bucks.

  7. #7
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    Awesome right up

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by E39 6spd View Post
    Fantastic, thanks for this. Also, you can buy a torque angle gauge at Autozone. I found one a few months ago for a few bucks.
    Bmw sell a magnetic protractor (special tool) but there comes a point where the special tools start getting rediculious. Especially ones you will never use again.
    ~2001 540i/6speed~
    Schmiedman M5 headers, SPEC stage2+ kevlar clutch, JBR 11lb lightweight flywheel, ESS Tuning m60 manifold software tune, 3" SS freeflow OBX catback, afe cold air intake, m60 intake manifold, Cdv delete, powerflex urethane sway bar bushings, M5 rear sway bar ,Autozone replacement driver side blinker light bulb, 545 short shifter zhp weighted, "dsc off" sticker, m5 3.15 lsd differential, m5 chassis rods, akebono ceramic pads, G2 caliper epoxy, ecs braided lines, BC-Racing br-plus series w/swift springs 8/6~
    On the night that I go back in time, you will be shot by terrorists. Please take whatever precautions are necessary to prevent this terrible disaster.

  9. #9
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    Did you use the BMW supplied crank holder? I bought one, but have not used it yet. A number of individuals report that these holders have a tendency to fail.

    Nice write up.

  10. #10
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    Great info. Keep it coming.
    Jason

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

  11. #11
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    I can't wait for the easy timing instructions... thats the part that scares me
    1999 BMW 540i Sport

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mike in CT View Post
    Did you use the BMW supplied crank holder? I bought one, but have not used it yet. A number of individuals report that these holders have a tendency to fail.

    Nice write up.


    Yea i have pics up there showing how i used it. It is a little difficult to find an apprpriate spot to rest it against without risking damage to wire, brake lines, and other systems.

    I believe the issue of it failing is that there was a recall. I bought it on pelicanparts.com and reading the customers reviews there were some older reviews describing this.

    You can read the reviews here:
    http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/...32%20%34%35%30
    Last edited by topaz540i; 12-25-2011 at 10:21 AM.
    ~2001 540i/6speed~
    Schmiedman M5 headers, SPEC stage2+ kevlar clutch, JBR 11lb lightweight flywheel, ESS Tuning m60 manifold software tune, 3" SS freeflow OBX catback, afe cold air intake, m60 intake manifold, Cdv delete, powerflex urethane sway bar bushings, M5 rear sway bar ,Autozone replacement driver side blinker light bulb, 545 short shifter zhp weighted, "dsc off" sticker, m5 3.15 lsd differential, m5 chassis rods, akebono ceramic pads, G2 caliper epoxy, ecs braided lines, BC-Racing br-plus series w/swift springs 8/6~
    On the night that I go back in time, you will be shot by terrorists. Please take whatever precautions are necessary to prevent this terrible disaster.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by topaz540i View Post
    Yea i have pics up there showing how i used it. It is a little difficult to find an apprpriate spot to rest it against without risking damage to wire, brake lines, and other systems.

    I believe the issue of it failing is that there was a recall. I bought it on pelicanparts.com and reading the customers reviews there were some older reviews describing this.

    You can read the reviews here:
    http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/...32%20%34%35%30

    These are photos of the BMW dealer supplied crank holding tool.







    The Pelican tool that you have looks much stronger, and about $30 cheaper. Interestingly, the photo on the Pelican web-site that you linked to shows a photo that looks like the BMW tool. Likely the early version that was prone to failure.

    Conclusion: get the updated Pelican toll.

  14. #14
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    Yea mine is much more heavy duty. The one I have is welded 360 degrees around the round tube i believe this is the area that would fail on the bmw version.



    edit:

    i edited the document body and changed some of the pics showing how i positioned the tool to remove the crank bolt.
    Last edited by topaz540i; 12-25-2011 at 09:01 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
    ~2001 540i/6speed~
    Schmiedman M5 headers, SPEC stage2+ kevlar clutch, JBR 11lb lightweight flywheel, ESS Tuning m60 manifold software tune, 3" SS freeflow OBX catback, afe cold air intake, m60 intake manifold, Cdv delete, powerflex urethane sway bar bushings, M5 rear sway bar ,Autozone replacement driver side blinker light bulb, 545 short shifter zhp weighted, "dsc off" sticker, m5 3.15 lsd differential, m5 chassis rods, akebono ceramic pads, G2 caliper epoxy, ecs braided lines, BC-Racing br-plus series w/swift springs 8/6~
    On the night that I go back in time, you will be shot by terrorists. Please take whatever precautions are necessary to prevent this terrible disaster.

  15. #15
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    wow dood brutally awesome right up!

  16. #16
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    all the tools needed to time your engine and vanos.

    2 style flywheel pins
    cam tensioner clips
    cam shaft locks and adjusting key
    vanos solenoid thin wall socket
    vanos timing special socket
    chain tensioning tool
    mounting block for chain tensioning tool
    vanos timing wheel positiong jigs
    machined 22mm wrench for turning cams

    ask me if there is anything on the list you dont see i may have forgotten to write it down

    the crank holder is mandatory if you plan to remove the crank shaft harmonic resonator bolt to do the timing chain guides.

    pm me for fair prices
    Last edited by topaz540i; 12-26-2011 at 12:07 PM.
    ~2001 540i/6speed~
    Schmiedman M5 headers, SPEC stage2+ kevlar clutch, JBR 11lb lightweight flywheel, ESS Tuning m60 manifold software tune, 3" SS freeflow OBX catback, afe cold air intake, m60 intake manifold, Cdv delete, powerflex urethane sway bar bushings, M5 rear sway bar ,Autozone replacement driver side blinker light bulb, 545 short shifter zhp weighted, "dsc off" sticker, m5 3.15 lsd differential, m5 chassis rods, akebono ceramic pads, G2 caliper epoxy, ecs braided lines, BC-Racing br-plus series w/swift springs 8/6~
    On the night that I go back in time, you will be shot by terrorists. Please take whatever precautions are necessary to prevent this terrible disaster.

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    San Jose, CA
    Posts
    11,537
    My Cars
    1997 BMW 540i 6 speed
    Wow! Big Job! Thanks!


    Ed in San Jose '97 540i 6 speed aspensilber over aubergine leather. Build date 3/97. Golden Gate Chapter BMW CCA Nr 62319.

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    hillsborough n j
    Posts
    5,081
    My Cars
    2001 540i sport 6spd
    yea when i got to the lower cover stage i had no idea how far away i was still.
    just wanted people to know that the last stage in the tear down for doing chain guides is a way bigger job than expected.

    other than the harmonic center crank bolt its all very very easy work as long as you organize where the bolts go.

    i just stick them back through the holes in w/e i removed.

    e.g. the water pump is laying on the ground with all the bolts still in it even though they arent threaded into anything.

    by the time this cover is off you will have about 50 bolts removed.
    ~2001 540i/6speed~
    Schmiedman M5 headers, SPEC stage2+ kevlar clutch, JBR 11lb lightweight flywheel, ESS Tuning m60 manifold software tune, 3" SS freeflow OBX catback, afe cold air intake, m60 intake manifold, Cdv delete, powerflex urethane sway bar bushings, M5 rear sway bar ,Autozone replacement driver side blinker light bulb, 545 short shifter zhp weighted, "dsc off" sticker, m5 3.15 lsd differential, m5 chassis rods, akebono ceramic pads, G2 caliper epoxy, ecs braided lines, BC-Racing br-plus series w/swift springs 8/6~
    On the night that I go back in time, you will be shot by terrorists. Please take whatever precautions are necessary to prevent this terrible disaster.

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    hillsborough n j
    Posts
    5
    My Cars
    2001 540i sport 6spd
    wow your superior genetics and impervious brain power are godlike!

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    hillsborough n j
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    5,081
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    2001 540i sport 6spd
    thanx bro. sorry to see your license is still revoked. just got mine back.

    anyways, i just added a bunch of torque values to the end of the post.
    ~2001 540i/6speed~
    Schmiedman M5 headers, SPEC stage2+ kevlar clutch, JBR 11lb lightweight flywheel, ESS Tuning m60 manifold software tune, 3" SS freeflow OBX catback, afe cold air intake, m60 intake manifold, Cdv delete, powerflex urethane sway bar bushings, M5 rear sway bar ,Autozone replacement driver side blinker light bulb, 545 short shifter zhp weighted, "dsc off" sticker, m5 3.15 lsd differential, m5 chassis rods, akebono ceramic pads, G2 caliper epoxy, ecs braided lines, BC-Racing br-plus series w/swift springs 8/6~
    On the night that I go back in time, you will be shot by terrorists. Please take whatever precautions are necessary to prevent this terrible disaster.

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Great Dismal Swamp
    Posts
    16,026
    My Cars
    E36/7 E36/8x2 E46 F25
    I've noticed in this and a few other posts that you are calling the bolts by the wrench size. Bolts are sized by the shank. Knowing the correct size can be important when looking up torque values. Most of the bolts in this job are 6mm which use a 10mm socket. The bolts with a 13mm head are 8mm.


    Oh, and you were merely suspended. I believe the revoked is a perma-ban.


    /.randy

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Sacramento, CA
    Posts
    1,417
    My Cars
    540it-318ti-318ic-Z3
    Thanks for documenting this part of the overall process. Nice detail and descriptions.

    Is the 22mm wrench you mention above actually a 27mm for the cams?

    The hub bolt is a bear to pull off. I used a 650 flbs impact gun and it still took 10 seconds or so for it to loosen. Putting it back on, we bent the hub holding tool.

    I did end up picking up the Pelican Parts version and it is definitely more stout. I used a 3/4 breaker bar from Harbor Frieght with my floor jack handle over the breaker bar. 4' bar and a former fullback friend of mine tightened it up just fine.

    Thanks again! I would have liked to see this before I took mine apart. Cheers!
    Last edited by BlackBMWs; 01-08-2012 at 09:33 PM.

    1999 540it - Schwartz II/Sand Beige, style 5 rims, Conti DWS 235/45 tires, Billy HD/Sports, Stoptech S/S BL, F1 Pinacle 35% tint, Zionsville Cooling kit
    1998 318ti Cali Sport - Schwartz II/Schwartz Anthratz, staggered style 23
    1997 318ti Sport - Schwartz II/Schwartz Anthratz, staggered style 68 ,

    1995 318ti Active - Alpineweib III/Schwartz, squared style 32
    1994 325i - Bostongrau/Tan, Billy Sports, H&R springs
    1991 318ic - Schwarz/Anthratz Stoff, Bilstien HD, Z4 3.0 SS, Magnaflow, S/S Stress bar, x-brace, M20 FW, Elipsoid/HID, K&N

    BMWCCA# 160411

    1995 318ti Sport Schwartz II/Schwartz Anthratz - Sold
    1985 635CSI - Schwartz\Sand - Sold

    1984 533i "Max" - Schwarz/Schwarz, - Sold
    1984 318i - Champagne/Tan, Stock - Sold

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
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    Posts
    5,081
    My Cars
    2001 540i sport 6spd
    ah yes. that does make it more confusing. i was wondering why a 10mm head bolt was called an m6 with the m obviously being for metric.
    i assumed all bolts of a certain size head have the same size threads. is this not true?

    i understand that its the size of the thread that dictates how much torque they can handle but it makes is so much harder to identify them.

    o btw im doing the fuel injector thing next month and i need help deciphering the info.
    my scan tool has live graphing of the bank 1/2 trim and other stuff. so i will contact you when the stars are aligned.
    http://srm.cnlaunch.com/ProductDetai...&showcategory=

    then im doing a graph of speedometer overlaid with engine intake temp to compare my c.a.i. vs stock air box
    ~2001 540i/6speed~
    Schmiedman M5 headers, SPEC stage2+ kevlar clutch, JBR 11lb lightweight flywheel, ESS Tuning m60 manifold software tune, 3" SS freeflow OBX catback, afe cold air intake, m60 intake manifold, Cdv delete, powerflex urethane sway bar bushings, M5 rear sway bar ,Autozone replacement driver side blinker light bulb, 545 short shifter zhp weighted, "dsc off" sticker, m5 3.15 lsd differential, m5 chassis rods, akebono ceramic pads, G2 caliper epoxy, ecs braided lines, BC-Racing br-plus series w/swift springs 8/6~
    On the night that I go back in time, you will be shot by terrorists. Please take whatever precautions are necessary to prevent this terrible disaster.

  24. #24
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Great Dismal Swamp
    Posts
    16,026
    My Cars
    E36/7 E36/8x2 E46 F25
    For the most part, BMW used the classic head sizes. When they needed to get a reduced head area, they used allen or torx. The Americans, however, ignored the traditional sizes when they finally went metric, and then got crazy with reduced head bolts.



    I've heard the Creader VI is a pretty good generic scanner. I had a Creader IV which I used for quick code checks. I still have two X431s which see lots of use.
    Last edited by rf900rkw; 01-08-2012 at 10:35 PM.


    /.randy

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Roswell, GA 30075
    Posts
    1,656
    My Cars
    2003 540i Sport - 6 Spd.
    Great stuff! To add to what others have said in their comments, I, too, did this job, scouring this board and the web in general for the lower timing chain cover removal with little luck.

    In the end, the crank-holding tool I was using broke (familiar story), and I decided to rely upon the flywheel TDC pin to hold everything. It worked both to loosen the original bolt and to tighten the new one. Not that this is the what I'd recommend as Option #1, but it did work.

    --Peter
    '03 540i-6
    153k mi; bought April ‘07 w/38k mi
    Silv/Blk, CWP, UUC SSK w/DSSR, M5 diff, JBR LW FW, SPEC Stage 2 clutch, Zionsville w/2-stage fan, coolant hoses, M60 intake manifold, motor-out overhaul (powder-coated VCs, TCGs, valley pan, coolant mani, head gaskets, heads refurb, all other gaskets, seals), Beisan vanos, PS pump & hoses, AC comp, fuel pump & filter, washer hoses, 88-degree thermo, DUDMD tune, Vibrant Racing muffler, Zeck CDV, Brembo solid-disc rotors w/ Textron pads & UUC SS brake lines, Dinan springs w/Koni Yellow shocks/struts, M5 front & rear sway bars, H&R 10mm spacers & studs front & rear, Pilot Sport A/S 3s, headlight adj repair, polished headlight lenses, 6k Umnitza Xenon & AE bulbs, new OEM M-Sport bumpers, gauge rings, permanent seat-twist repair to front seats, ZHP shift knob, M5 headliner kit (reinforced A-pillar clips), Schmiedmann pedals, MID & cluster pixel repair, Bavsound Stage 1 speaker upgrade & dedicated amp w/DSP subwoofers, retrofitted cupholder

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