Build thread - Turbo motor for my 745i (sorry for the long first post)

[lynnbilodeau]

OK, I think I have everything lined out for this build. Still have a few things to figure out.

Car is a Motronic 745i, built Aug of 83 which I converted to a 5 speed 15 years ago.

I plan to use this as a daily driver for several years to come. Up until last June, it was my daily driver for many, many years. Has about 307,000 miles. Body is still rust free except for passenger rear door. I have already secured, worked and painted a door. It is currently stored in our closet (have I mentioned my wife is an angel – she never complains).

Because it is a driver, reliability takes preference over all out power (my wife Sherri just stepped in the room, looked over my shoulder and said “Really? You sure about that???”).

Have changed directions a couple of times, but settled on the following:

M90 block bored to 94 mm, decked to 8.555 inches.
Original 745i crankshaft and rods.
Paul Burke forged dished pistons for final static CR of 8.5 : 1.
Later model (1990) M30 oil pump and gear. Smaller gear spins faster at idle.
“O” ringed the block. “O” rings are about .010 inches proud.

If I have time this week, I will go ahead and modify the block for piston squirters. Paul B. didn’t think they would be necessary with his pistons, but if I am waiting on other parts anyway, I have a set of squirters. Very easy mod and can’t hurt to get the piston temp down a few degrees. If anyone is interested I can take pics of the procedure.

B35 head, but with the extreme duty 745i exhaust valves.
Head cut just enough to true it up.
ARP studs, which will require rocker stabilization because there is no shoulder on the stud like the factory bolts have. I have another post about that in this forum. Found a simple quick solution.
S38 Goetz head gasket. By the way, had a hard time finding a Goetz, and ended up paying the dealer about $160. It is now available at Rock Auto for under $100. Victor Reinz is fine if you aren’t “O” ringing, but the Goetz has more surface area around the combustion chamber for the “O” ring to dig into. Anyone want to by a VR S38 head gasket cheap?

Paul Burke camshaft T11 (mildest grind he has for turbo app.) Because the head and block have been cut, I have modified the chain tensioner to make sure the slack is out. I am also using an adjustable cam sprocket to get the timing back in sync. The Bentley manual suggests using a thicker head gasket. Bad idea on a turbo motor, as it will kill the quench and lead to detonation.

New Febi rockers (I think they are OEM for BMW). My old ones LOOK good, but, just as I can’t bring myself to use a used lifter with a new cam on a Chevy, I can’t re-use rockers on a new camshaft no matter how good they look.

Will check installed height on valve springs, and will use stock springs, checking to be sure I have minimum 67 pounds pressure at installed height. Shim if needed and check for coil bind (not likely).

New hybrid turbo from TCD.

For now, I am using the stock 745i manifold and wastegate. Don’t plan to exceed 12 psi. with this set up, but if I change to twin turbos in the future, I won’t have to get back in to this engine to run 15 to 18 psi, which brings us to ….

Engine management. This is where I will be asking for some assistance. I already had a 179 computer and got a smoking deal on brand new in the package wire harness for manual trans. I already have a wide band Innovate O2 sensor. So, I purchased the Miller WAR chip with 42# injectors and turbo tune, which includes converting to MAF. It comes with the basic turbo tune, which should be fine for this set up with the stock manifold. But, it also includes 3 more aggressive tunes. So, should I go with twin turbos and a more efficient exhaust manifold set up, I will just need to turn the knob. If it isn’t perfect, I can tune with a laptop. So. .. input from any of you guys who have run the WAR chip with turbo tune would be GREATLY APPRECIATED.

Short block should be done this week. Mostly standard procedure.

If you are getting the block decked, and the head resurfaced, you need to take care of the front timing covers to make sure they match. Machine shop was able to attach the upper cover to the head and machine as a unit. However, because of the tensioner tower on the lower cover, they could not machine the block and lower cover together. So… I needed to make it fit. First I bolted the cover to the M90 block to see how high it was. Needed to take off .008 inch. Then bolted it to my old (junk) block. Only about .004. Hmm. I needed to get it up to .008. The first pic is of the junk block I have. I ground off the bottom of both dowels for the lower cover. Installed the cover loosely, then tapped the bottom with a mallet until it was .008 above the block deck ON BOTH SIDES. Spend some time measuring to make sure it is dead level with the block. I used feeler gauges, but you could use dial indicators as well. Second pic shows the cover .008 (you just gonna have to trust me on this) above the block. Got a very long flat sharp file and started filing the top mating surface of the cover until it was flush with the block. Re-installed on M90 block. Perfect. On the third pic you can see some of the file marks I left on the old block. That is why you don’t want to use your newly decked block. Don’t know what to tell you if you don’t have a junk block around.

There is an alternative to getting the covers to match the block/head. You can trim off the front section of the head gasket and fill the whole area with silicone before bolting on the upper cover. I have done that before and it worked. I just didn’t want to mess with it again.

Check piston to wall clearance. I never take this for granted. I am working with a 3^rd generation machine shop, but mistakes do happen. Got out the standard and checked the mics. All good. Checked clearances on each piston (all were exactly the same, by the way) and cyl. Again all were exactly the same. According to my measurements, final clearance is .0039 inch. Spec sheet calls for .004. I am chalking up the .0001 to my not being able to get the bore gauge dead center.

Next up, “O” ring the block. Careful measuring is the key. I didn’t have any machinist ink, but blue magic marker worked. Set the head gasket on, aligned with the dowels and lightly scribed around the inside on each cyl. This is necessary because the M90 is siamesed and there isn’t much room for error. One needs at least .010 inch between the inside edge of the gasket and the “O” ring. I used the Isky tool. It works very well. Won’t go through the procedure, but there are threads on it.

Next, time to file fit the rings. I don’t have a torque plate, but wanted to replicate the stress of the installed head. So, I just used bolts and washers torqued to 75 pounds. Learned this from an old engine builder who swore you could not discern the difference between the two methods. My machine shop didn’t have a torque plate for this block either, but they were gracious enough to use my bolt and washer set up for boring and honing. Don’t think it doesn’t make a difference. I have seen the siamesed 400 Chevy blocks show one to one and a half thousanths difference with and without torqueing.

Filed and fit all the rings per Paul’s instructions. BTW, every top ring measured exactly the same as every other one before filing. All were .006 too tight, by design, so that they could be file fit. The only advice I can give on filing is to take your time. After filing I always use a very fine honing stone to dress up the filed end. You don’t want a tiny burr to score your new cylinders.

One of the pics of the block has the rings still down in the holes. That way I can’t get them mixed up. Each one is fit to a particular cylinder. You can also see my bolts used in lieu of a torque plate. Got the pistons on the rods and the rings on the pistons. Damn those pin lock clips are a bitch!!! My fingers still hurt. Put away in a drawer all wrapped up to keep them clean. Hopefully will get some main bearings this week and can start short block assy.

10-26-2013 001.jpg
10-26-2013 003.jpg

10-26-2013 002.jpg

10-26-2013block.web.jpg

[kmunz]

My main question is:
With all this work, why stick with a 30 year old turbo design? While the KKK K27 hybrids are nice, why not just spend the few hundred extra for a TCD manifold with a T4 flange and run a modern turbo at about the same price as a hybrid unit? You would also be able to fit a Tial 38mm wastegate, which clearly has advantages over the factory one. There's no need to run a twin turbo setup on an engine with this much displacement; lag will be greatly reduced with the proper turbo choice.

As far as tuning goes, since you've already made the investment into the ECU and Miller stuff, just stick with that. As I recall you can create your own maps, so after you've finished building it take it to a professional tuner to get it setup. I doubt that any of the prepackaged maps are going to be close to the tune that's optimum for your setup.

-Keith

[SicStang03]

How much would it cost to copy this build (not including the engine mgmt stuff)?

This is some good info for anyone looking to build a motor.

[lynnbilodeau]

Good question. I already had the turbo when I decided on this build. I had an extra core that I sent in for exchange. Since I have it and it is an upgrade over the factory, I will go ahead and use it.
It is enough of an upgrade for now.
Over the last 12 years, I hit 15 psi on a limited basis with the stock cam, stock turbo, stock manifold, modified wastegate and chipped 013 with a Cartech RRFPR. That power level was pretty good with the 5 speed and 3.26 gear. I am fine with the mild upgrade for now.
If starting from scratch, and if going for all out performance, I would have chosen an upgraded manifold and turbo set up.
As for this: "I doubt that any of the prepackaged maps are going to be close to the tune that's optimum for your setup."
You may be right. One of the big reasons for this post is I would like to hear from someone who has used the Miller turbo tune with MAF conversion on a 745i motor. The only tuning I had to do to get the max out of the chipped 013 and RRFPR was dialing in the fuel pressure. I hear guys complaining about too much fuel with that system, but my experience was that I could keep very close to stoich with a little patience.

My main question is:
With all this work, why stick with a 30 year old turbo design? While the KKK K27 hybrids are nice, why not just spend the few hundred extra for a TCD manifold with a T4 flange and run a modern turbo at about the same price as a hybrid unit? You would also be able to fit a Tial 38mm wastegate, which clearly has advantages over the factory one. There's no need to run a twin turbo setup on an engine with this much displacement; lag will be greatly reduced with the proper turbo choice.

As far as tuning goes, since you've already made the investment into the ECU and Miller stuff, just stick with that. As I recall you can create your own maps, so after you've finished building it take it to a professional tuner to get it setup. I doubt that any of the prepackaged maps are going to be close to the tune that's optimum for your setup.

-Keith

- - - Updated - - -

How much would it cost to copy this build (not including the engine mgmt stuff)?

This is some good info for anyone looking to build a motor.

Be glad to list prices when I get a chance. However, some of this is "free" to me, as we have parted out a few cars, and I have saved parts. The M90 block was free, and the B35 head and intake was free.
Pistons with rings and pins, about $1000
Camshaft about $560
Machine costs with vary.

The M90 block, while nice, isn't essential. Only gets the bore up about 1.5 mm (about .060 inch) over the stock block bored to 92.47. I have a good used set of 92.47mm factory Mahle turbo pistons that I may sell, or may keep for another turbo build. Haven't decided yet.
B35 head and intake are nice, but again, not essential. The advantages are the larger intake runner and a 1mm larger intake valve.
179 computer is again free to me from parted cars. I did just buy one more on ebay for 20 bucks plus shipping, just to have another spare.
I would do this same build with stock block, head and intake if I didn't get those parts for free.

[kmunz]

You may want to check on mye28.com for anyone that has experience with the Miller MAF setup. There are a lot of guys on there that run an M106 conversion.
I personally have been using an Ostrich 2.0 and Tunerpro on my OBDI cars. I know of people that have successfully created their own MAF tunes on cars that were originally AFM, but it can be very tricky and time consuming, particular on boosted cars. I've always thought that a better route than this (if you wanted to stick to Motronic) would be to start with a MAF based Motronic 3.x and tune from there.

[SicStang03]

"The only tuning I had to do to get the max out of the chipped 013 and RRFPR was dialing in the fuel pressure. I hear guys complaining about too much fuel with that system, but my experience was that I could keep very close to stoich with a little patience."


How did you dial in fuel pressure? This is the same setup I'm running currently and my car runs very rich, but fuel pressure seems normal.

[lynnbilodeau]

First, make sure you have the correct RRFPR. You need part number 2022, which is designed for a factory turbo set up.
I am assuming you have the Tuomo Perfection chip in your 013 ECU for this discussion.

The ONLY place you should be rich is at idle. It is a by product of the Tuomo chip. I honestly believe that can be remedied, but not sure it is worth the trouble. After all, how much time do we really spend at idle?

You will need a wide band O2 sensor (narrow will get you close, but the price on the WB is so cheap now) a boost/vac gauge, and a fuel pressure gauge. If you are running an adjustable waste gate, I can't imagine trying to tune wihout the O2 sensor and the boost gauge. Most guys don't want to mess with a cabin mounted pressure gauge (and besides, every one I have ever seen installed reads about 5 PSI low), but you can use a mechanical one and tuck it under the wiper blade for testing. While it may be POSSIBLE to do the following without the gauge hooked up, it is not possible to do without an O2 sensor and gauge as well as a boost gauge. I know Jon Jacobs (regular on Scottie's site, and a really good guy) used to set the Cartechs up using shop air to simulate boost, but that approach was a complete failure for me.

Make sure you have a "T" coming off your stock regulator with the hose going to the Cartech.
Just remember the 2022 Cartech regulator has zero effect on fuel pressure below about 8 psi. Your stock FPR controls pressure up to that point. Hook up your fuel gauge. Get the car to operating temp and note the AFR at idle. Most of the 013 ECU's with the Tuomo chip run about 12:1 at idle. Would be nice if you could get to 15, but probably won't happen. What is important is that you are close to stoich cruising, and even more importantl, under boost. Actually slightly rich under full boost is best in my opinion.

Take the car for a drive WITH AN ASSISTANT to monitor things for you, so you can watch where you are going.

Get the car to cruise. Note AFR. Should be pretty darn close to stoich, or 15:1. If not, you have something wrong besides the Cartech. Fix that issue before proceeding. Look at the flapper adjustment and see if someone has messed with it. Seems everyone who can pry that cover off becomes a "tuner" and thinks changing that adjustment will fix anything. Should be a red dot of paint indicating the factory position. Mine has always been ay stoich cruising with the red dot lined up. Assuming you are at stoich, proceed. Do not use the flapper adjustment to get the car to stoich under idle. You will go way lean at cruise and boost and could burn a piston.

Make a couple of runs in 3rd gear with your waste gate dialed in close to the factory 6 psi. AFR should be close to stoich, but you are fine if it is a little rich, i.e. 14.5 or thereabouts.

Now, turn up the boost to at least 10 psi. Hopefully you have an "in cabin" knob to dial in the boost.
Do another pull in third gear and have your assistant watch the boost gauge. As soon as it hits 10, look at the AFR and the fuel pressure while still at 10 psi boost. If you are rich (can go as low as 12 for more power and detonation protection, but I like 14) meaning below 12, they the cartech is increasing the pressure too much. If you are lean, the Cartech isn't providing enough increase in pressuer.

The cartech has a knob on the side. It has been a few years, so forgive me as I can't remember if turning in increases or decreases pressure. You will figure it out after the next adjustment. There are some other adjustments that can be made to a Cartech, but I have never had to mess with anything other than the small brass knob on the side.

Here is a link to the Cartech site with all kinds of useful info.

http://www.cartech.net/fmu2020instruc.htm

[Hit Man X]

Yay, real build threads!

BTW, call me. I spoke to Miller on the horn for about 90 minutes a while back about that 179 MAF kit.

[lynnbilodeau]

Got the block drilled for the piston squirters. Forgot how long and tedious that job is. Took about 3 hours, or 3 times as long as doing the "O" rings. Kind of stressful too, worrying if you are going to mess up and ruin a perfectly good block. In retrospect, I should have done this before having the block machined and tanked. Oh well, lots of extra cleaning time before assembly.

I can post some pics, but unless you have the old turbo block for comparison, I am not sure it would do you a lot of good. Not sure I would want to try it with nothing more than my pics to go from. Kind of hard to explain. Journals 2-7 get drilled at a 70 degree angle from the crank centerline leaning towards the rear of the block. Squirters tap in place with a slight interference fit. Two were not as tight as I wanted (must have gotten sloppy with the hand held drill) so I used a small amount of thread locker on those two.

Plan to get the short block together this weekend. Not planning on pics of that, as the procedure is straight forward. Nothing special.

Am checking installed height of valves tonight to make sure I am in spec, then will check seat pressure of my used B35 springs. I don't see this engine ever going over 6,000 rpm so no need for aftermarket springs. Just hoping these are all good. Even when getting on it, I usually shift at 5500 as the torque curve is down so low it just doesn't make sense to rev higher. Even with Paul's T11 camshaft, the curve shouldn't rock too far to the right.

[DevInAz]

This is awesome. I would like to see some pictures if you have the time to post them up.

[lynnbilodeau]

These are called piston coolers, piston squirters, cooling nozzles. Whatever you want to call them, they came in all the M106 engines. There is some debate wether they are necessary. I figure a little relatively cool oil on the bottoms of the pistons can't hurt, and may help fight detonation.

I will try and post the pics one at a time after each explanation. However, you may just have to wait until the end and view them all.

Materials
15/64 bit
21/64 bit
Drill
Scrap metal to make a jig (can be flat or angle iron)
Small tapered stone on a die grinder
Large blunt punch and mallet
First pic shows a bit through one of the holes after I drilled it. Just showing this to give an idea of the angle. Keep in mind, I know nothing about photography. Angle is a bit deceptive. It looks steeper, but is 70 degrees from the crankshaft centerline.



Here is the jig I made. I would have been better off using something thicker, but this is what I had on hand. Just make sure it fits snug in the saddle and bolt it down. Like my mismatched bolts? Would have been easier with two small hex bolts.

psweb5.jpg
Another shot of the jig from the other side.

psweb4.jpg
Drilling cast iron is a little different from drilling steel. It is much more brittle. One of the problems, especially trying to get a hole started in that bottom groove, is chipping the end of the bit off. That is what happened here. Back to the grinder to sharpen the bit. Ended up sharpening the small 15/64 bit maybe 10 times before I was done.
psweb3.jpg
OK, I blew it. Forgot to take a pic of the countersink. The squirters hve a little shoulder to keep them in place. I used the same jig (which was now wallowed out a bit? And countersunk each hole with a 21/64 bit. One was just a little off center, so I filed off part of the shoulder to make sure it went in all the way.
After countersinking, it is important to remove any burrs with a small cone shaped stone on a die grinder. Check your work closely with a light and magnification (especially if you are old like me and your eyes aren’t what they used to be).
psweb1.jpg

Nozzle down in the hole. I used a flat punch with an end about the same size as the top of the squirter. It should be an interference fit. Like I said above, the two that weren’t as tight as I would like got a bit of thread locker to fill up the space.
I used a single edge razor blade to drag across the surface to make sure the entire nozzle was below the bearing mating surface.
Well, for some reason, the last pic won't load. Will try again tomorrow. Not sure how the thumbnail got there, but I can't get rid of it.

[lynnbilodeau]

OK, here is a pic of one of the nozzles down in the hole.

psweb8.jpg

[SicStang03]

First, make sure you have the correct RRFPR. You need part number 2022, which is designed for a factory turbo set up.
I am assuming you have the Tuomo Perfection chip in your 013 ECU for this discussion.

The ONLY place you should be rich is at idle. It is a by product of the Tuomo chip. I honestly believe that can be remedied, but not sure it is worth the trouble. After all, how much time do we really spend at idle?

You will need a wide band O2 sensor (narrow will get you close, but the price on the WB is so cheap now) a boost/vac gauge, and a fuel pressure gauge. If you are running an adjustable waste gate, I can't imagine trying to tune wihout the O2 sensor and the boost gauge. Most guys don't want to mess with a cabin mounted pressure gauge (and besides, every one I have ever seen installed reads about 5 PSI low), but you can use a mechanical one and tuck it under the wiper blade for testing. While it may be POSSIBLE to do the following without the gauge hooked up, it is not possible to do without an O2 sensor and gauge as well as a boost gauge. I know Jon Jacobs (regular on Scottie's site, and a really good guy) used to set the Cartechs up using shop air to simulate boost, but that approach was a complete failure for me.

Make sure you have a "T" coming off your stock regulator with the hose going to the Cartech.
Just remember the 2022 Cartech regulator has zero effect on fuel pressure below about 8 psi. Your stock FPR controls pressure up to that point. Hook up your fuel gauge. Get the car to operating temp and note the AFR at idle. Most of the 013 ECU's with the Tuomo chip run about 12:1 at idle. Would be nice if you could get to 15, but probably won't happen. What is important is that you are close to stoich cruising, and even more importantl, under boost. Actually slightly rich under full boost is best in my opinion.

Take the car for a drive WITH AN ASSISTANT to monitor things for you, so you can watch where you are going.

Get the car to cruise. Note AFR. Should be pretty darn close to stoich, or 15:1. If not, you have something wrong besides the Cartech. Fix that issue before proceeding. Look at the flapper adjustment and see if someone has messed with it. Seems everyone who can pry that cover off becomes a "tuner" and thinks changing that adjustment will fix anything. Should be a red dot of paint indicating the factory position. Mine has always been ay stoich cruising with the red dot lined up. Assuming you are at stoich, proceed. Do not use the flapper adjustment to get the car to stoich under idle. You will go way lean at cruise and boost and could burn a piston.

Make a couple of runs in 3rd gear with your waste gate dialed in close to the factory 6 psi. AFR should be close to stoich, but you are fine if it is a little rich, i.e. 14.5 or thereabouts.

Now, turn up the boost to at least 10 psi. Hopefully you have an "in cabin" knob to dial in the boost.
Do another pull in third gear and have your assistant watch the boost gauge. As soon as it hits 10, look at the AFR and the fuel pressure while still at 10 psi boost. If you are rich (can go as low as 12 for more power and detonation protection, but I like 14) meaning below 12, they the cartech is increasing the pressure too much. If you are lean, the Cartech isn't providing enough increase in pressuer.

The cartech has a knob on the side. It has been a few years, so forgive me as I can't remember if turning in increases or decreases pressure. You will figure it out after the next adjustment. There are some other adjustments that can be made to a Cartech, but I have never had to mess with anything other than the small brass knob on the side.

Here is a link to the Cartech site with all kinds of useful info.

http://www.cartech.net/fmu2020instruc.htm

Yes I have the adjustable WG with Tuomo chip and a cartech regulator with team745 boost controlelr. My car seemed to have a mind of it's own, sometimes lean and sometimes rich at cruise and idle. I had the WOT A/F less than 12 for good measure. I am more concerned with setting the cruise and idle to 15. I guess I need to figure out what's causing the A/F to be all over the place. Sometimes I suspect vac leaks, but the vac is good.

[dcs]

Great build!

[lynnbilodeau]

SicStang
Just by way of clarification, you will not get 15:1 at idle with the Tuomo chip. It will be around 12:1.

I would turn the boost level down to 6 psi, and see if you can't get the cruising afr to 15:1. Although uncommon, the air flow meter flapper can stick. Check to make sure it moves freely. I wouldn't try to adjust the RRFPR until everything is up to snuff at stock levels.

The other thing that will wildly affect afr is a bad plug wire. Not only do you get misfire, you get a large volume of unburned gas.

- - - Updated - - -

Target for installed height is 1.550
Took the first measurement and wouldn't you know it, 1.550 on the nose. Of course that was the only one, but all others were within .002.
Makes me feel good about the machine shop I used on the head. Shameless plug for Bill Simms at Simms Automotive in OKC.

Many of the low end machine shops will pay almost no attention to installed height. May not be a big deal on some cars, but really screws up the geometry of the eccentric to the valve stem. M30 valve train can last decades set up correctly, or weeks set up incorrectly. I had an 84 733i that went 100,000 (from 135,000 to 235,000) miles without needing any valve adjustment. Checked it every couple years, but never needed to adjust.

[Hit Man X]

Are you using the B35 dual springs?

Great pictures!

[SicStang03]

SicStang
Just by way of clarification, you will not get 15:1 at idle with the Tuomo chip. It will be around 12:1.

I would turn the boost level down to 6 psi, and see if you can't get the cruising afr to 15:1. Although uncommon, the air flow meter flapper can stick. Check to make sure it moves freely. I wouldn't try to adjust the RRFPR until everything is up to snuff at stock levels.

The other thing that will wildly affect afr is a bad plug wire. Not only do you get misfire, you get a large volume of unburned gas.

Thanks Lynn. Yes the flap moves smoothly on my AFM. I'm going to swap my spare set of wires on and see what happens. My idle shows lean (17) most of the time and so does my cruise, but it smells like raw fuel and my plugs get burned up quick, which is weird.

I might have a rebuild in the near future.

[lynnbilodeau]

"My idle shows lean (17)"

I am sure Eric will chime in here, but if your idle is lean, you either have a vacuum leak OR someone has messed with your AFM OR you have some clogged injectors. You haven't been using E10 have you?
Even from the factory these cars were a hair on the rich side at idle (smoother - and they didn't have to meet us emissions). With the Tuomo chip, everyone seems to report an even richer idle.

- - - Updated - - -

Are you using the B35 dual springs?

Great pictures!

Eric:

Yes. I don't know that there is a huge advantange, but since I have a nice clean set, decided to use them. Saw a post comparing the spring rates between the dual B35 springs and some of of an old CSi, and they were very close. I BELIEVE the biggest advantage is the damping of vibration. Can't imagine that is a huge deal, given that I won't be winding this motor very high. Still, BMW decided to use the dual springs, and it wasn't to extend the rev range, so there has to be some reason.

Went over to an old friend's house (huge 60 x 60 shop in back) to use his valve spring tester. Paul B. said I just needed to make sure they were at LEAST 67 pounds at installed height. All 12 were between 79 and 81.

Good to go.

Turned out to be a really good trip. I was complaining to my buddy (Greg) that my 220 mig welder was still working fine on thick metals, but not worth a darn on sheet metal. Told him I was looking for a decent 110 model. I had just told him he needed to get some of the stuff out of his workshop as it is getting kind of crowded in there. He agreed and sold me his Snap-On 110 mig welder for $150. I didn't even know he had it. It was hidden back in the corner.
Score!

Before I put this head together, just making sure no one needs pics of checking installed height on valves. It is really very simple. Install the valve keeper and split locks without the spring. Pull up on the keeper. Put a snap gauge in between the keeper and the spring pad. Measure with a 1 - 2" mic.

If anyone wants a pic, I can take one before I assemble the head. Don't be embarassed. MANY guys have never done it or seen it done.
You can send me a pm if you want me to post a pic. As with many other things, sometimes the light goes on with pictures.

[Hit Man X]

I have not installed my chip from Tuomo yet as my car has been shutting down under full load (which I think I figured out last night by accident...rotten IC couplers), so was not sure if I would be much help. I got my Motronic to idle right around 14:1 when hot with the WB02 on stock chip/stock 6psi WG and pulls a stable 17" of vac. I go with the 14:1 spec as it is within the 0.5-2% CO spec from the BMW service manual on the 745i. Took me a while to find a CO -> WB conversion chart and it was 13.7-14.2:1

Justin and I have been around and around and around trying to figure out what the hell is the deal with his car... I agree going back to stock fuel system and working from there. Bypassing the Cartech for now and all. I too believe there is an air leak somewhere in there, just not sure where it lies currently. Those three PITA hoses from the venturi to the TB are what I suspect or maybe that idle switch on the TB that tells the ECU to idle.



BTW, what are you using for the timing case seals? I f-ed them up by using RTV and now have to redo them. I am thinking just going with that reddish colored gasket tack.

[kmunz]

On these Tuomo chips, it would be nice to see exactly what they've modified. I suspect they just raise the boost limit, and do nothing with timing or fuel scaling. If someone wants to volunteer their stock and modified chip, I can scan and store the .bin file and see what's going on.
I'd also like see to see how the map locations differ on the 4, 2, and single EEPROM ECUs.

[Hit Man X]

On these Tuomo chips, it would be nice to see exactly what they've modified. I suspect they just raise the boost limit, and do nothing with timing or fuel scaling. If someone wants to volunteer their stock and modified chip, I can scan and store the .bin file and see what's going on.
I'd also like see to see how the map locations differ on the 4, 2, and single EEPROM ECUs.

Sent you a PM, I have some BINs I collected over the years (not sure if from Jarmo or not, hopefully not as that is his intellectual property). I THINK they are the two ECU variant, but there are board revisions in addition to the four/two/one ECU boxes. Supposedly the one ECU box runs with a higher clock speed, but not sure how that makes the car perform. Also the '86 ECU with the one chip had a transmission with the -286 code.

I bought my chip back in February or March, USD is really down so I paid nearly $300 :/ Oh well, have to pay to play. At least I picked up an adjustable wastegate for hardly anything and have a few Ljet ones to dick with too

[lynnbilodeau]

On these Tuomo chips, it would be nice to see exactly what they've modified. I suspect they just raise the boost limit, and do nothing with timing or fuel scaling. If someone wants to volunteer their stock and modified chip, I can scan and store the .bin file and see what's going on.
I'd also like see to see how the map locations differ on the 4, 2, and single EEPROM ECUs.

Well, that might happen, as I have a stock never opened 013 ECU and my chipped one.

However, I may need the chipped one. I am considering sending the war package back. I posted on mye28.com and got really bad responses. If I don't use the WAR set up with the 179 ECU, I will need to re-install my chipped on.

- - - Updated - - -

valveheight.jpgFigured I would post a pic. Easy to check installed height of valves. Easier with two people. My son was over tonight, so before working on the head, I put a valve in and snapped this pic. One person can do it, but it is a bit awkward. I actually measured all 12 last night without assistance. I am sure my angel of a wife would have been glad to help had I asked.

There is a tool you can buy to do this as well, but I think it takes longer. I like the snap gauge method.

You just pull out the snap gauge after locking it and mic it.

That is your installed height.

- - - Updated - - -

Well, this part is a little embarrassing. Thought I would share a huge mistake I made couple years ago.

Built an M30 with B35 head. Got a copper head gasket from SCE. Decked the block, shaved the head. Had the gasket made thinner than stock, and ran it with an adjustable cam gear to get the timing back in sync.

It was my second attempt at copper. First time around, I had the block "O" ringed and had a receiver groove put in the head. Turned out the receiver groove wasn’t big enough and I never could get it to seal. So... next time around I went copper without any "O" ringing.

With copper, the biggest issue is usually water and oil leaks. So, I ran a tiny bead of Hylomar (great stuff) around every water or oil passage, top and bottom. Carefully installed the head.

Got it running, and ran boost up to 15 psi for short bursts, but mostly about 12 psi. Ran great. About 3 months later I am telling Sherri how I don’t think the car has ever run as well. We pull into a station to gas up. I start the car and get a really loud banging noise with each revolution. Have it towed to my brother’s shop. He listens and is convinced I had a rod break. But, it wasn’t missing.

So, I pulled the head and find a screw imbedded in the top of #4 piston. I had apparently dropped a hose clamp into the intake charge tube. It had worked its way down to #4 intake valve, and when the screw finally vibrated out of the clamp, it landed on my piston.

Below is a pic of the #4 piston. Good news is: I dug out the screw. Now, I am wondering where the rest of the clamp is. I looked above the intake valve (while fully open) and I can see it. I was able to fish it out with some needle nose pliers. The valve, remarkably, was not bent. So, I put it all back together with a composition gasket (no "O" rings, as I was planning on the copper, but now I am not using the copper) and drive it for another 1.5 years, or about 20,000 miles. Wasn’t until I developed my next leak that I decided on this build.
So, believe it or not, that piston is still fully functional. I wasn’t 100% certain until I removed it to see if the upper ring was tight in the groove under that screw impression. It is fine. Hell, I may use this set of pistons in another turbo build.
Of course that screw was banging on something to make the loud noise. Of course it was hitting the head. Luckily, it imbedded in about the only place it could have without causing real damage.
Tomorrow I will post some pics of the welding that was necessary to get the head back in shape, along with the combustion chamber shaping after the weld.
Have a good laugh on me after looking at the pic.

number4.jpg

[Hit Man X]

Nice carnage! I had a pintle fall into the runner and pulled the plenum due to that...yup, that paranoid.

Good info on the B35 springs, vibration makes better since than the reason I was going to use them... to prevent a valve from dropping if one spring failed. Maybe BMW did them to help stabilize the valve train at higher RPM to prevent rocker failure? Either way, it was a positive change.

How much hotter is that T11 grind over the 745i unit? And for that matter, I have heard all sorts of stuff about the 745i camshaft... any concrete idea what its specs are, really? Maybe Paul has a Camdoctor to put the thing on so we can know.

[lynnbilodeau]

Paul did run numbers on the factory 745i cam when he developed his, but I don't have them off hand. The T11 I am using is the mildest cam he makes for turbo app. I do not remember the specs off the top of my head, but am sure it will come with a cam card.

[SicStang03]

Yup, Eric and I have been trying to figre it out for a little while. The car was running no problem other than being lean at cruise and idle.