Valvetrain Adjustment..

[Ayham]

I want to get a feeler on how others with M engines went through their service...I recently came to know that the S engines require a valve balancing job every 30,000 to 40,000 km as per BMW AG specs, but I've never heard about it being done here through the dealer for those who bought theirs from the showroom.

Is this correct or is it me imagining? US dealers go through it in their maintenance schedule. Mine is in need of this treatment as I'm hearing an increasing ticking sound from the valvetrain.

[jeanloup]

Never heard of it... But I believe mine would require a verification as well.

[Ayham]

Yea, can you ask in the dealer if it's included in the service?

[RAFiK]

Ayham can you provide us (or me) on "vavetrain" .. I mean what are they exactly and what they do and where are they located :D ... it's not shame to ask you know :)

[SSense]

Ayham can you provide us (or me) on "vavetrain" .. I mean what are they exactly and what they do and where are they located :D ... it's not shame to ask you know :)

its valvetrain :busted:

[RAFiK]

oops !! i thought i typed the "L" !! i deserve a :slap: and you deserve a :spank: ....

[SewerSideUp]

Valvetrain :
All the components involved in keeping mechanical engine timing.
If youre farmiliar with how an internal combustion works you sure as hell know that there are two valves. Intake and Exhaust.
On most cars these days and ALL ///M engines there are 4 valves . 2 for the intake side and 2 for the exhaust side .
These valves need some kind of force to push them open and close them back completly sealed shut in a matter of milliseconds, less than that actually but depending on engine revs.
This is where the Camshafts or Cams come in. What they do is push the valves open. A valve has a long stem wich meets the knucklss/lobes on a camshaft. The knuckles/lobes of the camshaft push the valve as far as the lobe angle allows it to while the camshaft is turning. To close them back down extremely fast, there is a spring acting in the opposite direction of the cam lobe. It is locked to the valve, as in the valve goes through the spring and is locked with spring retainers. As soon as the cam lobe moves away the spring is already pushing back up to close the valve and keep it closed till the cam arrives again. It's an ongoing process.

Cam lobes are placed on the cam shaft in specific order to the engines firing order. When and Which cylinder goes through combustion.

Now, all of the above goes as standard for all engines. There are a few changes here and there. Solid Lifters for example use a cup that sits on top of the valve stem, basically enlarging the stem surface area without adding the extra weight of enlarging the valve stem itself. It allows the lobe to push the valve with more accuracy at high RPMs. Meaning, the engine breathers properly at high RPMs thus more power.

More valvetrain parts are the timing chain/belt and cam shaft sprockets. The above is more concentrated on Ayhams main post.

Hope this sheds some light on your question !

[SewerSideUp]

Ayham, replying to your post. This one is using BMW Special Tools. It can be done without them:
http://jasoncampagna.com/bmwm3/valve...adjustment.pdf

Heres a DIY, its pretty straight forward and easy if you ask me !
http://m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=217331

[Ayham]

I wouldn't do it without the special tools....But pretty much straight forward since no cams need be removed (I had this evil idea of installing aftermarket cams that are available now here). But then it's not the time to be wasting money in that direction.

I need a place to work on it though, a CLEAN place.

[SewerSideUp]

No point of fiddling around with an S54 head. Cams, my advice is do it at a much later stage. Or, buy them and keep them till then .

What you need my friend is less WEIGHT !

Aren't *** qualified for the job ?

[Ayham]

You'd be surprized how much them cams can benefit that nutt case!! Ofcourse with the right tuning, Bassel Daham is da man..

No need for less weight, car is not for competetion...Yet! And *** would be the ones to work on it, but let's get a quotation first..

[SewerSideUp]

Usually theres always a BUT in the subject. But, this ones got a YET in it too !
That, I like !

Cams on that engine would turn it into a fire breathing monster and so would your MPG !!

[Shak]

Tuning your M3 engine!

BMW recomend that every 15000 miles when you car is due for a Inspection II,the Valve clearance should be checked.This is done by removing the rocker cover and slipping a gauge between the camshaft lobe and the valve bucket (VALVE FULLY CLOSED).These measurements should only be done When the engine temp is 35 deg C.
Valve clearance= Inlet 0.18 to 0.23 mm
Valve clearance=Exhaust 0.28 to 0.33 mm
If adjustment is required,you need to buy a shim kit(available at the
'X' Centre).
Costs: 4 hours labour 1000 dhs.
Parts:Shim kit 500 dhs.:goodpost:

[SSense]

Shak, is it recommended only for the M3s or also for the E39 M5s

[Shak]

Valve adjustment M3 E46 /M5 E39

M3 E46 ADJUSTED BY SHIMS AND E39 M5 HAVE NO ADJUSTMENT AND ARE ADJUSTED BY HYDRAULIC BUCKETS WHICH WHEN BECOME NOISY HAVE TO BE REPLACED(EXPENSIVE JOB):E30Cabrio: