How to replace your coolant pipe, valve covers, timing gaskets and more

This will be my blog-log for installing the Coolant pipe kit, Alternator Timing Coversetc. Will post my successes and failures with pics. Hopefully mostly success!


In Retrospect this should have been titled my 745 R&R project... Lots of stuff out here so don't get confused. I'll try to make separate DIY's after I'm done.

Hopefully this will help others out there in similar situations and save you some serious money.


Note: During this project I am also replacing my leaking upper timing, lower timing covers, which requires removal of the valve covers. You do NOT need to remove the valve covers for the Coolant pipe Replacement.


I am also replacing a Bad Alternator and a few other maintenance items.

First check out this post by 07841-tb
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...ht=head+gasket

Also 2002 has a fan attached to the waterpump and a water cooled alternator. 2003 up do not.

Also if your going to do this make sure you have a copy of The TIS.

Tools:

Metric Sockets and ratchets several sizes and angles will help you get into the back with odd angles.
metric torx socket set
metric inverted socket set
NM Torque ratchet

Disconnect Battery in the rear. -Replace the battery if your car is 6 years old or more. Its worth the preventative maint.


Remove the Fan Cowl
Remove Fan
Drain the antifreeze
Remove all the hoses
Remove Waterpump.
See waterpump DIY
remove both belt tensioners
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=414607

One you have all the hoses labeled and moved out of the way.
Remove the Expansion Tank and the Air Filter and Box.

A key to this project is to make as much space in the engine to work as possible.


Wire Harness.


Get yourself a labeler or labels and start unplugging the wire harness.

Feed everything out and use string or zipties to hang the wire harness to the back of the hood out of the way.

Making Space in the engine compartment.

Remove the Partition Wall. About 4 bolts and 2 screws.
Remove the Cabin air filters on passenger and driver side. Also the Adapter hose from the filter that goes through the firewall It comes off easily with by a clip with a flathead.

Remove the Injection System.

Couple of screws on the top.

Look for a valve on the top. Same fitting that you would blow air into your tires.

Sent low pressure air 3psi into it. This pushes the gas backwards into the tank.

Lift the injectors straight up. - Replace all the seals on this while its out.

Disconnect the hose and set aside.

Remove Passenger Side Valve Cover.

Remove 13 Bolts

2 bolts are hidden under 2 ground cables. Remove the ground cable and then the bolts.

Remove the Servomotor and the metal plate underneath. make note to Replace the seal underneath.

Remove plates around Intermediate Shaft Sensors in the back these sensors sit underneath the valve covers and work on the timing. They are expensive to replace. but if your car is open your better off replacing it now instead of having to open the car again. #11-37-7-527-017


Remove the Injection Valve Wire harness. This is a attached via a clip and pops off easy.
Lift up the levers on the ignition coils and unplug the wires.

Lift up the harness and attach with other harness suspended on the hood.


Pull out the ignition coils. They slide right out


Break the seal slowly on the valve cover. Do not force.

The sparkplug domes will fall off as you lift. I reached in and pulled them out. BMW recommends these be replaced but they are 27 a piece. so i'll inspect them closer.

Getting the valve cover off involved twisting and lifting over the shaft sensors. Makes me wonder how difficult its gonna be when i need to put it back on but I'll cross that bridge later.

Excellent write up wilson. Keep it coming. And let us know when your all done how she runs. All the work you done to it lately you should be running worry free soon.

Beautiful! Keep up the good work!

excellent work so far! how soon until your part comes in? was the car leaking from the rear or the front seal?

All the ones that have gone bad, that i have seen on here have all had green coolant, not the blue coolant that bmw uses.. wonder if that has anything to do with the seal going bad?

Originally Posted by mbz1

All the ones that have gone bad, that i have seen on here have all had green coolant, not the blue coolant that bmw uses.. wonder if that has anything to do with the seal going bad?

No Clue. You could make a survey?

The gasket on the front is clearly degraded and corroded. The other seal is like new in the rear. But it has a different design more traditional oring.

I think it may have to due with heat and its contact with the engine. It has direct contact with the engine block. Clearly a poor material choice that breaks down overtime.

Originally Posted by mbz1

All the ones that have gone bad, that i have seen on here have all had green coolant, not the blue coolant that bmw uses.. wonder if that has anything to do with the seal going bad?

My car actually had the bmw coolant in it when the leak started. The pics I posted showed green coolant from me topping it off to find the leak.

Looking good dude, keep it up.

I was thinking same thing ^

Great job so far!

Amazing write up! Cheers!

Ok for those just doing the All German project. you have do use a wire brush to remove the old seal in the front which is fused to the engine block. This is why I think heat contact is the main cause of this weephole problem(my opinion only) Once the pipe is installed everything just goes in reverse.

I'm going deeper because I have more problems.


Sooo moving on

Removing the WaterCooled Alternator.

I have to say up until this point everything had been surprisingly pleasant.

Now it gets dirty and frustrating

Few bolts on the front of the alternator housing No problem come right out.

Alternator will not budge. This is because there is a bracket that secures the alternator from behind and the bolts are impossible to reach or fit a hand in.

So I dropped the Front Stabilizer Bar/ dynamic drive. I did this by removing the 4 screws securing it to the axle, taking off the bolts, swing support, and loosing the vent pipe which is the black and yellow wire connecting to motor on the stabilizer bar. if you follow the vent pipe it goes to a small fuel filter on the drivers side pop it out and and you can drop the bar.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...32&hg=31&fg=10


After dropping the stabilizer bar i bought a set of metric racheting wrenches. Using a 13MM I was able to get my hand in and release the bracket and release the alternator.

wow what a pain. Difficult to get good pictures in there. Did my best.

couple more pics involved with alternator removal

Hey Ed, Why are you removing the Alternator? The reason I ask is because when installing the All German expandable pipe , it does not require removing the timing cover.

Originally Posted by 07841-tb

Hey Ed, Why are you removing the Alternator? The reason I ask is because when installing the All German expandable pipe , it does not require removing the timing cover.

I think he said he "is going deeper for other issues", so doing more than necessary for the coolant pipe issue.

I thought Keif did his alternator recently and didn't have to drop too much to get to it?

My alternator went bad. It was sending out 15 volts and higher. So I'm getting that taking care of while i'm in there.

I realize the All German kit stopped one step above but since my Valve covers leaked then my upper timing covers leaked. Based on that I'd hate to do all this work only to have the lower timing cover start leaking. Plus I want to replace some of the timing guide rails if I can get in there.

Good write up. While this far into it you might as well yank the heads too and do a nice p n' p and port match on them and manifolds.

Originally Posted by hotrod2448

Good write up. While this far into it you might as well yank the heads too and do a nice p n' p and port match on them and manifolds.

Now that is way beyond my abilities! I'd love to just replace the head gaskets they are so close. But NO WAY!


I'm considering Giving up on the lower Timing Gasket.

Getting the Alternator housing off to get the lower timing off requires dropping the driver axle and motor mount! Plus I cannot budge the Crankshaft bolt going counterclockwise with a 580lb impact wrench.

I guess a question is if the Valve covers leaked then the upper timing covers leaked after I had the valve cover gaskets replaced then would the lower timing cover be at risk of leaking? as well as the seal by the alternator housing and crankshaft seal? Why not just get them all replaced why I have the engine open.
Maybe a question for BMW_Tech?

Alternator-related:

I didn't drop the sway bar to pull the alternator off, but that will obviously give you more room. Instead, I unbolted the power steering pump and pushed it forward and out of the way, then used a crows' foot wrench to loosen/tighten the idler pulley bolts. Lawyeradam just did something similar in getting his alternator out.

I did drop my sway bar recently to replace its bushings. A word of caution, be very careful about how much you tighten up the nuts on that, I snapped one before it was anywhere close to the proper torque, and those upper ones look nasty to get out if you do break them.
 

I just did the same alternator repair using the Keif Removal Plan. Luckily I talked to him ahead of time (and many times during....) and got those crows feet sockets.. also, loosening the power steering pump and moving the resoirvoir down as much as possible was absolutely neccesary. The key for me was to have some towels to support my head so I could lay there and focus as comfortably as possible during the removal of those little idler bolts. The good news is putting it back together was a whole lot easier!