BimmerFest BMW Forum banner

M62TU Head gasket/ Timing guides journal

25K views 63 replies 21 participants last post by  berkeleydojah 
#1 · (Edited)
Does anyone have any tricks for removing the heads on a 540i.

I have everything unbolted. I twas told I could remove with the exhaust manifolds in place but I am having trouble wrestling this out because the timing rails are in the way to get the angle correct.

Any tips would be appreciated. There is not much room to remove exhaust manifold bolts.

Thanks in advance.
 
#2 ·
I looked in the the VERY best of E39 Links and only saw related M54 links:
- Replacing the M54 head gasket (1) & M54 cam shaft (1)

So, when you find a good link let us know which were best so we can add them to the best links thread for future users.
 
#3 ·
I will let everyone know. This has been a job! I am almost to the halfway point.

I am replacing both head gaskets while I have the motor tore down.

I have to buy a tool to hold the crank. I am going to replace the rails while I have it down.

The problem is this car SPECIAL TOOLS you to death.
 
#5 ·
Well, I got the heads off today.

The passenger side head came off with the exhaust manifold on very easily.

The driver side head, well that with swivel sockets and 2x4's to help adjust the head to get to bolts, I got the exhaust manifold off. Will be a PITA to put back on.

Tomorrow morning they will go the the machine shop.

I posted some photos of the block. The motor had a lot of sludge. The previous owner said he changed the oil when the computer told him to with only synthetic oil. Yuck!!
 

Attachments

#8 ·
Help me here.

I see an open engine.

I don't see what Edjack is referring to as (presumably) neglect.

So that I may learn, what specifically in the pictures below is that neglect.


 

Attachments

#10 ·
ketchup's sludge thread yes?
I put this in the bestlinks thread long ago:
- Why sludge in the oil cap is an indication of a failing CCV (aka PCV)

But, the pictures look nothing like the sludge there:

I thought, in the pictures, there was a "mechanical" problem shown.

Is it just the 'brown sludge' from a failed CCV that is what is being referred to as potential neglect?
 
#13 ·
Well today it was 19 degrees in Houston with the wind blowing at 25 mph.

So I dropped off the heads at

David's Automotive Machine Shop in Houston, TX. They do great work. I have been using them for a long time.

I ordered all my parts. Spent the rest of the day CLEANING parts in the shop.

I need to get the Jesus bolt out. If anyone in the Houston area has a counter hold tool or anyone has an idea building one. Let me know.

When it warms I will drop the pan, break the Jesus bolt and clean the rest of what I can on the motor getting the sludge out.
 

Attachments

#14 ·
Yesterday was the fight with the Jesus bolt and I lost. I made a tool holding 2 bolts and I broke a piece of the hub away.

My father and I are making a good tool now.

See photos below. We are almost finished. We just have to attach something to hold now.

This tool will be top class.
 

Attachments

#15 ·
My new tool worked awesome. I have to go to work now though....

Question??

I removed the lower pan, all 8 bolts to drop lower timing cover. Removed Power steering. All front cover bolts that I could find and this lower cover WILL NOT BUDGE...


Any suggestions?
 
#20 · (Edited)
Yesterday we finished building the counter hold tool. I will say my tool kicks BMW's A**. My father is a genius when it comes to manufacturing. We welded a steel plate and machined out so a one inch breakover bar will fit. I rested the breakover bar again the frame and the Jesus bolt (center crankshaft pully bolt) broke loose easily. This tool you can do it alone.

I dropped the lower pan. Found the retaining clip to one of my cam to cam tensioners. I removed the 8 bolts under the front of the upper pan.
 

Attachments

#21 · (Edited)
Today I removed the guide rails (glad I did now), cleaned the surfaces, installed new valley pan and cover, and finished the deck of the motor.

Now I am waiting on my heads, Vanos tools, and will have my valve covers powder coated.

Tomorrow I will change motor mounts.

See photos, thanks for all the insight from all you guys!
 

Attachments

#58 ·
Kelley, I may need to go through a similar exercise soon. I read TIS and in order to remove the lower timing cover it wants you to drop the upper oil pan as well, which is a major pain. I see you got away without removing it, which I like very much, but a bit concerned about sealing of the lower timing cover with the upper pan after installation. Did you do anything special there to ensure a good seal, have you noticed any leaks?
 
#22 ·
Update,

Exhaust valve guides needed to be replaced on both heads. This set me back a day because no one in Houston stocked the guides.

Everything is clean awaiting reassembly.

A head gasket / timing guide job while working two jobs was more than I expected but a great sense of accomplishment when this thing is done.

Changed motor mounts today. Driver side was definitely shot . :thumbup:
 

Attachments

#25 ·
Today I spent the day waiting for UPS and Fedex. No one stocked valve guides so my head will be ready at 10:00 am CST. :bigpimp:

But my valve cover were finished being powder coated.

I was told the valve covers must be baked at 400 to release any gases before powder coating. BMW uses epoxy to fill in any imperfections and powder coating has to be bare metal. But for 95 dollars my valve covers look great.

Tomorrow weather permitting I can reassemble the top half until I get my timing tools.
 

Attachments

#28 ·
Powder coating was done by Advanced Powder Coating and Blast Services in Houston. Took 2 days. 95 dollars.

Today I got my heads back and are on the car!! :thumbup:

Note: Exhaust manifolds can be installed on the bench and put on the car with the heads.

Drives side you have to loosen all motor mounts the car and jack the motor up. I installed a bare head to save weight and gave me more room to maneuver. This saved a lot of time!!

Total cost of heads 533.00 for valve job, new valve seals, new exhaust guides, pressure testing and resurfacing, and cleaning.
 

Attachments

#30 ·
Question for the OP. Are you reusing the camshafts without regrinding? Are the camshaft bearing caps okay? Really I'm wondering if the sludge caused bearing issues?

For jamesthebikeguy.... if there is that much sludge, the seafoam, or any other product to remove sludge may be more detrimental. The loosened sludge will plug the filter immediately; the oil system will run in bypass mode, meaning the filter is not filtering.

If the OP's bearings are okay, one can argue the seafoam method might be okay, but I wouldn't do it like that. The disassembly method like what the OP is doing is probably better.
 
#31 · (Edited)
The camshafts check out ok. As far as sludge, I use the old fashion, pick and varsol, method of cleaning. That took almost a day.

The reason for the original breakdown was compression in the cooling system.

I have no interest in using a detergent. I will change the oil in 500 mile intervals for a few cycles. The CCV system was shot. Plastic tubes falling apart. I feel this is a major design flaw.

I am an old pushrod motor guy. This is my first beamer. I have about 1200 in the job plus my time. I can only work for about 4 to 5 hours a day between jobs.

I do feel a sense of manliness after rebuilding the top half of this motor.:bigpimp:
 
#34 ·
The CCV system was shot. Plastic tubes falling apart. I feel this is a major design flaw.
Apparently the CCV design stinks. Here are threads, if you still need 'em:
- CCV FAILS: crankcase ventilation valve diaphragm tears, freezes (1), &/or clogs (1), necessitating CCV replacement (M54,M54,M54) (M52,M52) (M52TU) (M62,M62) ('99 528i) ('98 528i); raising pressures, often causing the OFH oil filter housing to leak (1) (2) (3); frequently blowing the VCG valve cover gasket (1); and sometimes the head gasket (1) (2); often causing vacuum leaks (1) (2) (3)

I am an old pushrod motor guy. This is my first beamer.
I'm in awe of you. Not only your mechanical expertise - but your experience and decision making. So it's with a bit of hesitation that I tell you that a beemer is a motorcycle; the car is the bimmer. No big deal - just letting you know. (There's a whole history on this, starting with beesers in the UK ... but the end result is that the bimmer is the car, the beemer is the bike).

BTW, I have words to look up myself (as I have no idea what 'powder coating' is ... so I'll look that up myself.

Powder coating is the technique of applying dry paint to a part ... applied by either of two techniques.

  • The item is lowered into a fluidised bed of the powder, which may or may not be electrostatically charged, or
  • The powdered paint is electrostatically charged and sprayed onto the part.
The part is then placed in an oven and the powder particles melt and coalesce to form a continuous film.
Why powder coat?

Powder coating produces a high specification coating which is relatively hard, abrasion resistant (depending on the specification) and tough.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top