timing chain tensioner

[peete]

Hi all, I'm new here but been into bimmers for a few years.
I recently caught the autoX bug and decided right away my 318i would be a better car for this than my e36. Durability and relatively cheaper parts(tires, brakes, tune-ups, upgrades) are the prime considerations plus it just seems much more agile than the e36.

Since the car will see much more of the upper rev range now(224k miles on the clock) should I put the timing chain tensioner on a replacement schedule, pull it out and check occasionally or just leave it alone?

[winstontj]

Are you seriously going to autox an m10 with 225k miles on it? I would consider replacing the entire timing chain and tensioner all at once.

if you are going to autox that car i'd go through the entire suspension, brakes, motor, etc... safety of brakes & suspension... then you can always just drive it like you stole it and fix crap as it breaks... which will happen if you autox

[gm9142l]

I am not sure what parts of the timing chain tensioner on an m10 would fail. It is two simple pieces of metal with a check valve in the middle. If it gets very dirty and ball no longer rattles when you pull it out, you can pull the two halves of the tensioner apart and clean it. Other than that the timing chain guides are nylon, but there is no specified replacement interval on them. As long as you keep up with maintence they should not wear much.

If the whole setup is worn to begin with then there is no reason not to replace all of the parts.

[peete]

Thanks, Greg. The engine is in outstanding shape. No unusual noises, leaks, etc. So I guess I won't worry until something happens.

[CntrlcoastE30's]

I would at least remove the tensioner piston and inspect it for tell tale scoring and as mentioned no ball movement. It can be cleaned as also mentioned and if need be replaced as it is not an expensive part. That would help to provide some confidence that when the motor is being worked hard it will be doing the job it was designed to do.

[peete]

For shits and grins I took the car to the dyno a few nights ago.

It made 95hp at the rev limiter(6200rpm) with no drop off. So I'm wondering where the power drops off on these little M10s if there isn't a rev limiter. It sounded very good up there, no thrashing, missing or any drama. I was pretty impressed since it has 238k miles under it's belt.

Oh, I ran the full AutoX season and it did double duty at the last 3 when my daughter showed up. The Azenis took a beating but the 318i ate it up. I ended up winning my class.
I learned it's more enjoyable to be able to drive the car at 9/10ths or 10/10ths than to have a brute you can only drive at 5/10ths.

[iNetMANN]

Peete,

Cool to see someone else AutoXing a 318i. I run a Street Modified 318i and occasionally bring out my H-Stock 318i with great results from both of them.

As for the rev-limiter, I actually found someone who tracked down the resistor and the value that it needs to be changed to to up the rev-limiter on the ECU for the L-Jet. If I remember correctly it was on one of the Yahoo forums. With a factory cam all my 318i's rolled off just after 6000 RPM and very very quickly, that's why I've went to a 292 Schrick on the SM car this year and it added 1200RPM of headroom before it rolls off.

Good luck this AutoX season,

RODD

[peete]

I may try that since I have an extra ECU.

When you put in the cam did you go with double valve springs or the forged rocker arms?

I want to branch out to scca and nasa this year. There are some events very close to the house.

Right now I have Bilstein sports and Bavauto springs. I also installed a rear sway out of a 325, 4.10 open dif and run stock wheel size. This car is my almost daily driver. I'm on the fence to either get ST sway bars or better springs. I can only afford to do one or the other this year. What would you suggest? I also built a battery box for the trunk and plan on moving the battery back there in the next couple of weekends.