hey newbie here lol

[gtdragon980]

so i started working on my '89 325i because it has 2 broken rocker arms. i am currently about to remove the timing belt but i dont know how to start this, i have already removes the v-belt's, removed the water pump pulley, and i am now stuck. i dont know how to locate where the TDC is and well basically i need some step by step instruction from here..i dont want to ruin my engine by f***ing up something simple like making sure i set the TDC correctly before starting to remove stuff lol. i was thinking i should remove the TB, then replace the rocker arms, install water pump belt tensioner and then TB. soo i just want to make sure everything is done right so once again i cannot locate the TDC on the cam pulley or vibration damper. Thanks for helping!

Edit: wait scratch that i found the marks but theres a problem now..look and see!



and..

[gtdragon980]

it seems to be slightly off, what should i do from here?

[jlevie]

It actually looks right to me. Align the O|T mark on the harmonic balancer with the mark on the timing belt cover, then check the cam mark. The camshaft rotates at half crank speed, so a small error at the cam sprocket is a big error at the crank, which is why you check timing based on the harmonic balancer position.

[gtdragon980]

so i finally got the cam sprocket off and now i need to know how to remove the rocker shafts without damaging them..ill show you what im working with with these pics..

[E30_fiend]

Well luckily it looks like you broke only the #6 cyl rockers. Those are the easiest to replace because they are the first to come off the rocker shaft as you're pulling it out. Just unbolt the rocker shaft and it will become movable
. The rockers move side to side on the shaft so they will slide off once the shaft is far enough out of the head.

Its actually not that hard. Give it a shot and just feel lucky that you didn't break a #1 or #2 cyl rocker. You'd be hating life for sure.


E30_Fiend

[kenika65]

wow looks super clean, must be low miles? be sure to replace the front cam seal and don't put a water pump with a chepo plastic impeller on it.

[gtdragon980]

yeah around 76,xxx. newb question again, is there any good ways to get enough leverage to slide those shafts out w/o damaging anything??

[gtdragon980]

bump

[thereisnoyun]

Locals

Yay! for locals :) I'm in MD too in College park.

btw, when we rebuilt my gf i engine top end, we just unbolt the whole thing and took it to a machine shop for a mere sum of 350 bucks it was pressure clean, valve seal replacement, angle job, and pressure tested and all in all slap back together. It was near arundel mills, it sure beats the hell out of doing it yourself. Dont forget to replace all the seals so there is no oil leak.

I might be around gaithersburg on Sunday, if you need a hand.

[StereoInstaller1]

The easy way to deal with the rocker arm shaft removal is to slide each rocker arm off of the valve stem o the arms have no tension, then spray-lube the shit out of the whole damn thing so the shaft will slide out.

That timing mark on the outer cover? When re-assembling, don't worry about it. There is a much better mark on the crankshaft itself, and a nice little "V" cast into the belt guide. Use that and the cam alignment mark you already posted.

Line the cam up, line the crank up, install belt and rotate by wrench 720 degrees just to make sure.

[gtdragon980]

is there like any tools you recommend to use to get enough leverage between the firewall and engine head? and it is safe to use lube in there right?

[StereoInstaller1]

Petroleum based lubes are fine. Try not to pry too much!


Did you slide the rockers off of the valves yet?

[thereisnoyun]

after a second look at your pic, the top TDC seem to be off to the left. You sure there isn't any internal damage? I did one timing belt and rebuilt one m20 before... and it was never that off to the left for me, it was always straight in teh center on the line for the top TDC.

[gtdragon980]

oh no i fixed that, i thought it was off too but once i fixed the bottom, they both lined up perfectly..and yes i did slide the arms off the valves, but im still having trouble. i can post some pics of how much its moved if thatll help!

[gtdragon980]

okay so im back on track and i have the new rockers in, i need some help now with the eccentrics. like what should the clearance be btwn the rocker and camshaft?