Fellow m42ers, another cam gear approval post

[ericneet]

She is a bit noisy (coming off an m20 325i) but so were all of my vw 16v's. They had timing belts but I still think this m42 is quieter all around. I do see a little wear on the cam gears starting, what do you guys think? Cough up the dough and do the timing chain and components replacement? She has 134k and was meticulously maintained by a dealership all the way to 75k and then by a top notch European car shop. No grease monkey ever put his hands on her as far as I know. Everything under the cam cover looks ridiculously clean. basically zero sludge, the tensioners look good and the chain is nice and tight.

91 318i


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[roguetoaster]

Depending on how you use the car, those gears should be fine for years. However, their condition tells you nothing about the condition of the plastic guides below or the idler gear, which also has a plastic component and is a weak point in the system.

[varg]

Those are in great condition. My M42 is noisy as all hell, no specific describable sound, it's just loud. This is with all timing wear parts that needed it replaced (all parts except the idler sprocket and one guide). It may have something to do with the thicker head gasket pulling the timing chain really tight, but I don't have another M42 E30 to listen to for comparison.