M42 Cam Gears NLA

[Victell]

So I had a long phone conversation with Jim Rowe at Metric Mechanic yesterday...

That was quite an interesting read. Thanks for posting your convo.

[av8drvr]

[QUOTE=bmwman91;4871618]So I had a long phone conversation with Jim Rowe at Metric Mechanic yesterday....


Outstanding data point, and I feel better even though I just dropped $80 and a good used set of "square tooth" gears. Mine are pointy, although the wear is dead even on the contact side and non-contact. I would love to confirm somehow that the gears came stock with pointy teeth, that would be very interesting. Now on the oil conversation, like politics I often feel this discussion is best left alone among enthusiasts as emotions can run high, but did there happen to be any discussion of Shell Rotella? I have been an avid user for the 8 years I have mine and swore it was the highest ZDDP content oil out there. Just curious if that came up as I think we all agree that is the one thing these engines need later in life.

[jaredmac11]

Hayne's manual has to have pics of the gears for timing instructions, right? Thats about as close to stock form as you can get.

[bmwman91]

So I had a long phone conversation with Jim Rowe at Metric Mechanic yesterday....

Outstanding data point, and I feel better even though I just dropped $80 and a good used set of "square tooth" gears. Mine are pointy, although the wear is dead even on the contact side and non-contact. I would love to confirm somehow that the gears came stock with pointy teeth, that would be very interesting. Now on the oil conversation, like politics I often feel this discussion is best left alone among enthusiasts as emotions can run high, but did there happen to be any discussion of Shell Rotella? I have been an avid user for the 8 years I have mine and swore it was the highest ZDDP content oil out there. Just curious if that came up as I think we all agree that is the one thing these engines need later in life.

Can you post up some pics of the old gears, with good macro shots of both sides of teeth and stuff? Also, did they look like they were made of cast iron, with rough texture on the back and in the "openings"? To the best of my recollection, those were usually the pointy ones. The later, square-tooth ones I have seen myself all seem to be made from the powdered/sintered iron material which has higher hardness. Jim indicated that the powdered type are likely to be more durable, but that even the softer cast iron ones are not likely to wear out before something else in there goes catastrophically.

Yeah, the oil discussion might as well be an argument about religion, or politics. I do not know what all else they tested (I think he said they have done over 100 oils over the years). If it has high ZDDP content, then chances are it is perfectly good for this engine. I think that regular changes of the oil+filter and keeping the fill level up are at least as important as WHAT the engine is filled with!

[wazzu70]

Good info Bmwman! That all makes sense to me.

[fresh_TD]

I use mobile 1 15w-50 on all my "vintge" cars. E30(M20, M42), e28(M30), etc.

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[ThatOneEuroE30]

I put mb1 15-50 in my m42 and valvoline VR1 20-50 in the m30

[e30s50dan]

Mobil one 15-50 in my m42,castrol in my e46...

Good read,I just bought another m42/g240 can't wait to tear it open

[fresh_TD]

At the store right now to pick up some 15w-50, and it happens to be on sale [emoji16][emoji16][emoji16]

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[bmwman91]

Man, buy the whole inventory. That is crazy. It's usually $10/qt here!

[ThatOneEuroE30]

M42 Cam Gears NLA

At the store right now to pick up some 15w-50, and it happens to be on sale [emoji16][emoji16][emoji16]

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Thats about the same price i pay for a 5qt jug of it at Walmart. If you were to buy 5 qts of it. Cause it comes out to around 18 bucks before tax

[e30s50dan]

^^ this a big box store?!

[fresh_TD]

I live in northern VA. So normally 1 qt. is around $7. I bought the oil at a military base, so I did not pay taxes. I bought 15 qts for $52 out the door.

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[djmossm42]

I guess it makes sense for Porsche to do this but they are catering to a market with higher disposable income and charge accordingly.
The e30 market is an interesting mix of the "held together with bailing wire and duct tape" and " I can afford dealership prices for door gaskets" (I´m not knocking either of the spectrum, classic car ownership shouldn´t be exclusive to those only with deep pockets)

I think BMW may end up catering at some point to those with disposable income, to the detriment of those that love their e30´s but can´t really justify spending $1,000 on newly a minted sprocket from BMW Classics .

The e30 community is full of such talented and gifted enthusiasts. These are people who can fill the NLA void that BMW is neglecting to fill.
Maybe the community should form a Cooperative for the sourcing and manufacturing NLA e30 parts.

Like mentioned above I believe metal 3D printing technology will help fill the void in the next 5-10 years as it becomes less expensive, more perfected, and profitable from a manufacturing standpoint. Also if over that time data can show that a 3D printed part is equal or greater in strength and durability we may see some more NLA parts come back.

[varg]

That depends, are the sprockets sintered or forged? The ones I had certainly didn't look like cast pieces. I don't think 3D printed metal components will ever be anywhere near as strong as machined forgings. A cheap replacement for small batch casting? Sure. Sintered parts? Maybe. A reliable alternative to forgings for high stress components? Highly doubtful.