M42 rebuild

[mike.bmw]

Thanks for sharing this! Nice work!

[Diake]

Thank you very much! Those are the hints I was hoping for.
Really appreciate you help.
Cheers

[bmwman91]

Yes, remove the fuel pump relay and all 4 spark plugs. It will give the engine a better chance of priming the pump. If you filled the cavity with oil, then I think you have a good chance of being OK to get it to prime. You can also try pouring some oil into the filter housing so that it can drain back into the pump a little, before trying to start it.

I would not worry too much, this issue is a little rare. It has never happened to me or anyone I know, but a couple of people here had a lot of trouble.

[Diake]

Make sure the plugs / main and FP relays are out 1st start when building oil pressure, takes the load off the bearings.

Was the main bearing thrust surface 360 deg? Drop in or did the cap require modification?

Do you mean removing spark plug and fuel pump relay? what else?
I planned to put 360° trust bearing but the one I bought were as the old ones. I will do it when I will rebuild it to make it turbo

[e30sh]

Actually pump, rotor and cover are new, everything stuffed with plenty of fresh oil but no grease. Any suggestion? Don't feel like dismount everything again. I will crank the engine till the oil pressure light goes off, is it enough?

Make sure the plugs / main and FP relays are out 1st start when building oil pressure, takes the load off the bearings.

Was the main bearing thrust surface 360 deg? Drop in or did the cap require modification?

[Diake]

Actually pump, rotor and cover are new, everything stuffed with plenty of fresh oil but no grease. Any suggestion? Don't feel like dismount everything again. I will crank the engine till the oil pressure light goes off, is it enough?

[bmwman91]

Good work. Did you take the oil pump cover off and pack the rotors with some grease? Occasionally, the pump will not prime itself after being dry for a long time, causing the engine to have no lubrication. A couple of people on here have had that issue after a rebuild.

[Diake]

The engine is finally over.



I mounted the correct chain and chain tensioner. Sorry but I was in a hurry and had no time to take pictures.

Hope you enjoyed the build. If you have any question/doubt just comment. Any suggestion is welcome, especially before starting it ;)

Cheers

[wworm]

awesome

[Powling]

Great update!

[Diake]

Finally all the parts arrived and we could proceed with the assembly.


Parts are ready


Block cleaned


Detail of the block


Oil jets cleaned


New bearings in


Plastigauge test


Everything lubed


Torqued and tightened with right angle


Rear seal on with a bit of gasket maker near the ends


Pistons and rods cleaned



All inserted correctly


Detail of the cylinders, polished but no hooning to avoid changing pistons. Small wear is still visible but in theory not so relevant.


Oil pump in, with a bit of gasket maker near the edges of the metal gasket


Ready for the head, again gasket maker near the end of profile gasket for better sealing.


Head torqued with ARP studs


Gasket for upper oil pan


Oil pan on


Valve cover painted with wrinkle black paint


Engine almost done

Unfortunately we ordered the wrong timing chain, which had a chain to be crushed but without the right tool we preferred to send it back and we are waiting for a new one.
We followed the Haynes manual for most of the procedures, but not all of them are explained. If you notice something wrong please tell us, we would appreciate it since it is our first engine build.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures and short explanation. We will keep you updated as soon as possible. Cheers

[Diake]

Updates:

Sent block and head to machine shop to be cleaned, checked and machined where necessary.


Painted block


Cleaned pistons



Parts arriving

I will keep you updated as soon as there are major changes

[chrisca70]

Keep us posted, very nice thread!

[Diake]

While cleaning the components, I noticed major rust on the block where it contacts the lower timing case.



I don't think it will be spotless just with wire brushing. Moreover, given the upgrade to e36 timing case with steel gasket, I wonder if it may cause leaks and requires machining. In case which is the maximum machinable depth?
I might consider machining also head and boring in case.

What do you think?

Thanks again

[Diake]

Surely 360 degree lubrication would be standard as well?

What do you mean? is it upgraded as standard in replacement items from BMW?