maint. stuff and questions

[Bishop]

on "top"? I know the cam seal is generally a leaker, but that's not really on "top"

[36brua]

Heya all just recently picked up a 87 325is and have been loving it soo far, just have to do some minor maint. stuff.

couple of issue's i need to address are a lot of play in the shifter while in gear and how to do a valve cover gasket...i seem to be leaking oil from there as i checked the oil pan and it looks fine. any idea's or tips? any idea's as to what else it could be? i have a check engine and inspection light but no obd1 to check to see what codes i'm getting

i am debating on sourcing a Z3 shifter but not sure which one to go with as this car is mainly for DD duties, thanks in advance for the help :D

here ya go lots of good info

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/forumdisplay.php?f=107

[Wh33lhop]

Z3 1.9 is my favorite for a DD. Replace ALL of the bushings, and the selector rod joint with pin and you'll love it.

Truth.
I still haven't ordered my bushings yet, but the Z3 1.9 is awesome. Feels just right.

[mcr_driver]

What are your thoughts on the dssr? Is it worth it to get one and a z3? Or just the z3 alone should be enough to get rid of the play?

[///m3]

I have the z4 2.5 shifter rod and I love that.

[Naplm00]

you might want to replace the camshaft rubber caps when you do your valve cover

[mcr_driver]

what are the pn#'s for the camshaft rubber caps? are those the little 3 rings connected to each other like on e46's? cus when i did the valve cover gasket it actually came with those included...

[xLibelle]

all of this, what you seek, is covered many times over in other threads around the forum.

I used the X5 shifter and bent it a couple degrees short of straight. It rocks.

[rThor432]

aside from the probably valve cover gasket what else could leaking oil from on top of the engine bay?

The rocker shaft plugs.

I've got the Z3M shifter in a couple of cars, and I've installed it in a ton of others. I prefer it to the rest of the OEM options, but that's my opinion. I wanted to try the X5 lever in my most recent car, but couldnt find the part number anywhere, for whatever reason. I also just installed a UUC setup in an E60 M5, and the shift lever from the M5 looks like it would be an excellent option as well. I'll probably use one of those in the next car I mess with. It wasnt quite as short of a throw as the Z3M part, but the height of the lever was nice. I use a tall Momo shift knob with the Z3M part so that it is at the right height. I dont like when the knob is buried in the shift boot..

Too bad about the automatic in the E46. Good luck selling it, otherwise it looks pretty nice.

[mcr_driver]

Thanks if you all find a buyer i am offering a finder's fee...

Yea at this point i may get the uuc dssr and ssk kit to eliminate the play matter. Only thing that has me concerned is if i am gonna need to drop the tranny or not...i hope i don't as i don't have the means to do so at my place.

I am debating on doing an inspection 2 even though the guy i got it from said he did most of that stuff but i have no clue on the valve adjustments and i was looking for a valve cover gasket diy here in the diy section but no such luck, i searched using valve, valve gasket, valve cover gasket closest i got was oil pan gasket lol

[rThor432]

The valve cover gasket could not be easier to do. Although I wouldnt be surprised if there is a "Do-it-Yourself" guide out there, I will tell you that it isnt necessary. On a difficulty scale of 1-10 (1 being changing oil and 10 being rebodying a complete vehicle) it is about a .5. Just look under the hood. It's just a bunch of 10mm nuts/bolts and maybe the one hose clamp for the breather, but on half of the cars I see that has gone missing..

As far as the valve adjustment, it just takes a 10mm wrench for loosening the eccentrics on the rocker arms and a .010 feeler gauge for setting the gap to factory spec. You will want to have the rocker arms completely free (no contact with the cam lobes) for this excercise, and a lot of people would recommend doing the valve adjustment in a specific order. You can either wrench the engine to turn it over or jump the pins at the 20-pin connector-- your call.

Also, I've always adjusted my valves a good bit tighter than .010, but that is personal preference. The best sounding single cam BMW motor I've ever heard (as far as smoothness/quietness) was an M10 in a 2002 set to <.004, but you dont want to risk burning a valve, so research that a bit if it interests you.

I'm kind of rushed now, so hopefully I didnt leave anything out. If I did, I'm sure someone here will point it out.

[mcr_driver]

Yea i know it's just the whole intake manifold thing probably has me more concerned then i should be lol

as for the valve adjustments how expensive is the feeler gauge tool? I'd probably need to get that for certain

[rThor432]

Well, dont worry about the intake manifold because you dont have to mess with it. Other than the two 10mm bolts that run into it from the bracket that attaches to the valve cover.

I havent bought a feeler gauge set in a while, so I cannot help with that. I couldnt imagine a decent tool costing more than ~$10.

[mcr_driver]

sorry to n00bout again but for the life of me i can't find a page or link here on the forums to buy spark plug wires

[mcr_driver]

ok so i was searching on amazon and came up with these results.

never used a gauge feeler so are these what your referring too??

http://www.amazon.com/Tools-163-Valv...1592884&sr=1-9

http://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Tool-...593060&sr=1-19

or can you link me to what i need TIA


also here are the coils i found on amazon any recommendations on which one i should get TIA for your help guys

http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-09508-Pr...tive&carId=003

http://www.amazon.com/NGK-EUC007-Spa...tive&carId=003

http://www.amazon.com/Beck-Arnley-17...tive&carId=003

http://www.amazon.com/Bremi-W0133-16...tive&carId=003