1989 325is Build

[Shock(/\)ave]

I remember when I did the first oil change on the car right after getting it, the oil was pretty nasty and sludgy.

That would explain the camshaft wear. Such a shame how some people treat their property (and themselves too for that matter).

I'll see what the cylinders are like when I pull the head off.

Even if you don't have access to a boroscope you can get a peek at your cylinders through the spark plug hole with a mobile phone. What you're looking for is obvious signs of rust, which should be pretty hard to miss

[sampayne]

Even if you don't have access to a boroscope you can get a peek at your cylinders through the spark plug hole with a mobile phone. What you're looking for is obvious signs of rust, which should be pretty hard to miss

Oh, thats a clever idea, I'll definitely give that a try.

[sampayne]

New Cam/Rocker Break In??

So I finally got the car home last week and have been working on it ever since. (Will update with pics soon) I just finished the head rebuild and hope to put it all back together in the next day or so. My question is, what is the best procedure for breaking in a new stock spec cam and new rocker arms? I've searched around and have read mixed opinions on what to do.

Right before I drove the car home from school I changed the oil and put in some VR1 20w-50 (About 250mi drive). I reassembled the head using some GTX 20w-50 because they didn't have the same VR1 at my local auto store. I'm assuming this isn't a big deal since they are the same weight. Pretty much what I'm saying is the engine has basically new oil haha.

Should I put some molly lube on the cam and rocker arm contact surfaces before I go for the first startup? Once the head is on, I plan on pouring a half quart or so of that GTX all over everything in the head, then sealing it up. I've heard people say start it up and immediately keep the revs at 2000-2500. Others say let it warm up and then do that. Should I change the oil immediately after this first break in period? Also, I've read about priming the oil pump before the first start, but do not fully understand where/how to do this?

So this is the info I'm looking for, since the above is a messy rant of question and statements lol.

1. Is there any lubricants, additives, ect I need before starting the engine.

2. What is the actual first start/break in procedure.

3. When should I change the oil after it is "broken in" and what intervals after that.

4. Any other recommendations/tips

I really don't want to mess up this new cam and have it looking like the old one!

Thanks!

[MrScuba]

Random thoughts

To make sure the engine has oil at start up, disconnect the coil to prevent it starting. Crank the engine in several cycles before connecting the coil.

Consider getting a magnetic oil pan plug.

Until you flush out the sludge, the new oil is always going to look bad fast. Dropping the pan and cleaning it out should help speeding up the process and might tell you more about the state of the engine.

Good luck with it.

[sampayne]

To make sure the engine has oil at start up, disconnect the coil to prevent it starting. Crank the engine in several cycles before connecting the coil.

I'll give that a shot. Thanks

[sampayne]

Parts!


Brand new spec cam, febi rockers (not pictured) and then all the assorted TB/WP bits ect.

Start of teardown.

DIY waterpump pulley/fan tools make the job easy.



Parts scattered everywhere.....



Finally get to see the condition of the cylinder walls..



Cross hatching still visible :)



It's a little dirty and crusty, but the head seams to be it pretty good shape. Nothing out of the ordinary.



Started disassembling the head and found one of the valves like this....



I have no idea how that would even happen, but I just filed it down a bit to make the contact surface a little more consistent for the eccentric. I would of liked to get a new one, but I just didn't have enough time to wait for another valve in the mail. :/

I bought a cheapy valve spring compressor on amazon and it didn't really work well so I had to do some slight modifications. Check out these buttery 6011 welds made with my china AC buzz box haha.



Now I can get more travel out of the tool to get enough compression to remove the valve keepers.



Bare head "cleaned" as well as I can get it.



Valve seals in.



Valves, springs and new cam in. Along with fresh exhaust studs.



Rockers/shafts in.

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Whole head back together and looking good!



Starting to look like an engine again. TB and WP in along with most accessories and other new bits.



And..... finally all back together. Breaking in the cam was a little nerve-racking, but everything worked out.



Had a blast doing the rebuild and this was a major confidence booster with my mechanical abilities. Its one thing to research and read online, but learning stuff about these engines through actually getting your hands dirty and taking things apart is a whole different experience. I already want to get a spare engine and start throwing together a stroker!

[Shock(/\)ave]

Parts!

Parts kitty approved! :p

Finally get to see the condition of the cylinder walls..



Cross hatching still visible :)

You must have been very relieved to see that cross hatching. :D

Started disassembling the head and found one of the valves like this....



I have no idea how that would even happen, but I just filed it down a bit to make the contact surface a little more consistent for the eccentric. I would of liked to get a new one, but I just didn't have enough time to wait for another valve in the mail. :/

I can't recall ever seeing that before in an otherwise intact motor.

And..... finally all back together. Breaking in the cam was a little nerve-racking, but everything worked out.



Had a blast doing the rebuild and this was a major confidence booster with my mechanical abilities. Its one thing to research and read online, but learning stuff about these engines through actually getting your hands dirty and taking things apart is a whole different experience. I already want to get a spare engine and start throwing together a stroker!

Nice work restoring your motor!

[sampayne]

Parts kitty approved! :p



You must have been very relieved to see that cross hatching. :D



I can't recall ever seeing that before in an otherwise intact motor.



Nice work restoring your motor!

Yeah, the messed up valve is a total mystery.

Thanks!

[sampayne]

Some funny pictures of the car after the first maiden voyage after the rebuild. Glad I got it up to school before it snowed.........

[sampayne]

Finally had some time to install these goodies on the car:



SSSquid chip tuned for m30 "027" AFM, 19lb injectors and 91 octane.

This gave me the opportunity to do some work on the throttle body, which I have been wanting
to address. First thing I did was remove those leaky heater lines and make a little "delete" plate
to clean it up. Also got rid of the ICV and tapped and plugged that hole.



Plugged up the unused vacuum line hole, which used to just have a cork in it and put a 90º hose
barb for the brake booster vacuum line. Hopefully this will bullet proof all the lines and I should
never have any problems down the road with vacuum leaks.



Cut out the old air box bracket that was partially in the way of the new intake setup. I was
surprised with how well the harbor freight spot weld drill worked.



Shot it with a little paint to prevent rust..



SSSquid chip going in



New injectors in.



Only had to do minimal cutting to make all the silicone fit right.



And the final product:



Turned out good, and cleans everything up a bit on the intake side of the engine bay. I'm definitely
going to make a heat shield for the air filter in the near future, since it's probably getting some nice
heat soak right now.



Major shoutout to Mr.Squid, the chip is awesome! Definitely some gains you can really feel. The car
seems to run smoother, make cool induction noises and pulls hard past 4k! The larger AFM makes the engine a little more
rev happy and responsive and with the tune to back it up, its a perfect combo. :devil:

[c0rbin9]

Nice to see someone giving some love to an M20.

[sampayne]

Nice to see someone giving some love to an M20.

Thank you sir. I'll take an m20 over next-gen motors all day!

[jmg]

Love this stuff, but I'm not mechanically inclined. I don't know half the stuff you're talking about, but I want to learn and I think an E30 is a good car to learn on. What do you think?

[sampayne]

Love this stuff, but I'm not mechanically inclined. I don't know half the stuff you're talking about, but I want to learn and I think an E30 is a good car to learn on. What do you think?

Yeah, I think the e30 is a great platform. Despite what some say (mainly non-bmw/e30 people), the m20 is a pretty simple engine and the car as a whole is pretty basic. Start with simple projects - oil change, valve cover gasket, ect. and work your way up as you get more confident. Get yourself a bentley manual and read around this forum and you could fix just about anything!

[ST1G]

Why the hell is this in the General Technical area and not the build thread section?