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M42 Cam Gears NLA

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    #61
    ^^ keep us updated
    NASA
    BMWCCA member
    PCA member 25yrs




    1991 318IS slick top
    1997 M3 sedan
    2001 325CI DD

    “whoever turns the wheel the least, wins"

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      #62
      Originally posted by Powling View Post
      Just contacted my local BMW dealer and they stated the part is on back order, but will be in between 7-15 days if ordered.

      Going to place an order now to see if they do in fact come in, or if they come back and say they are no longer available.
      Have you heard anything back from the dealer?

      Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
      '91 318i (Alpine) - daily
      '88 325ix (Zinno) - drive here and there!

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        #63
        Originally posted by fresh_TD View Post
        Have you heard anything back from the dealer?

        Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
        My bet would be evil laughter.

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          #64
          Originally posted by roguetoaster View Post
          My bet would be evil laughter.
          I followed up again with them today to see if there was an ETA for delivery and they confirmed me that my order had been terminated as the parts are NLA in all Canadian and Germain warehouses. Bummer.

          The parts guy also stated that IF parts are deemed NLA but will be returning soon (say 6 months later) they will state an ETA for the part. He has never seen a part go NLA with no future ETA and come back into production before.
          Steve • Toronto
          1991 318is • Brillantrot
          Build Thread

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            #65
            When you order M42 cam gears, and BMW's response is this.....

            Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
            '91 318i (Alpine) - daily
            '88 325ix (Zinno) - drive here and there!

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              #66
              Originally posted by fresh_TD View Post
              When you order M42 cam gears, and BMW's response is this.....

              Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk


              Pretty much. Im hoping to find an nos set pop up can grab those


              1989 325is l 1984 euro 320i l 1970 2002 Racecar
              1991 318i 4dr slick top


              Euro spec 320i/Alpina B6 3.5 project(the never ending saga)
              Vintage race car revival (2002 content)
              Mtech 2 turbo restoration
              Brilliantrot slick top "build"

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                #67
                There are some good looking used ones on eBay now, best found using the terms "BMW M42 sprocket."

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                  #68
                  Well, I guess that's that then. Bummer.

                  I can look into modifying the M44 gears, maybe? I have seen two versions of the M42 gears over the years; some sort of sintered-looking material, and cast+machined. If the M44 ones are the cast parts, then boring a hole and pressing the required pin (for the cam position sensor) into place would probably be a good way to go.

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                    #69
                    I have a new set that i was going to put in. In light of this I´ll put them away since the current gears look ok.
                    I thought BMW had an in house restoration department that restored customer cars. What do they do when they are restoring something and run into an NLA part? Create a new one-off part?

                    Edit; Just found this...
                    My new E34 525i Sport Limousine Blog
                    http://bmw525isportlimousine.blogspot.com.es/

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                      #70
                      Originally posted by spanish pants View Post
                      I have a new set that i was going to put in. In light of this I´ll put them away since the current gears look ok.
                      I thought BMW had an in house restoration department that restored customer cars. What do they do when they are restoring something and run into an NLA part? Create a new one-off part?

                      Edit; Just found this...
                      https://www.bmwgroup-classic.com/en/...arts-shop.html
                      Keep in mind that BMW probably has loads of NLA parts stashed away that the public cant get their hands on.

                      Not only that, but some others have started 3D printing parts that are rare and hard to find...

                      I see you there, sad and despondent because your Porsche 959 has, like, a broken release lever for its clutch or something. You have all the money in the world, for, indeed, you own a Porsche 959, but none of that makes a difference now because no one on earth has a replacement lever for you anymore. Or do they?
                      Steve • Toronto
                      1991 318is • Brillantrot
                      Build Thread

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                        #71
                        Originally posted by spanish pants View Post
                        I have a new set that i was going to put in. In light of this I´ll put them away since the current gears look ok.
                        I thought BMW had an in house restoration department that restored customer cars. What do they do when they are restoring something and run into an NLA part? Create a new one-off part?

                        Edit; Just found this...
                        https://www.bmwgroup-classic.com/en/...arts-shop.html
                        Also, just tried this and the gears don't even show up as being able to order (number 4)

                        Steve • Toronto
                        1991 318is • Brillantrot
                        Build Thread

                        Comment


                          #72
                          Originally posted by Powling View Post
                          Keep in mind that BMW probably has loads of NLA parts stashed away that the public cant get their hands on.

                          Not only that, but some others have started 3D printing parts that are rare and hard to find...

                          https://jalopnik.com/porsche-is-3d-p...9-a-1822959539
                          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.
                          My new E34 525i Sport Limousine Blog
                          http://bmw525isportlimousine.blogspot.com.es/

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                            #73
                            Truly cam gears cant be this hard to come by right?

                            I have seen many many M42 (early and late) in the scrap, I have 3 sets of cams and cam gears in my garage if anyone is really really hungry for em.

                            Id almost rather get em from the pick and pull for a fair price rather than overpaying online vendors. Maybe Ive missed something, but the spikey, worn out cam gears seem to only be a problem for early M42. The improved timing guides in the late m42 seem to help reduce wear on cam gears significantly.

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                              #74
                              I'm going to a pick n pull next weekend. 91 318i in the yard

                              Fingers cross!!
                              NASA
                              BMWCCA member
                              PCA member 25yrs




                              1991 318IS slick top
                              1997 M3 sedan
                              2001 325CI DD

                              “whoever turns the wheel the least, wins"

                              Comment


                                #75
                                So I had a long phone conversation with Jim Rowe at Metric Mechanic yesterday. We ended up on the subject of M42 cam gears for a little while, and I explained this situation. His feedback was interesting. I am sure that this will cause some controversy, but based on my experience as a customer of MM, I trust that they know their stuff. Zero of us here have built thousands of engines over 35+ years. Here is a general summary of his thoughts on M42 cam gear wear.

                                1) There are a few versions of the M42 cam gears out there. It sounds like early ones (or ones from a specific OE supplier) came from the factory with "pointy" teeth, so those are by-design in many cases, not due to excessive wear. Other versions had square teeth. As far as materials, there are two: one seems to be cast iron and you can see some of the rough sand casting texture on the back surface where it was not machined, and the other is some sort of powdered metal creation which is found in later parts and is a LOT harder/more durable.
                                (thinking about it, the pointy tooth theory we all know of makes no sense...why would the non-contact side of a square tooth tip be worn down at all?)

                                2) He has almost never seen these cam gears wear out in the way that we commonly seem to think. There are lots of stories in here about the timing chain skipping a tooth, and then looking inside to find pointy teeth, and assuming that the pointy teeth are the reason. He was fairly sure that the pointy teeth were unrelated, and that issues with the tensioner rails/piston/deflector sprocket were more likely to be the real culprit, or even just loosening of the sprocket bolts which allow it to get a few degrees out of alignment.

                                3) If one is concerned about wear, then pointy teeth are not what to look for as they are not what will result from the chain rollers meshing with the teeth. You should be looking for checking at the edges of the teeth, asymmetrical teeth (the contact side having a different curvature than the non-contact side) and galling marks.

                                4) MM has worked with mostly 6 cylinder cars, many with 24V engines. Those camshafts put >50% more torque on the sprockets, with single and double row chains, and he has never seen the cam sprockets wear out there either. The sprocket materials are largely the same as the M42's.

                                5) Extreme neglect of the lubrication system (shitty oil, not keeping it at the right level, not changing it) and extreme neglect of an original timing system are about the only ways that you are going to start eating into the sprockets at all, and even then the engine is going to fail due to something else before that.

                                Overall, his opinion is that the cam sprockets should be good for upwards of a million miles if oil changes are done at a reasonable interval with decent oil. The engine will crap out well before that for other reasons. So much of the worry and concern over the sprockets that many of us here experience is completely unwarranted, and largely based off of internet anecdotes. Jim kindly called me out on believing a lot of the "conventional wisdom" expressed in forums about the sprockets, and he had a point: I cannot actually think of a realistic mechanism by which the pointy sprockets that we see photos of would ever happen (if one started with square teeth).

                                Speaking of oil, MM has done a ton of lubrication tests and basically the only oils worth a damn are Castrol 10W-60 TWS (best) and Mobil1 15W-50 (second best). All of the other stuff they tested (Rotal Purple, Amsoil, non-botique stuff) all came in waaaaay below these two. I used to run the Castrol stuff, but it is stupid expensive, requires more frequent changes and leaks through paper gaskets like a motherfucker. So, I am sticking with M1 15W-50 which has always been my go-to for the M42. M1 publishes basic data on this oil, and it has some of the highest ZDDP levels you can find in commercially available oil. This is essential to our flat tappet lifter system.

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