e30 Valve Ajustment.pdf - Brian David Bernard

Pelican Technical Article: BMW 3-Series (E30) Valve Adjustmenthttp://www.pelicanparts.com/bmw/techarticles/E30-Valve_Adjust/E30-Valve_Adjust.htmPage 2 of 78/21/2011manifold.Next, remove the bracket that secures the valve cover to the intake manifold. Four 10mmbolts hold it on. Two of the bolts hold the bracket to the valve cover; the other two secure thebracket to the intake manifold. This is shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4.Figure 3Now you will want to remove the 10mm nuts that secure the valve cover to the cylinder head.It’s a good idea to stagger the sequence in which you remove the nuts, to keep the valve coverfrom warping (Figure 5). The center two nuts on the exhaust side also hold the spark plug loombracket. Once they are removed, move the bracket out of the way.Figure 4Figure 5Figure 6Figure 7Once the valve cover nuts have been removed, pull the valve cover off. You may find that thevalve cover seems stuck or is not moving. In this case, carefully place a flat-head screwdriveralong the seam where the valve cover mounts to the head and very lightly tap it with a hammeruntil you have broken the seal around the valve cover. The valve cover now should simply pull off.Also remove the old valve cover gasket (Figure 6).Once the valve cover is removed, you will now see the valvetrain (Figure 7). In the center isthe camshaft, and you can easily see the lobes of the cam. It is these lobes we are looking for.Look at the cam lobes at the very front of the engine, and then look at the rockers that run alongthese lobes. When the cam lobe hits a rocker, it pushes the rocker down, opening a valve. Whenthe lobe rotates down, it closes the valve. You will need to have these lobes completely flat beforeyou can adjust the valves. The way I do it is put the car in 5th gear, take off the parking brakeand push the car forward. You will see the rocker arms move back and forth very slowly.Another trick is to jack up one side of the car, leaving at least one of the rear wheels on theground, and one up in the air. With one wheel on the ground, and the car in fifth gear, you canrotate the engine by simply turning one of the wheels. This works on all cars without a limitedslip differential (LSD).Figure 8Figure 9Figure 10The idea is to look at where the rockers contact the cam lobes. When the rocker arms havestopped moving, and the cam lobes reach the lowest point on each rocker, you are at TDC. This iswhere you want to be (Figure 8). Now you can adjust the valve clearances on this cylinder.Look at the rocker arm; at the very end you will see where it contacts the valve. You mightalso notice a small space in between these two parts. This space is what we are adjusting (Figure9).The Bentley Manual lists the correct valve clearance at 0.30mm (0.012in) with the engine hot,or 0.25mm (0.010in) with the engine cold. In this case, the engine is cold, so I adjust using a0.25mm feeler gauge.Now, to adjust the valve clearance, you will want to find a small piece of stiff wire, such as acoat hanger or a 3mm Allen wrench. Place the stiff wire or Allen wrench in the small hole on top ofthe valve eccentric. In this case, I used a small screwdriver. Next, loosen the 10mm locknut onthe side of the valve eccentric. This will free up the valve eccentric. Place the feeler gauge inbetween the valve eccentric and the valve. Now, using the stiff wire or wrench, rotate the valveeccentric til it makes contact with the feeler gauge. You want the feeler gauge to have a slightdrag on it when you move it in between the eccentric and the valve. When you feel such a dragon the feeler gauge, STOP rotating the eccentric and hold it exactly where it is, and tighten the10mm locknut on the side. Once the nut is tight, re-check the feeler gauge, does it still have aslight drag on it? If not, loosen the locknut, and re-adjust it til it is correct (Figure 10).Once you have adjusted both the exhaust and intake sides of the cylinder, you will want totake the parking brake off, and push the car in 5th gear until the cam lobes are in the properposition to adjust the second cylinder. Then repeat the process listed above for the remainingcylinders. Be sure that on every cylinder, the rocker arms are in the correct position.Once the valves have all been re-adjusted, you will need to re-install the valve cover. It’s agood idea to clean the mating surfaces of both the cover and the cylinder head. This will ensure agood seal and prevent both oil and vacuum leaks. It’s a good idea to use a new valve covergasket. To install, just place it over the studs on the cylinder head (Figure 11).Figure 11Next, re-install and tighten the 10mm nuts that hold the cover to the head. Tighten themdown snug, but not super tight, you could strip the nuts or threads. Next, re-install the bracketthat secures the intake manifold to the valve cover and tighten the four 10mm bolts that hold it inplace.

Pelican Technical Article: BMW 3-Series (E30) Valve Adjustmenthttp://www.pelicanparts.com/bmw/techarticles/E30-Valve_Adjust/E30-Valve_Adjust.htmPage 3 of 78/21/2011Now re-install the spark plugs. It’s a good idea to put a small swipe of anti-seize compound onone side of the threads prior to installation. This will prevent stripping out the spark plugs thenext time you have to remove them. Once all the plugs have been reinstalled, tighten them down,but use caution to avoid stripping threads.Next, re-install the spark plug wires, It’s a good idea to put a small dab of dielectric grease onthe insides of the boots, to ease installation and provide a good seal between the spark plug andthe boot.The last step is to re-connect the battery. Once everything is re-installed, start the vehicle.You should now hear a smooth running engine.And that’s it, you’re done! As always, if anyone has any questions, feel free to email me atjared@pelicanparts.comCheers,JaredThis technical article is made possible solely through the support of Pelican Parts. If you likewhat you see here, then please visit our online BMW catalog and help support the collection andcreating of new and informative technical articles like this one.Looking for more photos? Click to see bonus pictures for this project.Comments and Suggestions:agustAugust 10, 2011Need to buy parts for this project? Click here to order!Comments: hi all,i have an e30m40 1991, but the engine is very noisy,i thought from HVA but it teh same noise after i changed it.is the problem from rocker arm, camshaft or oil pump?please advise....thxccJune 24, 2011firstbeemerJune 24, 2011JPTLMay 18, 2011Comments: Do all cylinder head valves rotate?Comments: Hey, there don't if any1 could help me , I have a 89 e30 318i, n the ticking is veryloud, now some poeple told that the Hydraulic Lifters need to be replaced, just wanted to knowif it could adjusted or is there anything else could be done. Need a second opinion, does thevalve adjustment work on 318 m40 heads to.Comments: After adjusting the valves to .25mm cold the valves quieted down substantially. Itstarts right up and runs well at normal speed.However now it idles rougher and at a lower rpm about 600 or so. It hunts a bit at idle andthere's a slight hesitation when I blip the gas. The rough idle wasn't present before the valveadjustment.I took care in adjusting each rocker at the lowest part of the lobe, but the amount of 'drag' thatwas on the gauge was pretty significant after tightening each nut. As a reference to how snug Idid the rockers, I wouldn't be able to get the gauge back in the gap after pulling it out.Did I adjust these too tight? Should I lessen the drag? Anyone else experience this?I also replaced plugs NGK gapped at .028"Thanks.Great article, BTW.E30lover Comments: I'm 16 and will be doing this soon on my 87 325i convertible I picked up for 800.Definately time for a valve adjustment at 200k and valves ticking. Now as for TDC can I tell ifthe engine is at that when there's no pressure on the valve spring? Thanks!May 4, 2011ArielNovember 25, 2010myfirst325October 20, 2010BenjiComments: I want to Know the running mate of four cylinder: and theres 8 rockerarm....Please....show me an image to know about it...or....please ....show the the right form of8 rocker....Comments: I'll be replacing the timing belt this weekend on my 90 325ic. I was told its also agood time to adjust the valves. Can I use a thin 32mm spanner wrench on the crankshaftpulley to get the above accomplished?Followup from the Pelican Staff: Sure, that sounds like it would work well. See this articleon the timing belt replacement: http://www.pelicanparts.com/bmw/techarticles/101-Projects-20-E30-Timing-Belt/101-Projects-20-E30-Timing-Belt.htm - Wayne at Pelican PartsComments: Hello thier Wayne,I was just wondering if this article and method is possible to

Pelican Technical Article: BMW 3-Series (E30) Valve Adjustmenthttp://www.pelicanparts.com/bmw/techarticles/E30-Valve_Adjust/E30-Valve_Adjust.htmPage 4 of 78/21/2011October 2, 2010TitoSeptember 6, 2010WolfAugust 22, 2010hammer_e30August 19, 2010SiAugust 8, 2010gibbyJuly 10, 2010SEXECUTIONERJune 4, 2010318Paulundertake on my 97, R-reg 316i BMW. Or is it a different procedure on my 316i BMW.Followup from the Pelican Staff: The 316 is a Euro car not available here in the states, soI'm not familiar with it. But, almost all of the late-model BMWs have hydraulic lifters, so thevalves don't need to be adjusted. - Wayne at Pelican PartsComments: I presume the top row in the exhaust and the bottom inlet.When the bottom cam is pointing away and is in position to have the valave adjusted, the camfor the top of the same cylinder is not completely turned away. Is it in position in that cylinderto adjust or do i need to turn the cam farther in order to to set the exhaust side after havingadjusted the bottom. Thanks.Followup from the Pelican Staff: The top row (closest to the intake) are the intake valves.At Top Dead Center (TDC) for each cylinder, both intake and exhaust valves should be closed,and you should set the gap at that point. - Wayne at Pelican PartsComments: I purchased an '89 325ix with about 170K, which had noiseyvalves from the start. I tried adjusting them 2x, and couldn't get them to quietdown. recently the #2 intake rocker snapped off at the eccentric end. I boughtall new valvetrain components including cam, rockers, adjusters, and shafts.Upon disassembling the head, I found that all the intake rockers had groovesworn in the pads, which would make it nearly impossible to gap correctly,andcould probably have only be done by ear. Cam wear looked normal. Is thisnormal or common, or should I suspect an oil path blockage?Followup from the Pelican Staff: Yes, that is a tremendous amount of wear,and indicates that there indeed may be an oil blockage somewhere in there.The lifters are hardened, and when they wear past that hardened top surface,then they wear pretty quickly beyond that. I would say that they all need to bereplaced at this point. Also, it's not normal for them to snap like that - it'sprobably related to off-angles created by that wear pattern. Check your oilingsystem, and also make sure that you run an oil with lots of anti-wear additiveslike Zinc, etc. - Wayne at Pelican PartsComments: I just did a valve adjustment on my '89 325is. I found that all of my exhaustvalves have mushroomed stems. They all still offer some range of adjustment except cylinder2. I did get it into spec, but I am worried about the next valve adjustment. Is there lash capsavailable, or am I just going to have to a valve job? And what would cause the valve stems tomushroom? Lack of oil?Followup from the Pelican Staff: Hmm, that's not normal. That type of wear can be causedby incorrectly installed valves (wrong height), which causes too much back and forth scrubbing.Lack of oil can also cause this too - check to make sure all your oil passages are clean andclear. Use an oil with lots of anti-wear additives in it too, that should help stop the damage.Improper valve stem grinding can also cause this too. - Wayne at Pelican PartsComments: hi,Drag lever and thrust adapter on my 318i M40 E30 have been replaced with thenew one due to noisy problem,once I start the engine on trial , I found 1 from 4 cylinder havemissed fire ,I check for the problem one of them have no compression and the other just have90 pressurebefore I change the above part ,only when the engine cold it feel like have missed fire from oneof the cylinder and once the engine warm everything go normal and I still able to run with185Kph.due to above problem,I just take out the cylinder head and check the part and found one of thepiston ring have a big gap on it once I just simply put the ring in to the cylinder,is it due toabove problem I lost the Compression ? why so suddenly after I replace the drag lever andthrust adapter?any AdviceFollowup from the Pelican Staff: No clue, it's probably just coincidence? - Wayne at PelicanPartsComments: Thanks for the great write up...I am in the midst of a few large repairs and I did the valve adjustment tonight - I found thatthe previous mechanic/owner tightened the heck out of the lock nuts on the eccentrics andgetting them off was difficult. On the 1st and 5th cylinders, I was turning w/ enough force todepress the valves. Then I smartened up, thinking I might be making contact with cylindersdown in there...for the rest I used a screwdriver across the head bolt towers as a fulcrum tokeep the valves from moving. My question is - could I have done damage to the valves orcylinders, since I depressed the 1 and 5 valves at TDC?Thanks!Followup from the Pelican Staff: Not likely. You'd really have to crank the heck out of themin order to damage them. If you're still concerned, just run a simple compression check on theengine and see what the numbers look like for #1 and #5 compared to the other cylinders. -Wayne at Pelican PartsComments: JUST FINISHED WITH MY VALVE ADJ. PURRS LIKE A KITTEN! THANKS!Comments: Very nice write up on the E30 valve adjustment, but something is not right here:"Next, re-install the spark plug wires, It’s a good idea to put a small dab of conductive greaseon the insides of the boots, to ease installation and provide a good seal between the spark plugand the boot."

Pelican Technical Article: BMW 3-Series (E30) Valve Adjustmenthttp://www.pelicanparts.com/bmw/techarticles/E30-Valve_Adjust/E30-Valve_Adjust.htmPage 5 of 78/21/2011May 10, 2010The Rice Burner.April 21, 2010joshApril 7, 2010steveMcMarch 22, 2010justboughtanISFebruary 5, 2010JamesDecember 24, 2009WillieDecember 23, 2009zingerDecember 20, 2009BZDecember 17, 2009MervNovember 28, 2009JamesNovember 22, 2009jetpilot718You want dielectric grease that has a good thermal transfer ideally. This could be white siliconeheat sink compound. Most people will think you are recommending electrically conductivegrease such as copper or zinc rich paste. This would not be good as you would form aconductor to the edge of the boot.Comments: Thanks, it helped a lot.Comments: This is my first lash adj, on a BMW engine. I was asking around, and everyoneseems to describe it as the "mount Everest" of mechanics.I have adjusted a lot of valves, but Ihave to admit, I was a bit scared.Now, after reading your detailed and straightforwardapproach, I feel much better, and I'm going to do it right nowComments: Great article! The hardest thing was just leaning over the car to do it-my lowerback is killing me! First time for me and it took under two hoursand that was being careful andslow and re-checking every valve. Question; the mechanic told me i needed a valve adjustmentand it seemed like my power and fuel mileage was down so i thought i'd DIY it but it stilldoesn't sound much better. Doesn't Purr like it did two years ago after a valve job. what gives?thanks!Comments: How do you get them TDS on an IS since it has an LSD?Comments: For automatics you can't use the method outlined here. Apparently in the "ServiceSocket" jumper pins 11 and 14 to activate the starter. A paper clip works fine. Doing thisdoesn't power the fuel pump or spark, so there is no risk of starting the engine. Either that oruse one of those switch gizmos that attach to the starter and bump the engine a bit at a timeuntil the valve is in the correct spot off the lobe.Comments: Can somebody please explain to me in detail how to adjust the valves with anautomatic transmission, i'm confused. The valves are really noisy on my recently acquired 1989Bmw 325iComments: i've done this job twice over two days...the question i have is how much valvenoise should there be when properly adjusted? I did both times, stone cold overnight at .25 andit still sounds louder than i expected, but my expectations may have been too high. verynoticeable "tick" at idle. thanksComments: I bought a 89 e30 and have a problem with take off. When you hit the gas pedal itdoesnt want to go, it takes a few second for it to actually get moving and get up there. Oncethe car is moving at higher speeds theres no problem with power. lot worse when engine iscold. changed plugs, oil changed and added fuel injector cleaner so far any Ideas on what it canbe.Followup from the Pelican Staff: Very difficult to diagnose over the Internet. Number oneproblem may be vacuum leaks - these tend to be muted somewhat when the car is running athigher RPMs. - Wayne at Pelican PartsComments: Very helpful guide and easy to follow, thanks for making it so easy. E30 ownersare a unique bunch who care for their rides, and your articles help this to happen. Great work.Comments: Any time3 I've adjusted valves on another car I have used a switch that hooks upto the starter in order to advance the motor to the correct position. Just tapping the remoteswitch a bit at a time puts the cam in the right spot. Also it isn't necessary to get the engine inexactly TDC is it? The CAM is "off" most of the time and it's pretty easy to see when the tappetis hitting the lobe. Why do you suggest disconnecting the battery?Comments: Great articles Pelican Staff! One question, must you adjust the valves in order ofthe firing pattern, or can you just work your way down the cylinders? Thanks!Here's a video I found of someone doing a valve adjustment on an E30.September 23, 2009vadkrAugust 10, 2009evil_e30August 2, 2009TeamStowellJuly 25, 2009Callumhttp://video.aol.de/video-detail/e30-valve-adjustment/1030771027Followup from the Pelican Staff: You can work in any order you like as long as the cam isoff of the valves and they are closed when you are adjusting them. - Wayne at Pelican PartsComments: thanx for the reply. i finished adjusting the valves last june. i dont know if it'snormal but the ticking seems loud you could hear it from the inside of the car when idle. i setthe clearance to .010" tight & engine cold. thanx..Comments: i have looked on nearly every website there is to look at this is by far the best onthe web! great explaination, dont think about doing this...DO IT!!!! i dont think my 325 ran thiswell in the showroom. keep up the good work.Comments: Wow.... thank you for the great info! We adjusted the valves on my 1983 635CSiEuro and then adjusted those on a 1975 2002 all within four hours. Next project will be a 1989325ix we picked up last weekend! Your concise informative article really helped out. I justpurchased the project book to see what else we can do for the E30 and our '97 M3. Thank you!Comments: Great article. Just finished adjusting the valves on my 1987 325e. Finding TDCwas the tricky bit so here's what I did. I jacked up the rear right of the car and in 5th, rotated

Pelican Technical Article: BMW 3-Series (E30) Valve Adjustmenthttp://www.pelicanparts.com/bmw/techarticles/E30-Valve_Adjust/E30-Valve_Adjust.htmPage 6 of 78/21/2011July 20, 2009fe30July 17, 2009oscillloscopethe wheel until the cam lobes of cyl 1 were at the top. I then rotated the wheel until the lobeshad done a whole rev and were back at the top. I noted how many revolutions of the wheelabout 1 and 3/4 it took to rotate the cam completely. So half of this rotation about 7/8 is whatit takes to get the lobes from top to bottom at which point you are at TDC. I marked the tyrewith masking tape to make each measurement. Now it ticks like a swiss watch.Followup from the Pelican Staff: The wheel trick is a good one, but it also does depend uponwhat gear you're in and what ratio your final drive (differential) has. It may not be the same foreveryone. Still a good suggestion for easily turning the engine over. - Wayne at Pelican PartsComments: For an automatic, do I put it is 2nd gear since I can't get it in 5th?Followup from the Pelican Staff: You can't use the 'turn the wheels' method with anautomatic unfortunately, since the wheels are not locked to the engine when it's off. - Wayne atPelican PartsComments: Just finished this one this evening. I tried to do the adjustments by sticking anallen wrench in the eccentric to set the gaps and quickly learned that this is more trouble thanit is worth. Doing it in this manner pretty much requires three hands: one on the tighteningnut, one on the allen wrench in the eccentric, and one on the feeler gauge.I ditched the small allen wrench and just used the thumb of the hand holding the feeler gaugeto push and hold the eccentric into position with the feeler gauge already in the the gap. Aquick tightening of the nut and everything is all set and nothing will move. Using an allenwrench in the eccentric is just making more work for yourself and you will quickly find that it isimpossible to hold the eccentric in position this way as you tighten everything up.June 25, 2009vadkrJune 17, 2009JrJune 13, 2009MrNiceGUyJune 7, 2009rickazMay 30, 2009Andres_JBMay 10, 2009MagnusApril 27, 2009MagnusApril 18, 2009bengalsruleApril 18, 2009Took me 30 minutes to do the first pair using the allen wrench method and about 15 to do allthe rest using my thumb. Seems obvious to me. And the car sounds great. No valve train noiseat all anymore. Best $800 car I've ever bought!Comments: what's the sequence to adjust each cylinder, firing order or 123456..? thanxFollowup from the Pelican Staff: I typically use the firing order, and crank the engine overabout 120 degrees to do each one. - Wayne at Pelican PartsComments: can you do this adjustment on an automatice as well?Followup from the Pelican Staff: Sure, this is an engine adjustment, independent of thetype of transmission you have. - Wayne at Pelican PartsComments: Thanks a lot! Great article and very helpful for me to understand it more. I'll bedoing a valve adjustment on my 85 528e soon.Comments: I don't have room to push the car to get the valves closed, would turning thecrank shaft due?Followup from the Pelican Staff: Sure, it's just a bit difficult sometimes to get leverage onthe crankshaft. - Wayne at Pelican PartsComments: Hi, great DIY as usual, extremely helpful. I bought an 86 325es and the valveswere knocking, I adjusted them to .010 and they were still knocking, so today I did the valveadjustment to .008 and they are still knocking, any idea why?? thanks!Followup from the Pelican Staff: Usually, valve noise is more of a ticking, rather than aknocking. I'm guessing that the noise that you're hearing is probably not valve noise ifadjusting them didn't produce any noticeable difference. - Wayne at Pelican PartsComments: Tnx, it worked real sweet. U guys r the best!Comments: How do I best find TDC on a automatic gearbox.Tnx for a gr8 manual.Followup from the Pelican Staff: Hi there. The method described in the article works fine fora manual or an automatic car. Just make sure that the valves are completely closed when youadjust them (the engine does not even have to be at absolute TDC for that cylinder). - Wayneat Pelican PartsComments: thanks for the always helpful tips im working on my 90 325is right nowMistaFisha Comments: Very Helpful, nice job with the write up and pictures mate! I'll be doing it to my 89April 16, 2009 this weekend!Write a Comment:

Pelican Technical Article: BMW 3-Series (E30) Valve Adjustmenthttp://www.pelicanparts.com/bmw/techarticles/E30-Valve_Adjust/E30-Valve_Adjust.htmPage 7 of 78/21/2011Comments:(2,500 characters max)Your nickname:Your email:Upload a Photo:Email Optional - so that we can notify you when a staffmember responds to your question. Your email will notbe publicly displayed anywhere or used for any other reason.Browse...* I have read and agree to abide by the Comment Submission Guidelines.SubmitSearch our site: Enter Description or Part Number View Cart & CheckOut | Project List | Order Status | HelpRecommend this page to a friend...[Home] [Customer Service] [Shopping Cart] [Privacy Statement][Contact Us] [About Us] [Shipping] [Map to our Location]Copyright © 2008 Pelican Parts Inc.