All in - pulling the 4.6 engine and trans to fix oil leaks once and for all

[stunt]

Ok guys, I'm back!

Had family visiting from across the pond and also a big project launching at work that I had been involved with for the last 10 months, that finally went live over this past weekend, so I finally have some time to continue my X5 project.

I got the Vanos seals pressed this evening. After first tightening the press bolt to 100 ft. lb. I was supposed to turn the bolt one more full turn. No way that was going to happen with my puny 3.5" vise. It was hard enough just getting to 100 ft. lb!



So I figured I'd use my newly acquired shop press instead, in combination with the Vanos press minus the bolt.



I was careful to gradually increase the pressure in stages, removing the assembly and inspecting for movement, then put assembly back on press for a little more force, until the gap was gone. I also used the Vanos press bolt to tighten moderately before going back on the shop press to ensure perfect alignment of the upper and lower Vanus press pieces.



Worked like a champ! Did the 2nd Vanos in one try as I now had the "feel" for how much to pump the hydraulic ram.

With that out of the way, it's time to start the reassembly of the engine, and then focus on the transmission next!

[e30cabrio]

NICE!!

[kesslerbmw]

Sweet! Love the pile of parts on the table.

[stunt]

Got the valve train put back together. Here's a comparison of the old and new guides for the upper tensioners:



Tensioners re-assembled with new O-Rings



Torquing the 11mm nuts to 14 Nm



Next up was installing the new Vanos check valves (old one shown in this shot, but I got it swapped before putting the housing on)



Then the new sealing rings



New gaskets. number facing the front as seen here.



And finally the housings. 10 Nm on these 10mm bolts



Next the Vanos units, exhaust cam gears, upper chains, lower chain and guides. Unfortunately I somehow forgot to order the all plastic guide, so it will be a few days at least before I'll be able to button up the front.

[stunt]

So while I wait for the all plastic guide to get here, I figured I'd do the bottom oil pans and rear covers.

Upper oil pan gasket placed



Upper oil pan installed. All bolts torqued to 12 Nm. Oil pick up tube also installed and also torqued to 12 Nm.



Lower oil pan installed. These bolts are all 10 Nm (8.8 grade vs. 10.9)



Next up was replacing the axle seal on the front diff



Front diff installed as well as the extension on opposite side of the upper oil pan housing.



New RMS installed



Rear of block ready for gasket



Gasket installed and sealant also applied to rear cover



Cover installed and sealant applied to rear coolant cover



Gasket installed. It came with sealant already applied, so no need to additional sealant on the cover itself



Rear covers completed



Flywheel/flexplate mounted and 9 new bolts shown



Flywheel bolts torqued to 77 ft. lb. I have also installed the lock pin (red arrow)



New valley pan w/ "built-in" gasket



All torqued down (10 Nm).

[e30cabrio]

Very very nice!!!

[Freestyler]

My friends often makes funny remarks about how nitpicking i am when i'm wrenching on my cars, and how much faster my repairs/projects could be finished if i would "just get-it-done-already".
You know, the same guys that always have to re-do everything two or three times before they get anything right.

And from that perspective, it is pure joy seeing how you meticulously and methodically progress with this 'a-bit-above-average-complexity' DIY project.
-The right parts. The right tools. The right torques. And the right attitude towards it all.
I have no doubt that you will end up with a very smooth running, leak free drive train when you get to the end of this.

And as others have mentioned, your whole documentation with specs and photos is very much appreciated. It is pure gold.

[admranger]

Really looking nice. Thread needs to be stickied!

How do you like the Snappy torque wrench? What's the range of torque it can do (and, I hate to ask, the price)?

I have a number of torque wrenches (4, to be exact), but none as nice as that one!

[stunt]

Glad you guys appreciate the detailed pics!

Yes, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that by taking my time and paying attention to details, once I'm done, I won't have to worry about the drivetrain for a good while!

I love these Snap-on digital torque wrenches. I got these 2 so far:

Snap-on TECHWRENCH 1/4" drive Flex Head 2 - 20 ft-lb $385 list
Snap-on TECHWRENCH 3/8" drive Flex Head 5 - 100 ft-lb $405 list

I picked up the 1/4" on eBay for $250, the 3/8" for $270. Both were sold as used, but were brand new. I know you sometime roll the dice on eBay, but I lucked out with there. Not a scratch on either one and they came with calibration sheets. They were within 0.8% forward and 0.4% reverse!

Very nice tools. They can be set to display ft-lb, in-lb or Nm. The display shows current torque value in real time and starts to vibrate when you get close and beep when you get within 1% of target and then flashes where you ended up for 10 seconds once you're done. Like when set for 10 Nm, after the beep, the display would flash 10.04 Nm or there abouts depending on how quickly I reacted to the beep.

I'm keeping an eye out for the 1/2" as well, which has a range of 25 - 250 ft-lb.

Up until this project I have been using a pair of Snap-on click type wrenches that I purchased new back in 2000 I think (3/8" and 1/2"), both very nice pieces, but for this project I knew I needed a 1/4" for some of the low torque values, and after getting and using the 1/4" one, there was no going back. lol

Once I pick up a 1/2", I'll be selling the "old-school" pair.

[admranger]

Originally Posted by stunt

Glad you guys appreciate the detailed pics!

Yes, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that by taking my time and paying attention to details, once I'm done, I won't have to worry about the drivetrain for a good while!

I love these Snap-on digital torque wrenches. I got these 2 so far:

Snap-on TECHWRENCH 1/4" drive Flex Head 2 - 20 ft-lb $385 list
Snap-on TECHWRENCH 3/8" drive Flex Head 5 - 100 ft-lb $405 list

I picked up the 1/4" on eBay for $250, the 3/8" for $270. Both were sold as used, but were brand new. I know you sometime roll the dice on eBay, but I lucked out with there. Not a scratch on either one and they came with calibration sheets. They were within 0.8% forward and 0.4% reverse!

Very nice tools. They can be set to display ft-lb, in-lb or Nm. The display shows current torque value in real time and starts to vibrate when you get close and beep when you get within 1% of target and then flashes where you ended up for 10 seconds once you're done. Like when set for 10 Nm, after the beep, the display would flash 10.04 Nm or there abouts depending on how quickly I reacted to the beep.

I'm keeping an eye out for the 1/2" as well, which has a range of 25 - 250 ft-lb.

Up until this project I have been using a pair of Snap-on click type wrenches that I purchased new back in 2000 I think (3/8" and 1/2"), both very nice pieces, but for this project I knew I needed a 1/4" for some of the low torque values, and after getting and using the 1/4" one, there was no going back. lol

Once I pick up a 1/2", I'll be selling the "old-school" pair.

Other than fighting off everyone else on Xoutpost bidding on ebay for these, they certainly sound like the thing to have.