M54 head gasket project
 

I am tearing down my 2001 M54 170K miles motor to change the head gasket.
It's pretty much as advertised so far. There are Youtube videos by a couple people including "That 50's kid" that are very helpful.
As anticipated, the plastic parts are pretty brittle after all these years and 170K miles of heat cycles. I am changing the timing chain guide parts and had a couple questions...

Do you have to drop the oil pan enough to get the timing chain cover off and in the process need to replace the oil pan gasket or can this be done without as much involvement?
I'm replacing the crank bolt and washer and crank seal.

With the 170K miles, it would seem reasonable to change at least the primary timing chain while I'm in there. Is that advisable?

Anything else I should be doing at this time?

I did my 2001 M54B30 a couple of years ago. Sounds similar to yours, except I was also getting combustion leaking into the cooling system. 186k miles at the time, 194k now, running great.

No need to drop the oil pan just to change the chain guides, but you will need to drop it if you decide to replace the chain. I did not replace my chain, and don't see any reason to do so.

BTW, from what I've read, etc., the problems you're having in the middle cylinders there is fairly common and I would not expect there to be significant problems through the rest of the engine just because of that compression loss in 4+5. Could be a HG, but also maybe a warped or cracked head. So have the head inspected carefully. Easy to miss a problem there - even the 50sKid (you'll see - all covered in the videos) got his head all cleaned up, disassembled and off to machining, where they then found the crack.

I did a VANOS rebuild at the time. No problems before or since. I did not change the VANOS solenoids - not so hard to get to later if ever needed.

I replaced the crank seal but reused the bolt, washer, and pulley. I have a thread on here somewhere about the crank bolt removal.

Main advice is to not screw anything up. Really. You don't do a great job at this. You either do it without mistakes or you make a mistake and recover the best you can. Also planning to allow for patience will help you do it with less stress and more fun. That's what I did. So, a good work place, alternative transportation, etc.

Good luck.

Done this a couple of times. I time-sert the block every time I take a
m54 head off as it is really easy for DiY’er with a torque wrench to strip
Threads when you put it all together.

Do the coolant pipes and oil filter housing, CCV and Intake gaskets While intake is off

On the x5 I install head with exhaust manifold bolted on, and I remove the washer tank for better access.. I use an engine hoist to lower it in..a 2nd set of hands helps..

Elring gasket

That age the oil pan gasket is very close to end of life.

Doing the Vanos seals makes sense....

Do you have the Vanos timing tools to re-time the vanos/camshafts?

I agree on all this except I put the head and exhaust manifolds in separately.

Good point on the TimeSerts. That's exactly what I did too. From what I read / heard, the same heat that causes the head failure (e.g., heat related warping or HG failure) will cause the block to weaken, making it likely to have threads pull out upon reinstallation of the head.

Coolant pipes too. Don't make the mistake I did by using non-OE o-rings. It's buried kind of deep, and not something you want to get to again.

Timing tools are pretty much essential. I bought them on eBay for about $100 and sold them for almost that on Craigslist after getting it all done.

In my case, the HG was fine and the problem was a warped head. Depending on how much machining the head needs (how much comes off to make it a flat surface again), you may need a regular (0.7 mm) or thick (1.0 mm) HG, so you might need to wait for the machine work before buying the HG. I bought a full HG set but without the HG, and then bought the 0.7 mm HG later, separately. I believe Elring, Reinz, and BMW are the good choices for the set and for the head bolts.

For me, CCV had been done by the dealer prior to purchase, and I had done the OFHG shortly after buying, so those did not need anything on my car. But yes, they are all right there with easy access and on most cars, it would be a good opportunity to do it.

Similarly, engine mounts are right there too. But I did not touch mine. No problems.

Much of the cooling system comes out and would be easy to replace with new.

When I did mine, I took everything slowly so I could choose to fix things opportunistically if it made sense. So for example, I "rebuilt" the starter too. Made everthing more of a fun project and less of a chore.

Update..
The head gasket is split between 4 and 5 and 2 and 3. The 4-5 split is larger.
I haven't checked the head with a straight edge yet. I'm putting together an order for parts that need to be replaced due to inspection while taking things apart.
I have the cam timing tools and will figure out the Timeserts shortly. What is the advantage of Timeserts vs Helicoils? I've heard that Timeserts are preferable from some e30M3 racer types but would welcome additional opinion based on facts. Currently doing the cleaning up part before I take the valves out and any machine work gets done.

I use made-in-Germany Beck/Arnley #016-1048 head bolts and am happy with them.

Time-serts are a better threaded insert than a heli-coil in this application.

- It's a sturdier insert that can withstand several torques/removals
- Time-sert makes a specific tool kit/jig for M54 engines (Kit 1090)*
- far more BMW forum members (e46, e39, E53) have used time-serts than heli-coils in a block application.

* Full disclosure - I own kit 1090 and occasionally rent it out to forum members. However, for same or less money you can buy it new/used and sell it on ebay.

Has anyone done the Timeserts using alternative drills and taps to those in their kit?
I'm thinking of buying the inserts first and then measure the OD and thread pitch and see if I have the right tooling. I can make pretty much anything in the kit and at their price I may be money ahead.

I did the TimeSerts using their $100 kit, but not the $400 BMW kit.

Some notes I took back when I did it:
Head bolts are M10-1.5

inserts cost about $2 each

kit costs about $100+, including: a tap for the insert's outer threads; drill bit; a counterboring tool to make a little groove for the "top ring" (below) to seat in; an insertion tool / forming (vs. cutting) tap to install the insert into the tapped hole; a few inserts and a plastic box. All of the above seem to be very high quality. Machine shop quality vs. hardware store.

Inserts are made of mild steel which appears to be black oxide coated. So they have a slightly rough surface finish.

- The kit contents might be completely standard parts, not requiring the special kit, so maybe you could skimp on cheaper taps and make do without the counterbore and special insertion tool. Details on this below.

- e.g., a M10-1.5 insert will have outer threads of M12-1.5. Same exact pitch (1.5 mm here), since that's what the "time" is in timesert - that the threads are synchronized. An M12-1.5 tap is a standard size that can easily be bought as a standalone piece. So for example if you just need to put one insert in an easy application, you could just buy the $2 insert, a <$10 tap at the hardware store (if you did not already have it), and would be good to go.

- There are two main features of the insert - top ring and bottom threads

- Top ring. purpose is to stop the insert from threading in any further. There is a wider ring around the outer edge at the top of the insert. The kit comes with a special counterboring tool to make it so the fully inserted insert will be flush with the surface of the material. A less precise substitute for the special tool would be a slightly bigger drill bit to countersink a little. That's what I ended up doing on the M54, since the threaded holes were countersunk already by about 6 mm - so the counterbore tool in the kit was no use, and I used an oversized drill bit to go in about 8 mm.

- Bottom threads. This is the more critical aspect.

- The bottom 2 or 3 threads are normal on the outside (e.g., M12-1.5), but on the inside (e.g., M10-1.5) surface of the insert, they are not triangular, but rather rounded. The concept is that when the insertion tool/forming tap bottoms out the insert (when the top ring bottoms out against the counterbored surface), the insertion tool will then drive and forge / form / tap (as if tapping threads, but by forming rather than cutting) through these bottom threads, except that rather than cutting away the extra material, they cold-form it into sharp triangular threads, and also deform the outer surface of the insert, pressing it into the block, making the insert permanently pressed into the block, so it will not unscrew.

- So the tap forming tool looks like an extremely sharp and perfect screw, with a roughly squared end to it. I think the squared aspect is to focus the pressure on the 4 corners rather than having to cold form and press the entire circumference at once.

- That's all the theory, and I think it's all good. But actual practice has some issues.

- First one, is that the instructions are not clear on how much to insert the insertion tool into the insert before inserting the insert into the block. Presented as if it does not matter. My findings are that it does matter, and best is to insert the insertion tool into the insert right up until the bottom threads are engaged, then insert the insert into the hole, then when it bottoms out at the top ring, the insertion tool will cold form the bottom threads, seating the insert. I put thread locker on the outside of the insert / inside of the hole as well to keep the insert locked in place. Main problem I found with that approach (and even worse when not pre-installing the insertion tool/tap into the insert) was that the insert would stop inserting before it bottomed out, and then the cold-forming would occur, locking it in place too early. And too late to fix.

- Solution, which worked great, was to:

- use an existing regular bolt as the first insertion tool. It should be smooth fitting within the insert since it will be removed, leaving the insert behind, before the insert is locked in place. Put some oil on it for easy removal, thread locker in the block hole and outside of the insert. insert bolt into insert, right up to the bottom threads.

- then insert the bolt+insert all the way until the top ring seats. Ideally, this will happen without the bolt starting to go past the bottom threads.

- remove the bolt. Hopefully the insert stays where it is, with more friction on the outside of the insert, vs. the oiled inner surface.

- then insert the oiled insertion tool/tap, all the way through past the bottom threads, cold forming them and embedding the outside of those threads into the block threads.

- unscrew the insertion tool/tap, and done.

- the youtube 50skid did not buy the kit. He thought the insertion tool / tap could be completely substituted for with a regular bolt. He got it done, but I think if he actually had an insertion tool/tap, he'd have understood the utility of it.

- I can guess that the kit wants to make itself look specialized and needed, so they don't mention using a bolt as stage 1. Also, like everything else in making things, people are obsessed with speed and efficiency, and timesert probably wanted to reduce the number of steps. But it's pretty clear to me that other than adding a step, there is no downside to using a smooth bolt first, and then the cutting insertion tool/tap to finish the insertion.

Can you provide the number of the lower cost Timesert kit?
That would be the way to go since I have a zillion drill bushings and steel and aluminum plate.

Update... E4 and E7 cam journals look like this.
Looking for opinions and options
Photo is mid labeled

Clarification- the cams are labeled “E” for intake and “A” for exhaust (due to the German word for each, I believe)

Are you showing us the “E” - Intake cam or the exhaust cam?

I and others on the forum frequently see that kind of scoring on the exhaust cams, not as often on the intake cams.

When I see it on the exhaust side I usually leave it alone. If it bothered me, I would discuss it with my machinist. I would have to research it, but a mild polish might be possible without new caps and trays..

E is intake as identified on the casting at the back end of the cam.
A7 is similar to E7 now that I took the exhaust side (A) off.
I would expect the cam regrind would leave quite a bit of clearance based on the fingernail in the scored groove test. Is it possible to add bearing halves once the head was machined or should I go to the yard and pull a head from a 330i of similar year?
I'll be checking this head for flatness after a good cleaning.
Any additional thoughts on using a cam and caps from a different head if the cap to head alignment and dimensions look good?

If you can pull another 3.0 head with cams & caps from a junkyard cheaply, you might do so. You might find the cams, bearings and journals to be in slightly better shape than the ones you have. Also, a good, used, flat M54 cylinder head has good value - $200-$600 depending on if a machine shop has been thru it.

Cam caps are matched/sold with cam trays, and new trays are quite expensive new..like $600

Some people get away with swapping a cap or two & claim no ill effects- make sure it matches "A" or "E"

Interesting info from a BMW tech on the e46 site...See post #22 for a description of how they can line bore a cam and cam tray. you might find the rest of the thread interesting.

https://www.e46fanatics.com/threads/...#post-18793651

Crack or casting mark?

Can't tell for sure..when I blow up the picture, I lose detail/focus...There are sometimes straight casting marks in the crown of the piston firing area, but never on the head surface between cylinders.

What i see in your pic is a non-straight line between cylinders that continues as a non-straight line into the crown area...looks like a crack...

crack

Crack, but rub it with dykem steel blue and use a sanding block with extra fine grit to double check.

WEAR GLOVES!! or you'll look like a blueberry for a week....

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More update...
I used a fine stone, 220 and 1000 grit sandpaper and hand lapped the area using “poor man’s Dykem ” (magic marker) about the time the old head gasket shadows went away, the areas of concern seemed to start going away as well. The machinist is a great guy and well trusted so I think I may have dodged a bullet this time.

Good news....

I think the more common crack found is between the cooling jackets and the piston crown on the exhaust side - although check the intake side too. I don't have a picture handy, but there are several online.

Cam bearing surface. Too far gone?

Another cam journal shot. Should I hit the yard for a replacement? Anyone have any extras with the trays and caps?

This is quite common - just search M54 cam scoring - Although your cams look a little worse than average in my opinion, particularly on the intake side.

There in't much you can do..a few folks have suggested polishing them, which won't take out all the groove, but you can't really grind them because BMW does not sell oversize cam trays and caps.

From what I can tell, most people just leave them as is.

If I were in your shoes, I would ask my machinist his thoughts. ( I actually have two I can ask questions of). I also suggest you consider getting another 3.0 head with cams and cam trays at a junkyard if you can do so cheaply. Chances are the cams will also be scored, but maybe less. It must be a 3.0, the 2.5 uses different cams - at least a diff intake cam.

So this reminds me of a problem with an outside the box solution on US Navy submarines.

The bull gears that convert the fast output from the steam turbine down to the typical 50 RPM at the shaft are so big and expensive the Navy will lease them.

Anyhow when one of these irreplaceable gears gets damaged, say a tooth breaks off 2" in on an 10" wide gear, the solution they came up with was to precisely grind a gap on both the bull and drive gears effectively making a pair of parallel gears, 2" and 7.5" vs a solid 10.

That same principle applies here.

It should be worth polishing the bearing but you can't reduce the size. If you turned on a lathe and precisely cut the rough spots to a smooth surface the oil should channel though there just won't have much support in that place but won't cause problems with the oil flow to the high spots by having a rough surface. Basically effectively makes the bearing surface not as wide.

Try to find somebody that's done such and the success stories.

I know that with most bearings once there's a rough spot it propagates and that's my theory on how to slow it: remove the rough spot as possible.

Traded messages with a BMW-trained, now independent, tech on the E46 forum. He does a lot of head work.

He made the additional point that the cam trays and caps are aluminum, while the camshaft is hardened, cast iron. Much of the damage to the intake cam journal - Not all of it - is aluminum material transferred from cap to journal. He did confirm that it is quite common.

He said you could polish the journal, and either have the cam trays and caps line bored OR you can replace a cap or two with a good condition used one assuming the installed, lubricated cams rotate freely with non-original caps.

Another update... I’m polishing the valves on a lathe to clean them up before the machine shop gets them. I asked the machinist about numbering them. He said it wasn’t necessary if you cut the seats and turn the valves. I don’t remember if he also included new valve guides in the same sentence. Here is a before and after shot.

It’s also a great way to make sure they’re not bent. I don’t have a lathe so I used a drill stuck in a vice

Note to self...Remove the exhaust manifold first when you take off a cylinder head at the junk yard. You won't have all the resources that you do at home and at the end of a couple hours you don't want to hit the wall and settle for the cams and the carriers only.

Well now you have a reason to go back and get it. What was the big obstacle? downpipe connection?

Taking the exhaust manifold off with engine in car is no day in the park either.. Actually I am a little surprised they were still there. The junkyards in my area typically remove them because they have the cats.

I am always have my bandsaw with


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More updates...
Are the cams on a 2005 X3 the same as a 2001 X5?
What might cause pitting on a lifter like this?

Contaminated oil? Oil becomes electrolytic and galvanic corrosion?

:iagree:

Re-using leftover over oil from last maintance....I think.

I never keep and/or re-use excess oil.....contamination occurs once seal/cap is opened.

Purchase oil or other consumables when required.....only.

This lifter was in the cam set I pulled from a lower mileage X3. Hopefully someone can verify the cams will interchange and I can interchange a couple lifters from the 2001. This is the worst one of maybe 5. The lifter bores look good.

According to FCPEuro , the same lifter was used in Both the X3 and X5. You could also confirm with RealOEM, but I think they are fine to interchange.

Does anyone know what the allowable lateral movement of the valves is?
I'm discussing valve guides. The machinist gave me dimensions and said they were still within the acceptable range. I'd like to know what the zero miles figure is if someone know that as well. Now would be the time to do this if it's ever going to be done.
I wrote down the numbers but left them at work and noted one side was a fuzz more than the other. I can't recall off the top of my head if the exhaust is typically what wears more but it would seem to make sense due to the heat.

Another update.
The “Whack a mole” valve removal tool worked very well for removing the valves.
Not for reinstalling them. I made this in about an hour on a Sunday afternoon. Didn’t cost anything and works well.

Lifter question
 

I’m evaluating swapping a couple lifters from the old cams to the newer ones.
Dimensionally they measure the same within a tight tolerance. The oil port on the old lifter is angled. Is this going to be an issue? Is there a difference in the dimension affected by the hydraulic plunger contacting the valve stem? I would think not since it’s hydraulic?

Lifter update...
I opted to buy a couple new lifters rather than mess around with mixing and matching. According to Realoem.com , the straight bleeder hole is the current version.

Harmonic balancer removal
 

Next update ..
I made this Whizz bang harmonic balancer lock tool that fits right in to one of the three slots and holds the crankshaft from turning by wedging it against the driveway. I used a pipe extension on my breaker bar and was really satisfied when it came loose like I hoped, without breaking knuckles or tools.

another update...
I've put everything back together and now i've got a coolant leak coming off the back end of the motor.
Is it possible that I need to do some more torqueing to yielding to get my head gasket to set properly? how about a couple brief heat cycles to allow the sealing surface of the gasket to flow? I've posted a couple other specific posts related to this project but it sort of seems that these longer posts lose interest with the masses. Thanks for some valuable input so far. I've run the motor less than 5 minutes FWIW.

No, if your torqued properly - 30 NM, then 90 degrees and then another 90 degrees..you don't need to torque again.

A coolant leak from back of engine is rare. Where exactly is it coming from? Passenger or Driver's side?

I removed the aluminum stiffener/skid plate and backed the car out a bit so I could pressure wash the oil and other various fluids off the spot I was working. Now I can get a good look from the underside.
I'm hoping it's only that I failed to tighten the coolant temp switch past the finger tight I remember.
It is possible that's where the leak is coming from and would follow the head to block parting line over to the exhaust side and down from there. Hopefully if that's the case I can get a wrench on it without taking off the intake again.

I bought the cheapest open-end wrench for that sensor (is it 22mm?) and cut it in half...works great...It doesn't need too much torque to tighten.

Were you able to get at it with the intake still on? I have a 22mm crow's foot wrench and a cheap 22mm that could lose half it's length. From the top or underneath?

You bet...take the intake cowling under the wipers off and you have oodles of room. A crow's foot might not work, but cutting a 22mm open end wrench works great.

I have a set of specialty sockets I bought to do O2 sensors but have a few different for ECT sensors etc. Wondering if one that I have would fit in the space

I was able to put a 3/8" universal on a 22mm crows foot and connect solidly to the sensor. It was well tightened. I decided to wiggle some things coolant related in the neighborhood and discovered the heater hose that goes from the brand new hard pipe to the area just under the sensor and heard pressure releasing when I flexed the connector with the wire clip to the hard pipe joint, several times.
A quick look at realoem.com shows two options for that hose. If I contact the hose vendor with the last 7 of the vin number will they be able to define which of the two hoses I need to order? I will do a pressure test next to verify I have leakage from that union.

That hose and it's quick connect is usually not a problem...Did you use OEM or Rein Heater pipes?

I don’t recall which hard pipe brands I bought from ECS. Long hours at work have slowed down this project but I will check the packing lists when I pressure test the system. When I checked the hard pipes they looked well made.

Would you recommend bleeding off some coolant and disconnecting the fitting and clean, lube and reconnecting it? I remember wondering if I should have heard a more distinct snap when I put it back together the first time.

yes I would recommend this...then I would tug on it again and lookfor leaks..particularly under pressure.

M54 head gasket project
 

Ask EOD about this concept. I think he had a hose pop off after the system built up pressure.

I pumped up the system to 10 psi and then wiggled the connection between the hose and the hard pipe. Definitely a problem area. I may take off the intake to get a better look.

Took the intake off and the connection between the new OEM BMW coolant pipe and the old Conti heater hose is definitely sloppy. New heater hose on order. Getting a fast turnaround from online parts suppliers these days is an issue. So it sits for a bit.