Ahmedsinc

You beaut. Been waiting to see someone tackle this locally

Mmmmmmm, mopar *drool*

True, 9.7mm vs 9.0. Explains that one nicely! Plus it means I only need to replace 12 valves, not 24. Me too man, aside from 1mm +/- carbon deposits everything looks to be in good order. Placing the order for HG and bolts through Pelican tomorrow, anything else I should stick in the box?

Killer! Will be in touch later on once you've exorcised your gremlins

Any estimate on cost Glenn?

I've been debating for months whether to replace the head gasket or not for peace of mind - I have my answer now Back to an earlier question - will M50B25NV valves fit ok? I understand NV valves have stiffer springs and thicker stems - will this be of any advantage to an otherwise standard NA engine? Since I have to sort out the exhaust side I might as well do the inlet if there's any benefit

Solved the seized crank issue. Flex plate bolts were reinserted on tte crank after comp testing. Took engine off stand, removed bolts and she moves free and easy. It should also be noted that this was done after the head came off. f**k!!!!!!!! On the upside, everything is kosher within the block. On the downside, I need a new HG and bolts. Oh, and I'm an idiot.

Just thinking some more........ if valves are bent is it plausible for them just to be on the exhaust side? I'd have thought bending all 12 on the same side would be pretty rare if not impossible. Have seen a thread on bimmerfest where a poster suggested disintegrated timing chain rails were the culprit. Removing timing chain cover tomorrow to have a better look. Watch this space

Just whipped the sump off with engine inverted, can't see anything that could foul the chain. Whatever's caused the engine to lock must be in the head or bore/s. Don't understand why it refuses to move counterclockwise though

Well I guess that answers the question. Grabbed a litre of kero on the way home, dribbled done into each pot and inverted engine with plugs in and sure enough, leaking out of exhaust ports, 3,4 & 6 definitely worse than the others So I suppose the next question is am I better to use the heavier valves from the spare M50B25Nv head or the ones from the M52B28TU? Bugger bugger bugger bugger bugger bugger bugger bugger!!!!!!!!

Negative dude, crank pulley is 100% unmolested

Cheers mate. Comp test was done with battery jumpered straight to the starter with the engine on the shed floor, no way that the vanos solenoid could have been energized. I have privately wondered what could cause an engine to lock completely; guesses so far are foreign object somehow interfering with timing chain, piston ring/s jamming against cylinder bore/s, oil pump nut unthreading and disengaging sprocket and evil pixies casting magic spells on my dreams of more horsepower. I suspect some of my theories are more realistic than others. Bearing in mind this is my first ever attempt at anything more complicated than a rocker cover gasket so I apologize for the relentless (stupid) questions and wild theories. I'll grab some diesel on my way home tomorrow and have a go at your suggestion. Wish me luck!

Thanks for the quick response Glenn. Is a compression test supposed to be done with the Vanos removed? Probably a dumb question but it'll be good to know for next time! I've removed the intake and exhaust manifolds, and as far as I can see all 24 valves are fully closed and the valve shafts seem straight to me. Cams are out of the engine. Obviously my eyes are not as trained as yours but nothing look bent to me so far. Is there any way I can fish for foreign objects in the cylinder bore without removing the head? Starting to panic a bit now

Little update, have removed the cams and timing chains today to swap associated bits to their new homes. Still cannot get the crank to move. Head off time to inspect for a dropped valve? Can't think of any other explanation

Sensors and module only. No plastics. $180 Or are you expecting I'll give these away for free too?

Ha, well played sir!

sh*t, I'd be surprised if it rolled anywhere! Friction = resistance = beached as, bro!

Pretty sure the jap import 328i autos got a 3.46 final drive, 323i got the 3.64. 3.46 is the ideal ratio IMO, highway rpm are still good but you get far better acceleration than a 3.07 or 3.15. 3.23 would be nice but bloody hard to find locally in medium case size. Is on my priority list of to-dos for my 325i.

I have removed drive belts, water pump, AC pump etc but haven't meddled with the crank pulley. It does feel like it's jammed on something, can't work out what it is though

Starter is about 14 feet away in its box on the shelf so it ain't that either Vanos is off the head, timing chains still on cam sprockets, cams still in place. Have unbolted the plungers from the splined whatsit that mates up with the end of the cam but the whatsits are still in place. Have given them a good wriggle but they didn't seem to want to come out - could this be the problem?I've no reason to remove the head so I'd like to have the crank at TDC before I pull the cams out and start swapping them for the new one. With rocker cover off the cams aren't budging even a little bit when I'm trying to turn the crank with my breaker bar. Obviously I'm not throwing my considerable weight behind it on the chance something is wrong - even I have to admit that forcing it isn't always the answer!

Had already taken the rocker cover off to keep an eye on the #1 lobes aligning. It feels like the crank is locked solid, have tried nudging it anti-clockwise just to see if it moves any but no luck at all. Utterly perplexed!

Am a little concerned that Allan's explanation of hydraulic pressure holding the lifters and valves open when the oil is cold might be the problem here. Spark plugs were never reinstated after the comp test, so that isn't it. Prior to cold comp testing the engine turned freely with a power bar, am wondering if something may have happened during the testing. Really scratching my head over this one! Nothing appears to be fouling the flywheel end of the crank either

Following on from this, is it possible to bend a valves while running a comp test? Took the vanos off this morning to prep for cam swap and couldn't rotate the crank to reach TDC. Again, have I done something dumb? Clues as to why would be great

Have a BM53 tuner if you're looking to complete the upgrade

Would you look at selling the flywheel and starter seperately?