M20 Valve adjustment

[Coffee&Doughnut 0]

Hello Bimmerheads,

Maybe somebody may be able to advise me on what I should be doing here.

I thought I would have a go at adjusting the valves on my 320i, this is the

first time I have approached this.

Having removed valve cover, plugs and so on, got the right rear wheel jacked up,

the car is an auto and I dont think it has an LSD as I can spin the rear wheel freely.

When I spin the wheel I cant percieve any movement of the

cam lobes. I probaly spun the wheel 30 revolutions or so, would it make any difference

if I jacked up the other wheel or put the whole back end on axle stands?

How much do you have to turn the rear wheel before the camshaft revolves?

Any help would be appreciated.

[Gus 5]

it would probably be a lot easier to just spin the crank shaft from the front of the engine....

[Coffee&Doughnut 0]

thanks for the reply Gus.

Will I have to remove anything to gain access to the crankshaft and is there any

particular method to spin it?

[Surge 1]

Ratchet with correct sized socket then turn isn't it? - from memory..

(btw - I can e-mail you the haynes repair manual with this procedure)

[Carl 3]

You said your car is auto, is it possible with an automatic transmission to spin the rear wheels in order to rotate the crankshaft? My understanding is the torque convertor can only works above a certain rpm or does it lockout when the engine is turned off???

[Guest Andrew]

32mm spanner by the water pump will work - the thread is reverse so you won't accidentally take off the fan clutch.

[Coffee&Doughnut 0]

Thanks Surge, dont worry about e-mailing me a copy, I have a Haynes manual but have misplaced it due to recently moving house, I will find it today somewhere I am sure.

Spinning the rear wheel yesterday arvo seemed pretty fruitless, I will try the 32mm

spanner by the water pump, and let you know how it goes. :thumb:

[Coffee&Doughnut 0]

Thanks guys, All done, the spanner did the trick, I am glad I did not persist with spinning the rear wheels I might have been there all week! :beer: