central3 31 Report post Posted October 7, 2012 (edited) I’ve spent too much time looking at M3Forum.com and have come down with a bad case of forum paranoia. Lots of posts about broken Vanos oil pump drive tabs and loose cam sprocket bolts. Also a bit of chat about con rod big end bearing failure. Anyway I wanted to do a full service, a valve adjustment check plus a few other jobs so I decided to look at these issues while I was at it. My M3 has 105K km’s on it and has a 1 or so second big end rattle on start up so this added some more reason for checking out the bottom end. I got all of the gear together (apart from the bearings) over a few months. $355 worth of fluids, gaskets and seals. Also brought a short shift kit and a set of wheels spacers (mainly to get the front end looking right), battery and a new centre console Car up on stands and given a thorough clean underneath. Still looking smart after last years make over. Valve clearance check went well (4 out of spec so will need to order shims ex Germany as no stock in NZ). Vanos oil pump drive tabs were fine. Decided against pulling the Vanos apart to check the cam bolts. I had all I needed to do this but you can check for looseness and bolt location (with around 90% surety) from the back of the sprockets. Hi-tech engine support in place. Took around 5 hours to get the bearings out. 2 sets perfect, 1 set marked a bit and 3 sets were pretty worn (white metal worn through to the copper). Glad I did this check - these bearings were replaced in 2005 (16K km's). Time to order a new bearing set (and power steering hose (weeping) plus ancillary belts and 1 x idler) Wheels spacers on and secured (20mm front, 15mm rear) Edited November 29, 2012 by central3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Greg111 13 Report post Posted October 7, 2012 Got all the gear to do the shims? Be a good car to own once you're finished with it. Complete service history with one person. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
central3 31 Report post Posted October 7, 2012 Got all the gear to do the shims? Be a good car to own once you're finished with it. Complete service history with one person. All the gear? Apart from the shims I have all of the gaskets/seals plus the magnetic shim removal tool so yes (dropped the first one I removed - took 20mins to recover - took my time after this) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Greg111 13 Report post Posted October 7, 2012 S50 must be different. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3_Power 636 Report post Posted November 13, 2012 Love the high tech engine support Paul ..!!! That's definitely the best one I've seen so far!! Gosh those bearings look pretty bad I have to say. I wonder if they were in fact changed in the first place!? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
central3 31 Report post Posted November 13, 2012 Love the high tech engine support Paul ..!!! That's definitely the best one I've seen so far!! Gosh those bearings look pretty bad I have to say. I wonder if they were in fact changed in the first place!? Yes Tom - certainly surprised me too. There is a BMW sticker in the boot which states that the bearing recall was done in Feb-05 (i.e. vehicle 2 years and 5 months old). Looking back at the registration records the car had around 17K km's on it at this time. Talking to Ray the other day he was questioning the integrity of servicing done at some big name dealers. The NZ new log book indicates that all servicing was done on time and in full but you have to wonder whether the right oils (etc) were used maybe? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
E30-323ti 66 Report post Posted November 13, 2012 Awesome to see such an in-depth maintenance regime!! Good work. Wheels spacers on and secured (20mm front, 15mm rear) I presume you are aware you'll be needing a Cert' from the LVVTA for those spacers. IIRC when they get up near 20mm thick they are required to be the 'bolt-on' adaptor type also (but could be wrong). My preferred solution would have been to get another pair of rear wheels to widen out the front, then no cert' req'd. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3_Power 636 Report post Posted November 14, 2012 Yes Tom - certainly surprised me too. There is a BMW sticker in the boot which states that the bearing recall was done in Feb-05 (i.e. vehicle 2 years and 5 months old). Looking back at the registration records the car had around 17K km's on it at this time. Talking to Ray the other day he was questioning the integrity of servicing done at some big name dealers. The NZ new log book indicates that all servicing was done on time and in full but you have to wonder whether the right oils (etc) were used maybe? The factory servicing intervals are far too long apart - 25,000km or every 2 years - usually when you drain the oil after that period it's almost good for road paving !!! The other let down (and has been talked about in German forums) is the crappy paper oil filter from BMW. I find that it's not the dealership, but the person working on the car that matters. I wouldn't be surprised either if the incorrect oil was used - there's 2 versions of Castrol Edge (and Edge sport) and only one is correct. Mine is changed every year or after every track day, which ever comes first. If the car doesn't get used much the oil can stay in a little longer, but best to change the oil filter every year regardless. My preferred solution would have been to get another pair of rear wheels to widen out the front, then no cert' req'd. With the added benefit of killing the understeer in the E46 M3 : ) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
central3 31 Report post Posted November 14, 2012 Awesome to see such an in-depth maintenance regime!! Good work. I presume you are aware you'll be needing a Cert' from the LVVTA for those spacers. IIRC when they get up near 20mm thick they are required to be the 'bolt-on' adaptor type also (but could be wrong). My preferred solution would have been to get another pair of rear wheels to widen out the front, then no cert' req'd. Yeah I have looked at putting a set of rear rims on the front but (apart from availablity) the combination of offset and wider rim makes this too radical. Cert is in the plan and they are bolted on already Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
central3 31 Report post Posted November 14, 2012 The factory servicing intervals are far too long apart - 25,000km or every 2 years - usually when you drain the oil after that period it's almost good for road paving !!! The other let down (and has been talked about in German forums) is the crappy paper oil filter from BMW. I find that it's not the dealership, but the person working on the car that matters. I wouldn't be surprised either if the incorrect oil was used - there's 2 versions of Castrol Edge (and Edge sport) and only one is correct. Mine is changed every year or after every track day, which ever comes first. If the car doesn't get used much the oil can stay in a little longer, but best to change the oil filter every year regardless. With the added benefit of killing the understeer in the E46 M3 : ) Is there a better oil filter availabel Tom? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
central3 31 Report post Posted November 24, 2012 Update - con-rod bearings fitted and clearances checked. Being an earlier model the con-rod bolts were 11mm and these are not available ex BMW. I have ordered a set of ARP bolts from Turners USA. In the meantime I decided to check the Vanos pump drive tabs and cam bolts since I had the seals etc. I made up a cam timing tool (which you can see in the background). Cam bolts were fine. Vanos pump tabs were also good, I crack tested these using mag-particle and dye penetrant. Paranoia over and done with. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
swordfish 30 Report post Posted December 4, 2012 How much was the BMW battery if its not a secret? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
central3 31 Report post Posted December 5, 2012 How much was the BMW battery if its not a secret? $455 was the price I paid Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
