Bimmer Evolution, blee edition - Page 10

blee · 06-09-2017, 02:03 PM

The goal is to have this be a worry-free daily, although I probably won't drive it every day. At 103k there are some things I want to do for peace of mind, and rod bearings are at the top of the list. Thing is, this job involves removal of the front subframe, so there's an endless list of "while you're in there" stuff that I could tack on to the job.

I think I've talked myself out of doing the struts for the moment, and I'll probably replace the high pressure line because it's buried pretty deep in the car. I can tackle the small stuff in the side while I get ready to drop the oil pan, which probably will happen after I get home next weekend. The "small stuff" list is very hard to keep in check.

Meanwhile, gotta order some new belts, tie rods, high pressure line...what else...

Theo · 06-09-2017, 02:34 PM

Motor mounts, front control arm bushings, cooling system?

blee · 06-09-2017, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Theo

Motor mounts, front control arm bushings, cooling system?

Motor mounts and FCA bushings, yes. Cooling system, not this time. But also something necessary.

blee · 06-18-2017, 08:19 PM

I pulled the oil pan tonight, which gets me to the end of the tear-down phase of this project. Nothing blatantly bad-looking from the outside.

I did, however, find these bits of metal when I removed the circular oil pan cap thingy in the photo. I have no idea what they are. Can shavings like this be produced when you strip threads, perhaps on the oil pan drain plug? My drain plug is not OEM, and I wonder if that's because the hole had to be tapped at some point. (I have a new OEM plug sitting around, so I guess I'll find out soon enough)

Anyway, good stopping point for the evening. I'll tackle the rod bearings over the next few nights.

blee · 06-19-2017, 10:32 PM

Finished changing out the rod bearings tonight. Couple of thoughts:

-This job is undoubtedly easier with the engine on a stand, but it's quite doable on jackstands.
-The rod bolt torquing procedure for my car is quite elaborate. Each bolt must be tightened to two specified torque values, then angle torqued 105 degrees in a single stroke. You then have to loosen the bolt and do it again, and once more. That's nine actions over twelve bolts, which makes for 108 moments of absolute joy and peace. :headbang:
-The angle torque step, as I said, must be done in a single stroke. And you have to do it 36 times. If you mess up, apparently you're supposed to replace the bolt. I splurged on a Snap-On digital torque wrench, which let me preset both of the torque values as well as the final angle torque. My enormous chest

gave me plenty of strength to do all of this on my back with the single 3/8" wrench. Had I used a dial type angle meter, I would've lost it.

...Oh yeah, the rod bearings. Here they are:

The upper bearing is worn to copper in parts of cylinder #2, and there's a spot of discoloration on the upper bearing from cylinder #6. Don't know what it is, other than "not copper."

Overall not bad, I guess, for 103000 miles. The crank journals looked great. Time to take care of all of the other things I can address while it's all apart.

bren · 06-19-2017, 11:32 PM

I will now be covering my eyes and slowly backing out of this thread.

blee · 06-28-2017, 09:03 PM

Finally made some progress tonight. I reinstalled the oil pump, return lines, and oil pan. It was pretty tricky and annoying, but everything finally came together and I didn't have any oil pan bolts left over, so that's good.

I also prepped the front subframe for reinstallation. It was in pretty good shape, but there was a little bit of surface rust, so I cleaned it up and sprayed on some rust encapsulator. Not sure how long it'll last, but it looks decent right now.

While doing this, I noticed a label that was hanging on for dear life to the upper surface of the subframe. I tried very gently to remove it in one piece, but it fell into pieces. I took a couple of photos before doing so; seems like it has some build info on it, and with a little photo editing maybe I can revive the faded text.

rumatt · 06-30-2017, 07:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bren

I will now be covering my eyes and slowly backing out of this thread.

JST · 06-30-2017, 07:32 AM

I feel like blee and JV have a lucrative future business together as E46 restorers. Maybe they can get a TV show?

rumatt · 06-30-2017, 07:51 AM

06-09-2017, 02:34 PM	#92
Theo Crazy Old Man Join Date: Dec 2003 Carmudgeonly Ride: M2C Stick Posts: 6,021	Motor mounts, front control arm bushings, cooling system? __________________ Searching

06-09-2017, 02:03 PM	#91
blee Doctor Mudgeon Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 6,433	The goal is to have this be a worry-free daily, although I probably won't drive it every day. At 103k there are some things I want to do for peace of mind, and rod bearings are at the top of the list. Thing is, this job involves removal of the front subframe, so there's an endless list of "while you're in there" stuff that I could tack on to the job. I think I've talked myself out of doing the struts for the moment, and I'll probably replace the high pressure line because it's buried pretty deep in the car. I can tackle the small stuff in the side while I get ready to drop the oil pan, which probably will happen after I get home next weekend. The "small stuff" list is very hard to keep in check. Meanwhile, gotta order some new belts, tie rods, high pressure line...what else...

06-18-2017, 08:19 PM	#94
blee Doctor Mudgeon Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 6,433	I pulled the oil pan tonight, which gets me to the end of the tear-down phase of this project. Nothing blatantly bad-looking from the outside. I did, however, find these bits of metal when I removed the circular oil pan cap thingy in the photo. I have no idea what they are. Can shavings like this be produced when you strip threads, perhaps on the oil pan drain plug? My drain plug is not OEM, and I wonder if that's because the hole had to be tapped at some point. (I have a new OEM plug sitting around, so I guess I'll find out soon enough) Anyway, good stopping point for the evening. I'll tackle the rod bearings over the next few nights.

06-19-2017, 10:32 PM	#95
blee Doctor Mudgeon Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 6,433	Finished changing out the rod bearings tonight. Couple of thoughts: -This job is undoubtedly easier with the engine on a stand, but it's quite doable on jackstands. -The rod bolt torquing procedure for my car is quite elaborate. Each bolt must be tightened to two specified torque values, then angle torqued 105 degrees in a single stroke. You then have to loosen the bolt and do it again, and once more. That's nine actions over twelve bolts, which makes for 108 moments of absolute joy and peace. :headbang: -The angle torque step, as I said, must be done in a single stroke. And you have to do it 36 times. If you mess up, apparently you're supposed to replace the bolt. I splurged on a Snap-On digital torque wrench, which let me preset both of the torque values as well as the final angle torque. My enormous chest gave me plenty of strength to do all of this on my back with the single 3/8" wrench. Had I used a dial type angle meter, I would've lost it. ...Oh yeah, the rod bearings. Here they are: The upper bearing is worn to copper in parts of cylinder #2, and there's a spot of discoloration on the upper bearing from cylinder #6. Don't know what it is, other than "not copper." Overall not bad, I guess, for 103000 miles. The crank journals looked great. Time to take care of all of the other things I can address while it's all apart.

06-19-2017, 11:32 PM	#96
bren lawn boy Join Date: Oct 2003 Carmudgeonly Ride: e46m3, f25x3,C5 Z06, C4 Vette, 06 CTD Ram, and a trailer Location: Maryland Posts: 14,029	I will now be covering my eyes and slowly backing out of this thread.

06-28-2017, 09:03 PM	#97
blee Doctor Mudgeon Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 6,433	Finally made some progress tonight. I reinstalled the oil pump, return lines, and oil pan. It was pretty tricky and annoying, but everything finally came together and I didn't have any oil pan bolts left over, so that's good. I also prepped the front subframe for reinstallation. It was in pretty good shape, but there was a little bit of surface rust, so I cleaned it up and sprayed on some rust encapsulator. Not sure how long it'll last, but it looks decent right now. While doing this, I noticed a label that was hanging on for dear life to the upper surface of the subframe. I tried very gently to remove it in one piece, but it fell into pieces. I took a couple of photos before doing so; seems like it has some build info on it, and with a little photo editing maybe I can revive the faded text.

06-30-2017, 07:32 AM	#99
JST 195 Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 24,611	I feel like blee and JV have a lucrative future business together as E46 restorers. Maybe they can get a TV show?

06-30-2017, 07:51 AM	#100
rumatt Mugwump Join Date: Oct 2003 Carmudgeonly Ride: E46 330i, Chevy Colorado, Tesla Model 3 Location: NY Posts: 17,475