Camshaft change with engine in position
Discussion
I took this pic last night, the cam seems to line up with the horizontal body panel behind the radiator. I assume I have to get the engine high enough to get the cam above this panel? I hope my car doesn't have this panel higher than other cars for some reason, but it looks like the engine has to be raised pretty high for the cam to clear this panel.
Hopefully I won't need to take the engine out...
Hopefully I won't need to take the engine out...
Martin
When I did the 420 engine I disconnected the exhaust at the Y piece (both clips) undid the engine mounts completely and slackened off the gear box mounts as if they are frail they will crack / tear, and jacked the engine up on wooden blocks. From what I can see you are still 2-3" shy of clearance. I then had the space needed. It does need to come up quite a bit.
Chris
When I did the 420 engine I disconnected the exhaust at the Y piece (both clips) undid the engine mounts completely and slackened off the gear box mounts as if they are frail they will crack / tear, and jacked the engine up on wooden blocks. From what I can see you are still 2-3" shy of clearance. I then had the space needed. It does need to come up quite a bit.
Chris
Managed to get it out, I had to grit my teeth and carry on lifting the engine after the exhaust manifolds had hit the chassis. My chassis needs repainting anyway...
[url
|http://thumbsnap.com/u7L5EJdr[/url]
It was still very tight; and once I'd slid the cam between the body cross brace and the nosecone it then hit the radiator fan. I had to swing the cam sideways with the last cam bearing still in the engine, there was just enough of a difference in bearing sizes to be able to do that.
I also had one of the lifters burred over, so it wouldn't come out of the top. I had to wire it in place while I withdrew the cam and then perform the cardboard tube trick to extract it into the space vacated by the camshaft. Not fun - the consequences of dropping the lifter into the sump are not nice!
[url
|http://thumbsnap.com/u7L5EJdr[/url]It was still very tight; and once I'd slid the cam between the body cross brace and the nosecone it then hit the radiator fan. I had to swing the cam sideways with the last cam bearing still in the engine, there was just enough of a difference in bearing sizes to be able to do that.
I also had one of the lifters burred over, so it wouldn't come out of the top. I had to wire it in place while I withdrew the cam and then perform the cardboard tube trick to extract it into the space vacated by the camshaft. Not fun - the consequences of dropping the lifter into the sump are not nice!
I got inspired and got good help from this thread! I’m changing the cam in my 350i 1986, I have tilted the engine and got the cam replaced now. When removing the timing cover I loosened the oil sump before realizing it may be difficult to get it off to replace the gasket.
Any experiences here? Do I need to remove the engine to get the oil sump removed and change gasket, or is there a trick..?
Any experiences here? Do I need to remove the engine to get the oil sump removed and change gasket, or is there a trick..?
I did my cam a couple of weeks ago.
Temporarily (or permanent) if it don’t leak, I just used gasket sealant for the front cover to sump seal.
I have only run the engine to temp to bed in the cam and up to temp again since. No leaks as yet, but a drive will be the acid test, I will probably do that next week.
I think last time I jacked the engine up enough to wiggle the sump past the pickup.
In honesty nothing is easy with the engine in place, I find.
Temporarily (or permanent) if it don’t leak, I just used gasket sealant for the front cover to sump seal.
I have only run the engine to temp to bed in the cam and up to temp again since. No leaks as yet, but a drive will be the acid test, I will probably do that next week.
I think last time I jacked the engine up enough to wiggle the sump past the pickup.
In honesty nothing is easy with the engine in place, I find.
Maaaany years ago when I last did the sump gasket (rubber as I recall, not the cork thing) I undid the engine mounts and lifted the engine with my crane so (as previously mentioned) there was clearance to get the sum past the pickup.
I would speculate that even if you can't get the sump out, with all the bolts removed and the sump dropped, you could wiggle a new gasket into place over the sump... but if you had to scrape cork off the bottom of the block you'd certainly end up with some in the sump so unless the old gasket comes off intact, probably best with the pan out of the way.
On the subject of cranes, a typical 1-tonner will have enough jib length to reach from the side of the car but if you want to lift the engine out over the nose a long-reach jib would help no end. An electric hoist overhead even easier, of course...
I would speculate that even if you can't get the sump out, with all the bolts removed and the sump dropped, you could wiggle a new gasket into place over the sump... but if you had to scrape cork off the bottom of the block you'd certainly end up with some in the sump so unless the old gasket comes off intact, probably best with the pan out of the way.
On the subject of cranes, a typical 1-tonner will have enough jib length to reach from the side of the car but if you want to lift the engine out over the nose a long-reach jib would help no end. An electric hoist overhead even easier, of course...
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