BMW Z4 3.0si Coupe
Discussion
coldel said:
Clubzport said:
Great thread 
Not sure, but I think I might've seen your car on the Z4 Forum at some point.
If you're doing the valve cover gasket, I'd recommend the following whilst it's off:
- Valvetronic Motor gasket
- Eccentric shaft sensor (expensive)
- Eccentric shaft sensor gasket
Also, remember to buy some new bolts, as they're aluminium and single use
Ah I didnt realise that about the bolts. Will look into it. ThanksNot sure, but I think I might've seen your car on the Z4 Forum at some point.
If you're doing the valve cover gasket, I'd recommend the following whilst it's off:
- Valvetronic Motor gasket
- Eccentric shaft sensor (expensive)
- Eccentric shaft sensor gasket
Also, remember to buy some new bolts, as they're aluminium and single use
And yes, I announced the purchase on the forum under the New Owners section or something.
This chap seemed ok? https://blog.fcpeuro.com/n51-n52n-valve-cover-gask...
Edited by coldel on Friday 26th August 15:49
Later plastic rocker cover is steel bolts. I reused mine. I found a few of the steel inserts in the cover were loose, so glued them in. Also, I found the gasket is a sod for moving when fitting as the gap it sits in is very small. Dont use insta gasket to fit it, I cleaned the channel out and used a few spots of superglue. Works a treat. I also did the eccentric sensor, which I sourced from Autodoc. You wont get it for a few weeks as shipping is rubbish, but £100 cheaper than the same part from BMW. Do change the eccentris oil seal in the cover ( pennies) and the eccentric motor gasket .
Not a tricky job, but I did remove the injecter rail to give better clearance on the rear rocker cover bolts and also mark up which primary lambda sensor is which as they look the same before you disconnect.
Just looked at the link and its easier for Zeds than the car they did, as the engine sticks out further from the bulkhead, so no fuse boxes to disconnect, you can roll the loom out the way to get the cover out.
Not a tricky job, but I did remove the injecter rail to give better clearance on the rear rocker cover bolts and also mark up which primary lambda sensor is which as they look the same before you disconnect.
Just looked at the link and its easier for Zeds than the car they did, as the engine sticks out further from the bulkhead, so no fuse boxes to disconnect, you can roll the loom out the way to get the cover out.
Edited by Justin S on Friday 26th August 17:21
Justin S said:
Later plastic rocker cover is steel bolts. I reused mine. I found a few of the steel inserts in the cover were loose, so glued them in. Also, I found the gasket is a sod for moving when fitting as the gap it sits in is very small. Dont use insta gasket to fit it, I cleaned the channel out and used a few spots of superglue. Works a treat. I also did the eccentric sensor, which I sourced from Autodoc. You wont get it for a few weeks as shipping is rubbish, but £100 cheaper than the same part from BMW. Do change the eccentris oil seal in the cover ( pennies) and the eccentric motor gasket .
Not a tricky job, but I did remove the injecter rail to give better clearance on the rear rocker cover bolts and also mark up which primary lambda sensor is which as they look the same before you disconnect.
Just looked at the link and its easier for Zeds than the car they did, as the engine sticks out further from the bulkhead, so no fuse boxes to disconnect, you can roll the loom out the way to get the cover out.
Cheers. Will do as much of that as I can (and get bits in time for). Not a tricky job, but I did remove the injecter rail to give better clearance on the rear rocker cover bolts and also mark up which primary lambda sensor is which as they look the same before you disconnect.
Just looked at the link and its easier for Zeds than the car they did, as the engine sticks out further from the bulkhead, so no fuse boxes to disconnect, you can roll the loom out the way to get the cover out.
Edited by Justin S on Friday 26th August 17:21
coldel said:
Is it really that aluminium bolts are single use? Or the grommets that sit in there? I am slightly confused as all cars Ive worked on previously you could use the cover/plenum cover bolts again? Why would aluminium bolts not be able to do back up?
This chap seemed ok? https://blog.fcpeuro.com/n51-n52n-valve-cover-gask...
The earlier magnesium topped N52’s need the bolts replacing, no need on the later black tops. The early N52’d used single use aluminium stretch bolts.This chap seemed ok? https://blog.fcpeuro.com/n51-n52n-valve-cover-gask...
Edited by coldel on Friday 26th August 15:49
Car looks well OP, I love the Z4 coupe.
Justin S said:
Later plastic rocker cover is steel bolts. I reused mine. I found a few of the steel inserts in the cover were loose, so glued them in. Also, I found the gasket is a sod for moving when fitting as the gap it sits in is very small. Dont use insta gasket to fit it, I cleaned the channel out and used a few spots of superglue. Works a treat. I also did the eccentric sensor, which I sourced from Autodoc. You wont get it for a few weeks as shipping is rubbish, but £100 cheaper than the same part from BMW. Do change the eccentris oil seal in the cover ( pennies) and the eccentric motor gasket .
Not a tricky job, but I did remove the injecter rail to give better clearance on the rear rocker cover bolts and also mark up which primary lambda sensor is which as they look the same before you disconnect.
Just looked at the link and its easier for Zeds than the car they did, as the engine sticks out further from the bulkhead, so no fuse boxes to disconnect, you can roll the loom out the way to get the cover out.
I was quoted £325 for a BMW eccentric shaft sensor. I bought a Seimens VDO jobbie from Autodoc for £175….they’re the manufacturer for BMW and it arrived wit the BMW part number ground off.Not a tricky job, but I did remove the injecter rail to give better clearance on the rear rocker cover bolts and also mark up which primary lambda sensor is which as they look the same before you disconnect.
Just looked at the link and its easier for Zeds than the car they did, as the engine sticks out further from the bulkhead, so no fuse boxes to disconnect, you can roll the loom out the way to get the cover out.
Edited by Justin S on Friday 26th August 17:21
The gaskets on mine didn’t move around too much, but I found clearance at the back really, really tight on my 130i. I ended up snipping a small rectangle out of the plastic on the bulkhead to give me a bit more room. The Z4 engine sits further forward, so there’s a bit more room,
Previous owner said it was the last 100 or so. But hey I should verify that myself.
I changed the handbrake pads and kit as it was squeaking all the time when I got in and out the car. Turned out to be a near on 2 hour job the springs were a pain in the backside to get on and off holding the pads in place.
Then moved on to the valve cover gasket, again loads to remove and even then you are left with a really annoying wiring loom that goes over the top which we couldnt see how you unplug. So that took another couple hours.
Both jobs took longer than I expected. The loom made it so much more difficult, I do hope that I just missed an obvious way to move it rather than BMW thinking that was a good design approach!
Also had a little moment after putting it all back together where the engine ran rough, lights on and everything, turns out one of the coil packs was not seated quite right, so a simple fix!
Just ordered a Creator C410 as well, £50 off Amazon, always good to have the ability to diagnose issues.
I changed the handbrake pads and kit as it was squeaking all the time when I got in and out the car. Turned out to be a near on 2 hour job the springs were a pain in the backside to get on and off holding the pads in place.
Then moved on to the valve cover gasket, again loads to remove and even then you are left with a really annoying wiring loom that goes over the top which we couldnt see how you unplug. So that took another couple hours.
Both jobs took longer than I expected. The loom made it so much more difficult, I do hope that I just missed an obvious way to move it rather than BMW thinking that was a good design approach!
Also had a little moment after putting it all back together where the engine ran rough, lights on and everything, turns out one of the coil packs was not seated quite right, so a simple fix!
Just ordered a Creator C410 as well, £50 off Amazon, always good to have the ability to diagnose issues.
If you have some time to kill here's a link to a database a Coupe owner on z4forum compiled when VIN decoders were readily accessible:- http://perso.numericable.fr/tonyz4c/
Urgh still a slight oil misting around the valvetronic motor, suspect the gasket is leaking. Looks like a £10 purchase on ebay for a new one.
Gave the car a good couple of runs in he last week, have to say having owned faster cars, I dont feel like I am missing out in terms of excitement. The engine is quite brilliant, so smooth and creamy delivers power effortlessly, I definitely dont miss the frantic on/off feeling of a turbo. I also removed both bits of foam from the noise pipe, and get more noise in the car, it makes a great howl when you put your foot right in.
Next jobs are the oil changes on diff and gearbox, also want to get it up on a ramp and put a bar on all the joints and check the bushings. Wheels are very much in need of a refurb but as a cosmetic are down the priority list.
Gave the car a good couple of runs in he last week, have to say having owned faster cars, I dont feel like I am missing out in terms of excitement. The engine is quite brilliant, so smooth and creamy delivers power effortlessly, I definitely dont miss the frantic on/off feeling of a turbo. I also removed both bits of foam from the noise pipe, and get more noise in the car, it makes a great howl when you put your foot right in.
Next jobs are the oil changes on diff and gearbox, also want to get it up on a ramp and put a bar on all the joints and check the bushings. Wheels are very much in need of a refurb but as a cosmetic are down the priority list.
coldel said:
Urgh still a slight oil misting around the valvetronic motor, suspect the gasket is leaking. Looks like a £10 purchase on ebay for a new one.
Gave the car a good couple of runs in he last week, have to say having owned faster cars, I dont feel like I am missing out in terms of excitement. The engine is quite brilliant, so smooth and creamy delivers power effortlessly, I definitely dont miss the frantic on/off feeling of a turbo. I also removed both bits of foam from the noise pipe, and get more noise in the car, it makes a great howl when you put your foot right in.
Next jobs are the oil changes on diff and gearbox, also want to get it up on a ramp and put a bar on all the joints and check the bushings. Wheels are very much in need of a refurb but as a cosmetic are down the priority list.
Annoying but pretty common. Luckily the motor is easy enough to remove as you’ll have found out.Gave the car a good couple of runs in he last week, have to say having owned faster cars, I dont feel like I am missing out in terms of excitement. The engine is quite brilliant, so smooth and creamy delivers power effortlessly, I definitely dont miss the frantic on/off feeling of a turbo. I also removed both bits of foam from the noise pipe, and get more noise in the car, it makes a great howl when you put your foot right in.
Next jobs are the oil changes on diff and gearbox, also want to get it up on a ramp and put a bar on all the joints and check the bushings. Wheels are very much in need of a refurb but as a cosmetic are down the priority list.
It’s a great engine, and it’s a shame that the six pot is all but dead in BMW’s now.
Changed the Valvetronic gasket (cost £18 off ebay) started the car up and misfire! Checked again and the plug was not quite pushed all the way on to the coil pack next to the valvetronic motor. I think the clip that comes down doesn't seat right so I have to push it on manually. Slightly annoying but a nice easy fix! Anyway, checked the oil misting and its all gone. So have a very healthy engine again with no oil making a break for it.
I do want to do the bushes next go around and check for wear so need it up on a ramp, as well as the dreaded water pump.
I do want to do the bushes next go around and check for wear so need it up on a ramp, as well as the dreaded water pump.
I guess a little update
I did do a post about what to replace this car with...I suddenly got itchy feet and fancied a change for no reason related to the car whatsoever. Well the thread was a great chat but it didn't really present a good viable alternative. I did hardly any miles in Dec but have made a conscious effort in 2023 to get out in it, and its brilliant. The love is back
I purchased a Creator C410 in a deal off Amazon, as mentioned. I got around to testing it against the parking sensors and it showed no problems on anything (despite them not working properly). I wanted to remove the rear bumper and reseat it properly with some new brackets as it looked like a couple of clips had broken, whilst it was off put a multimeter on the sensors which didnt show up any issues, totally perplexing. Then plugged everything back in and put the C410 in again and read them again and boom there it was on sensor 4 no readings when I blocked it. Grabbed the replacement sensor I had handy switched it over and it was all up and running. Happy days.
Reseated the rear bumper, cleaned out the back of the car in the nooks and crannys etc. Great job done.
It went through the MOT and whilst up on the ramp I had a nose underneath, looked really clean and nothing to concern me, got a clean pass hurrah!
Something that bothers me are the exhaust tips, they are needing a spruce up, but cant be done in situ. Apparently there are clips which hold them on but I will be damned if I can shift em, even soaking them in WD40 and getting a mallet behind them!
I did do a post about what to replace this car with...I suddenly got itchy feet and fancied a change for no reason related to the car whatsoever. Well the thread was a great chat but it didn't really present a good viable alternative. I did hardly any miles in Dec but have made a conscious effort in 2023 to get out in it, and its brilliant. The love is back
I purchased a Creator C410 in a deal off Amazon, as mentioned. I got around to testing it against the parking sensors and it showed no problems on anything (despite them not working properly). I wanted to remove the rear bumper and reseat it properly with some new brackets as it looked like a couple of clips had broken, whilst it was off put a multimeter on the sensors which didnt show up any issues, totally perplexing. Then plugged everything back in and put the C410 in again and read them again and boom there it was on sensor 4 no readings when I blocked it. Grabbed the replacement sensor I had handy switched it over and it was all up and running. Happy days.
Reseated the rear bumper, cleaned out the back of the car in the nooks and crannys etc. Great job done.
It went through the MOT and whilst up on the ramp I had a nose underneath, looked really clean and nothing to concern me, got a clean pass hurrah!
Something that bothers me are the exhaust tips, they are needing a spruce up, but cant be done in situ. Apparently there are clips which hold them on but I will be damned if I can shift em, even soaking them in WD40 and getting a mallet behind them!
Yep happy with the MOT result. I had done a fair bit leading up to it. The gaskets were a great job for sure the old ones were brittle and non functioning, I bet a few cars on similar miles are the same.
I just love sitting in the car, its such a great position, low down, everything in reach like some sort of aircraft cockpit. And heated seats...in this weather are awesome lol
I just love sitting in the car, its such a great position, low down, everything in reach like some sort of aircraft cockpit. And heated seats...in this weather are awesome lol
coldel said:
Yep happy with the MOT result. I had done a fair bit leading up to it. The gaskets were a great job for sure the old ones were brittle and non functioning, I bet a few cars on similar miles are the same.
I just love sitting in the car, its such a great position, low down, everything in reach like some sort of aircraft cockpit. And heated seats...in this weather are awesome lol
I don't think there are many cars like it these days - all a bit overblown/fat. I took mine out yesterday (as it was dry I just love sitting in the car, its such a great position, low down, everything in reach like some sort of aircraft cockpit. And heated seats...in this weather are awesome lol
) and remembered how light and lively it felt. And when I see another one coming towards me I still think they look cool, and the coupe particularly so. Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff