e46 M3 valve adjustment / shim replacement

[Crash_Nemesis]

OK.. So, who has done this?

When buying Jezebel, Matt informed me that one of the valves/shims may be off my a micro ~ whatever you call them ~ meter. When doing the engine rebuild, apparently they had to wait for the head to settle, and now since it has, there is a slight ticking sound. I barely noticed it in Cape Town, but now since arriving in JHB, I've noticed it a lot more and its bloody irritating.


I did some detective work online, and some users think this is not disastrous for the engine. They've just learnt to live with it, but not me.

So... Apparently its part of an Inspection 2.

None the less, Who/where/how can I get the valves/tappets adjusted and replace any shims to stop that irritating tapping sound. Any advice will be legendary as I want this motor to be 100% before we start the supercharger conversion.

Thanks.

 

[Gizmo]

Do you have a feeler gauge?

 

[moranor@axis]

DIY :rollsmile:

 

[Crash_Nemesis]

unfortunately I don't have the feeler gauge nor the magnetic thingy to grab the shims... So, ya... DIY for me is probably not a good Idea.

 

[moranor@axis]

take it to gizmo :rollsmile:

 

[Crash_Nemesis]

Shame man, Gizmo has been so busy with other Fanatic's cars. He hasn't even had time to work on his own.

If you have time to just give it a look and give me advise Gizmo, I'd appreciate it.

 

[Gizmo]

Not sure I want to do it as I haven't done it before nor do I have all the tools to do so. Can Sav help you out?

 

[ClassicB]

+1 on Sav

 

[kabal]

from the videos I have seen, this doesnt seem like a terrible DIY, just tedious and lots of time.

the shim kit and tool is quite expensive though.

 

[Crash_Nemesis]

Maybe I can take it past Sav this week. Also Tune Tech???

 

[Sabretooth tiger]

Try the guys at Tunetech.

 

[Legacy]

From what I have heard DIY is going to be the best route. RGM charges like R20k for this if I'm not mistaken, I am not saying that this is what everyone is charging but to me it would seem fair to charge around R10k because of the effort and precision involved. The shim kit is around R5000 excluding shipping charges from Turner Motorsport.

http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-5675-s54-valve-adjustment-kit-e46-m3-z3m-z4m.aspx

You could try BMW themselves, however I know for the E34 M5 they won't sell you the kit and you should book in the car so that they can adjust "read break" the valve clearances.

The procedure is quite straightforward given you have the right tools and you don't drop one of the shims in the engine.

Here is a DIY that was posted on M3Forum.net.

http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=113415

:thumbs:

 

[Crash_Nemesis]

Thanks Legacy.

Ya, thats one of the first threads I read on the Shim replacement.

RGM are a bunch of rippoffs, we know that. I'll take her to BMW, Tune Tech and Sav and see who offers the best price and come back on here and let you guys know.

 

[Raybimmer]

Tune tech and Sav should be ok .
Are the clearances set hot or cold ?
I used to lap the shims for the Alfa Romeo twin cam motors on a machine at work years ago , as the valve seats and valve faces wore the clearances decreased and thinner shims were needed .....they cost an arm and a leg and were scarce !!

Good luck .