L322 M62 Rebuild.

[holidaychicken]

I’m determined for mine to sound like a sewing machine, I may only achieve that when it is not running though.
Mine is dead quiet at times, it starts of with a noise like a loose bearing on a pulley or like a water pump that’s about to burst it’s banks and then it goes dead quiet and then it starts to knock. If I just drive it and not worry about it, then it goes like a Jeremy Kyler on benefit day

 

[Henry_b]

I’m determined for mine to sound like a sewing machine, I may only achieve that when it is not running though.
Mine is dead quiet at times, it starts of with a noise like a loose bearing on a pulley or like a water pump that’s about to burst it’s banks and then it goes dead quiet and then it starts to knock. If I just drive it and not worry about it, then it goes like a Jeremy Kyler on benefit day

I'm gonna place a bet and say it has a lazy tappet somewhere..

Pulling the cams is dead easy, well now i've done it 6 times it is.

 

[holidaychicken]

I’ve had my cams out to try and trace it, I removed all the HVAs and stripped every one of them down to their component parts an re assembled them.
Opening the vanos and rebuilding is my only hope before engine is coming out and that will only happen if the monster in my garage rises from the dead!

 

[gstuart]

@Henry_b , top job my friend

Found a great jigsaw for u, snigger

 

[dieseldog69]

After scrolling through several bimmer forums and viewing several M62 YT vids I can safely say that the Germans have lost their way in the engineering department.

What a badly designed engine, ok I suppose if you are a short term owner and trade them in regular, but the timing chain design is just awful.

I was looking at it and think they just as well have gone with a timing belt arrangement and run the VANOS enclosed inside the valve covers.

Disappointing from the POV of knowing how good BMW used to be.

 

[Datatek]

After scrolling through several bimmer forums and viewing several M62 YT vids I can safely say that the Germans have lost their way in the engineering department.

What a badly designed engine, ok I suppose if you are a short term owner and trade them in regular, but the timing chain design is just awful.

I was looking at it and think they just as well have gone with a timing belt arrangement and run the VANOS enclosed inside the valve covers.

Disappointing from the POV of knowing how good BMW used to be.

I have had 2 German vehicles from new, a Porsche and a BMW, they rank as the two worst vehicle I have ever owned and I have owned a lot. German engineering is a marketing fantasy.

 

[holidaychicken]

You can skip through to 5:30 if you want to miss all the fun - still sounds better than the average M62
It takes a while to get started as i think it has an engine ECU or immobiliser problem ...

 

[Henry_b]

You can skip through to 5:30 if you want to miss all the fun - still sounds better than the average M62
It takes a while to get started as i think it has an engine ECU or immobiliser problem ...

Ah does sound good

The Misfire has gone now no7 coil has been replaced..



New tappets have arrived it's just a matter of finding the time to do it..

I've got the sea of plastic off of the top and the cam covers are off..

 

[holidaychicken]

Awesome
You are definitely born again hard .. and mental of course.

 

[Henry_b]

Awesome
You are definitely born again hard .. and mental of course.

Born again Hard, hmm.

Mental? Yep!! ya hit the proverbial nail there!

Quite like that.

Gotta love FMJ

 

[Henry_b]

Ok.

Did this a while ago now.

Tappets replaced.

Just a case of removing cam covers and the cams themselves etc etc.

Once fitted and buttoned up she was quiet as the proverbial.

Hasn't thrown a rod yet so something was done right

 

[Henry_b]

Having acquired this vehicle a few months back, I had been working "on and off" before lockddown to fix some issues it has...

#1 the Victor reinz valve stem seals have failed, giving this thing some right foot gets you a nice haze out the back end...

So off with it's horrible cam cover and head...

All ancillaries removed and the front cover removed, plus the cam sprocket..

Camshaft removed..

Tappets and all valve gear removed...

Cylinder head removed, using the M62 head bolt removal sequence..

Stem seals removed..

New ones fitted...

And the engine was thrown back together with new bolts and gaskets ETC..

The horrible cam covers was also repainted.....

A 2nd hand set of front struts were fitted too, why 2nd hand i hear you ask?

Well I want this thing to work, and to be frank i'm tempted to rip the engine out and sell it

And done..

Runs well enough now..

Revving the **** out of it yields no blue smoke, just the M62 rumble..

They do drive well these L322s..

Not my type of car though... ..

H

 

[Saint.V8]

You love'em really....

Just ripping the chains and guides off mine at the moment....although I think I have found the reason for my constant Cam Bank A errors.....the absolute pen!$ who owned the car before me must have been or used a complete donut as the VANOS Solenoid on Bank A (1-4) had been screwed in so tight it had snapped the distribution piece where it threads in and it literally fell out when I remove the seal....and Bank B (5-8) was done up so sodding tight, I had to use the 2 foot bar to undo it!!

 

[RangeRoller dt]

My suspension was 2nd hand been fine for years.
If it works it works, even New can be bad

 

[Henry_b]

You love'em really....

Just ripping the chains and guides off mine at the moment....although I think I have found the reason for my constant Cam Bank A errors.....the absolute pen!$ who owned the car before me must have been or used a complete donut as the VANOS Solenoid on Bank A (1-4) had been screwed in so tight it had snapped the distribution piece where it threads in and it literally fell out when I remove the seal....and Bank B (5-8) was done up so sodding tight, I had to use the 2 foot bar to undo it!!

View attachment 208927

View attachment 208928

That is fookin incredible, the things some people will do!!

I removed mine with a standard 1/2 ratchet, using a breaker bar shouldn't be necessary, 'tis what makes me wary of many a car that has had engine work, the quality of the works makes me paranoid sometimes!!!

Not wishing to tell you how to suck eggs, but i'd also run a good stream of brake clean through the oil distribution plates on the cam(s)
Mine had a fair bit of crap in them even though the engine was clean!!

Yours looks is good nick, minimal black death..

 

[Saint.V8]

Wilco on the cleaner advice....cheers...

Yes, she is clean - mostly....just the Solenoid on the PAX side was so tight it made the crank bolt seem loose....the manual says 25N.m which is a nip and bit....this thing was rammed home!

 

[Henry_b]

Wilco on the cleaner advice....cheers...

Yes, she is clean - mostly....just the Solenoid on the PAX side was so tight it made the crank bolt seem loose....the manual says 25N.m which is a nip and bit....this thing was rammed home!

View attachment 208930

Can't imagine how anyone with half a brain cell would crank it up so tight, but there are some out there with questionable ability LOL

An M62 in that state has become such a familiarity to me it ain't funny!

When i took the original block out mine, it was black, i had to use a pick to find the bolts through the sludge!

The timing chains in that case had snapped and caused some Piston/Valve Kissage!!

Best fix before it becomes an issue, and atleast you know it's being done right!

 

[Olllyh]

Hi Henry

I’ve admired this thread for a couple of years!

I have the heads off mine and have just had them skimmed, the valves reseated and all put back together.

I’m trying to find out how to set the timing up on the Camshafts? I can only seem to find procedures for how to do the timing when you lock the cams in place when doing the chains??

 

[Henry_b]

I'm assuming you lined up the balancer and cams before the heads were pulled?

If not you'll have to start by lining the harmonic balancer to the TDC mark only issue is when the harmonic balancer is lined up with the TDC mark on the lower timing cover you could be 180 deg out, you'll have to find TDC on the compression stroke.
When fitting the intake and exhaust cam lobes on bank 1. Those lobes should be tipped toward to each other there are also dots in the middle of the cams that need to be pointing up


You need the appropriate timing kit for the M62, without it you're stuck

 

[Olllyh]

Hi Henry,

After a couple of goes yes I lined up the harmonic balancer with TDC and the lobes one bank 1 facing each other at ~45 degrees

I have a timing chain kit.

I found in RAVE how to replace the cams for bank 2, line up the lobes, fit the cam bolts, bearings etc But nothing for lining up Bank 1 - am I to assume then that I just go for the 45 degree tilt on the front lobes and look for the two dots?