Buy a micrometer, measure each space with feeler gauge, the spec is 7mm to 9mm on intake side and 11mm to 13mm on exhaust side. for example if the measure cap is 2.34 and the pace is passed the spec than you would have to move up on the cap size to close the gap. ecstunning.com has a kit to to check this.
Once this maintenance is done it's really never a problem again. When I did mine I had such loose bolts on the exhaust side they were almost sheered in half. But I had started to get a vanos rattle. Thankfully none of them did break and all is well now after changing everything. THREAD LOCKER!! LOL.
Yeah Greg I had to do it on my 06 and then we had 70,000 miles this should have been a recall for sure too many of them have this problem and now I understand they have a recall just recently on the wire harness under the dash restart warning people lolcuz you're not going to notify us anytime soon
350z- already drifting! M3- look what else I can break without moving! TBF the 350z was a previous drift car in full disclosure but I couldn't help myself.
Bmw's M division went to Oktoberfest before designing this motor and that m5 v10. I've been very happy working on my normal 3 series compared to my hondas
@@curtislovrak5390 - Solved by applying more torque to the head bolts than the factory specification. I'll take a bhg over bottom end failure any damn day of the week.
If you work on a regular bmw say a 328i they are much easier to work on mechanically wise then a Honda or Toyota...electronically though that's another story lol
EP 19 and 20 were awesome. Makes me feel better about jumping into this project with my s54 m roadster except I'll be attempting this in the engine bay. Well done guys. subbed.
I love waking up on my b-day to a new vid from my favorite list of RUclipsrs. This year you guys started off my day RIGHT. Thanks SA! Keep it real bros!
In my opinion, all of this is worth it with the high-rev S54...especially if I heard correctly this one has ~300K KM (~187K Mi). For NA motor, this is a uniquely special motor with performance that is hard to beat (excluding all the FI options, etc., just talking stock).
Love the video. S54 is a truly exciting engine. I own a 2002 540i and a 1985 325e and I have to say, if you dont enjoy working on and learning about cars, stay away from BMW, its definitely a financial and laborious commitment. Just lease the damn thing or buy a Toyota. Very rewarding to replacing the timing chain guides on the M62TU and have a relatively fresh, smooth peppy V8 though ;-). Good work SA.
pretty sure youre supposed to leave the bridge on the cams with the locking pins in place to make sure you dont fuck up the timing. Marking the cam sprocket and chain probably would have make your life easier as well.
Pete calling himself OCD, but had faith enough not to double check the new part with the micrometer. Lol! Just kidding! Something about the timing cover being off gets me hyper every time, not sure why but it's cool! ✌😎
Valve cover gasket will leak on the exhaust side and rear of the engine if you didn’t apply RTV sealant , as for spark plugs Denso Iridium are an alternative to NGKs , I have these plugs in mine
Did you find the ‘sweet spot’ for the splined center shaft you removed at 1:53 when you replaced it? The gears are not symmetrical and you lose timing capacity if not clocked properly.
When I did all my vamos stuff I had broken tab on the exhaust hub, Extremely lucky that didn't fall in, and also had a broken timing chain guide... I have absolutely no idea how it stayed in place, it was splintered I half diagonally and easily broke once I had it in my hands.
While the engine is out it would be silly not to change the o ring on the CPV. Other than that, I think you guys have covered most things without going full blown OCD.
Is there no way to pull the sensor data from the CAN using existing BMW sensors? Those add-ons look easy enough to install but I feel like water temperature at least should already be available on the ECU.
Hi guys...just I see this video and when you put the bridge for the timing you put it on the wrong position....the letter A is from the German word "Auspuff" that means exhaust and the E is from the word "Einlass" means Intel....just check it again before you close the engine
Hm, you're right, for that short demonstration at the end it was the wrong way around. In the timelapse you couldn't see if it was right or not. I don't know if this would have any effect on the timing since it's only there to align both cams for Vanos installation. On a side note: In german the A would stand for "Auslass" rather than "Auspuff". The exhaust is the pipe that comes after you're "Krümmer" (header), we're really specific on this stuff 😅
The double Vanos is part of the reason why it needs 10w60 weight oil. Because it needs that high pressure. Being high output engines, the pressure would drop too low to maintain proper function of the vanos with a w40/w50. This engine looks used but not abused with all those kms. I've seen much worse with less kms, but at that point the problem stands between the seat a'd the steering wheel
who's butt was puckering as he was pulling that little valve shim and then dangling it over the open engine?...it would have fallen in on me for sure...get a magnetic tool next time!😏
So glad I sold my money pit e39 wagon. Over engineered unreliable nonsense. Sold it to some other sucker and bought my girl an engagement ring. Better investment.
not really i own one (since 2012) and it never gave me any trouble if u buy a nice example you will only need to do the regular maintenance don't forget that this is a very high mileage car and clearly the old owner did not take good care of it
I don't understand what you mean A L. Are you saying the other engines timing and heads can be worked on internally without taking things off the engine? How would anyone whos not a "self mechanic" work on these parts on any engine? Why would you need to be rich to replace parts on an engine? MANY cars have variable cam/valve timing, like Honda's VTEC.
Glad to hear there are good units out there. I have friends with M3s (some bought new, others used) that all of them have needed bearings, even on e92 m3 v8, amongst other issues (smg)
@@Raven05R6 Other cars don´t need bearings or vanos refurbished at such low milage intervals or to be considered "maintenance". What I mean by rich is just that you are going to throw a lot of money at the car (in comparison with what it is worth) just to keep it running. S54 needs a lot of love. You either pay for it or you do it yourself.
@@al8161 My S62 has 120k miles and the Vanos is still great. Vanos low-interval maintenance parts are accessible without removing much of anything to get to. You clearly aren't a BMW M car owner because all you are doing is regurgitating internet bs about them. The engine has ~150k+ miles on it. "low miles" haha
It's a German car, it's in metric. All the manuals are in metric. Why convert the specs when you can just set your wrench to Nm? Also, @F1NNSP1N I'm Canadian and measure fuel economy in L/100km.
Anyone who can tell me how to shim my girl if the clearance is too great? Mind you, I've already got a feeler gauge
Buy a micrometer, measure each space with feeler gauge, the spec is 7mm to 9mm on intake side and 11mm to 13mm on exhaust side. for example if the measure cap is 2.34 and the pace is passed the spec than you would have to move up on the cap size to close the gap. ecstunning.com has a kit to to check this.
Patrick Achee not sure if you misread or infact being very clever? Either way I laughed hard
*Torque wrench beeps*
"Make the noise!"
Canadian moment at 9:55 haha
Great episode! Loving the drift series and all you guys do!
Was going to post the exact same thing ....... :-)
hahahahaha
Came to the comments to look for this lol
i had already seen the episode, but re-watching that part with this in mind made me laugh out loud! XD
You apologized to an engine stand... bless your heart
Once this maintenance is done it's really never a problem again. When I did mine I had such loose bolts on the exhaust side they were almost sheered in half. But I had started to get a vanos rattle. Thankfully none of them did break and all is well now after changing everything. THREAD LOCKER!! LOL.
Yeah Greg I had to do it on my 06 and then we had 70,000 miles this should have been a recall for sure too many of them have this problem and now I understand they have a recall just recently on the wire harness under the dash restart warning people lolcuz you're not going to notify us anytime soon
This bolt instal would make crisfix happy, with all that tread locker!
350z- already drifting!
M3- look what else I can break without moving!
TBF the 350z was a previous drift car in full disclosure but I couldn't help myself.
They also did engine swap the 350z
It seems you have addressed the loud music issue. Thanks guys! Thumbs up.
The further you guys delve into this motor, the more happy I am with Toyota's engineering.
Bmw's M division went to Oktoberfest before designing this motor and that m5 v10. I've been very happy working on my normal 3 series compared to my hondas
cough *7mge headgaskets* cough
@@curtislovrak5390 - Solved by applying more torque to the head bolts than the factory specification. I'll take a bhg over bottom end failure any damn day of the week.
If you work on a regular bmw say a 328i they are much easier to work on mechanically wise then a Honda or Toyota...electronically though that's another story lol
@@cartere9981 even 2 years ago me says you're absolutely incorrect.
Thanks for doing this! Good reference video for s54 from good ppl. Patiently waiting on the rod bearing vid now.
Thanks for the videos regarding this motor this information will help people rebuilding this again in 25 years
Good call on the plastic chain guide!
I really like the videos and knowledge about the BMW and the problems about it, so glad you are cover them all !!!
nice video. great to see that the s54 is still in the game.
EP 19 and 20 were awesome. Makes me feel better about jumping into this project with my s54 m roadster except I'll be attempting this in the engine bay. Well done guys. subbed.
I love waking up on my b-day to a new vid from my favorite list of RUclipsrs. This year you guys started off my day RIGHT. Thanks SA! Keep it real bros!
18:24 you forgot to remove the spark plug socket after torque 😬😬
This makes me appriciate my cam in block engines even more.
In my opinion, all of this is worth it with the high-rev S54...especially if I heard correctly this one has ~300K KM (~187K Mi). For NA motor, this is a uniquely special motor with performance that is hard to beat (excluding all the FI options, etc., just talking stock).
Great content fellas
Well done!! You guys are growing and I cant wait to see these builds keep going! But can we get a update on the k swapped 240sx....
Love the video. S54 is a truly exciting engine. I own a 2002 540i and a 1985 325e and I have to say, if you dont enjoy working on and learning about cars, stay away from BMW, its definitely a financial and laborious commitment. Just lease the damn thing or buy a Toyota. Very rewarding to replacing the timing chain guides on the M62TU and have a relatively fresh, smooth peppy V8 though ;-). Good work SA.
im mc loving this s54 content thanks. great jog on put the vanos unit back on
A temporary zip tie through the chain and sprocket keeps the timing locked in place.
also marking the position for easy reassembly
@@S1ckbg marks are easiest!
Not in the case of Vanos
Look at those sweet timelapse camera moves at 4:00 :) Nice!
The torque spec for the primary tensioner is 30lbs/ft tq. Can't wait to see this thing redlining!
pretty sure youre supposed to leave the bridge on the cams with the locking pins in place to make sure you dont fuck up the timing. Marking the cam sprocket and chain probably would have make your life easier as well.
S54 is a good engine!
Pete calling himself OCD, but had faith enough not to double check the new part with the micrometer. Lol! Just kidding! Something about the timing cover being off gets me hyper every time, not sure why but it's cool! ✌😎
Valve cover gasket will leak on the exhaust side and rear of the engine if you didn’t apply RTV sealant , as for spark plugs Denso Iridium are an alternative to NGKs , I have these plugs in mine
Now I want a E46 M3
Did you find the ‘sweet spot’ for the splined center shaft you removed at 1:53 when you replaced it? The gears are not symmetrical and you lose timing capacity if not clocked properly.
When I did all my vamos stuff I had broken tab on the exhaust hub, Extremely lucky that didn't fall in, and also had a broken timing chain guide... I have absolutely no idea how it stayed in place, it was splintered I half diagonally and easily broke once I had it in my hands.
While the engine is out it would be silly not to change the o ring on the CPV. Other than that, I think you guys have covered most things without going full blown OCD.
This is way easier than you know how.
Is there no way to pull the sensor data from the CAN using existing BMW sensors? Those add-ons look easy enough to install but I feel like water temperature at least should already be available on the ECU.
A part of me is thinking that owning a BMW isn't as bad as what people claim, until I realized all the specialty tools used.
Which specialty tools?
What specialty tools
Did you two actually watch the video or just go straight to being triggered?
Torx bits = specialty tools 😂
@@bandwagon240 there were no special tools besides the valve adjustment tool, which doing an adjustment on my Toyota required something similar
The baked on oil is driving my OCD to make me come up there, tear your engine down, and clean it.
I sense a valve cover gasket leak. For this car I have heard many times people get leaks if they dont replace.
Yeah on the exhaust manifold side it becomes hard as a rock from the header/manifold heat and cracks.
who makes that cool 1/4 torque wrench you're using?not the electric the manual one
Hi guys...just I see this video and when you put the bridge for the timing you put it on the wrong position....the letter A is from the German word "Auspuff" that means exhaust and the E is from the word "Einlass" means Intel....just check it again before you close the engine
Hm, you're right, for that short demonstration at the end it was the wrong way around. In the timelapse you couldn't see if it was right or not.
I don't know if this would have any effect on the timing since it's only there to align both cams for Vanos installation.
On a side note: In german the A would stand for "Auslass" rather than "Auspuff". The exhaust is the pipe that comes after you're "Krümmer" (header), we're really specific on this stuff 😅
Should've marked the gears and chain🙄It always makes me feel so much better when going back with ohv's
Confirms leasing BMW’s is actually more affordable :)
Can agree, got a 2015 with 47k miles and it's probably had close to 10k in work done lmao
As a bmw tech I can verify that is true.
can you dyno it after you finish?so curious how much diff between 0k and 300k KM...
What oil and type of spec have you been running in that engine?
Hey guys. What kind of torque wrench is that?
Nice!!
What brand are them flashlights
I really want to put a Detroit diesel blower on my s54
Notifications squad's
Chain Timing is good now??
The double Vanos is part of the reason why it needs 10w60 weight oil. Because it needs that high pressure. Being high output engines, the pressure would drop too low to maintain proper function of the vanos with a w40/w50. This engine looks used but not abused with all those kms. I've seen much worse with less kms, but at that point the problem stands between the seat a'd the steering wheel
Where did you buy your feeler gauge? 👍 thanks for the vid 🙏🏻
Where is part 10!!!!
Groovy! :P
Hey guys - my rocker arms wont move at all (Only have two out of spec)
A rear differential rebuild video please!!
What happened to episode 10??
Show some luv
Got the same on my e46 m3 cabrio, just spend more that I paid for the car just to put it right... but the smiles per gallon paid everything...
no chain change?
The guide broke because the tensioner is worn out and the chain was slappin' against it. Replace asap.
Hey, I’m not stickler or anything but that American flag should be adjacent to that Canadian flag, not beneath it. Love your channel and content btw.
While engine is out....slap to the forehead, DOH! I could've had a V8
who's butt was puckering as he was pulling that little valve shim and then dangling it over the open engine?...it would have fallen in on me for sure...get a magnetic tool next time!😏
It was magnetic..
Lol, he literally said it was magnetic as he was removing the shim and showing the tool.
guys how about k swap that e46? haha
I hear these are usually a massive pain in the ass
BMW Shim stack....$600
1st
You're pushing your luck?$20 part isn't going to bite you in the ass with high miles.
So glad I sold my money pit e39 wagon. Over engineered unreliable nonsense. Sold it to some other sucker and bought my girl an engagement ring. Better investment.
5th
Man, it is a great engine
But everything in that car is potentially catastrophic
Very intensive maintenance and only for rich people or self mechanics
not really i own one (since 2012) and it never gave me any trouble if u buy a nice example you will only need to do the regular maintenance don't forget that this is a very high mileage car and clearly the old owner did not take good care of it
I don't understand what you mean A L. Are you saying the other engines timing and heads can be worked on internally without taking things off the engine? How would anyone whos not a "self mechanic" work on these parts on any engine? Why would you need to be rich to replace parts on an engine? MANY cars have variable cam/valve timing, like Honda's VTEC.
Glad to hear there are good units out there. I have friends with M3s (some bought new, others used) that all of them have needed bearings, even on e92 m3 v8, amongst other issues (smg)
@@Raven05R6 Other cars don´t need bearings or vanos refurbished at such low milage intervals or to be considered "maintenance".
What I mean by rich is just that you are going to throw a lot of money at the car (in comparison with what it is worth) just to keep it running.
S54 needs a lot of love. You either pay for it or you do it yourself.
@@al8161 My S62 has 120k miles and the Vanos is still great. Vanos low-interval maintenance parts are accessible without removing much of anything to get to. You clearly aren't a BMW M car owner because all you are doing is regurgitating internet bs about them. The engine has ~150k+ miles on it. "low miles" haha
You guys are very limited. This engine is going to detonate like the fireworks in Atlantic City on the 4th of July.
Bmw= big money waste
Newton metres? Seriously? Do you weigh yourself in kilograms too? Lol
They are canadians. So they measure gas in liters, distance in kilometers, and fuel efficiency in miles per gallon. Units make no sense over there.
The manuals are all in Newton Metres and leaving a digital torque wrench in Nm is easy.
It's a German car, it's in metric. All the manuals are in metric. Why convert the specs when you can just set your wrench to Nm? Also, @F1NNSP1N I'm Canadian and measure fuel economy in L/100km.
It's a simple and effective system. I bet you count your money from 1-100 and not in halves, eights or sixteenths etc. 😜