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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > DIY Guides > DIY: N54 Hydraulic Lifter (and Cam Bearing Ledge) replacement



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      07-18-2018, 07:10 PM   #45
thebranch423
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Help please

I need some help my friends please. I was changing my valve cover gasket. But when I pull out the valve cover this part that I circled in the valve cover fell beneath the camshaft bearing ledge (inlet cam). I also circled where in the second picture. I am no mechanic, so when I couldn’t take that part out I thought that I could remove the cam bearing ledge to be able to remove the part that fell inside. I turn the 2 bolts I circled in the picture with red 1/2 turn, ONLY 1/2 turn counterclockwise. When I did that I heard a “gush” like if something underpressure was unlocked and an strong oil smell was released.
After that, I was afraid so I readjusted both bolts immediately with my wrench as hard as I could. Again, it was only those 2 bolts 1/2 turn counterclockwise and then I adjust it back as hard as I could but not extremely hard!
I put everything back together including new gaskets.
When I turned on the car, the car did 1 rev up to 1,800 rpm and went back to normal but I got the check engine light with 2 codes
2A82
2A98

The car runs smooth, strong, fast, no other issues except everytime I turn on the car, it does that 1 abnormal rev and then everything is back to normal.
Do you think the 2 error codes could be related to the fact that I did not adjust those 2 bolts to the correct inch/pound?
Or does the solution would be to get the BMW tool for the inlet cam, take out all the inlet cam bolts and adjust all of them to the correct inch/pound?
Or the error code is related to that little thing that is still inside beneath the inlet cam bearing ledge?
It can’t be the VANOS solenoid because I changed them less than 6 months ago and there were no error codes or check engine lights before this happened to me.
Thank you for your help
My car is a BMW 528i 2008 E60

NOTE: By the way, the 2 bolts I messed up with are kind of in the middle of the inlet camshaft bearing ledge
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      07-19-2018, 02:28 PM   #46
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thebranch423 View Post
I need some help my friends please. I was changing my valve cover gasket. But when I pull out the valve cover this part that I circled in the valve cover fell beneath the camshaft bearing ledge (inlet cam). I also circled where in the second picture. I am no mechanic, so when I couldn’t take that part out I thought that I could remove the cam bearing ledge to be able to remove the part that fell inside. I turn the 2 bolts I circled in the picture with red 1/2 turn, ONLY 1/2 turn counterclockwise. When I did that I heard a “gush” like if something underpressure was unlocked and an strong oil smell was released.
After that, I was afraid so I readjusted both bolts immediately with my wrench as hard as I could. Again, it was only those 2 bolts 1/2 turn counterclockwise and then I adjust it back as hard as I could but not extremely hard!
I put everything back together including new gaskets.
When I turned on the car, the car did 1 rev up to 1,800 rpm and went back to normal but I got the check engine light with 2 codes
2A82
2A98

The car runs smooth, strong, fast, no other issues except everytime I turn on the car, it does that 1 abnormal rev and then everything is back to normal.
Do you think the 2 error codes could be related to the fact that I did not adjust those 2 bolts to the correct inch/pound?
Or does the solution would be to get the BMW tool for the inlet cam, take out all the inlet cam bolts and adjust all of them to the correct inch/pound?
Or the error code is related to that little thing that is still inside beneath the inlet cam bearing ledge?
It can’t be the VANOS solenoid because I changed them less than 6 months ago and there were no error codes or check engine lights before this happened to me.
Thank you for your help
My car is a BMW 528i 2008 E60

NOTE: By the way, the 2 bolts I messed up with are kind of in the middle of the inlet camshaft bearing ledge
After reading this post, I am wondering if you were able to get that piece out? also, Those 2 cam ledge bolts that you loosen and retighten has a torque specification. I read that you loosened it 1/2 turn but when you tightened it, you went beyond that 1/2 turn? is that right? in my opinion, 1) you over tightened those 2 camshaft ledge bolts causing the camshaft to bind. this could be the cause of your codes. 2) have you gotten out that piece that fell inside? that could also be the cause of your problems too. here is a link from this site with codes that you have.

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=449103

hope this helps. I wouldnt run my car or keep driving it as if nothings wrong. these error codes are there for a reason and needs to be fixed.

good luck
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      09-13-2018, 11:04 PM   #47
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I have a loud constant lifter tick. so I am sure one is stuck and I REALLY don't want to spend 18 hours of my life and several hundred in tools and parts. I was wondering if I remove the valve cover would I have enough access to spray some carb cleaner or maybe a full syringe of lacquer thinner down into the lifter and let it soak in to free it up? Once freed I am sure it would clean out since unlike the last owner I plan to do frequent oil changes in this car. When I bought it the engine oil was very black and about 2.5 quarts low. The poor car only has 75,000 miles. Of course I know that if I spray anything foreign into the lifters I would need to flush the area with fresh oil then drain and change all my oil, maybe even twice after running the car for a few minutes on the new oil.
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      09-19-2018, 01:43 PM   #48
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      09-19-2018, 08:14 PM   #49
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JonEQuest View Post
I have a loud constant lifter tick. so I am sure one is stuck and I REALLY don't want to spend 18 hours of my life and several hundred in tools and parts. I was wondering if I remove the valve cover would I have enough access to spray some carb cleaner or maybe a full syringe of lacquer thinner down into the lifter and let it soak in to free it up? Once freed I am sure it would clean out since unlike the last owner I plan to do frequent oil changes in this car. When I bought it the engine oil was very black and about 2.5 quarts low. The poor car only has 75,000 miles. Of course I know that if I spray anything foreign into the lifters I would need to flush the area with fresh oil then drain and change all my oil, maybe even twice after running the car for a few minutes on the new oil.
I would use Liquid Moly oil sludge flush. There are really positive reviews on that stuff.
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      09-22-2018, 07:32 PM   #50
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I am actually on my second engine flush. I have used some Marvel Mystery Oil and now I have 2 quarts of Rislone in fresh oil. I have only run the car for about 2 hours total with the Rislone, (I am not able to drive it much, no tags yet) and I don't think this problem will flush out. The last owner must have neglected the hell out of this car.
I just ordered the cam alignment tool, new Teflon seal rings and 2 new vanos bolts. I found 24 new lifters on e-Bay for about $70 but at that price I am skeptical. They show the right part # of 11 33 7 548 690 along with many others that these are supposed to be compatible with. Has anyone bought the cheap e-Bay lifters before?
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      09-24-2018, 05:58 PM   #51
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JonEQuest View Post
I am actually on my second engine flush. I have used some Marvel Mystery Oil and now I have 2 quarts of Rislone in fresh oil. I have only run the car for about 2 hours total with the Rislone, (I am not able to drive it much, no tags yet) and I don't think this problem will flush out. The last owner must have neglected the hell out of this car.
I just ordered the cam alignment tool, new Teflon seal rings and 2 new vanos bolts. I found 24 new lifters on e-Bay for about $70 but at that price I am skeptical. They show the right part # of 11 33 7 548 690 along with many others that these are supposed to be compatible with. Has anyone bought the cheap e-Bay lifters before?
I haven't used the eBay lifters but was looking at the Pelican Parts OE lifters they list. IMHO, I would use the OE version.
Makes me wonder if the previous owner waited 15K or longer to execute the oil changes.....
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      09-26-2018, 09:08 PM   #52
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Originally Posted by seccsc View Post
I haven't used the eBay lifters but was looking at the Pelican Parts OE lifters they list. IMHO, I would use the OE version.
Makes me wonder if the previous owner waited 15K or longer to execute the oil changes.....
I bought this car from Copart Auto Auction so I really have no way of knowing the history but I am sure this idiot waited a LONG time between oil changes. I actually ordered BOTH. I got 12 of the INA brand lifters from FCP Euro for about $135 shipped and a set of 24 generic ones from eBay for just under $70. I got both in the mail today and I think they are identical except for one thing I noticed. The oil hole on the side of the INA brand lifters is just a little bit larger than the eBay ones described for the N52 engine. They supposedly cross with the same part number but I am sure the larger oil hole is the way to go. I am thinking of opening one up to see if they are the same on the inside but I am pretty sure they will be. I am not eager to be a Guiney pig but I bet that if you drilled the oil hole a little larger the eBay ones would be just fine. Like I said they look identical. I may upload some pictures in the interest of providing info for the community.
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      10-09-2018, 04:47 PM   #53
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Well, I am doing replacing all my lifters just to be safe. I took everything apart and cannot tell which ones are bad or good and I could not get them apart. I figured they probably have some wear and if some are not able to hold pressure how would I know? I cannot see putting the whole car back together just to hear more tapping. Just like this write-up I had to shave my locking pin since it would not go into the flywheel.

I have found an problem though. I have 2 oil drain holes on the exhaust side of the head that won't drain oil at all. I need to figure how to clean them out without messing up anything else. I have arrows pointing to the ones that don't drain, holes 1 and 4 starting at the front of the head. Any clue on where this oil drains to? Does it drain straight to the pan or does it go into a crank bearing, etc.? I want to make sure it is safe to spray some car cleaner in there to soak and clean them out.
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      05-25-2020, 09:32 PM   #54
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Just did this job (had to replace a bad rocker) on my 2009 E93.
Here is what mine looked like next to one of the good ones.

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After doing some research, I settled on this timing tool from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075TZSKRP..._z2hZEb81SKBQ8

It includes the dummy tensioner, is reasonably affordable, and everything worked out of the box, even the lock pin. For N54, you use the longer one of the two provided with the kit.

The kit comes with *no* instructions, so, read this DIY, watch some YouTube videos and read the Bentley manual and all will be well.

This job takes time and patience. Bending over the motor torquing the cam ledge bolts and then the valve cover was the hardest part because it can be hard on your back and it requires patience.

I did this job in four nights (not counting the days waiting for parts to arrive), maybe 3-4 hours each night. I like to get to a stopping point, then I go inside, clean up and read about the next step(s) and maybe watch some videos.

The car sounds SO much better now.

And yes, the top end knock from bad rockers/lifters *can* in fact set off the detonation knock warning codes, we now have multiple owners who have confirmed this!
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      05-25-2020, 10:03 PM   #55
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Some pics. Here is one with the lock pin. I tried to shove my phone up there. You will still have to feel with your fingers where it's going. It took me several minutes to find the plastic plug, but once I found it, locating TDC and inserting the pin was very easy.

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Last edited by abkonsta; 05-25-2020 at 10:11 PM..
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      05-25-2020, 10:15 PM   #56
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Timing tool and the VANOS plates alignment bar in place:

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      05-26-2020, 07:56 AM   #57
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I wish they had that tool when I was shopping for one. Mine works fine but the extra locking pin and dummy tensioner is a nice bonus. I had to modify my pin to fit. As for that hard to find plastic plug, I added a "handle" to mine by putting a 3" long machine screw through the little hole in the plug and holding it there with a nut. Then I spray painted it OSHA safety orange. Now when I look up I can see the handle poking out a bit and can just grab it. I have had to use the locking pin a few other times. Most people never go to the black hole again.

Last edited by JonEQuest; 05-26-2020 at 08:03 AM..
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      10-04-2020, 03:31 PM   #58
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One of the best DIY's I've read in a long time. Precise and amusing :-) Great job OP.

One question - does anyone know how hard it truly is to do this without the $500 clamp tool that holds the two bearing ledge parts together ?
Also....ok, two questions, what about the valve compression tool used during re-assembly ? I watched a youtube video and the owner said that trying to re-assemble this without compressing two valve springs was near impossible without seriously risking damaging the parts being installed.

Anyone know ?
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      03-17-2022, 10:09 AM   #59
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JonEQuest View Post
Well, I am doing replacing all my lifters just to be safe. I took everything apart and cannot tell which ones are bad or good and I could not get them apart. I figured they probably have some wear and if some are not able to hold pressure how would I know? I cannot see putting the whole car back together just to hear more tapping. Just like this write-up I had to shave my locking pin since it would not go into the flywheel.

I have found an problem though. I have 2 oil drain holes on the exhaust side of the head that won't drain oil at all. I need to figure how to clean them out without messing up anything else. I have arrows pointing to the ones that don't drain, holes 1 and 4 starting at the front of the head. Any clue on where this oil drains to? Does it drain straight to the pan or does it go into a crank bearing, etc.? I want to make sure it is safe to spray some car cleaner in there to soak and clean them out.
What did you end up doing to make sure it’s draining?
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      03-17-2022, 03:51 PM   #60
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What did you end up doing to make sure it’s draining?
If I remember right those holes were draining or they were not meant to go all the way through. There was no actual problem.

P.S. In the end my whole problem of engine noise ended up being a bent rod. I have since rebuilt the whole engine. Modified everything and ran it hard with 17t turbos, port injection, etc. and it is holding up strong.
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      10-19-2022, 11:22 PM   #61
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@JohnEQuest
How did you discover it was a bent rod instead of lifters. Did you have any performance issues or anything? My 09 335i has a forever lasting “lifter tick” but I took it to a shop and the mechanic said it could be a bent rod, however I have no performance issues and am running perfectly fine on MHD stage 2+. It just never stops tickint and is driving me crazy.
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      10-20-2022, 09:56 AM   #62
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I finally dug deep enough and found the bent rod visually. It also dinged the cylinder wall a bit but luckily that was below the ring line so it didn't matter. I had to pull the oil pan, pickup tube and splash shield, then it was obvious.
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      01-02-2023, 12:45 PM   #63
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Heyo, I'm thinking what I'm hearing is lifter noise over tensioner and wanted to try LM Hydraulic Lifter Additive before replacing a part. My ticking noise is constant now but hasn't always been. Does anyone have a review on the additive? I'm still learning about everyday maintenance for my BMW and am cautious about what I put in it. I use AMSOIL currently and do regular oil changes. Thx loves
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      01-02-2023, 02:26 PM   #64
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Forget additives. Unless one happens to have gotten stuck due to you not changing oil often enough you have a bad lifter (unless it is another noise) Time to pull the valve cover and see what's what.. They are easy to change. Just pull the cover and and cam ledges to make sure they are all good good. To be honest if you have higher miles just buy a set and change them since you are already there.
P. S. A small exhaust leak can sound like a tap or a tick from an engine. Maybe pressurize your exhaust from the tailpipe and check for leaks. Just seal one side and add an air hose to the other side with a cap and duct tape it all.
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      10-25-2023, 10:35 PM   #65
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I must agree with others that this was a fantastic DIY. Hats off to the OP!

I just completed installing new bearing ledges and re-installing the timing gears, with all bolts torqued properly in sequence and no obvious lips on sides of bearing ledges. When I removed the locking pin and attempted to turn the engine over (test that everything is working), the crank shaft turned about 20deg before I met significant resistance. Any thoughts on what could be causing the resistance?

Thanks in advance
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      10-25-2023, 11:13 PM   #66
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Quote:
Originally Posted by apaisncsu View Post
I must agree with others that this was a fantastic DIY. Hats off to the OP!

I just completed installing new bearing ledges and re-installing the timing gears, with all bolts torqued properly in sequence and no obvious lips on sides of bearing ledges. When I removed the locking pin and attempted to turn the engine over (test that everything is working), the crank shaft turned about 20deg before I met significant resistance. Any thoughts on what could be causing the resistance?

Thanks in advance
Did you happen to leave the dummy tensioner installed?

Aside from that the only thing that comes to mind is that one or more rocker arms could've gotten knocked off and lodged somewhere during the installation process. It's fairly easy to verify all of them visually without taking anything apart.
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