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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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      11-17-2015, 02:36 AM   #23
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Quote:
Originally Posted by psychosinmylobby View Post
Hey thanks for the quick reply and the tip, Spoon. In terms of quality, the Febi part is identical to the OEM one? How is that part holding up for you? No issues so far?

Thanks!
From what I could tell, it seemed to be identical. My memory's kinda fuzzy but I believe the Febi unit had an IWIS stamp just like the OEM one. It's been almost a year and it seems to be holding up fine.
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      11-17-2015, 10:50 AM   #24
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thanks for the quick response Spoon!
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      02-27-2016, 05:33 AM   #25
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Any idea what's going on here? Particularly at towards the end.
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      02-27-2016, 06:03 AM   #26
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90% sure it's your boost solenoids. Next time you hear it give them a couple taps and the noise should stop. The noise should also stop when you give the engine a slight rev. I've replaced my solenoids with the newer revision and they still make this noise every now and then, so I wouldn't worry about it.
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      02-27-2016, 06:04 AM   #27
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Spoon
90% sure it's your boost solenoids. Next time you hear it give them a couple taps and the noise should stop. The noise should also stop when you give the engine a slight rev. I've replaced my solenoids with the newer revision and they still make this noise every now and then, so I wouldn't worry about it.
Will do, thank you! Why would they do this? I have heard that they need beat on from time to time, that is really unfortunate. Great diy BTW.
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      03-20-2016, 05:18 PM   #28
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Depressing the valve springs

OP, I'm replacing bearing ledges using your excellent DIY, but have a concern about the step that is supposed to depress valve springs to ease up the tension from the cams. You have posted a video from Bimmer Tool Rental explaining the workaround, however that seems to be applicable to a different motor. Top part of N54 bearing ledge does not give you any access to the cam, you cannot rotate it with a wrench to release spring tension. In the end, how important is doing all that? Does it affect the torque when bearing ledges are put back? Also, the repair manual says to use 6 piece special tool 11 8 553 to secure lower and upper parts of bearing ledge. Is that essential too?
I'd appreciate if people, who have gone through the pain of removing/installing bearing ledges with cams elaborate a little more on this step.
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      03-20-2016, 05:53 PM   #29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by paraplan View Post
OP, I'm replacing the bearing ledges using your excellent DIY, but have a concern about the step that is supposed to depress valve springs to ease up the tension from the cams. You have posted a video from Bimmer Tool Rental explaining the workaround, however that seems to be applicable to a different motor. Top part of N54 bearing ledge does not give you any access to the cam, you cannot rotate it with a wrench to release spring tension. In the end, how important is doing all that? Does it affect the torque when bearing ledges are put back? Also, the repair manual says to use 6 piece special tool 11 8 553 to secure lower and upper parts of bearing ledge. Is that essential too?
I'd appreciate if people, who have gone through the pain of removing/installing bearing ledges with cams elaborate a little more on this step.
The cam can be rotated using a wrench at 1) the end of the cam at the rear of the motor or 2) the part of the cam where the QR code is etched near the front of the motor. I've done the job 3 different times before I found this workaround, so I'd say it's more of a convenience than a necessity; you'll definitely save some time. As long as you're relieving tension gradually and evenly it shouldn't be an issue. I did a 1/4 turn at a time.

You'll be able to depress the valve springs by hand, so it shouldn't provide enough resistance to significantly alter the torque specs; not enough to notice by feel, anyway. In addition, the neighboring mounting points of the ledges will provide more than enough torque to overcome the tension on that particular lobe. If you're really paranoid about it, you can rotate the cam a bit to relieve tension once the ledges are properly mated before torquing that portion.

Regarding the 6-piece tool, I'd say it's necessary if you're really adamant on doing the job "right." Unfortunately, the tool seems pretty hard to source, from my experience. It's possible to modify some c-clamps as an alternative, but you'll likely run into some clearance issues; kind of a grind as you go situation. Every time I've done the job with new bearing ledges they've mated up perfectly though, so that's really up to your discretion.
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      03-16-2017, 10:38 PM   #30
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Great DIY...I think my car is starting to make a similar sound but only right after a cold start...then it goes away. Figure I should start sourcing tools and parts. WRT the timig tool set...is there one you recommend? I found an EWK set on Amazon for ~$200 and a KTC with an included tensioner tool for ~$400. Any idea if the KTC is really worth the extra coin? Thx.
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      03-16-2017, 11:11 PM   #31
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AndyW View Post
Great DIY...I think my car is starting to make a similar sound but only right after a cold start...then it goes away. Figure I should start sourcing tools and parts. WRT the timig tool set...is there one you recommend? I found an EWK set on Amazon for ~$200 and a KTC with an included tensioner tool for ~$400. Any idea if the KTC is really worth the extra coin? Thx.
I believe if it goes away once the engine is warm, it's normal; especially during the colder seasons. The EWK set I'm seeing looks very similar to the one I got off eBay--probably from the same supplier. I'd wager you'd probably be able to find the exact same set for dirt cheap off aliexpress if you're adventurous. If you go with that one you'll likely run into the same issues I had (having to sand down the locking pin and taking some extra time to match up the bolt holes on the camshaft lock), which really wasn't that big of a deal in hindsight. I also found a page in the service manual noting that the locking pin may require sanding, so apparently that's a thing.

Looks like the KTC set also covers the N55, so if that isn't within the scope of foreseeable labor in the future, I think it's worth the extra savings to go with the cheaper set. Ultimately, it comes down to your willingness to deal with potential hangups during the job. Good luck!
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      03-16-2017, 11:34 PM   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AndyW View Post
Great DIY...I think my car is starting to make a similar sound but only right after a cold start...then it goes away. Figure I should start sourcing tools and parts. WRT the timig tool set...is there one you recommend? I found an EWK set on Amazon for ~$200 and a KTC with an included tensioner tool for ~$400. Any idea if the KTC is really worth the extra coin? Thx.
I bought my tools from www.kochtools.com They are of great quality. Unfortunately they are not available anymore, I found just those:
N54 BMW Vanos Alignment Fixture - $20 N54 BMW Rigid Chain Tensioner - $30

EWK seems to be a good option but still lacks the chain tensioner, which you may get from Koch.
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Last edited by paraplan; 03-16-2017 at 11:53 PM..
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      04-07-2017, 02:07 PM   #33
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Hey guys - I'm going to be replacing my cam ledges soon and wanted to get some input regarding the Chain Tensioner Tool and lifters. If I'll be replacing the Chain tensioner, what purpose does the Chain Tensioner Tool have?
As per the lifters, is it absolutely necessary to replace them?
Just looking to have all the parts ready when I tackle this project.
Thanks in advance!
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      04-07-2017, 02:50 PM   #34
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 328<335 View Post
Hey guys - I'm going to be replacing my cam ledges soon and wanted to get some input regarding the Chain Tensioner Tool and lifters. If I'll be replacing the Chain tensioner, what purpose does the Chain Tensioner Tool have?
As per the lifters, is it absolutely necessary to replace them?
Just looking to have all the parts ready when I tackle this project.
Thanks in advance!
The tensioner tool preloads the chain to proper specs before you torque down the camshafts bolts, like so:

View post on imgur.com


This is only necessary if you're unbolting the camshafts--which you will be doing since you're replacing the cam ledges. Since the factory tensioner functions on oil pressure, it won't provide sufficient tension with the motor off.

If you've been keeping up with oil changes and whatnot and you aren't hearing any abnormal noises after the motor is warmed up, it's probably not necessary to replace the lifters. Although if you're well over 100k miles and in it for the long haul, it might give you some peace of mind if you have money to burn.

If you run into any issues feel free to PM me. Good luck!
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      04-07-2017, 03:07 PM   #35
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Spoon View Post
The tensioner tool preloads the chain to proper specs before you torque down the camshafts bolts, like so:

View post on imgur.com


This is only necessary if you're unbolting the camshafts--which you will be doing since you're replacing the cam ledges. Since the factory tensioner functions on oil pressure, it won't provide sufficient tension with the motor off.

If you've been keeping up with oil changes and whatnot and you aren't hearing any abnormal noises after the motor is warmed up, it's probably not necessary to replace the lifters. Although if you're well over 100k miles and in it for the long haul, it might give you some peace of mind if you have money to burn.

If you run into any issues feel free to PM me. Good luck!

Thanks for the fast and thorough reply!!!

I have 75k miles on my 08 335xi and FBO(since 60k miles). Got her with 30k miles and have been changing oil every 7.5k miles. I haven't heard any abnormal noises, just the normal ticking and boost solenoids that you mentioned. Definitely keeping her for the long haul, but contemplating changing the lifters now as I'm hoping this will be the only time I'll be performing heart surgery on her
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      08-30-2017, 02:25 PM   #36
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First of all thank you for this comedic well though out walk through!!

My car has a misfire on cylinder 4 ONLY at idle and is making a ticking sound very similar to the sound in the video and I have done everything in the book to fix the misfire so far and I am really thinking it is caused by a failed intake lifter not allowing one of the valves to fully open at idle and the cylinder is fuel knocking.

I noticed when I did my walnut blasting one of the intake runners was bone dry while the other side was oily so to me this was a good indication of that.

I saw posted elsewhere a service bulletin for BMW techs to fix lifter ticks and it called for running the engine at 2000 RPM for periods of time. I am guessing this is supposed to clear out the lifters.

Before I tear into the top end again (already replaced the valve cover) I am going to put some ATF into my oil and do the service bulletin to see if I can't get lucky and 'ungunkify' that sticky lifter and solve my problem.

If not I will be referencing your awesome guide to replace the lifters
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      11-03-2017, 02:11 PM   #37
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This is an awesome guide, it really helped me replace a snapped camshaft on my last 335i. What is the trick for compressing the valve springs? The video is unavailable. I just slowly and evenly tightened the bearing ledge into place last time, but I'm a little concerned about alignment. If I had to do the job over, I think I would want to compress the valve springs for peace of mind.
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      11-03-2017, 02:20 PM   #38
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RocketSurgeon View Post
This is an awesome guide, it really helped me replace a snapped camshaft on my last 335i. What is the trick for compressing the valve springs? The video is unavailable. I just slowly and evenly tightened the bearing ledge into place last time, but I'm a little concerned about alignment. If I had to do the job over, I think I would want to compress the valve springs for peace of mind.
I did exactly same thing you did. There is a special tool that compresses the valve springs but it is expensive and hard to find. After replacing my bearing ledges I drove 10K, so far so good.
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      11-04-2017, 12:39 PM   #39
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RocketSurgeon View Post
This is an awesome guide, it really helped me replace a snapped camshaft on my last 335i. What is the trick for compressing the valve springs? The video is unavailable. I just slowly and evenly tightened the bearing ledge into place last time, but I'm a little concerned about alignment. If I had to do the job over, I think I would want to compress the valve springs for peace of mind.
Thanks for the kind words. Glad it helped you out.

Here's a newer video detailing the "trick":


It's quite a bit harder on the N54 since the cam lobes aren't visible, but still applicable for installation when the ledges are off. It's going to be a bit sketchy without the special tool no matter how you do it, unfortunately.
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      11-05-2017, 05:04 PM   #40
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Spoon, can you clean the N54 lifters like they completed on this E46 engine?
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      11-07-2017, 08:25 PM   #41
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I tried cleaning them when I had them out, but had a lot of trouble getting them back together properly. There's a retaining spring clip that goes on the inside of the top portion that's way thinner than the E46 ones; they tend to get mangled on both disassembly and reassembly. If you're able to source some clips, then it's doable. Otherwise I wouldn't recommend it.
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      11-07-2017, 09:12 PM   #42
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Spoon View Post
I tried cleaning them when I had them out, but had a lot of trouble getting them back together properly. There's a retaining spring clip that goes on the inside of the top portion that's way thinner than the E46 ones; they tend to get mangled on both disassembly and reassembly. If you're able to source some clips, then it's doable. Otherwise I wouldn't recommend it.
Thanks, Spoon!
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      01-06-2018, 02:24 AM   #43
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So what did you end up replacing that eliminated the knocking noise in the original video? Other than the noise, were there any performance issues that made this repair necessary?
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      03-08-2018, 08:29 AM   #44
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Spoon View Post
***DO NOT ROTATE THE CRANKSHAFT COUNTERCLOCKWISE***
If I'm doing valve stem seals, and the camshafts and vanos is removed, can I rotate the engine any direction? To put in rope and take it out?
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