jaym3smg
04-08-2008, 11:32 AM
Well I had to miss the meet but I did get the valve adjustment done. A spur of the moment thing, with the nice weather it was the perfect time to do it.
I followed this guide:
http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=113415
If you're planning to do this, here's some info that's not in the thread:
- The shim magnet tool is not just useful, it's required. Don't even bother doing this without it.
- This isn't a difficult job if you do your due diligence. Make sure you're labeling or organizing all the parts that you're disconnecting or unscrewing so you can put it all back the right way after. I even labeled the ignition coils and bolts even though it probably doesn't matter. I wanted to be sure though.
- A set of bent feelers is also pretty much required, the straight feelers would be a nightmare on the valves in the back.
- Take breaks, being bent over a car for hours at a time is tedious, unless you're... well you get the joke already.
- Well placed plastic shopping bags will keep you from losing shims. So even if you do drop one, you won't have to look far.
- The spark plugs are DEEP inside the engine! DEEP! I needed to use two extensions in addition to the plug socket to loosen the plugs up so I could turn the cams. So make sure you have a few extensions to do this.
- Don't be dumb like me and leave the car in gear. I kept turning the fan to turn the valves and my car kept moving backwards for some reason.
- When checking the shims record everything. The feeler that goes, the feeler that doesn't, the size of the shim when you remove it, the one you replaced it with, everything.
- This was a lot of fun actually, that valvetrain was a thing of beauty, and I learned a lot about the inner workings of this car. I've never seen an ignition coil before.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2246/2398951064_3424d96b16_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3241/2398947770_f30557ab02_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3141/2398118955_5f02a9a856_o.jpg
-J
I followed this guide:
http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=113415
If you're planning to do this, here's some info that's not in the thread:
- The shim magnet tool is not just useful, it's required. Don't even bother doing this without it.
- This isn't a difficult job if you do your due diligence. Make sure you're labeling or organizing all the parts that you're disconnecting or unscrewing so you can put it all back the right way after. I even labeled the ignition coils and bolts even though it probably doesn't matter. I wanted to be sure though.
- A set of bent feelers is also pretty much required, the straight feelers would be a nightmare on the valves in the back.
- Take breaks, being bent over a car for hours at a time is tedious, unless you're... well you get the joke already.
- Well placed plastic shopping bags will keep you from losing shims. So even if you do drop one, you won't have to look far.
- The spark plugs are DEEP inside the engine! DEEP! I needed to use two extensions in addition to the plug socket to loosen the plugs up so I could turn the cams. So make sure you have a few extensions to do this.
- Don't be dumb like me and leave the car in gear. I kept turning the fan to turn the valves and my car kept moving backwards for some reason.
- When checking the shims record everything. The feeler that goes, the feeler that doesn't, the size of the shim when you remove it, the one you replaced it with, everything.
- This was a lot of fun actually, that valvetrain was a thing of beauty, and I learned a lot about the inner workings of this car. I've never seen an ignition coil before.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2246/2398951064_3424d96b16_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3241/2398947770_f30557ab02_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3141/2398118955_5f02a9a856_o.jpg
-J