Maytag: The Alpine '87 529i

[tig]

I assume you mean valve adjustment, not a valve job. Good luck.

Yes. I'm not that ambitious nor capable.

[tig]

I go through the ritual of setting the engine to TDC in #1 cylinder. So that before I start taking stuff apart. I have it on the marks. Bentley is pretty good and will get you through the jobs. Rod Paine has a very good write up with pictures too. You may want to replace a few seals and the water pump as well. As a baseline , I would replace the cap and rotor, but if the future is uncertain and the engine runs OK then just clean stuff up and hope. .

I've been studying Rods instructions....

I have a new water pump. I think I ordered gaskets for it (crap!). Looks like dusty, wires, plugs are newish...taking a chance there.

[waynet1]

I go through the ritual of setting the engine to TDC in #1 cylinder. So that before I start taking stuff apart. I have it on the marks. Bentley is pretty good and will get you through the jobs. Rod Paine has a very good write up with pictures too. You may want to replace a few seals and the water pump as well. As a baseline , I would replace the cap and rotor, but if the future is uncertain and the engine runs OK then just clean stuff up and hope. .

I've been studying Rods instructions....

I have a new water pump. I think I ordered gaskets for it (crap!). Looks like dusty, wires, plugs are newish...taking a chance there.

Don't forget the blind plugs.

[tig]

I've been studying Rods instructions....

I have a new water pump. I think I ordered gaskets for it (crap!). Looks like dusty, wires, plugs are newish...taking a chance there.

Don't forget the blind plugs.

wha?

[wkohler]

Rocker shaft plugs. You replace them when you do the valve cover gasket.

11 33 1 264 519

[tig]

Rocker shaft plugs. You replace them when you do the valve cover gasket.

11 33 1 264 519

Shit. Unless I can find them locally tomorrow morning I guess some parts of this operation will have to wait. I wonder if the Stealer carries them...

[Kyle in NO]

Very likely, unless they really suck.

[Coldswede]

Also you might consider replacing the cam seal and related O-ring, especially if you have leaks from the front of the engine. it will be readily accessible when doing the T-Belt.

[tig]

(nevermind: only the headlamp is out; foglamp just had a bad connection)

[tig]

Here come post-detail photos.

Engine before:


Engine after:


Glam shots:

[tig]

Interior. Carpet cleaned up very well.













(I have a clean door jamb problem)










Few more engine shots:

[tig]

Exterior.

There's a few dings and small scratches and it's clear the front passenger door has been repainted. The roof has also been repainted above the front passenger door; it's the only part of the car that has orange peel. The rest is as smooth as a baby's bottom.

The finish on this car is *almost* as nice as Vlads (actually better in a few places where Vlad's paint is really thin like on the front of the hood).























I stole this car.

[Corner Carver]

She sure is a beaut'. Nice catch.

[tig]

Good progress is being made on the timing belt job.



Hit a snag though. Can't see a TDC mark on my camshaft sprocket. It should be a nice bold arrow per Bentleys and other docs. Going to get lunch and pick up all the parts I forgot to order at NAPA (between the dealer and them I have everything I need this weekend!).





Hopefully when I get back someone will have given me some idea what to do about the fact there's no TDC mark!

[Kyle in NO]

The TDC mark on the balancer is the vertical line between the O and T.

[tig]

Found it. Just needed better light. The engraving was just much lighter than what I'd seen in other pictures.

Circled it with a sharpie.

[waynet1]

Just one picture I'll add (from Rod's site) for you to ,well, think about.

[tig]

Just one picture I'll add (from Rod's site) for you to ,well, think about.

Sadly, because Rod's site does not load on my home network (!) I can't see said picture. :-(

[waynet1]

Here ya go.

[tig]

Here ya go.

Got it. Mine is stamped "W+P 1 86" and thus is not one of the really bad ones. My car was made 7/86 so must have JUST missed getting one of the recalled "W+P 2 86" sprockets. I'm sure there's a risk that this sprocket could fail, but there's no way I'm getting one of those newfangled ones in time, so will just risk it...

[tig]

Taking the intake manifold off with the engine in the car is a lot harder than I thought it would be.

Can the fuel rail and injectors be pulled out without taking the intake manifold off?

Clearly the valve cover can come off and that might make more room to get to the fuel rail/injectors.

[tig]

Done for the day.

- Timing belt off
- New water pump on
- New timing belt tensioner on
- AFM, boot, etc... off
- In-engine bay alarm crap pulled
- Heater control valve out
- Temporary heater control valve bypass ready













Tomorrow
- Install heater valve bypass
- R&R heater fan
- Pull valve cover
- Adjust valves (got all the parts today!)
- Clean injectors (if I can to it without removing intake)
- Re-assemble everything
- Replace wheel bearing
- Replace dog-bones
- Rip out alarm
- Fix stereo

Monday night (assuming heater valve rebuild kit comes as promised)
- Rebuild heater valve
- Pull AFM again and install rebuilt heater valve

[Kyle in NO]

Yes, the fuel rail and injectors can be pulled without removing the intake manifold. Pop injectors and rail out, then roll the whole assembly over the valve cover area and out.

[a]

Yes, the fuel rail and injectors can be pulled without removing the intake manifold. Pop injectors and rail out, then roll the whole assembly over the valve cover area and out.

They are easier to take out on that M20 than the later ones.. I use a Stanley pry-bar to start the injectors out of the intake. Lube the O-rings with gear oil when installing them.

[tig]

Yes, the fuel rail and injectors can be pulled without removing the intake manifold. Pop injectors and rail out, then roll the whole assembly over the valve cover area and out.

They are easier to take out on that M20 than the later ones.. I use a Stanley pry-bar to start the injectors out of the intake. Lube the O-rings with gear oil when installing them.

Thanks guys.



I take it that the valve adjustment should be done AFTER I've installed the new timing belt, otherwise I won't be able to move the crank/pistons.

I'm not finding any instructions on replacing the camshaft seal, other than in Bentley's under head disassembly (3.4.1). Is that the proceedure?

There was some RTV on the tops of the old blind plugs, should I do the same?

Can valve cover gaskets be re-used. The one I pulled off looks fine.

[Kyle in NO]

The valve cover gasket will leak, trust me. The newer Victor Reinz gaskets have a bead of silicone already imbedded for better sealing. You can smear a small amount of RTV over the blind plug to head joint to ensure a good seal.

[Coldswede]

No RTV on the blind plugs, they are under compression from the valve cover and need no sealer.

I just followed Mr Bentleys instruction for the cam seal and it worked perfectly. It is pretty simple anyway. Do note the sentence about setting the seal slightly deeper to let the lip ride on an unworn area.

[tig]

nbever mind

[tig]

The valve cover gasket will leak, trust me. The newer Victor Reinz gaskets have a bead of silicone already imbedded for better sealing. You can smear a small amount of RTV over the blind plug to head joint to ensure a good seal.

Roger that. I have a VR gasket and will use it. THanks.

[waynet1]

Might want to remove the oiling tube on top and flush it with solvent so it's sure to be clear.