M50 Eng 4L30E Trans RRR - Far More Than I Ever Expected

[ryan roopnarine]

No. 7 was part of a TSB for engine ping caused by air being sucked in with oil--they have to have it somewhere. I don't remember how much it was when I bought it, but I'm sure that it was some rediculous amount like $15 or such.

[93 525 Paul]

No. 7 was part of a TSB for engine ping caused by air being sucked in with oil--they have to have it somewhere. I don't remember how much it was when I bought it, but I'm sure that it was some ridiculous amount like $15 or such.

Dealer didn't have it so I made one from gasket material. Maybe I'm lucky they didn't...

I...appreciate your stick-to-it-edness, granted, with long pauses between periods of recalling where you left off...
Dave

Well trying to recall where I left off and where I left stuff. Thought it was all in two places, bagged and tagged. Not entirely, couldn't find the dowels that go between the block and head, so I couldn't install the head. Tried to make a couple of dowels but they fit the block and I assumed they'd fit the head as well, but NOOOOO. Couldn't get the head to drop down over the dowels. So, eff it, found the part numbers and ordered some from theBMWPartStore.com. Worth checking them out, they have a nice search dealie where you put in your parts numbers and it gives you the item description and price. Good pricing, comparable to the best, BMA, AutoHausAZ and the rest.

Here she is with the front cover and pan on

Cheers!

[genphreak]

Hahhah... more 'M pr0n'! Do shoot more close-ups of all the booty on that sweet piece of black metal... as yo get the tiem and inclination.

The pump is a nice piece of work. Are you swapping the drive sprocket? I can't see how bad it is but on the M30s I know the sprocket teeth wear sharp too but you have to put in a new chain and both sprockets else they will chew each other to bits in time. They don't cost much and make for good piece of mind.

[93 525 Paul]

Dayum. Just installed the head last night and torquing the head bolts (new) to 22 ft lb then 90* then another 90* was a chore. I weigh 200 and lift weights and can bench 140% of my body weight but that was a b*tch. Even using a breaker bar. Man, I needed more leverage and a less top heavy engine/engine stand setup. Holy crap!

[93 525 Paul]

The bagged and tagged bits are coming in handy about now. Many of the baggies are empty and the engine stand is starting to feel like it has a load on it.
Head on, primary chain installed, timed. Used a 1/2" socket in the chain tensioner collar finger tight to put manual tension on the chain. Secondary chain installed, timed, clocked and ready for Vanos installation. On hold at the minute awaiting the Beisan o-ring kit. Vanos piston seemed awfully free in the bore and on further inspection the o-ring under the teflon ring (the one that's supposed to provide wall tension) is hard as rock. Viton o-ring and a new teflon o-ring ordered.

Long block with few accessories


Long block with some of the accessories installed, vanos housing sitting in place, no piston in the bore just yet.

[93 525 Paul]

Got a bit of work done over the weekend. Stormy weather was perfect for some garage time.
Rebuilt the vanos with the kit from Beisan Systems and followed their directions. The old o-ring beneath the teflon o-ring was hard as a rock and provided virtually no wall tension. The new viton o ring (not exactly a bargain at $30 for a viton o-ring and a teflon 0-ring but hey, it made sense) provides really good wall tension. Huge difference in manually moving the vanos piston old versus new.


Followed the pelicanparts.com instructions on vanos installation, better than the others I've seen. He makes the point that you want the "first slot" when you have the ex cam sprocket bolts loose and have the secondary chain turned all the way clockwise before you insert the vanos gear. As the gear is inserted the secondary chain will turn back to the left a bit, counterclockwise. What isn't pointed out is that you can try the vanos gear in several positions until you minimize how far CC the secondary chain assy has to turn. In this pic I show an engagement that is a half tooth off. I found one that was almost spot on. You have to expect mother Beemer did that for a reason.


and buttoned up the top end. Left the spark plugs and COPs off for now. I want to spin it with the starter with the plugs out to build oil pressure before firing it. Background is cluttered, but I couldn't leave the Super Cobra Jet Mustang out in the hail.

[93 525 Paul]

May be a good idea to start a 4L30E rebuild thread. There were several lessons therein, but one of the best things I did was download and read a document I found at http://scottj.info/files/isuzu/4l30e.pdf it's titled "GENERAL MOTORS® Hydra-Matic 4L30-E automatic transmission Assembly manual by Hans Verhoeven New Zealand 2008" and it's pure gold. Nicely written step by step assembly with good color pics and part by part references all including the part name and reference number. I read it several times and printed it out in color and put it in a binder. Also got the ATSG manual that is in b/w and uses illlustrations. On tear down I used a zillion baggies and used the numbers from the reference chart. God bless Hans Verhoeven...

[Dave M]

Well, done. You've got lots going on with kids and activities. I did my rebuild pre-kids (now have two) so appreciate your stick-to-it-edness, granted, with long pauses bertween periods of recalling where you left off and frenetic knuckle scraping.

Yes, the oil pump is a beautiful piece, very simple. Looks like something a hundred years old with its little sprocket and springs. Its a shame to hide in the bowels of your M50.

Anyhow, keep up the good work and have fun.

Dave

[Russell]

Very impressive. You got skills!

[93 525 Paul]

So I have the remanned tc in there and mated the tranny to the engine. Have the hoist and am readying to poke it in there. Before I do, I want to fill the tranny. Pelican Technical Article: BMW Automatic Transmission Fluid Change
recommends I drop the front sump pan and fill it and install it. Worth the trouble and new gasket or no? Was thinking I'd lean the engine tranny over on its side a bit and overfill it a skosh rather than drop the front pan...