E30 Zone

hi all i have an m40 with a slightly tappy cam not as bad as some but starting to get on my nerves anyway if i was to buy something like a piper or kent cam how much do you guys reckon it should cost to get fitted and can anyone reccomend anyone in the cardiff area that can do the job

thanks
richie

hey the problem is that the tapping isn't your cam its your tappets,,


doesn't do any harm just really annoying

ad318i wrote:hey the problem is that the tapping isn't your cam its your tappets,,


doesn't do any harm just really annoying

Are they solid or hydraulic tappets on an M40?

they are hydraulic on the m40, i thort on the m40 the cams were prone to wear issues, thats what happend on my old 316i. i was quoted £400 supply and fit of a standard cam but the guy fookd off to australia ive heard it costing people over £800

It's pretty easy to do yourself if you have the knowledge?

Depending on how many mile's the engine has done, usually can get away with just changing the hydraulic tappet's
Mine was alot better when i did this

my car has done 103k with a fsh i wouldnt do it myself coz everything i seem to do mechanicly turns to mush lol

cass1_5503 wrote: but the guy fookd off to australia

That wasn't a guy called Barry was it?

That wasn't a guy called Barry was it?



nah his name was anthony he worked in a garage called prestige motors he f**kd off as soon as i had saved the cash to have it done lol

cass1_5503 wrote:my car has done 103k with a fsh i wouldnt do it myself coz everything i seem to do mechanicly turns to mush lol

Mine had done about 115k when i changed the tappet's, it quietened down alot, but it was'nt that loud anyway

I would'nt say your engine has done enough mile's to worry about a cam change yet anyway, was told also by Bexley Motor Work's that it's not really worth sticking a high lift cam in a M40 anyway so don't waste ya money!


HTH

cheers fella mines not that loud but its annoying and i no its just going to get worse quickly ill probably just go for a standard cam and save the cash

If your still gonna change the cam (ther is no need), you will still need to change the lifter's which are about £90 on there own!

Good luck with your decision but you don't need to waste money changing a cam aswell

Mine makes a slight noise also, gets louder under strain, for example going up hills. Its annoying, let us know how you get on an what it costs you.

Paul

jonbuoy wrote:If your still gonna change the cam (ther is no need), you will still need to change the lifter's which are about £90 on there own!

Good luck with your decision but you don't need to waste money changing a cam aswell

ill get the rocker cover off see if there is any wear if not ill just change the lifters thanx for the advice fella

do the whole lot cam/rockers/tappets from gsf it all comes to about 265.00 for the bits and they are supposed to be oem i did mine and what a improvement a bolt on 25% power increase and quiet dont forget the new spraybar ...the whole problem on the m40 is lack of proper oil changes that block the spray bar this causes premature wear if it is tapping as a result of lack of oil then im sure you will find wear on the camshaft lobes as well as the rockers the tappets are hydraulic and may not have oil in them (they have a small whole in the side for the oil this could be blocked as well)the spray bar oils all 3 components change the lot it will be so much better the cam is about 65.00 i compared it with the original bmw one and all the markings were the same ....as previously said dont skimp on a new cam belt and tensioner and maybe a water pump whilst its in bits long live the m40 its not that bad

thats what my original plan was change everything but i have heard a few different opinions and some people say its a waste of time doing the lot i have to agree the m40 aint that bad its quite frugal and smooth most of the time its just people with 2.5s give it grief.

Start by cleaning inside the head + new spray bar underneath the rocker cover and the plastic bit with carb cleaner. Then change the oil and use something pretty thin like 10w40. This has helped a few m40's in the past.

bmwe30mtech wrote:Mine makes a slight noise also, gets louder under strain, for example going up hills. Its annoying, let us know how you get on an what it costs you.

Paul

This may be the exhaust manifold gasket.

Gwynleym10 wrote:

bmwe30mtech wrote:Mine makes a slight noise also, gets louder under strain, for example going up hills. Its annoying, let us know how you get on an what it costs you.

Paul

This may be the exhaust manifold gasket.

Sounds like tappets to me, its not bad at all realy. Something strange is that it comes and goes, one short journey it may be near silent, and the next it might be quite loud (in comparisom). Seems to sepend how it starts up, if its tapping i can turn off the key, turn it back on and it may be gone. I dont understnad this at all. It might be to do with my fn clutch, as i know this is broken.

Paul

"""Sounds like tappets to me, its not bad at all realy. Something strange is that it comes and goes, one short journey it may be near silent, and the next it might be quite loud (in comparisom). Seems to sepend how it starts up, if its tapping i can turn off the key, turn it back on and it may be gone"""


same ere depends on the weather aswell lol

cass1_5503 wrote:same ere depends on the weather aswell lol

Thats something i havent noticed yet, but will be looking out for now!

Rather than spend all that money would it not be better to just put a M42 (the 318iS) engine head on yours, or even whole new M42 engine. I would do this if it wasnt for insurance.

does the head fit then never thort of that, thing is thats the problem ere the insurance im only 18 and the insurance companys have got me over a barrel even tho its a 15 year old car they still see it as being a highly nickable car

Surely the insurance would have nothing to say about swapping one 1.8 engine for another 1.8 engine, even though the m42 has about 30 more bhp. Insurance companies don't care how many cams or valves its got? I'm thinking of doing this when i have the time. Bottom end isn't the same is it?

bigmattpowell wrote:Surely the insurance would have nothing to say about swapping one 1.8 engine for another 1.8 engine, even though the m42 has about 30 more bhp. Insurance companies don't care how many cams or valves its got? I'm thinking of doing this when i have the time. Bottom end isn't the same is it?

they may say something if you have a prang and your cars a wright off
they wont pay out when they check your car out

cass1_5503 wrote:does the head fit then never thort of that, thing is thats the problem ere the insurance im only 18 and the insurance companys have got me over a barrel even tho its a 15 year old car they still see it as being a highly nickable car

Yer it does fit. Not a hard job either im told. I would do it but im only almost 18 as well, and insurance already kills me.

Argos wrote:Forget fitting an M42 head to an M40 block - only the block is the same. The M42 has different pistons, front timing case etc etc. Dropping an M42 engine in isn't a bad job - H35 Ian has a couple for about £200. You can use the existing gearbox but you'll need the engine complete with loom and ECU. About a day's work to fit with a mate and an engine crane. The M42 is a superb unit and everything they say about it being a junior S14 M3 engine is true. It's so much better than the M40 that it's hard to believe they're related. You can try it with the M40 rad although the M42 rad is slightly bigger.
Personally I'd rather do this that trying to fix some ratbag M40 which was never a great engine even when new - BMW's answer to the Ford CVH only not as good.

Thats interesting, although i dont agree with the anit M40 comments.

I think i will do this one day, as my gearbox is perfect, veyr tight yet smooth, and i have been in a few M40 cars and a few IS cars, and as you say the difference is huge.

cass1_5503 is 18 though, so surely IS insurance is a lot. I was once told its the same as 318iLUX insurance? (which is what i have)

Paul

mines a lux aswell funnily enough im not mechanicly capable to change an engine it work out hell of alot cheaper to change the engine i supose, can anyone recomend someone in the south wales area to do the change