Another camshafts and followers worn thread

[mr wilks]

Found this which confirmed he did track the car. That doesn't mean this was inevitable though or necessarily the cause.

http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=22160&p=312618#p312618

,
Thanks for taking the time OG ,whilst i'm not saying a tracked car causes the problem i am curious as to the connection between the cars that develop the problem & whether they have been tracked as that does raise the next question as to what level they have been pushed ? The odd few laps casually driven around a track ? can't see a problem , countless trackdays pushing the car to max with little or no pre prep or ugrades then maybe you will accelerate any possible issues ?
Its certainly a interesting topic & the recent spate indicates there will be more

 

[Z4M-2006]

It has to be oil starvation or degradation that causes the problem.....

The only other thing i can think of is....

When the valve clearances are set,they are set because they can go tight as well as loose... A tight follower due to lack of adjustment or badly shimmed would definitely accelerate wear..
The shear strength of the oil would be broken down due to overheating on the bad follower...Effectively the oil cannot lubricate properly because there isnt a sufficient valve lifter clearance to allow oil to enter...

 

[mr wilks]

A tight follower due to lack of adjustment or badly shimmed would definitely accelerate wear..
The shear strength of the oil would be broken down due to overheating on the bad follower...Effectively the oil cannot lubricate properly because there isnt a sufficient valve lifter clearance to allow oil to enter...

I think both the 2 recent cases had not long had their Ins2 badly done valve clearances maybe ? + a trackday

 

[srhutch]

Found this which confirmed he did track the car. That doesn't mean this was inevitable though or necessarily the cause.

http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=22160&p=312618#p312618

I maybe wrong but I thought Jamiez bought the car off steve220 So might not be the same one.

 

[mmm-five]

Mine's on the track/Ring/hoon a bit, and does high-ish annual road mileage.

However, my oil is changed every 3-4 months, clearances done every 8-9 months and diff/gearbox oil every year.

 

[TomK]

Here was my parts bill for my engine work at simpsons earlier this year. Bearings and gaskets obviously not necessarily part of the work. These are the Schrick288/280 cams though little difference in price between the 3 specs, a little cheaper than the BMW ones though apparently. I also supplies uprated ARP bolts
Add vat onto all of this, and a fair amount of labour :roll:
1.00 Intake Cams 607.71 - 607.71
1.00 Exhaust Cams 461.49 - 461.49
24.00 Rockers 39.73 - 953.52
12.00 Bearings 16.50 - 198.00
1.00 Sump Gasket 25.67 - 25.67
1.00 Head Gasket 131.01 - 131.01
1.00 Set of Bolts 34.32 - 34.32
1.00 Oil Filter 13.19 - 13.19
6.50 Castrol Engine Oil 12.50 - 81.25

 

[BMWZ4MC]

Removing the cams in S54 in the Z4M relatively more difficult than it is in the E46 M3 due to the lengh of the camshafts and difficult access, and setting up the cams and followers requires an experienced mechanic with specialist equipment hence the enormous labour costs. The cams themselves cost £1K+ depending on specfication, and the cost of 24 followers isn't far off another £1K.

The S54 runs rather hotter on the track than it does with road use, even when driven hard. Oil degradation must be greater with more frequent heat cycles and higher engine temperatures. I service mine to death with oil changes every few thousand miles or after every two or three track days. Even so, every time I drive it I listen for the dreaded TickTickTick... I have plans to research the options available for engine oils more suited to regular track use although I've not had much time so far.

On a related topic, my Westfield engine was rebuilt with a new head and fast road cams when the car was built. The cams lasted about 10,000 miles, most of which were on the track and all of which were driven hard. Despite regular oil changes, the case hardening disappeared and flat spots developed. Replacing them was fairly straight forward, so the labour cost was zero and parts came to only a few hundred pounds.

 

[mr wilks]

Mine's on the track/Ring/hoon a bit, and does high-ish annual road mileage.

However, my oil is changed every 3-4 months, clearances done every 8-9 months and diff/gearbox oil every year.

I'm guessing you have a trusted tech who has done all your valve clearances ?

 

[Bing]

The list of things to check at my insp 2 in 6,500 miles is getting worryingly long

Interestingly regarding oil... I stopped by my indie the other day to have him give my front discs the once over. On determining they were fine and me telling him when my insp is due he said he'd be doing interim oil changes as the mileage intervals are too long an I'd 'cry at the state of some of the engines' he sees and what comes out of them, even with normal road use. He pointed at a new SLK they had in and said Mercedes now specify annual oil services for all their cars irrespective of mileage for that reason. No reason to doubt him, though it seemed like overkill... Until I read this. Now I'm seriously considering having them just do the oil & filter in the near future...

 

[zmaster007]

Found this which confirmed he did track the car. That doesn't mean this was inevitable though or necessarily the cause.

http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=22160&p=312618#p312618

You're right about the owners locations, but the spec of VroomM doesn't match my car - I don't have extended leather or privacy glass.
My car was previously owned by Jbtco

 

[BMWZ4MC]

Bing, you can keep the service book 'clean' by servicing as per schedule and then do additional oil +/- filter changes yourself. I have a vacuum pump that allows me to aspirate the engine oil directly through the oil dipstick port. I haven't used it on my ///M yet, but a recent oil and filter change on my S2000 took me 20 minutes, didn't make a mess and didn't necessitate crawling under the car.

 

[mmm-five]

I'm guessing you have a trusted tech who has done all your valve clearances ?

I do now that it's out of warranty. But he also did all my non-warranty stuff over the last 6 years and worked on my M5s.

From the day I bought it he said the intervals were too long, so he's been doing the interim oil, brake fluid & valve clearances for me. Not had to change more than about 3 shims at any time, and not used any oil inbetween.

The only problem I'm going to have shortly is that he's moving to about 280 miles away from me - and nowhere near where I'm working. So it's going to be a 5 hour each-way drive (and a tank of petrol) for a simple oil change. Will have to start doing them myself again and only going to him when I've got enough work to justify leaving the car with him for a week.

 

[Bing]

That's pretty cool - I'd have to do the messy method

6l of oil (5.5l for a change ?) and a filter from Opie oils is only about £77 all in. Never changed the oil on a car before though so some reading would be required

 

[original guvnor]

Found this which confirmed he did track the car. That doesn't mean this was inevitable though or necessarily the cause.

http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=22160&p=312618#p312618

You're right about the owners locations, but the spec of VroomM doesn't match my car - I don't have extended leather or privacy glass.
My car was previously owned by Jbtco

Ah yes I remember him. Thanks to you and Steve for correcting me

 

[mj2k]

Bing, you can keep the service book 'clean' by servicing as per schedule and then do additional oil +/- filter changes yourself. I have a vacuum pump that allows me to aspirate the engine oil directly through the oil dipstick port. I haven't used it on my ///M yet, but a recent oil and filter change on my S2000 took me 20 minutes, didn't make a mess and didn't necessitate crawling under the car.

Are you able to get the dregs out that might still be sitting there with worn metal particles in it? Can you post a link to the pump please, as sounds perfect.

Bing, you can do CDV removals with ease, I'm sure oil will be easy for you!

 

[Z4M-2006]

I would be dropping the oil every 6k or 12 months... Whichever comes first..

For the £100 it will cost ( at an Indy) it's a no brainer..

 

[srhutch]

That's pretty cool - I'd have to do the messy method

6l of oil (5.5l for a change ?) and a filter from Opie oils is only about £77 all in. Never changed the oil on a car before though so some reading would be required

Lidl had the pumps for about £15 a few months ago. Jembo posted a link to them. No idea how often they repeat their items as I usually never go near the place :lol:

 

[Bing]

Never even saw that. In the first place I'd just pay my indie to do it, easier.

 

[Smartbear]

I used to service my smart cars (fortwo & roadster) myself, neither of them even have sump bolts so i used a pela vacume pump to suck the oil out the dip stick hole.
There were concerns about leaving sludgy dregs inside the engine though & some aftermarket companys produced sumps with a traditional sump bolt to drain from for peace of mind.
regards

 

[BMWZ4MC]

Bing, you can keep the service book 'clean' by servicing as per schedule and then do additional oil +/- filter changes yourself. I have a vacuum pump that allows me to aspirate the engine oil directly through the oil dipstick port. I haven't used it on my ///M yet, but a recent oil and filter change on my S2000 took me 20 minutes, didn't make a mess and didn't necessitate crawling under the car.

Are you able to get the dregs out that might still be sitting there with worn metal particles in it? Can you post a link to the pump please, as sounds perfect.

Bing, you can do CDV removals with ease, I'm sure oil will be easy for you!

As srhutch says, they appear from time to time at unexpected outlets. Have a look on Amazon and eBay and I expect you'll find one.

Next time I might aspirate the oil to dryness then remove the sump plug to see if there's a significant residual volume. I'd be very surprised if there is.