Barnyard/Shade Tree Valve Job

Ulrich

Ulrich

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Howdy ... well I hit the 6000 miles on the weekend and thought it is time for that valve job / oil change and I thought I share that with you.
Just to head this off at the gate, this is the way I do it to MY bike, what you do to yours and/or if you prefer to have a dealer/mechanic do it is absolutely your business.
But, I thought for those of us that like to do it ourselves ... you might find a couple ideas here ;)
First a little theory:
To do this, the engine should be rotated to the TDC of the compression stroke ... at that time both valves are 100% closed (or they better be)
4-stroke theory.png
At that time you can adjust intake and exhaust valve nicely.
I have to also mention that I was a little puzzled that BMW didn't add some sort of service cover to the chest plate (front engine cover) so I would be able to use a socket
on the crankshaft to roll the engine over. That was easier on my 'Chrome-Head' but I am not going to take half the bike apart just to get to that nut.
So I do it the 'old fashioned way, put her in high gear and turn the rear wheel. Well 6th gear is a little over 1:1 on final drive .. that means one rotation (approximately) of the wheel
is one rotation on the crankshaft ... that works for me :)
Ohhhh .. and before I forget .. I still don't have a lift to get the rear wheel up in the air ... so I went really Barnyard and rolled the bike on the floor :LOL:
Let's get started. I removed the Valve Cover-Covers (best as what I can call these things)
Left Side Cover still on.jpg

I kept all the bolts and such together on the side I took them off.
Sparkplugs and all.

Right Side Stripped.jpg

This is the view with everything off.
And I want to point out that this is the tiniest sparkplug I have ever dealt with !!! Looks like something from a model engine ... not something that is in an 1800 cc engine!

Tiny Spark Plug.jpg

I don't even have a sparkplug wrench that small ! Had to use a 14 mm socket (9/16" will work too) to get it out.
Well ... anyway .. both sides are stripped to a point where I can get to everything .. and I also removed the crank sensor.


I don't know how many pics can be in one post .. so I figure I best split it up .. more to come ...


EDIT: Please see also post #13, Cornel added the BMW maintenance bulletin .pdf for adjusting the valves!!
 
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the story continues ...

So at this time I have all the bits off that need to be off and the gear box in 6th gear ... I slowly push the bike forward until I see the exhaust valve open and close
and then immediately the intake valve do the same .. stop right there .. the engine should now be 180º off TDC right before the compression stroke.
At this time I insert my trusty bamboo skewer in the sparkplug hole and then slowly move the bike more forward until the piston reaches the top.

Right Side with Measuring Stick.jpg

That should be pretty close .. now it is time to have a peek at the timing hole .. and wouldn't you know it I can already see one of the notches!
Now I put an old nylon cutting board under the kickstand (so it can slide) and use a very large wrench on that big hexnut on the Gearbox out drive
to bring it exactly into position

Big Wrench.jpg

Tadaa! .. this is where it should be

Timing Mark.jpg

I am ready to do my initial measurements to see where she is at.
Right side:

Right Side w numbers.jpg

Left side:


Left Side w numbers.jpg

Well that explains why she sounded like a centipede with a couple peg legs!!!


... to be continued.
 
... the actual adjustment.

I have a nice 6" metrics feeler gage that works well for multi valve engines.
Slide it in between the valve stem and the Elephant's Foot (at least that is what they call it on a VW Beatle)

Right Side with Feeler Gage.jpg

I slid it in with the 0.25 mm gage ... then loosen the jamb nut with a 10 mm box-wrench (you can use open-end but I prefer box)
and insert the tiny hex-key to adjust ... gently (very gently !!) seat the adjuster on the valve stem with the gage in between
and then tighten the jamb nut .. double check you measurement!! check often ... you really do not want to get them too tight !!
I used the .25 mm to set and then the 0.2 mmm to check ... IMO the 0.25 mmm should have some drag on it when you move it between
the valve stem and the adjuster and the 0.2 mm should slide freely.

Feeler close up.jpg

That is about all there is for the right hand side ... after all the jamb nuts are tightened and everything double checked ... I am moving to the left side.

Pull in the clutch move the bike backwards .. let go of the clutch and watch the valves do their dance (on the left side) ... put the stick in ... bring it close and then check with the timing mark.

Wash rinse and repeat the adjustment procedure from the other side.

After i put everything back together (and yes I use thread-locker blue everywhere) it is time to start her up. do not get shocked if you hear a couple louder 'clonks' (but really only a couple!!!)
When you move the engine in that way you will loose the timing chain tensioners possibly and the chains will 'slap' for just a moment when you fire up the engine .. it should be very quick ... if the noise
stays .. you messed up somewhere immediately stop the engine and re-check !!!!

Anyway .. I fired her up and let her run nice and hot so I can change the oil.

Ohhhh POOO I completely forgot to mention that I adjust my valves always cold !!!!

And one last thought .. thank you BMW for using such a f..in special wrench for your Oil Filters .. I had nothing that fit .. not even the one from the Chrome Head!
Well some very good pliers did the trick .. now I have a K&N filter in there that can be removed with a 17 mm wrench! Much better.

Thats it .. I hope you all have fun :cool:
 
As per the local BMW mechanic 0.2 to 0.3 mm for both exhaust and intake (yes that felt odd .. I am used to the exhaust valve being a bit bigger gap) ... I opted to go in the middle ... I used the 0.25 gage to set and then the 0.2 to check .. so best guess they are just (and I mean just) under 0.25 mm.
The engine sounds good and the valves make a nice and even clacke-di-clack noise.
 
pbosik said:
Excellent write up! I believe that our initial readings were the same, and we both set the clearance the same. I like your method...I used 4 separate feeler gauges at once, lol.
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Holy Moly!! how many hands do you have !! 😧 .. I am having trouble hanging on to one!!
 
Cornel said:
Another nice write-up Ulrich!

Here is the Valve Adjustment Instructions from the BMW Shop Manual. (See attached file).
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And that is much appreciated! Thank you for adding the .pdf to this thread ... great to have it in print ... I will Edit the original post to include a pointer to that :)
 
I may change my "valve adjustment" appointment with my dealership this morning, and just have them replace the brake fluid and reset the service indicator; I think the valve adjustment is completely in reach of mechanical capabilities at this point.

Thanks to the folks who have made excellent contributions...
 
Scott Semone said:
I may change my "valve adjustment" appointment with my dealership this morning, and just have them replace the brake fluid and reset the service indicator; I think the valve adjustment is completely in reach of mechanical capabilities at this point.

Thanks to the folks who have made excellent contributions...
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Give it a whirl ! se how it goes :) ... and I fully agree on the contributions from folks, that is what a forum should be all about IMO ... and you wonderful videos!
 
Ulrich said:
Give it a whirl ! se how it goes :) ... and I fully agree on the contributions from folks, that is what a forum should be all about IMO ... and you wonderful videos!
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Before I take this ON for my first time; I have a silly question - do I need to drain the engine case oil in order to remove the cylinder head/valve cover?
 
Short answer ...nope. But there will be just a few drops ... very few, just a little oil that is stuck on the covers. The sump is way lower ... so no worries about that.

Edit: ... you don't have to remove the head!! just the outside decorative cover and then the actual valve cover. Be gentle on the Neoprene gaskets ... wipe them down with a clean cloth or paper towel and re-use ;)

Edit2: Sorry for the delayed answer ... was out with the dog.
 
Ulrich said:
Short answer ...nope. But there will be just a few drops ... very few, just a little oil that is stuck on the covers. The sump is way lower ... so no worries about that.

Edit: ... you don't have to remove the head!! just the outside decorative cover and then the actual valve cover. Be gentle on the Neoprene gaskets ... wipe them down with a clean cloth or paper towel and re-use ;)

Edit2: Sorry for the delayed answer ... was out with the dog.
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Thank you.. I noticed oil starting to leak out once I loosened up the valve cover and got worried and tightened everything up... I'm going to dive in and give it a shot now..

I see that you called out a 13 mm socket, did you order the BMW spark plug tool; I don't think I have a 13 mm socket that is deep enough the R18 spark plug?
 
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Scott Semone said:
Thank you.. I noticed oil starting to leak out once I loosened up the valve cover and got worried and tightened everything up... I'm going to dive in and give it a shot now..
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I will leave the forum open on the laptop if you get stuck somewhere ... just go about it easy and you will be done in no time ... oh and when you turn the rear wheel try not to turn it against the driving direction ... it is not super bad .. but it is easier on the timing chain tensioners that way :)
 
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