Swapping engines

[JFP in PA]

We have had excellent results with the factory parts and generally only use them unless the customer request something special, only then if we think their choice is not going to lead to problems.

We replace the disc, pressure plate, all bolts, throw out bearing, and pilot bearing in a standard replacement. The flywheel only gets replaced if it is either severely heat checked or fails the factory "twist test" for the dual mass assembly.

[cooler]

Originally Posted by JFP in PA

We have had excellent results with the factory parts and generally only use them unless the customer request something special, only then if we think their choice is not going to lead to problems.

We replace the disc, pressure plate, all bolts, throw out bearing, and pilot bearing in a standard replacement. The flywheel only gets replaced if it is either severely heat checked or fails the factory "twist test" for the dual mass assembly.

Hello, I am really hoping someone could measure the distance from the engine/bellhousing flange to the flywheel friction surface on the M96 (I believe this measurement is the same on all variants) Should be about 50mm. be accurate to the mm.

[LoneWolfGal]

I suspect a number of folks who hang out here have bought aftermarket clutch parts. Those who have, do you have any recommendations?

[elgyqc]

Originally Posted by LoneWolfGal

I suspect a number of folks who hang out here have bought aftermarket clutch parts. Those who have, do you have any recommendations?

I have used the EPS disk on two cars, good price, no complaints.
https://www.europeanpartssolution.com/power-friction-clutch-disc
... with the new bolts, used flywheel and pressure plate.

[LoneWolfGal]

I couldn't stop fiddling with the cams while waiting for the replacement compression tool to arrive, and I was struck by a Grant Hargraveish idea. First, I used a carpenter's clamp positioned on the new pads to fully compress the VarioCam. (And a C-clamp would have worked just as well, but I didn't have one large enough on hand.) Next, I threaded a heavy-duty pull tie through the holes for the compression tool and pulled it tight to keep the device compressed. Then I removed the clamp. The chain fit over the pads with hardly any trouble. Last, I snipped the pull tie and removed it.

Only one hitch, and I'm not sure it's a problem. I carefully kept the lighter-color chain links mated to the divots in the sprockets so that the cams would be in time with each other. I wanted to keep them both at 12 o'clock (while they were on the table). However, during the manipulation necessary to get the chain in place over the pads the cams rotated a teeny bit, to 1 o'clock, enough so the intake cam's link and divot are slightly apart, even though they're still lined up (see photo 2). I should have checked that before I snipped the pull-tie, because the cams can't be rotated without compressing the pads again. My question is, is it necessary to correct the problem so that both cams' links and divots are at 12 o'clock before they're installed in the head? Or can the cams be rotated slightly by hand after they're installed, with the cam tool inserted into the ends of the cams, the cam retainer loosely bolted in place, and before the double chain's sprocket is bolted to the exhaust cam?





The clamp/pull-tie method certainly works, but I'm going to wait until I have the compression tool to do bank 2's cams, so I can get my money's worth out of it.

[elgyqc]

Originally Posted by LoneWolfGal

I couldn't stop fiddling with the cams while waiting for the replacement compression tool to arrive, and I was struck by a Grant Hargraveish idea...

LOL
Not original though, I think this is suggested in the Pelican instructions.

Originally Posted by LoneWolfGal

Only one hitch, and I'm not sure it's a problem. I carefully kept the lighter-color chain links mated to the divots in the sprockets so that the cams would be in time with each other. I wanted to keep them both at 12 o'clock (while they were on the table). However, during the manipulation necessary to get the chain in place over the pads the cams rotated a teeny bit, to 1 o'clock, enough so the intake cam's link and divot are slightly apart, even though they're still lined up (see photo 2). I should have checked that before I snipped the pull-tie, because the cams can't be rotated without compressing the pads again. My question is, is it necessary to correct the problem so that both cams' links and divots are at 12 o'clock before they're installed in the head? Or can the cams be rotated slightly by hand after they're installed, with the cam tool inserted into the ends of the cams, the cam retainer loosely bolted in place, and before the double chain's sprocket is bolted to the exhaust cam?

I don't have a spare engine at the moment (just sold it) so I am trying to visualise this. My understanding is the following...
WIth the crank at TDC for the cylinder bank in question and the slot in the end of the exhaust cam parallel with the valve cover mating surface (and/or - the cam tool installed in the ends of the cams) that cam is properly positioned. Positioning the second cam is a product of the number of chain links between the divots as you call them. You can simply count the links... or use the coloured links... or both. If I remember correctly with the compression bolt in place you can even reposition the cam sprockets vis-a-vis one another. You can move the cams once they are installed in the head before installing the cam tool and attaching the sprocket for the timing chain. With the cam tool installed in the ends of the cams nothing will move, but the divot for the exhaust cam is by definition in the right place. With the divots properly placed the slot in the end of the intake cam should be properly aligned also.
Hope this is clearer for the reader than it is for the writer.

[LoneWolfGal]

Thanks, Grant. This is an esoteric process and difficult to describe clearly. By "cam tool," I was referring to the tool on the right, which fits into the ends of the cams without locking their rotation but prevents them from falling out. By "cam retainer," I meant the tool on the left, which also keeps the cams from falling out. The lighter-color links are seven links apart and were paired with the divots on the sprockets. So even if the cams rotated a bit during the process of fitting the chain over the pads, it would only matter if the chain jumped a tooth and a lighter link was no longer lined up with its divot. Also, it's my understanding that, once they're loosely held in place by these tools, the cams can be rotated by hand if necessary to line up the slot.