Broken Oil Pump Tensioner Help!

[cobra]

Hi guys,
I am doing my rod bearings right now and a very unfortunate thing happened. I pushed the oil pump chain tensioner out of the way and it slipped off my finger. It sprung back against the chain a distance of about 1" and snapped in half! That plastic is extremely brittle.

Now I am trying to figure out how to replace this thing... it appears that the timing cover has to come off because I can't slide the tensioner forward enough to get it off the pivot pin before it touches something.

Very frustrated this long job had to get even longer. Does anyone have any tips for addressing this?

[bigjae46]

Hi guys,
I am doing my rod bearings right now and a very unfortunate thing happened. I pushed the oil pump chain tensioner out of the way and it slipped off my finger. It sprung back against the chain a distance of about 1" and snapped in half! That plastic is extremely brittle.

Now I am trying to figure out how to replace this thing... it appears that the timing cover has to come off because I can't slide the tensioner forward enough to get it off the pivot pin before it touches something.

Very frustrated this long job had to get even longer. Does anyone have any tips for addressing this?

I have even worse news…technically I’m pretty sure the cylinder head needs to come off to ensure the engine is leak free. Or at least BMW’s repair procedure will call for the head to come off

You can try pulling just the cover with the head on but there is a risk of a leak.


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[cobra]

Oh no please tell me that's not required

[Slideways]

Oh no please tell me that's not required

In this thread, the OP took the cover off without removing the head. As bigjae said, part of the headgasket is sealing the timing chain area. It might be worth a shot. If it leaks, then it needs a headgasket.

https://nam3forum.com/forums/forum/main-forum/e46-2001-2006/118926-new-to-me-m3-sparkly-oil-looking-for-impressions#post122679

[heinzboehmer]

Fortunately the head gasket is only sealing against oil leaks on top of the timing chain cover. So worst thing that can happen is that you get a leak. Not going to lose compression or anything like that.

I've removed mine without removing the head and have no leaks, but yes, technically you're supposed to replace the head gasket.

[cobra]

Fortunately the head gasket is only sealing against oil leaks on top of the timing chain cover. So worst thing that can happen is that you get a leak. Not going to lose compression or anything like that.

I've removed mine without removing the head and have no leaks, but yes, technically you're supposed to replace the head gasket.

Two questions:
-How do I remove it? Looks like I need to pull the water pump and crank pulley/balancer. Does that require special tools?

-Is the timing cover located with dowels or can it be slid upwards into place?

Now to figure out how to do this with the oil pan off already. The engine brace is currently holding the engine up by the mounting bracket that needs to be removed.

[bigjae46]

Pull off the crank damper. I just use a big impact…you will need to lock the crank to reinstall. It’s an angle torque spec.

The VANOS oil line will be in the way.

Might be able to get to the bolts near the water pump without removing.

Then there are a bunch of E4 external torx bolts. Be careful removing them. May need to do some degreasing first.

When you reinstall, drop of RTV where the top corners of the timing cover mate with the block and head gasket AND bottom corners where it makes with the block and oil pan gasket.

A good battery ratchet will make the job much faster. In my track car…I’d just pull the front end off and it would be pretty easy😊

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[cobra]

So I don't need a special tool to remove the crank pulley thing? I can't find a single diy on this. Maybe time to make one

[heinzboehmer]

-How do I remove it? Looks like I need to pull the water pump and crank pulley/balancer. Does that require special tools?

Yeah just follow what bigjae said. Looking through pictures of when I did mine, I did remove the water pump. Although, you might be able to get to all the bolts with some deep, thin e torx bits.

-Is the timing cover located with dowels or can it be slid upwards into place?

There's two dowels on opposite corners of the cover itself. But there's still just about enough play to get the cover back on without completely destroying the head gasket.

Now to figure out how to do this with the oil pan off already. The engine brace is currently holding the engine up by the mounting bracket that needs to be removed.

If you end up putting the subframe back on, leave the oil pan off. You need to have it off to remove the timing chain cover.

So I don't need a special tool to remove the crank pulley thing? I can't find a single diy on this. Maybe time to make one

Nah, parking brake up and transmission in sixth was good enough for me. I do recommend using an impact driver on the bolts though. They're e torx and the heads are easy to round. If you're going to be draining coolant to remove the water pump, I'd suggest taking the extra hour to remove the entire front end. There's loads more room that way.

I've replaced my front main seal twice and I only removed the front end the second time, but it was sooo much better that way.

I wish the old forum hadn't died like it did. I asked for help when I had to replace one of my timing chain guides (pretty sure bigjae was one of the people that helped me out a bunch) and had a whole thread where I documented how I did everything.

[bigjae46]

So I don't need a special tool to remove the crank pulley thing? I can't find a single diy on this. Maybe time to make one

No. Just an E12 socket and a crank lock. Or you can have someone step on the brake pedal. Crank lock is better.


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[cobra]

Alright... I think this is the plan:
-Reinstall subframe/motor mounts in order to remove engine support bar
-Remove wp and hoses (I need to replace this anyway and was going to put it off, I guess now is a good time)
-Remove crank pulley and timing cover, curse BMW for using so much plastic inside the engine

Parts needed/wanted:
-Timing chain gaskets left and right
-Oil pump chain guide/tensioner
-Front main seal
-Water pump & gaskets
-Thermostat

Looking on FCP there are also some o-rings and crush washers they are suggesting in their kit...

I will take photos and make a DIY to help out the forum since this sucks, and I can't be the only person to ever break this thing.

Is the crank lock the same as the little pin that goes in the OIT hole or something else?

[bigjae46]

Is the crank lock the same as the little pin that goes in the OIT hole or something else?

Yes.

Should have the oil pan dropped. You can just loosely bolt the oil pan and install the subframe.


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[heinzboehmer]

Alright... I think this is the plan:
-Reinstall subframe/motor mounts in order to remove engine support bar
-Remove wp and hoses (I need to replace this anyway and was going to put it off, I guess now is a good time)
-Remove crank pulley and timing cover, curse BMW for using so much plastic inside the engine

Parts needed/wanted:
-Timing chain gaskets left and right
-Oil pump chain guide/tensioner
-Front main seal
-Water pump & gaskets
-Thermostat

Looking on FCP there are also some o-rings and crush washers they are suggesting in their kit...

I will take photos and make a DIY to help out the forum since this sucks, and I can't be the only person to ever break this thing.

Is the crank lock the same as the little pin that goes in the OIT hole or something else?

You should add one more thing to your list:

-Curse BMW for making the front main seal so stupid hard to install without damage

But seriously, you should order a few and return any unused ones. They're suuuper easy to tear when installing and the special tool for installation is impossible to buy.

[cobra]

I got the subframe mounted temporarily so I can do the work in front. Got the bolts off the front damper thing. Those were insanely tight!!

How does the damper come off? Is it keyed or could I put it back on wrong?

edit: NVM, I see that it's got a dowel pin on the backside and probably just need to tap it off.

Thanks for the tips on the front main seal.

This appears to be the exact same thing as the Genuine BMW one and is listed as OE. https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...nt-11142249532

[sapote]

Fortunately the head gasket is only sealing against oil leaks on top of the timing chain cover. So worst thing that can happen is that you get a leak. Not going to lose compression or anything like that.
I've removed mine without removing the head and have no leaks, but yes, technically you're supposed to replace the head gasket.

The head was bolted down (after the chain cover was installed to the block) and compressed the gasket between the head and the cover. So the compressed gasket will be destroyed when trying to remove the cover (sliding forward off the 2 dowel pins). The only way to avoid damaging the gasket is to remove the 2 dowel pins first before removing the cover bolts. If removing dowel pins is the method being used, then during install the cover back, it must be pushed up to compress the gasket, then install the 2 dowel pins, then the bolts. A messy work.