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Engine rebuild LHD #231

152K views 173 replies 26 participants last post by  raymondw 
#1 · (Edited)
E28S M5’s are like a good glass of whine. For the right occasion that is. I had one for last Sunday when I had to travel to Wittlich in Rheinland-Pfalz, a state in the West of Germany. Also the Nurburgring is part of this state that has long since been governed by leftist politicians. Left does not necessarily mean green, especially not with the smell of money.

My main goal were the returning participants of the Europarit who have to follow a strict route during which they have to carry out tasks that determine the overall classifications. This event is not about speed, but more about regularity, precise navigation and a sharp eye for objects that have to be recognized. Since 1994 I have been an official for this event, up until 2001 for the full five days and after 2002 for the first or the last day only. I have used my E34S M5 for my Europarit related trips since 1999, but this year, I preferred the E28S provided the weather is stable and dry. One doesn’t want to mix a good whine with water after all.

With the weather forecast all showing green lights I drove off at around half past seven. The first forty kilometers over the speed limited Dutch highway were used for a gentle warming up before entering Germany where I filled the empty fuel tank in Gronau, just across the border near Enschede. With a working water-temperature gauge, I drove off towards the Oberhausen straight (A31) towards Bottrop. Traffic on this Sunday morning was low, and I could cruise easily between 190km/h and 200km/h. A Dutch registered Volvo V70 tried to follow me during the last few kilometers on the A31, but lost on acceleration.

The A3 towards Cologne went rather uneventful; a few small surprised faces in a Swiss registered Audi A6 3.2FSI when they discovered that they could not shake off that old BMW behind them, but that was about it. For the rest, I cruised between 4500RPM and 5000RPM until closing in on Leverkussen were I turned southwest towards Koblenz. I took it easy up until passing Cologne after which the speed limits were lifted and I entered a lovely highway section were I could cruise at roughly 200km/h for a prolonged period of time. Just before Euslichen, I approached an E46 320d from behind and we both had to brake for another car that changed lane with 140km/h. The driver in the 320d apparently thought that he could shake of that old E28, but he probably missed the M5 badge in the grille as he kept driving in front of me. When the 320d finally reached 180km/h, it moved to the right, after which I passed him with an intimidating soundtrack from the screaming M88/3. I just had enough time to see a glimpse of three very surprised occupants in the E46.

I had a rendez vouz with member Stevie on the B258 between 10:00 and 10:30 so I turned west on the A1 towards Blankenheim and Trier near Bliesheim. Up until now, I just took it easy with two or three full throttle bursts into the 200km/h range. Unlike the E34S, the E28S has a longer diff with a 3,73:1 ratio, and thus does not have the need to rev as high as many S38 engines with the 3,91:1 differential. When I drove through the long right autobahn curve towards the A1, I suddenly noticed a small surge in power at roughly 3200RM. It quickly disappeared once accelerating towards cruising speed of 180km/h till 200km/h when I approached another Audi A6 from behind. Its driver didn’t fancy an old E28 tailing him, but he had no choice other then moving to the right in the end.

Up until so far, everything went well and I almost forgot about the small power surge at Bliesheim. When I left the A1 and entered the B258, the engine still ran fine with the water-temperature gauge just a little left from the middle. But when I approached the rendez-vouz point on the B258, I noticed a slight hesitation between 2000RPM and 3000RPM.

To be continued.
 
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#157 ·
This truly is one of the best and most informative threads that I have had the pleasure of reading in a long time .......

Bridget Jones's Diary has nothing on this !

I look forward to seeing Stevie's video ......will there be scantily clad honeys dancing in the background ?

Thanks again for sharing Raymond .

D
 
#159 ·
In the previous post you mentioned consideration of a Rontgen analysis due to gas marks after the welding work - I assume you eventually felt this was not necessary?
Hello Richard,

Although it would be nice to have a rontgen analysis, it would have added to the cost significantly. Since TMR provides a decent warranty, I decided to rely on that.
 
#160 · (Edited)
Its has been fourteen months since I removed the cylinder head but with its reinstallation, the heart of #231 looks like an engine again. Within a few days, the rebuild phase is completed after which I can prepare for the next phase; the engine-installation.



To set the correct timing for the camshafts, the crankshaft must be rotated such that the TDC marking on the flywheel match the TDC marking on the timing chain cover.



With the crankshaft on TDC, the correct timing is set when both cam lobes point towards each other with a 45degree angle and the TDC markings on both camshafts match the markings on the bearing caps perfectly. This is not an easy task!



With the engine in the car, the rear panel of the camshaft housing is a real PITA to remove, especially the lower bolts. This is necessary when the gasket between the cover and the camshaft housing develop a leak; not uncommon for the S14/M88 and S38 engine families.



I love the shiny new look of the exhaust-valve-stems. Too bad, one cannot see these in a few weeks anymore.



The only outstanding issue is the valve-cover gasket that is part of the gasket set for the cylinder head. Although I had the correct part number of the gasket set verified by my dealer before ordering, the supplied gasket only fits the S38 engine that has a dual-row timing-chain and thus a slightly larger chamber for the cam-sprockets. TMR returned the gasket to the dealer with the request to supply the correct M88/3 part. This will take a few days.
 
#162 · (Edited)
With the last issues being sorted out by TMR this week, I picked up the revived heart of #231 and took it to my 'workshop'. IMHO, TMR performed excellent with the overhaul of this engine. It just looks brand-new.



Needless to say that I am very happy with the result and I am eager to start with the planning of the installation phase. I already wrote the technical specification and the requirements, but I have to wait for the new water-pump, new clutch etc. etc. before I can start working.



Although the rebuild-project has been completed, I will continue posting updates about the installation, break-in and testing phases.
 
#166 ·
What part of NL are you in ? Wouldn't mind to come visit sometime when my car is back in driveable condition. (if you don't mind).
I always look forward meeting people with similar interests, but send me a PM roughly two weeks in advance so I can place your visit in my agenda. I live in the province of Overijssel (roughly 2.5hrs driving distance from Maastricht).
 
#169 · (Edited)
I have debated whether or not to share the full financial consequences of this ordylle. However, an accurate calculation is already possible from the information in this thread so it cannot do any harm to share the conclusions. The following picture shows the breakdown into the three objectives of the rebuild. Parts cost and labor cost have been separated.



Note that prices are ex VAT.

Although the total amount is staggering, it resembles the cost for a full rebuild. It also comes close to the price of new RMFD engines from BMW. I knew this in advance when I started this project. In return, I will keep matching numbers and have a full documented rebuild, something that is impossible with an RMFD engine. Please note that the grand total only covers the rebuild and does NOT include any new additional parts such as clutch and water-pump. These have to be replaced regardless of choice and should be left out of the comparison.
 
#170 ·
Raymond

As you mention the cost in isolation is quite staggering (but expected) - however I would say the labour element is very fair and would assume this does not include your time in removing and reinstalling the engine/gearbox and all the work associated in painting the ancillories. Will be interesting to record your running in experience and then how it feels performance wise - I'm sure it will feel crisper and more potent...

Anyway great work and very illuminating and to have all matching numbers is a worthwhile achievement...
 
#172 ·
Hello Raymond,

The cost is high but not as frightening as I once imagined (five figures). An excellent thread which tells everyone just what is involved. Hopefully you will soon be able to tell us the good bit e.g. how great the new engine feels.

:cheers:

ralph (vadas1)
 
#173 ·
Hi Raymond, I stumbled across this thread recently and found the entire thing to be engrossing. I did have a few questions though about the actual rebuild process.

I assume that your mechanic rebalanced the crank to match the new pistons and con-rods. Were there any noteworthy results - particularly since you suspect a partial earlier rebuild.

Also, I was wondering if you chose to have the head tested/tuned on a flow bench. Along the same lines, did you specify any modifications for the engine/head internals other than the double valve springs? It seemed to me that you were very much in favour of keeping the engine absolutely stock.

Good luck with the re-installation

Max
 
#174 ·
Reinstated the URL's to the pictures for a second time; this time following a critical issue in my photobucket account, which photobucket acknowledged, but could not resolve.

Please note that this also applies to all my previous postings that date back to 2004 or so. I will repair the links, but this may set me back for about at least a year.
 
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