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My DIY Rod Bearing Journey

23K views 48 replies 21 participants last post by  Tim_Mc 
#1 ·
I've started on my rod bearings change and would like to answer any questions that you guys may have. I've been running out of time this week but will be doing a video that starts at the dropping of the sub-frame.
 
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#4 ·
People who do this job at home, I give you 2 thumbs up! I watched my Indy do this and there is no way in hell I'd do this at home. I don't think it's the most difficult task per say, but having the patience and the proper tools would just kill me.

Document all your findings and what to watch out for as it'll be useful for people who do this at home.

Dan
 
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#8 ·
People who do this job at home, I give you 2 thumbs up! I watched my Indy do this and there is no way in hell I'd do this at home. I don't think it's the most difficult task per say, but having the patience and the proper tools would just kill me.

Document all your findings and what to watch out for as it'll be useful for people who do this at home.

Dan
I did mine on two axle stands in my dads garage. Was a fairly big job, but most definitely do-able if you have a bit of mechanical know-how. I don't think many UK owners have changed their own, DIY, so happy to be of that minority. Definitely requires a few beers cherrsagai

I'm also happy to answer any Q's anyone might have.
 
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#5 ·
Ian, are you using a lift or putting the car on jack stands? Gas-Man's tutorial is excellent but a video to go along with it will help big time. Watching someone perform a task while reading the procedure makes performing the task yourself less frightening. Looking forward to watch |Rod Bearing Removal|Torquing of the Rod Bolts|Setup/Use of test indicator to set Vanos Gear Backlash|Steps Performed on the computer ISTA/DIS/INPA|
 
#6 ·
I am most interested in watching this video about the rod bearing swap. I have been contemplating the idea of doing it myself for quite a while now after all the talk and horror stories I heard on here, but I am afraid I don't have the technical knowledge to embark in such quest. Thanks in advance though.
 
#7 ·
Don't doubt yourself. I'm not a mechanic, and I'm teaching myself this stuff as I go. I've never really wrenched on a car this far before. If more people have faith in themselves, we're going to see our beasts lasting a lot longer! :)


Do it NOW!!! If I waited another day, my engine could be kaput. As it stands now, there are very microscopic flakes of copped in my oil and I'm going to try to ensure nothing further happens to it. I'm sure my bearings could have gone out at any time and I kept denying it, even after seeing minor evidence. I fully believe what JColley and TJeup are putting out. I believe every word. I'm at 47K miles right now and I never thought this would be an issue. Now instead of a blown engine I just have to worry about the copper floating around and


Ian, are you using a lift or putting the car on jack stands? Gas-Man's tutorial is excellent but a video to go along with it will help big time. Watching someone perform a task while reading the procedure makes performing the task yourself less frightening. Looking forward to watch |Rod Bearing Removal|Torquing of the Rod Bolts|Setup/Use of test indicator to set Vanos Gear Backlash|Steps Performed on the computer ISTA/DIS/INPA|
Right now, my car is on a scissor lift, but this could very well be done in your garage on jack stands. You just need to make sure the car is elevated enough to give you room to work and you have a jack to lower the subframe without dropping it. I'm using Gas-Man's tutorial and help from JColley and other people on the board. I definitely want to contribute back to the forum what it has given me. If you're buying parts, I definitely recommend the ARP rod bolts so you don't have to fret about torque settings like on the stock bolts.

I hope I can be of help. In the mean time, if you have any doubts, don't drive your car.



People who do this job at home, I give you 2 thumbs up! I watched my Indy do this and there is no way in hell I'd do this at home. I don't think it's the most difficult task per say, but having the patience and the proper tools would just kill me.

Document all your findings and what to watch out for as it'll be useful for people who do this at home.

Dan
It's definitely not a single day project if it's your first time, but the second day of working on it, it was fun. I'd be farther ahead if I didn't have a coil pack break in half on my car. I had to remove the valve cover to get to it. It's definitely not as hard yet as I thought it would be, but I start removing the sub frame on Thursday. You really only need two specialized tools: A dial indicator, and a dial indicator base. I'm using a magnetically based indicator base. Most everything else, you can do with basic tools. I'm not afraid to say that if I still had my garage I could do it in there. Don't doubt yourself. I may be mechanically inclined, but I'm no mechanic. This is me getting my start on real engine maintenance.

I will definitely try to make the video as detailed as possible!
 
#9 ·
It's good to see that people are using my rod bearing DIY. I apologize that after all this time I had never finished it. I've been incredibly busy, but now that I know people are using it, I will have to make a sincere effort to complete it.

To anyone who has used it.... were there any steps that were difficult to understand that could be worded better, or anything important that you feel has been left out? If I'm going to spend more time on it I might as well try to improve what is already there as well.

Gary
 
#12 ·
Gary, I can't thank you enough! I'm not all the way through, but I am I'd say 55% through as once I'm done with bearings, HP line and calibration, I just have to put it all back together which takes far less time. My only hard* part I think may be the VANOS line and calibration of backlash, but I'll see when I get there.

It may just be me, but there were one or two things I found that I might have said differently and added, but that's just me-and please don't take any offense, it's just my two cents. :smile If it's okay, I'd like to send you a PM when I'm all said and done. Thanks for all the help. Please don't take it down as I need it until Sunday, haha.


*I say hard, because I haven't got there yet, and most of the work is relatively easy*

I thought the primary thing with the oem bolts is that the torque and untorque procedure sets the bolt in firmly at the proper stretch which holds the torque for the "life" of the engine. Whereas the non-stretch ARP bolts are assumed to be retorqued or at least checked every so many thousands of miles because they aren't stretched so prone to loosening over time. So great on an engine that is rebuilt regularly (ie racing engine) but not great for when you plan to seal the bottom end up for 65,000 miles or more. I may be thinking of a different bolt that was discussed though.
I've never heard that. Do you have a source? Would be good for me to know. Thanks!

I am new to owning a 2007 E63 and am looking at doing my own maintenance in the future. Right now I'm that guy living in a downtown loft with no room and or little know how. It is very encouraging knowing that people are sharing their knowledge and experience! With a little patience and a garage space I look forward to contributing to the community myself in the future!
Congrats, man! I'm no expert, and don't claim to be. I'm just an average Joe, trying to take initiative and get others on the bandwagon. Some people get scared of these projects, but some of my friends own Lambos and Ferraris and they are doing complete Engine Out's and way more extensive things than rod bearings on a German Car. I would definitely wait to get a garage to start on something like this. It's not something that you can just do in a few hours. I'm sure that there are lots of things that haven't been figured out yet, that need to be.
 
#11 ·
I am new to owning a 2007 E63 and am looking at doing my own maintenance in the future. Right now I'm that guy living in a downtown loft with no room and or little know how. It is very encouraging knowing that people are sharing their knowledge and experience! With a little patience and a garage space I look forward to contributing to the community myself in the future!
 
#15 · (Edited)
I did this a few months ago using Gas-Man's instructions, which were awesome.

A few notes:

1) Not sure you have to take the intake off. The engine lift hook on the passenger side is clearly exposed without that, and the bolt in the side of the head on the driver's side can also be easily accessed with the intake on. If I did it again I'd attempt this, since the intake removal/replacement is probably 20% of the work.

2) I did it without a lift. I jacked up the front of the car and put jack stands on huge wood blocks, so the front jack pads were about 24" off the ground. I then put the rear tires on drive-up ramps, about 15" tall. This ended up being a really nice height to work on the car, especially under it when on a creeper.
 
#16 · (Edited)
I did this a few months ago using Gas-Man's instructions, which were awesome.

A few notes:

1) Not sure you have to take the intake off. The engine lift hook on the passenger side is clearly exposed without that, and the bolt in the side of the head on the driver's side can also be easily accessed with the intake on. If I did it again I'd attempt this, since the intake removal/replacement is probably 20% of the work.

2) I did it without a lift. I jacked up the front of the car and put jack stands on huge wood blocks, so the front jack pads were about 24" off the ground. I then put the rear tires on drive-up ramps, about 15" tall. This ended up being a really nice height to work on the car, especially under it when on a creeper.

3) Has anyone noticed that BMW lets you re-use the rod bolts, and if you do, you don't need to re-torque? I didn't end up doing this since I had already bought them, but it's something to consider.

Link to S85 Rod bolt torques

Note it lists both the torque and the torque for new...

Very useful post...I'd rather avoid taking off more than I really need.


Ref ARP: All bolts get stretched...that is how they stay tight. I'd prefer ARP, but my concern is if the connecting rod's shape ends up different since it wasn't machined with that particular bolt. This is common in the hot rod world...even ARP recommends to 'resize' the rod if ARP is used. Now it may be close enough or no change, but I have no definitive proof. I do know ARP bolts have been used successfully doing the bearing swap.


And I suppose once I do it the first time, the second time ~40,000 miles down the road will be no big deal.
 
#18 ·
Ahh, thanks for that. I did think it was odd you could re-use the rod bolts. Luckily, I had re-searched for that after I did it on the car, so I did it the right way. I was thrown off by the fact that BMW uses 1AZ as the torque for both.

Original post edited so nobody is confused or misled in the future.
 
#19 ·
I started the job this past weekend myself, using the German Auto Solutions (GAS) DIY. Taking my time and enjoying the journey. Front suspension all undone, engine support installed, coil packs and plugs out. On 4 jack stands.

My Vanos pumps were replaced under warrantee, so I won't be touching those.

First snag - 2 of the 5 chassis support bolts won't come out - seems the dealer was nice enough to overtorque and strip them when they were in there. However, it seems the subframe can be removed without removing the chassis support brace - so full steam ahead. If anyone can confirm, that would be great.

GAS instructions #15/16 - removal of belt tensioner support bracket - I don't see why this needs to be removed - I also haven't removed the cooling fan as stated in #6. Are these necessary to remove?

GAS instructions #18 - disconnecting power steering hydraulic lines - says likely not the best way... Where did you disconnect them from? Also, is there enough slack to drop the frame and then disconnect, or must I disconnect before dropping the subframe? How heavy is the subframe and steering rack when it comes off?

Appreciate the help - if anyone wants/needs any specific pics for clarification, ask and I'll take some...
 
#20 ·
If you're replacing the internal high pressure vanos line, removing the cooling fan makes it much easier because it comes out of the engine block through the top. As for the power steering lines. The two bolts are located more or less at the top of the steering gearbox. They are two different sizes, I'd go ahead and order two washers for each line while you're at it. DO NOT remove the two bolts on the side with an Allen hole in the center of them. Those two lines stay with the rack and pinion and don't have to be removed. As for the bracket, I can't remember if it does serve a purpose removing it. You can leave it on and see if it'll work. Remember when removing the oil pan, there are four bolts that you need to remove from the transmission bell housing as well as the four star bits that are fastened to the block located at the transmission end. You'll need an extension because the holes for the star bolts are pretty deep.
 
#29 · (Edited)
ARP bolts are more than sufficient. There have been many racecar S65's built over at M3post with them as well as many engines in general that use the bolts and they are completely reusable.

I've been reading a lot of posts on M3Post this week, not to mention Gary at GAS has built many racecar engines with them.
 
#32 · (Edited)
Oil pan off! Having trouble removing the oil pickup tube - bolts are out but it doesn't want to slide out of the oil pump. Not sure what is keeping it from sliding out, so don't want to pull on it too hard. I am able to rotate it back and forth but not slide it out with reasonable force.


Thanks GAS-Man below - got it - o-ring just required a bit of pressure
 
#34 ·
Finally in there! Lower bearings are easy but getting new upper bearings in is quite difficult - perhaps I'm just being too careful. Threaded an old rod bolt back into one side so I can pull down on it while pushing up on the bearing - so the piston doesn't continue moving up. Requires quite a bit of force to get the bearing in, and I want to make sure it is even of course. Any tricks please advise. Want bearings done and oil pan back on tomorrow - I plastic-wrapped the open bottom end for the night...
 
#35 · (Edited)
if you can use your thumb to pinion in one side of the bearing right at the break in the rod, then hold the rod/piston still by pinching the rod bolt between two fingers on the same hand, you can gingerly press the other side of the bearing up and in with the other hand, until it fits the U in the rod. Just like you would do to a bearing cap, but upside down, and with everything moving. Not easy.

I have never done "this" job. I have rebuilt several motors with the entire engine out, torn completely down, and on an engine stand, so I can only imagine how strange, and lopsided this job must be.

You might want to take a rod bolt and somehow secure it to a long wooden or plastic stick, to use as a handy tool to hold an open rod securely while you do stuff, keeps from scuffing the crank journal as well.
 
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#36 ·
Forgot my GF had a horse show yesterday so wasn't able to work on the car at all. Did this morning though...


Bearings all in! Each one went in easier than the last - just a matter of getting the technique down. #1 was the most difficult, since I did it with the pump still in. Wrapped it back up and will torque the bolts maybe this eve.


Despite the few snags along the way, it has been fun so far. A lift and some more tools (fewer trips to auto parts store) would make it much easier, but if you aren't under any time pressure, it is definitely a cool DIY.
 
#37 ·
Running smooth as silk once again - during re-assembly, I drilled out the chassis brace bolts that the dealer had so kindly stripped... 4 cobalt bits and a few hours of drilling, new bolts and nuts are finally in.

For those on the fence , I would not recommend doing the DIY to save money, but definitely do it for - enjoyment, to learn more about the car, and to know it was done correctly. Worst part will be keeping the RPM's down for break-in.
 
#39 ·
agreed. if you look around on the web, you'll find most people do not break in bearings alone. The break in is mainly for rings on an engine.

dump the oil and filter sometime soon and change it, and you'll be fine.
 
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#40 ·
Thanks guys - sounds reasonable. Think I will stay below 4K RPMs and change the filter in approx 200 miles. Then stay below 6K RPMs until changing oil and another filter around 700 miles. Probably overkill, but no big deal.

Will also try to befriend the fry guy at McDonalds - see if he can put the oil through their high-tech filtration system and re-use it for another 2K. I doubt lightly used motor oil is as toxic as the rest of their ingredients :grin
 
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