S14 Valve Adjustment

[M3M3]

Going through a valve adjustment on my S14, so I thought I would I take some pics of process.

I will skip the obvious that you have to pull the plug wires, valve cover and spark plugs off..

First you need tools.

Feeler gauges, micrometer, bmw valve bucket depressor tool, magnet-on-a-stick, small pick, air pressure source and bicycle pump nozzle, light, paper/pen and magnifying glass.

For each set of valves..

Rotate engine so that the lobes are pointing away from the valve shims

Measure the gap on both valves using feeler gauge.

Write it down. Helps to make a simple chart or spread sheet. Here is my chart.

Rotate the shim buckets so the notches are like this (use pick or small screw driver)

Insert bmw valve tool between valves. Make sure to use correct end of tool. Fat=intake, thin=exhaust.

Depress tool until it hits the valve cover. It will stay there by itself. Buckets are now depressed. Notice how the bucket notches rotated.

Use HP air to “blow” the shim out of the bucket. Not shown in pic’s, but place towel over the cam to catch the oil spray! The oil in there makes them stick, the air gets under the shim through the notch and breaks the seal.

Blow both out while you are in there, but only remove them one at a time so they don’t get mixed up!

Remove with the magnet tool.

The size is printed on the back of BMW shims, but measure to make sure. Write down the sizes on your chart.

Replace the shims. Make sure they are fully in the buckets.

Slowly release the bucket depressor tool. Do not remove this tool with no shims in the buckets.

Move on to next set.

If they gap is out of spec (.25-.35mm), you will need to change the size of the shim. Too big a gap means you need a thicker shim to take up the slack. Simple math will let you figure out the size.

If you have a shim selection available, put the right size shim in while you have them out. If not, calculate all the sizes you need and buy them at bmw or Volvo dealer….or BLUNT of course!!!