engine and drivetrain 292 cam install: How many wrenches?

[SeanH]

The car money well ran dry when I purchased my 5er. Now I need to install this cam myself. At first I was apprehensive about this, but then I remembered that the whole reason I bought the O2 was to do this stuff myself. Time to stop being nervous and remember my origianl goals.

The head is newly rebuilt so nothing else should need replacing.

-How challenging would you rate this project?

-Has anyone done a internet write up of this with pix?

-Other parts that I should replace when putting this cam in?

-Heavier springs?

-Does the head have to come off the block? (The engine is newly rebuilt and out of the car)

-Suggestions?

A very good friend of mine is a mechanic, though a BMW one, but his knowledge should lead me through the general stuff, and he has some great tools at his shop.

Cheers, mates!

[BigDog]

Unless I'm mistaken, to do the job effectively you need a tool to deal with holding all the valve junk in place...

There are places that will do it for you around here. Of course you'll have to pay, but sometimes you just got to buck up!

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BigDog

'76 2002

[Vroomer]

Unless I'm mistaken, to do the job effectively you need a tool to deal with holding all the valve junk in place...

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BigDog

'76 2002

2002 Haus sells a tool for this. It looks like a piece of cheap plastic on line. However, since I have seen it used (in in the flesh), it's some pretty sturdy metal.

~Vroomer

[monkeystripe]

You can do it without the tool, I have done it many times you just need to (carefully) take the whole thing apart at once. make a "handle" to rotate the camshaft and remove the rockers, and camshaft in unison. It's slow but cheap. Never had a problem with any of the heads I have disassembled this way.

[JohnN]

Pull the head from the car. Check the archives and/or read a manual about how to determine #1 TDC.

With the head on the bench, block it so you can rotate the cam without pushing the valves into the bench top. A couple bolts where the timing gear attaches to the cam and a screwdriver is a wonderful "tool" to rotate things.

Loosen all the eccentrics and pull the circlips from the rocker positioning springs.

Rotate and pull the cam out and it will neatly come out. Unfortunately reassembly is not quite the reverse. The overlap on the 292 cam is sufficient to not allow you to put the cam in the same way the stock one came out.

Remove the rocker shafts and rockers. A pair of vice grips on the end that sticks out at the timing gear is again a wonderful thing to rotate and pull the rocker shafts with.

Put the cam in and one at a time, reinsert the rocker shafts, rockers, springs, cup washers and plain washers in the proper order

Put the head back in the engine (new head gasket please), torque the head to the gasket manufacturer's specs, adjust your valves and enjoy the engine.

Regards,

John N