I'm trying to avoid getting the valve(s) done and my mechanic suggested one bottle of Techron with a full fill-up of gas, and then two more with half fills. Anyone have any luck with this? What do valve jobs typically cost anyway?
Do you mean avoid adjusting them or what? Have them adjusted every 15000 miles or face the possibility of accelerated cam and rocker wear and/or burnt valves. If the thing just pings, then yes, use Techron to help clean the fuel system. Also, don't buy cheap gas, it has junk in it and can clog injectors and reduce fuel economy. A valve job will not help pinging, only with worn guides, burnt valves and dried out valve guide seals.
Thanks, I bought the car about 16 months ago and have only put ~5K miles on it so far. I don't know when the previous owner last had them adjusted, so I'll have that done straight away. There is a definite clatter, not just pinging.
Techron is always a good idea. There are also two products I use regularly for my 74 tii. The first is 108 Horsepower Boost and the other is Marvel Mystery Oil - put it in the oil AND the gas...works great in older cars and I have no idea why
clackity clack From my experience with I-6 engines, that clattering mess of a valvetrain is pretty typical. The engine is just so damn good at self balancing, they just seem not to wear out unless something catastrophic happens (timing belt for example) I'm comparing the engine in our cars to several jeep 4.0HO i-6's and a half dozen ford 4.9 i-6's. They all sound like a pea-thrasher trying to come unglued, especially at idle or when the throttle is suddenly opened. So apparently that's not a bad thing. Not to say you don't need to adjust...i do too.
I disagree. I have seen many many squared-off and scored cam lobes and damaged eccentrics and rockers in the small and big-6 engines. Adjust those valves and change that oil regularly! They should not be very loud when they are in good shape and properly adjusted.
Good point. I was always taught that changing the oil is the key to engine life. The valve adjustment is just something I haven't tackled yet, just don't have the confidence for myself or money to have someone else do it (nor trust in anyone around here) I keep wondering about so many very experienced mechanics, including highly trained guys i'd call masters of their craft....who only change the actual oil every 20k or more. Changing filters every 3-5k, and adding something like STP treatment to the oil......just doesn't seem right.
Speaking of 'having someone else do it,' I'm trying to decide whether I should have a regular service station mechanic do the valve adjustment, or whether I should bring it to a shop that specializes in imports and charges more. How long does the job take typically? Also, I've got a 4.10 LSD in my E30, and I read somewhere that this affects how the crankshaft needs to be rotated. I don't quite understand how that changes things. Thanks for the help.
I'm also in the same situation where I think my valves should be adjusted but I'm not sure where to take it or how much its going to cost.
It is actually vry very easy to adjust these valves. Should take less than 1.5 hours for someone that has never done it, takes me about a half hour if I need to clean up the valve cover. You want to take it to an independent BMW mechanic that is used to working on older cars- they will know what to look for as far as wear goes. Also, make sure you know when the timing belt was changed. My last 3 E30s were snapped T-belt casualties at $200 each in good shape. 4.10 diff changes nothing in relation to valve train, it just revs the engine higher for the same road speed.
Techron = waste of $$ Only if you buy fuel at hank's corner gas, else the fuel you get from the majors has additives like/or techron already in it.
