Need Valve adjustment and head-bolt tips..

[demq]

Hi guys,
I am thinking of doing a valve adjustment on my 87 325(/E), and was wondering if any of you
can give me some tips on doing it, since I am screwing-up things very easily..
Or should I just take it to mechanic cause of delicasy of the work(it's $90)?
And have any of you tried to get the head-bolts updated on your car by deallership as a
free service because of the headbolts are deffective on those engines ??? A guy told me that he had the head on his engine changed even if it was more than 15 years past the warranty period and the heads on those cars have been deffective....
Any tips on updatig the head-bolts???

 

[rjp325i]

Are you referring to the hex bolt to torx bolt changeout that the factory phased in in April of 1989 on the "i" engines? The new bolts were never on the "e" engines to my knowledge but is a recommended uppgrade for modified ones. I have not heard of any dealer doing it for free. The new bolts run about $20-$25 a set plus installation if you have it done. There is a special tool that is used for valve adjustments that you should use. It is not expensive and readily available from places such as Bavarian Autusport, BMP Design etc.

 

[demq]

Yeah, I am talking about the hex to torque update, and I guess my car's engine (325 e )shoud have a hex bolts... At least that's what my mechanic found on alldata.com on my car... Although I am not sure if they r already changed on my car or not, cause I never took the valve cover off since I have the car....

 

[rjp325i]

In all probability if the head gasket has not been replaced, the hex bolts are still in there. It was never suggested by the factory to upgrade the bolts on the "e" engine because they were not prone to fail on those engines. April of '89 is when the factory began phasing in the torx bolts on the "i" engines. By that time there were no "e" engines being installed in new vehicles. It is a recommendation of the aftermarket industry as a precaution on "e" engines if they have been modified. I still have the hex bolts in my early '89 "i" at 120K miles. Eventually I will change them out as a precaution. Sometimes I wonder if leaving them be is the best way since they have been no problem this far. The breakage occurred not very often but often enough to warrant a change by the factory. The problem is if the head of a bolt breaks off and lodges between the cam lobe and the head. If you just want to change out the bolts there is a special procedure that allows one bolt at a time to be replaced without removing the head or changing the gasket.