Why I have not been around, Long story. Options

[Shivers]

Wow, last time I saw you post you were telling me
about the newer spare tire I should get instead of the
inflatable one. That’s been a while. Glad you are feeling
better and Glad you’re back sir.

[BillC]

Welcome back! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cheer.gif)

[wonkipop]

good to see you are back again.

if its any comfort getting to 2025 with a 95 bmw is pretty good going.
a lot of the modern ones eat their timing chains at half that age.
90s was pretty much peak ICE if you ask me, so worth fixing. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
lady luck will start smiling down on you now i am sure.

[ClayPerrine]

good to see you are back again.

if its any comfort getting to 2025 with a 95 bmw is pretty good going.
a lot of the modern ones eat their timing chains at half that age.
90s was pretty much peak ICE if you ask me, so worth fixing. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
lady luck will start smiling down on you now i am sure.

We spent money and sent the transmission off to be rebuilt in Connecticut. I could do it, but it would have cost me the same purchasing specialty tools as it did to farm it out. And we just had the back seat recovered in leather so we are too far in it to quit now.

And we love the car. Years ago, I pulled the motor to replace a blown head gasket. I found out the oil pump was about to fall off the bottom of the motor, so I decided to do a complete rebuild on it. I sent the heads and the block to the machine shop. The heads came back fixed. The block was cleaned and I started reassembly. Then I found out there were only 7 sets of piston rings available for a BMW M60 alusil block. They were recalled and supposed to have been replaced in early 2001. So after trying for a few years to find the rings, I gave up and bought a used M62 4.4L motor from a 96. I put it in and got it running, but I had no idea of any maintenance done on it. And they changed from a double row timing chain with an idler pulley in 95 to a single row timing chain with a horseshoe shaped chain guide in 96. And that's what failed, the horseshoe shaped chain guide. Took out the lower timing cover, the right upper timing cover, and left shrapnel all through the timing chain area.

I have been hunting for months to find all the necessary parts. And I keep running into a lot of little things breaking from age. I hunted all over the world for that lower timing cover, because it has to be from the 95 to work. The 96 doesn't have the mount for the crankshaft position sensor. And after a couple of months, one shows up in Dallas from a guy that is parting out one of those motors.

The latest is the plastic air/oil separator. I was putting the left head on, and it just shattered in my hand. So I was on hold for that part. This car has really pushed my Dirk Wright's disease into overdrive. Finding all the little parts I need is a challenge.

But I am on the downhill side of it. I got the air/oil separator in a few days ago. Most of tomorrow and all of Sunday will be spent working on it.

I hope to get it back up and running in a few weeks. It's gotten hot here and the BMW is one of only 2 cars that we own with working AC.

[jim_hoyland]

Good to hear of your recovery and congratulations on working on that BMW motor, what a challenge !