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MTBSully's M156 Top End Work: Adjusters and Head Bolts
Hey all. I know this a W204 forum but it seems most of the M156 guys are in here, so I figured this is probably the better forum for more feedback and tips on this job i'm about to undertake.
Heres my 2010 E63. Bought it about 2 months ago. 60k miles, bone stock. I've since added new wheels and tires, tint, and blacked out most of the trim and grille. Also re-sprayed the front bumper. Pretty much where I want it cosmetically.
The patient:
I bought the car with what I am 98% sure is cam adjuster rattle at startup. Car runs absolutely beautifully otherwise. Ordered some 63 motorsports adjuster plates and think I will finally have some time in the next couple days to start this project. I was just going to do the adjuster plates, but figured doing the head bolts while i'm in there would not only be good piece of mind, but also help with re-sale down the road. I will also obviously inspect cams and lifters for wear. I'll be documenting my progress here, as well as on my youtube channel. I'm hoping you guys can provide any pointers, tips or other useful info as I go along. Ive got all my parts (Adjuster plates, adjuster bolts, diamond washers, valve cover gasket kit, heat bolts etc) ready to roll. Anyone out there that recommends not doing the head bolts while i'm in there? I know a lot of poeple on here have had sucess replacing the bolts one by one, but it still makes me a little uneasy taking apart a perfectly good engine and chancing a HG leak.
12 C63BS Magno Alanite Grey, 25 X5 Msport, 08 BMW E93, Ducati Hyper 698
If it was me I would just do lifters at that mileage, you can just get the standard coated ones (not the sls black series ones). The new ones are friction coated on the top with a silver coating that is supposed to help with wear and also have updated valves to retain oil, so are a good upgrade for not a lot of money - they are like 22 bucks for OEM, 12 bucks for INA if you can find them anywhere. Inspect cams and deal with as necessary, a lot of the early cams seem to wear better than the later ones with the updated part numbers.
You can do the cam adjuster rebuilds pretty quickly and easily, headbolts will add a lot of time to the equation but is worth doing in my book. If you plan to do it, the reason people do it one at a time is that removing the heads is quite a bit more work as you have to pull the exhaust and intake manifolds - pulling the intake also good as you can clean inspect the throttle plate, replace the PVC and reseal the prone to leaking intake manifold gaskets (and you need new bolts). What most of the time goes into is pulling the exhaust manifolds as they can be tough, space is tight and the studs are a bit prone to breaking, but it is the right way to do it. New head gaskets, you get a good look at everything, clean it up and you are good to go for another 60k. You also get to change out the coolant which it is probably about due for anyway. If you are doing that I would do new exhaust manifold nuts (or nuts and studs) gaskets, new bolts for the downpipe to manifold as those break and are pretty crusty
If it was me I would just do lifters at that mileage
What he said. I did mine while I was in there. around 70k I was surprised how many weren't functioning correctly.
Other things you might want to do if they haven't been done around the mileage you:
PCV valve (requires removal of the manifold and new gaskets + bolts)
idle pulleys/tensioner/belt
fuel injectors
spark plugs (I changed mine at 60k which is what the service manual called for but mine were fine)
12 C63BS Magno Alanite Grey, 25 X5 Msport, 08 BMW E93, Ducati Hyper 698
Originally Posted by skullbox15
What he said. I did mine while I was in there. around 70k I was surprised how many weren't functioning correctly.
Other things you might want to do if they haven't been done around the mileage you:
PCV valve (requires removal of the manifold and new gaskets + bolts)
idle pulleys/tensioner/belt
fuel injectors
spark plugs (I changed mine at 60k which is what the service manual called for but mine were fine)
I would agree all good while you are in there things that you are taking apart anyway and not overly expensive. For the injectors get the Bosch non AMG branded ones as they are around 200-250 a set.
What he said. I did mine while I was in there. around 70k I was surprised how many weren't functioning correctly.
Other things you might want to do if they haven't been done around the mileage you:
PCV valve (requires removal of the manifold and new gaskets + bolts)
idle pulleys/tensioner/belt
fuel injectors
spark plugs (I changed mine at 60k which is what the service manual called for but mine were fine)
Spark plugs were just changed at 60k service right before I bought the car. I'll look into fuel injectors and PCV valve.
Finally opened up my box-o-parts last night and took a look at the head bolts. Am I supposed to apply any sort of sealant to these? Ive heard there is some sealant under the bolt heads and that is all that is required but I just wanted to be sure.
Last edited by MTBSully; Oct 24, 2022 at 08:23 AM.
Anyone? Are you guys stabbing the bolts in the head as is or using some sealant on the threads? i've seen one video where the guy uses what appars to be red loctite but i doubt thats what it is so i'm more inclined to beleive it is something like this:
Finally made some time last night to dig into this thing.
Hood in the service position. Ready for surgery
Air boxes removed. I also removed the cooling fan for more room up front. Removed the idler for a clear view of the balancer when it comes time to set crank to 40 degrees
Valve covers are off. Passengers side was easy. Drivers side I struggled a bit because the coil wiring harness was so tight agains the back of the valve cover. Had to apply a decent amount of force to push it off to the side of the top of the valve cover before I could remove it, but it eventually came off.
Cams look great so far.
All the adjusters seem ok wtih exception of the passenegrs exhaust. Shes toast. Easily moves and "clicks" with an adjustable wrench on the cam.
Heres where I stopped for the night. Got all of the adjuster cover bolts off, but cant get it off because the wiring harness is too tight. Everything I read seemed to say you shouldnt need to unplug anything to remove these covers, but I dont see how else it can be done. I'll look at it with fresh eyes tonight.
My worn adjust plate was on the passenger side as well. I watched your previous vids on the E63 work. Very well done!
Assuming you are replacing the cover gasket and spark plug gaskets as well. I think you need the green colored ones for the metal covers. The orange ones are for the plastic (black) covers. Also, you might want to use some new valve cover bolts. They are one time use, although some have re-used with no issues. You might want to use some vasoline on the gaskets when you put the covers back on. The drivers side is kind of a pain and the vasoline helped me get mine seating just right without leaking.
Last edited by skullbox15; Nov 8, 2022 at 10:25 AM.
Another question that has been on my mind. When I remove the adjusters, and then remove the cam timing lock bridges. Won't the cams want to spin to a relaxed position? Is there any danger that a valve could come into contact with a piston while the cams are indexed during removal/install? Or maybe that is the whole point of the 40deg before TDC procedure that the valves will not contact the pistons?
40 is the safe position. Also, part of the timing tool is the rear locking bar which holds the camshafts in position. It's usually a very tight fit:
The left most picture here:
Take your time removing the bridge(s). As you said, the cams are under tension from the springs below. Time is your friend there, back out the screws a little at a time. I believe there is a sequence to follow.
Last edited by skullbox15; Nov 8, 2022 at 02:10 PM.
40 is the safe position. Also, part of the timing tool is the rear locking bar which holds the camshafts in position. It's usually a very tight fit:
The left most picture here:
Take your time removing the bridge(s). As you said, the cams are under tension from the springs below. Time is your friend there, back out the screws a little at a time. I believe there is a sequence to follow.
Yeah I plan to turn each bolt 90 degrees in a reverse (outward --> in) torque sequence. I guess the question is, you need to remove the timing tools before loosening the cam bridges right? Otherwise it seems the tools would prevent the cam from slowly lifting off the buckets. I'm sure it will all make sense once im there, just figured i'd see what others have done.
Worked for a bit at lunch today. Got both adjuster covers off. The key is removing the ground cable, and both electtrical connectors, as well as snipping the zip ties on the coil harness (they can be re zip tied later). With that done both covers can be placed off to the side.
Removed the spark plugs and rotated the crank to 40 deg before TDC. Marked both the balancer and the mark on the timing cover for an easy visual. More to come...
Hey all. I know this a W204 forum but it seems most of the M156 guys are in here, so I figured this is probably the better forum for more feedback and tips on this job i'm about to undertake.
Heres my 2010 E63. Bought it about 2 months ago. 60k miles, bone stock. I've since added new wheels and tires, tint, and blacked out most of the trim and grille. Also re-sprayed the front bumper. Pretty much where I want it cosmetically.
The patient:
I bought the car with what I am 98% sure is cam adjuster rattle at startup. Car runs absolutely beautifully otherwise. Ordered some 63 motorsports adjuster plates and think I will finally have some time in the next couple days to start this project. I was just going to do the adjuster plates, but figured doing the head bolts while i'm in there would not only be good piece of mind, but also help with re-sale down the road. I will also obviously inspect cams and lifters for wear. I'll be documenting my progress here, as well as on my youtube channel. I'm hoping you guys can provide any pointers, tips or other useful info as I go along. Ive got all my parts (Adjuster plates, adjuster bolts, diamond washers, valve cover gasket kit, heat bolts etc) ready to roll. Anyone out there that recommends not doing the head bolts while i'm in there? I know a lot of poeple on here have had sucess replacing the bolts one by one, but it still makes me a little uneasy taking apart a perfectly good engine and chancing a HG leak.
Comments and tips welcome!
Good luck with your project! Just curious how much did the adjuster plates cost you from 63 motorsport? I've heard stage 1 is sufficient usually.
Good luck with your project! Just curious how much did the adjuster plates cost you from 63 motorsport? I've heard stage 1 is sufficient usually.
I got them during their September sale, so they were around $550.
More progress last night. Went a little crazy with the paint pen marking the adjusters to make sure they go back the same way. Blue for intake and red for exhaust lol. Probably overkill but whatever lol.
Timing tools on, cams locked front and back. Also checked that the cam locks fit on the drivers back as well, which they did.
The worst cam adjuster is out and disassembled. Passengers side exhaust.
The source of the rattle
New plates from 63 motorsports. Intake plates are not the same as exhaust plates. You'll have 2 intake plates and 2 exhaust plates. Make sure you match the orientation of the locking feature from your old plate to your new one!
This is the intake adjuster all re-assembled and ready to go back in. Both intake and exhuast on the passengers side bank are now rebuilt.
Tonight i'll drain the coolant from the radiator petcock , pull the cams, and start swapping the head bolts one at a time. Seems most people install the bolts as-is with no additional sealant, so I think I will do the same. Not sure if the WIS calls for any since I havent been able to get mine working yet. Anyone have the WIS PDF for installation of cylinder heads?
Excellent work, can't wait to see the video! So are you planning to replace the bolts without completely removing the heads? Some people have done it but you've already gone this far, it might be worth doing it the right way and getting some fresh head gaskets on there. I'm someone will have the WIS for that. They're pretty good about posting stuff like there here.
Last edited by skullbox15; Nov 9, 2022 at 02:20 PM.
Excellent work, can't wait to see the video! So are you planning to replace the bolts without completely removing the heads? Some people have done it but you've already gone this far, it might be worth doing it the right way and getting some fresh head gaskets on there. I'm someone will have the WIS for that. They're pretty good about posting stuff like there here.
I'm going to be doing the 1 by 1 method. Enough people have sucess with this and proven it to be a reliable process years and thousands of miles later, that it is worth it for me to try. Maybe not all the time, but it seems to me the people who tend to have problems with doing it the one by one method are the ones who already have a compromised head gasket via a broken headbolt or another reason. We shall see though!
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