BMW E24 635CSi Euro Spec - Firing on all 6 Cylinders Again -Mako-ver Episode 4

Can I easily turn this 625 back into a 635?
0:00 Introduction
0:38 Hood Removal
4:39 Distributor Cap and Rotor Replacement
9:57 Valve Cover Cleaning
11:26 New Spark Plug Wires
12:26 Resecuring Oil Feed Tube Banjo Bolts
14:44 Reassembly
16:54 First Fire Up

[@TomFlaTTop_BMW]

Hi Abby. (Sorry if the spelling is wrong) I dig the clever title of your video, with the "Mako-ver" reference to Mako Sharks and the "Shark Nose" E24 coupes. You clearly have impeccable taste in choosing to own an E24 635CSi, and yours appears to be a solid example. The other BMW's visible in your videos are really tasty also, and judging by those, your E24 is in good hands. Your warnings about which connector should be on the hot side of the wiring were astute. As was your attention to detail in keeping debris from the firewall from getting inside the top of the Cylinder Head. Besides the nice breeze, having the garage door open during the day also provides plenty of natural light which makes work easier. Nice work shining up the alloy on the Rocker Cover. Also good to see you're aware of the Banjo Bolts on the spray bar, which can become an issue if neglected, as well as replacing the crush washers and not over torquing the Banjo Bolts by using a Torque Wrench. Using thread locker or "Loctite" on the threads is good practice, so long as great care is taken not to apply more than is required as an excessive amount can block the holes reducing the flow of lubricating oil to the top end. Next time, you might consider replacing the Banjo Bolts with alternatives available from BMW. They recognised the propensity for these Banjo Bolts to loosen, and have replaced them with a superseded design which has a slightly modified thread pitch that's resistant to loosening, and comes supplied with a blue thread locking compound already applied for added insurance. I've replaced the older Banjo Bolts on all my M30 engines with these redesigned genuine replacement parts for peace of mind. The oil light is likely the Oil Pressure Switch which might need replacing, but is cheap & easy. Having been a BMW mechanic & restorer by profession, and an enthusiast with a large collection of classic BMW's of my own, I have a huge amount of experience with these engines, so I can advise that they naturally sound a little "busy" at the top end, and unless the "ticking" is really excessive requiring valve clearance adjustment, attempting to completely silence the top end can result in "over adjusting" the clearances too tightly, which can be detrimental, causing the valves not to close and seat sufficiently, leading to burnt & damaged valves that can manifest in lost & uneven compression, rough running, and various other undesired symptoms. As Rainer, one of our Senior BMW Master Technicians who was trained at BMW in Germany and is somewhat of a guru on these engines has often told me in his heavy German accent, "Ein noisy M-Sirty ist a happy M-Sirty". So from my experience, your M30 sounds happy and not excessively noisy. Hope some of this info helps.

[@MrBlaadieblaa]

If you want the "CHECK" warning light to stop blinking (it becomes annoying after some time) after you've verified what the problem is you can press the "check" button on the check control panel left of the steering wheel. This will reset the warning light until the next start or until a new warning shows up. Very nice system bmw made with that!

[@AlexKK1010]

That ticking tacking sound is unfortunately “normal” but she sounds great after the valve adjustment. You should listen to the fuel pump for excessive noise and cut outs during aggressive turns. That interior is just stunning and no cracks on your dash! Enjoy her.

[@materialdialectics]

Making me really miss my E12.

[@GreenStorm01]

What tremendous videos you make! Keep 'em coming, I learned quite a few things! Best greetings from Germany! edit: Oh, Bremslicht is "brake light".

[@mariemotors]

Thanks!

[@andref4989]

Thanks a lot! You made me really confident to work on my valve adjustment on my E24 635 '82 to work on myself. I've also liked how you've took care of the camshaft top cleaning. Thanks for sharing your experiences! Look forward to your next clip. Thanks Best regards from Munich,

[@BahjatAlaadel]

The tappy tap is on cold starts where oil hasn't saturated the area yet. Try experimenting with a lighter weight oil at you next change or add Liqui-Moly Tappet Stop Noise, BMW has it as a part of their standard maintenance. Or even try the regular Liqui-Moly Oil Additive. I like the whooshing of the fans on the late eighties BMW's.

[@YEET-py1wr]

Keep up the great work and greetings from Germany!

[@michelecirillo6180]

such a nice car! Keep up. Greetings from Switzerland

[@ronniewilson6597]

If you get a Bentley manual for the e28 this will assist you. Running gear, suspension, engine and gearbox are the same as the e28, post 1982. Good look.

[@mariemotors]

Thanks! I actually have one on the way.

[@machtschnell7452]

Great car to restore. Do it well and you will enjoy the rewards.

[@garygrenier]

Hi Abbey! Just discovered you channel and your doing an AWESOME Job!! Really love how you not only do the work right on camera but also bringing out the breaker bars, hydraulic press and slide hammer (OUCH!!). Keep making videos!! Also to me you look just like Rebecca Ferguson! She is one of my favorites but when my daughter saw me watching she said you look like Jennifer Lawrence!! Both are huge compliments! Great work, be careful, and keep fixing things!!

[@mariemotors]

Thanks for the kind words!

[@garygrenier]

@@mariemotors your welcome. We have 3 BMWs with 5 turbos total (2013 X1 N20 engine and TWO N54 cars!! 2009 535 and 2008 335, all xDrive cars). The N54 is awesome as you know but requires LOTS of work. The 335 is modded and tuned and ran 10.60 @130 in the 1/4 mile (we try not to go fast around corners lol!). We are in New England so the xdrive cars are favorable and they are SO Fast to launch its like cheating. You should reach out to Bendpak to see if you can get a deal (or Sponsorship??) for QuickJacks. They are great and keep you VERY safe. Have a great weekend, we have a foot of snow on the ground but we are used to it and it looks really nice!!

[@luisbenitez3428]

Wow... pretty, smart and knows how to work on BMWs, do you have a sister that's single 😂😂😂 nice video keep them coming, I own several of these 635 great cars

[@enadolgel5504]

you are the most beautiful bmw in the world

[@ramm0]

great videos! i’m doing a similar mini-resto on my 81 528i E12.

[@materialdialectics]

Oh man I use to have an 80 528i E12, those things are wonderful cars.

[@Retrobeemer]

As someone else said, the ticking is typical M30 as my 535i is exactly the same. I'm doing my cam cover later today too, although I opted for a crackle black finish on mine like my E30M3. I spotted your E46M3 there, as I had a laguna seca blue one myself. Anyway, good job on solving the misfire! Mark

[@boriss187]

Typical although it might be, this one seems quite loud unfortunately. I do have E24 with engine a little bit tappety myself, but nowhere close to this.

[@1983dmd]

Super interesting !! I have a 1985 M635CSi , not federalized at all. Great potential on your purchase. Following you and good luck. You won't be able to sell it at the end, believe me ! Cheers from Montreal,Canada !

[@mariemotors]

Thanks! A few weeks ago when I started this project I was thinking I could restore it and drive it a couple months and then sell it. Now I’m wondering how I can justify keeping it without seeming psychotic. 😬

[@ItsTimePictures]

@@mariemotors Keep it!!!

[@margeharrison7638]

quick suggestion; take the valve cover back off, adjust the valves, use silicon on the gasket, and clear coat the valve cover. I didnt use silicon on my valve cover, and I got vacuum leaks around the studs. Im still waiting for you to diagnose fuse 21 draw, so i can fix mine lol

[@bmwv8182]

If you use original valve cover gasket you don't need any silicone. Torque is 10N/m for M6 bolts.

[@KITTKATTCHONKY]

Switch to 20w50 high zinc oil these engines love thick oil and it quiets down the valve train a bit I daily drive mine one of the best cars I’ve driven 😎

[@MrBlaadieblaa]

Very true, just move down to 10W40 for the winter if you live somewhere where it gets cold.

[@dennismundt7378]

You should stick to the operating instructions, what kind of spark plugs and types of oil the BMW needs. (Air filter, spark plugs, types of oil, viscosity for regional use) This is the best way to drive.

[@Collet.77]

Schöne Arbeit geleistet jedoch läuft der Motor nicht besonders gut ,es scheint probleme mit der Nockenwelle, Kipphebel oder Ventilspiel zu haben.

[@chrisbeust9474]

Abby (or..ie) great videos. You face challenging moments with a sense of humor which is a nice change from others working on BMWs. Will you be working on the AC? My '87 will need that at some point. How are the seat cushions? Yours is in better shape than mine when I got it. The PO's wife made him use it as an auxiliary basement for storage - outside.

[@mariemotors]

Thanks! The AC will be worked on eventually, but I’m assuming I will need a new condenser since they bypassed the heater core so the dash will need to come apart. That will be something I get to much later on in this project, but it’s definitely on the list! The seats are in really great shape for the age. The leather needs treated as it is a little hard and cracked in a few places, but you can definitely tell it was garage kept for much of its life. E24 storage unit? Noooo, that sucks!

[@donniecervantes3816]

excellent! my dad had a 633csi and i remember him talking about how the engine became more “tick-ticky” over the years. Is this something to do with the banjo bolts not spraying enough oil ?

[@mariemotors]

I’ve heard these engines are just loud. The fuel injectors could be 1 reason, but I’ve heard that tightening up the valve clearances from the recommended .012” to .011” or .010” will quiet it down some. For now I am rolling with the OEM recommendation and going from there. Also going to pull the fuel injectors soon and have them cleaned.

[@MrBlaadieblaa]

@@mariemotors Please don't overtighten the valve clearance, they are specced the way they are by BMW for a reason. If you do tighten them up (it will reduce the noise indeed) you will also get a slightly rougher idle and run the risk of increased cam and cam follower wear. These engines are happy ticking away as they do:) The reason the cams are worn on a lot of these M30's is just neglected oil changes and oil starvation from the oil spray bar (the infamous banjo bolts backing out), not because of excessive valve clearances. Nice video btw:)

[@netflyer68]

Put an additive in the oil and you'll see that the tappet noise disappears, I use bardhal b2, it might be fine. I like mechanical women, and you're beautiful❤

[@southothehighway]

Powder coat is the only way to go for valve covers.

[@southothehighway]

Got to safety wire the banjo bolts

[@TheIntelDIPLO]

Beautiful car, beautiful woman.. ;p

[@bmwv8182]

Glue on banjo bolts is not right solution. Right solution is LOCK WIRE BOLTS.(I can send you photos). On how much clearance you adjust exhaust/intake valves? Worn camshaft because of losen banjo bolts it's nothing new on M30,M70 engines....

[@MrBlaadieblaa]

If you order new banjobolts from the BMW dealer you'll see they have threadlocker pre-applied so that should say enough. That being said, you do have a higher chance of breaking the bolts when you want to remove them again some time in the future. Depends of course of the strength of thread locker you used, it is advised to use the lowest strength (which Marie did). Lock wire is of course also fine.

[@Khan_Art_]

Click 😂