Re: Help needed in the brain pan area.... (archive)

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If you have the time your instincts are correct, do the preventative maintenance while the car is down for the intake change-out. Yes, it ends up being a long drawn out affair, but in the end you benefit time and cost-wise from later piece-meal repairs. Just my experience.

Regarding the items:
(1) Only replace the distributor caps and rotors if they are worn. From discussions with shops, they seem to be good to as high as 100k miles on the V12. Not a big area of wear. Look for tracking and score or pit marks on the rotor arm.
(2) OEM BMW spark plug wires are very, very high quality. Many, including Ziggy, will tell you that replacing them with so called high performance wires is usually a down-grade. They are very solid and good to the 100k mile plus. They can be checked with an Ohmmeter for correct resistance (6 ohms?).
(3) There isn't any valve adjustment on the V12 S70. The lifters are hydraulic units not solid/pushrod or old M-style shim/bucket. The hydraulic tappets do wear out and have a tendancy to click, particularly at start-up for the first few minutes. A little annoying, but not generally bothersome enough to change them out.
(4) Those headers are very nice pieces. But, unless you're planning some head work (porting and valves), they won't do much for your engine. You'll just have a high flow intake and exhaust with a narrow point in the middle at the valves/intake tract.

If you do decide to go the full distance, I have a pair of spare heads that I can offer-up as cores if you decide to do the headers and head work.

I am looking for some technical expertise�my intakes are currently at Extrude Hone & I am waiting like an expectant father for their return. However, I am running into this problem of where to stop � follow:

- Anyone who knows our engine compartment knows that by removing the current intakes there is a great deal more maneuvering room under there so you might as well replace the spark plugs since they are more readily accessible;

- If you are going to replace the spark plugs you might as well replace the distributors;

- If you have all of that stuff off, high performance spark plug wires would be an easy upgrade;

- I have my eyes on the Racing Dynamics headers � with the intakes off, it would be relatively easy to get the exhaust manifolds off�

- And the reason for my post in the first place � I have a rocker arm cover oil leak on the passenger side. With the intakes off I will replace the gaskets on both sides � however with the rocker cover off, wouldn�t it make sense to adjust everything under there as well?? I don�t know how to do this. I am willing to learn and do all of the work, but is there anyone in the S.F. Bay Area who knows what to do, and how to do it? There is beer and pizza on the table as an enticement.

Any input would be appreciated � especially in the area of performance spark plugs and wires.

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