10-11-2017, 10:27 AM
I never updated this, but the timing chain tensioner was definitely my culprit. The original one was not on there very tight at all so I'm guessing it just slowly backed out over the course of 130k miles. Either way, I went ahead and replaced it with a new one and the leaks are gone.
With all of the house stuff I've been working on, I haven't been doing much with this recently, but I'm planning to try to get some things done this fall/over the winter. The big thing is deciding if I want to tackle the rod bearings myself. It's not too bad of a job if you have a good torque wrench that can do angle torque without an additional gauge and a lift (which I'm getting once I drywall/insulate my garage).
Short list of stuff that I'd like to get done:
Rod Bearings
Motor/Trans/Diff mounts
Shifter rebuild
RTAB's (not sure I need these, the car seems to track straight under heavy acceleration, but something is squeaking in the rear when it gets hot)
Otherwise, this thing has continued to be a very solid example of an E46 M3. While it did leave me stranded about a mile from my house due to it puking oil, the cause wasn't some catastrophic failure. It was just a timing chain tensioner slowly getting loose.
With all of the house stuff I've been working on, I haven't been doing much with this recently, but I'm planning to try to get some things done this fall/over the winter. The big thing is deciding if I want to tackle the rod bearings myself. It's not too bad of a job if you have a good torque wrench that can do angle torque without an additional gauge and a lift (which I'm getting once I drywall/insulate my garage).
Short list of stuff that I'd like to get done:
Rod Bearings
Motor/Trans/Diff mounts
Shifter rebuild
RTAB's (not sure I need these, the car seems to track straight under heavy acceleration, but something is squeaking in the rear when it gets hot)
Otherwise, this thing has continued to be a very solid example of an E46 M3. While it did leave me stranded about a mile from my house due to it puking oil, the cause wasn't some catastrophic failure. It was just a timing chain tensioner slowly getting loose.
2015 VW GTI | 2007 4Runner Sport
SOLD
2010 Nissan 370z | 2003 BMW M3
2005 Subaru WRX | 2010 BMW 135i | 1999 BMW M3
2002 Pontiac Trans Am WS6 | 2006 Mitsubishi Evolution IX SE
1995 Pontiac Firebird Formula | 1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX | 1996 Pontiac Firebird
SOLD
2010 Nissan 370z | 2003 BMW M3
2005 Subaru WRX | 2010 BMW 135i | 1999 BMW M3
2002 Pontiac Trans Am WS6 | 2006 Mitsubishi Evolution IX SE
1995 Pontiac Firebird Formula | 1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX | 1996 Pontiac Firebird