Removing Rocker Arm Shaft(s)

[Hector]

I want to remove these pieces from my m30 head but don't want to resort to a long metal drift. To me that has bad news written all over it. I could probably try a wooden dowel as suggested by Haynes. Bently suggests the use of a slide hammer. What in the hec is this tool? Will it make removing the shafts easier?
Hector

[Bill R.]

http://www.bimmernut.com/%7Ebillr/images/slidehammer-1.jpg

Head of a 2 to 5 lb sledge, without the handle in it you have a hole in the middle that you can get a piece of mild steel bar stock and weld a
grade 8 bolt on the end that will screw into the end of the rocker shaft, then on the other end you weld a plate... when you slide the hammer head over the bar stock and then screw the bar stock into the end of the rocker shaft, (the threaded hole) then you slide the hammer head out to the plate you welded on the endof the shaft as a stop and you hammer the rocker shaft out this way.... I have one laying around that I made for mercedes v8 timing chain stuff, i'll try to dig it out and photograph it if my explanation isn't clear enough..






I want to remove these pieces from my m30 head but don't want to resort to a long metal drift. To me that has bad news written all over it. I could probably try a wooden dowel as suggested by Haynes. Bently suggests the use of a slide hammer. What in the hec is this tool? Will it make removing the shafts easier?
Hector

[Bill R.]

http://www.bimmernut.com/%7Ebillr/images/slidehammer2.jpg
http://www.bimmernut.com/%7Ebillr/images/slidehammer-1.jpg

Head of a 2 to 5 lb sledge, without the handle in it you have a hole in the middle that you can get a piece of mild steel bar stock and weld a
grade 8 bolt on the end that will screw into the end of the rocker shaft, then on the other end you weld a plate... when you slide the hammer head over the bar stock and then screw the bar stock into the end of the rocker shaft, (the threaded hole) then you slide the hammer head out to the plate you welded on the endof the shaft as a stop and you hammer the rocker shaft out this way.... I have one laying around that I made for mercedes v8 timing chain stuff, i'll try to dig it out and photograph it if my explanation isn't clear enough..

[Hector]

I appreciate you taking the picture. I'll come up with the parts and see if I can have one made from a local shop a friend of mine owns. If not, then I'll bite the bullet and get the special BMW tool. Removing the shafts with this set up looks like it'll be easy but I wonder if installing them will be just as easy.



http://www.bimmernut.com/%7Ebillr/images/slidehammer2.jpg

[winfred]

clean the shafts well and they will be a lot easyer to pull, on m20s i get them shiney before i start and i can usually just push em out with a extension by hand, you can mushroom the ends real quick, i haven't been through many m30s but i would start the same way, clean

[George M]

...likely they will come right out. The reason for the design of internal threading on the end of each shaft is to prevent pushing them out which tends to mushroom the shaft as Winfred said. You don't need an elaborate puller for this however....can make your own with a simple long bolt which you thread into the end of each shaft and a large crescent wrench...using the mass of the crescent wrench head as your make shift slide hammer. When doing this kind of task, always use the least invasive approach first...pulling from outside the head. If you need to resort to pounding or pushing them out...opt for as large a diameter punch with flat end... that will fit in the rocker shaft bore just under the the diameter of the rocker shaft itself to minimize damage to the end of the rocker shaft.
George

[Hector]

n/t