Quote:
Originally Posted by JaredG_F30
Thanks for posting this. I've been waiting for a cheaper alternative to the Kies crank seal plate but wanted a part machined from solid aluminum. This fit the bill so I just ordered one along with the BMW Accessory Drive Belt Kit - 11288604266KT from FCPEURO. I just clocked of 85k miles so replacing the belt tensioner kit and adding the crank seal cover for piece of mind.
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I also wanted to note that the Malo industries plate has more supporting material on the tabs compared to other billet aluminium plates in its price range, so thats another reason why I think it is the best plate out there. The only other 2 billet aluminium cnc plates that can some what stack up against it is the kies/vac plate but those have potential fitment issues and is 2x in price.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GAB0
I have the KIES and fitment was spot on, very happy with the purchase.
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Here is a quote from my main thread about the kies plate, what you need to know is that on some cars the crank seal may not be recessed deep enough or might even be flushed so this plate is not guaranteed to fit. So even if you remove your dampener before buying a plate there is no guarantee it will fit because there is a chance your crank seal is not recessed deep enough.
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Credit: BMWHoochie post #82 (
https://www.spo olstreet.c om/threads/who-has-this-crank-seal-protection-plate.5221/page-5#post-108917)
In this image you can see the small gap between the surface of the block and the plate due to the crank seal hitting the alignment ring.
Credit: BMWHoochie post #82 (
https://www.spo olstreet.c om/threads/who-has-this-crank-seal-protection-plate.5221/page-5#post-108917)
In this image you can see the kies motorsports plate (vac manufactured) sitting crooked once one bolt is installed because it was initially sitting too far forwards (due to the crank seal not being recessed far enough back) so the bolt holes do not line up. So when you pull the plate back so the hole does line up it causes the plate to tilt. A slotted bolt hole would fix this issue.
However bolt hole alignment is not an issue if the plate sits flush against the block (this area is identical in N54’s, N55’s, and S55’s iirc) which is how every plate is designed to sit or else all the forces of a belt failure will be deflected towards the tabs which may fail. Also if the plate doesn’t sit flush against the block it will hit the harmonic damper as the clearance in that area is extremely tight. So in the instance of a properly installed plate a slotted bolt hole could be a detriment imo as it can cause the plate to be harder to install, create a weaker tab area (as there is less material supporting the bolt) and even possibly move upon belt failure."