Blown motors, Rod Bearing failure S65 Registry.

[SDPLV]

Originally Posted by SDPLV

Car is in the shop right now.
(Eurotek Tuning - Las Vegas)

Getting the BE bearings w/ OEM bolts put in, and finally some peace of mind! Asked to get the bearings back so should have pics later this week.

Currently sitting at 82.5k miles. Planning to keep this M for a long time. Not a car that was tracked and rock solid for the 4.5k miles I've owned it.

Update: Got a call that one of my motor mounts was cracked in half. Had noticed a harsh cold start, and was already thinking about replacing these anyways. Glad to just get that done with now. Mandatory rear brake pads/rotors are up next. Thinking next preventive fix will be the belts which are about due.

Update: Three bearings were toast, down to the copper on at least one. Shop owner (awesome guy, very knowledgeable and responsive) informed me the engine wouldn't have lasted much longer. Waiting to pick it up, but will post pics soon.

As promised, posting the pics. Hella thankful I got it done in time. Thanks again all!

[Cosmo Kramer]

^^^^

Definitely some variance in clearance on those bearings! Some look pretty decent and others are pretty worn, not consistent at all.

Has anyone plastiguaged these worn bearings to see what the clearance is after some miles?

[4corners]

Originally Posted by Cosmo Kramer

^^^^

Definitely some variance in clearance on those bearings! Some look pretty decent and others are pretty worn, not consistent at all.

Has anyone plastiguaged these worn bearings to see what the clearance is after some miles?

I think that is the first time I've heard that question. I'm not being sarcastic. Good question.

[pbonsalb]

Few would want to make the effort. And plastigauge may not be accurate enough.

[Green-Eggs]

Originally Posted by Cosmo Kramer

^^^^

Definitely some variance in clearance on those bearings! Some look pretty decent and others are pretty worn, not consistent at all.

Has anyone plastiguaged these worn bearings to see what the clearance is after some miles?

If I understand you correctly, RG did exactly that. My shop tore down his motor and it was during the new build that the clearance issue was discovered. That's when he picked up all the old parts and measured them properly with micrometers and bore gauges to confirm the issue. There's one or two more stock motors torn down and measured too. Should all be posted with measurements in the opening pages of his bearing wiki thread.

[Cosmo Kramer]

Another interesting data point would be to know what the oil pressure was on these motors with worn bearings. In a regular engine with much more loose factory clearances, bearings that look like this would make the oil pressure drop, causing lower oil film strength, more bearing wear and eventually rod knock.

Many mechanics are looking at these bearings and saying that the motors were on borrowed time based on the wear, but if the oil pressure was still within spec maybe not so. I think the bullet was dodged in the first 10,000 miles, when the clearance was tightest. One rod journal gets hot from tight clearance and inadequate lubrication, spins the bearing and bang she's gone.

[pbonsalb]

Not all bullets have been dodged in the first 10k. These motors have failed at quite a variety of mileages. It would be great to pinpoint a cause, source, cutoff, mileage, age, climate, octane, oil change interval, etc but there does not seem to be a predictable culprit.

[///M Power-Belgium]

=> http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1325073

[///M Power-Belgium]

=> http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1325498

[houston]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

=> http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1325498

Without disassembly is there any way to know the block or mains are not destroyed?

BMW wants 1000$ for my core which has 17k. Figure it's worth it for the valve covers alone However debating paying the core or letting it go just because of the hassle

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by houston

Without disassembly is there any way to know the block or mains are not destroyed?

BMW wants 1000$ for my core which has 17k. Figure it's worth it for the valve covers alone However debating paying the core or letting it go just because of the hassle

Depends of different factors of the failure and what actually happend in your situation , and how ? And how long your S65 ran while it happend ?

Did you heard ticking or rattle noises before or while you had the failure ?
What did you saw , or your BWW/Dealer saw in your oil and oil filter ?
If there were metal shavings in your oil and oil filter a full disassembly of your S65 is required to check the damage .
And that's not cheap..

[deansbimmer]

Houston if you want to find out what happened then you should get the motor back and we can tear it down and see what what happened.

I want to know if it was a main bearing failure. It seems there may be an unsettling uptick in those failures.

[Doc Oc]

Originally Posted by deansbimmer

Houston if you want to find out what happened then you should get the motor back and we can tear it down and see what what happened.

I want to know if it was a main bearing failure. It seems there may be an unsettling uptick in those failures.

I have a friend who just bought an 09 with a blown engine. Suspected rb failure but when he got it open rb's were fine but mains looked like this:

Coincidentally only mod on engine was Dinan crank pulley for most of its life.

[squartus]

Putting my engine back together after stroker build, all 4 Vanos units were broken turns out inlet and exhaust. $1,200 bucks each. Has anyone else seen that from a blown engine from bearings, mine was actually main bearing failure.
Was told not uncommon for the metal pieces to damage vanos

[///M Power-Belgium]

On ebay...
Please read the => "Vehicle Overview" => http://www.ebay.com/itm/222307940585...84.m1436.l2648

Priced to sell fast and aggressively at $29999 or VERY near offer. Sold $10,000++ below wholesale due to engine noise. But making a noise from what appears to be the bottom of the engine AND WILL REQUIRE REPAIR.

[admranger]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

On ebay...
Please read the => "Vehicle Overview" => http://www.ebay.com/itm/222307940585...84.m1436.l2648

Priced to sell fast and aggressively at $29999 or VERY near offer. Sold $10,000++ below wholesale due to engine noise. But making a noise from what appears to be the bottom of the engine AND WILL REQUIRE REPAIR.

$20k maybe. $30k? NFW.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by admranger

$20k maybe. $30k? NFW.

Personal I would say...No matter how low the price is , I'm sorry I don't buy big trouble .

[///M Power-Belgium]

=> http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1330468

[davesaddiction]

What is the highest mileage S65 to date that has had a recorded rod bearing failure?

[OnAFriday]

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1340571

Here's my post, add me to the list.

2008 M3, 53,000 miles, all service performed early. Always let my engine warm up before going to higher RPM.

No warning sounds except 30 seconds before it let go.

Asked BMW for assistance with the repair (I was about 13 months out of warranty) and they took nearly a month before responding no. Terrible customer service experience.

Not to mention in the last year I:
replaced the AC condenser
replaced the coolant thermostat
replaced the power steering pump

Probably done with the brand after my previous BMW was a buyback (N54 335i HPFP issues).

[///M Power-Belgium]

=> http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1335208

[aus]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

=> http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1335208

Not sure if I should add definite main bearing failures here.??
There's another post above with a main bearing failure with a crack pulley as the only mod.
If you guys want them listed, I'm happy to add it.
.