353,000 mile M3 now a Forum car

[kolosy]

given the dealership service history, i think they gotta be.

[DrFerry]

Originally Posted by kolosy

given the dealership service history, i think they gotta be.

Which seems to indicate the OEM Vanos covers can last at least 353,000 miles - providing they're aren't damaged during valve cover gasket replacement services or even just the valve cover replacement.

[kolosy]

Originally Posted by DrFerry

Which seems to indicate the OEM Vanos covers can last at least 353,000 miles - providing they're aren't damaged during valve cover gasket replacement services or even just the valve cover replacement.

N(1)

[lynn]

Originally Posted by DrFerry

Which seems to indicate the OEM Vanos covers can last at least 353,000 miles - providing they're aren't damaged during valve cover gasket replacement services or even just the valve cover replacement.

I'm at 175k km and I believe my covers are original. No service history indicates changing it and I've replaced my valve cover gaskets last year. Still leaking oil though so I probably need new valve covers...

[Richbot]

Originally Posted by kolosy

N(1)

forever, probably, lol

[Richbot]

Originally Posted by smmmurf

Happy birthday - wishes do come true!

Malek completed the rod bearing service this past weekend. Astonishingly, the original engine is still alive and kicking. There is no record of the rod bearings having ever been replaced, either. It appears that we caught them just in time, as cylinder 4 has worn down to copper.

The car appears to be in great condition for its mileage. We were going to track rat this but we're now leaning towards trying to see how far we can get that odometer to climb. Where do you guys want this car to go? What kind of service and jobs would you like to see?

You guys are doing the Lord's work. Bless you my sons

1) Does the LSD still work?
2) What is the condition of the factory sphericals/bushes, particularly subframe mount bushings and rear control arm bushings?
3) Where is it leaking, if anywhere?
4) How are the wheel bearings?

[DrFerry]

Having just briefly looked at the 129 page Maintenance History .pdf file and CarFax smmmurf posted earlier in the thread, it occurred to me not only is this 353,000 mile E92 M3 a unicorn, but so its one owner as well. The Doctor (single owner) put up with the car letting him down occasionally with alternator failures, throttle bodies, ICV going out etc. i.e. the whole nine yards of mechanical issues we're all too familiar with here on the forum. However, the said Doctor was financially (most likely) very capable of buying another car, but he chose not to do so. He soldiered through fifteen years of commuting in the car, regular trips to the shop for spark plugs and oil etc. and wracked up 353,000 miles, when he could've traded it for something else.

Think about that for a second. An interview with the Doctor could reveal some of the love and kinship he must've felt for the car. He was putting over 25K miles a year on it, while giving the car every single maintenance item the Dealer could throw at it, on top of the odd catastrophic failures where towing it in to the shop was the only option. And yet he still kept this same car right up until the end - when he donated it because of a misfire and oil leaks. I'm left wondering what car he replaced this M3 with, i.e. what satisfied him after his E92 M3. A Panamera perhaps? It's anybody's guess, but the tales the previous owner could tell might be just as worth knowing as the 129 page .pdf maintenance history and CarFax. Take a look at the files folks. I think it even has the original factory installed water pump.

[swagon]

This and the abandoned Limerock need to be put back into showroom condition!

Nobody ever willingly spends 350k miles in one car unless they love it and think they bought THE right car. Amazing story of this car, and a true testament to the quality of cars BMW makes IF they are maintained and driven by someone with at least some kind of mechanical sympathy.

This should be on the front page... instead of 420th G80 M3 on rims.

[DrFerry]

Originally Posted by swagon

This and the abandoned Limerock need to be put back into showroom condition! Nobody ever willingly spends 350k miles in one car unless they love it and think they bought THE right car. Amazing story of this car, and a true testament to the quality of cars BMW makes IF they are maintained and driven by someone with at least some kind of mechanical sympathy. This should be on the front page... instead of 420th G80 M3 on rims.

I totally agree. Mechanical sympathy seems to be a difficult concept for some people to grasp. It could also (possibly) be a generational thing. Your point about the front page (forum news) is a good one. Since when have we seen stories about human interest subjects or similar? There's lots of stuff typically on that page with ginormous, guppy, grills or pigs with lipstick on. With regards to this particular 350K miles car; if the car somehow managed to get half a million (500,000) miles on it then perhaps BMW would show some interest? One of my own threads on another 'special' BMW went nowhere (linked below). O.P. Three Pedal Steve - sorry to thread jack a little.
.
https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1436859
.
PS:
For those wondering about the abandoned Limerock it's also linked below:
https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2084993

[Three Pedal Steve]

DrFerry I am glad you brought back memories of the e36 M3 Lightweight that would occasionally show up at the BMWCCA Sandlapper chapter meetings in Greenville SC. Like our subject 353k mile M3, it had a significant human-interest element that may be 'old fashion' in today's world. But for me, as much as I love all kinds of cars, my favorites are the ones where the owner and the car have stories. Like the 1909 Sears that is still in the same family after four generations. Or the on 1968 Firebird that was waiting for a young man returning from Vietnam who still cherishes it after 55 years.

[Reddevils7]

Originally Posted by DrFerry

Having just briefly looked at the 129 page Maintenance History .pdf file and CarFax smmmurf posted earlier in the thread, it occurred to me not only is this 353,000 mile E92 M3 a unicorn, but so its one owner as well. The Doctor (single owner) put up with the car letting him down occasionally with alternator failures, throttle bodies, ICV going out etc. i.e. the whole nine yards of mechanical issues we're all too familiar with here on the forum. However, the said Doctor was financially (most likely) very capable of buying another car, but he chose not to do so. He soldiered through fifteen years of commuting in the car, regular trips to the shop for spark plugs and oil etc. and wracked up 353,000 miles, when he could've traded it for something else.

Think about that for a second. An interview with the Doctor could reveal some of the love and kinship he must've felt for the car. He was putting over 25K miles a year on it, while giving the car every single maintenance item the Dealer could throw at it, on top of the odd catastrophic failures where towing it in to the shop was the only option. And yet he still kept this same car right up until the end - when he donated it because of a misfire and oil leaks. I'm left wondering what car he replaced this M3 with, i.e. what satisfied him after his E92 M3. A Panamera perhaps? It's anybody's guess, but the tales the previous owner could tell might be just as worth knowing as the 129 page .pdf maintenance history and CarFax. Take a look at the files folks. I think it even has the original factory installed [...]

And he kept the car stock for that long? Amazing. And how did we come to the conclusion he or she was a doctor lol

[smmmurf]

Originally Posted by Reddevils7

And he kept the car stock for that long? Amazing. And how did we come to the conclusion he or she was a doctor lol

We've gone through the entire car and can confirm that, apart from the front brake rotors, it is bone stock / Genuine BMW down to the washer fluid. We have the previous owner's info from the bill of sale and window sticker, so we looked him up

We are new to working on BMWs, but are eager to learn the S65 platform and keep this car going for as long as we can. We're currently chasing the following DTCs:

Misfire

P0305 (cyl #5 misfire) appears pretty reliably and triggers limp mode the moment the car comes to a stop and idles for the first time after the emissions monitors have all completed. No sign of the code at any point before the monitors (less EVAP) have completed. Car appears to be idling and revving fine, with no audible misfire. We also saw P0300 (random misfire) and P0301 (cyl #1 misfire) appear once (along with P0305). What we've done so far:

1. Independently swapped ignition coils and spark plugs between cylinders 5 and 6. Code remained on cyl #5 after each swap.

2. Preventatively changed all 8 fuel injectors. Code still on cyl #5, but have not seen P0300 and P0301 reappear yet.

Secondary Air Injection System

P0491 comes and goes. Appears reliably almost immediately upon a cold start as a pending code; disappears occasionally only to resurface again. Have visually inspected the relevant hoses. Hoping this won't require a replacement of the bank 1 valve?

Possible related symptoms
1. Whistling sound coming seemingly from the intake system at light throttle. However, this might simply be related to the plenum, per this video. Will inspect the gasket the next time the plenum comes off.
2. Faint exhaust smell from the front wheel well, as well as within the cabin on occasion. Could there be a leak? Note that only a single cylinder is giving trouble, not the entire bank.

Is there any possibility these codes could be related at all?

Next steps

The misfire is our top priority now and is a barrier to passing smog. A K+DCAN USB adapter is on the way for better diagnostics. A compression test is also next on the agenda if there are no better suggestions we can try first.

Photos and findings from fuel injector job

1. We found 3 damaged ignition coils (2 handles broken clean off, 1 connector housing damaged).
2. Of the air cleaning housing torx bolts, 2 were missing and 3 have stripped threads in the lower plastic cover.
3. Bank 1 VANOS covers are intact and original.

Do let us know what else you would like photos of the next time the plenum comes off!

[smmmurf]

Originally Posted by Richbot

You guys are doing the Lord's work. Bless you my sons

1) Does the LSD still work?
2) What is the condition of the factory sphericals/bushes, particularly subframe mount bushings and rear control arm bushings?
3) Where is it leaking, if anywhere?
4) How are the wheel bearings?

We will have answers for everything suspension related once the powertrain is sorted. For now;

1. The diff is working well.
3. Malek found the following to be leaking during the rod bearing service:
a. Oil filter housing gasket; severe
b. Valve covers; medium
c. Bed plate seal; light

We will be replacing the oil filter housing gasket and valve covers after resolving the misfire. While we're in there, we plan to preventatively replace the water pump and VANOS covers.

[DrFerry]

Originally Posted by Reddevils7

And how did we come to the conclusion he or she was a doctor lol

The eBay buyer smmmurf revealed to us this information earlier in this thread about the single owner's occupation.

[DrFerry]

Originally Posted by smmmurf

Misfire Code still on cyl #5, but have not seen P0300 and P0301 reappear yet. Faint exhaust smell from the front wheel well, as well as within the cabin on occasion. Could there be a leak? Note that only a single cylinder is giving trouble, not the entire bank.

These are potentially related. Exhaust leaks have been seen to cause rough idle and occasionally misfires. Good move on replacing the injectors. The one in the photo looked pretty bad. I noticed jubilee clips on the fuel rail. Those shouldn't be there. So fuel pressure should be checked. Cylinder #5 Spark Plug insulator could be cracked. Try a different plug in Cyl #5. Also I recommend a compression check especially on Cyl #5 and report back with those values providing funds and time permit. Thanks for the updates and photos.
.

[iamtrashman]

Echoing the last post, with the mileage on the car its very likely that the header donuts are leaking. I think it is a common source of misfires especially if they are all on the same bank. If you have a scanner with live data readouts, you could try monitoring O2 sensor values.

[Three Pedal Steve]

smmmurf About the cylinder #5 misfire- I wouldn't rule out a broken valve spring.

[charliev68]

My vote is a broken valve spring!

[Honda]

Originally Posted by Three Pedal Steve

smmmurf About the cylinder #5 misfire- I wouldn't rule out a broken valve spring.

What can cause broken valve spring?

[DrFerry]

Originally Posted by Honda

What can cause broken valve spring?

Metal fatigue, over rev, or both.

[smmmurf]

Originally Posted by DrFerry

Metal fatigue, over rev, or both.

Over rev seems unlikely on a DCT car.

To summarize everything we know about the misfire:

1. Cyl #5 only. Cyl #1 had a code at some point which has not returned since replacing injectors. The particularly dirty injector in the picture we shared previously was #1.

2. Swapping plugs, coils, & replacing injectors did not help.

3. Codes are
a. 2B39: Misfire with cutoff, cyl. 5
b. 2B46: Misfire impairing exhaust emission, cyl. 5

4. Slight exhaust smell in cabin / front wheel well, potentially indicating a leak. Note that only a single cylinder, not the entire bank, is affected.

Quick compression test results

This was meant to just be a quick test to see if cyl #5 had relatively lower compression, so we had the following parameters:

1. Cold engine
2. TB closed (probably)
3. Plugs and coils in

#1: 173 psi
#2: 164 psi
#5: 162 psi (misfiring cylinder)
#6: 153 psi
#7: 164 psi

Skipped #3, #4 and #8 because this was meant to be a quick test to check on cyl 5 and those coils are a nightmare to remove.

[charliev68]

My number 5 had been broken for a while before it got totally bound up and was slightly stuck open. You can see the groove it cut into the bore. My engine was exhibiting the same symptoms you’re describing. If it is the Spring, handle it before it’s too late. I was lucky that I didn’t drop the valve. Good Luck!