Official S65 Rod Bearing Condition Example Thread

[GerrS65]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

Those look pretty good for the early bearings — as bearing go for these cars — just starting to wear through the layers on the uppers. What year and how many miles?

The shop actually thinks they have been done before. OEM back in I imagine. 2010 with 80k miles

[pbonsalb]

Probably not done before since they are early bearings and it is a 2010. After 2011, I am not sure early bearings were still available.

[Helmsman]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

Probably not done before since they are early bearings and it is a 2010. After 2011, I am not sure early bearings were still available.

Tend to agree. Probably original shells. Looks good for 80k, another sign one can end up at any end of the tolerance scale.

[cjrivera]

New BE rod bearings installed this past week.
2008 e93 M3 DCT with 130,600 miles.

[aakrusen]

Originally Posted by cjrivera

New BE rod bearings installed this past week.
2008 e93 M3 DCT with 130,600 miles.

I'd be interested to see how these looked. I ordered the BE bearing set (waiting for delivery) to put in my '08 E92 DCT w/ 132k miles.

[Scharbag]

Originally Posted by cjrivera

New BE rod bearings installed this past week.
2008 e93 M3 DCT with 130,600 miles.

Ooof. Those are really not very happy.

Good they were changed.

[aakrusen]

Originally Posted by cjrivera

New BE rod bearings installed this past week.
2008 e93 M3 DCT with 130,600 miles.

Great, now I'm nervous about my bearings over the next few weeks while I wait for the delivery.

[bmwpower603]

Here’s what the rod bearings looked like!

172k. Dealer maintained. Oil changes done when OBC recommended.

[LeeMT]

Mine is a 2009 e90, RB was done 10 days ago, had like 70k on it.

not too bad but still willing to replace them.

[tom @ eas]

2011 M3, @ 82,702mi.

[DRLane]

Just hit 31k miles. Put 10k miles on it last year, including ~500 at HPR.

Serviced by SCR Performance in Loveland CO with BE & ARP. Very smooth experience with those guys!

[IMG][/IMG]

[For3]

deansbimmer @ Mporium BMW changed the bearings on my 2010 E90 with 84k on the clock. I bought the car on June 5th and scheduled it be taken care while on vacation this week. Thanks to Mporium. Can’t wait to pick it up and drive with some peace of mind.

[Bemo]

27,632 miles. I only kept the bearings that exhibited some level of wear.

[JeffreyM3]

Just got my car back from getting the infamous rod bearings on my E90 M3 replaced, 85k never been serviced. I had a tick sound when I would start the car. Sometimes when low rev throttle. My regular mechanic would not do this job so I had to find someone who, has done it, wants to do it, and likes to do it. I wanted to find a shop that had the same passion I have for my car. I took a chance with Group 2 Motorsports in Ballard WA and I'm glad I did. When I arrived I was given a tour of the shop, I really enjoyed looking at the cars they were working on or owned. Classics, race/track cars, dailys. You could tell these people were enthusiasts. Matt, whom I spoke with first on the phone, had a ton of knowlege both mechanically and with driving fast. He is also a driving instructor. The owner of the shop, John, had a few of his toys strewn about the large lot, very cool cars... the work was done over the course of two working days. The rod bearings were replaced along with a few other important pieces to replace while you are that deep in there. They do this job on a regular basis. Also I had the valve cover gaskets replaced. Though the bearings did not show too much wear, (2011 E90 M3 with new bearing material) the change in idle and throttle quality is huge! I am very happy with the work done. Also, a couple days later, coolant puddled under my car after a short drive... naturally I towed it to Group 2. Come to find out, the ventilation screw had cracked so they replaced it and the fluid. When time came to pay for the service, John gracefully declined my payment and sent me on my way. Thank you.
I have this weight lifted off me not having to worry about the con-rod bearings. I'm glad I had them do it. Dont wait, if you are experiencing symptoms, it could be the end to a really great 8300rpm thing!

[serranot]

Originally Posted by JeffreyM3

Just got my car back from getting the infamous rod bearings on my E90 M3 replaced, 85k never been serviced. I had a tick sound when I would start the car. Sometimes when low rev throttle. My regular mechanic would not do this job so I had to find someone who, has done it, wants to do it, and likes to do it. I wanted to find a shop that had the same passion I have for my car. I took a chance with Group 2 Motorsports in Ballard WA and I'm glad I did. When I arrived I was given a tour of the shop, I really enjoyed looking at the cars they were working on or owned. Classics, race/track cars, dailys. You could tell these people were enthusiasts. Matt, whom I spoke with first on the phone, had a ton of knowlege both mechanically and with driving fast. He is also a driving instructor. The owner of the shop, John, had a few of his toys strewn about the large lot, very cool cars... the work was done over the course of two working days. The rod bearings were replaced along with a few other important pieces to replace while you are that deep in there. They do this job on a regular basis. Also I had the valve cover gaskets replaced. Though the bearings did not show too much wear, (2011 E90 M3 with new bearing material) the change in idle and throttle quality is huge! I am very happy with the work done. Also, a couple days later, coolant puddled under my car after a short drive... naturally I towed it to Group 2. Come to find out, the ventilation screw had cracked so they replaced it and the fluid. When time came to pay for the service, John gracefully declined my payment and sent me on my way. Thank you.
I have this weight lifted off me not having to worry about the con-rod bearings. I'm glad I had them do it. Dont wait, if you are experiencing symptoms, it could be the end to a really great 8300rpm thing!

Huh. I just had the exact same thing happen with my coolant vent screw. The irony with this is that the M3 does not need to be vented in order to purge the air from the system. So it's like an appendix on a human--just there to go bad but serving no useful function.

[exnoodle]

Just edited my post, adding in pics of the crank shaft.

I have not looked at all of the posts here, but have not seen any bearings as bad as 1 of my bearings where the Copper is chipping away... could be wrong though.

[SoCalRPM]

Originally Posted by exnoodle

Just edited my post, adding in pics of the crank shaft.

I have not looked at all of the posts here, but have not seen any bearings as bad as 1 of my bearings where the Copper is chipping away... could be wrong though.

I'm no expert but I would agree that the bearing on the far left is one of the worst I've seen. I shared your photo again here for everyone's convenience.

[Helmsman]

Originally Posted by SoCalRPM

I'm no expert but I would agree that the bearing on the far left is one of the worst I've seen. I shared your photo again here for everyone's convenience.

Couldn't open the crank pictures but that shell makes me wonder.

[Green-Eggs]

Originally Posted by SoCalRPM

I'm no expert but I would agree that the bearing on the far left is one of the worst I've seen. I shared your photo again here for everyone's convenience.

We bought a blown motor for parts. All the shells looked this bad. The crank was damaged, but looked repairable...until...

We had the crank tested for cracks. The crank was like a spider web of microscopic cracks that you couldn't see with the naked eye. We had to junk it.

If you want to repair this crank, have it tested for cracks.

[RedScytheM3]

Originally Posted by SoCalRPM

I'm no expert but I would agree that the bearing on the far left is one of the worst I've seen. I shared your photo again here for everyone's convenience.

Wow I have no words

[exnoodle]

Anyone else having issues opening the pics of the crank I posted on my google drive?

None of the rod bearing holders had evidence of over heating either, which is interesting noting the bearing condition.

Anyone know the grade of steel for the crank shaft? If it is thermally hardened, by intentionally creating martensite, cracks maybe normal depending on its size. The elasticity & forces (max & fatigue) on the steel will determine crack propagation time frame leading to ultimate failure or never propagate to failure. Apologies if I nerd-ed out a bit and bored some folks.

[ItsGary]

Originally Posted by exnoodle

Anyone else having issues opening the pics of the crank I posted on my google drive?

None of the rod bearing holders had evidence of over heating either, which is interesting noting the bearing condition.

Anyone know the grade of steel for the crank shaft? If it is thermally hardened, by intentionally creating martensite, cracks maybe normal depending on its size. The elasticity & forces (max & fatigue) on the steel will determine crack propagation time frame leading to ultimate failure or never propagate to failure. Apologies if I nerd-ed out a bit and bored some folks.

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