Engine Tapping

[srhutch]

Good news Jimmy, glad it is all sorted.

Out of interest, did they say what the root cause was? Also, if you don't mind me asking, what did the repairs cost?

Would be interested in this to. Bit worrying that the car has only covered 37k.

[jimmybell]

Yep - apparently its (nearly) unheard of in low milers - common in m3's with higher mileage.

I'm pointing the finger at BMW Insp 2 more than driving style or oil starvation.

After chatting to Phil at CPC and watching fifth gear's oil quality investigation i'll be changing mine between services.

Sadly costs are high for a simple component swap due to the engine bay layout in the z4 vs the m3. i also went for a load of extra stuff i technically didn't need but i want my car running without any compromise.

The followers are only £40 and i only had a few that were in a very bad way. Got them in the boot so i can get a pic up of how they shouldn't look! Not shimming correctly leads to extra punch in the valve-follower contact leading to excess wear. I'd ensure you specifically request shim measurements in your inspection 2's from any/all garages, main dealer or not. Equally somehow confirm they visually inspect for follower wear!

[daz05]

Did they have to take the head off the engine because it's pushed so far back?

[mmm-five]

The S54 in the Z4M should be much easier to work on than in the M3.

The engine in the M3 is set further back, and sits slightly under the scuttle panel.

S54 in Z4M


S54 in M3


Mine's on 105k, but it gets interim oil services every 6-7k, and is not used for short runs (below 10 minutes). If I do have to go out for a short run, then I always make sure I make it into a longer run (30 minutes min) to get everything warmed up properly.

[jimmybell]

I'm paranoid about ensuring it is warm before using the fun pedal. The self adjusting redline is one of my favourite features of the car

I think the extra room in front of the M3 S54 provides better access to the camshafts whereas in the Z the front has to come off. Not entirely sure though. i believe its easier to hack/wiggle access in the m3.

Its all happy and smooth now.

[StevenH72]

great news that all is running to smoothly. This thread should be stickied, all S54 owners need to make sure that these checks are checked (and verified) at Inspections.

[srhutch]

I'm paranoid about ensuring it is warm before using the fun pedal. The self adjusting redline is one of my favourite features of the car

I think the extra room in front of the M3 S54 provides better access to the camshafts whereas in the Z the front has to come off. Not entirely sure though. i believe its easier to hack/wiggle access in the m3.

Its all happy and smooth now.

I assume you let the oil get up to temperature though, not just the adjusting redline.

[srhutch]

The followers are only £40 and i only had a few that were in a very bad way. Got them in the boot so i can get a pic up of how they shouldn't look! Not shimming correctly leads to extra punch in the valve-follower contact leading to excess wear. I'd ensure you specifically request shim measurements in your inspection 2's from any/all garages, main dealer or not. Equally somehow confirm they visually inspect for follower wear!

This is why I believe the N52 issue with the HVA's must also cause excessive wear/damage.

[jimmybell]

Yeah - i'm aware the car seems happy to let you to 7k when it's not even warm. Wish it could be recalibrated to be useful.

[beanie]

Glad you found the cause jimmy, nothing worse than chasing a problem and getting nowhere.

If you have time to put those pics up of the rockers i reckon it would be really useful for others as a point of reference. I know i wouldn't mind having a visual inspection carried out and having something to go on would be a big help.

saying that, does anyone know if the rockers can be inspected in situ or is it necessary to take out the cams? from what i've seen on the net it 'looks' like they can be seen once unclipped and slid away from the shims/valves but i'm not entirely convinced.

[jimmybell]

Yeah sorry - a bit caught up at work with redundancy issues (hence the delay in repair related activities).

Im confident you can assess the wear reasonably well in situ - just remove the cover - however its easier to see when they're clean and off. the difference isnt HUGE but when comparing old vs new its pretty obvious how it could be important when you're talking about the micron scale that shimming is done.

Got a bag of oily followers - i'll pick out some good examples to share!

[jimmybell]

Ok a few snaps of the guilty parts!



All of them are through the hardened coating, some are OK, a couple are starting to go and one or two are pretty worn.

I took the decision to take no chances and get the entire internals checked, replace all followers and re-shim.



Pretty sure this is the worst offender, when we're talking about micron scale adjustments something this obvious is pretty severe. I can only really attribute all of this to a poorly conducted shimming by BMW as part of my Inspection II.



Turns out it makes a handy reminder by way of being the worlds most expensive key ring:

[srhutch]

I guess it's the middle on that's got a severe flat spot.

[jimmybell]

Yep - one is ok, one severe and one with a ridge starting to develop.

[gwatson]

Glad you got it all sorted

I assume we're speaking of a four figure invoice?