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S54 rod bearing

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Smartbear
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S54 rod bearing

Post by Smartbear » Thu Jul 28, 2016 2:43 pm

z4all wrote:holy crap ive had a few m3s now and did not know they had some of these issues. scary stuff....! think I will stay away from any z4mr that hasn't had a rebuild unless its got silly low mile on it!
Hmm, its a bit like the infamous N52 electric water pump but a lot more serious/expensive! Many engines have got troublesome issues but this is a bit of a pain :x
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S54 rod bearing

Post by breezer » Thu Jul 28, 2016 2:56 pm

z4all wrote:holy crap ive had a few m3s now and did not know they had some of these issues. scary stuff....! think I will stay away from any z4mr that hasn't had a rebuild unless its got silly low mile on it!
So 100% of your cars haven't gone wrong? What are you scared of then?

Don't get panicked - the Internet only shows up the extreme examples. Nobody comes into a thread like this and says "yay, my car didn't go wrong today".

I also wouldn't be surprised if some of the 'low mileage' ones that have gone wrong have been clocked. A car like this is ripe for clocking.

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Post by AndyBeech » Thu Jul 28, 2016 3:52 pm

breezer wrote:
z4all wrote:holy crap ive had a few m3s now and did not know they had some of these issues. scary stuff....! think I will stay away from any z4mr that hasn't had a rebuild unless its got silly low mile on it!
So 100% of your cars haven't gone wrong? What are you scared of then?

Don't get panicked - the Internet only shows up the extreme examples. Nobody comes into a thread like this and says "yay, my car didn't go wrong today".

I also wouldn't be surprised if some of the 'low mileage' ones that have gone wrong have been clocked. A car like this is ripe for clocking.
This ^ did your M3's blow up?
Don't forget every other issue the S54 has that may or may not go wrong, there is no such car that will exist second hand that has every issue an S54 can face fixed, so you get one with the bearings done or low mileage, something else goes wrong (head gasket, VANOS, cam's etc.) and you lunch the engine.
By one on condition and just enjoy it, or buy one and constantly crap yourself every time you drive it with every issue that *may* or may not occur.
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Post by mmm-five » Thu Jul 28, 2016 4:03 pm

Mine's on 150k-ish and is running fine.

Don't know if it's the over-servicing, or the many miles of steady motorway miles it does between thrashes that helps most.

Have had 3 MAFs in that time though, 2 PDC sensors, a battery, preventively replaced the whole cooling pack, and had a fair few parts replaced due to my little accident in December 2015.
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Post by sixspeed » Thu Oct 06, 2016 5:24 pm

Thought I'd pipe up on here as I knew there was a thread going on this topic....

Some of you may know (those who are on Facebook or follow me on IG) that the faithful Zed ticked over 100k on a Brands Hatch evening last month. The suspension was rebuilt at the start of the year, and I had the valve clearances done 4 weeks or so back and she's never felt better. Well, fateful last words, took her to the 'Ring last week for DN16, and 1 lap into the track day the engine missed on the climb up to the Karussell, and almost immediately I could tell that it felt strained and down on power, and there was a rattle from the engine and a general gruff sound that was unusual. Pulled up and recovered to the car park, initially thinking something had gone with the top end, but once in the paddock there was a tell-tale knocking from the engine at above 2,000rpm. Diagnosis at this stage.... big end bearings!

Frustrating in that I was aware of the reports and had planned to do them over the winter, but such is life. The inside of the engine was exceptionally clean when we did the valve clearances and the car has always had oil changes every 6-8000 miles (and in recent years its been nearer every 3k due to the low mileage I do now). The car is being repatriated in a couple of weeks and is already booked into Geoff Steel Racing for a full strip down, assessment and then full rebuild (with upgrades of course!). Curious to see exactly what has gone. Engine still runs so hopefully collateral damage is minimal. Will be a good opportunity to strengthen some components, replace the clutch (which is still original), and probably drop in some cams whilst everything is apart.

Will update here with photos when we get the block apart and see what the cause and damage is!

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Post by Z4M-2006 » Thu Oct 06, 2016 5:30 pm

Sad times...

Just goes to show that there is no rhyme nor reason...

Im thinking that 60-70k is the time to change the bearings as a matter of preventative maintenance ..... Similar to S65 and S85..

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Post by sixspeed » Thu Oct 06, 2016 5:35 pm

Indeed.

This is the pic of the top end just 3 weeks ago when we did the clearances.

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Didn't look bad for 100,736 miles!

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Post by Z4M-2006 » Thu Oct 06, 2016 6:18 pm

Looks very well,probably due to your very frequent oil changes...

Let us know how you get on....

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Post by Beedub » Thu Oct 06, 2016 7:37 pm

looks super clean in their...

and 100k miles with your usage is actually incredible , the engine did very well!
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Post by Vanne » Fri Oct 07, 2016 2:32 am

Standing by for more info when you get the car to GS. Hopefully it's not too bad. Just hoping the bearing hasn't spun.
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Post by ga41 » Fri Oct 07, 2016 6:15 am

Vanne wrote:Standing by for more info when you get the car to GS. Hopefully it's not too bad. Just hoping the bearing hasn't spun.
It/they probably have. That sounds exactly like what I experienced when mine spun... Hopefully the crankshaft and connecting rods are OK. Mine were scored beyond salvaging and I had to buy used...

edit: My engine still ran with the spun rods as well. It sounded very gruff and clear knocking/grinding and various "bad" noises would be heard.
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Post by sixspeed » Sat Oct 08, 2016 1:23 am

For the morbidly curious...



Password: bmwkiller

Skip to 5:12 for the horror story (and to avoid our delirium chasing a fire-breathing P1! :rofl: )

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Post by Beedub » Sat Oct 08, 2016 11:41 am

ouch..
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Post by Z4M-2006 » Sat Oct 08, 2016 12:32 pm

Sad times.. :thumbsdown:

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Post by GuidoK » Sat Oct 08, 2016 2:16 pm

I hope your crank is still OK.
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