[kevlarblue]

I bought this from FCP Euro and according to them it would fit my car. Well, it rubbed against the crank pulley and was destroyed leaving aluminum fragments all over the engine compartment.

Does anybody what have experience with this particular seal guard? There's really only one way to install it but could I have done something wrong? Is there more than one crank pulley design that we should be aware of when installing these?

I have a 2009 335i with what I believe is the stock crank and pulley.

[lowrydr310]

Never heard of that one.

I used a super generic brand sold on AliExpress and Amazon and had zero issues with fitment or rubbing.

[iqraceworks]

Wow....how long did you run that thing before you shut the motor off?

I put one of the cheap china/ebay ones on my engine...it rubbed a little bit. I finally just took it off. I think it's kind of 50/50 if they run a little bit, or clear everything. Looks like that 034 one in the original post had all kinds of clearance issues......didn't you hear that thing making all kinds of noise as soon as your turned the engine over?

[fastboatster]

Originally Posted by iqraceworks

Wow....how long did you run that thing before you shut the motor off?

I put one of the cheap china/ebay ones on my engine...it rubbed a little bit. I finally just took it off. I think it's kind of 50/50 if they run a little bit, or clear everything. Looks like that 034 one in the original post had all kinds of clearance issues......didn't you hear that thing making all kinds of noise as soon as your turned the engine over?

yes, I also wonder if OP heard any noises, that must've made a noticeable sound.
I also have 034 crank seal guard on my n55 335i, I haven't had it for too long, though, maybe a month and less than 500 miles. OP, how long did it take for it to get destroyed in your case?
034 does have a checkered quality record in the VW/Audi world where they came from, but it also could be an install error, or rather, incomplete instructions. I had to make sure that the guard was pressed firmly and flush against the crankcase when tightening the bolts, otherwise it would def rub later.

[oVeRdOsE.]

Originally Posted by lowrydr310

Never heard of that one.

I used a super generic brand sold on AliExpress and Amazon and had zero issues with fitment or rubbing.

Same, and I can confirm that one worked well, kept my stupid belt out.

In fact I was so confident with this guard, I drove the car back with the shredded belt. It was 15 or 20$ cad.

[kevlarblue]

Originally Posted by iqraceworks

Wow....how long did you run that thing before you shut the motor off?

I put one of the cheap china/ebay ones on my engine...it rubbed a little bit. I finally just took it off. I think it's kind of 50/50 if they run a little bit, or clear everything. Looks like that 034 one in the original post had all kinds of clearance issues......didn't you hear that thing making all kinds of noise as soon as your turned the engine over?

Oh yeah, it squealed pretty loudly. Unfortunately, it sounded very similar to a loose/slipping belt. Since I had also just replaced the belt, tensioner and idle pulleys I'd say I had it running for no more than 15 minutes while I searched for the source of the noise. What did it for me was taking the belt off completely and running the engine - the noise was still there convincing me that it was coming from the crank pulley.

The scariest part was the amount of aluminum fragment that collected on the under tray. It seems like that could do even more damage than belt fragments...

[kevlarblue]

Originally Posted by fastboatster

yes, I also wonder if OP heard any noises, that must've made a noticeable sound.
I also have 034 crank seal guard on my n55 335i, I haven't had it for too long, though, maybe a month and less than 500 miles. OP, how long did it take for it to get destroyed in your case?
034 does have a checkered quality record in the VW/Audi world where they came from, but it also could be an install error, or rather, incomplete instructions. I had to make sure that the guard was pressed firmly and flush against the crankcase when tightening the bolts, otherwise it would def rub later.

It was very apparent something wasn't right when I ran the engine. I wonder if this seal guard was designed for the N55 and not the N54. I cannot compare the crank pulley designs but it certainly isn't compatible with my N54.

As for installation there is really only one way to put it on. It's flush with the crank case/ seal or it isn't. If it isn't seated all the way against the seal it would obviously rub but if you look at the pictures of mine it rubbed in a symmetrical pattern suggesting it was centered and flush vice hanging off of one side as if it wasn't installed correctly.