[Soonerbilly]

It might still be that the caps are just a little small, I still have mine if you want to give them a shot. If the shot doesn't have IMMEDIATE access to the different color/size bearings, this could be a VERY long wait to keep trying each individual size until you get the correct one, especially with the motor still in the car and probably quite difficult to get it MIC'd.

[Pep423]

Originally Posted by Soonerbilly

It might still be that the caps are just a little small, I still have mine if you want to give them a shot. If the shot doesn't have IMMEDIATE access to the different color/size bearings, this could be a VERY long wait to keep trying each individual size until you get the correct one, especially with the motor still in the car and probably quite difficult to get it MIC'd.

I'll offer them your caps and bearings again today and see if they want to try them, it can't hurt to try.

By the way what is MICd?

[robnitro]

Mic d is short for using a micrometer to measure it.

[apexit4]

Originally Posted by Pep423

The nightmare continues!

The tolerance is too tight with the bearing that was ordered. They (the shop) apparently polished/cleaned the crankshaft but still didn't work.

Now the shop is looking to get an undersized (thinner) bearing. This was yesterday. As of today I don't know if they have found anything.

I can't believe they didn't check the main bearings in the first place even though that's the reason I took the car there in. I told them the dealer thought the issue was either a rod or main bearing.

I'm getting very impatient with not only how this thing has gone down but also with the shop not being very proactive in their communications.

Has the shop mentioned how they will go about finding the undersized bearing? If the end caps are machined to match the crank, it might be hard to locate one that will match yours.

[Soonerbilly]

Yellow, green, and white. Each color indicates a different bearing size. The difference between sizes is something like .010-0.015

get the color code off the end of the crank if possible. That will give you a fighting chance on which none to order.

[Soonerbilly]

https://parts.bmwofsouthatlanta.com/...rimLevel=11884

[apexit4]

Originally Posted by Soonerbilly

Yellow, green, and white. Each color indicates a different bearing size. The difference between sizes is something like .010-0.015

get the color code off the end of the crank if possible. That will give you a fighting chance on which none to order.

So, according to the link you posted (and RealOEM from what I see), it looks like each color has the whole range of bearing sizes. The part number is the only differentiating factor between them that I see.

[Pep423]

Originally Posted by apexit4

Has the shop mentioned how they will go about finding the undersized bearing? If the end caps are machined to match the crank, it might be hard to locate one that will match yours.

No but I have a call with them this afternoon to discuss all options including calling it quits.

I'm at the point where I need to move on one way or another.

[Pep423]

Well some potential good news to report. I talked to the shop earlier and they were able to MIC the bearing after some additional cleaning and polishing of the top cap/block.

The owner will drive it home tonight and back to the shop tomorrow. If all good tomorrow morning, I'll be able to pick it up.

[apexit4]

Originally Posted by Pep423

Well some potential good news to report. I talked to the shop earlier and they were able to MIC the bearing after some additional cleaning and polishing of the top cap/block.

The owner will drive it home tonight and back to the shop tomorrow. If all good tomorrow morning, I'll be able to pick it up.

Sounds promising! Definitely report back tomorrow on any potential news. I'm extremely curious how this will play out.

[Soonerbilly]

Not sure what options are out there to monitor oil pressure....but I would def try to get something and keep an eye on it. I thought the BMW SPECS were a little on the loose side so with them initially reporting that it was too TIGHT I would worry about WHERE all of this POLISHING occurred and how effective they were in POLISHING it in a uniformly round fashion. Not trying to jinx you or anything but i'd be worried they were merely trying to get you out of their hair so to speak.....make sure to get a healthy warranty from them.

[apexit4]

Originally Posted by Soonerbilly

Not sure what options are out there to monitor oil pressure....but I would def try to get something and keep an eye on it. I thought the BMW SPECS were a little on the loose side so with them initially reporting that it was too TIGHT I would worry about WHERE all of this POLISHING occurred and how effective they were in POLISHING it in a uniformly round fashion. Not trying to jinx you or anything but i'd be worried they were merely trying to get you out of their hair so to speak.....make sure to get a healthy warranty from them.

These things dont have an oil pressure sensor and warning? Or was that only the non-diesel E9x's?

[Pep423]

Originally Posted by Soonerbilly

Not sure what options are out there to monitor oil pressure....but I would def try to get something and keep an eye on it. I thought the BMW SPECS were a little on the loose side so with them initially reporting that it was too TIGHT I would worry about WHERE all of this POLISHING occurred and how effective they were in POLISHING it in a uniformly round fashion. Not trying to jinx you or anything but i'd be worried they were merely trying to get you out of their hair so to speak.....make sure to get a healthy warranty from them.

Their typical warranty is 1 year but I haven't discussed with them given that circumstances of this repair. I wouldn't expect anything less than 6 months.

As for the polishing, I don't yet know the details but I know they consulted with a machine shop, perhaps even had them come in and do it. I'll ask tomorrow.

By the way, the shop is Fluid Motor Union in Naperville IL. The guy who open the shop used to work for one of the largest BMW dealers in the area.

[Pep423]

Car is back in my garage!

Driving it home it sounded like it was running smoother and quieter than it ever has but that might seem like it considering I have been driving small 4 cylinders for 2 months.

The shop owner OJ at Fluid MotorUnion said they are confident with the result. However, they would not offer an explicit warranty, only verbally saying he would work with me in case something happens.

He had to polish the crank while it was in the car in order to get the the bearing on within the required tolerance. I correct way to perform this work I was told was to pull the engine. So that along with a used cap is the reason he gave for not offering a warranty.

As I said, the car sounds fantastic but I am concerned about the long term results. At this point I am just relieved to have the car back. I really like the car even though it has given me so many problems and headaches!

On a side notes, I had removed collision on my insurance while it was in the shop and tonight I went to add it back on and fucking progressive is telling me I have to wait 5 days for the coverage to kick in. WTF Progressive!! Iv been a customer of theirs for both vehicles and home for nearly 10 years. After a 40 minute phone call I was finally able to talk to someone who agreed to reinstate my coverage immediately.

Fuck!

[apexit4]

Originally Posted by Pep423

Car is back in my garage!

Driving it home it sounded like it was running smoother and quieter than it ever has but that might seem like it considering I have been driving small 4 cylinders for 2 months.

The shop owner OJ at Fluid MotorUnion said they are confident with the result. However, they would not offer an explicit warranty, only verbally saying he would work with me in case something happens.

He had to polish the crank while it was in the car in order to get the the bearing on within the required tolerance. I correct way to perform this work I was told was to pull the engine. So that along with a used cap is the reason he gave for not offering a warranty.

As I said, the car sounds fantastic but I am concerned about the long term results. At this point I am just relieved to have the car back. I really like the car even though it has given me so many problems and headaches!

On a side notes, I had removed collision on my insurance while it was in the shop and tonight I went to add it back on and fucking progressive is telling me I have to wait 5 days for the coverage to kick in. WTF Progressive!! Iv been a customer of theirs for both vehicles and home for nearly 10 years. After a 40 minute phone call I was finally able to talk to someone who agreed to reinstate my coverage immediately.

Fuck!

That's great news! Very happy to hear that the issue has been resolved and you didn't have to go through an entire engine swap. Don't forget to update us in the future on whether it's all still running well or if there were issues. Hopefully this will give hope to anyone facing a similar issues in the future.

Two quick follow up questions:
1) Do you have any specific details on how they polished the crank while it was in the engine? If not, could you inquire? The details might help anyone facing this issue in the future.
2) I'm curious how you're fix compares to mine in terms of total monetary investment. It's cool if you'd prefer not to disclose that info. But if you don't have any issues disclosing it, it would be a nice to have a general idea of what something like this could cost. Your call though.

[Pep423]

Originally Posted by apexit4

That's great news! Very happy to hear that the issue has been resolved and you didn't have to go through an entire engine swap. Don't forget to update us in the future on whether it's all still running well or if there were issues. Hopefully this will give hope to anyone facing a similar issues in the future.

Two quick follow up questions:
1) Do you have any specific details on how they polished the crank while it was in the engine? If not, could you inquire? The details might help anyone facing this issue in the future.
2) I'm curious how you're fix compares to mine in terms of total monetary investment. It's cool if you'd prefer not to disclose that info. But if you don't have any issues disclosing it, it would be a nice to have a general idea of what something like this could cost. Your call though.

According to the shop owner he spent a total of about 6 hours polishing by hand using a wool pad of some kind, might have even been some type of an emory pad.

As for total cost, it came out to $7600 for parts, labor and taxes: timing chain replacement, carbon cleaning, glow plugs and module, swirl flap deletes.

The chain and associated parts were over half of the total.

Had the spun main bearing been identified when the oil pan was dropped the first time around, I may have decided to pull the engine then I would have had the option to either try and repair the bearing issue or swap in a low mileage used motor. But then I probably would have done the other preventative measures.

Either way I would have been around the $8k mark.

[Nadir Point]

They're probably just waiting to see how badly you want it, before deciding how much they will try to rip you off.

[apexit4]

Originally Posted by Nadir Point

They're probably just waiting to see how badly you want it, before deciding how much they will try to rip you off.

Are you referencing the availability of the bearings or something else?

[Nadir Point]

No.. It's anybody's guess why the shop that has your car might be dragging their feet. I merely suggested the most popular choice.

[apexit4]

Originally Posted by Nadir Point

No.. It's anybody's guess why the shop that has your car might be dragging their feet. I merely suggested the most popular choice.

Maybe an unscrupulous shop would, yes. Ive been in his situation though and can completely relate to the shipping issues.

My good friend is a shop owner and I've seen the multitude of reasons why some repairs take a while. Definitely opened my eyes a little. The level of organization requires to make things run smooth and on time is much higher than I originally thought.

[Nadir Point]

Of course! The important thing is the communication process. Who is waiting to hear from who? If you are not fully appraised of the situation along with an expected timeline, that raises red flags, to me.

[Pep423]

Communication was one of the points I expressed concern about to the shop owner. The person I was primarily communicating with I felt could have done a better job of proactively communicating the progress. On at least 2 instances I did not receive an update by the end of the week like I was told.

As for the waiting on the bearing, it was in fact stuck in US customs for over a week. The shop orders through a local BMW dealer. I took initiative to follow up with FedEx with regards to customs clearance. I'm fairly confident FedEx dropped the ball.

However, still my biggest grip is the fact that I took the car into the shop for a bearing issue and was told bearings look good but timing chain needs replaced. Granted the shop replaced the bearing without additional charge but it was done so with the motor still in the car.

Had the bearing been diagnosed in the first place, I would have gone a different route with the car.

With that being said, the car is running fine and if it's still good for another couple of years and 30k miles or so then i would be very happy with the results.