[old grey steve]

Been asked apart from what I post on here what else do I see> Well here some of the emerging things I'm getting to see and the odd one off!

If you own one of the 4 cylinder engines don't be too surprised to greeted with the dreaded issue re cam shaft and crank shaft corrolation, most garages assume its a cam or crank sensor fault sadly 90%+ of the time its this



broken chain guides. Chain will become slack perhaps jump on average 2-3 teeth



you therefore strip everything down



replace the guides re assemble



refitting the vanos units



(we check the vanos units and actuators as well for issues pre work to see if there are any faults)

and cary out the all important re timing(special timing tools requied for this)




we are seeing more and more of these engine coming our way with issues, sometimes apart from the above other things have been going on mainly IMO due to servicing issues, again something that we do investigate. Below is a car that again damaged guides tensioner was tired to say the least and it had started to die



but if caught you can save an engine. CBS on these cars IMO allows oil service to go for too long. The one below had followed BMW's CBS schedule haveing coverd just over 31000 miles but as you'll see too late




Things like walnut blasting we are now well known for turing your 335i's valves from this



to this



but solving other poor running issues on 335i's as well as 330i's and 325i's is now becoming more common, poor tickover lumpy running can be more than the usual plugs sometimes a misfire cannot be wholly put in the plug and coil camp so we check the injecors with a borscope camera and find the answer to back up the diagnostic results





here below is a live video of a failing 335i injector



the mist you can see is the proof of a leaking injector and one these cars damn difficult to prove unless you probe.

Swirl flaps leaking and their consiquences re being ingested are well documented. On the earlier E9X diesels your swirl flaps are identical to those found in the E46's and sadly this happens






the above car lost 1 swirl flap the second one on the last picture was broken away and was stuck where you see it. Look at how the manifolds coked up as well



all 4 ports were like this on this car. On the later cars they simply leak






but at least when removed they do appear to be more substantual




but as you can see below they still have issue's




namily the casings start to break apart and are erroded over time, therefore same story applies unless you've got a real late diesel get them out and replace them with ali blanks

Apart from the other stuff I see reguarly post re brakes and solving the odd puzzle re why the car seems to vibrate or are noisy under braking or while driving











and this one's a peach



which as you may be able to gather is ususally down to corrosion, lipped scored discs and pads wearing unevenily(which can be easily spotted) due to cracking

Leaking gear box sump's or more to the point reported gear box thumps while driving or stopping that turn out to be leaking sump's and pilot sleeves when inspected are again common





we do as you may know shed loads of these without drama and are all too common.

I do get to see some more intersting stuff. With M5's & M6's now becoming so much more affordable we are seeing a few come our way now

















and the engine's to die for




If you're going to buy one of these be prepared to have an open wallet policy with your bank account. One if not the biggest single issue rests on the clutch/flywheel assembly. They wear out: No surprise but the biggest single issue re these is actually the set up and the owners playing with the settings, we see quite a few that are simply not set up correctly, essentually robbing the car of performance plus accelerating clutch and flywheel wear





The only option is to repalce both the flywheel and clutch
plus internal ball pin spring and clutch fork which will cost over double the average manual clutch and flywheel repalcement on your 325d for instance therefore the gearbox (which is a good deal heavier and larger than your average manual needs to come out





and once re fitted (again we check other components such as the hydraulic pump, pressure accumulator & pressure sensors)-which are common issues as well, its vital that the gear box is set up all adapataions are re set and allow the car to adapt to its new gearbox.

We do these now reguarly and they drive so much better for it. On the subect of clutchs we see a few where people don't know what the smell is from the engine area and why the revs rise and the car doesn't seem to move that quicky






says it all really, but its surprisingly common. ABS/DSC issues are rife either hydro or the dreaded drive shaft reluctor rings seem to be BMW fav's at the moment on both 4 & 6 cylinder cars, though the 4 cylinders seem more of an issue re drive shafts for sure





Solving the mystery re vibration while driving can be many things but I'd say a good 40% of the issues lie with these things







tyres are often over looked or people just look at the outer section of the tyre 90% of BMW's we see wear on the inner 1/3 of the tyre or wear due to under/over inflation. So check your tyres reguarly.

Left the best to last and again goes back to M5's & M6's namily the engine rare to have a failure but we've seen them hence this



poor old Alan and 2 M5 engines, one bare & one knackered engine from the car in question(2 injectors didn't shut down causing CAT to disintergrate and killed cylinder 4 & 5)and the old engine awaiting all ancelleries to be swapped over.







And that's what I see. Thanks for reading

[bmwspeed01]

Great read thanks for taking the time to post it

[Brian mc21]

Holy shit !!!

[Mark e90]

Great post ! so definitely stay away from the 4 cylinders ! what about the n52 325i would you say that is a decent engine other than the ticking ?

[evo97]

great thread.....love the bare V10 engine pics!!! starter motor replacement looks fun under the inlet manifold....

[richk84]

I'm guessing if that was a 4 cylinder diesel it was an earlier engine without the revised parts?

[Geesh_46]

Brilliant post! Thank you for doing that

[old grey steve]

Originally Posted by Mark e90

Great post ! so definitely stay away from the 4 cylinders ! what about the n52 325i would you say that is a decent engine other than the ticking ?

IMO and what I see you get more issues with the 4 cylinder cars than you get with the 6 cylinder cars in terms of engine related issues at least, the 6 cylinder cars seem a bit more tolerant but that's not to say that they are bullet proof, they aren't (especially when it comes to things like injectors) they have their own little quirks but overall they are less prone to annoying issues.

Originally Posted by evo97

great thread.....love the bare V10 engine pics!!! starter motor replacement looks fun under the inlet manifold....

When you see the engine out in the open you do actually realise how big it is(also weighs a fair bit too)there's precious little space for ancillaries under the bonnet therefore things like replacing starters, alternators takes a fair bit more time to carryout than they'd say be for a 530i for instance, on the engine transplant you see we had everything in/out swapped, fitted and driven in 2 days

Originally Posted by richk84

I'm guessing if that was a 4 cylinder diesel it was an earlier engine without the revised parts?

Indeed an M47 unit, on a 04 plate 320CD, the later cars as I've posted above have a more tolerant swirl flap design, but though they are not prone to being ingested like the early E9X series cars/all E46 cars they still leak and the casings as pictured get eroded and that plastic can only go in one direction and that's into the inlets and combustion chamber, like a swirl flap.

[paulf61]

Very interesting and informative as always Steve.

Paul

[Mark e90]

[QUOTE=old grey steve;18571701]IMO and what I see you get more issues with the 4 cylinder cars than you get with the 6 cylinder cars in terms of engine related issues at least, the 6 cylinder cars seem a bit more tolerant but that's not to say that they are bullet proof, they aren't (especially when it comes to things like injectors) they have their own little quirks but overall they are less prone to annoying issues.

what about the 4 cylinder 320d engine, any good ? Sorry for the questions but I'm on the look out for a e90 for my mum I'm currently only looking at 325i or 330i as they seem pretty reliable but the 320d mpg figures are more appealing to her.

[afalton]

This is very interesting! Just out of curiosity iv had my pre lci e92 330i n53 dct I have just ticked over 71500m I change my oil every year and iv been driving 50-55 miles a day since June would this help stop the carbon oil deposits in the engine? Cheers

[Phil325i]

Great post as always Steve...if a little scary in the content department!

[richk84]

[QUOTE=Mark e90;18573693]

Originally Posted by old grey steve

IMO and what I see you get more issues with the 4 cylinder cars than you get with the 6 cylinder cars in terms of engine related issues at least, the 6 cylinder cars seem a bit more tolerant but that's not to say that they are bullet proof, they aren't (especially when it comes to things like injectors) they have their own little quirks but overall they are less prone to annoying issues.

what about the 4 cylinder 320d engine, any good ? Sorry for the questions but I'm on the look out for a e90 for my mum I'm currently only looking at 325i or 330i as they seem pretty reliable but the 320d mpg figures are more appealing to her.

The main problem with 320d engines around 07-09 was a timing chain issue, hence there is now a recall/quality enhancement.

[old grey steve]

Originally Posted by afalton

This is very interesting! Just out of curiosity iv had my pre lci e92 330i n53 dct I have just ticked over 71500m I change my oil every year and iv been driving 50-55 miles a day since June would this help stop the carbon oil deposits in the engine? Cheers

Walnut blasting can make a difference seen a few 325/330's now once done the cars seem smoother on pull away smoother tickover and a couple have stated that on start up apart from being smoother the cars seems a little quieter all you are doing with this process is restoring lost efficiency that over time due to direct injection has been eroded, it does work but don't expect huge power gains or anything like that that's not what it is about but once done as the driver of the car you'll notice a difference

Originally Posted by Phil325i

Great post as always Steve...if a little scary in the content department!

Ta scary though depends on what you're take is on scary, people drive around in cars that once exposed produce the picture like those posted many have been elsewhere and we get the cars often as a last resort as some chose to go elsewhere to save koney only to spend money unnecessarily and then discover that hey still have issues, which we highlight graphically if required and pictures paint as they say a thousand words. But yes for the owners it can be eye opening

[QUOTE=richk84;18575892]

Originally Posted by Mark e90

The main problem with 320d engines around 07-09 was a timing chain issue, hence there is now a recall/quality enhancement.

Sure this is an issue on diesels of this age but swirl flaps still have issues on these though later LCI cars run a different but supposedly more effective manifold and tot be fair on the later ones it would seem that risk and potential leakage may have been 'controlled' to a degree but apart from that 320d's suffer from issues well documented such as failed turbos, DPF issues for instance plus other issues.

For people buying 320d's for economy only to do short journeys who want to see fuel economy as a bonus things like DPF issues could well haunt the car and the owners finances and paitence I personally wouldn't entertain a diesel for short durarion journeys as the use doesn't sit comfortably with the cars longterm durability

Originally Posted by Broken_Gearbox

What would a repair for the timing guides run into and are there any pre warning signs or symptoms? Great selection of photos!

From start to finish you can polish the job off on around 6.8 hours you've also got to do a rocker cover gasket change when doing the guides plus as they plastic guides disintegrate you have to do an oil service too to get any remanence of plastic that could be swimming in the oil out of the sump area we chose to let the oil drain for hours just to give everything a fighting chance which might sound a tad OTT but it can't do harm but might do some good

[old grey steve]

[QUOTE=Mark e90;18573693]

Originally Posted by old grey steve

what about the 4 cylinder 320d engine, any good ? Sorry for the questions but I'm on the look out for a e90 for my mum I'm currently only looking at 325i or 330i as they seem pretty reliable but the 320d mpg figures are more appealing to her.

The 320d is a good car but has its well documented weaknesses Msrk many chase the low road tax and fuel economy figures only to use the cars for local short commute work the headline figures they sought seent reached (though they still return good fuel figured) but with this use comes issues such as DPF, turbo failure and if you were to say analyse a 329d v a 325i you'd discover they the petrol will consume more fuel, will be more expensive to tax, maybe insure too but when you get driver or driver profile use issues such as short journeys on a diesel these come out as rather expensive to sort out therefore tarnishing the effect that the owner set out to achieve, I got rid of my 330d as I do less than 20 miles total in a day the car doesn't get chance to fully warm up and on a diesel over time this for the cars health isn't the best move forward if you follow me

There's nothing wrong with a 320d they are in the right hands for the right user the best option offering great fuel economy and frugal running costs the sting in the tail though are those possible DPF, turbo costs when they fail or reach a point where they are no longer serviceable

If your mums going town work or short journeys then looking at a petrol might be the smarter long term move though the headline figures don't look as attractive

[RajB]

Some interesting stuff Steve.

Oh I miss my M5. That engine is a true stunner (when working lol). I had about 10k of warranty work within the first 6 months of ownership LOL. But with a custom exhaust I'd never heard anything nicer to me when going through the Queensway tunnel in Birmingham.

[Ess]

Awesome post Steve. Big thanks for taking the time to write it all out, very informative

[Mark e90]

[QUOTE=old grey steve]

Originally Posted by Mark e90

The 320d is a good car but has its well documented weaknesses Msrk many chase the low road tax and fuel economy figures only to use the cars for local short commute work the headline figures they sought seent reached (though they still return good fuel figured) but with this use comes issues such as DPF, turbo failure and if you were to say analyse a 329d v a 325i you'd discover they the petrol will consume more fuel, will be more expensive to tax, maybe insure too but when you get driver or driver profile use issues such as short journeys on a diesel these come out as rather expensive to sort out therefore tarnishing the effect that the owner set out to achieve, I got rid of my 330d as I do less than 20 miles total in a day the car doesn't get chance to fully warm up and on a diesel over time this for the cars health isn't the best move forward if you follow me

There's nothing wrong with a 320d they are in the right hands for the right user the best option offering great fuel economy and frugal running costs the sting in the tail though are those possible DPF, turbo costs when they fail or reach a point where they are no longer serviceable

If your mums going town work or short journeys then looking at a petrol might be the smarter long term move though the headline figures don't look as attractive

Thanks for the info mate appreciate it . Think the 325i is looking the better option then as she doesn't cover much miles per year. I had a 325i few years ago and it was a great car never gave me one bit of bother and I'm actually on the lookout for another for myself, well hopefully a 330i this time.

[tasn1]

Cheers Steve...as you can see I've an ex-armed copper car...I will be taking it to the motorway to regenerate the DPF right now!😇

[BoondogUK]

oh the 320d and turbo issue... all to real for me right now!

[Deadlock]

Just joined and have read through this and many of your "visit" threads - will be paying a visit regardless of the 80 or so miles you are from me! plus...it's my old stomping ground!

[old grey steve]

Originally Posted by Deadlock

Just joined and have read through this and many of your "visit" threads - will be paying a visit regardless of the 80 or so miles you are from me! plus...it's my old stomping ground!

Thanks... I do tend to get a bit busy on here, plus at work, you see my PM box sometimes and wonder. But it's entertaining at times and when I get it right I guess rewarding:confused

If you're looking to come down always book in advance.