[JWT4700]

Hey all. i just got my oil report back and wanted some opinions... engine has had a "rattle" for a while now, which i had had thought was the chain for the vacuum pump / oil pump (vacuum pump locked up, broke the sprocket bolt and rounded the square on the pump where the sprocket sits.) ive spent way to much on throwing parts at this rattle noise and have am pretty sure its internal. just wanted some thoughts. engine is a salvage engine from 2011 with 70k on it.
ive done one oil change prior to this oil sample - when i did the vacuum pump and a bunch of other stuff. i had expected some metal from the oil chain but id think it should be out of there by now.
im guessing its the rod bearings. i have a tap noise at idle as the engine warms up not when cold) and a rattle noise between 1800-2300 rpm.
thanks!

[Biginboca]

That’s the worst oil report I’ve ever seen for a N52 and I’ve looked at about 20 of them. The highest copper I’ve seen before yours was around 40ppm and the worst iron I’ve seen for a n52 was 38ppm. These were engines running well and showing no issues but just testing high for wear metals. Yours are well off the charts even considering the mileage on the motor.

Blackstone knows their stuff if they suggesting you check oil pressure then it’s in your best interest to do so that looks like excessive wear going on for sure.

Has your engine ever eaten the serpentine belt? How long have you owned the car?

[JWT4700]

Originally Posted by Biginboca

That’s the worst oil report I’ve ever seen for a N52 and I’ve looked at about 20 of them. The highest copper I’ve seen before yours was around 40ppm. Blackstone knows their stuff if they suggesting you check oil pressure then it’s in your best interest to do so that looks like excessive wear going on for sure.

Has your engine ever eaten the serpentine belt? How long have you owned the car?

ive had the car for 4 years- mine ate the belt about 2 years ago. motor finally died a year later lol.... i didnt know they actually ate the belt, the belt made it all the way to the top end. so now i have this engine, which was from a salvage yard. i do believe this engine is from a 2011 with 65k miles on it. soooo condition is unknown. i believe it could have been neglected. the vacuum pump self destructed shortly after we got the new motor put in. the indy shop that put it in did a good job, replaced alot of stuff. all new gaskets and all.

the knock started shortly after we got the motor put in. which was when the vacuum pump went out. i chocked the rattle up noise up to the vac pump/oil pump chain.

any advice on replacing them? ive done cylinders on semi trucks. so if its just a matter of dropping the oil pan, unbolting the rod bolts, pushing the piston up to gain room to swap bearings - i might do it my self. doesnt seem too bad. cant find any info on what bearings to get.
at what point does other damage begin to start?

blackstone did suggest checking oil pressure. is INPA able to check oil pressure? i couldnt find it the last time i was looking.

[JWT4700]

so i talked to my indy shop today, he is going to get me a ball park cost on getting the rod bearings replaced. from what i understand by the repair info in ISTA, drop the oil pan, remove the end caps, push the pistons up and replace the bearing shells. looks like it will either have red or blue bearings, but wont know until the olds ones are out.
what are the odds its just the rod bearings and not the crank bearings?

so if my shop does do the rod bearings, what else should be done while in there? engine mounts? maybe the oil pump too?

thanks!

[tlow98]

In most cases if it’s making noise you’re too late to do the rod bearings and the issue will come back if you swap them. This is bc likely the crank is scored.

Of course, this isn’t every time, but most engine builder s will not take this shortcut.

Sorry to hear about your luck!

[JWT4700]

Originally Posted by tlow98

In most cases if it’s making noise you’re too late to do the rod bearings and the issue will come back if you swap them. This is bc likely the crank is scored.

Of course, this isn’t every time, but most engine builder s will not take this shortcut.

Sorry to hear about your luck!

yeah, i have a bad feeling about it. its a junk yard engine, so i have no history on it. the vacuum pump locking up is very rare, now this... wondering what happened to cause the rod bearings to go out so early (engine had 65k on it) maybe just too hard on it? ive got a ton of money into this car, a ton of money into this second engine, its not even paid off yet...so it does leave me with few options lol.
how long would new bearings last if the crank is worn?

i did find these bearings from Kolbenschmidt, never heard the name but see they are the same company as Pierburg, so maybe they would be a good quality. they are considerably cheaper than buying each bearing seperate from BMW
https://www.rmeuropean.com/Make/Part...earch=77967600

from my calculations, about $850 for parts - which includes an oil pump and engine mounts and all the new aluminum bolts

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by JWT4700

yeah, i have a bad feeling about it. its a junk yard engine, so i have no history on it. the vacuum pump locking up is very rare, now this... wondering what happened to cause the rod bearings to go out so early (engine had 65k on it) maybe just too hard on it? ive got a ton of money into this car, a ton of money into this second engine, its not even paid off yet...so it does leave me with few options lol.
how long would new bearings last if the crank is worn?

i did find these bearings from Kolbenschmidt, never heard the name but see they are the same company as Pierburg, so maybe they would be a good quality. they are considerably cheaper than buying each bearing seperate from BMW
https://www.rmeuropean.com/Make/Part...earch=77967600from my calculations, about $850 for parts - which includes an oil pump and engine mounts and all the new aluminum bolts

Tough situation. Aren't used N52s like $1k + shipping?

Impossible to say on rod bearing life with ruined crank journals. 5 days, a month, a year? Who's to say...

A bit like throwing bad money after good in that department. I'd probably wash my hands of that motor entirely, especially if your oil filter is littered with gold-colored copper flakes. Pretty easy to cut open your oil filter - you do that yet?

[JWT4700]

Originally Posted by tlow98

Tough situation. Aren't used N52s like $1k + shipping?

Impossible to say on rod bearing life with ruined crank journals. 5 days, a month, a year? Who's to say...

A bit like throwing bad money after good in that department. I'd probably wash my hands of that motor entirely, especially if your oil filter is littered with gold-colored copper flakes. Pretty easy to cut open your oil filter - you do that yet?

the one i got was 2250 (included shipping) (N51 from a 2011 with 65k on it) there were others cheaper but had 100-150k miles. he replaced a ton of parts while doing it. total was 3662.55 for parts 1844.63 labor for a total of 5837.61

its a tough decision. swapping another motor is just another gamble, unless you were able to do some research on the cars history prior to it ending up in a salvage yard.

ya the above attached sample had 2600 miles on it and full of copper.
my only hopes lie in the fact that it doesnt knock/rattle when you fire it up cold... it takes a few minutes for the oil to start thinning out before you can hear it at idle. at idle it not a consistant noise either. the rattle during driving was not constant either, only did it sometimes. its getting more persistant obviously. most commonly is when you start it and its a hell of a noise. im hoping its still early enough to salvage it. but again, you wont know until you open it up, at which point you already have 1000 bucks in labor just to drop the pan and inspect it and reassemble it. so would it be worth it to spend 2k and hope new bearings last a year? or spend 5 on another one. bad situation either way.... if only i had a garage and a lift lol

side question: the oil pressure sensor - is it just for an idiot light or does it actually read pressure? if so - can ista/inpa read oil pressure?

[NYCiROLL]

I wonder if the rattle you're experiencing is the vanos gear bolt issue a low number of 2011 N52's suffer from.

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/201...4V176-2716.pdf

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Originally Posted by tlow98

In most cases if it’s making noise you’re too late to do the rod bearings and the issue will come back if you swap them. This is bc likely the crank is scored.

Of course, this isn’t every time, but most engine builder s will not take this shortcut.

Sorry to hear about your luck!

You can polish the crank with some sandpaper or abrasive if not to bad. A member did this on his N55 that seized up and I think he's done 5k miles since.

Now I agree if you don't DIY it is a lot of money to invest just to try.

[JWT4700]

Originally Posted by NYCiROLL

I wonder if the rattle you're experiencing is the vanos gear bolt issue a low number of 2011 N52's suffer from.

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/201...4V176-2716.pdf

thanks! ill have to look into that. looks like you can check them by simply pulling the valve cover. ill check into that next time the cover is off

[JWT4700]

Originally Posted by TheMidnightNarwhal

You can polish the crank with some sandpaper or abrasive if not to bad. A member did this on his N55 that seized up and I think he's done 5k miles since.

Now I agree if you don't DIY it is a lot of money to invest just to try.

as long as the crank isnt too bad, i plan on just putting new bearings in it. be it done DIY or by a shop - no sense of putting it back together with old parts. hopefully its not too bad. im still torn on DIY or a shop. my indy shop doesnt seem to excited about wanting to do it (small shop - 2 bay garage and very busy, doesnt like to tie up one bay for long periods) i could do it - ive pulled pistons and cylinder sleeves on big trucks - but currently dont have a garage and the driveway is gravel so even doing it on ramps would suck and the nice weather is gone for the year.... i may end up doing it myself come spring time.