[Jonibrahim]

N54 WIZARD NEEDED! Alright everyone. I bought a 2008 335i e93 with 81k miles on it from original owner. owner was told engine was bad a needed replacement. symptoms were coolant in oil. i posted on facebook and reddit groups and many suggested OFHG, compression test and coolant pressure test.

Since I didn’t know if engine was blown or not I grabbed just an oil filter housing gasket from autozone. Replaced and reassembled the car. The gasket was clearly failing before I replaced it so I had high hopes. I started up the car and it ran really well. I check oil and there were still signs of coolant. So I drained coolant and flushed the oil a few times with some cheap oil and got it to a point I was happy. Before I added more coolant I pressure tested the cooling system to 15psi and no loss of pressure after a few hours. So I changed oil one more time and added in the coolant. I let the car idle a few minutes. Checked oil and there was clean oil! At last!!!

Not so quick. So I got ballsy and decided to drive it to dinner. Drove perfect the entire way there. Not a single hiccup or sign of problems. Idle perfectly and no engine codes. Ate dinner and it started right up. Well I wasn’t exactly Scrooge mcduck just yet. Getting on the freeway I decide to give a little boost. Did well and then bam 30ff. Limped her home the last few miles and when I pulled into the garage my wife says it sounds like a boat 🤦*♂️. I immediately pull the oil filter and check and thankfully no coolant. So I go to restart and it turns over a few times and then it like locks up. I reluctantly try again and it starts again but runs rough. I try one more time and it idles but again sounds like a boat. Scan for codes and cylinder 3 misfire. I decide to clear the codes and go to sleep and try again in the morning. This morning I go to start it up to see if the misfire is still there. And immediately get low coolant warning once it starts. My heart sinks and i shut it off asap. I check the coolant tank. Dry as a bone. Check the oil filter. Pure water. like not milkshake. just pure water.

This isn’t a daily driver or anything. This is purely for hobby so I am enjoying it. However I just don’t know where to go from here. I really don’t see how this original owner stock 81k motor can be blown. Should I pull the motor? What else can I do? Is my oil filter housing warped?

If you want more detail on the build I have been documenting it on my YouTube channel. Just search Jon Ibrahim 335i and my videos should come up. Thanks for all the help and advice!

[e91Owner]

Did you change both OFH gaskets? Do you have an oil cooler? The oil cooler thermostat and the oil coolers themselves have been known to get internal failures also. Not having any oil in the coolant is a strange problem though.