[e90pilot]

It's making that awful rod knock sound under high load at low rpm. Any know if there is a way to verify or estimate the damage without opening up the bottom end. I'm about to drop a lot of money replacing the bearings. I've looked into replacing the engine as well. Used engines are anywhere between $1500 and $3000 and installation is about $2000. Replacing the rod bearing (plus some other needed work) is about $1700. Here's the kicker: if the crankshaft is damaged, it's another $1000 in parts and even more labor to replace it because the engine has to be lowered to get it out. It's gonna be a tough decision because the only way I know to confirm the damage is to open it up and take a look, which costs quite a bit.

[Alpineweiss e90]

How did you manage that? Sorry to hear. Hope it works out well for you.

[mike-y]

damn.. they should be able to drop the pan and check everything out from the bottom - at least the rod bearings. If you are really lucky, they might be able to replace the bearing from there.. but if the crank needs to come down to check the mains, yeah, could be more work.

I can look in the Bentley manual, and see if there is anythign for that.

[e90pilot]

For sure the bearings are replaceable from the bottom without dropping the engine. The front subframe needs to be lowered to get to the bearings. I'm just really worried about the crankshaft.

[krnnerdboy]

Damn, sorry to hear. Wondering how many miles on the vehicle and did you follow the BMW 15k mi oil change interval?

[e90pilot]

175,000 mi. I followed 15k oil change interval during the free maintenance period. Then I switched to 6500mi. I've NEVER ran the car low on oil or beat on it while it was warming up. The rod knock is subtle. You can only really hear it between 2000-3000 rpm in 3rd gear. More so when driving uphill.

[just4kickz]

dang... you've driven hella miles. i wonder how common this is...

[Hooy]

Time for a new car?

[e90pilot]

No new car yet. Still owe money. Besides, if $1700 gets me another 175000 mi, it's worth it.

[redlinedbimmer]

personally I would opt for a used engine with a warantee over fixing one with internal damage like that

[jc5988]

Originally Posted by redlinedbimmer

personally I would opt for a used engine with a warantee over fixing one with internal damage like that

+1 used N52 probably wont be that much. There are so many 328 here in
the california, just find a one came with auto tran, those tent to have less abuse.

BTW what type of oil do you use after free maintenance is over?

[Beemw335]

Originally Posted by e90pilot

No new car yet. Still owe money. Besides, if $1700 gets me another 175000 mi, it's worth it.

350k miles...Youre gonna have to dump a lot of money in for sure. I think you should sell, buy something a little more reliable and cheaper to maitnain, then pay off your debt and buy yourselff a fun car when you have the money.

[redlinedbimmer]

Well he's not going to get anything selling it with a bad motor either unless he is able to screw someone over.

[e90pilot]

Originally Posted by redlinedbimmer

Well he's not going to get anything selling it with a bad motor either unless he is able to screw someone over.

Exactly, even if it didn't have any problems I don't think I could sell it. 175k mi, modified. Would you buy it? Lol! Selling it and buying a new car would cost me more money for sure and a used motor is $3500 installed at least. $5000 for a decent one. I just need a way to confirm the damage before I fix it. What it it's something simpler?

[SeriousE92]

Originally Posted by Beemw335

350k miles...Youre gonna have to dump a lot of money in for sure. I think you should sell, buy something a little more reliable and cheaper to maitnain, then pay off your debt and buy yourselff a fun car when you have the money.

175K without any major engine issues is impressive, I wouldn't call that unreliable.

[e90pilot]

Originally Posted by jc5988

+1 used N52 probably wont be that much. There are so many 328 here in
the california, just find a one came with auto tran, those tent to have less abuse.

BTW what type of oil do you use after free maintenance is over?

BMW's oil. Also, yes there are a lot of 328s but I don't have a 328. I have a 325 so I need an N52 from a 330, 530, 325, or 525, Z4 3.0i/si. I think there are some older X5s and X3s that have the old N52 as well.

[kiwi29]

Be extremely cautious, my buddy spun a bearing cause of low oil and he only drove it a half mile to get home with an added quart and he shot his piston through the bottom block! and he was only going 40 on the freeway. Hopefully this doesn't come up though

[Beemw335]

Originally Posted by SeriousE92

175K without any major engine issues is impressive, I wouldn't call that unreliable.

Go and re read what i said, I said buy something MORE reliable, never said the car itself isnt reliable, but his car at 175k miles I can assure you it isnt going to be the most reliable thing around.

[e90pilot]

Originally Posted by Beemw335

Go and re read what i said, I said buy something MORE reliable, never said the car itself isnt reliable, but his car at 175k miles I can assure you it isnt going to be the most reliable thing around.

That's a pretty vague statement. Buying another car will car will cost me way more money than to fix it (or not fix it). You have no idea what the future costs will be or what will break. Not only that, any used car will have issues so I'll be back in the same boat after dropping a huge chunk of change to get another car.

[e90pilot]

Originally Posted by kiwi29

Be extremely cautious, my buddy spun a bearing cause of low oil and he only drove it a half mile to get home with an added quart and he shot his piston through the bottom block! and he was only going 40 on the freeway. Hopefully this doesn't come up though

What kind of car was it? I've gotten the 1qt low warning several times but either changed the oil or topped it off within a day. I'm wondering if I should send in a sample of oil to Blackstone Labs to see what kinds of metal are in the oil. Maybe that will show if it really is a spun/worn bearing.

[kiwi29]

Originally Posted by e90pilot

What kind of car was it? I've gotten the 1qt low warning several times but either changed the oil or topped it off within a day. I'm wondering if I should send in a sample of oil to Blackstone Labs to see what kinds of metal are in the oil. Maybe that will show if it really is a spun/worn bearing.

He had an integra, but still same concept. If your car says low oil +1 qt. I highly recommend doing so, does your car drink oil like gas? If so, check your coolant levels. Mine did the same until i added more coolant and the light knocks went away to ticks

[e90pilot]

Originally Posted by kiwi29

He had an integra, but still same concept. If your car says low oil +1 qt. I highly recommend doing so, does your car drink oil like gas? If so, check your coolant levels. Mine did the same until i added more coolant and the light knocks went away to ticks

It hardly consumes oil. 1qt every 6000mi and I think it leaks it. I have 2 confirmed leaks: oil filter housing gasket and oil level sensor. They're both extreamly minor.