Another DEAD BMW N55? Complete Engine Teardown. Neglect OR Bad Design?
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- čas přidán 22. 09. 2023
- Check out our website at www.Importapart.com or email us at importapartsales@gmail.com for parts and part inquiries.
I've been tearing down engines on camera for 2 and a half years! Search my channel to see what I've torn down. Here's a few recents:
Mini Cooper/PSA N14 • JUNK Mini Cooper S (BM...
Ford 1.0 Ecoboost 3cyl • JUNK Ford Ecosport 1.0...
Infiniti/Nissan VR30DDTT • 60K Miles on 1 Oil Cha...
Dodge Ram 8.0 V10 • 8 LITERS OF DESTRUCTIO...
Its been over 2 years since I've torn down an N55 on this channel! The N55 comes in a LOT of BMW cars and SUV's including the 135i, 235i, 335i, 435i, 535i, X5, X6. Its a single turbo all aluminum inline 6 making 300hp, about the same as its predecessor. Personally, I am not a fan of these engines. I find they are extremely picky with maintenance and oil pressure but the biggest detraction to these engines is the cost. They are over double the price of their predecessor, and are in MUCH shorter supply. They do offer some advantages over the N54 like the fuel system which can be quite expensive on an N54 car.
This particular engine is from an E70 chassis X5. Its a core return I bought from another salvage yard. The last N55 parted out VERY well so I figured I'd give it a shot again. This one... well. Its not as good LOL.
Why am I doing this? I own and run a full service auto salvage business called Importapart. Part of our model involves buying core and blown up engines to tear down and salvage the good parts for resale. We do not rebuild engines, merely supply parts to those who do.
I really hope you enjoyed this teardown. As always I love all of the comments, feedback and even the criticism.
Catch you on the next one!
-Eric
Very Helpful links to N55 Owners
Link to Vanos bolt recall:
static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2014...
Link for pre-oiling TSB after breaching oiling system for service for all late model BMW engines. (excluding oil changes): static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/202... - Auta a dopravní prostředky
The worst tear down I ever saw in my life!!! Find another job, dude!
Are you hiring?
Pin of shame
I don't think he is doing the same thing with the good parts, only with the shit for scrap . Don't get dramatic.
165k on my N55
CHANGE YOUR OIL OFTEN!
170k+ on mine.
CHANGE YOUR OIL OFTEN!!
And don't forget all the other liquids.
Especially if your n55 is tuned.
151k miles here.
my mom has a 2011 335i and she only done oil changes once every ~16 months lol. still works, only the ball bearing and coolant fan had to be replaced. she loves the thing and i don’t think oil changes have much to do with the unreliability of this engine. it’s mostly just a lottery.
@@immortal4942 Well I take it that your mom doesn't drive her 335 like most carguys & cargirls do. That's probably is the reason why she can get away with bare maintenance.
I got 211k.
Yea keep up on oil changes and change your gaskets
I lived in Germany for several years, and the joke about BMWs even among the Germans was that when you drive up to the shop to have them repaired, the shop owner would immediately call home to tell his wife to book another vacation to the Med, because the cash was soon to be available to go on it!
$30.00 ABS sensor for my Envoy (Basic diagnostics I perform the job.). $300.00 for my Audi. (Advanced diagnostics, the shop does the job). Literally had this happen this summer. FML.
Old 70's BMW's were the best. Fast, compact, handled like race cars, no frills and reliable.
What happened?
@@TheBandit7613this is same way I feel about the early 2000’s bmws . Exactly what you said just early to mid 2000’s bmws . E46,e39 etc
@@chadriddle351790s and early 2000s are the BMW golden era before electric water pump and valvetronic nonsense
@@chadriddle3517yeah we run a little shop that only works exclusively on old Beamers , fantastic cars
Coking is what I see with this engine, usually from petrol based, conventional oil.
The fact that # 6 rod bearing seized to the crank, indicates it had no lubricant making its way to that bearing. I would call the piston skirt wear advanced, not minor and not normal. This engine definitely had piston slap at cold startup. I also observed scoring on the cam lobes, journals.
So what is the conclusion?
Seized bearings in the low end are usually the result of rapid acceleration without adequate lubrication. Petrol based oil is what I determine from the coking seen throughout the engine. Coking is usually caused from oil burning, associated with oil that has not been properly maintained, or a vehicle that never reaches operating temp (driven short trips only)
In this case I am going to go with not properly maintained.
So why did the bearing seize?
The crank bearings look acceptable
The other rod bearings were not showing wear into the base copper.
So why only the # 6 rod bearing? It’s lubed from the crank just like all the other rod bearings.
….
Think about what occurs when the explosion of spark igniting a compressed gas air mix, occurs inside a cylinder, which in turn forces the piston rod against the crankshaft, to turn it. Oil must be able to maintain a film barrier, capable of handling the force exerted against the crank, by the rod bearing. In this case there was not sufficient lubricant to withstand that force, allowing the rod bearing to physically contact the crankshaft. Turbo boosted engines exacerbate this issue.
The fact that it happened to the #6 cylinder is the hint, as it’s the last rod bearing to receive lubricant in an inline 6 cyl. Piston scoring is a hint. Heavy oil deposits on the valves are a hint, and finally Coking is a hint.
This engine was low on oil, most likely cheep petrol based oil that had a poor centistoke value at operating temp. Oil that evaporated at low temperatures leaving deposits (coking), oil that was additionally low because it was being fed into the valve train, hence the deposits on the valves.
When that turbo charged mixture exploded in the #6 cylinder, the rod bearing impacted directly into the crankshaft, because there simply was not ample lubricant to withstand the force of the impact.
Thanks for the analysis.
do you think it had anything to do with the vanos problem he talked about?
Best comment I’ve ever seen on CZcams.
I was very Surprised when this guy said light discoloration about that rod.
@tjhessmo4327 Dude…Your channel must be coming soon!!
Oil filter crushed like that is from poor flow created by immense suction from clogging. Usually dead give away to poor oil change intervals.
I have an N55 & my filters have never been deformed like this. The engine in the video also doesn't have an external oil cooler & looks very neglected
the n55 also has problems with oil starvation if you drive it like a racecar
Almost a million miles driving BMWs... I can't remember the number of times I've pulled the valve cover to replace the gasket!! 🤣
10 years ago my son was looking for a used SUV. He was looking at small Hondas, but he also like the acura version (@10 yrs. used). Vehicle for vehicle the Hondas were much better maintained, whereas the Acuras were mostly on the verge of neglect. It perplexes me that people will buy an expensive vehicle, and then treat it like trash.
Most new luxury vehicles are leased. I think that may be your answer.
Luxury vehicle owners are above peasant activities like "maintenance"
which is a shame honestly, cause my mom's bmw is still perfectly fine despite a few fender benders and being a 2015 model, she just keeps up with the oil changes and basic maintenance and nothing breaks.
Honestly electric cars need to take over cause it's heartbreaking to see so many wonderful ice's die at the hands of the ignorant, they deserve better owners honestly.
@@didjterminator808The question is, how many MILES are on your moms BMW??
If he was looking at Hondas and Accuras around the same price then this is what you'd expect.
Loved the water pump toss at the end. "I hope it went in." Pure gold.
I did full synthetic oil changes on my N55 every 5-6k miles. Spun rod bearings at 79k, the good indie shop I use wanted five figures to swap the engine in a ten year old vehicle. Taking a break from this brand for now.
Same
Ditto
Same.
What year was your N55?
@@dyo228 It was an N55B30M0 from a 2014 model year X1 with a build date of 10/2013.
Favorite part of my Saturday evening is a good tear down
Better than a good movie thats for sure
Agreed 100%
Same!!! Best part of the week
Word!
It's owner neglect, more often, that leads an engine to be on the channel, it seems. Nobody changed the oil, obviously. Simple maintenance can't be overstated. Nice video
I think owner neglect is the culprit in the vast majority of cases that kill engines, full stop, really. Secondly (might be first, really) is probably the car around it is scrapped and the engine isnt worth enough to sell on.
No not in the case of the n55. You can do all the maintenance in the world. But the design is too weak. It's a open decked engine with weak rod bearings.
@@muhammadyawar4612 not the n55b30O0 (m235i), and n55b30T0 (m2). They have forged crank, rods, bearings, and pistons. N55 is a solid engine if you don’t push it past its capabilities, And you maintain it at the proper service intervals.
@@seanpoore500exactly people dont realize the differences
I have was a mechanic for 40 yrs in motor and worked till became too poorly to carry on , I rebuilt a Aston DB8 and worked for jag in my early years and watching this , was amazing thank you, sat at home in the warmth, I will watch and subscribe ❤️
The fuel injector area looks like a outboard motor that fell off the back of the boat and sat at the bottom of a lake for a while
Was gonna say, can we get some shots of these after they've been run through a cleaner, or are they too far gone to be worth it?
@@CaptainSpadaro Some carb/EGR cleaner spray will clean it up no problem.
It's not even a big deal I don't get why Americans are so obsessed with intake carbon building up. That's not actually going to affect performance.
Your style with the injector puller seems very well practiced
Had the exact same thought
Hahaha
way too short
Indirect ejection
It's a well honed technique
If you ever think your job is meaningless, remember this.
There's a guy working a BMW assembly line that installs the blinker.
What's a blinker??
@@_BAD_MERC_ A turn signal for old people
@@_BAD_MERC_ Inicator or turn signal depending on which country ur in
So funny 😁
You're sick Jack..... And that's why you're the best.
It's unbelievable these owners of such expensive cars can't have basic maintenance done! Great channel Eric!
These cars are built to last through the warranty period only. The next sucker...er customer gets fleeced in repair costs. They are fun to drive but are not worth the price of admission
Have a look at the end of the video. It probably was a Vanos failure.
Still not well maintained and that’s mind boggling to me too.
@npolite22 ridiculous comment they only fail because people don't/ cant afford the maintenance schedule
@@Kimsteigmajer Uh, well that might be because the maintenance schedule is halved from what normal more reliable cars have, AND the parts and labor costs are twice as expensive. Toyota doesn't put timing chain assemblies on the back of the engine where the transmission hooks up.
@@Kimsteigmajer BMW has a 10k oil change interval. I'm sorry but that is not OK on any engine. These cars are made to fail at 100k and will end up costing you
This engine is not in poor condition. It's in core condition
Smashing the timing chain guide was hilarious. Me and my 13 year old son watched that part several times.
Why did he smash it? I'm surprised he doesn't sell it on, unless it's not a suitable part for reuse.
18:20 ... your welcome
@@kayzrx8 🙏
You & your son are fkkn goofs…there was absolutely nothing wrong with that part & there is always someone looking for parts…🤬
Because you both are idiots
Had an n55 that the vanos failed and it caused a valve to break which then fell into the cylinder causing the engine to seize. All in about 45 seconds. Car had 90k miles.
Sounds like an n55 🤣🤣🤣
"The crank is the highest value item"
It was at this moment that I knew the crank would be fried...
I love videos like this. I could watch buildup or tear down videos anytime. I also like to know how things work. How something can be made better. Learning from mistakes you could say. I also agree with his statement; any brand can and has made some good engines and some have made bad ones as well. I like BMW's and Audi's as well but i think they over complicate things when it comes to some of their engine designs. I think sticking to simple naturally aspirated engines are the best bet.
It’s that time again! Thanks for all the content you put out weekly. Sit back with my phone and some smoke to finish off this rainy wet Saturday.
Thanks Eric. Its amazing how many important pieces on these motors are made of plastic (water pump, oil pick up etc).
Yeah, But that is not so much problem than those Idiotic aluminium bolts ...
they keep getting worse and worse
@@kopronko what is the logic behind aluminum bolts, from the devils advocate point of view? Lack of seizing?
@@lylewalker5681 When we were properly lubricating them, they were not (so much) seizing anymore, but, than sometimes their heads just broke off ... well , terrible "invention" anyways.
That's so you have failures down the line. Cheap plastics and rubber around a hot engine. Don't make sense. Remember when the thermostats were connected to the hose connecting the raditor. Also where you could install yourself?? When the raditors were made of metal ?? And could be repaired?? Now plastic. Now need a whole raditor. The whole industry are now ran by theives and crooks
Little do people know, they changed the rod bearing formula in early 2013 due to bad wear conditions and the result of "bearing foil".
sht.. i have an 08 diesel..
@@harrywalker968the diesel was a completely different beast. You probably are good. Unfortunately i know very little about the diesel engines but I've heard good things.
I have 2013 740i 41k miles with N55.Do u think it might have rod bearing problems in near future ?
@@user-ft8vy5os9i no. You have the B58 which is the generation after the N55. It received many improvements from the previous generation including 20% higher boost tolerance. Basically this video is irrelevant to you because you have a newer engine.
@@AB-sg3wi Thank u answering
I too enjoy watching you tear down engines. I find it relaxing and informative. I almost said...what?..No water pump toss?? then you came through at the end....thanks.
Aluminium bolts? Neat! Next step should be plastic ones, they won't rust and are even lighter!
and after plastic - modelling clay !!!
Thanks for being so punctual Eric! This is one of the things I look forward to after a long week at work. Keep it up man!
Great video! and to Lunchboxsteve's note, the pace of the teardowns are great! Just spent all week pulling one of broke injectors and this was helpful to see the overall design elements.
Been watching you since you started these tear downs. Great stuff.
All the N55s I have seen with spun rod bearings was from oil pressure loss and its usually cylinder 6 or 4.
What will kill an N55 is not prefilling the oil filter after changing the oil filter housing gasket.
Can you explain why that is?
@@colinm990 Design flaw with the engine it takes too long for the filter housing to fill up and it leads to spun bearings
I have 2011 n55 with 140k miles. Its been a pretty good engine. I just did rod bearings as preventative. Original bearings looked pretty good.
@@Rider-hh9itI got quoted $4k (mind you that I have the Xdrive f10)
U mean n54 n55 2013 and up
@@jono3175nah it’s 2011 and up
@@jono3175for the 335is it stopped at 2013
@@eliasbutcher859 4k to change the bearings ?, damn i'm glad I dont live in USA.
I own an import repair and performance shop. The amount of N55s that come in due to spontaneous engine failure is amazing to me. I still haven’t nailed down exactly why they fail, but a large number of them have suffered from a nasty rod knock. Some you can hear a faint knock from the bottom, and other it’s perfectly fine with no noises one day, and then next day the engine is completely seized up.
It’s just strange because the N54 was pretty stout in comparison with fewer total reported engine failures.
Bet you it’s from these long ass oil intervals. You should be doing full synthetic 5k/ 6mo or less on these ideally
@@MikeyG003 It's definitely the intervals because the n54 and n55 blocks are pretty much identical.
Well, consider that the N55 was produced in at least 10x if not 20x the quantity. I believe the rod bearing issues are mostly from the oil filter housing gasket leaking internally and letting coolant into the oil. N54 has the same issues, it's just that the turbos, HPFPs, injectors, etc. are so troublesome they probably nag people into maintenance or getting rid of them sooner.
@@MikeyG003this is probably true my friends n55 blew up at 56k and mines running strong (knock on wood) at 116k and I do it every 3k
Coolant leaking into oil is a major problem with German cars. They all like to do it because of cheap parts in critical areas, like pump housings. Absolutely stupid, and people think these cars are so great. How can people think that when they are designed to fail? @@chrisbradley9607
This channel has matured into complete anarchy!! Eric - you kick ass and may one million subs come your way!
there's some unhappy sounds in there means this is going to be a great video
Thank you Eric, for all the videos, and thank you Mike, for all the work editing!!
Very much enjoying your videos. Outstanding and well done. Went to a BMW Bimmerfest site to see what they were saying about the recommended oil change intervals. The information was that BMW changed the interval from 15,000 miles to 12,000 miles. That’s a lot of mileage between changes especially the way owners drive them. Maybe you could tell how miles between changes the owner of that engine went before changing the oil. Watching several of your videos. They are all great.
Love it!!!! Nice I am glad you got another N55!!! Love your teardowns especially now that I own a N55! You make me laugh and think at the same time with your attitude and perspective! You are showing me a perfect example of how to take care of the Motor and what never to neglect even at it's most simple (Oil Changes on the regular) Very informative as always!
Hi Eric due to the time difference here in the UK watching your show is part of my Sunday morning ritual as my wife calls it. Keep the vids coming mate!😀
The N52/54/55/62 are a step forward and three steps back. Those aluminum fasteners and electric water pump make them a no go. Valve stem issues for N62
What are you talking about? The N52 and N55 have routinely crossed the 200,000 mark. The water pumps are wear items that are replaced every 100,000 miles. 80% of cars to date use electric water pumps and aluminum bolts. Seals were not an issue on N62. They were an issue on the N63. Embarrassing you said that with confidence.
@@Euro316 I'm not saying high miles can't be achieved with the N52 and N55. I'm saying the electric water pump is an added complication compared to a regular mechanical pump. It's a spendy replacment part at that too. Water pump on M54 is just $50 while it's $300 for the N52/54/55. What are you talking about now? The N62 absolutely suffers from faulty valve stem seals. It's a well documented flaw of those engines.
It was due to the high heat V8s naturally run at and the 15,000 oil change recommendation they used to suggest. The seals themselves were actually fine. @@burntnougat5341
@@burntnougat5341 Disa valves and water pumps are the only problem with the N52, just replace them every 60K miles. Other than that they are pretty bullet proof.
@@Dooferz32 yea n52 is a stout engine
It is the first so optimistic disassembling of BMW engine I have watched🙂
A very useful tear down of a modern basic engine, we can all learn the importance of regular servicing from this. I'm grateful for you taking the time. I've had a similar experience dealing with a busted Corsa engine. Symptoms indicated it only needed a timing chain and a head gasket. It ended up with me also finding a piece of chain guide in the sludge sump, the camshaft lube holes were blocked and a fair amount of black silicone found circulating the system. Obviously some moron had been let loose with the silicone tube around the water pump and the inner bead had broken away during the water cycle, ended up being a full clean and rebuild. The take away from this is if you don't know the history of your engine, remove and clean the sump and change the oil every 5 - 6 thousand miles.
Want a bmw to last? ive owned a dozen bmws over the years, and have followed these steps for every single one. M60, M62 (TU/non TU), N62, N52, N54, N20 off the top of my head were all the ones I had. I had half of mine upwards of nearly 250-300k miles.
1. replace the entire cooling system under certain specific conditions and i mean entire system just do it all at once.
A. at max 100k miles,
B. max age 10 years regardless of miles (dry rotting)
C. when the first component shows failure or leaks, if before the 10 year/100k mile marks....just overhaul it.
bmws seem to have this habit of chain reactions with cooling system failures, once the age and miles hit you are on borrowed time, and once one part fails or begins to fail, within 6 months half of the other parts will go too. no need to pay for multiple towings or coolant 3 times when one overhaul will solve the reliability issue.
2. oil changes, use proper oil, do not deviate at all from brand and weight that is compatible with the motor, and absolutely no more than 4500 miles YES I SAID 4500 MILES....bmws smoothness and performance actually degrade around this mileage if you are really paying close attention to how your car feels, ALSO.....time it out so you can change it before each extreme season (right before summer, right before winter) EVERY SINGLE BMW I HAVE EVER OWNED that i did lower oil intervals had ZERO build up and varnishing. this also keeps the oil clean, and the filters newer, which means ZERO crap being passed thru sensitive timing components such as vanos system and other passages.
3. vanos solenoids. replace at 120k miles MAX no matter what.
4. chain tensioner, do with vanos solenoids
5. intake system/vacuum leaks....change everything that can cause a vacuum leak before 120k miles. all gaskets, orings, PCV/OSV system. DI cars, add walnut/intake cleaning to get rid of carbon buildup.
6. spark plugs, every 60k miles
7. under rear seat fuel pump housing/assembly and fuel filter assembly at max 13 years of age as plastic top housings will crack and you will get fuel leakage under the car when you fill past 3/4 tank.
8. transmission service every 60k miles (ZF reccommends this on non bmw applications FYI)
these basic, but costly steps of PM will make a bmw last 200k miles without massive overhauling, and prevent you from being stranded as much as possible. your wallet will HATE you, but you will LOVE your car, gotta pay to play.
Thanks for sharing.
I never follow non of those. I just do pil change every 10k. Liqui moly and ceratec. I change spark plugs at 100k. Coils at 145k. Transmission service at 125k and jus regular oil change. And its tuned. Im at 200k. Runs very well. F10m5
Stop talking shit 🤬
Awesome video Eric. Thanks for my Saturday night entertainment. I thought you were going to need a jackhammer to get that bearing off the crank. :)
Thanks for showing us that oil pump action!
I'm not a mechanic, last engine i tore apart was 50 plus years ago, when they still looked like an engine and not an electrician's nightmare, But i love watching you tear these things down.
Removing #1 and #6 at the same time....is that considered a reach around?
Hello. Bmw dealer mechanic here. Here in the northern state of minnesota, when temps become very cold, these engines lock up on first start in the morning. It comes from lack of oil services, and moisture in engine. Every winter, we have a line of X5’s with seized engines
How is this preventable ? I like in Winnipeg Canada and tryna make it reliable in the cold is hard
@@kubapesik8383 Have a block block heater installed in one of the freeze plug ports. lt has an electrical cord that can plugged into an AC power outlet or HD extension cord and if used whenever the engine will sit for more than a few hours after shutting it down, should keep your engine above 9-10C.
Great video Eric! Why do I love the sound of cracking torqued bolts? 🤔☺️
The rail set slam was the best part thanks Eric
This teardown was really interesting. Until the last few minutes, I would have thought this engine died of neglect. It was obvious from the moment you removed the valve cover that this engine had the bare minimum number of oil changes. I've never owned one of these engines, so I wasn't aware of the VANOS issue. I hope you have taken care of the VANOS on your S54. It's a ticking time bomb if you haven't replaced the pump disk on the exhaust camshaft. S54 engines also have problems with camshaft sprocket bolts. It's good to replace them at the same time as you replace the pump disk and seals in the VANOS unit. It would be great if you could get an S55. I'd really like to see a teardown of one.
owned a bonco 351c. for 15 yrs, thrashed, bought 2nd hand. never stoped..still starts first second. on lpg.. 302c heads. fast.. 12.1 comp. std cam. ill miss it when i sell it.. i have bought a wrecked 3.0tdi. for a project. whole car drives,. $3k.. 173ks. 08..
I’ve owned 3 M3’s with S54’s - the VANOS “issues” are mostly due to a younger ownership audience beating these engines to within an inch of their lives. The rear subframe on the other hand is a real and lurking danger.
@@bostonaudi You have it backwards. The VANOS issue is caused by too much play between the tabs on the exhaust camshaft hub and the VANOS oil pump disk, which results in resonant vibration that leads to the tabs breaking off. If a tab breaks off and makes its way along the timing chain, it will completely destroy the engine. You don't have to thrash on the engine for this to happen. In fact, accelerating slowly causes the resonance to occur for a longer period. The rear axle carrier panel fails under load. The harder you drive the car, the more load is placed on the subframe attachment points. This is exacerbated when people thrash on the car.
True. Had one with 75k km that had one oil change.
I had an S54 and its was fairly trouble free.
Maybe because I changed the oil every 3 months had it serviced regularly and gave the engine a proper warmup before pushing it hard .
To be honest the only failure it had in 135k miles was an alternator.
Love the way you went all Whistlin' Diesel on the cam chain tensioner.
First time watching your videos, and it was a lot of fun seeing the process that you go through and the nice info that you provide, thank you.
When you're flat rate you use the wiz-wheel on the mating surfaces. Just how it goes.
....
Ai generation still struggling to make coherent comments wtf.
@@xXAsunaxKiritoXx What makes you think I'm AI?
Every channel is flooded with weird names and numbers at the end, especially 3-4 digits.
Even with other AI gen comments replied to them as well to make it look like its getting replies.
YT truely fucking dying
@@xXAsunaxKiritoXx Yeah I noticed my username changed a while ago. Didn't know why.
Cool engine this week! Love your videos! Still hoping you can tear down a 1.8 out of a 2016 Chevy Sonic, and a 2.4 SRT4 engine out of a 2003 PT Cruiser GT that has the aluminum intake setup on it. As usual another great video!
Eric, you and your CZcams Channel were mentioned a couple of times during by the man behind the Rainman Ray's Repairs CZcams channel. Rainman Ray was diagnosing a strange sound in a Chrysler Pacifica Penstar V-6 Engine. He found some post factory installed inspection ports, a broken and bent connecting rod (with bearings that still looked to be thick enough to rule out oiling issues), and a cracked piston that showed signs of all four valves having made piston to valve contact. Although the video was dropped 8 days ago, I just found it around 4:00AM on Saturday 9/30/23.
I have the S65 oil change at 4000 kms. Changed the rod bearings at 160,000kms..
Great engine maintenance
The oil pump design was very interesting. More work when it fails, but it was pretty cool to see the thought process that went into the way this worked.
I think the whole point is it's not supposed to fail. They've taken every step to try to erase wear from that particular part. Obviously there's no accounting for the marketing department selling a 20 000 mile oil change interval and some tw@twaffle deciding he's getting screwed on purpose and doubling _that_ number, but apart from that it should be pretty much bombproof.
If only they'd built the rest of the engine like that...
Great video as usual. This is definitely a long shot as they're probably gonna be just about impossible to obtain one, but Nissan has a 1.5 3 cylinder with variable compression out in the new rogues. They have a bit of a problem with absolutely grenading themselves and coming in with a bunch of sludge in the oil pan. I'd be very interested to see you tear down one of those but they're going to be near impossible to find since they're almost all warranty jobs and Nissan wants them all back. Thanks.
hi man love your teardown`s ,keep up the good work all the best from the UK
Awesome video as always dude. Plus, I loved your mini-rant at the end about how you don't hate any particular brand, some people just can't handle the facts. As a car guy, I always say… "What car brand do I hate most? Which ever one I am under the hood of at the moment!!"
I'm sure they saved a metric ton of weight by using all those aluminum bolts. I've always marvelled at the simplicity and effectiveness of eccentric rotor oil pumps; it's amazing how well they complicated that.
could have saved even more weight not using 250 bolts for the pan and bedplate i would think
excluding the simple diesel engines, BMW do not intend to give lifespan over 200 000 miles and they include premature failure components to achieve that goal@@misterdeedeedee
Completely false. There's high mileage n55 and n52 all over. @@saloserra5711
As a Euro tech myself, you have no clue what you are talking about. Pretty confident you wouldn't even know where to start when touching these engines. @@saloserra5711
When I read that BMW is using aluminum bolts, well it is business of course.
I've had remarkably good luck with the N55. I've owned 2 of them and the only failure was a busted chargepipe. Mechanically, they were perfect, despite being tuned, overboosted and beat on.
Of the two, were you turning them back in at the end of their leases?
@@DrmcclungOne was a lease, the other wasn’t. My 15 335GT I owned. Made 400whp, 428wft/lbs with no issues.
@@MikeL-FL so what happened to it
@@DrmcclungTraded it in. I moved to Florida and needed an SUV, so I leased N55 number 2 (X3 35i). Regret it to this day. I custom ordered the GT and it was the first F34 in the US with the port installed M performance power kit. If I could find it, I’d buy that car back in a second. 😢
@@MikeL-FL I'd kill to have my mint '88 silver manual 325i back
Unbelievable slow motion action shot!
Great channel Eric! I'd love to see a 2.0 Turbo LTG teardown sometime.
Individuals who don't change their oil should not be allowed to purchase future vehicles. #hottake
The world is transitioning to road going appliances now for this kind of person
Best way to remove gaskets that are too hardened to scrape from aluminum are roloc finger discs, tho you need to protect the surrounding area from dust so I usually scrape the bulk first.
The fine grit especially gives amazing control with varying pressure
He said dont use a "wizz wheel". I think of an angle grinder, but the marks looked like a wire wheel. Any idea what a wizz wheel is? Thanks.
"I hope it went in!" 'Nough said. Excellent and thank you, sir!
After seeing your pan to catch the drippings troubles - it occurred to me that a tub they put under washing machines on the second floor could be some inexpensive insurance thats easier to handle. Put the engine mount inside of it, under the arms.
That last injector had a shake weight moment 😂
I saw you on Rainmay Ray's channel. Nice that you get the nod from other channels. Keep up the carnage and the malice. We love your work!
Recent video on Ray's channel?
@@dans_Learning_Curve yep video done yesterday i believe it was.
Fucking youtube ai generated users posting comments. Yt literally fucking dying.
If you see any weird ass names with 4 digits in the end. Its ai generated.
@@Dratchev241 I'll have to look it up!! How did I miss it?!
@@dans_Learning_Curve he wasn't on there. Ray did a tear down on a blown up Mopar. Commented that it's like an episode of I Do Cars. Except he did it with it still in the car.
Love the sound of impact getting bolts out sped up its just wonderful noise to my ears
Neat! An engine I've never worked on or seen inside of. Good stuff bubba
As a previous owner of N55B30, you can get this amount of varnish and buildup even with very frequent oil change. It is caused by that plastic valve cover and built-in PCV valve
Whoever you bought the car from lied to you and told you that to make you feel better. That varnish comes from fuel diluted, nasty old oil, and short runs without proper warmup. I've seen 150,000 mile N55s with no varnish. I've seen 50,000 N55s with as much as the engine in this video. You shouldn't see hardly any varnish when looking in the oil fill, otherwise something has been very wrong for a while, or someone was lying about oil changes. Maybe if you had a bad PCV system for 70000 miles somehow? still not likely.
@@XcoolcoolbeansbeansX you assume that i bought it with that varnish and you assumed wrong. I bought it with no varnish and 108000km (64000 miles).
You also assume that i did not done my own oil changes, yet i did every 8-10000km (4970 - 6213 miles) with OEM parts and oil.
PCV (and of course entire valve cover) was replaced after it burned through 1 quart of oil (almost liter) in less than 1000km (621 miles). I did 3 refills before i was able to get that cover and replace it in BMW service center so about 3000km (1864 miles) and it was already varnished. And no, it was not starved from oil since i checked oil level after each drive and when it reached last 1/4 on the screen i refiled
bonus part: If you read my first comment i wrote that "you can get this amount of varnish" and not that you definitely get. I also seen abused N55s without varnish (but only 1). So ... stop assuming i guess
@@beastlysunI did the walnutblasting with 160k KMs on it. It was almost clean when I started lol.
Congrats of 250k subs
I remember back in the late 90s I think it was. Maybe a few years more. But there was a rash of M3 engines were blowing up. Bad thing was the BMW North America was started trying to deny warranties on it. I read later on that BMW had found that that they didn't clean the sand out of the engine block or head clean enough.
250K already! Congratulations.
I have a 2012 N55 (X3 3.5i) with 109K miles. So far I am happy with the N55. I change oil (Liquimoly) every 7,500 miles. I've changed the tranny fluid and pan, FR. and Rr diff fluid, the charge pipe cracked and replaced with metal one, RAD leaked on the drivers side plastic, replaced that, H2O pump replaced (what a crappy job), PCV diaphragm cracked and replaced the valve cover. I had the pleasure of paying for both Fr and Rr main seals as the PCV diaphragm failed in the manner where the seals were sucked in (mechanic did that job). Owned it for 9 years.
Oil pan gasket still going...fingers crossed
IMO, oil and fluid maintenance IS the difference to mitigate these major engine issues.
Next month will send oil off to Blackstone for testing to get a glimpse into bearing wear
Why are multiple companies integrating the pcv into the valve cover. Its annoying as heck
Funny, extremely entertaining guy.....never miss an episode
I love every single moment of this video. Watched every single moment even the waterpump toss.. Only disappointed a bit that lately was NO DISCONNECTING RODS...
Greetings from Croatia!
You have a great business and I would love to work there, after 40 years of fixing them next October I would enjoy tearing them apart into a ton of little pieces like your company does. Good morning to you and enjoy your day today.
I wanna see another Ford 4.0L V6 but the OHV version (1991-2000). Love the Content Eric!
Walnut blasting?
Is that where you rev the motor full tilt and dump crushed walnut shells down the intake?
Because that would clean more than just the intake valves
Will you please make a video of the process one day soon
Thanks!
Nope, the walnut blasting is done with the engine off. What you mean is cleaning the intake with a special cleaning spray.
No, take walnuts to chew on while you wait for recovery truck to tow your BMW away. No amount of walnuts will do!😁
As someone quite new to understanding/working on the ins and outs of an engine, the top of mind knowledge is admirable my dude.
Keep up the good work Eric and the streams coming...
Access to all the rod cap bolts is your MAIN concern. I see what you did there.
Something I find a lot of people don't know about this engine when it comes to spinning bearings is the variable oil pressure design. There is a solenoid that looks like a vanos solenoid on the front near the crankshaft pulley. Their purpose is to reduce oil pressure at low RPM for more efficiency. These tend to wear out and react more slowly over time thus causing a rod bearing to spin. I just saw this happen on a guy i know with an f30 335i that had only 65k miles, also happened to be the #6 rod bearing. That in combination with BMW's insanely high oil change interval on these, sometimes 15000 miles, causes them to spin a bearing. N54s use the exact same rod bearings yet do not have this issue due to them not having this oil pressure control valve.
Insane! Why would anyone buy one of these things?
*FINNALLY, SOMEONE WHO NAILS IT; That's it, that is what happens; Thank you Sir*
(of course, as usual with ALL engine failures ,the CLIMATOIDS at it again with their just STUPID regulations to save their Planet, one disaster at a time; NO manuf in their right mind would think of that pre-programmed failure!!! but that is just me,the FOOL,thinking, pay no mind to it; continue on...
Chasing efficiency for what? The N54 gets the same fuel economy as the N55
@@burntnougat5341 Supposed to be fuel economy but It's not much of a difference. I own an n54 and have worked on lots of BMWs and I've noticed n55s seem to get slightly better gas mileage. A lot of companies seem to have done the same sort of thing by having 2 staged oil pumps or a valve that bleeds off excess pressure like these. B58s have this oil valve too but they aren't failing all the time and those are very fuel efficient. To be fair those are much newer though and have a lot of other things that help them be as efficient as they are.
@@russellstyles5381 Personally I'm not a fan of them. I'd rather deal with my n54 than this problem on n55s. N20s also have this exact same issue, as well as their timing chains and guides failing.
Eric , thank you so much for these videos.
The first tear down I’ve watched. Brilliant. Keep doing them. I’ve got of back videos to watch. I once tore down a BMC a-series engine made in 1960. How the technology has progressed. How does it all go back together?
In 10 years that plastic water pump will have the same part # as the turbo charger.
Rod bearing failure in the early N55 platform is quite the common failure unfortunately. Lack of maintenance and in some cases improper clean care when replacing oil cooler seem to be the culprit. Proper oil intervals, cooling system maintenance (waterpump/thermostat/pretty much all other cooling system components), engine warm up time, and rain tray replacement if broken are just a few things one can do to extend N55 service life.
n55 is a good engine .. if the maintenance is done. also not built for high g-forces.
oil change every 5k miles for the win on ANYTHING with a DPF....and even then any car petrol or diesel because really....why wouldnt you especially in this day and age in the difference between engine cost v oil change cost.....
What does replacing the rain tray prevent?
If it’s cracked and leaking water will accumulate in the injector bores causing premature failure. This will result in a costly repair bill to replace the injectors due to the corrosion. Also don’t forget the injector harness and coil harness connections, over time the moisture will have a negative impact on these as well.
I recently did a turbo on an N20 and apparently there is some minor play in the shaft until there is some oil pressure. I bet it might be similiar with the N55.
Not the first time I've seen one of those oil pumps on this channel. It's an eccentric vane-type pump with a variable displacement feature. Each of the vane-enclosed chambers gets bigger and then smaller as it goes around the shaft, thanks to the inner and outer rotors not rotating on the same axis (they're eccentric). The carrier for the outer rotor pivots such that the two rotors' rotating axes (center points of their circles) can get closer together. As they get closer, that bigger-then-smaller pumping action gets reduced, making the pump move less oil per rotation. The pivoting on the carrier is controlled by oil pressure working against the big spring. More pressure compresses the spring and makes the carrier pivot, reducing flow. If pressure drops, the spring pushes the carrier back, increasing flow.
@bobski33333 Did you perhaps wrench on Porsches in KC in a former life?
The no lead content bearings together with too long oil interval kills a lot of Bimmer engines. There are lots of 5000 mile oil change n55s with 150k+ miles not leaking or burning oil. Same thing I see with other makes.
I change the oil on all my BMW ( even those under warranty ) every 5000 miles . Nutz ? Keeps me happy and problem free . Highest milage is a 120k miles X5 30d
@@npet6842oil is cheap, engines are expensive 😂
I've seen plenty of dudes now with N55 M2's that have just been beating the piss out of them now for over 100k miles and still run like tops. But these people are also enthusiasts who keep up with maintenance religiously. The N55 in the M2 is different than the run of the mill N55 too
Basic maintenance is not enough. Replacing bearings and chains must be included. I had an 2011 535i on 3k miles oil changes and yet it still managed to spin the bearing. It is said tho that LCI N55s (somewhere after 2014) have improved rod bearings and sudden engine "explosions" are less common.
@@trevord.6545😊😊😊
That is a pretty long motor, the loss of oil pressure probably effected #6 the most since the oil pump is up front.
Totally agree.
Spun bearing and the dip stick have your number . But don't give up we love to see you work out.
Another great teardown! The jokes were terrible as usual, I love it! See you on the next one!
One thing that very few people understand is why the oil pump is a vane type instead of a gear type oil pump. The reason in this case is that it's allowed them to make it a variable displacement pump as in the quantity of oil being pumped changes so that the pressure can be constant regardless of rpm. The rotating assembly of the pump is held by a pivot on 1 side and a piston and spring on the other side and this is where the magic happens. Why run this style of pump instead of a gear pump? Because gear pumps are a compromise in sizing as they generally don't flow enough at idle and flow too much at rpm so the relief valve dumps the excess. These horsepower used to drive a variable displacement pump is far less than that required to drive a non-variable displacement pump.
It's basically the same design as a Hydrovane air compressor - very simple, very effective and they last 100,000 hrs if you change the oil regularly
@@johnbloomfield5705 No, the only similarity between a Hydrovane air compressor and this style oil pump is that they both use vanes. Please correct me if I'm wrong but a Hydrovane air compressor does not have a variable flow system but is instead a fixed flow system. The variable flow system changes the flow to maintain the target oil pressure at any given rpm, something that is always changing on an ICE.
Yes you are absolutely right about variable flow -v- fixed flow, but then I don't know of a requirement for variable flow with an air compressor. That said, the variable flow is essentially an adaptation of the vane type pump used in the Hydrovane. The Hydrovane vane system has two big advantages over other types of pump, very little friction between the moving parts and therefore little wear hence the long life (given adequate lubrication) and less noise. @@phillipmcintosh6489
I had an N55-powered 335i from 2016-2021, 22K to 40K miles. So definitely a low-mileage example. When new and under warranty, it's a glorious engine. Lots of power and torque. That said, I'm not sure I'd want to own high-mileage out-of-warranty example!
I still have my 2014 F30 N55, manual, bought new, that's got 37,000mi on in. No leaks, kind of a garage queen as I'm 90% work travel. Annual oil change. But I do check the OFHG and valve cover for leaks once a month or so. Love driving it hard!
BMW in-line 6 M-N-B engines are great designs. The V8s suck after 100k even with good maintenance. Seen quite a few Ns with 200k even saw an M54 with 350k. You can always tell if the owner cares or not about the car.
Little personal story about filter glitter...
I rebuilt my Chevy 4.3 after coolant system failed and I drove it home with no coolant. I used the wrong parts and did not follow the torque specs, just kinda winged it. Heads, cam, and crank were resurfaced and bearings were only thing not reused. Sorta tried to port the oil system for better flow.
Anyhow... first filter totally clogged with metal paste within 10 miles. 2nd clogged after a few hundred miles, filter brand definitely made a difference. 3 oil changes and probably a dozen filters all looked like a differential emptied into the pan. TONS of metal. Truck runs great, 50- 60 psi of oil pressure and probably about 5k miles since. No metal any more.