MYSTERY FAILURE? 3-Cylinder BMW / Mini Cooper B38 1.5L Engine Teardown

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  • čas přidán 2. 02. 2024
  • For parts Email us at Importapartsales@gmail.com or visit www.Importapart.com!
    Here's weekly dose of your catastrophic engine forensics! Every week you can find a new teardown of some abused, misused and/or poorly designed engine. I've got over 160 videos of failed engine teardowns on this channel.
    Today we tear into a 3 cylinder! The BMW/Mini Cooper B38. This engine is designed on the same architecture as the B48 and the renowned B58. Essentially, this engine is half of a B58. This was a core engine purchased with a large lot of engines a month or two ago, so I don't have details like mileage or the car it was out of. From the date codes, I can tell its from a 2019, and most likely a Mini Cooper. There are different versions of this engine and they range from 100hp to 228hp in the I8,. pretty impressive for such a small package.
    Why am I doing this? My name is Eric and I own and run a full service auto salvage business called Importapart. Part of our model includes buying and dismantling blown up/core engines to resell the usable parts. We do not rebuild or repair engines, instead we sell 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
  • Auta a dopravní prostředky

Komentáře • 793

  • @superblahblah666
    @superblahblah666 Před 4 měsíci +525

    from all of us who took apart our toys as a kid, we are here and we thank you

    • @AbbStar1989
      @AbbStar1989 Před 4 měsíci +8

      Represent!

    • @bigliftm
      @bigliftm Před 4 měsíci +12

      whaha i did as a kid too. brand spanking new radio... took it apart.. my dad was mad as hell when i came to him Daddy can we put this back togheter hahaha.

    • @bellabella852
      @bellabella852 Před 4 měsíci +4

      Oh my god yes this is so true

    • @iainball2023
      @iainball2023 Před 4 měsíci +6

      That brought back a few memories 😂

    • @wysoft
      @wysoft Před 4 měsíci +7

      😂 pretty much how I began a career in computers that has consistently put a roof over my family's head. I was about 8 years old, dad tossed me a broken VCR and said have at it. So I did, and fixed it. Never really stopped taking things apart ever since, just got marginally better at putting them back together again

  • @alexcarbone1222
    @alexcarbone1222 Před 4 měsíci +441

    The safety box actually worked. That was amazing.

    • @therealdojj
      @therealdojj Před 4 měsíci +24

      I hope the safety tote was watching from his retirement home 🍻

    • @timlee500
      @timlee500 Před 4 měsíci +18

      Nothing wrong with this engine, needs new harmonic balancer, new rings, quick bore hone. They heard a rattle, got a quote for repairs and scraped it???

    • @dimples282
      @dimples282 Před 4 měsíci +5

      Kinda like that one time the Is It A Good Idea To Microwave This? boys' tin-foil shield also actually worked when they tossed a Lexus airbag in.

    • @brianspencer6397
      @brianspencer6397 Před 4 měsíci +5

      This weeks alternate title: Attack of the Killer Timing Chain Tensioner!

    • @paul06660
      @paul06660 Před 4 měsíci +9

      Box definitely did its job. He would for sure have died.

  • @shellya1461
    @shellya1461 Před 4 měsíci +148

    Blue... best prybar in a supporting role!

  • @user-xw2kc7xp4k
    @user-xw2kc7xp4k Před 4 měsíci +191

    BMW tech here, gear for the oil pump on those engines are left-hand threads
    assuming you tear down another in the future, love your videos and increasingly more popular methods of throwing water pumps

    • @grahamrothermel5139
      @grahamrothermel5139 Před 4 měsíci +2

      I wondered if that was the case when he tried if lefty loosey and it didn't budge.

    • @TheBandit7613
      @TheBandit7613 Před 4 měsíci +24

      BMW tech, I think the gooky rings are that stupid thin oil being used to save gas. The rings don't seal as well with ultra thin oil and start burning oil leaving deposits on the rings.
      Piss on everyone, I'm using 10W30.

    • @PUNKANDGOTH
      @PUNKANDGOTH Před 4 měsíci

      well we use 0w-30 anyways @@TheBandit7613 🤷‍♂

    • @fram1111
      @fram1111 Před 4 měsíci +2

      I pray everything works out for you! Thank you for so much input on that BMW Engine. Nice to have someone with knowledge speak out.
      What's your opinion on synthetic oils and hybrid synthetic.
      Piss on it, what type of oil do you think is best in your opinion. I could probably research this myself what if you answer thank you.❤😂

    • @vukiam
      @vukiam Před 4 měsíci

      Im glad someone said it

  • @GoneAsGoneCanBe
    @GoneAsGoneCanBe Před 4 měsíci +158

    I am loving the little skits with the water pumps.

    • @ryanbrochu3336
      @ryanbrochu3336 Před 4 měsíci +7

      I'm actually starting to look forward to the water pump skits alone.

    • @becausetrains
      @becausetrains Před 4 měsíci +4

      YEET

    • @cricri7066
      @cricri7066 Před 4 měsíci +4

      The life expectancy of a secondhand water pump is very short in Eric's workshop..

    • @G-regular503
      @G-regular503 Před 4 měsíci

      Yes, more water pump skits

    • @stuartbarber7784
      @stuartbarber7784 Před 4 měsíci

      Should work up to celebrity appearances to do skits involving only the water pump!

  • @dondenny2534
    @dondenny2534 Před 4 měsíci +173

    Finally, a snowmobile engine!

    • @kennethwilson1140
      @kennethwilson1140 Před 4 měsíci +17

      More like I can't believe that BMW has stooped so low as to be manufacturing lawn mower engines...

    • @NickLandsberg780
      @NickLandsberg780 Před 4 měsíci +6

      Greasy old triple bud!

    • @ferrumignis
      @ferrumignis Před 4 měsíci +18

      @@retiredbore378 Just a typical yank response. If it doesn't have 8 cylinders and do 10mpg then it must be a "lawnmower engine".

    • @seymoarsalvage
      @seymoarsalvage Před 4 měsíci +4

      @@ferrumignis As a yank, I completely agree. Give me small, boosted, efficient engines any day!

    • @rodgood
      @rodgood Před 4 měsíci

      Yamaha might disagree.

  • @Arthurzeiro
    @Arthurzeiro Před 4 měsíci +103

    The water pump bits are getting more and more elaborate, given enough time we'll se one shot into space.

    • @therealdojj
      @therealdojj Před 4 měsíci +5

      this ain't fast and furious 🤣

    • @ryanbrochu3336
      @ryanbrochu3336 Před 4 měsíci +10

      🤣🤣🤣 To boldly go where no water pump has gone before!!

    • @smokeishungry6061
      @smokeishungry6061 Před 4 měsíci +5

      Water pump III : The search for coolant

    • @greggc8088
      @greggc8088 Před 4 měsíci +2

      The Orbital Accelerator by SpinLaunch

    • @Arthurzeiro
      @Arthurzeiro Před 4 měsíci +4

      @@ryanbrochu3336 One small step for water pump, one huge leap for water pumpkind

  • @brianspicer5206
    @brianspicer5206 Před 4 měsíci +83

    The drain plug is a "repair" plug that places like Jiffy Lube install when they over-torque the regular plug and strip out the oil pan. It's meant to be installed and then not touched again until the pan is replaced.

    • @eyerollthereforeiam1709
      @eyerollthereforeiam1709 Před 4 měsíci +12

      A) I didn't know that. B) Thank you for reminding me why I don't go to quickie oil change places!

    • @dougrobinson8602
      @dougrobinson8602 Před 4 měsíci +6

      Which begs the question of what oil was used in this engine. Just because it's clean doesn't mean it's the correct grade. FWIW, I only use BMW branded 5w30 in my N52. Yeah, I pay too much, but at 178,000 miles my oil analysis shows almost no wear metals. Blackstone says keep doing what I'm doing, and so I will. Regular changes at 7500 miles, 90% highway driving with daily pulls to redline to keep oil flowing through the vanos and exercise the valvetronic.

    • @eyerollthereforeiam1709
      @eyerollthereforeiam1709 Před 4 měsíci +2

      @@dougrobinson8602 good point! I thought the engine had been maintained by how clean it was inside. But you're right, that doesn't guarantee that the correct oil was used. It could have been cheap crap changed frequently.

    • @jtjones4727
      @jtjones4727 Před 4 měsíci +4

      @@dougrobinson8602 Wow 7500 miles is a long time between oil changes. I still remember what a Toyota engineer that did engine development said, "If you buy a car that you plan to keep and drive for as long as possible, change the oil every 3000 miles. Even if you buy cheaper oil, just change it every 3000 miles, that's the number one thing you can do to extend the life of your engine." I can't exactly remember where I saw the interview with that guy, but it was on CZcams. He was either a Nissan or Toyota engineer, I can't exactly remember. He may have been the designer of the new American Skyline GT-R engine, that sounds familiar.

    • @hokie9910
      @hokie9910 Před 4 měsíci +2

      @@jtjones4727I run Toyota’s and Lexus, change between 7500-10000 with full synthetic and I’ve never had a bad black stone report, but again it’s a Toyota…

  • @someguywithaphone5921
    @someguywithaphone5921 Před 4 měsíci +39

    3 CHEERS FOR SAFETY BOX!!! Eric lives to wrench another day. I saw it with my own two peepers, that puppy was supersonic! okay, it was doing the speed limit in a school zone. lol

  • @thomasfletcher760
    @thomasfletcher760 Před 4 měsíci +86

    Must be the starter for last week's engine

    • @robertwillemsen368
      @robertwillemsen368 Před 4 měsíci +3

      Bigger cars use this as a generator engine. It replaces the alternator

  • @illiniarmory3142
    @illiniarmory3142 Před 4 měsíci +98

    My four year old said “daddy, I like watching him take engines apart, maybe he can take our engine apart.”

    • @nowiecoche
      @nowiecoche Před 4 měsíci +10

      😆 Your kid’s going to be a future car enthusiast, maybe. Could be any engineering type.

    • @samholdsworth420
      @samholdsworth420 Před 4 měsíci +1

      Lol 🤣🤣🤣🤣

    • @cmd8086
      @cmd8086 Před 4 měsíci +13

      Your engine will be taken apart. Might not be today, might not be tomorrow, but it will be

    • @mmiller1188
      @mmiller1188 Před 3 měsíci +2

      Time for a cheap engine !

  • @QuinnQ-ry8lg
    @QuinnQ-ry8lg Před 4 měsíci +37

    Every time a chain guide that gets tossed, I expect to hear a cat yeow off screen.

    • @milwaukeeroadjim9253
      @milwaukeeroadjim9253 Před 4 měsíci +2

      That could be a good sound effect.

    • @edifyguy
      @edifyguy Před 4 měsíci +2

      @@milwaukeeroadjim9253 YES! Great gag! There should be a sound effect. Cat yowl, dog yelp, cow bellow......metal pipe drop? LOL

    • @Wtrxprs007able
      @Wtrxprs007able Před 4 měsíci

      If that happens in the next video, we know who to thank for the idea!

    • @louismanios8928
      @louismanios8928 Před 4 měsíci +1

      Recommend he uses the Wilhelm Scream

  • @bmcc12
    @bmcc12 Před 4 měsíci +45

    Many years ago, in the mid fifties, my neighbor was the town mechanic for the town of Sleepy Hollow, yes, the town where the headless horseman rode, and he allowed me to watch him rebuild the fire chief’s cars engine. I was about seven or eight years old at the time. I remember him tightening the head bolts, and he told me that they tighten till they squeal! Seventy years later, I use a torque wrench now, but I still remember the old ways. Great video! He used quantities of Permatex, and I can still remember the smell, and the way it transferred to the entire body of the eight year old!

    • @chrisbrown3925
      @chrisbrown3925 Před 4 měsíci +3

      I love permatex!

    • @bmcc12
      @bmcc12 Před 4 měsíci +2

      @@chrisbrown3925 me too! It brings back old memories and as far as I know, it works well!

    • @fram1111
      @fram1111 Před 4 měsíci +1

      I enjoyed your story. Mentally you sound very sound and I pray it continues that way until the gate opened up for you. God bless you

    • @dougrobinson8602
      @dougrobinson8602 Před 4 měsíci +1

      If you mean Permatex Gaskacinch or Hitack, I'm right there with ya. I can literally smell it from my memory. It brings back memories of the thermostat housing on my '65 Mustang.

    • @bmcc12
      @bmcc12 Před 4 měsíci

      @@dougrobinson8602 I don’t know if it came in various flavors in the mid 50s

  • @puffnstuff12
    @puffnstuff12 Před 4 měsíci +30

    These engine teardowns are my bedtime story and are very relaxing to watch.

    • @user-fr1dt1uh4i
      @user-fr1dt1uh4i Před 4 měsíci +1

      Yes, I look forward to every Saturday evening.

  • @CheekyChan
    @CheekyChan Před 4 měsíci +29

    You'd be correct in assuming they got rid of that engine because of the crank pulley. I don't know WHY but BMW has had issues with every single Mini engine failing at the crank pulley, the Tritec engines would lose the rubber insert on the harmonic and destroy the timing cover if not caught soon enough and it sounds like a rod knock, the Prince engine did the same exact thing and sounds exactly like a rod knock and all of the new 3 and 4 cylinder B engines have recalls on the crank pulley, you'll get a horrible grinding and tapping noise and none of your accessories will work, you'll get alternator light and no working AC. The new pulley is also something like $900 list and $600 my price for the OEM, febi also has it which is the OEM for Mini, their kit comes with new bolts as well and is only $365 my price. Nice thing is that it only calls for about 2ish hours of labor and should be a warranty/recall job, take wheel off, remove wheel cover, remove belt, remove crank pulley, inspect seal for leakage or damage, replace if leaking or damage, slap it back together.

    • @debtfree_2023
      @debtfree_2023 Před 4 měsíci +1

      I agree, the oem crank pulley's would split apart like a hamburger bun on the early N14's, engine would start limpin with little to no power, no reason to toss the whole block though

    • @CheekyChan
      @CheekyChan Před 4 měsíci +5

      @@debtfree_2023 I have had many many many R50-3 and R56-7 Mini's come my way with a "knock" where another shop told them it needed a new engine and quoted them some insane price only for it to be the harmonic coming apart. Another common failure on the Prince engine R56+ is the water pump pulley coming apart and it also sounds like a knock because the spring loaded idler tensioner that connects the pulleys bounces with the RPM. Lot of shops either don't know these cars, don't care or just want to sell an engine swap at the cost of a harmonic and scam their customers.

    • @rhiantaylor3446
      @rhiantaylor3446 Před 4 měsíci +2

      This is why I read all the comments on this channel - great learning opportunity.

  • @herbieschwartz9246
    @herbieschwartz9246 Před 4 měsíci +37

    Looks like maybe a new car getting the "you don't need to break in a new modern engine" break in method. Glaze the cylinder walls, rings don't seat, uses oil that gums up the rings, etc.

    • @Mis73rRand0m
      @Mis73rRand0m Před 4 měsíci

      First and every oil change is like 10k miles I bet.

    • @damilolaakanni
      @damilolaakanni Před 2 měsíci

      First oil change should be about 1000 miles, then subsequent between 5000-10000 miles depending on the manufacturer.

  • @Echo024
    @Echo024 Před 4 měsíci +43

    I second your harmonic balancer theory.
    I once worked on an Altima with lean codes. Last shop couldn’t figure it out so they replaced the engine. Turns out it was a rolled throttle body gasket.

    • @encinobalboa
      @encinobalboa Před 4 měsíci +4

      The last shop figured it out...they found a way to extract maximum cash from the customer.

    • @seymoarsalvage
      @seymoarsalvage Před 4 měsíci +5

      @@encinobalboa I'm sure it was warranty replacement.

    • @suzi_mai
      @suzi_mai Před 4 měsíci +1

      I bought a Chevrolet 327 once that had the pulleys loose. Ran fine for many more years .

    • @nobodynoone2500
      @nobodynoone2500 Před 2 měsíci +2

      Altima issues are typically owner related in my experience.

  • @richardkilb8305
    @richardkilb8305 Před 4 měsíci +9

    Howdy, im an engine man for 50+ years. I worked in engine R&D for quite a few years and powerboat racing too.
    Ive blown up many an engine, my personal best was cutting an alloy 3 cyl engine in half with the flailing con rod.
    Love your videos, love the method, love the failure analysis, love the video work and perfect time lapse, but especially your descriptive sense of humor.
    I will forever know them as piston nuggets.
    I am a huge fan and will watch you again and again and again.
    Go blue

  • @johnbob8465
    @johnbob8465 Před 4 měsíci +12

    I’ve been a mechanic for 37 years and now retired ,
    keep up the videos you’re awesome

  • @OldManBadly
    @OldManBadly Před 4 měsíci +25

    Wow, got here early. My guess looking at it would be that the cylinder wear has allowed some (not a lot, but some) oil past the rings, which lead to the appearance of blue smoke. Probably just at start up at first, but over time it built up around the rings and such and allowed more and more oil past. At a point, it went from a blue smoke on start up the a blue smoke at RPM and on the road down to blue smoke at idle, which is when it got pulled out. I am thinking it just ends up being a question of clearances exceeding what the rings could handle, and then it was a cascading failure over time.
    Love the two boit engine stand and the safety box. All good stuff.

  • @paulstandaert5709
    @paulstandaert5709 Před 4 měsíci +17

    I've seen older GM 3800's get replaced because the harmonic balancer was causing a helluva clatter.
    Some Chrysler 2.7L engines got replaced because the O-ring around the primary chain tensioner took a vacation to the bottom of the oil pan.
    Stuff like that does happen.

  • @timholderle9529
    @timholderle9529 Před 3 měsíci +4

    As an owner of a 3 cylinder Mini Countryman, I thank you. It was interesting and informative to see the inner workings of that engine. I didn't realize the timing set was in the rear. Means any fault there would mean an engine pull. Ugh. But, the design looks stout and ours receives Mini motor oil and filters every 5000 miles. So I have expectations of a long service life. Cause we love the Countryman. Love the tear downs and look forward to the next water pump toss. And if you ever get a shot at an Isuzu diesel, I think that would be interesting.

    • @nobodynoone2500
      @nobodynoone2500 Před 2 měsíci +1

      Sell it before 120k and you will always have fond memories.

  • @randyhall2135
    @randyhall2135 Před 4 měsíci +26

    I think somebody jumped the gun and condemned a good engine because of a bad crankshaft pully.

    • @mataratas5481
      @mataratas5481 Před 3 měsíci

      Si por que el que se compra bmw tiene pasta para cambiar motor...

    • @nobodynoone2500
      @nobodynoone2500 Před 2 měsíci +1

      Running engine yes, "good" not so much lol.

  • @ForTehNguyen
    @ForTehNguyen Před 4 měsíci +35

    video is half the length for half the engine size

    • @dmitri546
      @dmitri546 Před 4 měsíci +9

      10 minutes per cylinder. The way it should be

    • @TiborRoussou
      @TiborRoussou Před 4 měsíci

      not half bad...

    • @nobodynoone2500
      @nobodynoone2500 Před 2 měsíci +1

      @@dmitri546 Found the guy setting shop rates!

  • @rotorhead5000
    @rotorhead5000 Před 4 měsíci +21

    I bet it would have come around with a good old fashioned italian tune up to burn all that carbon off the pistons.

    • @chrisbrown3925
      @chrisbrown3925 Před 4 měsíci

      Why no carbon on the intake valves?

    • @1djbecker
      @1djbecker Před 4 měsíci +2

      That might burn the carbon off the top of the cylinder, but will only cook the oil between the grooves even harder.

    • @danstuck2063
      @danstuck2063 Před 4 měsíci

      I love the "Italian tune up"!

    • @dougrobinson8602
      @dougrobinson8602 Před 4 měsíci

      @@chrisbrown3925 I don't think the B-Series engines have nearly the issue of valve carbon that the N54 and N55 did.

    • @1djbecker
      @1djbecker Před 4 měsíci

      @@dougrobinson8602 The M54 had a problem with carbon clogging the oil control rings. They were one piece 'I' (eye) cross section low tension rings with tiny drilled holes for the oil to escape. Oil sludge could clog a hole. Once that happened, the trapped oil would start to bake into hard carbon and trapped oil would cascade the effect to the next ring.
      Revised rings with long slots instead of pin holes solves the problem, but that's a complete engine tear-down to fix the problem. Fortunately BMW parts and service are famously inexpensive.

  • @peterwilding1203
    @peterwilding1203 Před 4 měsíci +16

    Never thought I'd see this one. We had a '15 Mini Cooper with this. Fascinating to see inside. I had no idea it was so complex.

  • @stephenvale2624
    @stephenvale2624 Před 4 měsíci +7

    This episode was worth it just for watching the Spaceballs helmet protect you from the attacking tensioner!

  • @s0lidgoat199
    @s0lidgoat199 Před 4 měsíci +12

    If those rings were the cause, a little trans fluid in the plug hole and let sit while you put the plugs back in, it’ll free those rings up, I believe that engine was replaced because of that balancer sadly. Great video

    • @billm6294
      @billm6294 Před 4 měsíci +1

      Unfortunately they took the good stuff (sperm whale oil) out of ATF back in the 70s. (Save the Whales!) So it's really not much for a detergent additive package these days. Valvoline makes a magic engine oil for Cummins that does have some pretty strong cleaning properties.

  • @pb4738
    @pb4738 Před 4 měsíci +37

    Loved this video. I work as a BMW tech over here in Australia and I personally don't like these engines as they are terribly unbalanced and lack any general grunt even with all the stuff BMW has done to it. A complaint we get from customers a bit on these engines is that they shake a lot on start up, which is a very normal thing for these to do. They also go through the left engine mount within 100,000km or 60,000 miles due to these being in FWD cars most of the time and the natural unbalance these things have.

    • @TheBandit7613
      @TheBandit7613 Před 4 měsíci +3

      3 cylinders are being used in performance SxS's. Mine is a 150 horsepower Yamaha 1000 cc, no turbo. Not bad for a no turbo one liter.
      Can Am's Maverick is a turbo one liter... 400 horsepower. That's a lot of hp from a one liter turbo triple.

    • @pb4738
      @pb4738 Před 4 měsíci

      That is fairly decent, but they're not the best powertrain for a car @@TheBandit7613

    • @ZeDestructor00
      @ZeDestructor00 Před 4 měsíci +6

      @@TheBandit7613 In performance applications, you're never really at a low enough rpm enough of the time that the (un)balance is a major problem. Neither are you in the lap of "luxury" with good suspension and sound deadening....
      Those engines would do a lot better in hybrid applications - have the e-motor handle launches and idling, kick in the ICE at higher speeds and loads. As a side benefit, that would also reduce carbon buildup... everywhere due to significantly less idling at really low cylinder temperatures and air velocites...

    • @TheBandit7613
      @TheBandit7613 Před 4 měsíci +1

      @@ZeDestructor00 I halfway agree. These performance SxS's are not exactly smooth running. Imagine the cam on a 150 hp 1000 cc triple.
      The idle lopes hard.
      However, the suspensions are the most advanced in the motorsports world with 24" of travel and Fox bypass coil over shocks. They ride amazing.
      I completely dismantled mine when it was brand new to install sound deadening mat all over. I couldn't hear myself think.
      I think it's still amazing that we are getting 400 hp from 1000 cc's, the motor weighs about 90 lbs.

    • @ryandarrah4247
      @ryandarrah4247 Před 4 měsíci

      Not possible to
      Balance that out it’s from rpm varying dramatically between cylinders firing only “solution” would be putting a massive flywheel on it.

  • @ryanbrown918
    @ryanbrown918 Před 4 měsíci +4

    Thats wild...i had no idea the insanely potent B58 had a such a small little brother. Was well aware of the B48, but not this.

  • @terrycampbell8275
    @terrycampbell8275 Před 4 měsíci +2

    I'd say you're right about the damper. Years ago, I worked for a manufacturer that made a torsional harmonic damper / isolator pulley for the Mini Cooper S. It was similar in design to the one on this engine. The pulley had a limited range of axial rotation relative to the damper, controlled by an elastomer spring, and they did fail occasionally.

  • @wxdave5448
    @wxdave5448 Před 4 měsíci +5

    This tear-down was frustrating as no smoking gun for what’s wrong with it. I have the B58 in my X5 and so far love it. I agree that BMW seems to have finally learned some lessons on engine design (longevity-wise).

  • @SPAZTICCYTOPLASM
    @SPAZTICCYTOPLASM Před 4 měsíci +3

    This engine was improperly broken in. The glazing is from lots of idling and low engine load during break in period. Remember during break in or the first hour of your engine running, start, 1500 rpm vary the RPM up to 60% of it's rev range for the first little bit until warm, then take it out and put some acceleration on it, and put a couple 80% throttle pulls and on a new motor you should take it to WOT within the first day of owning it. This engine was burning oil because glazing makes it harder to scrape oil off the cylinder walls, it also hurts compression. I think this guy was burning oil from clogged rings not scraping the glazed walls, and was owned by someone who cared for their car. I think looking at the cylinder head and edges of the exhaust valves there's evidence of oil burning and someone tried to clean it out with seafoam or a top end cleaner of some kind. I bet if you looked at the the exhaust valve stem it's got carbon build up. I bet jiffy lube or whoever sold them a top end clean for their oil burning issue which was caused by their improper break in.
    I've seen this a fair bit with late model cars, modern engines are especially prone to glazing i think because of the harder cylinder walls and smaller piston rings. I honestly think they need to be run in at the factory to prevent this sort of thing.
    Good new is these engines are definitely worth rebuilding and rebuildable cores aren't cheap! We can knock the glaze off easily but we can't overbore them because of their coating, so we always need good blocks, everything else we can machine and fix but blocks are one and done. So this core engine is worth a lot to a rebuilder, they're 4500 used up here, i would grab it for a fair price but I'm in another country.

    • @ketelin4285
      @ketelin4285 Před měsícem

      Maybe he listened to you , my manufacturer said no over 3000 rpm during break in . The engines they used to buld back then reached without issues 1 mil km in taxy use

  • @Adam-nv9zo
    @Adam-nv9zo Před 4 měsíci +3

    13:05 2 CHAINZ!!!!!
    Thank God for that safety box. We almost lost you. 😂

  • @UCm0i6w5lBlRthCtZEoj99tg
    @UCm0i6w5lBlRthCtZEoj99tg Před 4 měsíci +3

    I been watching these videos as they come out for a few months and I just realized you must have every possible kind of bolt imaginable laying around

  • @Skeeter69420
    @Skeeter69420 Před 4 měsíci +13

    Time for my Saturday night teardown fix! Thanks again and keep up the great videos!

  • @dragineeztoo61
    @dragineeztoo61 Před 4 měsíci +5

    Wow, clean up the pistons, put on new rings, and reassemble (including water pump and guides). Done.

  • @innesm
    @innesm Před 4 měsíci +2

    Another great video. You’re bloody mad Eric. I love your humour, absolutely brilliant. No carnage unfortunately, but still great to watch. See you next tear down.

  • @ptrobo2
    @ptrobo2 Před 2 měsíci +1

    These videos help me understand engines better. Thank you.

  • @arlindbanushi
    @arlindbanushi Před 4 měsíci +3

    I drove for a weekend the 218i. It's a nice engine and paired with a ZFHP8 it good and gives high MPGs. It didn't feel like a 3 cylinder driving it. Thanks for bringing it to the channel.
    But I'm still waiting for the Ford Diesel F9DA, KKDA and the Fiat 1.6 Multijet and 1.9 Multijet. Almost all these engines are immortal.

  • @justrelaxing1501
    @justrelaxing1501 Před 4 měsíci +1

    Dude! The tensioner hitting the box...priceless!

  • @FockeWolf100
    @FockeWolf100 Před 4 měsíci +16

    I own one of these! '15 Cooper. Sweetheart of an engine. Bit rough of a runner, but smooth revving with good power, and excellent fuel mileage on the highway. 123,000 kms so far, hoping to stick with this car for a long, long time

    • @earlscheib7754
      @earlscheib7754 Před 4 měsíci +3

      These are nothing like the good old BMWs

    • @FockeWolf100
      @FockeWolf100 Před 4 měsíci +9

      Oh I know! But the B series is pretty damn solid, there’s records of Minis hitting over half a million with original engine
      I’m just genuinely impressed by how good this little engine is, is all

    • @jonathanflatman
      @jonathanflatman Před 4 měsíci +3

      I was wondering if some customers buy these engines for the fuel economy and dont work them hard enough for long enough. The engines dont get hot enough to burn off the carbon. In my experience it can be better to work an engine at higher revs rather than let it slog and overstress it. I think that engine had been run too slow.

    • @bingbong7316
      @bingbong7316 Před 4 měsíci +3

      ​@@jonathanflatmanyeah, regular Italian tune-up and good to go.

    • @ferrumignis
      @ferrumignis Před 4 měsíci +2

      @@jonathanflatman I believe you are 100% correct. With the trend for low friction rings if the engine isn't used hard occasionally they can suffer bore glazing and high oil consumption. Under harder use the cylinder pressure pushes the rings out against the bore to keep the sealing surfaces working well.

  • @marathoner43
    @marathoner43 Před 4 měsíci +4

    Thanks for the Saturday night entertainment Eric. Get some rest, you've earned it!

  • @asmcardetailing
    @asmcardetailing Před 4 měsíci +4

    As a former Mini salesperson whose desk was RIGHT next to the service advisors’, I was surprised to hear that you didn’t have anything bad to say about this engine. 😅

    • @hokie9910
      @hokie9910 Před 4 měsíci

      I think he is assuming that we all know how bad they are…?

    • @halfsteak1981
      @halfsteak1981 Před 3 měsíci +2

      Sounds like you worked at mini when the engines were made by Peugeot and Chrysler… the B 38s and 48s have maybe1/20 of the problems those pieces of shit had

  • @jamesplotkin4674
    @jamesplotkin4674 Před 4 měsíci +5

    That's a lot of crud between the rings, so I'd suspect it used a lot of oil.

  • @Jasminethelovelycat
    @Jasminethelovelycat Před 4 měsíci +11

    I love the cameo appearances of you colleagues!

  • @gusrubio489
    @gusrubio489 Před 4 měsíci

    Eric, your preemptive donning of the recommended PPE is inspiring. Thank Heaven for SAFETY BOX!!

  • @gregoryweber7408
    @gregoryweber7408 Před 4 měsíci

    and the wonderful water pump saga continues thank you sir it’s one of my favorite parts of these tear down videos

  • @Ar0d
    @Ar0d Před 4 měsíci

    This was an entertaining video Eric. Thank you

  • @VoVilliaCorp
    @VoVilliaCorp Před 4 měsíci +2

    That tensioner was taking no prisoners, it went right for your face, thank god for safty box!

  • @adriennley-lg6nl
    @adriennley-lg6nl Před 4 měsíci

    Hey Erik, I love the channel. Keep the teardowns and carnage coming! Please do a Tiburon GT engine, I’m very interesred in it, because I had one and loved it back in the day…

  • @Paul1958R
    @Paul1958R Před 4 měsíci

    Eric,
    You guys are great!
    Thank you
    Paul (in MA)

  • @CathyInBlue
    @CathyInBlue Před 4 měsíci +9

    Looks just like an engine only smaller.

  • @raystevens1458
    @raystevens1458 Před 4 měsíci

    Eric, OSHA would be so proud of your safety program, thanks for another great video.

  • @alexjuarez1247
    @alexjuarez1247 Před 4 měsíci

    This channel brings me piece to mind ❤

  • @bradgreen987
    @bradgreen987 Před 4 měsíci +1

    We all still love the weekend teardowns, even those less than catastrophic. Those the best, of course. This channel has tought me so much about cars engines 😅

    • @nowiecoche
      @nowiecoche Před 4 měsíci

      No joke about learning about engines. Eric brings in so much variety of engines, and does it with great enthusiasm. That Bentley engine was probably a once-in-a-lifetime video. Doesn’t matter if he doesn’t know what to do. He’ll just takes it apart and see what happens.

  • @yodasbff3395
    @yodasbff3395 Před 4 měsíci

    I've been enjoying your teardowns for a number of years. I like the way you take apart the engines without destroying them. But, I don't enjoy the way you disrespect the parts like the water pump and chain guides. If that is what your viewers want and that's what keeps you going, then I can live with it. Thanks for the teardown and all your hard work. Best to you and your family. 👍

  • @liver.flush.maestro
    @liver.flush.maestro Před 4 měsíci +4

    I think this is the nicest engine you ever tore down on your channel :-)

  • @billinhouston3291
    @billinhouston3291 Před 4 měsíci +25

    That was SO CLEAN INSIDE. Wow. Wonder how the pistons got so carbony. Carbonated. Carbonaceous.

    • @TheBandit7613
      @TheBandit7613 Před 4 měsíci

      I think it's that crap ultra thin oil being used. It doesn't seal the ring to cylinder walls as good as thicker oil, so it gooks up the rings. I refuse to use that thin oil.
      10W30 is the lowest I go.

    • @legionofanon
      @legionofanon Před 4 měsíci +3

      Caramel piston rings

    • @slngblde
      @slngblde Před 4 měsíci +10

      If it was a fiat engine we could call it carbonara 😂

    • @donbehatin
      @donbehatin Před 4 měsíci +9

      was absolutely babied to death. probably never saw past 3k rpms

    • @rhiantaylor3446
      @rhiantaylor3446 Před 4 měsíci +4

      Cheap oil, town use ?

  • @edhall4669
    @edhall4669 Před 4 měsíci

    My weekly splurge video! Never change, Eric

  • @BillWrightabc
    @BillWrightabc Před 4 měsíci +1

    😁 Love this one...Creative solutions to making things work in an iddy, biddy engine. Eric, as always, your wit, informative style and commentary flow just make watching these teardowns delightful. And around here, it makes it fun. If DB threatens to make me watch a knitting video, I just tell her she has to watch I DO CARS. I don't ever have to look at any perls!

  • @vburke1
    @vburke1 Před 4 měsíci +3

    When tensioners attack LOL

  • @MrRailroader03
    @MrRailroader03 Před 4 měsíci +3

    Awesome as always Eric! See if you can get your hands on a Nissan KR15DDT. They’ve recently been failing and I’m curious to know why. Take care buddy!

  • @PeterJ-ij6mm
    @PeterJ-ij6mm Před 4 měsíci +2

    I would guess that the engine was over filled with oil at some stage, causing the carbon build up. I would also like to nominate the engine stand for best supporting role.

  • @bombakdik
    @bombakdik Před 2 měsíci

    Again.
    Teardown done well. With the needed attention, with a good amount of humour.
    Very very well done.
    I would love a BMW N20 teardown. Preferably one that was still running, withouth the snapped timing chain.
    Cheers from Belgium.

  • @DaBomb31290
    @DaBomb31290 Před 4 měsíci +1

    The crank pulley/balancer is NOT supposed to be like that. As a MINI tech I've seen it a couple of times (actually have on in the shop right now) and it creates a noise that sounds almost indistinguishable from rod knock. So it wouldn't surprise me if an independent shop heard that, and replaced the engine. Lastly that is actually an updated balancer, the older style starts free-wheeling when it fails.

  • @glowingbunny5865
    @glowingbunny5865 Před 4 měsíci +2

    Great so see another upload…🤙

  • @TheEulerID
    @TheEulerID Před 4 měsíci +2

    Looks like a better design than 3 cylinder Ford Ecoboost with that horrible wet belt system. As to what failed here, I can only think it was a misdiagnosis from that pulley wheel as there is no way that can be right.
    Also, that emergency oil drain plug looks like it went to a cheap oil replacement shop, and it makes me wonder if they are careless with that, they are equally careless with the quality and type of oil they used, which might explain the fouling.

  • @imacracker515
    @imacracker515 Před 4 měsíci +5

    Just found this channel a couple weeks ago and love it. But can I get a back story on the water pump jokes?

    • @WarrenGuy
      @WarrenGuy Před 4 měsíci +2

      people (used to) give him crap for throwing away the water pumps instead of selling them "because they're perfectly good". never buy (or sell) a used water pump.

    • @nowiecoche
      @nowiecoche Před 4 měsíci +1

      @@WarrenGuyDidn’t know the backstory. Turns out it was a backstory involving comments. Regardless whether I knew the backstory, all I need to know is NEVER BUY A USED WATER PUMP.

    • @dougrobinson8602
      @dougrobinson8602 Před 4 měsíci +1

      I'm frankly shocked that this engine has a belt driven coolant pump. For years BMW was in love with electric motor-driven pumps. They barely last 50,000 miles on a turbo six.

    • @moneyshifters
      @moneyshifters Před 4 měsíci

      @@dougrobinson8602yes, biggest issue with the n52/3/4/5!!! Lovely engines otherwise

  • @donaldhoot7741
    @donaldhoot7741 Před 4 měsíci

    3 cylinder paradise! Finally! Now find a Mitsu! Great video!

  • @509brown
    @509brown Před 4 měsíci +1

    Thank you Eric, and a special thanks to the Safety Box for possibly saving your life. Short and sweet, a well earned respite. 'Til next time.....

  • @filecabinet827
    @filecabinet827 Před 4 měsíci +7

    If anything, 2 bolts was actually too much.
    Also, that drain plug is common at quick lubes for when there is no longer any thread left in the pan, It is meant as a last resort until the pan can be replaced or repaired. I know of many cars that have used one of those for 50k+ miles.

    • @justincase9471
      @justincase9471 Před 4 měsíci +1

      How do you strip the threads in the pan unless you torque it excessively? I have a couple of high mileage (400k+ miles) cars that get regular oil changes. This has never happened to me.

    • @ZeDestructor00
      @ZeDestructor00 Před 4 měsíci

      @@justincase9471 3 ugga-dugga'll do it. And then the neanderthal in the pit does a full send for 30s without even hand-starting the plug for good measure!

    • @dougrobinson8602
      @dougrobinson8602 Před 4 měsíci +1

      @@justincase9471 Well, either you have a torque wrench and use it correctly, or you're smart enough to know how much grunt is too much. At some point someone German torqued it.....Gutentight!

    • @filecabinet827
      @filecabinet827 Před 4 měsíci

      How many hondas have you changed the oil on? The torque spec on the drain plug is almost the same as what it takes to pull the threads out. So common so, that helicoil makes a kit just for them. @@justincase9471

    • @edifyguy
      @edifyguy Před 4 měsíci +1

      @@justincase9471 Some people think an air impact is the right tool for everything......

  • @dwtees
    @dwtees Před 4 měsíci +2

    Another enjoyable video. Well done. I don't agree with you when you say you can't clean the carbon. Audi and VW have this same issue. The European car manufacturers are hell bent building over engineered undependable trash. Audi actually has in their owners manual 1 quart per 1000 miles is normal oil consumption!. You can remove the spark plugs and fill the cylinders with gum out carb cleaner liquid. Turn the engine over 5 revolutions every couple of hours then refill. do this for 24 hours. This will free up the oil control ring and open the oil drain passages and stop oil consumption. There are youtube videos on how to do this. The low tension rings the Europeans are using are total trash. I did the gumout treatment on one of my customers VW Passat. She was burning 3 quarts of oil every couple of weeks. The gumout treatment worked for me.

  • @flyfaen1
    @flyfaen1 Před 2 měsíci +2

    No the pulley is not supposed to be that way. The serpentine belt pulley part of it is supposed to be sprung and dampened (sort of like a dual mass flywheel) to make life easier on the auxillary components (due to the large gap in firing interval, the engine experience significant rotational speed oscillation 3 times each revolution, especially at idle and low rpm) and someone might have written it off thinking thinking the failed damper was the internals ratteling, especially if it rattled in combination with oil consumption.
    And speaking of potential oil consumption... These engines have plasma spray sintered iron bores (like the Ford 1.0 ECO-Boost) which have EXTREMELY GOOD oil retention properties, and if the owner decided he knew better that BMW (some unknowledge seems to be at play with oil-changes, due to having broken the drain plug and installed a janky replacement) and filled a higher viscosity oil in it (thinking 0W20 or whatever is too thin), and with the improper spec too boot (wrong additive package in the oil) Then the piston rings would basicly just float on the now way too thick oil film, and let oil seep in to the cylinders in any off-boost situation...

    • @Necra66
      @Necra66 Před 2 měsíci

      Basically this, bad maintanence and lack of knowledge was the end of this engine. The faulty serpentine belt pulley would have been an easy fix, what a shame.

  • @kaleb8518
    @kaleb8518 Před 4 měsíci +3

    It's Cross hatching Eric the X pattern on the walls is a symbol of either A. A well maintained engine or B. A recently rebuilt/built engine. The matching crosshatches to retain oil in the X grooves keeping the cylinder and piston lubricated better, if the cylinders are glossy/mirror Finnish they WILL NOT retain oil and will lead to premature failure faster due to excessive wear.

    • @gordonborsboom7460
      @gordonborsboom7460 Před 4 měsíci +2

      He was referring to the strange V or X shaped pattern at the top of the bore found in the center cylinder. Not the cross hatch, which he would be familiar with.
      Maybe it’s caused by cylinder distortion?

    • @kaleb8518
      @kaleb8518 Před 4 měsíci

      @@gordonborsboom7460 probably the injector pattern then from the hot spots

    • @gordonborsboom7460
      @gordonborsboom7460 Před 4 měsíci

      Interesting@@kaleb8518

    • @gordonborsboom7460
      @gordonborsboom7460 Před 4 měsíci

      Auto correct is a piss pour way to do your grammar 🙃 @elcactuar3354

  • @justdeaf-ry6bn
    @justdeaf-ry6bn Před 4 měsíci

    I'm not a mechanic by any means. But sure do love the engine tear downs and how they look inside. Amazing engineering on these engines.

  • @CP-mb7ly
    @CP-mb7ly Před 11 dny

    Hahaha 😂 I love your channel. I do oil changes for a living and had to work on a 1.5 l Bronco with three cylinders and I literally said to a co-worker that it was a travesty to work on a car with half an engine lol

  • @hangman396
    @hangman396 Před 4 měsíci +1

    Eric you Sir are funny. Excellent video As usual... Thank you

  • @HappyHands.
    @HappyHands. Před 4 měsíci +4

    26:43 I was thinking the broken crank pulley might of been the culprit

    • @johnt.848
      @johnt.848 Před 4 měsíci

      And direct injection again.

  • @ericwilson2585
    @ericwilson2585 Před 4 měsíci +3

    I bought an 85' Dodge Daytona turbo Z one time for 400 bucks because the guy thought it had a rod knock, and it turns out just the accessories pulley bolts on the front of the crankshaft were loose.

    • @jdub976
      @jdub976 Před 4 měsíci +1

      Similar, Had a person sell me a Supra for 700 cause the "engine was bad" The belt was squealing. I started to tell her cause I felt bad but she said no It's bad I dont want it. Well I'm not going to fight with her about it. You don't pass a fully dealer serviced Supra when it's that price. I don't gets gifts but that one sure was.

  • @mevinson
    @mevinson Před 4 měsíci

    I saw pistons like that after a friend put diesel in instead of gasoline by mistake and the engine smoked from that time on, after we changed the rings and cleaned the heads we put it back and it ran perfect, still running today and that was ten years ago!

  • @18Macallan
    @18Macallan Před 4 měsíci

    Thank you Eric!👍

  • @edgismi7840
    @edgismi7840 Před 4 měsíci +1

    Love the video. Here in Europe these engines are about 2000e for a bare engine. One ir the first b38 I had was about 3 years ago. They usually have melted pistons or the conrod goes on a trip and makes a hole. B48 suffers from the same problems.

    • @simonh870
      @simonh870 Před 3 měsíci

      The melted pistons is mostly due to remapping, especially on the 20i variants, as the pistons are made from a type of cheese. The 25i and 30i are much better in that regard as they have stronger, low compression items.

  • @dirtfarmer7472
    @dirtfarmer7472 Před 4 měsíci +2

    Eric, I hope you don’t mind that I have told several mechanics about your channel especially the V10 with a broken crankshaft, that was amazing, & I don’t use that word, it’s just not in my vocabulary.

  • @dominicbarne5218
    @dominicbarne5218 Před 4 měsíci +1

    It was down to the balancer i’ve had a 1 series in the shop making a hell of a noise like the crank was out of it because they do suffer with premature end float problems and it would keep shredding fan belts, when i compared the harmonic balancer with the new one it was only a 2mm difference between the two half’s where it had started to fail but that’s all it took so i can only imagine the kind of noise that engine was making, lovely bit of misdiagnosis got you a nice parts haul 👌🏻 rings didn’t help matters though

  • @dennisstuhr9201
    @dennisstuhr9201 Před 3 měsíci

    I do enjoy your videos.thank you

  • @allenl9031
    @allenl9031 Před 4 měsíci +2

    The car was probably driven short trips, stop and go city traffic, lots of idling, seldom up to high temp, or run on the highway.
    Result, carboned up pistons.

    • @jonathanflatman
      @jonathanflatman Před 4 měsíci +1

      I agree, my grandmother had a Honda Civic that glazed up due to short trips. On the other hand, my mothder had a Hillman Imp that she used to thrash and it worked perfectly. Mechanics from Roots came to inspect it as it was one of the few problem free engines. Turns out she was changing gear when the speedo reached the maximum rev markers for each gear that was marked on the speedo. She did not know that it was maximum revs allowed marker and had thought that it was a gear change marker!

  • @scoredbuffalo31
    @scoredbuffalo31 Před 4 měsíci +2

    Perfect timing!

  • @sdrape4964
    @sdrape4964 Před 4 měsíci +1

    1:40
    Snack Pack and a fire extinguisher. You are prepared for anything life throws at you! 😂

  • @renchjeep
    @renchjeep Před 2 měsíci +1

    Why are these B38's so expensive? I can give you 2 or 3 reasons: "BMW tax". "Bring More Washingtons". "Bring My Wallet". LOL! I have a 2018 MINI Cooper S with the 4 cylinder version of this little turbo engine, the 2 liter B46. There is also the B48, which is (I believe) the John Cooper Works version of the same 2.0 B46. Very fun little engines, and great fun in MINI's for sure. But when stuff goes wrong....well, that's gonna hurt, I'm sure! Thanks, Eric, for the awesome teardowns and insights! The Mazda Renesis Rotary was especially cool, as I always wanted to see how these work in real life, not just pictures and exploded or cutaway diagrams. I actually replace a 13B (I think) in like an 84 RX-& back in the late 80's or early 90's at a shop I worked at in Northern California. We yanked it and installed a rebuilt unit, so never got into the internals. But that 4 barrel carb and all those vacuum lines? What a mess! It all worked out, but was quite time-consuming. Take care, man. And stay safe!

  • @MrBojangles901
    @MrBojangles901 Před 4 měsíci

    Great stuff!

  • @Ironsights85
    @Ironsights85 Před 4 měsíci

    very creative water pump toss!

  • @Rocket39Smoke14
    @Rocket39Smoke14 Před 4 měsíci +4

    You're gonna put your eye out, kid.

  • @jimmccabe801
    @jimmccabe801 Před 4 měsíci

    Great video.

  • @dragineeztoo61
    @dragineeztoo61 Před 4 měsíci +2

    Remind me, why was this engine disassembled? I think you might have been right at the beginning. Someone misinterpreted the pulley play as a broken crankshaft. So you tore down a good engine.

  • @bb3intheoc898
    @bb3intheoc898 Před 4 měsíci

    When is not racing season, I absolutely love spending part of my Saturday nights with you. You're humor is awesome You're self-deprecating nature makes me laugh a younger me and you could be friends

  • @jcr6548
    @jcr6548 Před 4 měsíci +1

    Nice little motor from ze germanz. Looks like everyone's learnt from the early ecoboom engines with the drill hole between cylinders

  • @mphilleo
    @mphilleo Před 4 měsíci

    Short but sweet video, Eric! How about the REX W20 engine sometime? 😅

  • @AlecKristi
    @AlecKristi Před 4 měsíci +2

    That's a nice half of an engine... )))). Given how clean it was, I'm now puzzled with the way the pistons looked...

  • @thomasrbishop8736
    @thomasrbishop8736 Před 4 měsíci

    Great video