S54 Rod Bearing Wear | Cause, Prevention, Solutions, Costs
2019 ж. 2 Қаз.
19 736 Рет қаралды
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Most enthusiasts know and love the high strung inline six that powers the famous E46 M3. Although, many are also aware of the S54's most commonly discussed flaw; rod bearing wear and failure. Today, we briefly discuss the history of the issue and what you can do to better handle it with your own car.
Sources:
wiki.rcollins.org/core/index.p...
www.bimmerworld.com/Engine/En...
www.langracing.com/addressing...
z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic....
Here in Germany, people replace the rod bearing (and check or replace oil pump drive) between 50-60,000 mls and they DO usually show signs of high wear. Of course with Autobahn driving, we may see a bit more hard use. Oil analysis is not a big thing over here, but sounds like a good idea for these engines.
How do you not have 10 times the subscribers currently????? Always great content! I purchase my Z4M a few Months ago. The previous owner had it less than a Year before deciding to get a Bentley, but he did have the rod bearings replaced and I now understand how lucky I am!
Thank you! Enjoy your Z, having those done already is a huge plus!
Thank you so much. Very informative! This video saves hours of forum research and explains the facts and common misconceptions. I'd love to see a similar video on the VANOS exhaust hub issue in the S54's.
You’re very welcome, glad it helped! And I’ll definitely consider it, I’m not well versed in the specifics of that issue at all, so it’d be a great opportunity to educate myself.
Well put together video. My Z4MC is in the predicament where a previous owner covered up a spun bearing and now i’m going full rebuild. After speaking with several race and performance-focused shops, i’m going with Lang. I especially appreciate the more long term solution.
This video is very helpful in my decision-making process. I haven't bought an E85 Z4M yet, but I will factor this information in. Thank you.
The owners manual for my 07 Z4 M roadster, actually states, you should avoid warming up the engine at idle! The car should be driven carefully for proper engine warmup.
Yep. Just drive it gently for a bit. I wait for the gauge to move just a touch before taking it above 3k. Idling to warm up is bad. driversed.com/trending/warming-up-your-car-the-right-way-to-get-on-the-road-in-cold-weather#:~:text=Warming%20Up%20Modern%20Day%20Vehicles&text=So%20by%20idling%20your%20car,your%20engine%20by%20doing%20this.
Yep. A lot of people think they should let the car sit there, but it warms up faster if you drive it with light load. It's better to put that light load on the engine to get it warm faster, than it is to let it sit there longer with the low oil PSI, which is only made worse by the idling RPM's.
@@aoamchart love to hear that as that is what i do. do not have time to sit in my car for 10 minutes when im rushing out the door for work lol
Great info really to the core truth addressing the weaknesses and the things we can do not to get there
Perfect summary, thank you!
Fantastic video, this man I born to review cArs 🤘🏻💯
Great job!
Great video dude 👍🏻
Being an owner of a 2004 M3 myself, heavily modified & undergoing a rebuild currently, my take is this; the main issue with the rods is a design failure out of the factory.. the oil clearance between the crank journal and OE rod bearing is simply too tight. When the piston reaches compression stroke, a ton of pressure is placed on the entire piston/rod assembly down to the bearing.. because of such tight clearance, the oil is being squished off the top bearing surface at this position. Typical bearing wear pattern of this motor proves this. Using BE bearings will add more clearance, but other areas must also be improved, such as higher oil pressure, and greater oil viscosity. A stroker kit by Lang Racing for example, is a great opt for a permanent solution, since it allows you to use a completely redesigned crank, with wider journals; thus giving you the option of using a thicker, stronger rod, that's more commonly produced, along with commonly produced bearing sizes and grades. I would suggest to upgrade to a dry sump oil pickup solution, to prevent oil starvation & allow for adjustment of oil pressure. I've also heard on the OE pump, the gears housing can be bored out slightly to provide higher output volume of oil (much like they do for the M54, like the Achilles hi-performance pump upgrade). I also wonder if a slightly stronger/longer oil plunger & piston spring can be used as well, to even greater maximize output. Lots of folks will tell you to just get WPC treated or coated OE-sized bearings; not sure if that's going to solve the issue, long run at least, since it's technically adding more material to shrink clearance further, unless the OE crank journals are ground to provide extra clearance (although I'd rely moreover on bearing clearance adjustment than crank journal to address this). Other variables include things like using ARP studs conversion on the main line & rod bolts, if one is using aftermarket rods or not, etc. because the main line absolutely needs to be align honed if using ARP studs & especially OE mains, or else uneven wear will occur due to out of roundness. It's a delicate motor, BMW is a fan of running tight clearances all over the car.. have fun though, the S54B32 is cream of the crop when it comes to pure inline six performance. I've even compared it to TVR's Speed Six, I find the S54 to be superior. Although, I've recently had an interest in investigating the details behind BMW's M88/2, and /3... between 450-900hp from a 3.5L! ;) BMW's ///Motorsport division.. thank the gods for them!
I bought a 2003 E46 M3 last July. So I'm exactly one year into ownership. I bought it at 232k miles and now I have 240k miles. Changed the oil within the first 3 months so from what I understand is I should do it again and soon. Also I'm entirely unsure about the rod bearings on my car. Previous owner said it had the recall done on it but that's it. And idk at what mileage it was done at either. I always drive the car soft until the oil temps get up, but I live at the bottom of a steep hill and I need to go up to get out. So the car runs at 3k rpm in 2nd at the start of its daily run. Now I feel like giving it a warmup time in the morning before I leave XD scaryyy stuff man. Definitely going to get that oil analysis done here soon. Thanks for the great video!
From what others have commented, it seems the best warmup procedure is likely what you’re already doing; give the car a moment or two after startup and then start driving right away, keeping the revs as low as possible. That’ll warm up the thick, cold 10-60 faster than sitting at idle and by doing so, start providing better protection/lubrication earlier. During the winter, if it gets quite cold where you live it could even be worth switching to a 5-50 that time of year. Also, if it had the recall done you may be able to run your VIN through a BMW dealer and in theory it should be on record.
Very good info here. I’m at 209k, bearing recall done at 60k. The rods are also different before and after late 2002 year production, and I’ve heard that shops see better wear with the earlier torque to spec reusable bolts than the torque to yield bolts that need to be replaced every time their loosened. I’ve heard good things about running a friction modifier additive, though only from 1 source.
Thank you, awesome that you’re up over 200k. Any other large maintenance items in your cars history? And interesting about the bolts, I’ll have to look into that before having my bearings replaced in the Z4M this winter.
Hi thanks for the post, what was that friction modifier additive, I really want to as much as I can to make my engine last.
Great video!
Hi, I have some questions: unfortunately, for other reasons, I have to open the engine to the Z4 M which has traveled about 55,000 km (or 34000 miles). Do you advise me to change the rod bearings? What other interventions can I have done in your opinion? I was thinking about vanos more than anything else (the car is of 2007 production, the o-rings will no longer be very fresh), and the timing chain guides also. What upgrades do you think I can do? I was thinking of light pulleys and / or light flywheels. do they make sense? thank you so much
Hey guys! Hope this was helpful to you. As I mention at the end of the video, please comment any of your own info, things you feel I missed, or if you feel I made an error. I’m not perfect, nor an expert; just an owner trying to get more information out there. -Zach
Rubedo Alaberti If you plan on keeping the car for a long period of time there’s no harm at all in replacing them on the earlier side. At your mileage though I’d recommend maybe doing an oil analysis or two before committing to replacement. If the car was babied and maintained well they could be quite healthy. But again, no harm in just getting it of the way so you’re certain. Peace of mind is priceless.
Great collection of information in one video dude. The only comment I would add is do not wait on your driveway in order to let the oil warm up as it will take much longer to get up to temp and cause more wear in the long run. The best way is to start the engine, ensure you have full oil pressure then drive off at low revs after say 30-60 secs max (of course tickle the throttle and limit revs to 2-3k until the oil temp starts to rise) the engine coolant and oil will get up to temp much quicker driving off putting light load on the engine in this way significantly reducing cold running times and wear in the long run. I have 25 years working for an engine manufacturer and can confidently say engines run at no load also see there their fair amount of issues. Great vid all round bud!
Dan Bentley Great insight, thank you Dan!
Dang that's allot more than I ever done in mechanic stuff, I have only replaced an engine once, it's true BMW makes you into a mechanic.
For me I’m on 100k, replacing mine soon on oem and oem Bolts, I’ve owned my car since 70k and it is a 2004 “facelift” but the biggest issue is the engine temp lights going out with water temp and allowing early owners thinking it’s good to spank the s*** out of the car when in reality the oil isn’t up to temperature. I now do 2/3k a year so oem warmed up properly now is peace of mind for me. Not interested in kings, arp or acl.
Great vid. So I have a 2004 e46 M3. Was the Rodbearing issue taking care of completely or am I not out of the woods yet? Dont want to waste more money if it's not needed.
No S54 is completely immune to the issue, newer S54’s like yours and the 06’ in my Z4M fail less often but it isn’t unheard of. Best thing you can do is continue performing oil analysis during your ownership and if you begin seeing abnormal spikes in lead/copper (particularly copper as that indicates they have worn through the outer layer), consider having them changed, especially if you’re tracking the car.
Sorry to bring up an old comment, but I'm curious to know how you handled this. Has your M3 been solid? Have you done a few oil analysis tests?
What about installing bearings with +.001 extra oil clearance? Will this eliminate the problem or at least extend the life of the bearings to say 100k miles or more? Or, is there a high probability the bearings will spin? I know BE bearings are manufactured with the extra +.001 extra clearance and are very popular as an alternative to OEM. But, I can't find anyone talking about their results after installing them. I'm about to install ACL bearings with extra clearance in my 2004 E46 M3.
There’s so little solid info on that option that I wasn’t confident in including it honestly. I think that no matter what bearings you put in, the difference in lifespan is likely marginal and far more influenced by how the car is driven/maintained. On my personal car I’d probably just be going with OEM w/ wpc treatment. My car only gets driven 4-5K per year though so I’m really not worried about having to do it more than once during my ownership anyway. Even assuming the worst case, 50k interval, that’s 10 years of driving for me.
@@BuzzytheBlue I didn't think about that, good point. I'll probably put at most 10k miles on my car per year. I'm going to install the bearings with the extra oil clearance that I have. If it was a bad option people would be talking about it. People rarely talk about something that is a good alternative. This and the research I have done makes me think it's a good option opposed to spending $3000 on the Lang Racing solution. I maintain my cars very well. I'm wondering, after my bearings install, I can safely rev my car to 8 grand occasionally? After it's warmed up of course.
Matthew M3788 Track the wear after you replace the bearings by doing consistent oil analysis. That’ll give you a good idea as to the rate of wear and whether they’ve helped. As far as red-lining the car, they’ll wear more, yes, but as long as you’re not just hanging out between 7000 and 8000 for long periods of time it’s fine. For me personally, I bought the car because I love these kind of high revving engines, so I drive it however I want with the understanding I may just have to replace the bearings a few 1000 miles earlier.
@@BuzzytheBlue Good advice, thx. I also bought my M3 because I think the s54 engine is amazing. I actually prefer driving my M3 over my 335i. The 335i doesn't put a smile on my face like the M3 when I'm driving. Upon further research I can find no data supporting bearings with +.001 extra oil clearance. So I have changed my mind. Instead, I'm going to install standard ACL bearings. They're racing bearings and there's data backing them up to prove they're a good alternative. However, they do have .0004 extra oil clearance over OEM which isn't that significant. But, there are documented cases of the bearings lasting 100k miles with proper warm up and maintenance procedures. And, this is on cars with occasional track use. In conclusion, I plan on driving my car normally with the occasional spirited driving. I'll change my oil every 1200 miles like it says to do on the air filter box and monitor the oil condition with analysis. I appreciate you taking the time to discuss this with me. It helped me make up my mind.
You don't want to let your car idle to warm it up as your car will run rich when you first start it, causing oil on the walls of the cylinders to become deluded with fuel. Drive your car carefully to warm it up!
Rod Bearing replacement is so easy. Its not the big a deal. I can pull this engine out in 3 hours and put the car back together in another 3 hours. I’ve pulled my engine already 3 times this year.
I have had spun rod bearing on my M54B25 in E46 Compact. Maybe there is same issue as the S54. My car is driven daily, I'm running on 10W50 oil because of raised rev limiter. Should I use another oil grade?
I’m less familiar with rod bearing issues on the M54. I haven’t heard of many people experiencing that. I hate to say it but the increased rev limit could potentially be the problem.
I'm very sure your spun bearing is directly related to running such a heavy oil. M54s don't share the bearing clearance issues. People go 300k+ miles all the time without internal engine service. My friend just hit 200k miles in his 330
Personally, I bounce off the 7k limiter all the time in my M54B25. I have never heard of rod bearing issues ever, or for that matter any premature wear issue with revving to 7k on the M54. I've even seen boosted ones revving to 7k. I'm certain it is because you are running a 10W. In fact, you may be the prime test case that shows that 10W is why these M motors chew through rod bearings like a consumable part.
Porsche had the same issue from 1999 till 2004, class action lawsuit got owners a replacement engine ( $20k ) till 2007.
I bought my '05 M3 with 136,000 miles on it. I'm just assuming the bearings have the structural integrity of toothpaste. Blackstone can't send me my first oil change results fast enough.
The more modern way of warm up seems to be gently driving a car until it warms up vs letting it idle or at least many people say this and I have switched to it. My 02 M3 at 120k has about 600 miles on its third set of rod bearings. I would not say the S54 is bullet proof without doing some of the vanos upgrades also and doing valve adjustments. That said its possible to DIY this stuff and not to expensive if you do. We did the valve adjustment with the bearings. Should do VANOS in march. Then non S54 but E46 issues of the rear subframes an shock towers would still need address but my car being a street driven vert its not as pressing as the S54 issues.
Third set? Was the first replacement part of the recall early on? How long did the bearing job take you guys?
BuzzytheBlue yes first set was the old style recalled at 10k, so previous set had 110k on them so replacement for peace of mind. It took a few days since the 2002 M3 has 03.5+ Rods and M10 bolts instead of 02 rods and M11 reusable bolts. So had to next day air ARP M10 Euro S50 bolts and tq them to 68ftlbs per Lang Racing specs for measuring roundness since ARP does not test them for the S54. The BMW tq to yield M10s seemed to complicated to install correctly. There stories of dealers milking recall work and replacing rods or maybe car had the engine swapped. But yeah I was a little surprised to see that since the bearings were replaced at 10k. I don’t think the engine was swapped since the bearings had average wear for a non tracked S54. Also replaced cooling system with mishimoto radiator & hoses, moroso overflow, Spal fan, and the valve adjustment as noted. So it would be possible to do things quicker.
My owners manual for a Z4M 07, actually states to avoid warming up the car at idle! It should be driven carefully, until properlly warmed up.
Greg's Depot what do you mean that the ‘02 has new style rod bolts? I have an ‘02 and was told that I have M11s as I’m prepping to do rod bearings next week.
HipsterPolice sorry it wasn’t worded correctly “the” should have been “my”. My 2002 M3 had M11 rod bolts and rods, maybe the dealer replaced the rods on the recall at 10k or maybe it had an engine swap. Now it has ARP 2000 Euro S50 rod bolts tqd to 68ftlbs per Lang racings research. Its not super common to have M10s in the older cars but some times rods or engines get replaced.
Make sure your CPV is replaced with Viton o-ring. Make sure your car is not constantly leaking oil and be careful with engine tunes. I have 193k miles daily drive and zero issues because I have always done preventive maintenance. Take care of the VANOS!!!
Thinking of getting 2006 Z4M with 60K kms for $24K CAD. Wondering if I should just add that to my purchasing cost and get the rod bearings replaced?
The revision of the S54 found in the Z4M is definitely less susceptible to the issue, but they are still known to wear and often need replacing. To me, it’s a peace of mind thing, I drive my M quite hard and want to KNOW the bearings are healthy. If you plan on keeping it for quite a while, I’d consider having them done. You could also do an oil analysis or two before you do, just to get an idea of how they’re wearing.
@@BuzzytheBlue Thanks!! I am planning to keep it at least for the next 2-3 years. I'm not mechanically inclined so most small issues I would have to take it to a mechanic. Is the clutch a weak point in the Z4M? Would you know anything about the durability of it?
Sim Ran I haven’t personally heard of the clutch being a weak point, no. For reference my car has 72,000 miles and the original clutch is in perfect working order.
@@BuzzytheBlue Thanks. Appreciate the quick responses.
True. Weird 1060 is so thick lol
The M54 has a tighter clearance on rod bearings
I've been told the block de-stresses and twists. I also believe that the damper pulley should be changed every 50 or 60k depending on how it's used. The damper is a critical component against crank harmonics.
ATI's VAC-exclusive Super Damper for the S54 is highly recommended over the OE damper as a replacement aftermarket solution that exceeds OE specifications!
@@fiatlux4265 it is better but it still doesnt last long so may aswell stay with oem.
@@vxlgsi ... but why? To buy OE price every time the OE will fail? No thanks. I'd rather rebuild the ati super damper every 5 to 10 years, costing me $50 each time, and maybe an hour of my time, than $800 for an OE non rebuidable replacement. I sadly do not agree with your comment. These super dampers are designed to withstand torsional loads far greater than OE power levels.
I think a s54 at 200k miles is not going to be uncommon the newer v10 engine was known for this issue my friend's m3 is at 130k miles and his is a 2003
change filters at oil change half life?
You would think that bmw would get the picture rod bearing issues on all the engines I’m sorry but if so smart as an engineer and I keep designing and manufacturing faulty parts then I must be a total jack ass
DO NOT IDLE!!!!!!! YOU WILL GLAZE THE CYLINDER WALLS. YOU WANNA DESTROY AN ENGINE IDLE IT .