Hi All,

My daughter's 60 plate BMW 135i after 60k is starting to let go a big end bearing so started to knock occasionally. It's now at a garage who have said it probably needs a new crank, which isn't an easy option.
So my first question is does anyone know a good engine re-conditioner who knows about these engines and their pitfalls and how to recover and repair them anywhere near south London?

BMW want in excess of 12k plus extras for an exchanged unit

It's an N55-B30 engine ( twin turbo )

I've called Engine re-conditioners in Sunbury who were very helpful, but I then found their reviews, so will be staying clear.

Jason

I can recommend Ivor Searle in Soham ,near Ely Cambridgeshire, not had a BMW engine from them but loads of others .

Once you strip all the gubbins off an engine, they are all more or less the same. I doubt there is anything tricky with doing a BMW engine.
Look for the FER symbol, Ivor Searle is a member, but is means they know what they are doing. Probably not the cheapest, but worth the extra. Probably.

Seems very young to have such an issue, unless run low on oil or suchlike.

Why is a new/reground crank tricky? Though if the garage are more "technicians" they may struggle. I doubt it needs a rebore as well.

You could call basset down balencing they might be able to rebuild the engine. I've used them a few times and they've always done a great job.

Most of the cost is in stripping the engine out of the car and putting it back together.
You’ll probably find it just needs the bearings but a crank regrows is not a big expense.
There has to be an engine from a crashed car that would be a cheaper option than £12k

If the big ends have gone, it will knock all the time, not just occasionally. Once it starts to knock, it won't stop. It will get worse very quickly to the point of being unbearable. If your daughters car has an occasional knock, I'd take it to a garage that knows what it's doing.

quote:

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Originally posted by owelly
If the big ends have gone, it will knock all the time, not just occasionally. Once it starts to knock, it won't stop. It will get worse very quickly to the point of being unbearable. If your daughters car has an occasional knock, I'd take it to a garage that knows what it's doing.

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+1 for drop the sump.
I’d never seen big end bearings suspended in oil until I did exactly this on my Son’s Aygo! Looked like a black, glitter effect nail varnish!

Also +1 for find an entire engine and swap it out. I guess the 135i was quite rare, which is against you, but the same spec must appear somewhere in the 3er range?

I have this engine in my car, there are a few things to think about.

1. Its a 3l twin turbo, the waste gates are prone to go a touch 'loose' over the years and can sound a bit like something knocking.
2. High pressure fuel pump is an issue on older cars
3. Got to use the right grade oil
4. Leaky Fuel Injectors
5. Leaking Boost / Chargepipe Failure
6. Valve Cover Oil Leak
7. Carbon Build-up
8. Vanos Solenoids (2A87 and 2A88)
9. Water Pump Failure


Apart from that.... great cars

[Edited on 18/1/19 by nero1701]

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Originally posted by JC
+1 for drop the sump.

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Hi All,

Many thanks for your replies, all good ideas.

Have sourced a replacement as three people in the know have recommended that option at half the cost of a rebuild. The garage who have it at the mo, don't want to take off the sump as they are sure it's a waste of time and don't want me to start racking up the bill as i know them very well and trust them completely.
New engine is three years younger, might be a turbo difference but have been assured it's the same output which was my daughters main concern !!
Am now waiting for her to make up her mind about it then i'll sort it . hey ho , the lift of us dads !! Yes, i know, being a member on here should lean me towards doing the engine swap myself, but it's a different league from the crossflow i worked on when i had a locost !!

Thanks all for your help.

Jason

Jason,

It’s not all that different from a cross flow.....assuming it’s a complete engine? It looks daunting but in the main, it’s just loads of sensors to unplug - hopefully the new engine has all of them already attached? Take lots of digital photos as it comes out to make sure you remember what goes where!

You might even enjoy the experience..

Mmmm....135i Locost....

JC

I was thinking the same...

If i was to ever have abump or an accident in my 335i, i'd defo look at buying it back and doing an e30 conversion or the likes!!

A 60 plate car with 60k miles...unless the engine's been abused or not serviced I can't see how it can be suffering big end bearing problems!

Engines run far higher mileages and don't suffer those problems.

I'd take the car to another garage for a 2nd opinion before spending out big money on it.

Just my opinion BTW and I've not heard or driven the engine in question so I'm making a remote judgement/comment.

Hi All,

The garage who first looked at it, only took the covers off the base of the engine to get a close look at and listen to it while it ran, it doesn't always knock, but started to knock when the engine revs started to up. The garage owner is a friend of mine so i totally trust his knowledge as he's had his garage for longer times than I've known him, well over twenty years experience.

He's told me about many of this type of car, very high performance engines have failed in a similar way, he says it's likely due to modern engines not being fully engineered to last like old engines were. This 135i and other high performance engines should have oil filters changed every 5000 miles to keep them at their best.

"A 60 plate car with 60k miles...unless the engine's been abused or not serviced I can't see how it can be suffering big end bearing problems!" Sadly I know she doesn't keep the revs just above tick over, and I've even seen vids of her car along with others on empty roads being quite naughty regarding speeds and accelerations !!
Hey ho, I'm sure she's learnt her lesson about looking after this car now.

I've been quoted £1500 to repair the crank if salvageable , or £3700 for a replacement engine 3 years younger and 30K miles less.

Would have liked to have looked into this engine my self, but with no garage and a very busy 5 day a week job, I'd not really have the time to get it back on the road quickly myself.

Jason

^^^

Points noted on your trust of the garage.

I can also imagine the engines like a regular 5k mile oil change, it certainly won't do any harm. Nor will taking care of the engine. That said the 135i isn't a cheap run-about and I think I'd expect a little more longevity from the engine.

Hopefully the crank is salvageable and the repair cost isn't crippling!