How Are My BMW Rod Bearings At 200K Miles? | N54 Rod Bearing DIY
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- Опубликовано: 9 июл 2024
- In this video I remove and inspect the rod bearings on my BMW N54 engine. The motor has 200K miles on it. I show you how the bearings have held up.
We also find out if the motor can be saved and if I should bother replacing the timing gear on it.
This is part three of my timing chain, oil pan gasket and rod bearing DIY series.
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man you such a hero for n54 owners, I started out knowing absolutely nothing, but you are my main source of information, and I have learned so much. thank you
Ivan Diaz I’m right there with you, this content has solved a lot of my lack of knowledge and given me the step by step courage needed to do my own maintenance and repairs for my N54
Not even Doug Demuro has this good of a camera, 10/10
Do like the new lens and focus settings. Definitely brings attention to what you’re working on.
Glad to see your motor isn’t toast.
You’ll learn more on this channel than you’ll ever learn in a technical school! Love you man!
No longer owned an N54 but it is still in my heart. You and your knowledge really help the N54 community out there. Thanks for the hard work.
I looked last night too see if you posted a video nothing I wake up and see this perfect 👌
first in class channel for everything N54, thank you man! I hope people appreciate the time and info that goes into these videos
Great camera, looking forward to the next installment of this process, thank you for sharing this with your viewers!! You are showing us that doing things like this are not completely out of reach for people that wrench and love the N54 !!! Thank you 🙏
Lens is crisp and clear 👍. I’m so glad that your Rod B looks pretty good for 200K, l have high hopes that your engine can be save because you meticulously took care of the maintenance. Hoorays 😀😃😁 more diy videos to come for the n54 community. Thank you!
You're like a surgeon turned mechanic, great videos man! Thanks for these videos!
Your channel's DIYs are really encouraging me to get a BMW again. Good stuff! 👍
Glad the crank is ok. The condition of the bearings is worse than I expected, I've stripped down a similar milage nissan RB30 and the bearings were in super good condition. It ran 15-50 oil.
If I ever get that deep into my n54, those shitty aluminium oil pump bolts are being replaced with steel bolts for peace of mind. Thanks for the great video 👍
The #4 rod bearing you mentioned being the one that tends to wear the most. The noticeably different varnish buildup on the center main journal cap (the one in front of #4) I'm certain is because that's the one with the crank thrust bearing inserts. Higher friction, thus higher heat but #4 rod bearing and #5&6 will wear more because the back half of the crank will take more "crank flex" in manual trans cars cause every time you push the clutch pedal, you're jamming the crank forward.
Thrust bearings are not rod bearings
That's not varnish buildup that's wear
If you don't know what your talking about, don't post.
Just did a swap on my e60 N52. I use you videos has a reference although engines different. Keep up the good work🇯🇲👏🏼
Awesome bearings look great!! Giving me hope for my 335i LOOL, great video sir.
Very encouraging information. Goes to show that good maintenance will lead to long engine life, even with almost double the factory power rating.
you are the N54 master, truly
Good look, glad to see they’re not destroyed. cant wait to see the next video. 👍👏👏👏
I think if your higher mileage and your doing an oil pan gasket just change them out.
I’m going to watch this video like 100 times to learn
Great news! Glad to see the bearings are ok. I’ve been crossing my fingers for you. Would love to check out your car sometime if you ever make it up to DFW.
Love the content keep up the good work
Thank you for your videos, they are so valuable.
KEEP UP THE CONTENT BRO !!!!
Keeping my fingers crossed for you bud. Seems everything will turn out alright.
e82 n54 just hit 100k milestone cheers to 100 more
Not bad for 200K miles on a modern engine.
The plasti guage and new bearing install I will enjoy watching.
Thanks.
Im glad everything looked great! definitely a sigh of relief. I changed mine on my e92 m3 they were showing copper @ 87k I believe I caught them just in time. I’m @ 92k and all’s well.
New lens is amazing, wonderful idea on why to use it, great for guides
Thanks! Yeah I can tap focus on where I want to draw attention which is cool.
You’re goated bro
Man on my 4k monitor it looks crazy good. Feels like im right there next to the car
Duuude, jus had to pause the video to come say double thumbs WAY UP for the new camera/lens! Makes ur production quality way better! It wasnt bad before but u just made it better anyway. 👍🏼 now lemme get back to the video lol
Haha thanks for the feedback!
Lighting looks great!!!
Thank you and thanks for the tips!
lens looks awesome! 👍🏻
Love the new lens
Love the new camera/lens!
Edit: N54 == bulletproof
The only reason he's even doing this is because of that 4x's kit. 100% no bueno
@@famousmidnight huh?
@@dfweurocars I don't want to trash their name because their other kits are good but the Spool performance four times overdrive kit is known to tear up the timing chain.
Great video! Your detailed description of each step and tool size callout keeps it really interesting. IMO #1 is showing a scratch from being adjacent to the timing chain and gear failure and the debris being thrown off in its direction. Usually any rod bearings in the vicinity of a mechanical failure where debris is cast off will show some signs of particle intrusion which then rotates a scratch in the soft bearing surface. Your mains will likely be perfect as rods are the first to go. I hope you are going back with OEM bolts because an aftermarket replacement bolt even though higher quality will introduce some distortion in the rod bore roundness due to a different tightening procedure and tensioning stress than the rod had in it when it was made and finish honed inside. Your display of high skill suggests you have done this many times before.
I've got the m54 engine in my 2005 E60. I'm at 393,000 miles, it's runs great. I really like this car. Last of the simple engines.
You make it look easy
Good news.Shame about the problem,but looks promising for the engine.👍
Much better 👍🏼
About to go through pretty much the same on my n54. Nervous for it but hoping for the best. Good luck man.
Thanks, you too!
Excellent quality and content. I thought the new lens worked well, Maybe just switch it up depending on what you're doing.
I'm glad its fixable. 👍👍
What a relieving video! I’ll be watching your progress on this with great interest, you’ve sparked something in me that’s telling me to investigate the bearings on my toasted N54... Do you work in the automotive industry? It’s readily apparent that you’re extremely knowledgeable on everything from basic soldering through engine programming.
For Sure! I work in the IT industry but have always done stuff on the side and was exposed to auto mechanics when I was 14 to 16.
That's great news, glad you lucked out!
New to the channel, awesomely detailed videos. Wish you had old m54 to work on like this (I have an e46).
Thanks! Thanks for subbing. The car I had before the E90 was a 2001 330i 5 speed. I wasn't filming back then but I liked that car, did all the maintenance on it and drove it for a few years.
@@VehicularDIY Oh for real, that's cool! I'm too terrified to wrench, most I've ever done it change out the window washer pump lol!
Looking forward to the next n54 vid.
Fabulous!!!
Nice glad to see you didn’t spin a bearing. I haven’t gotten that lucky 4-5 spun on my original engine and number 5 on the 2nd engine.
Thanks, how much power are you running?
Not a crazy amount mid 5s to the wheel the original engine blew in the 50k mile range was unaware the original engine ate a belt before I owned the car not enough oil circulating because of a subpar repair. The 2nd engine was just a temp engine while I rebuild the first..Hindsight I should of de-tuned it until I was ready to put the other engine back in lol. Luckily it is not my daily.
I have an N55 engine in a BMW 535i. Seeing you get to the crankshafts and bearings on your N54, I think I can do similar work on my engine, without having to take out the entire engine.
Camera looks awesome my dude.
Thanks, it's amazing what a difference a good lens can make.
Thanks for posting! I don't know I'm brave enough yet to do the rod bearings on my N54. Maybe after I tackle the fuel system and turbos. Sorry you didn't like the new lens. I thought it was much more dramatic and the high contrast from in to out of focus is appealing to me. You're still my DIY N54 hero! Keep up the great work!
Yeah I actually didn't like the first lens at the beginning, but I did change to the lens I am keeping and I just upgraded my camera. Thanks!
@@VehicularDIY May I ask what camera and lens you’re using now?
N54 GOAT
you should also go over how to locate the bearing color identifying numbers on the crank and side of the short block. great job !
I'll talk about that in the next video. Thanks!
Looovin the new camera lens
The engine looks great for 200k. Regards Nico.
Awesome video, a rare look into the deepest parts of a high mileage and high boost N54. Thank you very much for producing the videos you have made. Two questions: 1) Do you think your main bearings are in the same state of wear? 2) Do you have a patreon? I'd love to be a patron for this re-build series.
Thank you, I would expect the mains to be in decent condition considering the rod bearings don't look to bad. I don't and I really appreciate the offer. I'll look into it as a number of people have mentioned they would like to contribute and perhaps the quality of my content could improve with funds for better camera gear end specialty tools etc.
Thanks Bro!! I love your videos by the way! we picked up a 2008 335xi with 120,000 miles with an ingested belt. Just got to the bearings today.. The Xdrive system makes this job a bit harder and I removed pretty much all of the suspension and coolant hoses etc to refresh everything. What rod bearings are you going with??
Like to see the content of changing the front and rear main seals.
Nicely getting done! 😎 I have a question sir. I just got a 30ED and 30EE
Superknocing cylinder 1
Superknocing cylinder 2.
I need help 😫
New rod bolts and i would re use those bearings they look perfect
The cranks wears oval shape like a egg shape you can not stop it natural wear and tear Oval shape great video 👍
YAY! Everything looks like no serious issues ! Definitely shows the need to do these at 200k. because it just guarantees another 200k miles with no worries.
And 3 questions - Are you going to do the oil pump as well? Do you also have a magnet in the oil drain plug? Do you do oil tests?
I'm so glad this was just the guides pretty much failing from extra HPFP stress. I am definitely putting the guides on the todo list for pre 200k. I'm only at 125k on my N55, and am certain with treating these as preventative maintenance, the engine and DCT, should go for a million miles.
Thanks! I'm going to run the same oil pump and flush the motor three times.
You turn your own spanners, like I do. Not many people has enough courage to do that little extra.
What can we do about that number 4 bearing? Drive carefully now? Even if I go good quality?
Looks good, make sure you use ARP bolts and torque them to 50ft lbs ,dont mess with new oem bolts
OEM Bolts are perfectly fine
Hey Nathan, I heard you saying that when you did the bearings on the M5. I looked into it on the N54 and from what I've read they are an upgrade but the bolts were not specifically made for the N54 so installing them could distort the rod. You'd have to get the big end line honed at a machine shop to safely run them from what I've read and that would only occur during a full rebuild. So I've already got a new set of OEM bolts and will be running King bearings.
roccotherabbit /\ they recommend either way , but margin of error is tremendous using the angle method , even with the $500 torque wrench , just ask watch JRgo how it turned out for him lol
@@VehicularDIY I used OEM bolts with ACL bearings, zero complaints
Maybe the safe bet is to use the angle method then follow up to make sure you're at at least 50 ft lbs with the ARP bolts. It sucked to see him give up on that M6. I know he likes quick flips but if he kept that M6 around for a little longer he would have got a ton of views from it.
Can I use a dab of paint for direction on rod ends
Im doing timing chain oil pump chain and rod bearings but im struggling to find the correct order to do them in. I have the crank bolt and seal out but should i replace the chains and put new crank hub in then go for bearings with the oil pump removed?
You are lucky on those rod bearings. My cylinder 4 bearing got scratched terribly and my crankshaft as well. I would still replace those rod bearings as you have access to them. Protect that crankshaft
Yes I have fresh bearings to install. Thanks.
4 spun on mine with rod knock. Copper in the oil filter etc. Took bearing out and it was entirely copper color. Crank was still perfect. Replaced all of the bearings 40k miles layer smooth as butter. 3 oil chsnges and oil clean.
happens due to 6 cylinders, the 4 cyl generally dont want to do that so much, we just spin all 4 bearings on the 2001+ motors because theyremoved the tangs and made the rods smaller with weaker clamping force bolts
Nice! That's great to hear. That's what I've planned on also, I have three oil filters and some cheap oil just to flush.
Do you think it’s too late to save the engine if you have metal shavings In your oil filter ?
Was this the first rod bearings replacement of this enginev
where and how pushed the piston out of the way?
This is great to see! I'm really happy that even with 200K, the motor is strong and healthy. Does the cylinder 4 being the most likely to spin also apply to the N55?
I think that I'll go ahead and change the bearings out when I do my oil pan gasket as I'm approaching 200k.
Yeah I can't complain! I'd imagine so but I'll look into it.
What kind of engine oil did you use for the life of this motor?
Would you say rod bearings are a common problem on these engines around a certain mileage? I’m looking at one right now that’s been well looked after in oil changes but it’s at 138k, what do you think?
What oil do you use? These look pretty damn good for 200k.
How hard is it to change the rod bearings on the n55. I've done the oil pan (ik should of done it then), ofhg, Ocg, vc, I'm good with my hands but not sure on timing ect. Is it simple to swap these ?
Musa, are those the lead-free plain bearings?
Another great and instructive video. Thanks. If you have the time to comment on a problem that I am experiencing on an oil leak, very small, its just seeps between the two piece crankcase with bedplate.
Can you comment on this? with your experience with N54's have you experienced it? Do you think the liquid gasket between the split just gave up?
Appreciate your comments whenever you have the time.
Grateful for all your videos...I have same car as yours...use same engine oil (Rotella T6) how long have you been using it ? Thanks.
I've been running Rotella since I got the car at 140K miles.
Great series. I prefer the old lens. I can see what you're doing, and also look elsewhere. The other one left too much real estate blurry.
Thanks, I'll likely switch out which lens depending on what kind of job I am working on.
What oil and what are your OCI?
Very interesting, so n54s are free of rod bearings issues? In contrast to m3 and n55?
For the most part yeah, more likely to happen on an N55 for whatever reason? Maybe the start stop systen contributes. The S65 M3 is due to the fact that they rev so high .
Great video! I own a 2014 525D and my N47D20D engine just started making a ticking/tapping noise at 150k miles. I am concerned that the noise is caused by a bad rod bearing. Does any of you have any experience with rod bearings going bad on these engines? Currently preparing myself to get the engine removed and do an overhaul on it. Anything you would recommend me doing before taking this step? ISTA is showing no codes and the engine still performs well. I plan to remove the oil pan in the coming days, to check for debris.
ruclips.net/video/8hz3TYMuWZg/видео.html
If anything is suspect to have excessive wear you can alway do an oil lab test
Great video, new lens is great!
I read you're using king bearings, are they all same size? From what i understand there are 4 different color bearing shells which is imprinted on the crank as to what was installed on each rod. How do the king bearings address the possible different size rod journals? Check out a great video by youtuber Crank, he does a great job showing the install. Either way I'd at least plasti gauge each rod bearing.
Also his #4 bearing looked to have the most wear as well.
Thanks! Yeah with the king bearings the just average it out and it's one size fits all and you end up with a little more flow due to slightly larger clearances.
When I changed my oil pan gasket one of the three bolts that holds de oil pump was at the bottom of the pan (is not a common occurrence but there is a video of another n54 enginee blowing up cuz the bolt went up with the oil pressure) I would suggest use locktide as well which I didn't use (mistake on my part). I have a docrace 6870 at 32 psi, I have done many pulls (engine is stock BTW) car probably making close or 800 whp ( made 710 whp / 653 tq at 28 psi ) no custom tune just a JB4 with its BEF. Maybe my enginee is holding cuz the timing is modest and Jb4 has many safety features which not other tune provides as far as I know.
Accurate timing is not one of the JB4 "safety features." It constantly reports delayed timing too the DME.
I would not give credit to the JB4, the polling rate of the JB4 is an order of magnitude slower than the DME meaning the DME will sense knock and begin making adjustments/corrections way before the JB4 has even sensed a problem. The DMEs on these cars are quite advanced and capable. Non-aggressive timing, frequent quality oil changes (especially when running E85) and letting the car warm up are probably the best things you can do.
@@machtschnell7452 never said accurate timing was part of its safety thats why is important to understand the "timing is modest and jb4...."
Thanks I'll look into putting blue locktite on the oil pump bolts as well. Worst case they snap if I need to remove then in the future which I hopefully will not have to.
@@Spooly_ as far as I know a flash will let you run at lean AFRs which the JB4 will not, also has overboost, and misfires safety as well. Is it perfect? No but it has way more safety in places than any other tunes
Do you think this whole incident could have happened because of the non-oem timing chain tensioner bolt you put in your car?
I think it's likely due to the vibration of the overdrive pump as he mentioned in the first video of the series, I don't think he mentioned anything about the tensioner being loose.
No that tensioner is still great, chain tension on the main chain is still excellent.
Hello buddy could you plz give me some advise about my BMW X6 6speed automatic gearbox o8plate problem ,, the problem is 1st and 2ed gear the engine revs and it don't move along properly like it's out of synchronization with engine revs some body said it could be 1 and 2ed gear electronic Solenoids not opening and shutting properly out if sync it use to kangaroo ABIT but just revs up take foot of and reaccelerate again it seems to sort it s self out kind of what could it be can you help please buddy thanks Jamie
Are you able to scan it to see if any codes are present?
Wow, your rod bearings look great all things considered. What type of oil & weight have you used for most of the life of the car & what were your oil change intervals?
When you rotated the bearings into place so you could access the bolts, I’m assuming you had a 22mm socket on the crank shaft to rotate them around?
I give you lots of props. I wouldn’t have taken them all off at once :) I would have done one bearing at a time...
Yeah they weren't too bad. Number 4 didn't look that great and from what I an tell it's the first one to go typically. I changed the oil every 5 to 7k miles and used Shell Rotella T6 since I've had this car. Yes I rotated the 22mm bolt on the crank and yeah I pushed the pistons up and out of the way so I could pull all the bearings out at once but if I wasn't filming I would have just done one at a time.
8:46 these ''heat marks'' on crank are fine? I mean I saw these on few crankshafts but I was wondering why they are here ? Worse oil quality? Or poor lubrication at higher oil temperature?
I think it's due to the cylinder running the hottest leading to more stress on the rod bearings?
Glad to see you made it out ok. With 200k miles on the clock and a change in the transmission to manual I was wondering how the crank thrust looked. I know being a bed plate it’s a lot to look at anything having to do with the mains. I was just curious how much thrust a 200k mike motor would have. Liking the video series.
Are you going to be replacing them while you are in there or just gonna reuse them?
I have new ones to go in.
Lens or camera? What are you using? It's a helluva big difference!
Same camera the Sony A6400 but I got a Sigma 24mm f1.4 art lens. I was just using a zoom lens before. I'm going to upgrade to a full frame soon. In the beginning of the video I tried a Sony 35mm f.18 prime and it wasns't as sharp as I was expecting.
Re assemble with ARP bolts and new coated bearings and this thing will last alot longer.
Also would like to know what oil you have been running the entire time.
I've been running Shell Rotella T6 5w50 and change it at around 5 to 7k miles. I've had this car for 60k miles.
@@VehicularDIY Im running Liqui Moly 5w40 and had have great results so far. Oil temps are lower than BMW bottled oil I was running.
I expected much worse at 200k!
👍🏻
was ur car tuned? if so from what milage? I have a 2015 M235i that just hit 40k miles and its had stage 1 tune since ~25k miles. I don't really beat on It, I drive hard maybe once or twice a month.. rest of driving is relaxed but I do take turns fast. Just wanting to know what to expect down he line.. I'm N55 EWG of course.
Yeah it was tuned heavily, making over 500 whp and had 197K miles.
@@VehicularDIY Thank you for the reply my brother. That is great to know if you care for it, it will last. You are blessed to be able to work on cars on your own and you share the knowledge with other. May your heart be always happy!
Are these also been used in N53 330i UK engines ? Does anyone know?
Yeah it's very similar on the N53.
I’m pretty sure there is a different way to lock those oil pump bolts! I’m sure you can find more info on it though
Yeah I'll see if anyone has any other recommendations besides using loctite.
@@VehicularDIY E46 engines are famous for backing out that bolt, but the cause of it is lack of chain tensioner (only S54 had it) and chain lash and vibration at sustained high RPM causes it. Some people weld the nut and some use safety wire but then the whole shaft simply snaps off. Full solution from Seems Legit Garage is a conversion to 3 small bolts for the shaft, and installing a tensioner (block must be drilled and tapped). Anyway, since that engine does have the tensioner I'd think just loctite would be good enough.
What motor oil you using? Bearing looks great for the mileage . If I do my oil pan gasket . I might get my rod bearings changed out as part of maintenance . I am at 107K currently on my 07 .
I've been using Shell Rotella T6 5w40 since I got the car at about 140k miles.
@@VehicularDIY . I just switched to T6 5w40 this year with over 100k on clock. Was running Liqu Moly 5/30 since I bought the car at 50K miles