[erikm54life]

Hi All,

I started a thread recently about my E60 535i. Well, a spanner has been thrown in the works via rod bearing failure and it looks like I have a lot of hard work to do before my 500bhp car is a reality.

Went on a 600km round trip out of town to a city called Akure. Going, the car performed flawlessly and I really came to terms with the repertoire of the N54. On my return back to Lagos it was the exact opposite. About 40km into the trip I heard a noise that I thought was Vanos rattle. The noise progressively got louder ( about 5km in total distance) and I parked in a lay-by to check it out. Popped the hood and I heard the unmistakable sound of rod knock !!! 🙆🏾*♂️🙆🏾*♂️

Being a pragmatic old fellow I immediately parked it in a mechanics shop opposite where I had stopped, removed all the stuff I needed from the car, covered it with my car cover and went to stand on the road as my friends weren't too far behind me.

I had the car towed to my techies shop here and Lagos a few days later and we tore into the engine a couple of days ago. See the horrific pictures !!!

Some brief history: First thing I did when I bought the car was change the plugs, injectors,coils, and several other maintenance items. I also changed the engine oil and did a coolant flush being that I wanted to have a good start.

Between 2000rpm and 3000rpm I was hearing what I thought was Vanos rattle being that the sound was only apparent within this rev range but it seems I was very wrong !

Well, the long road begins and my plans are as follows:

1. Rebuild this engine with BMW parts....that's what's available here.....in order to get the car back on the road.
2. I've paid for a replacement engine that I intend to add some upgraded parts to along with a turbo upgrade.
3. Once this engine is ready i'll swap it with the current one and perform the same surgery on it....once completed i'll keep it in my store for a rainy day.

My ultimate plan is to have a reliable 500bhp N54 that I can travel around with as I do a lot of road travel and my first line of action is to ensure that all the maintenance is done before we start on the tuning/bolt on route.

Not knowing the full service history of the car I knew it was a crap shoot and was prepared the replace the engine with a fully rebuilt one. Being a long time BMW owner ( owned quite a few over the last 25yrs and I currently have an E34 M5 Touring and an E30 M3 ) I know exactly what comes with the territory....most especially running them successfully here in Nigeria.

So much experience and wisdom here so advice and your opinions are very welcome.

Cheers

[erikm54life]

Update

Rather than rebuild this engine I found an excellent engine for sale. Checked the oil filter for metal shavings and found none. It was actually the 5th engine I inspected....the previous 4 had some shavings when I separated the fins of the oil filters. Some had very little but i wanted to buy an engine that had none. Next, I checked the turbos for play and oil leakage and they check out fine. Checked all the packings and seals for oil residue and all too was fine. Nothing left then but to pull the trigger !

At the moment I'm doing all the maintenance work....N20 plugs, coils, gaskets,....luckily, the engine had index 12 injectors, water pump, thermostat, belt, rollers and defection pulley, BMS drop in filter. Hardest part is waiting for all the parts to arrive.....I got a BMS chargepipe, Upgraded intercooler, already had *********, Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires, new brake rotors and brake pads, Koni Sport adjustable struts and shocks all round and a few other bits and pieces. Needless to say my pockets are significantly lighter !!

Also bought a new set of turbos off a member here.....at the moment the funds have cleared and I cannot reach him....seems to have enabled radio silence

Stage 1+ Turbos for 135i/535i/Z4 - JB4tech.com - International Turbo Tuning Discussion

While I wait for this issue to be resolved we'll start work on the suspension. When everything is finally done and she runs the way I expect her to i'll either do a JB4 or MHD tune and then call it a day on the power upgrade......don't really need more than 500bhp max.

Will keep you all posted.

[335xiboost]

Bummer on the spun bearings and radio silence. How many miles were on the car when it happened?

[erikm54life]

Thanks

Car has 108k miles. Everything seemed so fine that fateful day and then , kaboooom! Mileage isn't to high so don't know what happened. I guess we all never know exactly how these cars have led their lives.

Let's see what happens with the member that cannot be reached.

[erikm54life]

Still nothing from the member that took my funds......anybody here live within shouting distance from the guy that can check up on him ? Anybody at all ?

Stage 1+ Turbos for 135i/535i/Z4 - JB4tech.com - International Turbo Tuning Discussion

[erikm54life]

Quick Update

PayPal decided in my favor and has issued a refund for the full amount....A result !!!

Please be careful people......not everyone is what they seem to be. I've learnt my lesson.....all the same, how does one do business without trust ?

In 2007 I bought my E34 M5 Touring sight unseen and was sending my intermediary all the cash to complete the purchase. I had never met him before and everything was based on trust. needless to say that we're very good friends now and I visit him whenever I'm in the UK.

We learn every day.

Thanks to all those that reached out trying to help....I really appreciate it.

[erikm54life]

Hi all,

Just went to my local BMW parts seller and you won't believe he had the Genuine BMW Turbos for sale !!

Best part is that because the dealer auctioned them off he sold them to me for the equivalent of $400 each !!!

Sometimes we get lucky like this down here with parts that our local BMW rep auctions off for next to nothing.

I once bought the front EDC struts for my M5 Touring for the equivalent of $150 for the 2 !! These are $1600 each from the dealer at the time...it's unbelievable but it happens down here.

[335xiboost]

Great news on the PayPal refund and auction turbos!! Too bad about the rod bearings especially at 108k! Most likely very poorly maintained, with infrequent oil changes!

[AndrewCash]

I know exactly very nice....most especially running them successfully.

[335xiboost]

Is there a way to bid on these auctions if you don’t live there?

[erikm54life]

Originally Posted by 335xiboost

Is there a way to bid on these auctions if you don’t live there?

I doubt it....the dealer mostly sells directly to an independent BMW parts seller....so, it's not really an auction in the strict sense of the word.

Although, if there's any genuine BMW part you may need for an E9x I can ask to see if he has inventory......it would be no problem for me at all as I'm always ready to help my fellow BMW brothers.