[A418t81]

Originally Posted by scottp999

Wow. Nice pictures. I just saw my turbo blades yesterday when the downpipes were off and they looked great so far.

You saw the turbine wheel. He is showing pictures of the compressor wheel, which is on the opposite end of the turbo from what you were looking at.

[Ilma]

Originally Posted by ******

Ok I finally found out where all the shaving were coming from, and as some of you suspected yes is they were coming from the turbo, the front turbo as a matter of fact... it looks like the nut came off and shattered all the blades...the rear turbo is fine the blades look good...
sorry for the crappy pics but is kind of hard to take pics thru a fibersope.

Sorry for the bad news.

That was a very creative way to check the turbos.

Did you feed the scope back through the aluminum comperssor charge pipes?

[scottp999]

Originally Posted by A418t81

You saw the turbine wheel. He is showing pictures of the compressor wheel, which is on the opposite end of the turbo from what you were looking at.

Cool. Thanks for setting me straight. I really like how he used that scope/camera to take look.

[AWD Addict]

Good luck. I grimaced looking at those shots of the blades.

[jaza45]

Now I dont know if I should try to change the turbo myself or let my mechanic do it...Im not afraid of working in my car as long as I dont have to go inside the engine and deal with pistons and rods and stuff like that I could try to work with bolt ons that way I learn a lil bit on how everything goes...who knows maybe I'll create a DIY for everyone to learn....I wonder if it requires any special tools

[dmurray14]

Originally Posted by Ilma

Sorry for the bad news.

That was a very creative way to check the turbos.

Did you feed the scope back through the aluminum comperssor charge pipes?

+1

[nomile]

******:
This story sucks (no happy ending in sight), and I feel your pain man... here are my thoughts:

1) I'd start with inspection of cylinders (would be best if you can get a trained eye on this - someone who's built up engine internals) and a leak-down test. If all is well, you could consider ripping EVERYTHING that makes up the intake apart and cleaning it all out. Then replace both turbos. However, even if the outcome of the initial check / leakdown is good, or if you're not totally convinced that you can pull this off, I'd consider
2) Depending on how good you are with engines and cars (coming from someone who's done brakes/suspensions/diff swaps/wheel bearings), I'd consider biting the bullet before screwing up things even more. This seems like one of those things where you can probably replace one or two components, miss one crucial item, and then destroy all the work you've just done.

Re-reading this I guess it's not a huge help, but then again, it's free advice

Good luck either way, and keep us informed...

PS: Did you ever figure out what got sucked into the turbos in the first place? And along the same lines: Stop running with your filters off!!

[Rob@RBTurbo]

Where did you get that tool and at what cost? Any links? Definitely a very cool way of seeing the compressors with little effort.

[jaza45]

UPDATE:
well right now Im trying to figure out if its possible to replace the turbos without having to take out the engine, but a lot of people are saying that is not possible..

I got the tool from ebay, just search for fiberscope and you should be able to find tons of them....

I havent been able to figure out what happen to the turbo, but the damage is already done now Im just worry on fixing it....

[Hit_Apex]

I recall a response from a tech who stated it is indeed possible to replace the turbos without dropping the engine. It involved removing at least 1 engine mount and tilting for clearance. Some independent shops, especially those used to working on B5 S4s may prefer to do the drop rather than spend time getting creative - especially if there are additional lines to route on customs.

[BavarianBullet]

Originally Posted by Hit_Apex

I recall a response from a tech who stated it is indeed possible to replace the turbos without dropping the engine. It involved removing at least 1 engine mount and tilting for clearance. Some independent shops, especially those used to working on B5 S4s may prefer to do the drop rather than spend time getting creative - especially if there are additional lines to route on customs.

Good call. I've been wondering the very same thing re tilting the engine etc re turbo removal.

The N54 turbos aren't as tight to the 335's framerail as a lot of people keep saying. I could almost stick my fist in between the turbo and frame rail if the heat shield was removed. That's a lot more room than some cars I've worked on for header clearance etc.

The old school tricks were to unbolt an engine mount and jack one side of the engine or unbolt both sides and use an engine lift to pull the whole thing up. In this case the tilt makes the most sense.

The only thing I can't see is how difficult the hoses are going to be to get at. The turbo housing will probably come off ok and you'd have to pull some junk out (heatshields, coolant exp tank, etc) but nothing serious.

I'd love to try to remove the turbos on a 335. Not gonna do it on my lease just for fun though.

[BavarianBullet]

Originally Posted by ******

UPDATE:
well right now Im trying to figure out if its possible to replace the turbos without having to take out the engine, but a lot of people are saying that is not possible..

I got the tool from ebay, just search for fiberscope and you should be able to find tons of them....

I havent been able to figure out what happen to the turbo, but the damage is already done now Im just worry on fixing it....

I wouldn't worry to much about the engine- I've seen some pretty big chunks of aluminium go through engines without a problem. They won't scratch the iron cyl walls either.

If you're an ebay cruzer just keep an eye out for turbos or ask around the boards- people have picked up nice sets for as litttle as $300. I saw a set myself with a claimed 30k on ebay for $300 too last year.

If I were you and you feel confident in your mechanical skills, I'd try to pull the turbos off. You don't have a warranty, the turbo is definitely toast and it must come off so why not give it a try. If you wind up unhooking them and can't them them all the way out, big deal. Just bolt em back up or tow to a repair shop and have them finish up throwing in a pair of used stock turbos.

[jaza45]

Im not worrying about the engine, I know its good and runds good....

I picked up a set of turbos on ebay this week for $500 so I should be getting them sometime by the end of the week.

Im very confident with my mechanical skills as long as I dont have to get inside the engine, everything else that is bolts on I'll try it at least, I like to learn on how things work...

Right now Im thinking on picking up an air compressor and some air tools to make this job easier since I dont have a lot of room, Im also waiting on the VK Catless downpipes GB so I can do all at one time and save me some time...

[Ilma]

Originally Posted by ******

Im not worrying about the engine, I know its good and runds good....

I picked up a set of turbos on ebay this week for $500 so I should be getting them sometime by the end of the week.

Im very confident with my mechanical skills as long as I dont have to get inside the engine, everything else that is bolts on I'll try it at least, I like to learn on how things work...

Right now Im thinking on picking up an air compressor and some air tools to make this job easier since I dont have a lot of room, Im also waiting on the VK Catless downpipes GB so I can do all at one time and save me some time...

Kudos to you......I admire your perseverance and ambition to try this.

I for one would certainly be interested in the steps required to dismount the turbos.

It's amazing how level headed, analytical and creative you have stayed throughout this ordeal......that's the right approach to solve problems!

[pronacyk3]

Found 2 guys with wrecked 335i's that were willing to part with their turbos for 400-500 through craigslist. keep your eyes peeled on ebay and craigslist as there are good deals to be had.

[jaza45]

It took me 3 days but I finally finished replacing the front turbo, and for those that think it cant be done unless you take out the whole engine, you are wrong, I only did the front turbo, but if I wanted I could change the rear too... here are some pics

First start by tearing the whole front out
[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/******/turbo%20replacement/DSCN1158.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/******/turbo%20replacement/DSCN1171.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/******/turbo%20replacement/DSCN1165.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/******/turbo%20replacement/DSCN1176.jpg[/IMG]

Its messy so make sure you put plenty of cardboard boxes under
[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/******/turbo%20replacement/DSCN1176.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/******/turbo%20replacement/DSCN1176.jpg[/IMG]

F...ed up turbo
[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/******/turbo%20replacement/DSCN1186.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/******/turbo%20replacement/DSCN1187.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/******/turbo%20replacement/DSCN1192.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/******/turbo%20replacement/DSCN1203.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/******/turbo%20replacement/DSCN1200.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/******/turbo%20replacement/DSCN1210.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/******/turbo%20replacement/DSCN1211.jpg[/IMG]


bad turbo on the left made in 2008, good turbo on the right made in 2007
[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/******/turbo%20replacement/DSCN1215.jpg[/IMG]

exhaust has to come of so you can move the DP, so I changed it while It was down with my custom AA piping with magnaflows
[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/******/turbo%20replacement/DSCN1216.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/******/turbo%20replacement/DSCN1221.jpg[/IMG]

putting everything back
[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/******/turbo%20replacement/DSCN1240.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/******/turbo%20replacement/DSCN1245.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/******/turbo%20replacement/DSCN1244.jpg[/IMG]

had to cut these to mate them with the AA piping
[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/******/turbo%20replacement/DSCN1244.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/******/turbo%20replacement/DSCN1256.jpg[/IMG]

end result
[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/******/turbo%20replacement/DSCN1269.jpg[/IMG]

Bav tech to clear the codes
[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/******/turbo%20replacement/DSCN1272.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/******/turbo%20replacement/DSCN1273.jpg[/IMG]

THE END...

[cn555ic]

WOW!!!!!

[ianthegreat]

Dude omg, look at the 335.. you are INSANE. I love it. Keep us updated.

[Sniz]

excellent!!!

and BMW would have probably charged you what.......5-10k for that repair?

well done.


have you driven it yet?

[BMWGator]

Damn! I wish I knew how to do stuff like this. That is some serious car surgery skills!

Hope things work out after all that work!

[jaza45]

Yes the car works and sounds awesome, the power is back now all I need is to get my DP's and tune, what should I go with? JB or Procede?

This was easy compare to the clutch and flywheel that I had to replace last week to my M5, now that was a bitch, I wanted to learn but next time I rather take it my mechanic and do it on a lift...

[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/******/M5%20transmission/DSCN0983.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/******/M5%20transmission/DSCN0992.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/******/M5%20transmission/DSCN0994.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/******/M5%20transmission/DSCN1120.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/******/M5%20transmission/DSCN1124.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/******/M5%20transmission/DSCN1133.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/******/M5%20transmission/DSCN1140.jpg[/IMG]

[A418t81]

Damn, non sprung center. Is that kevlar on the friction surface? Pretty serious business. How does it feel?