[Dynasty_E93]

Hello everyone,

Just writing to get some insight on this situation.

Situation: OFHG leaked and was replaced. A week later serpentine belt slips and get sucked through the main seal. Now there’s metal shavings in the oil filter and oil cap (pics attached). Engine probably toast!??!

What to do: Shop quoted me $9000 to replace engine (parts and labor). Only problem is I can’t get myself to justify the repair considering the car only costed me $9000. Now if i want to sell the car as is, i’m not too sure how much this would be worth. Any suggestions? Opinions?

Car Info: 2008 E92 N54 RWD 6spd | 130k miles | Barbera Red on Bamboo Beige

[CLAUDE PREMJEETH]

Sell but behonest

[335i54n]

better pics, oil doesnt look too sparkly. look like u got most of the belt so u probably didnt starve the motor. drop the pan, clean the oil pickup, all belt debris, couple of lof and send it imo

[whyzee125]

IMO it wouldn't be wise to drop $9k on an engine right now.

If it were mine, I'd drop the oil pan, clean really well, replace the rod bearings and chances are you're okay if it's not knocking yet.

If that option doesn't work for you, I'd probably sell it for whatever it's worth (~$3-4k probably) as-is.

[TemjinX2]

You can buy another used motor for 2k and 2k install

[lowrydr310]

If you have the time and a little money, drop the oil pan and remove the valve cover and clean all the old bits of belt out of there, then replace the crank seal along with new VCG and OPG. Worth a try before you trash the car. I definitely wouldn't spend $9000 to fix it.

I recall reading a story last year here, I'll have to search and find it. Something similar happened; bought a perfectly running 335i then one day the oil pressure warning came on. Turns out there was an old shredded belt left inside and he'd been running who knows how long like that. Had the glitter in the oil pan. He cleaned it up and bolted it back together then drove the crap out of the car after that without any issues.

[Dynasty_E93]

Thank you everyone for their suggestion. My plan right now is to get the car back to my place and do the actual inspection myself. I want to confirm that the stuff in the filter is actually metal and not just belt/seal material. After that, drop the pan and clean all that up as well as the valve cover. Fingers crossed!!!

[lowrydr310]

Here's the post I was referencing. Look at the photos. I have seen and driven this exact car after it was repaired. No idea how long term reliability was affected but it was running as good as any other N54 I've driven, lots of power and no funny noises at all. In fact it sounded healthier than my 335 but that may be due to some old injectors on my car.

[Dynasty_E93]

Update:

Spent the weekend pulling the valve cover and the oil pan. Surprisingly didnt find anything under my valve cover. Head looks clean and nothing was caught in the guides. Pulled the oil pan and different some spaghetti in there but not much. Some tiny pieces of belt material was on the pickup tube but not much there either. Guess I got lucky this time around. Cleaned and tidied everything up and now car is driving as good as new.

thank you everyone for the suggestions and encouragement. I was intimidated by the job but its actually not as bad as I had anticipated. Valve cover took about 3 hours and oil pan took about 6 hours or so... definitely not bad at all with the right tools! Almost got robbed of $9000 for a new engine -.-

[lowrydr310]

Originally Posted by Dynasty_E93

Update:

Spent the weekend pulling the valve cover and the oil pan. Surprisingly didnt find anything under my valve cover. Head looks clean and nothing was caught in the guides. Pulled the oil pan and different some spaghetti in there but not much. Some tiny pieces of belt material was on the pickup tube but not much there either. Guess I got lucky this time around. Cleaned and tidied everything up and now car is driving as good as new.

thank you everyone for the suggestions and encouragement. I was intimidated by the job but its actually not as bad as I had anticipated. Valve cover took about 3 hours and oil pan took about 6 hours or so... definitely not bad at all with the right tools! Almost got robbed of $9000 for a new engine -.-

Very glad to hear you got it sorted out and running!

You might still need a new engine some day anyway due to accelerated wear that hasn't manifested itself just yet, but at least you won't be robbed out of $9000 for it.

Now I'm just wondering where the glitter comes from when these belts get sucked in.

[whyzee125]

Originally Posted by lowrydr310

Very glad to hear you got it sorted out and running!

You might still need a new engine some day anyway due to accelerated wear that hasn't manifested itself just yet, but at least you won't be robbed out of $9000 for it.

Now I'm just wondering where the glitter comes from when these belts get sucked in.

Likely bearing material from low oil pressure when the pickup gets clogged but could be from anywhere. Cam ledges are also a common wear point and could certainly suffer under low oil pressure.

[2one3E90]

I had the same issue also. Bought a 335i that SUCKED IN 4 BELTS. Previous owner kept replacing belt after belt and the shop fcked him on that. Each belt and pulley replacement was 400-500 and 4x in the span of 10,000 miles. Ofhg was leaking. Prev owner sold it to me for cheap and now its running good after taking off the oil pan and replacing it as well as the oil pump and everything else.

[whyzee125]

Originally Posted by 2one3E90

I had the same issue also. Bought a 335i that SUCKED IN 4 BELTS. Previous owner kept replacing belt after belt and the shop fcked him on that. Each belt and pulley replacement was 400-500 and 4x in the span of 10,000 miles. Ofhg was leaking. Prev owner sold it to me for cheap and now its running good after taking off the oil pan and replacing it as well as the oil pump and everything else.

That sucks for the PO, wow! That car is a champ for still running!