[cahme]

This really all started over 2 years ago when I found some metal in my oil & filter.
Not in that thread is that it turned out to NOT be magnetic and I did pull the VC, got a clean oil analysis report, and didn't get the bits in my next oil change after 500 - 1000 mi (don't remember). At that point, I didn't want to drop the pan and gambled assuming I'd swap a used motor if needed. As I said, that was over 2 years and about 40k miles ago.


Well, my last oil change revealed much metal again and with all of the rod bearing threads (and the used motor price is up quite a bit ...), I decided to drop the pan and see what I've got.

I bought my car in 10/2015 with 113k miles, added CP & JB4 around 115, and then added MHD BEF around 145k mi; otherwise stock, now at 167k mi.
Buid Date: 5/2010
Oil: M1 0w40 or Edge 0w40 every 5-7k

Here's what's interesting:

• before dropping the pan, I pulled the spark plugs & injectors and cranked the engine with heated 0w20 oil in hopes of flushing the metal shavings
• I found 2 bigger chunks (and a piece of rubber gasket) in the pan similar to what was found 2 years ago
• PO told me he had a broken VANOS bolt before the recall, but I'm not sure how many or if they were truely found
• Cyl 6 has the shavings in the bearing, but the remaining look clean and don't see any damage to the crank
• I've only pulled the bearing caps and looked at the crank and lower bearings
• Even though LCI, bearings are mixed (rbrbrb)
• sure there's more ..

Anyway here are the pics

[cahme]

Forgot to post the pics of my last oil pan & funnel after the drain ... scary stuff!

[fatty335]

Wow cahme, your bearings look much better than mine did at more than double the mileage! Mine were also a later build date...8/2011. I assume since you have gone this far, you plan to swap the bearings with new ones? I certainly would not reuse the #6 shells with the metal inclusions. The metal in the oil is certainly concerning, but it isn't coming from the rod bearings.

[cahme]

Yes, I'm planning to swap the bearings, but am debating if I'll leave #1 .. just to not remove the oil pump. I'm thinking I'm better off not touching the timing chain, but honestly having gone this far, I've got to.

Any advice there? Is it okay without the special tools?


Oh and thanks for your post for helping me bite the bullet!

[fatty335]

Originally Posted by cahme

Yes, I'm planning to swap the bearings, but am debating if I'll leave #1 .. just to not remove the oil pump. I'm thinking I'm better off not touching the timing chain, but honestly having gone this far, I've got to.

Any advice there? Is it okay without the special tools?


Oh and thanks for your post for helping me bite the bullet!

The timing chain is completely separate from the one that drives the vacuum and oil pumps so, no worries there. The lone sprocket bolt gave me the most trouble on the oil pump - there is a round recepticle cast into the oil pump body at the 12 o'clock position that will snugly hold the sprocket when something (like a drill bit in my case) is inserted into it through one of the four holes on the sprocket.

And don't thank me until you're back on the road. Take your time, be exact with the torque settings and procedures, and you'll be fine.

[cahme]

Originally Posted by fatty335

The timing chain is completely separate from the one that drives the vacuum and oil pumps so, no worries there.

From the tis procedure , these are the parts I drew caution from.

Press timing chain with chain tensioner (1) in direction of arrow.
Disconnect timing chain with special tool 11 4 120 .
Feed out camshaft sprocket (3) at hexagon head (4) of vacuum pump.

Installation note:
If the chain module is replaced, a mounting bar (2) is already pre-installed.

And ...

Detach sprocket (1) in direction of arrow.

Note:
Chain tensioner presses timing chain (3) upwards.
Do not remove sprocket (1).
Remove oil pump (2) in direction

[Speedy_12139]

A full set of rod bearings, being sure to plastigauge and check your clearances is a VERY GOOD IDEA

Aswell as cleaning your oil pump right out. With fresh oil and filter.


Also. I'm new to these types of threads. But I'm trying to learn as much as I can...

To me! Your bearings look like what I would expect, except from. Your #6... And potentially #1

What I'm curious to know, is the heat discoloration on the crank near your big end bearings in your #3 and #4 photos.

Also. Have you had your valve cover off? And noticed any irregular wear on the shafts?


Please excuse my ignorance. I'm just trying to learn aswell. Seeing more and more of these bearing threads pop up. Is a little concerning for me.

[bbnks2]

Originally Posted by cahme

From the tis procedure , these are the parts I drew caution from.


And ...

It's not as scary as tis makes it seem. Also, I've heard people manage to do rod #1 without removing the oil pump.

Bearings looks pretty normal. That's a refreshing sight after this rash of rod bearing threads.

Those chunks of metal look like they could be pieces of the casting or something. Chunks of metal like that would be pretty obvious. You'd had to of destroyed a piston or something lol.

The flakes are worrisome but could be normal. It's not uncommon for the cam bearings to eat themselves. That's a whole different job to get a look at those.

[fatty335]

Originally Posted by cahme

From the tis procedure , these are the parts I drew caution from.


And ...

You really don't need to mess with any of that; unbolt the sprocket and the chain tensioner will pull it up towards the engine. Then 3 bolts and the pump is out. When you go to put it back on, just pull the sprocket and chain back down, align the hole and mounting flats, and bolt back down. And don't worry if the chain skips a tooth or two during removal/assembly - it will not affect the motor timing in any way.

[Pladi]

So looks like OP has good looking bearings and fatty had not so good looking bearings with less milage. The obvious difference is they have different bearing codes.

Red yellow and red blue ?

One made in 05/2010 and the other ?

Outside of this difference and obvious lack of maintenance why would they be so different ?

[Ozzie335i]

These bearing photos look like they are all of the cap side. Any of the rod / top side? Asking as the top side would take more punishment, wouldn't it? Still, they look darn good compared to what people have posted here. Small phone screen and aging eyes. Sorry if I am wrong.

cahme, please take us all with you to the completion. That would include fitment issues, if any, results... A lot of nervous nellies here, myself included, looking for whatever reassurance we can grasp onto. Doing a proactive swap myself soon.

[JuniorB]

I just installed new rod bearings in my n54, same setup and bearing. I didn't need them, and with only $60 on the motor, I figured it was cheap insurance to do it along with arp bolts. I've found two things, the upper bearings take the wear harder. All the bearings I've seen in these motors, the uppers take the wear harder, and two,,I found a TIS that they done away with different bearings for the top and bottom. My n54 is a late 07 for 08 my, and when I removed them, found it was a matched set. I installed the King bearings CR222SV from Summit. Can you be 100 that it's from rod bearing?

[cahme]

Agree with the upper bearing wear statements. My goal at this point was to see if my crank looked good to see what I was going to do next.

[fatty335]

Originally Posted by Pladi

So looks like OP has good looking bearings and fatty had not so good looking bearings with less milage. The obvious difference is they have different bearing codes.

Red yellow and red blue ?

One made in 05/2010 and the other ?

Outside of this difference and obvious lack of maintenance why would they be so different ?

cahme's bearings did look much better than mine overall (although we haven't seen rod-side bearings or #1 yet) so, with the similarities and differences in mind, this really points to OCIs and driving style, IMHO.

cahme vs. fatty335

build date: 05/2010, 08/2011
bearings: rbrbrb (a mix of red/yellow & blue/violet), rrrrrr (all red/yellow)
oil used: M1 0W40 or CE 0W40, CE 0W40 during my ownership, presumably BMW 5W30 prior (serviced at dealership)
OCI: 5 - 7K, 5K during my ownership (up to 15K documented prior owner)
tuned: JB4 & MHD BEF, FBO & MHD 1+

[Ozzie335i]

For these mixed bearing sizes did the people putting the engines together mic them, then determine the sizes for each rod at that point? If so, talk about piss poor qc when they cut the crank. This possibility scares me as my mechanic may end up having to have my engine partially apart while he makes that determination. I was planning on going with the King bearings.

[bbnks2]

Originally Posted by JuniorB

I just installed new rod bearings in my n54, same setup and bearing. I didn't need them, and with only $60 on the motor, I figured it was cheap insurance to do it along with arp bolts. I've found two things, the upper bearings take the wear harder. All the bearings I've seen in these motors, the uppers take the wear harder, and two,,I found a TIS that they done away with different bearings for the top and bottom. My n54 is a late 07 for 08 my, and when I removed them, found it was a matched set. I installed the King bearings CR222SV from Summit. Can you be 100 that it's from rod bearing?

BMW never used different bearings for top and bottom. Yellow/Red (r) are standard bearings. They are different colors and part numbers because one has an oiling hole in it. One is a "rod side" bearing and one is a "cap side" bearing.

blue/violet (b) bearings I believe are slightly undersized to tighten up clearances.

TIS states that "the Blue/Red connecting rod bearing shell colours are no longer fitted in combination." I don't think they were EVER used in combination lol... They are both cap side bearings. This TIS comment does not make any sense as it's stated. Has anyone ever pulled rod bearings to find oiling holes in both shells?

There was no part number changes for bearings across this time period. Both cars begin referenced in this thread used the same bearings.

When you put KING bearings in did you measure clearances? Did you at least plastiguage? You probably would see the (b) journals were a hair wider (like .0002") than the (r) journals.

[fatty335]

Originally Posted by bbnks2

BMW never used different bearings for top and bottom. Yellow/Red (r) are standard bearings. They are different colors and part numbers because one has an oiling hole in it. One is a "rod side" bearing and one is a "cap side" bearing.

blue/violet (b) bearings I believe are slightly undersized to tighten up clearances.

TIS states that "the Blue/Red connecting rod bearing shell colours are no longer fitted in combination." I don't think they were EVER used in combination lol... They are both cap side bearings. This TIS comment does not make any sense as it's stated. Has anyone ever pulled rod bearings to find oiling holes in both shells?

There was no part number changes for bearings across this time period. Both cars begin referenced in this thread used the same bearings.

When you put KING bearings in did you measure clearances? Did you at least plastiguage? You probably would see the (b) journals were a hair wider (like .0002") than the (r) journals.

Sorry bbnks, no oil holes in N55 rod bearings, top or bottom. Perhaps you are referring to main bearings? Those use a similar color-code system, I believe. For rod bearings, the "r" designation is, indeed a standard size bearing combo with "yellow" going into the rod side and the "red" one going into the cap. The red/yellow combo always goes together, just as the blue/violet always goes together. You never mix red/blue or yellow/violet, for instance.

[bbnks2]

Originally Posted by fatty335

Sorry bbnks, no oil holes in N55 rod bearings, top or bottom. Perhaps you are referring to main bearings? Those use a similar color-code system, I believe. For rod bearings, the "r" designation is, indeed a standard size bearing combo with "yellow" going into the rod side and the "red" one going into the cap. The red/yellow combo always goes together, just as the blue/violet always goes together. You never mix red/blue or yellow/violet, for instance.

Yeah I was typing off the top of my head and misstated oiling hole. You're right about that thanks. Same point though, one is a "top" and one is a "bottom." The tang is going to be different and that is what differentiates the colors top and bottom. Not that they are different bearings.

I am replying with the above for all the people who think there was some 3rd pair of bearings that BMW no longer uses. They are trying to imply that might be the cause of some failures. That's just not true.

"piss poor qc" ugh no. BMW machining is top notch.

[Ozzie335i]

"piss poor qc" ugh no. BMW machining is top notch.

Hmmm, cahme had a mix of red/yellow & blue/violet bearings. That would tell me that a measurement was made at the time of assembly and a size choice was made. Much less of an assumption than the hole in the upper bearing, eh. ;-P

[Pladi]

Originally Posted by fatty335

Sorry bbnks, no oil holes in N55 rod bearings, top or bottom. Perhaps you are referring to main bearings? Those use a similar color-code system, I believe. For rod bearings, the "r" designation is, indeed a standard size bearing combo with "yellow" going into the rod side and the "red" one going into the cap. The red/yellow combo always goes together, just as the blue/violet always goes together. You never mix red/blue or yellow/violet, for instance.

exactly oiling is done through the crank oil galleries

[cahme]

Added cyl 1 to the first post and here. It's a bad pic, but the crank is clean, so good to go with new bearings.


I'm also showing a pic of #6 upper bearing where you can see there is some wear. When I swap them I'll update with the rest.

[cahme]

Originally Posted by Pladi

So looks like OP has good looking bearings and fatty had not so good looking bearings with less milage. The obvious difference is they have different bearing codes.

Red yellow and red blue ?

One made in 05/2010 and the other ?

Outside of this difference and obvious lack of maintenance why would they be so different ?

There are way too many variables and most of these cars are on their 2'nd or 3'rd owners. I have NO history of my car from 0-60k and only have the POs word (ie no records) from 60-113k, but he did state that he used BMW 5w30 oil every 5k.