VANOS EXPLOSION! S54 M3 engine needed...

[MondoM3 0]

Hi team, I'm a new member here and unfortunately i'm starting out in bad circumstances!

Late last year I purchased (privately) an E46 M3 SMG. 125k's. What a great car. I couldn't have been happier.....

until after less than 1000k's after the purchase, the VANOS let go, subsequently throwing shrapnell all through my engine.

so, what looks most economical is to purchase a used engine to do a clean swap. VANOS parts alone are looking at about $9xxx so im going to struggle to make that work.

Does anyone know of a used e46 M3 S54 engine in NZ????? Im really struggling to find one. i have found a couple in the UK but I'd rather buy domestically.

Any help would be hugely appreciated!!!!!!!!

Alternatively I'm still open to the option of rebuilding the current unit if i can find sensible quotes. Any suggestions for workshops in NZ with experience in E46 engines would help a lot.

Thanks guys,

Simon

[hybrid 1043]

Get an engine out of the US and change the emmissions and headers to get your 343bhp back, unless you can find a wrecked e46 m3 around .. prices are around 13-15k for a s54 here.

Rebuilding might be a better option, Hit up ray/hellbm (forum sponsor) for probably the best rates on labour around.

[MondoM3 0]

Get an engine out of the US and change the emmissions and headers to get your 343bhp back, unless you can find a wrecked e46 m3 around .. prices are around 13-15k for a s54 here.

Rebuilding might be a better option, Hit up ray/hellbm (forum sponsor) for probably the best rates on labour around.

cheers! have you had any experience with US parts suppliers?? I'd really like to use someone i can rely on. thanks again

[*Glenn* 854]

Any history on the car, like receipts etc. I'd be talking to my lawyer. You are covered by the Sales Of goods Act, and less than a 1,000 Km doesn't constitute Merchantable quality (fit for purpose)

If you want... give me a call in the morning

[Silver Fox 43]

PM this guy, I'm sure he has one for sale, FIAT 131R, he's a member on here.

[yng_750 247]

he privately purchased it so i doubt he will be covered by sales of goods act

[*Glenn* 854]

he privately purchased it so i doubt he will be covered by sales of goods act

A private purchase is still covered under the Sales of Goods Act between members of the public, so long as it wasn't sold in an Auction

[MondoM3 0]

A private purchase is still covered under the Sales of Goods Act between members of the public, so long as it wasn't sold in an Auction

Hi Glenn, thanks for that. Will try call in the morning.

[MondoM3 0]

PM this guy, I'm sure he has one for sale, FIAT 131R, he's a member on here.

Thanks!! he's since contacted me.

[central3 31]

Very sorry to hear about this - for the sake of fellow owners do you know what the root cause of the failure was?

[MondoM3 0]

Very sorry to hear about this - for the sake of fellow owners do you know what the root cause of the failure was?

Cheers. I havnt owned a car for 3 years because of living overseas and to step straight into this shitshow is not ideal! Im not sure of the root cause yet but I will be making sure I find out.

Ive had so many people tell me how bulletproof these engines are supposed to be. Even guys who race them up to 200,000 ks. Its been serviced from 0km by Jerry Clayton, Team McMillan and BM Workshop Botany so I can only assume correct oils have been used.

Pretty hard to swallow, but sh*t happens.

[M3_Power 636]

You are covered by the Sales Of goods Act, and less than a 1,000 Km doesn't constitute Merchantable quality (fit for purpose)

That's incorrect ... have a read of section 16 carefully - it doesn't apply.

To the OP - I think you are best to import one from the USA or UK - the s54 is still bloody expensive to buy locally, compared to what you can pick one up for overseas.

[FIAT 131R 223]

That's incorrect ... have a read of section 16 carefully - it doesn't apply.

To the OP - I think you are best to import one from the USA or UK - the s54 is still bloody expensive to buy locally, compared to what you can pick one up for overseas.

It's fine to say import an engine from the UK or USA, if you can do without your car for a couple of months or more. The last engine I bought in the UK was on 13 December. I expect to collect it next week. In addition there are some bloody shysters on Ebay and even if you use Paypal by the time your item reaches NZ you are outside the time limit for making a claim. I have had some good experiences importing the engines but not all the experiences are good. Just trying to provide a bit of balance to those thinking of importing. Also remember to add customs clearance and logistic fees, Destination Port Fees, Government processing fee, MAF inspection fees, NZ Customs entry fees, Origin Terminal Handling Fees, plus GST and freight costs.

I did not get charged for saying holy sh*t who thinks up all these bloody fees.

[Apex 693]

True, I brought body parts from the UK in early October last year for my race car rebuild and they are still in the UK, its like dealing with backwards monkeys from 1968, most people cant even use email, it has happened multiple times with companies in the UK. Would try and deal with the US if you have too.

Bad luck MondoM3, very frustrating when something like this happens, I have been in the same boat with a car, less than a 1000km and the engine went boom, in that case it was a dealer and even then I could not get anything out of them.

If you were planning on keeping it a few years, personally I would recommend a rebuild, at least you know it will be strong. Second hand parts like second hand cars, you inherit second hand problems/neglect..

[HELLBM 1557]

Definately on the to do list:

[jeffbebe 1559]

Definately on the to do list:

Jesus, that's a bit scary. Would you get any warning that these bolts had worn or would it just pop? Guess it should be on the list of things to do at 100,000 kms for any PFL E46 M3.

[Tristan 338]

I'm looking at getting an SMG II E46, is the VANOS bolt problem in all cars or just some? And can it actually be remedied or is it a matter of always checking

[Tristan 338]

Jesus, that's a bit scary. Would you get any warning that these bolts had worn or would it just pop? Guess it should be on the list of things to do at 100,000 kms for any PFL E46 M3.

Is the problem isolated to PFL?

[FIAT 131R 223]

Definately on the to do list:

Ray thanks for your timely reminders of things to watch out for with BMW's. They are much appreciated.

[nastnas 9]

OMG, that is pretty scary.

I have just rebuilt my engine with BM Workshop in Botany. I highly recommend them. The job was absolutely mint, and you cannot fault the work that has been done.

If you do rebuild, it is not cheap. I have the older S50B30, and that cost over $10k, that did not include the Vanos as I rebuilt that with the beisan systems kit.

As Apex said, rebuilding is the way to go if you want to keep that beast, but be prepared for the cost factor, however " you get what you pay for".

Sorry to hear that mate, hopefully BMW will design better. TBH that is a sh*t design, and they should of recalled this, if they have not already.

[jeffbebe 1559]

Is the problem isolated to PFL?

I'm just going off what the guy in the video says... That the bolts in the newer FL version are different (and presumably tougher).

[M3_Power 636]

It's not just the Vanos bolts, it's the vanos hub tabs also - those sheer off and do just as much damage (have a look at Central M3's maintenance post on how he tested his).

Vanos is a bit of a lottery on the S54B32 to be honest - unlike the big end bearings where there are specific manufacture years that are affected.

There have been a lot of cars that have done over 200k miles and still on the original engine ect ...

There's also debate as to whether the replacement bolts are actually better - I recall someone taking a set to have them tested and they were exactly the same strength and sheer properties.

Unlike the differential bolts (which I HIGHLY recommend people replace) which are a completely different design.

But by in large, the E46 M3 is riddled with a lot of very serious issues, which if goes wrong, goes very very wrong. But if doesn't, will give many years of almost trouble free motoring.

[Apex 693]

Is having the Vanos inspected and potentially overhauled at around 100,000km not a requirement on all BMW’s? I thought that was part of one of the major services if you have the vehicle properly maintained by a BMW Dealership/Workshop?

[Tristan 338]

Anything in particular you'd get checked per-purchase, Tom?

[M3_Power 636]

Is having the Vanos inspected and potentially overhauled at around 100,000km not a requirement on all BMW’s? I thought that was part of one of the major services if you have the vehicle properly maintained by a BMW Dealership/Workshop?

Inspected, yes. Overhauled, no

I suspect also that a lot of these failures are due to improper maintenance to be honest.

The service interval for the s54b32 is 25,000km .... by the time that oil comes out of that motor it's like sludge.

The oil cooling on the s54 is also very insufficient in terms of design and these motors will run very hot with a little bit of spirited driving. This temperature fluctuation is what breaks down the oil prematurely.

Original owners of these cars would have simply relied on dealership service intervals as these would have been free (first 3 years of ownership, plus say the next owner with 2 year premium selection) ... who knows what happened the next 5 years with various other owners. I'd be surprised if many of the cars with 100,000km on the clock have had more than 5 oil services ... mine's had over 10 now ... and it's 10 years old.

Also the vanos system in this engine requires very high oil pressure to run properly - so basically anything within the oil line should be as clean as possible. I rarely see people replace the filter on the vanos solenoid unit or the seals on the vanos unit itself, these can all lead to premature failures.

The bolt thing is a bit of a lottery in my opinion - but my take is if it's moving as freely as it was designed, you'll get less residual shock and rattle through the system causing bolts to back out.

The replacement bolt isn't an improvement in my opinion, I've seen failures with both the new and old bolts ... Although you can usually hear something's not right if the bolts have started to back out, so in my opinion it's not as large of a concern. The hub tabs however, that's a whole different story ... those let go without warning and on some cars, the tabs can sheer off completely and get stuck and still turn the hub unit - making the owner none the wiser!!

Edited February 3, 2013 by M3_Power