▀▄ eas | S65 Rod Bearing Replacement: An ongoing "Journal"

[s85e90]

@pbonsalb those bearings looked fine! (relative) I agree that as I get older some of the car working on is more of a chore than fun...

[SenorFunkyPants]

Originally Posted by s85e90

@pbonsalb those bearings looked fine! (relative)

I thought the same.

[pbonsalb]

Originally Posted by s85e90

@pbonsalb those bearings looked fine! (relative) I agree that as I get older some of the car working on is more of a chore than fun...

The lowers are fine. Half the uppers have more wear than they should have, and a couple have a little copper showing on the bearing edge. I agree they are no as bad as some of the pictures I have seen, but I am also not an expert and don't really know what to expect. Below are some better pictures of the uppers. I will take more and do a short DIY when I have more time.

I was doing this as preventative maintenance since I am out of warranty and could not afford an engine failure. Its like buying insurance -- you pay the premium even if it turns out you have no claims but you are really happy you have it if something does go wrong. My very rough statistics suggested I had a 99% chance or better that nothing would go wrong if I left the bearings alone. Few bet against odds like that. It was also a fun project and a learning experience.

[s85e90]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

The lowers are fine. Half the uppers have more wear than they should have, and a couple have a little copper showing on the bearing edge. I agree they are no as bad as some of the pictures I have seen, but I am also not an expert and don't really know what to expect. Below are some better pictures of the uppers. I will take more and do a short DIY when I have more time.

I was doing this as preventative maintenance since I am out of warranty and could not afford an engine failure. Its like buying insurance -- you pay the premium even if it turns out you have no claims but you are really happy you have it if something does go wrong. My very rough statistics suggested I had a 99% chance or better that nothing would go wrong if I left the bearings alone. Few bet against odds like that. It was also a fun project and a learning experience.

Nice, and now at least you have peace of mind; however, I think those would've gone well over another 100k.

[Leo985i]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

The lowers are fine. Half the uppers have more wear than they should have, and a couple have a little copper showing on the bearing edge. I agree they are no as bad as some of the pictures I have seen, but I am also not an expert and don't really know what to expect. Below are some better pictures of the uppers. I will take more and do a short DIY when I have more time.

I was doing this as preventative maintenance since I am out of warranty and could not afford an engine failure. Its like buying insurance -- you pay the premium even if it turns out you have no claims but you are really happy you have it if something does go wrong. My very rough statistics suggested I had a 99% chance or better that nothing would go wrong if I left the bearings alone. Few bet against odds like that. It was also a fun project and a learning experience.

Did you ever do a UOA before replacing the bearings? I'm at 42k mi in my 08 and sounds and runs flawlessly, but all this bearing replacement/failure has me worried. Doing a UOA soon, my car is due for an oil change.

[pbonsalb]

No UOA. Does not seem to be a sure indicator though theoretically it should be pretty good.

[VCP]

ARP is a non stretch bolt.

Originally Posted by douglee25

I believe ARP recommends a greater torque on the bolts in order to create the proper bolt stretch. Because of this a greater clamping load is achieved and the big end of the rod becomes out of round. Thus why they recommend resizing the big end of the rod.

Doug

[VCP]

It is a fantastic motor to build! This will give you high revving piece of mind

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

The lowers are fine. Half the uppers have more wear than they should have, and a couple have a little copper showing on the bearing edge. I agree they are no as bad as some of the pictures I have seen, but I am also not an expert and don't really know what to expect. Below are some better pictures of the uppers. I will take more and do a short DIY when I have more time.

I was doing this as preventative maintenance since I am out of warranty and could not afford an engine failure. Its like buying insurance -- you pay the premium even if it turns out you have no claims but you are really happy you have it if something does go wrong. My very rough statistics suggested I had a 99% chance or better that nothing would go wrong if I left the bearings alone. Few bet against odds like that. It was also a fun project and a learning experience.

[VCP]

You summed things up well in paragraph 2

Originally Posted by Sirius Black

Just had my bearings done at 84,xxx miles. No symptoms were present. I have been boosted for the last 13k miles. Got tired of being worried it was gonna blow up. Well, turns out all I'm really getting is piece of mind.

I haven't seen the old bearings yet, but I'm being told that they could have easily gone another 80000 miles. The car has had fresh oil in it every 5k miles, I don't beat on it until the oil temps are up, and never money shifted it.

I guess what I'm trying to say is unless you see/hear the signs the bearing are going, don't stress out too much about them.

I think they saved them for me, I'll post pics if they did.

[chris719]

I would be less worried about an 08 until you get to 100k+ miles. The lead free early / mid life failures are extremely troubling.

[kevin @ eas]

Info
Vehicle: 2010 BMW M3, DCT
Oil Used: TWS Motorsport 10W-60
Mileage: 80,XXX mi
Fuel: 91 Oct
Driving Habits: Mostly highway/street driving, no track use
Oil Analysis: See below

[sharkbite]

Kevin-

Did the above M3 owner complain about excessive rod bearing noise before coming to see you guys, or was this a preventative decision ?

The one pic is un-nerving to look at .

Thanks for sharing.

[kawasaki00]

6 and 8 are just about killed

[s85e90]

So much for people swearing by their oil reports.

[Helmsman]

Agree, wow that report didn't correlate very well with the wear!

OP, is it possible to see whether its the old or new type bearings (ie 702/703)?

[gatorfast]

Originally Posted by s85e90

So much for people swearing by their oil reports.

For real. Just goes to show that it is only part of the picture and hidden dangers may be present.

[VCP]

Perhaps this is why some have been saying for a very long time that this should be factored into a "maintenance" schedule.

Originally Posted by gatorfast

For real. Just goes to show that it is only part of the picture and hidden dangers may be present.

[MDIAU]

Which shop on the east coast around VA does this bearing upgrade?

[E46M3forRay]

holy moly. This is not going to end well with bmw. Do we have any lawyers in the house?

[douglee25]

His report doesn't show any trending. It's possible bearing content could have shown up earlier if trending was in fact done.

How did the crank look? Any wear or damage?

Doug

[lsmkr01]

Originally Posted by MDIAU

Which shop on the east coast around VA does this bearing upgrade?

Bimmerworld would be my choice in VA

[C|3R1C]

Originally Posted by sharkbite

Kevin-

Did the above M3 owner complain about excessive rod bearing noise before coming to see you guys, or was this a preventative decision ?

The one pic is un-nerving to look at .

Thanks for sharing.

I wouldn't say excessive. I just heard something I didn't like coming from the engine. I couldnt tell if it was valve train or bearings, but it sounded lower on the engine and louder than usual so I figured I might as well pull them and replace them. I sent in another sample to see what the last report has to say for the last oil change.