13 x5m rod bearings?

[m4AY]

Sold my m4, bought a house. Now I have a 13 x5m. 200kms(Canada)

Inspected vehicle and of course major upper oil pan leak.
Did the oil change and nice gold glitter in oil cap. Cut the filter apart and no flakes at all. And engine is running smooth without issues or fault codes.

I will do the upper oil pan gasket and will do the rod bearings at the same time. Any advice? Should I go with oem or are there good upgraded ones out there?

Hopefully just stock size, and new con rod cap bolts as well

[Tundraguy]

Unfortunately I'm unable to help answer your question. But I was wondering if you would be doing the work yourself?

[sbin]

new to forum
Repaired a n20 X3 and N55 X5 for daughter and wife.
Timing chains, gaskets, electrical gremlins.Bought broken and cheap now they run like a watch.

Thinking about picking up a n63 x5 or x6 with engine problems to play with.
Rebuilt lots of engines will follow your progress.

I use plastigage, micrometers and dial indicators when working on rods and crankshaft bearings.

[m4AY]

Yes I will be doing the job myself, bmw tech. Done lots of upper oil pan gaskets on the bmw v8. S63 and n63 are very similar.
Yes plasti-gauge for sure. But from my understanding, if it's not knocking then standard bearings are needed.

I ordered the standard ACL bearings, on sale for 275 Canadian. I'll see how they look. I can also get oem as well.

And with these engine, lots go wrong from, coolant turbo lines, pcv hoses, oil return covers for turbos, valve cover gaskets, rear main seals and that coolant plate above the rear main as well. Parts are fairly cheap, it's the labor that will break the bank. But being a tech makes this affordable for me. Always something to consider when getting one that needs work.

The v8 sound is great in both n63 and s63. And I love a challenge haha.
I will update as I start doing the job. Pics and some info to come.

[sbin]

Will be doing my own work also.
Noticed the e70 n63 with engine problems are very cheap.
Will take my time and find a very clean one and make it a spring project.
N20 and n55 were surprisingly easy to work on
.$30 spark plugs for N20 was a little shooking.

[m4AY]

Yeah not everything is cheap for parts. But still fairly easy to work on. Yes the n20 is a baby engine compared to a twin turbo v8. Not as easy, but if you have some skill, just take your time. It's all made to be serviced/repaired. The n55 is a decent motor too. Here in Canada we get a lot of them seize, due to short trip driving, moisture will build up in engine, free in our awesome winter weather, so oil galleries get plugged and engine seizes.
I have an e53 x5 4.8is, super cool na v8. And just bought an e70 x5m. These suvs drive so nice when working right. If you can find x5m needing work, go for it.

[sbin]

Even broken X5M are still expensive and not common.

Have seen several 2012-13 X5 50I loaded in beautiful condition with an engine problem cheap.Around $5k

Will start with a budget N63 project and see how I like it.

My daughter's X3 f25 is that same blue color.

[Tundraguy]

That's awesome you are doing the work yourself. I'm pretty mechanically inclined and I'm looking into a higher milage x5m as well. With that being said I'm not sure I'm ready to drop them engine for a rebuild though. From what everyone is saying any x5m around the 100k+ miles needs serious work.

[m4AY]

Once out of warranty, nothing gets fixed on these vehicles. Parts aren't too bad, but the labor costs out weights the vehicle value. So as a tech, I love the old ones as the labor is free.
If your mechanically inclined then grab one. If it's knocking then your in for a rebuild, easiest way is to do an oil change and look at the filter for metal. Every other leak is fixable, but to rebuild an engine is too much money. And not a lot available, and do you trust a used engine. Bottom line it's an M car and price is always more but if you can fix it yourself then get one

[m4AY]

Update. Finally got some time to work on my x5m. Removed subframe and oil pan. And removed connecting rod bearings. 200,000kms on these oem bearings. No knocking at all, just was doing the upper oil pan gasket and noticed gold filings in oil cap, so as preventive maintenance I wanted to change the bearings.

I installed standard size ACL race bearings and 16 new con rod bolts(oem).

[JellyStyle]

While you are in the oil pan, you should check the oil pump chain tension; Sophisticated Redneck has a video on it.. it comes loose over time, has no auto tensioner.

[Tundraguy]

Originally Posted by m4AY

Update. Finally got some time to work on my x5m. Removed subframe and oil pan. And removed connecting rod bearings. 200,000kms on these oem bearings. No knocking at all, just was doing the upper oil pan gasket and noticed gold filings in oil cap, so as preventive maintenance I wanted to change the bearings.

I installed standard size ACL race bearings and 16 new con rod bolts(oem).

What causes the bearings to get wear?

[m4AY]

Originally Posted by jajja

While you are in the oil pan, you should check the oil pump chain tension; Sophisticated Redneck has a video on it.. it comes loose over time, has no auto tensioner.

Thanks for the tip. I checked the oilpump chain and it was way out of spec. Adjusted to 10mm of slack. Engine is all back together now, running. No Engine noise or anything strange yet.

[m4AY]

Originally Posted by Tundraguy

What causes the bearings to get wear?

Lack of oil changes, dirt, heat, but bearings are a wear item. I found the gold flakes in my filter so I wanted to replace the rod bearings. Preventive maintenance

[Tundraguy]

Originally Posted by m4AY

Lack of oil changes, dirt, heat, but bearings are a wear item. I found the gold flakes in my filter so I wanted to replace the rod bearings. Preventive maintenance

I don't believe rod bearings to be a maintenance item. Maybe I'm just spoilt from owning Toyotas. I'm glad the bearing damage is related to lack of maintenance, rather than just random failure on the s63.

[m4AY]

Originally Posted by Tundraguy

I don't believe rod bearings to be a maintenance item. Maybe I'm just spoilt from owning Toyotas. I'm glad the bearing damage is related to lack of maintenance, rather than just random failure on the s63.

The oil changes on my x5m were done every 7k. But at 200k now, there was no noise or issues, except the gold glitter, I figured I would replace the bearings as I was doing the upper pan gasket. So for me it was preventive maintenance. S63 engines have there oil and coolant leaks. And the v8 e90m3 and m5 v10 did recommend replacing rod bearings at 80k. Not for the s63 though.

[JellyStyle]

has anyone considered ACL bearings vs. OEM?
hard to get but supposedly superior and less than OEM.
https://aclraceseries.com/contact.html

[m4AY]

I got installed the ACL race bearings, standard size. Didn't have a problem getting in Canada. $240 cad on sale from park auto. Oem were more expensive and not in stock. I can't compare what is better, but oem held up at 200k, I wouldn't say oem is faulty, lots of factors that ruin bearings.

[m4AY]

Here is what I bought. 269 cad.

[GregWX5]

What other parts did you replace when you did this job? Do you happen to have a quick parts list? When removing the subframe, front transfer case, and drive shafts what other seals need to be replaced for re-assembly?

Did you do the oil pump chain and sprocket (is that accessible?). What about the real crank seal and coolant cover? Just curious as I'm evaluating this repair as I have a leaking upper oil pan gasket.

[m4AY]

Originally Posted by GregWX5

What other parts did you replace when you did this job? Do you happen to have a quick parts list? When removing the subframe, front transfer case, and drive shafts what other seals need to be replaced for re-assembly?

Did you do the oil pump chain and sprocket (is that accessible?). What about the real crank seal and coolant cover? Just curious as I'm evaluating this repair as I have a leaking upper oil pan gasket.

ok, so subframe down,
-2 front axle seals,
-2 o-rings on the front diff,
-2 o-rings for the oil cooler lines(bolt next to the oil filter),
-2 front axle nuts(torque 420nm)
-upper pan gasket and bolts(torqued 27nm)
-lower pan gasket and bolts(also 27nm)
-oil pump chain adjusted(10-12mm side to side play)was way out
-oil filter and oil change
-acl standard size rod bearings
-new oem rod bearing bolts(see attached pic for torque spec)

rear crank seal and coolant plate cannot be replaced unless transmission is removed. and eventually i will be doing that.
but the rod bearings are right there, with the pan down, oil pump chain and sprocket not needed for replacement, just adjust, watch some youtube video's on how to adjust

[m4AY]

Originally Posted by m4AY

ok, so subframe down,
-2 front axle seals,
-2 o-rings on the front diff,
-2 o-rings for the oil cooler lines(bolt next to the oil filter),
-2 front axle nuts(torque 420nm)
-upper pan gasket and bolts(torqued 27nm)
-lower pan gasket and bolts(also 27nm)
-oil pump chain adjusted(10-12mm side to side play)was way out
-oil filter and oil change
-acl standard size rod bearings
-new oem rod bearing bolts(see attached pic for torque spec)

rear crank seal and coolant plate cannot be replaced unless transmission is removed. and eventually i will be doing that.
but the rod bearings are right there, with the pan down, oil pump chain and sprocket not needed for replacement, just adjust, watch some youtube video's on how to adjust