[Runnin'Rich]

I’ll come back and post more photos on my next oil change. And if you haven’t sent your filter off already to Black Stone Labs I’ll send mine.

I’m using Mobil1 0W40 both engines (not LL01 certified)
Zero oil consumption both engines

One car has had the the oil filter housing off 3 times! The other to my knowledge has never had the oil filter housing removed.

[lookalikehuuh]

Originally Posted by Runnin'Rich

I’m using Mobil1 0W40 both engines (not LL01 certified)
.

Are you using old stock Mobil 1 0W40 or the supercar or other formula? Just asking because its been a couple of years that it regained the LL-01 certification. I think it wasn't certified for a few years, but its again on the list.

https://www.mobil.com/en/lubricants/...bil-1-fs-0w-40

I have also used Mobil 1 0w40 since the first oil change, even when it was not LL-01 certified.

[PKlauser]

Jumping in with some more anecdotes.

A friend and I installed a junkyard N52 with ~60k miles that was in great looking shape...except it had flaking in the block identical to the image Hakentt shared on the first page.

We thought it was odd, but ultimately did nothing. Well that engine ended up spinning a bearing in less than a thousand miles, and the oil filter was totally full of those flakes. My take is that the flakes killed that motor.

I just did a 3k oil change today on my N52 with 190k on it, and I see very similar detritus as the OP. Is it possible these are also the same flakes, but coming off incrementally instead of all at once?

Hoping this data point helps us figure out the pattern as a community

[mainbearing]

I wonder if Blackstone oil analysis can help determine what the flakes are. At least you would not want to see bearing material (tin, lead, copper maybe) in the oil analysis.

[PKlauser]

In my experience over on the E46 rod-bearing side of the world, Blackstone's analysis will only pick up on solids smaller than what's visible to the human eye. Basically, if you can see it, their analysis isn't measuring it. It's a big part of why E46 M3 owners will go from a fine oil analysis to spun bearing in one OCI.

[mainbearing]

^ then that mystery could take a while to solve.

I read even B58's are spinning rod bearings. BMW needs better engineers.

[PKlauser]

Haha agreed. What I'm really curious to see is if we start seeing more and more of this as these engines age.

[mainbearing]

Likewise here. Very curious on what that might be or as a possible result of fluids in the crankcase.

If these engines are considered the most reliable BMW made, I do not want to know what are not.

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by mainbearing

If these engines are considered the most reliable BMW made, I do not want to know what are not.

The N20 would like to meet your acquaintance...

[mainbearing]

LOL! A relative has an F30 with the N20. It drove like a Camry so they went for a Mercedes 6-cyl. They have few problems with the F30 tho, but has low miles.

As far as the subsequent B46/48 to the N20, the BMW DSG sucked big time. Shifts like trash, not what a DSG should be. A ZF 8HP would have been better.

The current Mercedes M256 inline-6 modular engine looks interesting. Rides very well but looks unmaintainable, especially with the integral starter/alternator/mild hybrid drive.

[lookalikehuuh]

Originally Posted by PKlauser

Jumping in with some more anecdotes.

A friend and I installed a junkyard N52 with ~60k miles that was in great looking shape...except it had flaking in the block identical to the image Hakentt shared on the first page.

We thought it was odd, but ultimately did nothing. Well that engine ended up spinning a bearing in less than a thousand miles, and the oil filter was totally full of those flakes. My take is that the flakes killed that motor.

I just did a 3k oil change today on my N52 with 190k on it, and I see very similar detritus as the OP. Is it possible these are also the same flakes, but coming off incrementally instead of all at once?

Hoping this data point helps us figure out the pattern as a community

That looks like sludge that is being filtered out to me. I want to give you some interesting anecdotal information as well. My N54 engine also has sludge flakes that I find in the filter every oil change. My car is pretty heavily tuned and I run E85 fuels daily. It gets run HARD every day so its just part of life for this engine.

What is interesting though... is that the N54 is an all aluminum construction, no magnesium whatsoever in the engine block or rotating assembly. So the theory that is a special coating because its magnesium that is coming off just doesn't add up. I find it more likely that its simply sluge that builds up in low oil flow areas that eventually come off.

Something we do need to keep in mind is that oil flows directly from the oil pickup tube, directly to to pump and gets passed thru the oil filter BEFORE it touches any rotating assemblies or other lubricated parts. As far as I have seen, nobody has reported a clogged pickup tube (other than the guys that didn't maintain their serpantine belt) and nobody has posted a filter that is completely clogged with debris. Yes there has been some debris in the filters, but that is exactly what the filter is there for, to catch anything larger than let's say 20 microns before it ever reaches the bearings, camshafts, etc.

Edit: Walked outside and took a pic of the filter I changed out of my N54 last week... its been draining/drying for a week. So thats why its drier than the ones you guys have posted.

[PKlauser]

Originally Posted by lookalikehuuh

That looks like sludge that is being filtered out to me. I want to give you some interesting anecdotal information as well. My N54 engine also has sludge flakes that I find in the filter every oil change. My car is pretty heavily tuned and I run E85 fuels daily. It gets run HARD every day so its just part of life for this engine.

What is interesting though... is that the N54 is an all aluminum construction, no magnesium whatsoever in the engine block or rotating assembly. So the theory that is a special coating because its magnesium that is coming off just doesn't add up. I find it more likely that its simply sluge that builds up in low oil flow areas that eventually come off.

Something we do need to keep in mind is that oil flows directly from the oil pickup tube, directly to to pump and gets passed thru the oil filter BEFORE it touches any rotating assemblies or other lubricated parts. As far as I have seen, nobody has reported a clogged pickup tube (other than the guys that didn't maintain their serpantine belt) and nobody has posted a filter that is completely clogged with debris. Yes there has been some debris in the filters, but that is exactly what the filter is there for, to catch anything larger than let's say 20 microns before it ever reaches the bearings, camshafts, etc.

Edit: Walked outside and took a pic of the filter I changed out of my N54 last week... its been draining/drying for a week. So thats why its drier than the ones you guys have posted.

Appreciate this, and I think in my case, you might be right, the pieces seem smaller than what the OP is sharing. I wish I had the foresight to have taken photos on that 60k engine I installed, but the flakes visible with the pan off were identical to the photo Hakentt shared and what was shared here: https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/th...filter.375728/

Further, when the 60k motor spun a bearing, the filter was clogged with debris. Again, I 100% should have taken a photo of that.

Here's someone that has a lot of these flakes: https://www.bimmerfest.com/threads/b...view=1#replies

Curious to see what I find when I drop my pan to do the oil pan gasket.

One theory I have is that it was somehow caused in the 60k motor because that motor had sat for years after being pulled, and maybe moisture was some catalyst here. Perhaps this isn't a concern in vehicles that are run regularly.

Or perhaps this is still some external substance like stop-leak that was introduced to the system. I just think it's weird that the flakes look the same every time, and seem somewhat N52 specific.

[bmwstephen]

Hakentt is an experienced tuner and rebuilder so I wouldn’t doubt his experience with these engines. Just so you know the n52 mg construction does not handle the elements or heat cycles very well. Look at users with failed main bearings

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...ium-cracking-!

[hassmaschine]

Originally Posted by bmwstephen

Hakentt is an experienced tuner and rebuilder so I wouldn’t doubt his experience with these engines. Just so you know the n52 mg construction does not handle the elements or heat cycles very well. Look at users with failed main bearings

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...ium-cracking-!

HakenTT is an experienced grifter and scammer, yep, I'll give you that.

there's no context given here. was it overheated? run out of oil? over revved? where are the pics of the bearings that failed? also, the bearing supports aren't magnesium. the parts of the bed plate that bolt together to form the main bearing supports are made of steel, embedded into the magnesium casting. it's not clear at all that those cracks are even meaningful.

also, that earlier link to stuff in the filter - they stated it wasn't metal. I'll bet in these cases it's just sludge build up flaking off and ending up in the filter. I have an N52 on the engine stand that has caked on sludge all over it, I assume from extremely poor maintenance. it's rock hard too and I could see how it would be mistaken for being "metal" when it's just hardened gunk/carbon/burned oil deposits.

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by bmwstephen

Hakentt is an experienced tuner and rebuilder so I wouldn’t doubt his experience with these engines. Just so you know the n52 mg construction does not handle the elements or heat cycles very well. Look at users with failed main bearings

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...ium-cracking-!

Tell us some more good stories. I’ll get some popcorn. And so, now, you’re in with the same company. Noted.

[NZE90]

Originally Posted by bmwstephen

Hakentt is an experienced tuner and rebuilder so I wouldn’t doubt his experience with these engines. Just so you know the n52 mg construction does not handle the elements or heat cycles very well. Look at users with failed main bearings

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...ium-cracking-!

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by bmwstephen

Hakentt is an experienced tuner and rebuilder so I wouldn’t doubt his experience with these engines. Just so you know the n52 mg construction does not handle the elements or heat cycles very well. Look at users with failed main bearings

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...ium-cracking-!

Come on man, we have at least 20 forum members here report in with 200,000 to 300,000 miles on their 15 -20 year old N52, but you say the mag-block doesn't handle elements or heat cycling very well. I'm sorry, but the mound of evidence we have overwhelmingly refutes that statement.

[Hakentt]

Originally Posted by hassmaschine

HakenTT is an experienced grifter and scammer, yep, I'll give you that.
.

Is this Nando? One fact is that you are a scammer and grifter. You are so angry that I know way more about BMWs than you. You got 7300 posts on this forum of just pure trolling and offering no real help to people.

Originally Posted by bmwstephen

Hakentt is an experienced tuner and rebuilder so I wouldn’t doubt his experience with these engines. Just so you know the n52 mg construction does not handle the elements or heat cycles very well. Look at users with failed main bearings

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...ium-cracking-!

thank you

[lookalikehuuh]

Originally Posted by bmwstephen

Hakentt is an experienced tuner and rebuilder so I wouldn’t doubt his experience with these engines. Just so you know the n52 mg construction does not handle the elements or heat cycles very well. Look at users with failed main bearings

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...ium-cracking-!

AWWWWWWW... his girlfriend came out to fight for his/her/their man.

I thinnk its funny that you reference a link to another forum that has a whole 2 posts on it, with both members only having 1 post and 6 post history...

[The Nightman]

Originally Posted by The Nightman

However, I did see numerous reports of the magnesium bedplate developing cracks and the leading theory is due to inconsistent thermal expansion rates. Might be more of an issue on track cars driven hard.

The cracked magnesium bedplates did come up in my earlier research, but it seems limited to track driven cars that may have experienced oil starvation. While not ideal, it's hard to fault the N52 since it's not designed to be a performance engine. A lot of the innovation in this engine seems to push efficiency more than performance.

https://www.1addicts.com/forums/show....php?t=2037773
https://www.facebook.com/groups/7934...6600191164403/

Something's happening with the magnesium in this sample, but it appears to be different from the golden coating peeling in other cases:

[mainbearing]

Magnesium block was just a bad engineering decision on this engine.

For an entry level, lower powered engine, BMW should have focused on reliability instead of saving 22 lbs. Magnesium weakened the block so much BMW could not use it for the N54, which has its own problems.

We were lucky that we did not pick out a new N54 back then. Someone posted a commerical with the N54, and it looked great on the outside. I would say Audi makes way better turbo engines than BMW. Consumer will see how Mercedes' latest modular turbo/supercharger engines last.

I would say keep the cooling system is good working order. Fix any radiator or reservoir cracks ASAP and make sure the system holds pressure. That should alleviate some of the heat related problems some are talking about on this engine, likely including popping cylinder head bolts.

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by mainbearing

I would say keep the cooling system is good working order. Fix any radiator or reservoir cracks ASAP and make sure the system holds pressure. That should alleviate some of the heat related problems some are talking about on this engine, likely including popping cylinder head bolts.

I add heat exchangers on to N52s for this reason. Just a little bit extra heat management. Super easy on AT cars, a bit harder on MT.