[tlow98]

Originally Posted by StradaRedlands

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.

And it warms up so much faster with the exchanger!

[lowrydr310]

Originally Posted by mainbearing

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.

N54 issues are all "external" problems that have been mostly resolved by part revisions, but really it is just injectors, high pressure fuel pump, and the early turbos that caused the most headache. The mechanical components of the engine are robust.

Friend of mine was a MB guy up until his last car. I don't know their body or engine code nomenclature, but whatever recent S class he had suffered fatal engine problems, something about a cylinder coating that wore off because they added turbos to a family of engines that were designed as naturally aspirated engines, at least that's what he told me.

I have no complaints about my N52, the engine makes good power and revs high, it feels good to drive it. Can't say much about long-long-term reliability because it's still a baby with under 170K miles, meticulously maintained by the current and previous owner.

[kkasson]

Originally Posted by 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.

Yeah, I have to wonder if this was done for fleet fuel mileage reasons instead of just performance? 22 lbs isn't gonna do much for an individual car but that weight savings might add up across the whole fleet.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by lowrydr310

N54 issues are all "external" problems that have been mostly resolved by part revisions, but really it is just injectors, high pressure fuel pump, and the early turbos that caused the most headache. The mechanical components of the engine are robust.

Friend of mine was a MB guy up until his last car. I don't know their body or engine code nomenclature, but whatever recent S class he had suffered fatal engine problems, something about a cylinder coating that wore off because they added turbos to a family of engines that were designed as naturally aspirated engines, at least that's what he told me.

I have no complaints about my N52, the engine makes good power and revs high, it feels good to drive it. Can't say much about long-long-term reliability because it's still a baby with under 170K miles, meticulously maintained by the current and previous owner.

Exactly. "Still a baby at 170,000 miles."

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by kkasson

Yeah, I have to wonder if this was done for fleet fuel mileage reasons instead of just performance? 22 lbs isn't gonna do much for an individual car but that weight savings might add up across the whole fleet.

I think BMW still at that time undertook engineering challenges just to prove a point. I think more important to consider is the N52's reliability regarding the Valvetronic and VANOS systems. Stout.

[lowrydr310]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

I think BMW still at that time undertook engineering challenges just to prove a point. I think more important to consider is the N52's reliability regarding the Valvetronic and VANOS systems. Stout.

Same with the N54... Turbocharged gasoline direct injection was pretty novel for a mass produced car in the mid 2000s. 20 years later and every car is turbocharged with direct injection. Well maybe not to prove a point, it does make a lot of power while minimizing fuel consumption and emissions.

[renepark]

N52 is cool

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by renepark

N52 is cool

Facts.

[Lochstar8]

UPDATE: I just did my oil FILTER change at 5330km. (Little late I know sorry) Quite a bit more meterial since the first post when I started this thread.


By the way: I’m running castrol euro formula 0W-40. For winter

I have a few varying factors that may have played a part in the larger amount of material.

1. The outside temperature here in Alberta is quite a lot colder this time of year and the car sits outside. Basically always below 0° C or 32°F. Sometimes -20° C or -4° F or colder. I kinda doubt this makes a difference but who knows.
2. I just recently went on a 7 hour round trip on a long highway where the car saw steady state 3k RPM for all 600+ kilometres (130 kph). this I would say played a pretty significant part sitting at high oil temps and moderate RPM for long periods of time may have put more meterial in the filter.

Other than that normal driving or same as what I described in my first post.

Apart from those variables the material in the oil filter is practically identical to my original post. Nothing in the filter is magnetic and it’s all those grey/brown flakes.

Now I will say it appears as if these flakes have a grey side and a brown side almost as if the grey side was the portion attached to some surface in the engine. And the brown side is oil staining. Like a crust flacking off somewhere. Now why it is deciding to flake off now, I have no idea.

And I will be continuing to drive to 10k km on this oil to see a second half comparison. I have a suspicion it will be no different but who knows that’s why im doing this.

Otherwise absolutely ZERO difference in engine noise, performance, smoothness. Etc which tells me and is proved by the pictures the filter is doing its job.

For reference car has 342,776km and is a N52B25 not a 3 liter but obviously others have had it on 3 liters as well.

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

I think BMW still at that time undertook engineering challenges just to prove a point. I think more important to consider is the N52's reliability regarding the Valvetronic and VANOS systems. Stout.

Yep. Plus you can overheat the piss out of them and they never seem blow the HG. Unbelievable.

[Runnin'Rich]

Thanks for the update.
Definitely looks like a coating flaking off the inside of the engine somewhere.
When I changed my oil pan gasket I didn’t notice loads of flakes in the pan at 250kkm
You’d think a coating would flake off in big chunks and be in the pan and blocking the oil pump pick up, but that wasn’t the case for me. Unless the problem only begins at around 300kkm
We really need someone with the grey flakes in the filter to do an oil pan gasket change and fully inspect inside the bottom of the engine

[Lochstar8]

Originally Posted by Runnin'Rich

Thanks for the update.
Definitely looks like a coating flaking off the inside of the engine somewhere.
When I changed my oil pan gasket I didn’t notice loads of flakes in the pan at 250kkm
You’d think a coating would flake off in big chunks and be in the pan and blocking the oil pump pick up, but that wasn’t the case for me. Unless the problem only begins at around 300kkm
We really need someone with the grey flakes in the filter to do an oil pan gasket change and fully inspect inside the bottom of the engine

I did an oil pan gasket change at around 280k km and same here noticed nothing out of the ordinary and the pickup was perfectly clean. But I also don’t recall noticing flakes in the filter at that mileage. but I do agree it needs to be done on a car with the problem actively occurring.

I also found it interesting that there was no trace of these flakes on the vanos filters now I’d presume that the oil is filtered prior to those filters. but you’d think if the oil passages also had this coating or build up that has deteriorated over the years you’d find some on the vanos filters post filtration. But I’ve found non, possibly because the oil is under too much pressure and is flowing at a high enough rate that it cannot accumulate this material there. Which would make me think that this material only occurs, whether it’s a build up of something or a layer peeling off in low pressure areas like where oil stagnates.

Again all theory but it’s something to ponder on.

I may have to do a valve cover this year so if I do I’ll post pictures etc.