BMW N55 ROD BEARING FAILURE | What You Need to Know: Explanation, Prevention, & Solution
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- Опубліковано 20 чер 2024
- Today's video dives into the issue of rod bearing failure on the BMW N55 platform. This is something which is not talked about very often and while its not an extremely prevalent issue, there are certain scenarios where it can become a major concern. Fortunately there are some pretty straightforward solutions and upgrades that can help to maintain/prolong the life of your motor. If you enjoyed this video please make sure to leave a like and subscribe for more awesome content!
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Index:
Intro - 0:00 - 1:20
Analysis of Issue - 1:21 - 3:32
Solution - 3:33 - 8:09 - Авто та транспорт
I forgot to mention in the video that the N55 F87 M2 uses the same oiling system from the M3/M4 and doesn’t specifically apply to this video 👍🏼
Does this pan work on x-drive N55 cars? What's the part number?
What? U jus said in video to retrofit n55 w s55 pump n sump that means theyre not same. Thas what this video is about. Im totally confused now. U say thas the remedy. Now u say thas not wat this is about??
@@jackhere4594f87 m2s are not the same n55s
Amazing info as always love the n55 content 👍
glad to hear that, thank you for watching!!
great video! this is one of the reasons i picked up my ‘16 F87 M2 a while back over the M235i i was looking at
gotta love the M2 !
Great video. Do you know if the s55 pan and oil pump is a direct bolt on to e series n55?
Can i retrofit the F8x pan on a n55 e92 or is it only interchangeable within the f series? Great video btw!!
Nice video man. Good set up. Useful information.
Thank you brotha, much appreciated!
I was wondering if running different types of tires will affect the oil starvation.
I came from subarus and that was a concern when hitting the track. If you run slick o very sticky semi slick tires you put a lot of g while cornering causing oil starvation. The solution to this was a bigger oil sump, pick up and baffletray ( killer B).
I tracked my aubie a lot and never spun a bearing in the track running regular tires.
From what ive been studing, The bmw n55 oil sump is way more efficient and uses more oil than the ej. So i reckon that running semi slick tires ( tdw 180-240) shouldn't be an issue for the occasional owner that tracks his n55 2-5 times a year... but never is a bad idea to add 500cc more of oil if u go to the track as excessive overfill will actually cause a lot of damage like you said.
The 2 most important things to be aware of if you like to trac k your n55, are:
•Never push your engine hard until has reach at least 80°C this is what causes spun bearings 70% of the time.
•It is not a race car and it should not be treat like one, Know the limits of the car.
•Use quality oil in a shorter interval than the one recommended by bmw and check levels regularly.
Great video buddy always proving good knowledge. Keep it up
Awesome content. Please continue to do this in depth research and present it in easily understandable fashion like this. Big fan.
Most definitely will! Thank you for watching! :D
Tracking, not letting oil get up to temp, bad maintenance, wrong oil, cold climate. So many factors. Doesn't concern 90%. Of course forums are going to have all the people complaining about failures. Not reality though. Guys that track these see as low as 10psi oil pressure. Thats the biggest problem. Well said sir.
Thanks man! Yea its not common by any means but ive had people message me on instagram with pics of their bearings after they went out
Great video , Always remember to prime the vehicle after major repairs such as Oil filter housing gaskets, oil pan gasket changes and anything dealing with oil circulation . That is one way you can prevent major damage to the rod bearings.
Thank you for the video man.
Learned the hard way. Rod knock after a couple of miles
What you mean prime?
Great to know this as an m235i owner, thanks for the in depth video omar
Anytime brother, glad you enjoyed the video 👍
Very informative, thanks for posting.
You’re very welcome 👍🏼
Is there an alternative for the xDrive n55's? Or is this not an issue on those.
Really helpful thank you 🙏🏽
great info!
Funny that you post this today. My engine starved of oil last night on a hard corner and seized. Fun time.
thats fucked... sorry to hear dude. what year and chassis if u dont mind me asking.
im sorry to hear it man :( that always sucks
Have you ever tracked it? Do you drive it hard regularly?
thanks for sharing the info very helpfull
Is the Oil Pan same to the N54? If not is there a solution for N54?
awesome content!
What if you have a xdrive model
Thanks for the info!! I’ll keep in mind the N55 M2 oil pan if I ever need it!!
No problem man! Thanks for tuning in!
Bro. If you need it, its too late. BMW charges almost 20 grand to replace a n55. You can have an independent shop do it for around ten. I would know, stuck paying $20k for a 2011 335i m-sport 6 speed. Just clicked 100k miles. Warranty just ran out.
Rod knock.
@@onthegoresto7742 Ouch!! At that point, why not sell the car and buy another one!!
Even in oem cars (suspension, tires and brakes)? Or it’s more offen in modified cars with slick, coilovers?
whered u get the model m3/m4 thats neat
Good video. Folks should know that newer N55s have the S55 road bearings. 2014 and newer. All 435i’s have them.
I'm at 80k miles and going big turbo, should I still do them?
@@Racekorboynah
It’s not the rod bearings lmao it’s the oiling system
Omar really informative video as always you can buy a modified sump pan with better baffles and pick so this cures this problem 👍👍🇬🇧🇬🇧
Thank you for the info, Paul! Appreciate you tuning into the vid
I just had an engine swap for my 535i, 2011. It finally drives after having me trying to mess with it for close to year and half.
Oh wow I was just doing research on doing rod bearings on my N55. Great timing for this video 😂 just a quick question. does this also apply to E series n55 as well?
Yes, but remember the N55 was in a ton more vehicles and produced in much more numbers than the n54 and N55 rod bearing failure is rare when you consider how many were made. Most failures I have seen have been on multiple owner cars with limited or unknown maintenance history.
If you change the pump and pan, does it require the same amount of oil?
Yes, i believe it still requires the same amount
Just swapped my bearings with some King bearings while upgrading my turbo. Did so for peace of mind
Definitely a good move to make man, glad to hear that!
How much was the labor on that job?
How is that holding up? I`m afraid to do that because the bearings are color coded
@@TK-jj9xr Still no issues
@@BreezeLock still any problems, how many miles have you put on it, what mileage did you change them at? Thanks in advance
Does the S55 oil pan work with xdrive n55s?
I dont think so
So is an n55 engine reliable, looking to get an F30 but a lil iffy after seeing problems with this type of stuff
Change your oil more frequently and you will have no problems
Oilpan change goes for rwd cars. xDrive cars have different oilpan cos drive shaft goes thru it. Does it allow s55 oilpump swap...no idea.
ahhhh gotcha, i didnt know this! Thank you for the clarification!
On the N54, I've seen these rod bearings fail on well maintained grocery getters.
Bout to buy an M2. Thanks for the info man.
anytime man, good luck on the purchase!
Idk how you got 50k, most of your early videos were inaccurate. But kudos bro, this video actually was factual and informative
I kinda have a crazy thought pf buying a m235i, but I have a budget of 20k which about where they start in europe, does anybody know what should I expect from a automatic m235i that’s around 100k km an 20k €? Should I go for it or would it be better to go for a e89 z4?
Good ass video didn’t know any of this about my car.
Glad that you were able to get some solid info out of the video!
Upgrade the sump and bearings now bud. Don't be like me, paying off a $20k car with an expired warranty and rod knock.
Great that it works on the F-Series, how about the E?
I did it on my 135i e82 full bolt on but u need electro steering
instagram.com/p/CN-zigWhSZh/?igshid=gwkmui26zk0r
@@TheElDimitry can you elaborate a little? I have an e82 135i as well. Looking to do this. But the company says my build date wasnt tested. 4/2011 e82 N55
So in conclusion I need to retrofit the M4 oil pan and oil pump?
Replace and upgrade the bearings while you're in there.
any chance does anyone have s55 oil pump and pan part numbers? do we use n55 gasket?
Thoughts Omar? Should I sell my M235i for a m4? For a 981? Or keep the N55?
B58
Can you retrofit an S55 Oil pump onto an N55 without the s55 oil pan?
noope
MMR make a drop in sump, perhaps not as good as the S55 setup but a fair amount cheaper.
That intro though 👍
😎
@@SimplyCarThings do you have a link to the song?
Is it common even in oem cars (suspension, tires and brakes)? Or it’s more offen in modified cars with slick, coilovers?
Tires and coil overs won’t affected these things whatsoever
My car was mostly stock besides down pipes and a tune. Did a lot of pulling and speeding. I hit 150 and boop there goes my engine.
@@vlonezay8054 damn, 150k miles is actually good for N55. Did you swap it or sell it as a shell?
@@OGYELLOW I meant I did a pull to 150 mph lol. The mileage when I got it was 115, and it lasted till 121. Looking back it was pretty stupid considering it was my first car. I went with a swap.
@@vlonezay8054 how much was the swap and how many miles was on the swap? Did you do new bearings before swapping it in?
Lucas, problem sloved
Does it really work?
great video brother, thank you for the info.
Of course bro, thank you for watching!
I put s55 oil pan & pumps on my e82 135i full bolt on except electro steering rack it’s from 325ie90 lci
y not use the n55 pan
Love the office setting
thanks man, its gona look a lot nicer in the coming months :D
Hell yea thumbs up..
So what is the best solution for engines that they already have a small pieces of metal in the oil filter, you can hear some knocking, but it is still running? Just change the rod bearings and hope? Or completely rebuild the engine or swap for another one? Thanks for the comments!
Depends on how bad some times you can change out bearings and it will fix but if prolonged it can cause more internal damage. Best sourcing a new/used engine. Rebuilding one will cost a lot, unless of course that the money doesn't matter.
I’ve got a n55 being rebuilt right now for this very reason started knocking spun a bearing☹️ I’m definitely upgrading the sump
Tracked?
Tracked?
@@jay5887 sorry I mean had the car been taken to a race track with high G force turns
Yes the car had previously been on a track day a few days later it started knocking then eventually seized, it has a ps1 turbo running 460bhp 680nm, my engineer explained that all rod bearings were on their way out eventually but cylinder 1 got there first . I guess that’s the result of high boost at low rpm over aggressive timing and sketchy intake temps!
@@m15t3rboost3 my understanding is that the engine is fine with the abuse, the issue is oil starvation when the car takes high G turns. The m3 and other performance models get a beveled oil pan to prevent starvation.
So buying an N55 M2 is best choice if you want to do track day regularly. Otherwise stick with anything N55 35i on road for driving pleasure commuting.
So can you or can you not swap the s55 sump and pump on e chassis n55?
im not entirely sure about this, ive searched everywhere and cant seem to find an answer, im going to contact a mechanic friend of mine and see if i can find out
@@SimplyCarThings As a new e82 N55 owner, I'd love to know
ua-cam.com/video/zDip79CZWJo/v-deo.html
@@MindOverEverything did you ever find out?
@@SimplyCarThings did you ever find out? My car is a ticking time bomb
Car in thumbnail used to live at the track near me.. in DFW. It’s an m240i
no way! thats sweet
Simply Car Things it’s a 235iR kit, here’s the build thread: www.2addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1487864
My N55 spun bearings a few years ago at 82k miles. Had to get rid of it shortly after. So unfortunate because I really loved it. BMW screwed up royally on this engine. I always wonder why hasn't a class action lawsuit hasn't been made yet for these engines. All I did was daily drive it, never saw a track.
Sounds like you did the damage! 95% of the N55 are just fine. Mine is just fine at 150K.....
@@AgonxOC nope… after I wrote this comment I did some more research and it turns out that the n55 will spin a bearing after an improper OFHG change. There is a special priming procedure and if you don’t do it after changing that gasket, you get air in the system and you will run the engine dry for a few seconds. Many people reported the same issue after having a shop or dealer change their OFHG
@@FreePalestine1948 What a nonsense....... Are you using forum anecdotal experiences? I didn't have an issues when mine was done many miles ago. A buddy did his recently and his car still going strong. So non sense!
@@AgonxOC lol why am I wasting my time with you? I don’t care what you think. I was simply stating a phenomenon that I noticed with many people who had their OFHG replaced and their bearings spun right after.
@@FreePalestine1948 a phenomenon alright! Based on my own personal observation, this is not true. The SIB came in 2020 and it talks about the replacement of parts, for which “priming” makes sense, but if lack “priming” is a causal factor for bearing failure, etc, and BMW provided the procedure, can you blame the engine? Or the person working on it. Most normally used N55 are fine. It’s the racer wanna be who abuse their car without even monitoring things like oil pressures etc.
BMW has been aware of this issue and that’s why M2’s N55 uses S55’s oil sump design.
Never thought it would happen to me but I have 2013 535i with 57k miles and my connecting rods went bad so I dont know what to do. its 20k to replace the motor.
Did you have a Vehicle Service Contract?
Did you drive the car hard? How often were the oil changes done?
Office space looks nice, but just a thought, you need some more lighting, white balance and it seems like you're a bit out of focus! Otherwise, looks good!
Thank you bro! Yes totally agree with you, working on some adjustments to ensure the lighting, quality of vids, and resolution are up to par
How does this problem start ?
Yessir good info!
thank you my guy !
can this happen on 2015 BMW X4 35i? n55?
Not common my ass. Had a kid. Sold my camaro. Saved for a year. Put down a good chunk of change on a 2011 335i m-sport. Blk on black. Had it for 6 months, rod knock. Gonna cost a minimum of ten grand to replace the engine. 20 grand if I go through BMW. I still owe 8 on the car. Been sitting for a year now while I pay it off. Amazing car for the 6 months it worked. But I did drive it hard. And the guy before me who installed a jb4 drove it hard too, I'm Sure. Don't tell these people "most" people won't have to deal with issue. Because these cars are becoming more affordable now. So everyone is going to buy them and drive them until they blow up. Just my take on it.
Damn! I just picked up a 2011 335i m sport at 118k miles. It has all the service history and the engine runs smooth. The last owner had mhd stage 2+ tune with all the bolt-on upgrades. The car was put back to stage 0 when selling. As im learning these, its becoming harder to enjoy driving the car.
@Enayet Khan yup. About 6 months left of payments on it. A little homework into the n55 and you'll find that there's a few different reasons why tons of people experience premature engine failure. Something to do with the oil filter housing gaskets leaking, then the lower bearings go after it gets fixed? Then I remember reading the oil sump pickup is on one side of the pump so If you're cornering too hard in your ultimate driving machine, you might loose oil pressure. They corrected the issue with the s55 version of of the engine, by putting in two oil sump pick ups... what a waste of money. Should have just stuck with a 330 but I just had to have that power..... I got another camaro.
We poppin fam on the road to 50k!!!!
yessssssir 🙏 appreciate the support bro!
I own a 2014 435i. I recently suffered rod bearing damage due to low oil pressure. The overall solution that I was told is to have the entire engine replaced, but I am not trying to do that.
i’m sorry to hear that man, i think an engine rebuild would be best if the motor can be salvaged
What caused the low oil pressure? Were u low on oil prior?
Should I worry about rod knocking with a 2011 535i. I just bought it and it has 109000 miles, only one owner
Definitely you should be , my 2013 535i had to get its motor replaced bc of this shit
If you overfill 300 ml of oil, could it save your engine for track circuits?
NO!
You should NEVER overfill an engine with hydraulic lifters, as this will almost certainly cause the lifters to fill with air instead of oil, which will result in damage to the lifters.
can damage the whole engine also, because if the oil level is too much the crankshaft can hit the oil and it will cause oil starvation
Is my 2012 coupe 335xi an N55?
yes it is
What's the type of the wheel rim in 4:50
volk racing ze40. I run them on my M4 i have a few videos of it
I consider the 2017 B58 M240i or xdrive as more of a M car engine over 2016 N55 M2 and they made 340i's in 2016 w B58's. The 11-12 1M had a N54 when the regular 1 series 11-13 135's had a N55. Why did bmw even bother with it? I expected the M2 to have the B58 upon its launch but once I realized it was N55 I found it to be utterly appalling.
I just starting dealing with this issue 90k miles smh
MY 11 135i M Sport DCT. My engine has developed rod knock - it does happen. Car was not being tracked or raced at the time . Just started to knock. If you idle engine or keep it under 2k you would not know. It was full of oil.
Did you happen to do OFHG?
@@Areku06 No mate. Car was on ramps do do exhaust work. Started it and ran it on ramps for a while. Knock developed soon after. Cant see the ramps as being the problem though. I have an F20 engine rhat we will fit.
I’d suspect the inadequate N55 oil pump was unable to get enough oil while tilted on those ramps maybe?
Theres swarf in my oil.. but bmw wont do anything about it and its co ered under warranty
Don’t forget the b58s in the bmws (not Supra)
just had my n55 m235i seize. do not use metal filters that are reusable! bog mistake for me.. 10k.. i had 141k on the motor too
When you say don't use metal filters, you mean metal filter housings?
If so why not?
Sorry to say but I think the title is slightly miss leading as this issue applies to most normal road cars. Without a baffled sump, oil starvation is likely to happen if you use a normal road car hard and for long periods on the track. This is what the M cars are designed to do.
The early M2 has an up rated n55 engine. BMW gave the M2 N55 a forged crankshaft, forged connecting rods and newer piston rings, a reshaped oil pan, a new oil drain pump and additional oil coolers. It also had its spray-on cylinder liners replaced with cast-iron ones. This is so it can be used hard on the track.
Forged crank and rods are also on the m135i and m235i
friction modifier = required
ah shit just did my rod bearings on my e46 M3 last year, here we go again
My rod bearings failed on my 2012 e92 335i 2 weeks ago at 52k miles :/
Noooo :( i’m sorry to hear it man, i’m sure your car will be back up and running soon
Tracked?
What happened when it failed???? What caused it to fail? Did u recently do a oil filter housing gasket replacement or what
Ik this is old page but blew two n55 due to oil starvation (;
Where you low on oil? Long change intervals? & what year N55?
I thought it was the e9X v8 and the m5v10
It’s not as widespread of an issue on N55 like i said, but in certain scenarios if you wana run very high power or track the car often it’s worth looking into 👌🏼
It’s a real thing lol wish I would have did it
3:42 Meant to say OVER-FILL not OVER-FLOW
Not more than half to one quart
Yes, thank you for the correction
@@SimplyCarThings Other than that it was a crazy good video! Thanks for digging into this topic so deeply and sharing the knowledge so well. Take a look at my little channel, just getting rolling. Collab someday?
I disagree with this, the N55 doesn't have rob bearing issues. They use S55 bearings. But yeah, high G's will oil starve the bearings.
Yea, the rod bearing issues arise as a result of oil starvation 😃
A lot of ofhg leaking causing thrown bearings
def good to get the gasket replaced when it starts to leak 😬😬
I have word from N55 owners that if you aren't careful when replacing the Oil Filter Housing Gasket, the engine could seize up, requiring a new motor.
Yea i believe oil can leak onto the main belt, deteriorate/shred it, and then it can get sucked into the front main seal 😬
Simply Car Things Yup, I heard the exact same thing. This kinda backed me off from buying an E90 N55
@@SimplyCarThings Although that can happen (and has happened to me), I dont think thats the scenario hes bringing up.
Theres been a series of threads where n55 (and n54) owners have had their engines seize after driving the car for a couple of minutes after an OFHG change. Some think its dirt getting into the housing and clogging the engine leading to starvation. Some think its because the engine needs to be primed after doing the job.
Seen this happen countless times. Best way to prevent this is to drain the coolant out of the upper radiator hose (or lower if you want to be extra safe) before unbolting the heat exchanger and oil filter housing. Lots of guys use scotch brite pads to clean up the mating surfaces, be very careful with this, don't want bits of the scotch brite getting into the oil system. When you're done, pour some fresh oil into the oil filter housing. Top off coolant and bleed system. Now the most important part is PRIMING THE ENGING OIL SYSTEM. Best way to do this is to disconnect the ignition wiring harness from the DME, then crank the engine for 10-15 seconds, wait 30 seconds, then repeat twice. This will get any air pockets out of the oil system before you start the engine. Plug the harness back in and you're good to go. Hope this saves some engines.
Also have never seen this happen with N54 or N52/1 but anything's possible. Those 2 engines are basically bulletproof. I've replaced probably 20 N55s and only seen one bad N54 with low compression. That had 190K on it.
I had to replaced a m54 20 year old motor due to rod bearings come on bmw
Thats a little more understandable at least haha
Never had issues with M52 engines. M52 was a solid engine. The M54 always consumed oil for some reason.
My N54 rods gave out at 118,000 miles
Do you know what the specific cause was for why they gave out?
@@SimplyCarThings nope stock car only had a stage 1 tune and DCI, oil change every 4,000km wasn’t winter driven or driven hard for that matter, just bad luck, gonna do a compression test in the spring of the cylinder walls are still good I’ll rebuild if not a new N54 engine in we’re I’m from is only $1000-2400Cdn I’ll swap engine myself with a buddy and save labour cost
I thought m3 v8 only had that issues smh
Yea it’s not very common on the N55 like i said, but in certain scenarios it’s definitely worth looking into 👍🏼
If you replace rod bearing every 80k kilometres on m3 v8, you are good. Plus, let the engine warm up.
and the v10 m5
@@SimplyCarThings I'd think the issue is a little different one since on the mentioned M engines (S65, S85) hopefully(!?) are not subjected to oil starvation since they're a more track oriented car setup? rather than that, the rod bearings simply wear out much faster due to the design and higher stress. as Water Fou said, on these M engines you should usually just do rod bearings as a preventative maintenance.
on the M2: that N55 variant is not affected because it has a different oil sump/pan with baffles or sth as well or...?
renizer Exactly ! Preventive maintenance on every m bmw is always the way to have a reliable track car/ daily car. Some people don’t get this, its crazy, they maintain thoses cars like they are toyota corrola’s .
Dry sump
My n55 e series blew up with 64k miles
Dam what was the cuase and what year ?
Jeffrey Sosa ^^^
Just drop some "Prolong" in the engine and you will be AMAZED what that stuff will do to the engine/parts!
😂😂 I remember the ads in the mid 90s , good one
BMW refuses to acknowledge this issue .Also the BS in regard to zf being sealed for life !
zf the manufacturer say change gearbox oil n filter at 60k and while your there do the rod bearings or wave 10 k goodbye on an engine rebuild when it throws the rod bearings or stretch bolts fail.
N55e > N55f
Lol wth since when did n55 have rod bearing issues.
Just spun mine at 80k miles. 2011 bmw 335i with the n55. Full bolt on and e85 mix map. Makes 350hp and 420torque oil changes every 3k miles. Still spun it. Heard other very similar stories. Happens a lot
basically, bmw, oil, problem
This issue could really apply to any car with the exception of a few vehicles (GT350, Porsche GT3, etc) 99% of cars are not designed for track use. Your video is informative but the title is very misleading.
I appreciate your feedback, when I uploaded this video I had many people message me on Instagram talking about how they experienced Rod bearing failures on their N55 even without track use. Its definitely still an issue regardless of the type of driving you're doing, however it's much more prevalent on track like i stated
@@SimplyCarThings I think most of the failures I've seen on a dealership level are due to lack of maintenance and poor driving habits. Anyone who leased one of these cars didn't really care because they were going to give it back in three years. Chances are if you are bringing your car to the track it's not stock either which is an enormous variable. Street cars aren't build to handle track duty, and driving a vehicle aggressively on a track will increase the odds of catastrophic failure significantly.
"Platform".....the most misused word in the world. A car is a platform.....a truck is a platform.....a skateboard can be a platform. An N55 engine is not a platform.
This is pretty misleading. xDrive n55 oil pan is different than s55. Wont fit. Do your research
i dont think i ever mentioned this being applicable to xdrive cars did i?