A common question in the comments is how can we have a junkyard engine and still be below the $500 limit and here is the answer: The goal of the 24hrs of Lemons is to try to level the playing field by having a bunch of junk cars race. This is the most affordable wheel to wheel racing in the world. Since our engine blew at our first race and we are putting in an equally junky 140k mile junkyard M54 engine which is what came stock with our car, the replacement engine does not count towards the budget. The new seals we installed to stop the oil leaks ($60) and the chain tensioner we installed ($6) does count and the headers ($100) definitely count but we were at $340 after selling everything we could from the car… So now we are at our $500 budget. I need to see if I can sell the cats because those are $400 but something tells me that we can’t haha. With that said, safety stuff does not count towards the $500 budget. Otherwise it’s impossible to race because the fire suppression system alone cost more than $500 and the cage cost $3800. Parts to make the car faster or perform better do count, but not stuff to save the drivers life. Now the “backup engine” is a good opportunity for a collab with another automotive UA-camr who wanted to get involved and is trying to grow his channel. We aren’t using the backup engine unless ours blows up again which I can’t imagine will happen (knock on wood). So that engine won’t count towards the budget because it’s not in the car at the start of the race. If we end up having to swap it in at the track, it still won’t count because the time it takes to swap it in will make it so we are not competitive anymore. The next race we would have to remove it and put in another junk engine or take penalty laps. Lmk if you have any more questions about the $500 budget. Again, the main goal is to prevent people dumping money into a car and have an unfair advantage because they have a bunch of money.
My guy literally inspected and explained every aspect of an engine failure better than my engineering professors that brag about their phds shoutout to chrisfix ❤️🇪🇬
Because of you Chris I got the courage to start my career in this field of work and I own my own shop now! Your the only one that made me feel like I had the ability to make it in thus industry
Same! Chrisfix was a big influence and I was always interested in cars, so at 38 decided I had to give it a try, best decision I ever made! Anyone out there thinking about it, at least try, if you don’t you will regret it!
would be awesome if i had more support in working on cars... currently attending a college but i dont feel like its what i want. i want this, i want to get my hands dirty and at the end of the day, take a look on a car and say "i revived this thing". thats what i want to do. hope i will find enough courage to do it like you guys!
I've never worked on a car engine in my life and only have basic knowledge on how an engine works, but the breakdown and explanation still made perfect sense to me! Love how you're able to take complex topics and break them down into an easy-to-understand video for even the non-mechanically inclined folks.
Even after learning for years how internal combustion engines work I never knew how a spun bearing would damage the engine so this was quite interesting and I definitely learned something new , thanks !
Yeah it makes a big difference if you dont hear the sound and are in racemode so you might think the engine sounds good while its self destructing :) The car could have had very worn bearings from the start and if you buy a car and it sounds OK to you, there might be better condition cars that youve never experienced that could be the "normal condition" ones ;) My volvo 850 has some sound that feels like crank bearing knock but it still takes top speed runs and sounds normal when very warm. I'll let that old heap explode when or if it does :D It sounds "ok" and "normal for an old car" but if I compare it to my parents volvo with same engine thats been rebuilt few years ago its a night and day difference.
@@eamh2002 yeah I'd like to hear a low mile version of the 3.0 v6 in my toyota, mine has 260k miles on the unopened engine and it runs and idles pretty smooth but it might be bad compared to a new one.
I used to “pit crew” for my Dads boss doing dirt circle track racing with trucks. It was so different than what you guys are doing but there was one team that didn’t race all year. They had so many problems that they just couldn’t figure out but they came every other weekend just hoping it would work. Keep it up and I can’t wait to see the next race!
Yo this 24 hours of lemons series is gonna be absolutely legendary. Seriously I don't think any other content on UA-cam can compare to the amount of dedication and entertainment you're putting into each and every video in this series.
I love the explanation of this. I know a ton about metallurgy and it's so interesting to me that the problem was an oil problem -> bearing wear -> friction causing tons of heat -> heat changing the volume and properties of the metal -> and then an explosion. Heat is the BIGGEST problem with internal combustion engines and is absolutely the limiting factor for them.
I think it's important to also remember that oil gets really thin on the track. I actually would not use the factory recommended oil in this car. I'd consider going up to a 10w60 oil. I also recommend a product called Motorkote. I've been using it for years and it really does work. You can check out Project Farm's video on it, it will seriously save an engine in that kind of environment from being cooked. Even if it is a 240k mile worn out hoopty lol. I watched a friend run his chevy small block around the track for almost 20 minutes without realizing it didn't have oil in it (his oil pressure gauge stopped working). The only explanation we could come up with was that the Motorkote saved the engine
I don't know about BMW but running thicker oil can over stress the oil pump and mess with the VVT system. Can confirm, 5w40 in a qr25de nissan engine will lead to engine failure.
@ChrisFix, I'm a former automotive powertrain engineer. When i was 16, I had no clue how cars worked. Thanks for making such awesome videos speaking about the chain of events. You'd be a great teacher.
Love to see a resealed and super clean engine replacement! Might as well flash an EU tune on the DME before the next race. Will go great with the catless headers and SAP delete! Great Job guys, looking forward to Jamie’s video!
Thanks for the tip man! You think messing with the computer is a good idea for the endurance aspect of the car? We really dont need more power as much as we want reliability.
@@chrisfix ECU communicates with oxygen sensors on the cats for emission. Now, whatever it tries it will not help anything because theyre gone Flashing a tune professionally gets you a computer that gives the engine what it needs instead of trying to follow whatever regulations it was designed for Basically, done proper, you enhance reliability by flashing
@@chrisfix No problem! It might actually be better for long term as the extra airflow will be accounted for by the DME. The butt dyno probably won’t notice the difference but the engine should gain a couple HP too!
@@chrisfix EU2 tune is a stock tune that no longer cares for the SAP or post-cat O2 sensors. There should be zero negative effect on reliability as a lot of European E46s run it from factory. You can update it with winkfp and a $20 INPA cable off of eBay/Amazon. You can get the ZUSB (version number) from realoem. Look up "not so complicated install of BMW tools"
I was so sad when you guys didn't manage to get the new engine installed in time to complete the race, but you're all human and installing a engine in that short amount of time was bound to be difficult. Yes finally get to hear that glorious inline 6!!!
Very cool video man. I didn't even know about that aftermarket oil chain tensioner. I'm gonna check out that other video on the engine build now. Btw, don't you have to factor the cost of these replacement engines into the $500 budget? How does that work?
Thanks man! Since we blew up the engine at the race, as long as the same one or something crazy goes back in they wont count it against us. They just dont want you putting an LS or a Viper engine in there or something and making it unfair. An unknown junkyard motor that has a few new hoses and seals wont get us penalty laps... hopefully ;) haha
So basicly, your "500" dollar car exploded. It's now not worth anything. Even if it hadn't you just beat the shit out of a 500 dollar car for 3 days. Its value as far as the judges are conserned is 0. Replacing the same engine doesnt count against you. What could count are the upgrades hes doing to the replacement engine. but they arent actually in the car at the moment. In theory you could endlessly upgrade your car at the end of every race as long as it doesnt exceed 500.00 some of these teams race 4-5 times a year for the past 10 years.. they may look like crap.. but they are surprisingly well engineered by thier teams.
@@chrisfix Ah, nice. Did your teammate who worked on the replacement engine put new bearings in it? Might be something worth doing to prevent another blow up! 😬 They are pretty cheap, as I recall. When I did my rebuild, my main bearings didn't show much wear at all but the rod bearings definitely did for sure. Those can even be done with the engine in the car.
@@50sKid I had strongly considered doing so but I did not have the experience/knowledge/tools to check bearings so we as a team decided against it and I never checked any of them. The engine we got at the junkyard was spotless though, like some evidence of oil leaks that no one cleans up (typical lol) but other than that it was one of the best used looking engines I've seen so I think it was ok not cracking it open and letting all the magic out ;) I predict on my drift car my engine (2.5 with 265,000 miles lol) will shoot some component to the moon by the end of the season so when that happens, I would like to get a 3.0 and do a complete rebuild like you did. I went through your series on the rebuild and it was awesome!
Bearings are one of those things, yes you can replace them, but for the most part, if it isn't showing any issue just leave them or you could make it have an issue with them, a simple oil test. As you don't need to run Cats when racing, you could sell them off, and then the parts 'upgrades' are free/cost reduction.
Chris, you definitely have a talent for explaining things so that they are very easy to understand. That talent is not too common in the world from my experiences, keep up the good work!
Thanks a lot! Part talent but also lots of time and trial and error... but mostly lots and lots of time. For this video I spent 4 days filming, editing and then refilming parts I thought weren't clear and concise. I know people want more videos but I cant publish one I am not 200% happy with haha. I actually get my sister to watch the video when it's done and if she understands it, I know we are good to post haha.
I am an old mechanical idiot but can change basic things and follow instructions. I am most certainly a novice on this stuff but you break down what happens in a way I can understand. I find it so interesting how things work. I have so much respect for the knowledge that people possess and are willing to share. It is crazy how complicated things are that most, including me at times, take for granted. Thank you.
One thing people in general should know is that "low oil pressure light" actually means "not enough oil pressure to even idle safely" (fuel pressure is not a fixed amount, it rises as rpms rise because the engine needs more oil in high rpms). When you get a low oil pressure light, immediately shut off the car. It will spin a bearing and do this quicker than you realize.
This why a lot of experienced Lemons teams have a seperate oil pressure sender set for a hot run or hot oil pressure...usually attached to GIANT trailer indicator light on the dash right in front of of the steering wheel. Drivers cannot be trusted to look at guages but a blinding light right in their field of view is hard to miss. Another is a coolant pressure light. In practice once up to temp the coolant system should be at at least 4 PSI and if it is, light is off. Second it drips below, light comes on. This is important because boiling coolant is still going to show about 212f on a temp guage which is a totally fine racing temp even as it is all boiling right out of the cooling system until you are totally dry.
I think you should've also considered an overheated oil situation. Obviously oil gets thinner the hotter it gets and during prolonged race conditions it can reach temperatures of 130°C and more, which normal oils just aren't designed for. Also the warm oil weight (in your case 40) is measured at operating temperature (90-100°C), which is significantly lower than what you're gonna achieve on track. It means that you're actually getting thinner oil than you may have initially thought. To conclude i would personally run at least a 5W-50 oil, coupled with an oil cooler or at least oil temperature and pressure gauges to keep things in check in the future. Best wishes in the next race, love the content Chris!
I can confirm oil temps definitely affect the pressure. I run a pressure gauge on my dash and I’ve ran the car hot before at 220 (still in oem specs) but the oil was definitely hotter and oil pressure at idle was siting nearly 10psi lower than when coolant is at 180. I do have a factory oil heat exchanger that uses coolant but doesn’t help if the coolant is running at 220. Still made 75psi at higher rpm but definitely shows how real oil temps can affect its performance. Also that certain oils flash point really affect how well it holds up to heat. I’ve found liqui moly endures high heat a lot better than rotella t6 or castrol edge. For daily driving like a normal person, the “oil is oil” makes sense, but driving hard will separate the characteristics of different oils pretty well.
Misha made a video last year that described what kind of oil they run on their Ring Taxis compared to regular oil and also depending on the season. I think the suggest of investigating which kind of oil to run is good one
Hi Chris, nice video ! I'm sure you already know some of these but as a former engine bearing expert, I would suggest couple of things to overcome this situation. It may be true that engine was badly maintained before the race, however it can encounter the same destiny within a short period in race conditions with standard bearings. It is very likely that coating is completely worn out in that con-rod, oil clearance is increased and thus oil pressure is dropped. 1) So high of a rpm for a long time, such as an endurance race, cannot be handled well by a babbitt coated bearing. This coating is very very soft and will wear out quickly even if you replace them with brand new ones. Babbitt coatings also start to detoriate after 180 C, which is very likely to happen during an endurance race. I can see that damaged bearings' brand is Glyco. I'm pretty sure that there is appropriate replacement bearings which are "sputtered". In this case upper con-rod bearings will be coated with much harder material, which will wear out much slower and will handle most of the beating coming from pistons. In this case, lower bearings should still be babbitt coated to embed all the dirt coming from oil with soft layer. 2) Consider using polymer coating ,preferably on top of sputter coating. This will enhance the emergency lubrication properties of the bearing surface especially for short periods of oil starvation (such as cornering etc.). Polymer coatings basically provide dry lubrication properties when there is not enough oil. Extra thickness that comes from polymer coating should be considered in terms of oil clearance ! 3) For race cars, oil clearance should be adjusted slightly higher than a normal street car. Otherwise, at high pressures during race, oil will be squeezed out of the bearing, leaving the bearing less than ideal oil amount.
Your take was very helpful. I am a novice bearing engineer (hydraulic actuator bearings). I was wondering, does higher rpm require higher oil pressure to ensure oil film??. Also does changing the oil clearance require a change in oil pump/system change from stock??. Thanks!
my bearing spun & they said they found fine metal in oil because of it. I haven’t drove my car as far as a mile since the bearings spun. Do you think the engine can be rebuilt or am I likely to have to buy a new one
Thanks for going in-depth on the starvation issue. I’ve heard of spin bearings and understand the issue but this provides a comprehensive overview of what is going on and how things can go wrong.
Loved the forensic analysis of what happened and learned a great deal. Thanks for going into all the detail, as after watching your race video, I was very curious about what happened. I wish you all the best of luck, and safe travels always, on the next run!
Chris your videos are soo good that I willingly watch every ad to the end to make sure you get the commission, I don't think I've ever done that for any other youtuber. Thank you for the awesome videos man
Thanks a lot!!! It took 3 days to do that lol. Between the teardown and trying to figure out the best way to show the parts on the table and then removing the parts and taping towels on the table to make it easier to see. Such a simple thing in concept but as always, it takes forever haha.
I had a spun bearing on my N63 a few years back, after watching this video, it finally made sense on what exactly happened. Thank you for explaining it so well. :)
Freakin' awesome breakdown, dude! Racing really demands details and extremes, and I love where this is going! Perhaps, you could consider ChrisFixRacing as another channel, and leave ChrisFix for the regular repairs on passenger vehicles? The attention to detail and analysis is sound. Keep it all up!
Thanks a lot! I cannot do more UA-cam channels unfortunately. I already have ChrisFish too haha. I can include the good stuff on here and I will post any supplemental stuff on my IG.
Agree, and the enthusiasm behind every single thing he says helps keep people interested and focused. Never a dull moment, no matter how technical or casual his explanation is in the moment.
Really happy with your positive take-aways. One of the hardest things to get new drivers to understand before they get in the car is the need for practice entering the car, exiting the car, and pit stops/fueling. I don't know if you've seen it yet but Mark Petronis has a video titled Survival about a near fatal wreck he had. Since his wreck he has been an extremely positive voice for safety in our hobby and I really appreciate you taking it so seriously in this series! Keep up the good videos.
Thanks a lot man! Is Mark the guy with the Vette that wrecked and he was unconscious? If so, I read all about that and from that day on I said we are adding an auto fire suppression system!
@@chrisfix Yes he is! My primary non-lemons track car is a Corvette and I use several parts his company makes. He's always been really active in the corvette track community and is a very talented driver so when he had his accident it really brought home that we practice safety because of what can go wrong not because of what we expect to happen. I'm really excited to see the automatic fire suppression install, I haven't put one in yet but I've been looking at it for the same reasons!
Hey Chris, if I were you I would re-weld those eBay headers. They’re known for being welded without the filler rod, which makes it easy for the welds to look good but makes them incredibly less strong then normal welds. Just something that could increase its reliability that much more
Man this was an awesome in depth analysis. It actually helps me out, I had a similar issue happen to my vehicle. Engine blew a rod and the auto care service that was driving it at the time had it “inspected” and claimed it was just natural ware and tear. It’s hard to believe only because I took very good care of the vehicle and changed the oil per recommendations. This helps understand more of what could have potentially happened, so I really appreciate you breaking it down (pun) like this.
Bravo! After having enjoyed and been learning from so many of your videos over the years, this series is not only entertaining and exciting, but offering education and understanding of an ICE engine at a level I had not thought I could absorb. Well done - thank you!
I learned a lot from this video. Your diagnosis of finding out the cause is very clear to understand. Thanks for your sharing and your great team as well.
Great video! Really liked the root cause investigation you did and especially the data logging or RPM and coolant temp. Not only did you fix your BMW, but learned what went wrong and came out smarter and more prepared for the next race. One question I do have - are you going to install an oil pressure gauge now?
Most people would have recognized the bearings were shot and attributed it to that. I appreciate Chris showing everyone all of the details of what may happen to a high mileage engine that has not been taken care of well. Now, Chris, cover why diesel engines can get 400k miles between bearing changes?
I'm going to be honest here. Ever since I was 16 I was fascinated about cars and trucks and just knowing how they work. I sat their and said to myself I want to learn this stuff so I can not only work on my own vehicles but help others in need. Since then I can proudly say I've learned so much about vehicles and able to fully work on them with ease of mind. I took on the challenge of fixing up a 95 chevy 2500 6.5L Diesel, and I just want to say thank you chris for teaching and helping people, you're videos are not just helpful to me but to everyone and I always tell people about you're videos. I just want to thank you for everything and I wish you where a speed dial contact when in need of a quick answer! Please keep up the amazing work you do and put it every day when making these videos!❤️
Well Chris, that was the best "Post Mortem" explanation I've seen. I agree about Oil Pressure gauges.. I have an old 95 MB and it drives me crazy having no Oil Pressure gauge. Anyway.. you'll get em' next time. Also, you can't win if you don't finish and you drove really well (to finish). Cheers
I only want to congratulate you for the phenomenal leap of faith you took six years ago 👏👏👏🏆. Am about to take a plunge on a different path focusing on another industry, Thank you for the selfless inspiration and advice Chris🙏.
This was some nice insight into the mechanics of the internal components of an engine. I don't think I'll ever be the one trying to diagnose worn bearings, but good information nonetheless
Wow, good to know, I watch a lot of car videos on UA-cam, I love the detail you said about HOW this motor failed. It really opened my eyes about things to watch out for. I am a engineer, I see things fail all the time but, the most things I want to see is HOW and WHY they failed and understand it. We can learn from others mistakes. It's something I lose sleep over. We can built it better. Thanks for a great detailed video.
Car detective? Chris just re-created the scene and I actually learned. Pffft and people say you can't learn anything from sitting at home watching videos. :D
Wow, I've been a subscriber for a very long time but life happened and I had not seen any of your videos in more than a couple years. I'm shocked and happy to see how far you have come. That explanation was on point and I learned so much! Thanks man. You deserve all the success coz you are one hard working UA-camr.
Great video explaining everything Chris !! As a car lover who’s recently learning more about engines and the mechanical side, I love this type of content 👍🏻 Subscribed to your channel 👌🏻😎
Great explanation on this engine failure. I was thinking how much easier it would have been for you guys to figure out why it failed if that oil pump nut was just backed off instead of having to go through so much research and tests to learn why it actually blew up. However, I'm glad it wasn't that nut because we all learned much more about spun bearings and oil delivery.
Haha thanks. Idk what would have been better. We would have been so upset if the oil pump nut was the cause because we literally debated if we should fix it before the race or not and decided for the first race we wouldn’t.
Love your dedication on this project! Maybe go with 5w50 or 10w60 to have a stronger oil film with high oil temperature. Maybe your oil temperature went to high and thinned out the oil too much. Installing a oil temp / oil pressure display would help you get more Info.
Yes I agree. The temperature is really high on those M54. Most of W40 are not enough even on road use, so chris should go at least to W60 or use an oil radiator to control better oil pressure on track.
Awesome video as always! I knew the term "spun bearing", but honestly until this I never exactly knew what that was. Thank you so much for always being informative, while always being entertaining. Side note, love the use of the address from back to the future with your oil sample. Great little easter egg there!
I like your videos so much I had to stop and come back the next day to finish the video. Not leave and forget, or just outright leave with no intention of coming back. LEFT and CAME BACK. The best compliment I could ever truly give.
Hey Chris! I’m currently in school for auto tech. We recently had a discussion about the driveshaft and the working angle. A question I forgot to ask but figured I’d ask you is, did lowering your mustang change the working angle? If I’m not mistaken the working angle can only be at like 3-4 degrees.
It did but not enough to cause any issues. It was still within spec. The control arms I installed actually allow you to adjust the working angle: ua-cam.com/video/ooDVPPSpkW4/v-deo.html
@@chrisfix ahh cool! Thank you! You’re the main reason why I love learning about cars. When I was 10 years old my mom and I got into a car accident, and she had to run across the highway to check if the other person was ok, cause they pulled left, and we pulled right. This was at midnight and I remember seeing my mom one second then her getting hit by a Lincoln. She’s alive and well, not the same as she once was especially with stamina and mobility. Anyway, I’ve never forgotten that night, and as a kid then I would have frequent nightmares, thankfully I got the help I needed but I never wanted to drive a car. Didn’t get my permit till 17, and my license at 19. I first started watching your videos when I was 18 and I was like “this doesn’t seem so bad” and as I got more comfortable on the road, I became more obsessed with learning how a car functions! Anyway if you read all this thank you! Your videos have truly helped me cope with trauma and helped me find my passion! Thank you so much Chris!
@@gamersens2363 I hope your mother is doing ok still! Stay strong. I found an escape while driving, and enjoyed just cruising. So enjoy the wind in your hair, and remember to smile. - Your internet bro
@@calebh7480 thanks man! Once my mom was hit, I immediately called my friends mom, because we were at there house for there wedding anniversary. Anyway the paramedics starting working on her, but another car stopped and checked on my mom and my mom said “my son is in the car” so after I got out I saw my mom, a detail I overlooked for so long was when I was walking up to my mother, the ambulance quickly threw a large blanket on her from the hip down. So I couldn’t see the full damage, which was something that probably would’ve scarred me more! But yes she is alive and well, she still has rods and screws in her legs, as well as permanent nerve damage, but she is doing good, took a long time for both of us to become okay.
@@gamersens2363 I am glad to hear she is ok. Sucks that she has nerve damage. Best wishes for you and your mother in all future aspects of life. Have a great day
You should make a video of you flowbenching the oe manifold and those aftermarket manifolds. It would be interesting to see the difference in numbers between them.
Tough break. I’ve had something similar happen during an open lapping session. I had just competed an NA high-compression build and ran it at the track after getting it tuned. There must have been the slightest bit of valve float in spite of having aftermarket valves springs because an intake valve snapped and destroyed the motor. Heartbreak to say the least. Good luck with your next race.
Dang that hurts even worse because I know that wasnt cheap to build. At least this engine was the stock engine and we replaced it with another stock engine with some new seals.
@@chrisfix thanks, Chris. As much as it sucked, it was a labour of love. I had spun a bearing on the same motor when it was stock. Rather than swap, I wanted to see what I could do with a 1.6L SOHC (d16z6). I learned a lot and although it didn’t end the way I hoped, I don’t regret a thing. I decided more displacement and another camshaft was the way to go afterward. I supposed if you don’t break something, you’re not trying hard enough!
@@gustavrodriguez910 Same. After blowing up the D, I decided that I wanted more OEM Honda reliability with a few add-on pieces here and there. I opted for an OBD-1 JDM GSR with an ITR LSD 5-speed (4.4 final drive). The motor got an ITR intake camshaft, intake manifold, RDX injectors, larger fuel pump, header, exhaust, Hondata S300 and a tune. The end result is reliable power. So far so good at the track. My channel has all the ups and downs of the process if you care to enjoy some videos 👍.
Love to see that oil analysis. This is such a cool video. As an oil analysis chemist who doesn't get to wrench on many engines, this definitely helps give me more insight into diagnosing certain oil samples. I honestly was expecting those wear metals to be wayyy higher just by looking at the damage. Let me know if you want some oil analysis kits! Keep up the amazing videos :)
Christopher Fixtopher thanks for this indepth breakdown! How do you guys drive with so many warning lights on the dash? I have an e46 as well and only do simple maintenance. But the older she gets the more warning lights she accumulates. Great series! Can't wait to see more!!!
Honestly you dont even look at the dash when you are racing minus a quick glance every so often. There is so much going on. Now on the street those lights would drive me bonkers!
This comment isn't about this video specifically. I've been watching your videos for awhile now and I subscribed just recently. I bought a '75 Corvette and the tail light lenses were faded. Of course I decided to use the method you showed on your truck's 3rd brake light. They look really good! They are 47 years old, so not perfect, but they do look very nice now. I wasn't sure of myself when I started thinking of buying this vette. After watching many of your videos I am much more confident in myself. Thank you so much for your very informative videos.
Hey hey chrisfix, saw this post on instagram and i just knew i had to be ready to see this masterpiece of a video you were working on, hope your doing well, i sure 2022 is gona be fun with vehicles you have plans on working o for us, as well as your other channel, because as we all know, you got bigger fish to fry lol. Have a great day bud
Those pre checked engines with upgraded parts feel way more reliable than the original one, I hope you and your team can make the best out of the next race :)
15:00 Another issue i've heard of in the same vane is oil starvation caused by consistently high rpms that the engine wasn't designed for. Literally all of the oil in the sump is pumped out, but doesn't drain down fast enough. So perhaps a larger sump wouldn't be a bad idea.
It’s exactly as I mentioned as well - I second your opinion. This car wasn’t designed for that sort of punishment and that sump (along with its design) is 1000% to blame for the failure, IMHO. I worked as a BMW mechanic for years and that sump design was always a real head scratcher. Bottom line, BMW has never been very good at doing hi-po AWD systems for race application for a very good reason… this being one of them.
I thought the same thing happened, but from lateral force, as he showed in the vid. Back in the day of muscle cars, deepening the oil pan and lengthening the intake tube was a cheap fix, if you knew a welder that could fabricate.
I think the 5W-40 oil is the main culprit, it heated up too much during track use, reducing its viscosity and pressure, which would have been fine on a good engine but already worn out bearing helped reduce oil pressure even farther, to the point where it no longer provided enough protection. I think if you'd used 20W50 or maybe even 60 it would have been fine
Higher viscosity oils create more friction and cause higher oil temps. Really he should be using a racing dedicated oil like amsoil signature series or pennzoil ultra platinum, which are both very resilient to heat and pressure.
@@Lubbocksfinest O.k. Thank you for your answer. An oil with high zddp content could damage catalytic conveter and plug hydraulic valve filters...but a race car has not catalityc converter.
450k views in less than 24 hours. And Chris Fix has earned every one of them with meticulous and thorough work exactly like this. Well, and there's a lot of fun involved, too. I'm along for the ride and looking for the next corner!
You did a good job in the race, Chris. You worked hard, and tried everything to get back there, and you put your all into the race. Nice job Chris, never give up.
Hey Chris! Thanks for all the help man, you’ve done a lot for me since I bought my first car a year back being a 95’ Cherokee XJ. Used to be real intimidated looking under the hood but now I can tear the thing apart and put it back together if I wanted and it’s all thanks to you 👊🏻 having a bit of problem right now though and can’t find anything about it online, my clutch pedal engages about an inch off of the floor on average and works great all the time, except for when the engine is cold. Usually have to wait to warm up for about 15 mins before the clutch will engage and even then it’s only just engaging with it pushed hard into the floor. Found that if I pump the clutch really quick to the floor and back over and over again for a minute or two straight it’ll usually work fine after that, but I mean that’s not exactly ideal to be doing every day and I’m wondering if there is another problem at hand causing this. I’ve never really seen this before where I need to warm up the clutch as well as the engine before I can drive lol so if you have any tips or if you do know what’s happening and can help out that’d be awesome.
@@chrisfix man you were totally right about that, ever since I bought it I just assumed the transmission was worn out enough that it made for a rough shift or even not letting me into gears. But now that old girl shifts smoother then anything I’ve driven 👍🏻 thanks again bro and I appreciate you doing what you do 👊🏻
Hey Chris, great video, I love learning about how things work and you have shown heaps of mechanical tips that have help me discover more, especially since stating Uni, but I had a question about another failure that may cause a spun bearing. My father who's been a mechanic all his life heard some of the causes you mention in the video and said that another possible cause is the piston head failing first. he noticed that the wrist pin was not in the con-rod, and that the piston had broken where it connects to the con-rod. His theory is that the piston head broke off first ad caused the con-rod to then shake and caused the damage to the bearing and what followed. So my question for you was could the broken piston have been the cause of failure or is the data more consistent with a bearing failure?
Thanks Jack and that is definitely a possibility and the team talked about that possibly happening but it seems that after our research it would be rare that would happen with a stock motor. Maybe if we were running boost or nitrous but not stock. Doesnt mean it cant happen but it's more likely a spun bearing due to an oiling issue! We think the wrist pin snapped after the bearing broke apart and there was a lot of knocking/vibration from the gap between the crank and rod. Tell your dad good other possible cause tho!
@@chrisfix Thanks for the reply Chris, its always good to learn something new, and I definitely learnt something here. Again amazing video, and hope I can learn more in the future 👍👍
Chris, thank you for illustrating what a spun bearing is. I have read it a few times and heard about it many times, but did not understand it clearly until I saw this video. You have gained a new subscriber.
You guys were asking me if there was a way you can guarantee that I see and answer your comments/questions. I asked UA-cam if there was a way and they recommended to me that I create a membership which you can sign up for here : ua-cam.com/channels/es1EvRjcKU4sY_UEavndBw.htmljoin I will still be answering 4 hours of comments like I do every day but I get over 2000 comments a day so I cannot answer every single one unfortunately (trust me, I wish I could). I know you see me constantly trying to answer as many as possible and I still answer comments from videos that are 4+yrs old... You guys asked for me to create a way to make sure I see your comment/question and the membership through UA-cam is exactly that... also you get a badge next to your name! I made it the lowest price I could as my goal is not to make money but instead provide a way to answer important car questions you may have. Let me know what you think! So far it's working well and I have been able to help answer questions which lead to them fixing their car.
Hey Chris with all your respect I would use a better Engine oil brand. Shell is good stuff not thr best though in my personal opinion. I'm only telling u this as constructive criticism so you can have a better competitive edge when racing 🏁. YOUR awesome man. You saved me thousands of dollars. Blessing brotha.
A common question in the comments is how can we have a junkyard engine and still be below the $500 limit and here is the answer:
The goal of the 24hrs of Lemons is to try to level the playing field by having a bunch of junk cars race. This is the most affordable wheel to wheel racing in the world. Since our engine blew at our first race and we are putting in an equally junky 140k mile junkyard M54 engine which is what came stock with our car, the replacement engine does not count towards the budget. The new seals we installed to stop the oil leaks ($60) and the chain tensioner we installed ($6) does count and the headers ($100) definitely count but we were at $340 after selling everything we could from the car… So now we are at our $500 budget. I need to see if I can sell the cats because those are $400 but something tells me that we can’t haha.
With that said, safety stuff does not count towards the $500 budget. Otherwise it’s impossible to race because the fire suppression system alone cost more than $500 and the cage cost $3800. Parts to make the car faster or perform better do count, but not stuff to save the drivers life.
Now the “backup engine” is a good opportunity for a collab with another automotive UA-camr who wanted to get involved and is trying to grow his channel. We aren’t using the backup engine unless ours blows up again which I can’t imagine will happen (knock on wood). So that engine won’t count towards the budget because it’s not in the car at the start of the race. If we end up having to swap it in at the track, it still won’t count because the time it takes to swap it in will make it so we are not competitive anymore. The next race we would have to remove it and put in another junk engine or take penalty laps.
Lmk if you have any more questions about the $500 budget. Again, the main goal is to prevent people dumping money into a car and have an unfair advantage because they have a bunch of money.
hey chris
so basically it's all the stuff that's on the car itself that counts?
@@OutrunRewind anything that makes the car more reliable or faster counts towards the $500.
@@CarSkull hey 👋
@@chrisfix Hello
Excited for the next race! Your team is going to have a lot of fun and do great!!
Never expected project farm here lol
They claim they're making the most dependable BMW engine for Lemons racing. _We're gonna test that._ 😉
He’s the man that’s why he’s here
@@danielseelye6005 thank you 😂😂😂
Project farm next video on which is most reliable brand
My guy literally inspected and explained every aspect of an engine failure better than my engineering professors that brag about their phds shoutout to chrisfix ❤️🇪🇬
Instead of teachers and professors, schools should just play Chris's videos :D
💀💀💀so true
So true man. My teacher (im a certified mechanic) said to me, a spun bearing is nonsense. Well, screw him. I genuinely learned something.
@@PimSchouten What? He said that a spun bearing is nonsense? This guy is obviously not a certified mechanic... Smh..
😂
Because of you Chris I got the courage to start my career in this field of work and I own my own shop now! Your the only one that made me feel like I had the ability to make it in thus industry
Yo thats sick. I hope i could open a shop as well. I hope youre doing well
Same! Chrisfix was a big influence and I was always interested in cars, so at 38 decided I had to give it a try, best decision I ever made! Anyone out there thinking about it, at least try, if you don’t you will regret it!
That is so awesome! Glad to hear that and it's exactly why I make my videos!
Damn, weird to see you here Logan, wishing you all the best I still remember when you got your first red camaro ss and posted about it!
would be awesome if i had more support in working on cars... currently attending a college but i dont feel like its what i want. i want this, i want to get my hands dirty and at the end of the day, take a look on a car and say "i revived this thing". thats what i want to do. hope i will find enough courage to do it like you guys!
I've never worked on a car engine in my life and only have basic knowledge on how an engine works, but the breakdown and explanation still made perfect sense to me! Love how you're able to take complex topics and break them down into an easy-to-understand video for even the non-mechanically inclined folks.
Even after learning for years how internal combustion engines work I never knew how a spun bearing would damage the engine so this was quite interesting and I definitely learned something new , thanks !
Glad you learned something new!
Yeah it makes a big difference if you dont hear the sound and are in racemode so you might think the engine sounds good while its self destructing :)
The car could have had very worn bearings from the start and if you buy a car and it sounds OK to you, there might be better condition cars that youve never experienced that could be the "normal condition" ones ;) My volvo 850 has some sound that feels like crank bearing knock but it still takes top speed runs and sounds normal when very warm. I'll let that old heap explode when or if it does :D It sounds "ok" and "normal for an old car" but if I compare it to my parents volvo with same engine thats been rebuilt few years ago its a night and day difference.
@@eamh2002 Ah I see that's very interesting but what about your volvo do you not care if it blows up?
@@ibrahimqureshi2420 It's a Volvo 850
@@eamh2002 yeah I'd like to hear a low mile version of the 3.0 v6 in my toyota, mine has 260k miles on the unopened engine and it runs and idles pretty smooth but it might be bad compared to a new one.
I’m excited for the next race, your team will be much better prepared 🏎💨 🏁
Lets hope that the next race will be better. 🙏
We will be for sure with your help!
Cant wait to see your next video of the machine shop: ua-cam.com/video/ooDVPPSpkW4/v-deo.html
@@chrisfix Do you still have your new budget supercar, and why is there a red prius sitting in your driveaway. Are you next videos on those 2 cars
Glad Chris asked for your help!
I used to “pit crew” for my Dads boss doing dirt circle track racing with trucks. It was so different than what you guys are doing but there was one team that didn’t race all year. They had so many problems that they just couldn’t figure out but they came every other weekend just hoping it would work. Keep it up and I can’t wait to see the next race!
Thanks a lot!
That’s so sad but beautiful
That's THE...BEST explanation of a "spun rod bearing" I've ever heard and seen. Great job!
Thanks!
Yo this 24 hours of lemons series is gonna be absolutely legendary. Seriously I don't think any other content on UA-cam can compare to the amount of dedication and entertainment you're putting into each and every video in this series.
Thanks a lot!!!
The fact that you actually attempted an engine swap instead of giving up says a lot about you and your team. Can’t wait to see next year.
Thanks a lot! Here is next years video: ua-cam.com/video/ZZxnDCJTOxs/v-deo.html
@@chrisfix Oh, awesome!
You’re like the Mark Rober of cars and the passion and effort you put forth in these videos is absolutely amazing!
Thanks Marcus!
I love the explanation of this. I know a ton about metallurgy and it's so interesting to me that the problem was an oil problem -> bearing wear -> friction causing tons of heat -> heat changing the volume and properties of the metal -> and then an explosion. Heat is the BIGGEST problem with internal combustion engines and is absolutely the limiting factor for them.
It was overheated oil that couldn't provide enough lubrication.
I think it's important to also remember that oil gets really thin on the track. I actually would not use the factory recommended oil in this car. I'd consider going up to a 10w60 oil. I also recommend a product called Motorkote. I've been using it for years and it really does work. You can check out Project Farm's video on it, it will seriously save an engine in that kind of environment from being cooked. Even if it is a 240k mile worn out hoopty lol. I watched a friend run his chevy small block around the track for almost 20 minutes without realizing it didn't have oil in it (his oil pressure gauge stopped working). The only explanation we could come up with was that the Motorkote saved the engine
Thanks for the tip! I will look into it. We ran 10w higher than recommended but it might not be enough.
@@chrisfix 5w40 is what I run year round in my M54 in the northeast. The lifters like a heavier weight oil.
@@chrisfix this problem of your car smells like semi synthetic oil. use always full synthetic to reduce overheating
I track my bmw w/ the same motor, definitely invest in a oil pan baffle
I don't know about BMW but running thicker oil can over stress the oil pump and mess with the VVT system. Can confirm, 5w40 in a qr25de nissan engine will lead to engine failure.
@ChrisFix, I'm a former automotive powertrain engineer. When i was 16, I had no clue how cars worked. Thanks for making such awesome videos speaking about the chain of events. You'd be a great teacher.
That's awesome man!
Love to see a resealed and super clean engine replacement! Might as well flash an EU tune on the DME before the next race. Will go great with the catless headers and SAP delete! Great Job guys, looking forward to Jamie’s video!
It's pretty nice all put together now! And we will keep that in mind!
Thanks for the tip man! You think messing with the computer is a good idea for the endurance aspect of the car? We really dont need more power as much as we want reliability.
@@chrisfix ECU communicates with oxygen sensors on the cats for emission. Now, whatever it tries it will not help anything because theyre gone
Flashing a tune professionally gets you a computer that gives the engine what it needs instead of trying to follow whatever regulations it was designed for
Basically, done proper, you enhance reliability by flashing
@@chrisfix No problem! It might actually be better for long term as the extra airflow will be accounted for by the DME. The butt dyno probably won’t notice the difference but the engine should gain a couple HP too!
@@chrisfix EU2 tune is a stock tune that no longer cares for the SAP or post-cat O2 sensors. There should be zero negative effect on reliability as a lot of European E46s run it from factory. You can update it with winkfp and a $20 INPA cable off of eBay/Amazon. You can get the ZUSB (version number) from realoem. Look up "not so complicated install of BMW tools"
I was so sad when you guys didn't manage to get the new engine installed in time to complete the race, but you're all human and installing a engine in that short amount of time was bound to be difficult.
Yes finally get to hear that glorious inline 6!!!
It sounds so good!
@@chrisfix It sure does!👌
Very cool video man. I didn't even know about that aftermarket oil chain tensioner. I'm gonna check out that other video on the engine build now. Btw, don't you have to factor the cost of these replacement engines into the $500 budget? How does that work?
Thanks man! Since we blew up the engine at the race, as long as the same one or something crazy goes back in they wont count it against us. They just dont want you putting an LS or a Viper engine in there or something and making it unfair. An unknown junkyard motor that has a few new hoses and seals wont get us penalty laps... hopefully ;) haha
So basicly, your "500" dollar car exploded. It's now not worth anything. Even if it hadn't you just beat the shit out of a 500 dollar car for 3 days. Its value as far as the judges are conserned is 0. Replacing the same engine doesnt count against you. What could count are the upgrades hes doing to the replacement engine. but they arent actually in the car at the moment. In theory you could endlessly upgrade your car at the end of every race as long as it doesnt exceed 500.00 some of these teams race 4-5 times a year for the past 10 years.. they may look like crap.. but they are surprisingly well engineered by thier teams.
@@chrisfix Ah, nice. Did your teammate who worked on the replacement engine put new bearings in it? Might be something worth doing to prevent another blow up! 😬 They are pretty cheap, as I recall. When I did my rebuild, my main bearings didn't show much wear at all but the rod bearings definitely did for sure. Those can even be done with the engine in the car.
@@50sKid I had strongly considered doing so but I did not have the experience/knowledge/tools to check bearings so we as a team decided against it and I never checked any of them. The engine we got at the junkyard was spotless though, like some evidence of oil leaks that no one cleans up (typical lol) but other than that it was one of the best used looking engines I've seen so I think it was ok not cracking it open and letting all the magic out ;) I predict on my drift car my engine (2.5 with 265,000 miles lol) will shoot some component to the moon by the end of the season so when that happens, I would like to get a 3.0 and do a complete rebuild like you did. I went through your series on the rebuild and it was awesome!
Bearings are one of those things, yes you can replace them, but for the most part, if it isn't showing any issue just leave them or you could make it have an issue with them, a simple oil test.
As you don't need to run Cats when racing, you could sell them off, and then the parts 'upgrades' are free/cost reduction.
Does anyone else feel proud/really happy for Chris everytime he says "My Team"? He's come so far. Good on your Chris
That explanation of the spun bearing was so gripping!
Chris, you definitely have a talent for explaining things so that they are very easy to understand. That talent is not too common in the world from my experiences, keep up the good work!
Thanks a lot! Part talent but also lots of time and trial and error... but mostly lots and lots of time. For this video I spent 4 days filming, editing and then refilming parts I thought weren't clear and concise. I know people want more videos but I cant publish one I am not 200% happy with haha. I actually get my sister to watch the video when it's done and if she understands it, I know we are good to post haha.
I second this. There are alot of automotive channels of this type, no one does it like ChrisFix.
I am an old mechanical idiot but can change basic things and follow instructions. I am most certainly a novice on this stuff but you break down what happens in a way I can understand. I find it so interesting how things work. I have so much respect for the knowledge that people possess and are willing to share. It is crazy how complicated things are that most, including me at times, take for granted. Thank you.
One thing people in general should know is that "low oil pressure light" actually means "not enough oil pressure to even idle safely" (fuel pressure is not a fixed amount, it rises as rpms rise because the engine needs more oil in high rpms). When you get a low oil pressure light, immediately shut off the car. It will spin a bearing and do this quicker than you realize.
This why a lot of experienced Lemons teams have a seperate oil pressure sender set for a hot run or hot oil pressure...usually attached to GIANT trailer indicator light on the dash right in front of of the steering wheel. Drivers cannot be trusted to look at guages but a blinding light right in their field of view is hard to miss.
Another is a coolant pressure light. In practice once up to temp the coolant system should be at at least 4 PSI and if it is, light is off. Second it drips below, light comes on. This is important because boiling coolant is still going to show about 212f on a temp guage which is a totally fine racing temp even as it is all boiling right out of the cooling system until you are totally dry.
That parts layout table is FIRE! It looks so good.
It's like those exploded diagrams from old school manuals, but in video form.
Thanks Brian! That’s exactly why I did it!!!
I think you should've also considered an overheated oil situation. Obviously oil gets thinner the hotter it gets and during prolonged race conditions it can reach temperatures of 130°C and more, which normal oils just aren't designed for. Also the warm oil weight (in your case 40) is measured at operating temperature (90-100°C), which is significantly lower than what you're gonna achieve on track. It means that you're actually getting thinner oil than you may have initially thought.
To conclude i would personally run at least a 5W-50 oil, coupled with an oil cooler or at least oil temperature and pressure gauges to keep things in check in the future.
Best wishes in the next race, love the content Chris!
Thanks for the tips!!!
I can confirm oil temps definitely affect the pressure. I run a pressure gauge on my dash and I’ve ran the car hot before at 220 (still in oem specs) but the oil was definitely hotter and oil pressure at idle was siting nearly 10psi lower than when coolant is at 180. I do have a factory oil heat exchanger that uses coolant but doesn’t help if the coolant is running at 220. Still made 75psi at higher rpm but definitely shows how real oil temps can affect its performance. Also that certain oils flash point really affect how well it holds up to heat. I’ve found liqui moly endures high heat a lot better than rotella t6 or castrol edge. For daily driving like a normal person, the “oil is oil” makes sense, but driving hard will separate the characteristics of different oils pretty well.
Yeah even my 110hp 1.8 celica had oil cooler
Misha made a video last year that described what kind of oil they run on their Ring Taxis compared to regular oil and also depending on the season. I think the suggest of investigating which kind of oil to run is good one
I didn't even consider this. Great thinking man!
Let get fixing!!!! Hope you’re doing alright Chris
Thanks!
Pizza man. XD Nice name
@@chrisfix can you show a video on how to replace a Single battery cell for a 2005 Toyota Prius.
@@thejudgeexecutioner he did one for a full cell so I beleive it's close
@@malice6081 I saw that at one.
Hi Chris, nice video !
I'm sure you already know some of these but as a former engine bearing expert, I would suggest couple of things to overcome this situation. It may be true that engine was badly maintained before the race, however it can encounter the same destiny within a short period in race conditions with standard bearings. It is very likely that coating is completely worn out in that con-rod, oil clearance is increased and thus oil pressure is dropped.
1) So high of a rpm for a long time, such as an endurance race, cannot be handled well by a babbitt coated bearing. This coating is very very soft and will wear out quickly even if you replace them with brand new ones. Babbitt coatings also start to detoriate after 180 C, which is very likely to happen during an endurance race. I can see that damaged bearings' brand is Glyco. I'm pretty sure that there is appropriate replacement bearings which are "sputtered". In this case upper con-rod bearings will be coated with much harder material, which will wear out much slower and will handle most of the beating coming from pistons. In this case, lower bearings should still be babbitt coated to embed all the dirt coming from oil with soft layer.
2) Consider using polymer coating ,preferably on top of sputter coating. This will enhance the emergency lubrication properties of the bearing surface especially for short periods of oil starvation (such as cornering etc.). Polymer coatings basically provide dry lubrication properties when there is not enough oil. Extra thickness that comes from polymer coating should be considered in terms of oil clearance !
3) For race cars, oil clearance should be adjusted slightly higher than a normal street car. Otherwise, at high pressures during race, oil will be squeezed out of the bearing, leaving the bearing less than ideal oil amount.
Do you recommend adding additives like LiquiMoly Ceratec to the engine oil?
Your take was very helpful. I am a novice bearing engineer (hydraulic actuator bearings). I was wondering, does higher rpm require higher oil pressure to ensure oil film??. Also does changing the oil clearance require a change in oil pump/system change from stock??. Thanks!
my bearing spun & they said they found fine metal in oil because of it. I haven’t drove my car as far as a mile since the bearings spun. Do you think the engine can be rebuilt or am I likely to have to buy a new one
@@bpknows1 hello, depends on the situation of the crankshaft...
Chris Fix is the king of making car content that any level of mechanic can enjoy
Perhaps you could add on a oil pressure sensor.
Also I love engine teardown and diagnosis, satisfying and I learn a ton out of it
We are! And I'm glad you learn a lot from the teardowns!
@@chrisfix Be sure to use an OBD tool that you have featured in your videos too!
Thanks for going in-depth on the starvation issue. I’ve heard of spin bearings and understand the issue but this provides a comprehensive overview of what is going on and how things can go wrong.
*👆👆👆Thanks for watching send a direct message right away on the above number immediately☝️☝️☝️for more ❤️ ❤️ enlightenment•••*
Loved the forensic analysis of what happened and learned a great deal. Thanks for going into all the detail, as after watching your race video, I was very curious about what happened. I wish you all the best of luck, and safe travels always, on the next run!
Chris your videos are soo good that I willingly watch every ad to the end to make sure you get the commission, I don't think I've ever done that for any other youtuber. Thank you for the awesome videos man
The way you guys knolled those parts out on that table is _so satisfying._ It must have taken a while but it was totally worth it. It looks amazing.
Thanks a lot!!! It took 3 days to do that lol. Between the teardown and trying to figure out the best way to show the parts on the table and then removing the parts and taping towels on the table to make it easier to see. Such a simple thing in concept but as always, it takes forever haha.
@@chrisfix thank you for your great work Chris! Really appreciate it
I had a spun bearing on my N63 a few years back, after watching this video, it finally made sense on what exactly happened. Thank you for explaining it so well. :)
Freakin' awesome breakdown, dude! Racing really demands details and extremes, and I love where this is going! Perhaps, you could consider ChrisFixRacing as another channel, and leave ChrisFix for the regular repairs on passenger vehicles? The attention to detail and analysis is sound. Keep it all up!
Thanks a lot! I cannot do more UA-cam channels unfortunately. I already have ChrisFish too haha. I can include the good stuff on here and I will post any supplemental stuff on my IG.
This is one of the best descriptions of what a spun bearing is and the potential causes. And you even show us the potential outcome!
Thanks!
Another stunning video. Just enough information to keep you informed and entertained without being overwhelmed with technical jargon. Thanks.
Thanks! That is the goal!
Agree, and the enthusiasm behind every single thing he says helps keep people interested and focused. Never a dull moment, no matter how technical or casual his explanation is in the moment.
ChrisFix getting into engine performance and building? Hell yeah!
Chris you inspire me to pay attention to detail and to always give my best in everything I do. Thank you!
This might be the most Thorough, I interesting, and informative on all UA-cam. Great video.
Really happy with your positive take-aways. One of the hardest things to get new drivers to understand before they get in the car is the need for practice entering the car, exiting the car, and pit stops/fueling. I don't know if you've seen it yet but Mark Petronis has a video titled Survival about a near fatal wreck he had. Since his wreck he has been an extremely positive voice for safety in our hobby and I really appreciate you taking it so seriously in this series! Keep up the good videos.
Thanks a lot! At our practice day we will be going over that a bunch of times!
Thanks a lot man! Is Mark the guy with the Vette that wrecked and he was unconscious? If so, I read all about that and from that day on I said we are adding an auto fire suppression system!
@@chrisfix Yes he is! My primary non-lemons track car is a Corvette and I use several parts his company makes. He's always been really active in the corvette track community and is a very talented driver so when he had his accident it really brought home that we practice safety because of what can go wrong not because of what we expect to happen. I'm really excited to see the automatic fire suppression install, I haven't put one in yet but I've been looking at it for the same reasons!
you searched for everything probable causes when someone watch that takes so much khowledge really thank you
Hey Chris, if I were you I would re-weld those eBay headers. They’re known for being welded without the filler rod, which makes it easy for the welds to look good but makes them incredibly less strong then normal welds. Just something that could increase its reliability that much more
Thanks! I kinda want to try it out at the race. I will bring a spare just in case. Lets see if they hold up!
Exactly… what could possibly go wrong with unusually cheap EBay parts on a race car. 🤷🏻♂️
@@chrisfix hey Chris, I have the eBay headers in my E46 and they have held up great to tons of abuse!
Man this was an awesome in depth analysis. It actually helps me out, I had a similar issue happen to my vehicle. Engine blew a rod and the auto care service that was driving it at the time had it “inspected” and claimed it was just natural ware and tear. It’s hard to believe only because I took very good care of the vehicle and changed the oil per recommendations. This helps understand more of what could have potentially happened, so I really appreciate you breaking it down (pun) like this.
A shop blew your engine? Sounds a new, free engine is in order to me lol
How many miles did the engine have on it?
@@sufferr2914 it had 175k miles. Zero engine issues prior.
@@kpeezy765 Yeah sounds like you should get a new engine on the house
I totally appreciate how you channel has evolved, from simple topics of engine bay detailing to videos like this. Thank you.
Bravo! After having enjoyed and been learning from so many of your videos over the years, this series is not only entertaining and exciting, but offering education and understanding of an ICE engine at a level I had not thought I could absorb. Well done - thank you!
No problem! That was the exact goal I was going for even tho we blew up the motor haha
I'm happy you explain things concisely and make it easy to understand.
You're very good at this, Chris....
Thank you!
Thanks a lot! I spend a ton of time trying to do that so it is awesome to hear!
I learned a lot from this video. Your diagnosis of finding out the cause is very clear to understand. Thanks for your sharing and your great team as well.
Great video! Really liked the root cause investigation you did and especially the data logging or RPM and coolant temp. Not only did you fix your BMW, but learned what went wrong and came out smarter and more prepared for the next race. One question I do have - are you going to install an oil pressure gauge now?
Most people would have recognized the bearings were shot and attributed it to that. I appreciate Chris showing everyone all of the details of what may happen to a high mileage engine that has not been taken care of well. Now, Chris, cover why diesel engines can get 400k miles between bearing changes?
your channel is everything a youtube should be, it's fun, educative and supper interesting
Very well explained but I wouldn’t except anything less coming from ChrisFix. I really learned a lot and I can’t wait to see you in the track soon.
I'm going to be honest here. Ever since I was 16 I was fascinated about cars and trucks and just knowing how they work. I sat their and said to myself I want to learn this stuff so I can not only work on my own vehicles but help others in need.
Since then I can proudly say I've learned so much about vehicles and able to fully work on them with ease of mind.
I took on the challenge of fixing up a 95 chevy 2500 6.5L Diesel, and I just want to say thank you chris for teaching and helping people, you're videos are not just helpful to me but to everyone and I always tell people about you're videos. I just want to thank you for everything and I wish you where a speed dial contact when in need of a quick answer!
Please keep up the amazing work you do and put it every day when making these videos!❤️
Well Chris, that was the best "Post Mortem" explanation I've seen. I agree about Oil Pressure gauges.. I have an old 95 MB and it drives me crazy having no Oil Pressure gauge. Anyway.. you'll get em' next time. Also, you can't win if you don't finish and you drove really well (to finish). Cheers
I only want to congratulate you for the phenomenal leap of faith you took six years ago 👏👏👏🏆.
Am about to take a plunge on a different path focusing on another industry, Thank you for the selfless inspiration and advice Chris🙏.
Chris is such a positive person, excited for the next race!
Well done guys! Love your diagnostic breakdowns... you might want to consider bearing clearances for high endurance.. too tight could be a factor..
Thanks for the tip and thanks a lot!
@@chrisfix hi
This was some nice insight into the mechanics of the internal components of an engine. I don't think I'll ever be the one trying to diagnose worn bearings, but good information nonetheless
Thanks! It's something you dont get to see every day!
Just you explaining how and why to your block makes me want to know more about engines... Thanx Chris. You're a heck of a guy!
Chris I legit have been watching you since the beginning and I absoloutly love everything that you do! ❤
Hope you and your family are doing well❤
Thanks for the ongoing support!
@@chrisfix OMG it's so incredible that you replied!!!
Love from syria my man❤
Wow, good to know, I watch a lot of car videos on UA-cam, I love the detail you said about HOW this motor failed. It really opened my eyes about things to watch out for. I am a engineer, I see things fail all the time but, the most things I want to see is HOW and WHY they failed and understand it. We can learn from others mistakes. It's something I lose sleep over. We can built it better. Thanks for a great detailed video.
Sick analysis Chris!! When's the next race? I'm really stoked about this series and rooting for you guys to win.
June 10-12! We are pumped!
Can't wait, really unique experience!
Car detective? Chris just re-created the scene and I actually learned. Pffft and people say you can't learn anything from sitting at home watching videos. :D
1:53 nicely done on the safety wire! Good twists, and proper direction for a LH tightening/ RH loosening fastener.
Thanks!
Wow, I've been a subscriber for a very long time but life happened and I had not seen any of your videos in more than a couple years. I'm shocked and happy to see how far you have come. That explanation was on point and I learned so much! Thanks man. You deserve all the success coz you are one hard working UA-camr.
Thanks a lot
Great video explaining everything Chris !! As a car lover who’s recently learning more about engines and the mechanical side, I love this type of content 👍🏻 Subscribed to your channel 👌🏻😎
Welcome aboard and thanks a lot!
I've learned more about my M54 in 20 min than the whole 14 yrs I've owned it. Thanks man love your vids
Great explanation on this engine failure. I was thinking how much easier it would have been for you guys to figure out why it failed if that oil pump nut was just backed off instead of having to go through so much research and tests to learn why it actually blew up. However, I'm glad it wasn't that nut because we all learned much more about spun bearings and oil delivery.
Haha thanks. Idk what would have been better. We would have been so upset if the oil pump nut was the cause because we literally debated if we should fix it before the race or not and decided for the first race we wouldn’t.
@@chrisfix
The next one will be better, I'm sure just knowing it is tied down will ease the mind.
Love your dedication on this project! Maybe go with 5w50 or 10w60 to have a stronger oil film with high oil temperature. Maybe your oil temperature went to high and thinned out the oil too much. Installing a oil temp / oil pressure display would help you get more Info.
Using racing oil from Royal Purple or other racing oils.
Yes I agree. The temperature is really high on those M54. Most of W40 are not enough even on road use, so chris should go at least to W60 or use an oil radiator to control better oil pressure on track.
Awesome video as always! I knew the term "spun bearing", but honestly until this I never exactly knew what that was. Thank you so much for always being informative, while always being entertaining. Side note, love the use of the address from back to the future with your oil sample. Great little easter egg there!
I like your videos so much I had to stop and come back the next day to finish the video. Not leave and forget, or just outright leave with no intention of coming back. LEFT and CAME BACK. The best compliment I could ever truly give.
Hey Chris! I’m currently in school for auto tech. We recently had a discussion about the driveshaft and the working angle. A question I forgot to ask but figured I’d ask you is, did lowering your mustang change the working angle? If I’m not mistaken the working angle can only be at like 3-4 degrees.
It did but not enough to cause any issues. It was still within spec. The control arms I installed actually allow you to adjust the working angle: ua-cam.com/video/ooDVPPSpkW4/v-deo.html
@@chrisfix ahh cool! Thank you! You’re the main reason why I love learning about cars. When I was 10 years old my mom and I got into a car accident, and she had to run across the highway to check if the other person was ok, cause they pulled left, and we pulled right. This was at midnight and I remember seeing my mom one second then her getting hit by a Lincoln. She’s alive and well, not the same as she once was especially with stamina and mobility. Anyway, I’ve never forgotten that night, and as a kid then I would have frequent nightmares, thankfully I got the help I needed but I never wanted to drive a car. Didn’t get my permit till 17, and my license at 19. I first started watching your videos when I was 18 and I was like “this doesn’t seem so bad” and as I got more comfortable on the road, I became more obsessed with learning how a car functions! Anyway if you read all this thank you! Your videos have truly helped me cope with trauma and helped me find my passion! Thank you so much Chris!
@@gamersens2363 I hope your mother is doing ok still! Stay strong. I found an escape while driving, and enjoyed just cruising. So enjoy the wind in your hair, and remember to smile. - Your internet bro
@@calebh7480 thanks man! Once my mom was hit, I immediately called my friends mom, because we were at there house for there wedding anniversary. Anyway the paramedics starting working on her, but another car stopped and checked on my mom and my mom said “my son is in the car” so after I got out I saw my mom, a detail I overlooked for so long was when I was walking up to my mother, the ambulance quickly threw a large blanket on her from the hip down. So I couldn’t see the full damage, which was something that probably would’ve scarred me more! But yes she is alive and well, she still has rods and screws in her legs, as well as permanent nerve damage, but she is doing good, took a long time for both of us to become okay.
@@gamersens2363 I am glad to hear she is ok. Sucks that she has nerve damage. Best wishes for you and your mother in all future aspects of life. Have a great day
15:47 lmao christopher fixtopher had me dying XD
You should make a video of you flowbenching the oe manifold and those aftermarket manifolds. It would be interesting to see the difference in numbers between them.
I just wanted to say i enjoy the videos I actually just purchased a 2003 bmw 325xi wagon and your videos have been very helpful
Tough break. I’ve had something similar happen during an open lapping session. I had just competed an NA high-compression build and ran it at the track after getting it tuned. There must have been the slightest bit of valve float in spite of having aftermarket valves springs because an intake valve snapped and destroyed the motor. Heartbreak to say the least. Good luck with your next race.
Dang that hurts even worse because I know that wasnt cheap to build. At least this engine was the stock engine and we replaced it with another stock engine with some new seals.
@@chrisfix thanks, Chris. As much as it sucked, it was a labour of love. I had spun a bearing on the same motor when it was stock. Rather than swap, I wanted to see what I could do with a 1.6L SOHC (d16z6). I learned a lot and although it didn’t end the way I hoped, I don’t regret a thing. I decided more displacement and another camshaft was the way to go afterward. I supposed if you don’t break something, you’re not trying hard enough!
@@dstavs Lmao representing, i ditched D series and went B in this current year XD. B20V's are so unpredictable.
@@gustavrodriguez910 Same. After blowing up the D, I decided that I wanted more OEM Honda reliability with a few add-on pieces here and there. I opted for an OBD-1 JDM GSR with an ITR LSD 5-speed (4.4 final drive). The motor got an ITR intake camshaft, intake manifold, RDX injectors, larger fuel pump, header, exhaust, Hondata S300 and a tune. The end result is reliable power. So far so good at the track. My channel has all the ups and downs of the process if you care to enjoy some videos 👍.
Love to see that oil analysis. This is such a cool video. As an oil analysis chemist who doesn't get to wrench on many engines, this definitely helps give me more insight into diagnosing certain oil samples. I honestly was expecting those wear metals to be wayyy higher just by looking at the damage. Let me know if you want some oil analysis kits! Keep up the amazing videos :)
Christopher Fixtopher thanks for this indepth breakdown! How do you guys drive with so many warning lights on the dash?
I have an e46 as well and only do simple maintenance. But the older she gets the more warning lights she accumulates.
Great series! Can't wait to see more!!!
Honestly you dont even look at the dash when you are racing minus a quick glance every so often. There is so much going on. Now on the street those lights would drive me bonkers!
This comment isn't about this video specifically. I've been watching your videos for awhile now and I subscribed just recently. I bought a '75 Corvette and the tail light lenses were faded. Of course I decided to use the method you showed on your truck's 3rd brake light. They look really good! They are 47 years old, so not perfect, but they do look very nice now. I wasn't sure of myself when I started thinking of buying this vette. After watching many of your videos I am much more confident in myself. Thank you so much for your very informative videos.
Do a reinforced oil pump for the M54, it will fail again (been there), and also, add trap doors to the sump to prevent oil starving in fast corners.
Thanks for the tip!
Yea a trap doors in the sump are important, friend's brother had a LS lockup because it was starved on the track
Hey hey chrisfix, saw this post on instagram and i just knew i had to be ready to see this masterpiece of a video you were working on, hope your doing well, i sure 2022 is gona be fun with vehicles you have plans on working o for us, as well as your other channel, because as we all know, you got bigger fish to fry lol. Have a great day bud
Lol thanks a lot!
Those pre checked engines with upgraded parts feel way more reliable than the original one, I hope you and your team can make the best out of the next race :)
I remember when this guy was a diy how to mechanic and now he's got his name out and is racing and everything that's awesome keep up the good work
15:00 Another issue i've heard of in the same vane is oil starvation caused by consistently high rpms that the engine wasn't designed for. Literally all of the oil in the sump is pumped out, but doesn't drain down fast enough. So perhaps a larger sump wouldn't be a bad idea.
Interesting, we will keep that in mind!
It’s exactly as I mentioned as well - I second your opinion. This car wasn’t designed for that sort of punishment and that sump (along with its design) is 1000% to blame for the failure, IMHO.
I worked as a BMW mechanic for years and that sump design was always a real head scratcher. Bottom line, BMW has never been very good at doing hi-po AWD systems for race application for a very good reason… this being one of them.
I thought the same thing happened, but from lateral force, as he showed in the vid. Back in the day of muscle cars, deepening the oil pan and lengthening the intake tube was a cheap fix, if you knew a welder that could fabricate.
Then maybe use the oil level sensor data to verify that, I am assuming this engine has one.
I think the 5W-40 oil is the main culprit, it heated up too much during track use, reducing its viscosity and pressure, which would have been fine on a good engine but already worn out bearing helped reduce oil pressure even farther, to the point where it no longer provided enough protection. I think if you'd used 20W50 or maybe even 60 it would have been fine
Higher viscosity oils create more friction and cause higher oil temps. Really he should be using a racing dedicated oil like amsoil signature series or pennzoil ultra platinum, which are both very resilient to heat and pressure.
@@Lubbocksfinest And Red Line oil ?.
@@mdev8846 a good oil no doubt just not as good as pzp or amsoil
@@Lubbocksfinest O.k. Thank you for your answer. An oil with high zddp content could damage catalytic conveter and plug hydraulic valve filters...but a race car has not catalityc converter.
450k views in less than 24 hours. And Chris Fix has earned every one of them with meticulous and thorough work exactly like this. Well, and there's a lot of fun involved, too. I'm along for the ride and looking for the next corner!
Thanks a lot Jack!
You did a good job in the race, Chris. You worked hard, and tried everything to get back there, and you put your all into the race. Nice job Chris, never give up.
Hey ChrisFix, any timeline on when we're gonna get the quick release wheel, fire suppression system, or the turbo setup for the del sol?
Weather is starting to get warmer and I should be able to knock those out quick so stay tuned!
16:06 Haha , SUS Viscosity on the top of the second table
Sussy
Hey Chris! Thanks for all the help man, you’ve done a lot for me since I bought my first car a year back being a 95’ Cherokee XJ. Used to be real intimidated looking under the hood but now I can tear the thing apart and put it back together if I wanted and it’s all thanks to you 👊🏻 having a bit of problem right now though and can’t find anything about it online, my clutch pedal engages about an inch off of the floor on average and works great all the time, except for when the engine is cold. Usually have to wait to warm up for about 15 mins before the clutch will engage and even then it’s only just engaging with it pushed hard into the floor. Found that if I pump the clutch really quick to the floor and back over and over again for a minute or two straight it’ll usually work fine after that, but I mean that’s not exactly ideal to be doing every day and I’m wondering if there is another problem at hand causing this. I’ve never really seen this before where I need to warm up the clutch as well as the engine before I can drive lol so if you have any tips or if you do know what’s happening and can help out that’d be awesome.
I’m going to guess it’s a hydraulic clutch. If so, you should bleed it. I bet there is some air in there.
@@chrisfix man you were totally right about that, ever since I bought it I just assumed the transmission was worn out enough that it made for a rough shift or even not letting me into gears. But now that old girl shifts smoother then anything I’ve driven 👍🏻 thanks again bro and I appreciate you doing what you do 👊🏻
Haven't seen a ChrisFix video in months and I forgot how awesome they are!
Hey Chris, great video, I love learning about how things work and you have shown heaps of mechanical tips that have help me discover more, especially since stating Uni, but I had a question about another failure that may cause a spun bearing.
My father who's been a mechanic all his life heard some of the causes you mention in the video and said that another possible cause is the piston head failing first. he noticed that the wrist pin was not in the con-rod, and that the piston had broken where it connects to the con-rod. His theory is that the piston head broke off first ad caused the con-rod to then shake and caused the damage to the bearing and what followed.
So my question for you was could the broken piston have been the cause of failure or is the data more consistent with a bearing failure?
Thanks Jack and that is definitely a possibility and the team talked about that possibly happening but it seems that after our research it would be rare that would happen with a stock motor. Maybe if we were running boost or nitrous but not stock. Doesnt mean it cant happen but it's more likely a spun bearing due to an oiling issue! We think the wrist pin snapped after the bearing broke apart and there was a lot of knocking/vibration from the gap between the crank and rod. Tell your dad good other possible cause tho!
@@chrisfix Thanks for the reply Chris, its always good to learn something new, and I definitely learnt something here. Again amazing video, and hope I can learn more in the future 👍👍
yo chrisfix do be mad at that bmw 17:18
Yes true
Who’s here from BigTime?
The best UA-cam channel ever……!
Mr Chris Fix keep on doing the videos you make . I’ve learn a lot from your tutorials
I think that 5W-40 is too low viscosity for a racing car.. that's the reason why the bearing failed.
Yes and no it may have made it last a little longer but the damage was already there
0:55 I can’t tell if that’s Chris or not
First👍
Just saw the story on @chrisfixit lol
No one fucking cares
Haha
how was that comment 2 hours ago? the video came out 1min ago
O yes
Chris, thank you for illustrating what a spun bearing is. I have read it a few times and heard about it many times, but did not understand it clearly until I saw this video. You have gained a new subscriber.
Glad it was helpful!
You guys were asking me if there was a way you can guarantee that I see and answer your comments/questions. I asked UA-cam if there was a way and they recommended to me that I create a membership which you can sign up for here : ua-cam.com/channels/es1EvRjcKU4sY_UEavndBw.htmljoin
I will still be answering 4 hours of comments like I do every day but I get over 2000 comments a day so I cannot answer every single one unfortunately (trust me, I wish I could). I know you see me constantly trying to answer as many as possible and I still answer comments from videos that are 4+yrs old... You guys asked for me to create a way to make sure I see your comment/question and the membership through UA-cam is exactly that... also you get a badge next to your name! I made it the lowest price I could as my goal is not to make money but instead provide a way to answer important car questions you may have. Let me know what you think! So far it's working well and I have been able to help answer questions which lead to them fixing their car.
👍
cool
Ok
make a video of changing the p.c.d. hub
Hey Chris with all your respect I would use a better Engine oil brand. Shell is good stuff not thr best though in my personal opinion. I'm only telling u this as constructive criticism so you can have a better competitive edge when racing 🏁. YOUR awesome man. You saved me thousands of dollars. Blessing brotha.