Couple of things. N55'S do not have timing chain or timing chain guide issues. The compressor wheel on the turbo has nothing to do with the turbo being a twin scroll. And that oil line on the bottom of the turbo is the oil drain, not the feed line, so nothing from the oil pan would enter it. Keep it up, great series of videos.
Thanks for the info, I love comments that I can learn from. I've heard decent amount of complaints on forums and facebook groups about timing chain guides breaking, but could just be my selective hearing. Twin scroll comment also makes sense, it would be the exhaust part that has two channels (I assume one smaller, one larger) directing air onto the propeller. Good to hear about the oil line being a return line as well, may get away with getting an engine without the turbo and save some money.
@@twinscrolled I've been looking for an engine and if I can find a good deal, I might get a stage 2 turbo or something similar. Haven't really done the research yet.
i could assume the oil sprayer on cylinder one probably got blocked and never cooled the piston so through heat it blew.im currently doing an n55 engine nice video very helpfull to me thank you
Hi, just watched ur last 3 videos on this as I'm about to walk down the same road (N55 with knocking, 50k miles done). From multiple calls with different mechanics and even R&D close to BMW I am currently of the opinion that even a breakdown minor than this cannot be rebuild. Not even the factory washing machines are able to wash the debris out of the tiny oil channels I was told. So even if you replace all broken parts, in my opinion there will be a follow-up damage caused by debris at a later point. Many thanks for the insight and the cardboard-trick. All the best for your project, will keep watchin!
Thanks for the input! I pretty much knew it was over after I saw chunks of metal inside, but wanted to see what others were thinking. You're right, it would be almost impossible to get all the metal out of all the little passages etc. and if there is any part that was bent or damaged in some way without me noticing, it can cause many issues in the future. Hope to see you in the future videos!
@@SimpleCarGuyI'm currently waiting for a spare engine, very hard to find a matching version. Will take a look inside the old one to find out what happened. What's ur next project?
@@MrGetgrip Im still looking for the right engine, will put that back in and finish the car. After that, I might do a bit of garage renovation. Not sure what the next car will be.. maybe a m235i
Great video. My N55 is making a similar knocking sound also, and BMW dealer and independent mechanic are both suggesting its not worth even investigating or trying to fix. Now I understand why. Mine is 8yrs old with 56,000km (33,000miles), driven very calmly to save fuel. Dealer does not seem surprise to see this. I wonder what causes it.
Those are very low miles, I'm surprised it happened.. this engine had cold air intake, straight exhaust and most likely tuned. Most of the time this happens due to oil starvation or over-revving etc. Hard to tell, really.
Thanks for posting the clips. I am rebuilding my N55 engines and these are very helpful. I don’t have the repair manual and want find out where to get it? Thanks
bro this is great really insightful, I have a 11’ 335i N55 it’s been raining non stop n I got water inside my 5th and 6th cylinder(I had no spark plug in my 6th cyl unfortunately) so water is also sitting on my piston I can’t find any forums or anything on it people in my area are clueless 😐
You got water inside the cylinder through the spark plug hole? As long as you didn't put a plug in and try running it, I don't see what the issue is. Thanks for watching!
@@billycalderon2014 If it set for a week, before you run it, just put a couple of drops of oil into the cylinder, let it sit for a day or so and then turn over the engine a couple of times (with plugs out, of course) so it spits out. Either way, it shouldn't have caused any damage.
Please send an email with your offer to the email on the channel page. I can send you pictures of the parts you'd like to have a closer look at. Timing tools I will keep just in case I need them in the future.
Hey Bud need your help.. I done some maintenance work, on my BMW X5 N55. Timing chain, and guides. Then I re-timed the engine. Now car runs in Limp Mode reduced power. These are the codes I’m getting, 2DAO, 2DA2, 2C58, CF80, 28AO.. What do you think my problem could be? Thanks, Kirby
Hi Kirby. Was the timing set correctly? Those errors would indicate to me that the timing wasn't perfectly set when the chain and guides were replaced. Also, to be very clear, you HAVE cleared the codes after the work was done, right? To all 4 come back after clearing?
@@SimpleCarGuy yes timing checks out right on. Yes cleared codes afterwards. Codes will clear, then at Engine start up, Car runs only 10 seconds, same codes returns, half engine light, reduced power, Really bad erratic idling.. Only codes return are 2C58, 2DA0, and 2DA2…
The engine had 85000 miles on it and it had an cold air intake, upgraded intercooler and no mufflers. I'm not sure if it had a tune as I got it already broken.
What KM were you at? Mine spun a rod at 75,000KM but noticed it right away and haven’t drove car since. I don’t have the time nor space to tear it apart myself but I hope I didn’t damage cylinder head, I’m planning to rebuild pistons, rods, etc.. but this kinda scares me for opening my engine haha thanks man great vid!
Hope the videos help you out and you can fix it yourself! This engine has 84000 miles, so like 135000 KM. As long as your block isn't damaged like mine, it's worth rebuilding.
You can pretty much see what caused the damage in the video, but as far as how it happened, I don't know. I got the car with the damage already done. Thanks for watching!
Depends on soooo many things. Was it beat up and driven hard for 100k or was it driven nice and slow and serviced twice as many times as recommended by BMW.
@SimpleCarGuy Thats the problem I don't know if it what beat on. I haven't owned the car for majority of its life and got no maintenance history with it. I think the dealer just lost the docs thats all, its a huge dealer with thousands of cars. But the car looks like it was maintained ok. It gets me really worried because this is a car I don't want to sell.
Difficult to know. I got the car with the bad engine already. Usually this happens due to low oil, blocked oil passages, over revving, over heating, bad tune etc. The previous video shows the spun rod bearing and the damage it caused. ua-cam.com/video/m1fj02koiyE/v-deo.html
Not sure how I can PM on here, but send me an email (in the about me page on the channel) with details. Do you need just the camshaft itself or surrounding parts as well etc. Thanks!
The engine had 84k miles and I'm not sure why it knocked itself out. I bought the car at auction with the bad engine. I'd assume it was over-revved or tracked since the car had a couple mods on it.
My N55 started knocking at 82k miles. Very odd that our failures are so close in mileage. BMW fucked up something on this engine because there has been many others who report knocking around this mileage as well. Never over-revved (auto) or tracked. Car had a stage one MHD flash with a catless DP, FMIC and intake.
@@FreePalestine1948 It does seem to be more than accidental that so many engines go around this time. I wonder if it's the lack of oil changes due to BMW's 15000 mile intervals.
@@SimpleCarGuy yup. Also it’s the owners fault. BMW owners think the car only needs an oil change when it asks for one. Imo the on board oil quality sensor isn’t great. These cars should’ve had a maximum of 7.5k intervals. These are bmws with turbos, not Toyota’s. Totally the fault of the manufacturer. Ive seen many n55 fault at my shop as well. They seem to have no Or little service history. And they were stock.
@@FreePalestine1948 People don't realize it's a high compression, direct injected, turbocharged and high revving engine.. they need a bit more love than a regular engine.
I will throw rotten cheese at who even engineered this nightmare, props to you for taking it apart. WTH is this nightmare. Plastic for critical parts and weird designs over all just to make it complex.
I'm sure they had their reasons for SOME of the design elements, but a lot of it has been to cut cost, which is very sad to see on a brand like BMW. I'm rebuilding one now, so subscribe if you'd like to follow that!
@@SimpleCarGuy Depends. With original oarts, no. With OEM partrs if you find it, yes. A used motor is not less than $5,000.00 (with taxes and delivery)
@@davidfarfan89 Well, the engine block is damaged. The part where the oil pump bolts in is ripped out, so I'd have to get a new block as well. At that points, it's almost like I'm getting all new/used parts.
This is scary i own a 2011 e92 n55 maybe the cause of this was low oil but u said this is your car or a customers? Plus oil changes look good in the engine internals no sludge which makes me worry lol and i just tune and put several bolts on my car. this engine was stock ay chihuahua oh well
I bought the car at auction with 'mechanical issues'. After I bought it, I saw that it was sightly modified (cold air intake, no mufflers etc.). The engine looked very well taken care of as far as the oil changes and other maintenance, so I'd have to guess it was either over-reved or something of that nature. Thanks for watching!
I usually only use power tools when taking things apart and I follow techniques recommended by BMW as far as sequences etc. Wouldn't use them putting a good engine together, thought.
Rod bearing failures on these engines are very common. BMW's are nothing but junk. Do not buy one unless it is under warranty- and get rid of it as soon as the warranty is up.
They sure are, I've seen many complaints about this. If you do NOT work on your own car or want projects, I would have to agree on skipping BMWs of this age. Thanks for watching!
Most BMW owners hate to hear this but its the truth. I own a 2011 135i N55 and I love these cars but the reality is you need deep pockets for all the stuff that breaks again and again.
I've been following you for a year now and your videos have gotten so good! Never seen the inside of the BMW N55 engine!
It has been a fun time taking it apart, glad you enjoyed watching it as well!
Great series, thanks for filming and documenting your effort. Never seen a teardown of the N55 like this!
Glad you enjoyed it! It's always hard to decide whether to film it or not as it takes twice as long to do the same job and no one may watch it.
Couple of things. N55'S do not have timing chain or timing chain guide issues. The compressor wheel on the turbo has nothing to do with the turbo being a twin scroll. And that oil line on the bottom of the turbo is the oil drain, not the feed line, so nothing from the oil pan would enter it. Keep it up, great series of videos.
Thanks for the info, I love comments that I can learn from.
I've heard decent amount of complaints on forums and facebook groups about timing chain guides breaking, but could just be my selective hearing. Twin scroll comment also makes sense, it would be the exhaust part that has two channels (I assume one smaller, one larger) directing air onto the propeller. Good to hear about the oil line being a return line as well, may get away with getting an engine without the turbo and save some money.
@@SimpleCarGuy no problem man, hopefully you can use a lot of the stuff off your engine. Might be a good time to upgrade the turbo as well 😁.
@@twinscrolled I've been looking for an engine and if I can find a good deal, I might get a stage 2 turbo or something similar. Haven't really done the research yet.
i could assume the oil sprayer on cylinder one probably got blocked and never cooled the piston so through heat it blew.im currently doing an n55 engine nice video very helpfull to me thank you
Hi, just watched ur last 3 videos on this as I'm about to walk down the same road (N55 with knocking, 50k miles done). From multiple calls with different mechanics and even R&D close to BMW I am currently of the opinion that even a breakdown minor than this cannot be rebuild. Not even the factory washing machines are able to wash the debris out of the tiny oil channels I was told. So even if you replace all broken parts, in my opinion there will be a follow-up damage caused by debris at a later point.
Many thanks for the insight and the cardboard-trick. All the best for your project, will keep watchin!
Thanks for the input! I pretty much knew it was over after I saw chunks of metal inside, but wanted to see what others were thinking. You're right, it would be almost impossible to get all the metal out of all the little passages etc. and if there is any part that was bent or damaged in some way without me noticing, it can cause many issues in the future. Hope to see you in the future videos!
@@SimpleCarGuyI'm currently waiting for a spare engine, very hard to find a matching version. Will take a look inside the old one to find out what happened. What's ur next project?
@@MrGetgrip Im still looking for the right engine, will put that back in and finish the car. After that, I might do a bit of garage renovation. Not sure what the next car will be.. maybe a m235i
Thats bs, just change the oil after the first 15 minutes of run in time.
The oil filter will catch the debris
thanks for a well-documented vlog of the engine teardown, I even start thinking to get myself an N55 project car, lol!
It's fun if you have the time and patience! I love learning how this stuff is put together.
Great video. My N55 is making a similar knocking sound also, and BMW dealer and independent mechanic are both suggesting its not worth even investigating or trying to fix. Now I understand why.
Mine is 8yrs old with 56,000km (33,000miles), driven very calmly to save fuel. Dealer does not seem surprise to see this. I wonder what causes it.
Those are very low miles, I'm surprised it happened.. this engine had cold air intake, straight exhaust and most likely tuned. Most of the time this happens due to oil starvation or over-revving etc. Hard to tell, really.
Thanks for posting the clips. I am rebuilding my N55 engines and these are very helpful. I don’t have the repair manual and want find out where to get it? Thanks
Glad to help! There used to be newtis.info, but I think they got shut down since then. Also, you can find ISTA/INPA to help with repairs.
Do you need to remove the entire engine to remove the cylinder head?
bro this is great really insightful, I have a 11’ 335i N55 it’s been raining non stop n I got water inside my 5th and 6th cylinder(I had no spark plug in my 6th cyl unfortunately) so water is also sitting on my piston I can’t find any forums or anything on it people in my area are clueless 😐
You got water inside the cylinder through the spark plug hole? As long as you didn't put a plug in and try running it, I don't see what the issue is.
Thanks for watching!
@@SimpleCarGuy yeah it’s been sitting for over a week just worried the corrosion could really do some damage, thank you !!
@@billycalderon2014 If it set for a week, before you run it, just put a couple of drops of oil into the cylinder, let it sit for a day or so and then turn over the engine a couple of times (with plugs out, of course) so it spits out. Either way, it shouldn't have caused any damage.
Best news I’ve heard all day, thank you for replying enjoy your week !
Do you have experience about the headbolds that loosens at cylinder 5 and 6?
Mine’s are taking aluminium out of the motor…. Do you know this problem?
Interested in intake camshaft, valvetronic shaft pending condition, and timing tools?
Please send an email with your offer to the email on the channel page. I can send you pictures of the parts you'd like to have a closer look at. Timing tools I will keep just in case I need them in the future.
How many miles did this one have?
It had 84000 miles
Hey Bud need your help.. I done some maintenance work, on my BMW X5 N55. Timing chain, and guides. Then I re-timed the engine. Now car runs in Limp Mode reduced power. These are the codes I’m getting, 2DAO, 2DA2, 2C58, CF80, 28AO.. What do you think my problem could be? Thanks, Kirby
Hi Kirby. Was the timing set correctly? Those errors would indicate to me that the timing wasn't perfectly set when the chain and guides were replaced. Also, to be very clear, you HAVE cleared the codes after the work was done, right? To all 4 come back after clearing?
@@SimpleCarGuy yes timing checks out right on. Yes cleared codes afterwards. Codes will clear, then at Engine start up, Car runs only 10 seconds, same codes returns, half engine light, reduced power, Really bad erratic idling.. Only codes return are 2C58, 2DA0, and 2DA2…
How many miles was on this engine when it blew and was it ever tuned at any point in its life??
The engine had 85000 miles on it and it had an cold air intake, upgraded intercooler and no mufflers. I'm not sure if it had a tune as I got it already broken.
Leaving that comment love seeing videos like this.
I can see why people don't post these a lot, it's a paint to film, but definitely nice to refer back to. Thanks for watching!
What KM were you at? Mine spun a rod at 75,000KM but noticed it right away and haven’t drove car since. I don’t have the time nor space to tear it apart myself but I hope I didn’t damage cylinder head, I’m planning to rebuild pistons, rods, etc.. but this kinda scares me for opening my engine haha thanks man great vid!
Hope the videos help you out and you can fix it yourself! This engine has 84000 miles, so like 135000 KM. As long as your block isn't damaged like mine, it's worth rebuilding.
how much for your injectors or vanos solenoids? How many miles were on the car again?
I haven't really looked into the prices, but I could do like $50 for the VANOS solenoids and $100 for the injectors. The car has 85k miles.
Lovely video 💯
RIP N55.
Sad, sad.. but new things to come!
Man! I rather work on a 2jz! Lol good work bro! Much respect to you!
Appreciate it! I'd love to work on a 2jz if someone wants to donate one haha.
please tell me where (URL) to buy these tools. thanks,
Of course, here you go: BMW N55 Engine Rebuild Tools: amzn.to/3uHUwh5
Very scary. I have a N55 too, let us know what caused the damage.
You can pretty much see what caused the damage in the video, but as far as how it happened, I don't know. I got the car with the damage already done. Thanks for watching!
I thought n55 is open deck. Why is it closed deck?
It is open deck, you are looking at the gasket. See this video: ua-cam.com/video/vZB8ph2pmqM/v-deo.html
😅Haha I was thinking the same thing
@@SimpleCarGuy Thank you for the link😅I'm dumb I didn't realise that was the head gasket
Beautiful
Funny how in the comments there are so many N55's that failed below 100k kms or less yet here I am at 189k kms😅 god I hope I don't eat my words😂
Depends on soooo many things. Was it beat up and driven hard for 100k or was it driven nice and slow and serviced twice as many times as recommended by BMW.
@SimpleCarGuy Thats the problem I don't know if it what beat on. I haven't owned the car for majority of its life and got no maintenance history with it. I think the dealer just lost the docs thats all, its a huge dealer with thousands of cars. But the car looks like it was maintained ok. It gets me really worried because this is a car I don't want to sell.
but why this happen? you only explain how this happen, but why? oil pump failure? bad rod bearings? bad oil? why?
Difficult to know. I got the car with the bad engine already. Usually this happens due to low oil, blocked oil passages, over revving, over heating, bad tune etc. The previous video shows the spun rod bearing and the damage it caused. ua-cam.com/video/m1fj02koiyE/v-deo.html
Hi, are you selling the intake camshaft?
Please pm me for a price and more info if you haven't sold it yet!
Not sure how I can PM on here, but send me an email (in the about me page on the channel) with details. Do you need just the camshaft itself or surrounding parts as well etc. Thanks!
how many miles did this engine have on it? why did it knock itself to death?
The engine had 84k miles and I'm not sure why it knocked itself out. I bought the car at auction with the bad engine. I'd assume it was over-revved or tracked since the car had a couple mods on it.
My N55 started knocking at 82k miles. Very odd that our failures are so close in mileage. BMW fucked up something on this engine because there has been many others who report knocking around this mileage as well. Never over-revved (auto) or tracked. Car had a stage one MHD flash with a catless DP, FMIC and intake.
@@FreePalestine1948 It does seem to be more than accidental that so many engines go around this time. I wonder if it's the lack of oil changes due to BMW's 15000 mile intervals.
@@SimpleCarGuy yup. Also it’s the owners fault. BMW owners think the car only needs an oil change when it asks for one. Imo the on board oil quality sensor isn’t great. These cars should’ve had a maximum of 7.5k intervals. These are bmws with turbos, not Toyota’s. Totally the fault of the manufacturer. Ive seen many n55 fault at my shop as well. They seem to have no Or little service history. And they were stock.
@@FreePalestine1948 People don't realize it's a high compression, direct injected, turbocharged and high revving engine.. they need a bit more love than a regular engine.
Down to earth
You are the boss 😂😂
I will throw rotten cheese at who even engineered this nightmare, props to you for taking it apart.
WTH is this nightmare. Plastic for critical parts and weird designs over all just to make it complex.
I'm sure they had their reasons for SOME of the design elements, but a lot of it has been to cut cost, which is very sad to see on a brand like BMW. I'm rebuilding one now, so subscribe if you'd like to follow that!
N55 doesn't have timing chain issues.
Not as bad as let's say N20, but they still have issues with cheap plastics in the time chain guides.
I think it can be rebuilt.
Do you think it would be financially smart to do?
@@SimpleCarGuy Depends. With original oarts, no. With OEM partrs if you find it, yes. A used motor is not less than $5,000.00 (with taxes and delivery)
@@SimpleCarGuy Assuming the main engine block is not broken or with a najor damage.
@@davidfarfan89 Well, the engine block is damaged. The part where the oil pump bolts in is ripped out, so I'd have to get a new block as well. At that points, it's almost like I'm getting all new/used parts.
@@SimpleCarGuy Ok. Agree.
I suspect this is the result on over rev or some massive detonation event...
That sounds about right!
This is scary i own a 2011 e92 n55 maybe the cause of this was low oil but u said this is your car or a customers? Plus oil changes look good in the engine internals no sludge which makes me worry lol and i just tune and put several bolts on my car. this engine was stock ay chihuahua oh well
I bought the car at auction with 'mechanical issues'. After I bought it, I saw that it was sightly modified (cold air intake, no mufflers etc.). The engine looked very well taken care of as far as the oil changes and other maintenance, so I'd have to guess it was either over-reved or something of that nature. Thanks for watching!
@@SimpleCarGuy What is mean by over rev? Like red lining it constantly?
Be careful with those power tools on the engine.
I usually only use power tools when taking things apart and I follow techniques recommended by BMW as far as sequences etc. Wouldn't use them putting a good engine together, thought.
👍🏿
Rod bearing failures on these engines are very common. BMW's are nothing but junk. Do not buy one unless it is under warranty- and get rid of it as soon as the warranty is up.
They sure are, I've seen many complaints about this. If you do NOT work on your own car or want projects, I would have to agree on skipping BMWs of this age. Thanks for watching!
Most BMW owners hate to hear this but its the truth. I own a 2011 135i N55 and I love these cars but the reality is you need deep pockets for all the stuff that breaks again and again.