[ucsbwsr]

I know this thread is overlapping a bit with my thread of the incident and my build log but I figured this was worthy of it's own.

Incident: http://5series.net/forums/e61-touri...ophic-engine-failure-dramatic-fashion-144460/

Finally pulled my motor and was able to take some better pictures of the damage to the block. Engine is still being torn down, I will add pics once the valve cover and head is off.

For those familiar with engine internals and failures, if you would like some specific pictures to help in the diagnosis please let me know. This is my first experience inside an engine and am not sure exactly what to look for.

Evan

 

[ucsbwsr]

Finally got around to pulling the head off my blown motor, here are some updated pics.

You need an "extra long" T50 and T60 bit to get the main head bolts off. I didn't feel like paying a huge premium for "BMW Special Tools" or over priced bits sold locally. I ended up buying a set from AB Tools in the UK (via eBay). $25 and 8 days later these arrive. 3/8 drive which was tiny for the task of getting these bolts out but they worked flawlessly.

Head off

Cylinder #1

Cylinder #2

Cylinder #3

Cylinder #4

Cylinder #5

Cylinder #6

Took 4 pictures (quarters) of the cylinder walls on #3
#3 Cylinder Wall 1/4

#3 Cylinder Wall 2/4

#3 Cylinder Wall 3/4

#3 Cylinder Wall 4/4

Head/Valves

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

General Carnage

 

[Jay Arras]

Ouch! That sure ain't pretty. Those photos ought to be used to train mechanics. They are very detailed. Thanks for sharing.

 

[ucsbwsr]

Ouch! That sure ain't pretty. Those photos ought to be used to train mechanics. They are very detailed. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks. Good ol' iPhone 6 does the trick. detailed photos like this turn out a lot better with some zoom and distance (as opposed to sticking the camera right up to the object, helps with the perspective.

Evan

 

[txag_530i]

It appears that your engine threw a connecting rod right out of the oil pan.

 

[eburnz]

ok so how do we prevent this from happening? or is this an overtime type of failure...

 

[ucsbwsr]

ok so how do we prevent this from happening? or is this an overtime type of failure...

This failure was on a tuned engine, I would speculate it was due to improper/inadequate fuel distribution but hard to say indefinitely. My engine last dynoed at 545awhp and at that power level there is supplemental fueling needed. I was running E85 and had a throttle body injection system which delivered fuel upstream (at the throttle body) as opposed to into each cylinder like oem or port injection.

The short answer to your question is, keep your car stock if you are not inclined to data log and track how your engine is performing.

If you don't want to keep you car stock then take the time to data log, learn what the parameters mean, and how to interpret them while making sure your engine tuning, bolt on components, and power goals are all within a safe operating parameters.

Evan

 

[impac4000]

Im having my RR600's and Hexon Inlets installed as we speak, car is FBO i got my Stage2 LPFP from Steve on the way, do you think TBI is good idea or go with port injection ? Once you are done with your new engine are you still going to run same set up ? And also since you are doing a Manual swap how was your A/T holding up with that power ?

 

[ucsbwsr]

Im having my RR600's and Hexon Inlets installed as we speak, car is FBO i got my Stage2 LPFP from Steve on the way, do you think TBI is good idea or go with port injection ? Once you are done with your new engine are you still going to run same set up ? And also since you are doing a Manual swap how was your A/T holding up with that power ?

TBI vs PI; depends how you tune and how hard you run the setup. Personally I will be going to PI as I am pushings things and want better control over fuel distribution. TBI is a good setup for stock turbos but hybrids and beyond PI is the way to go, even if it isn't needed, it is a safe bet, it will also give you headroom once Steve figures out how to squeeze more flow from out LPFP and odd tank setup.

I hated the AT, but I hate ATs in general. All things considered it handled the power pretty well, I daily drove it hard and there was no major failure. It did miss a couple shifts here and there and it acted even dumber than usual as power continued to increase. MT is a safe, simple. proven setup for higher hp N54 cars. People will be quick to tell you that the ATs make for quicker cars all things equal, conversely you can run more hp with a MT car and therefore have greater performance potential but I value enjoyment over all else so MT is the only option, it just happens to be a relatively bulletproof setup for these cars. Mine will be configured with a Spec Stg 3+ clutch and mFactory SMFW, which I have been driving a lot in my buddies 600+awhp 335xi and it holds the power great and is nearly as easy to drive as stock, only a little bit of chatter at idle and off-throttle, raising the idle with coding should cure that.

Evan

 

[impac4000]

Thanks for explaining, looking forward when you finish the conversion.

 

[mboat]

Subscribed! :thumbup: