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Thread: Question about BMW catastrophic engine failures for higher mileage BWM engines

  1. #1
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    Question about BMW catastrophic engine failures for higher mileage BMW engines

    I am considering purchasing a 3 series BMW coupe later this year. I have seen them going for around $10,000 and some less. The cars are fun and very charming.

    Anyways, the ones for less than $10,000 have over 100,000 miles. I do everything myself from engine swaps to thread repair with Time-serts. You can pretty much consider me an extremist when it comes to preventive maintance. I usually catch problems before they get out of hand. I usually fully inspect all of my cars once or twice a week EG: checking the oil, checking for cracks or leaks, checking suspention, tires, jacking the car up and getting under it and looking for anything that can cause trouble, you get the jist of it.

    I don't mind fixing things like water pumps, hoses, etc, but I don't want a car that the engines don't last very long. I know that statement was vague, but let me tell you what my concern is.

    I have been doing some research and it seems as if most (actually ALL) of the people who damaged their engines overheated them. I see A LOT of completely damaged engines on this forum compared to the lexus forum, like literally 5 times as much which concerns me. I read about the infamous coolant overflow tank cracking causing the vehicle to loose coolant, which causes the car to overheat, then in turn warping the head, and damaging the engine, however I am still a bit in the dark. I am unsure if the headgasket is the problem or the cooling system is the problem causing the headgasket to go out and the head to warp.


    Now getting to the point



    1. I want my engine to last well over 200,000 miles. If taken care of, will these 3 series BMW engines last past 200,000 miles?

    2. How difficult are these cars to work on space wise? Are there any very difficult to access parts in the engine bay, or anywhere?

    3. Do these cars have headgasket problems causing the head to warp?.......Or do they have coolant problems causing the engine to overheat, thus damaging the head gasket and warping the head?

    The coolant problems I can deal with because those can be caught. I just don't want to deal with an engine that has notorious problems with headgaskets randomly going out for no reason causing the head to warp and pulling the studs out of the block.

    David
    Last edited by SR20FL; 04-01-2008 at 04:57 AM.

  2. #2
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    yes, these motors can last well over 200k, there are already some that are there. no, these cars aren't difficult to work on, though space wise, the hardest thing i've done is replacing a clutch, there isn't much space to get the trans off. head gasket problem? not last i checked, unless you run them out of coolant, or have a leak, and then, any car will have a head gasket problem.

  3. #3
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    Yes, the expansion tank is the weak link in the coolant system. I talked to a BMW Service Rep. about the expansion tank issue and he told me that, yes, your expansion tank will fail at sometime, when is anybody's guess. My car has 65K on the clock and the Service Rep said that he recommends the tank to be changed out around 80K, unless it fails sooner (thanks alot, bud!).

    Now, am I paranoid about this after talking with the Rep - not really. I keep an eye on the temp. gauge off and on, but feel if the tank "goes", I will know it (i.e. steam plume from under the hood) and be able to just pull off to the side of the road and shut the engine down - long before I overheat and "fry" my engine. I am more concerned about being stranded than f/u my engine. Therefore, sometime this summer or fall I will change out my tank - just to be safe.

    Once the tank is changed out, which is not that bad of a DIY (except possible frustration with bleeding the system), you are good to go for at least another 50+K miles conservatively and most likely a lot more.

  4. #4
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    BMW makes some of the most durable engines around, I'd say BMW and Honda are the two best engine builders. As long as you keep up on the maintenance (especially the cooling system) you will be fine.

    I think what you see on these forums are a lot of "money shifts" which end up destroying motors. That's operator error. Most Lexuses have automatics so you avoid that problem completely.

  5. #5
    nathancarter is offline Stretch Haters Club #1 BMW CCA Member
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    The headgasket is not the root problem.

    There are three weak points in the cooling system:
    1) Thermostat. Maybe the most common failure. It's designed to stick open when it fails, so the only ill effects are that the engine doesn't get hot.
    2) Water pump. The bearings fail, causing it to leak and eventually seize. But, you often have plenty of fair warning, such as squeaks, minor leaks around the bearings/weep hole, etc. Worst case scenario, the pump seizes and your fan (if automatic) shatters, belt breaks, bits of fan shrapnel damage the radiator and hoses, etc. Still, not what I'd consider a catastrophic engine failure, since you'll know you have problems long before you have critically overheated.
    3) Expansion tank. This is the big one.
    3a) The E46 has a closed, pressurized cooling system, with no overflow drain. The expansion tank is made of plastic (actually composite resin), and the daily cycle of pressurizing and depressurizing weakens the plastic until it eventually breaks.
    3b) The coolant level sensor is in a hollow airspace in the bottom of the expansion tank. It detects the level of coolant (one presumes) by measuring the temperature inside that airspace. Therefore, if the expansion tank pops while you're driving, I firmly believe that the coolant level sensor won't warn you in time to shut off the engine before it's damaged. From a thermodynamics point of view, the coolant will be long gone before the temperature of that airspace changes significantly enough to cause the coolant light to come on. A terrible design, in my opinion.

    There was also a recent report of an upper radiator hose bursting at under 100k miles, but also reports of radiator hoses looking perfectly fine well into 150k miles.

    Anyway, to sum up:
    Replace these three failure-prone parts (plus belts & hoses) as preventive maintenance, every 75k-100k miles, and you should be golden for a long time.

  6. #6
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    what catrostrophic engine failure? How large is the lexus forum compared to us? people's coolant pumps blowing up because they don't maintain their cars is their fault, not the fault of the car.

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  7. #7
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    I appreciate the responses guys. Those things are easy things I can take care of once I buy the car. I think you have me convinced to pick one of these up now that I know what all is involved when it comes to maintaining them. There is two in the area right now for sale.

    A 2001 325ci 5 spd w/ 126k miles from a private seller http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...500&cardist=74

    and a 2000 323ci 5 spd w/ 150k miles from a dealer. http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...500&cardist=27

    Both are $8,999. I'm guessing to try and go for the 325ci. How does the gas mileage differ from the two?

  8. #8
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    Never heard of a BMW engine failing out of the blue...Always due to some factor like engine oil left in way too long, overheated, no oil.

  9. #9
    nathancarter is offline Stretch Haters Club #1 BMW CCA Member
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    Between those two, with everything else equal, I'd go for the 325. I guess it kinda depends on the option packages, which are hard to tell on an Autotrader ad.

    The 325 has the newer M54 engine, which is new for the E46 3-series (and X3?). The 323 has the M52tu engine, which was used for a long time in the E36. So, it's a slightly newer engine design, but performance will be very similar between the two.

    However, if the dealer throws in a warranty of any sort, then that might sway your decision a bit.

  10. #10
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    the m54 will last forever if you change your oil and make sure you take care of bmw's screw up on the cooling system

  11. #11
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    Try and find a 330ci, you might like the extra HP/low end torque.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by SR20FL View Post
    I appreciate the responses guys. Those things are easy things I can take care of once I buy the car. I think you have me convinced to pick one of these up now that I know what all is involved when it comes to maintaining them. There is two in the area right now for sale.

    A 2001 325ci 5 spd w/ 126k miles from a private seller http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...500&cardist=74

    and a 2000 323ci 5 spd w/ 150k miles from a dealer. http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...500&cardist=27

    Both are $8,999. I'm guessing to try and go for the 325ci. How does the gas mileage differ from the two?
    The 325 is a much better deal. The car is newer, faster, more refined, and fuel economy will be comparable. Make sure you get a pre purchase inspection done, also if you can get a car with maintenance records that is best, that way you can estimate when you'll need to do maintenance. At those miles, I would ask what they have done with the cooling system and the suspension, also probably the window regulators.

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