E46 M3 Blown Engine Registry
 

There still seems to be a problem, the fact that they have a registry and that some of these people have blown their engines twice.
http://yoy.com/auto/m3_failure_index.html

how many have there been since the recall (that actually followed up and got their engines fixed)?

I recall the E36 M3 makes 321 horses...so, basically, 20 or so hp increase and the reliability when down dramatically.

most of those threads are from '02. i would say those are fairly isolated cases. I'm wondering if the remanned engines were made with the first bearings, or the guys blowing their 2nd engine weren't following the 105MPH/5,500RPM break in period.

the problems was for cars from 01-02. they have now been fixed. 03-04 are safe b to buys.

They haven't all been fixd yet. there are still some ignorant owners out there that haven't followed up on the recall, as it's still in effect. Once all the affected vehicles are repaired, the Service Bullitein will be deleted from bmwcenternet. I think we have 2 customers that still need to come in for their recall.

have there been many, if any reports of problems from serviced engines?

not that i know of. there was a story about an SMG M3 that over revved on a downshift and scattered the engine (SMG control unit is supposed to disallow any downshift that would spin the engine past redline). They replaced the engine, BMW said there was no way that it happened on a downshift, but through test drives, they got it to over rev a couple times. That was fixed a few months later with an SMG programming update.

The only way i can see an engine failing after the service is human error, by either the driver or the technician performing the repairs. The torque procedure for the con-rod bolts is not just a simple torque to X amount of Nm and call it good, if it has a certain type of bolt, you have to torque it to 5Nm, then 30Nm, then 105degrees, back it off and repeat the procedure two more times. Its a massive pain in the ass and its easy to bypass a round of torque :?

Still its good to know that BMW has finally reigned in the problems and limited them to isolated cases and human error, which is a threat to all cars. As for the annoying servicing... thats why we have you technicians ;)

Yip, beemer are quite ingenuative with their various bolts and studs, i belive they tighten to bolt thread yield point on the new engines!

Do you have to replace all bolts when you have the engine apart, or can you re-use them?

Well, it happens to every car. And it's only an interesting subject because it is a BMW.
If it was a Ferrari, nobody would start a registry, because it would be crowded in no time!! lololol

Yeah, torque to yeild is a bitch. M3s built up to 12/13/2002 the bolts are reused. the procedure for these is alot easier. 5Nm, 30Nm, 70degrees and leave it.

after 12/13/2002 you replace the fuckers and have to do the procedure above. but for those you get paid an extra .3 hrs (18 minutes). You're supposed to hit the degrees in one stroke, but for cyl. 2, 3, and 4 its fucking impossible due to the subframe being in the way :?

It's cool though. How many other people can say they've dug into an S54 8)

what morons, they are

like yoda, you speak ;)

well, seeing as how BMW NA has to translate the shit that comes from BMW AG and then get it to us, I would say this is happening everywhere, especially since the engine is assembled in Munich. You would be surprised what gets lost in translation :roll: :P :wink:

BMW NA has replaced every engine that has failed unless it happened under Launch or Burnout mode in the SMGs since the control unit records how many times the car has been launched. Plus, on the 6spd cars, it records the highest RPM and how long it was held there. Obviously aftermarket programming is not covered, so if you have a chip, or program in the car that extends redline another 500RPM or so, you're paying for the engine :P But i have heard of a few cases where BMW paid for part of it.