Onyxyth

iTrader: (2)

So, this car burns a lot of oil. Probably 1.5 qt / 1,000 miles or so. Maybe more. I've been pretty good at keeping up with it, but it kinda got away from me thew last few weeks and I had to add about ~2 qts to it, there wasn't any oil on the dipstick when I pulled it - so that isn't great. But it seemed fine.
I just got done fixing a stumbling idle / hesitation problem (cracked ceramic on #1 spark plug) and started it up to see if it was any better. I guess I haven't had the engine running AND the hood open in a while, cause this sounds fucked. I can't hear it from inside the car though.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure this is #4 rod bearing knocking, but I figured I'd have you guys listen. Thoughts?

curly

iTrader: (25)

That thing is trash. Good riddance, those 3s are built really cheaply and poorly IMO.

Onyxyth

iTrader: (2)

Yup.

I'm reading that the rod bearings can be replaced from underneath, and only the AC compressor has to be moved out of the way, and the oil pan obviously. A new set of rod bearings is $20 on rock auto. I think I'll give that a shot and see how it turns out. Obviously the real issue is that the motor practically runs on oil - but if I can keep driving it for a few more months, why not.

cal_len1

2.5 swap time?

SpartanSV

I actually tried this on a 3vze. Even pulled the head and put in a new connecting rod since I figured the big end was toast. I hoped the crank journal would be good enough. It wasn't.....

I wouldn't bother attempting it again unless I was absolutely certain the engine had literally just started knocking.

mgeoffriau

iTrader: (7)

Really? I liked mine quite a bit

Onyxyth

iTrader: (2)

These apparently use bi-metal (aluminum) bearings that don't often score the crank. The car is pretty much worthless otherwise, so I think it's worth a shot. Maybe I'll be able to drive it a few more months & trade it in for a few schmeckles,

I actually like it a lot too, its slow as hell but has done everything I needed it to. Decent mpg (~30) and was real cheap. Has been perfectly reliable up until this week.

SpartanSV

The 3vze and pretty much everything else out there uses that style of bearing. I don't think it's the bearing material that does the damage it's the connecting rod slamming against the crank journal that does it. That and the heat. Sooooo much heat. Then the other issue is the con. rod being pounded out of round.

It's your time and money though. If it's easy to pull the pan then it's probably worth doing just to confirm the diagnosis.

curly

iTrader: (25)

I'm mostly just being grumpy. We get a lot of really nice cars at the shop I work at. Seems every 3 comes in is disgusting inside and out, has some sort of body damage, interior damage, AND maintenance issues. They're gutless, poor MPGs, ugly, and my wife's 2010 required a front wheel bearing, battery, and tires by 20k. Meanwhile my cheap as **** built Mitsubishi Lancer required nothing but front pads, tires, and oil changes in 100k.

Like I said I'm being grumpy. 2010+ has a much better interior, and at least with skyactiv you get good MPGs to go along with the gutlessness. My wife's current CX-5 has the 2.5 skyactiv and I imagine that's awesome in the new 3s. Above all they really are fun to drive for a sedan and are cheaper than they more boring options at Toyota and Honda.

Edit: Oh I forgot the window regulator. Had to replace one, and they're held in with a single bolt. The rubber trim is essentially your window guides. Econo design and build.

I'm at the point in my life where I wouldn't spend time and money on a 1.6 with a greddy setup again, and you can get a 2014 BMW for the same price as a new 3. It's no $4k 2005 3, but I only got my BMW for $14k. /oldmangrump

ridethecliche

iTrader: (2)

How much is a used motor for these cars?

Onyxyth

iTrader: (2)

You guys wanna see something cool? During my troubleshooting I had the valve cover off and was spinning the engine over by hand. I put the valve cover back together and went to start the engine, forgetting the breaker bar was still on the crank. Well, it definitely sheared something, skipped time, spun the crank pulley bolt all the way out, and ultimately broke 8 valves off inside the cylinders. If it wasn't quite dead before it is CERTAINLY dead now.

#1 and #4 are at the top of their stroke, so its a bit hard to see, but you get the idea.

#1


#2


#3


#4

Onyxyth

iTrader: (2)

What BMW did you pick up? the i6 turbos are really cool, 135i, 335i, etc. I'd love to have one.

curly

iTrader: (25)

Wow, that is really fucked now!

I bought a 2011 BMW 328i base model. It's an auto, which they don't have a lot of issues with and it's my DD, so why not. No sunroof, because they like to leak on any car. Heated seats because it's a ******* BMW, amirite? 328 because above their base model things get complicated.

Since you're the OP and you asked, I'll give you a VERY brief intro to BMWs.

Most importantly, never buy an X-drive car. The front axle goes through the oil pan, which makes resealing the oil pan, resealing the axle housing, replacing the axles, suspension, control arms, etc all more difficult. You also then have a temperamental transfer case to maintain and fix, along with a front diff to maintain. This eliminates the SUVs and X-drive sedans. This also eliminates the popular E93 (wagon), which only came in X-drive*.

Secondly, avoid 5-series and 7-series, and V8s. I don't think I have to explain the 7-series, but the 5-series has a lot of systems above and beyond the 3 series that can go wrong, plus they're heavier, wearing out bushings, bearings, shocks, bump stops, and many other components quicker than, say, a 3 series. V8s ruin the front steering geometry by using a steering box which likes to leak/fail, and on top of that they're maintenance ****** and money pits. I will say, my boss is morbidly afraid of owning a V8 for their maintenance issues, but if asked: "what do you think of BMW V8s?" his reply is: "they're amazing".

Thirdly, never buy a Z car. They're parts bin cars thrown together to entertain a small market place and usually they're built with compromises. For example, the Z3 finished production in 2001. In order to fit a narrower (than 3 series) rear end in, they stole the design from the E30, which debuted in 1982. And I think the rear end suspension was around even before that.

Essentially what I'm telling you is stay away from all BMWs except 3-series.

This includes the e30, e36, e46, and e90**.

I'll be brief on the first three, since you specifically mentioned 1-series, which is the equivalent of a E90.

E30: being bought up by the stance crowd, and I'm ok with it. The oldest ones are 35 years old and on top of that often have 300k+ miles. If you buy one and expect a decent DD, expect to replace everything and don't complain about the costs.

E36: completely different chassis and instead of 70-80s tech, it's 90-00s tech. Interior wise the door panels love to fall off, otherwise a neglected chassis could need, control arms, shocks, top hats, bump stops, tie rods, trailing arm bushings, tires, and an alignment. A neglected drivetrain could need new diff bearings, drive shaft, shift shaft seal, valve cover gasket, plugs and coils, oil filter housing gasket, and my shop has seen a not-insignificant number of starter and alternator failures. On top of that the entire cooling system is plastic, so even if you only have an expansion tank leak, removing it typically breaks the AT cooler thermostat, upper radiator hose, and mounting bracket. If you're replacing all of these components, might as well replace the radiator, lower radiator hose, thermostat/waterpump, and related o-rings.

E46: E36 that's more complicated and heavier. Prepare to do all of the above plus a little more. M cars like to rip their rear subframes out of the chassis, and we've seen a lot of failed differential bearings.

E90: My coworker explained that essentially BMW recognized they couldn't make a more complicated 3-series which would break even more, and they'd go out of business. So they made the E90 chassis and suspension built to withstand more abuse and last longer. They still have their quirks, like a ~$400 valve cover (best to replace the entire plastic valve cover when replacing the gasket), and they still leak at the oil filter housing gasket ($10 and a lot of labor!). I've written a lot and am failing to think of other typical issues with them. The 1-series is essentially an e90 coupe with a squished nose. I consider their owners to be people who are too cheap to step "up" to the 3-series, so they get a 1-series and then are too cheap to maintain it. For that reason I've seen a lot of poor examples, your experience may be different. But given a brand new 1-series and brand new 3-series, I'd take the 3-series for practicality but wouldn't steer you away from the 1-series.

You have ~4 options with the e90, a 3 liter i6, a 3 liter i6 diesel, and those same engines turbocharged. The 335d can make 700ft/lbs with downpipes and a tune, but with their direct injection and the fact that they're a diesel, they can get a lot of carbon build up requiring walnut blasting, valve cover replacement, and possible PCV system cleaning. I don't know enough about the 328d to give you any tips. The 328 is peppy at 230hp, but you're moving over 4000lbs so keep that in mind. 335s are desirable for their power, but they have high pressure fuel pump failures ($$), injector failures ($$$), and turbo failures ($$$$). DEFINITELY avoid twin turbo models. With a tune, intercooler, exhaust, dp, intake, etc you'll make 400+ hp, and blow up your auto. If you're manual then yay, clutches are fairly strong****

*there's a REALLY rare RWD wagon. Wouldn't even both searching for it.

**You can also include the current F30, but they're mostly still under warranty (which is great!) and I'm assuming we're discussing used vehicles here. By all means if you have $25k+ to spend, the F30 is a great option!***

***Co worker had his e90 at the dealer for a warranty repair and had an F30 loaner. He said it felt a little cheaper than an e90, which isn't surprising considering today's throw away society. I mean your $700 iphone is useless a year later, and is considered a fossil 2 years after purchase. Cars are headed the same way.

****but the dual mass flywheels are like $600-$800, used (I think) in all manual models after the e30.

P.S. I purposefully didn't mention M cars, they're S model engines instead of N, meaning they're completely different, and since you didn't mention M models, I didn't get into them.

P.P.S. BMWs are just like any car, find the lowest mileage, most maintained example you can afford, if you're not getting a good feeling from the seller walk away, get a PPI (pre purchase inspection) from a shop that knows the cars, and try to avoid dealerships to avoid their markup. I'd also suggest facelift cars, since they update most of the issues early cars have. For E90s that's 2011+. Then once you purchase your car, keep synthetic oil changes at ~5000 mile intervals, flush your brakes every 2 years, replace diff and trans fluid if you don't have records of it, replace tires with quality units (our shop LOVES the Conti DW or DWS), and peak inside your spokes for your brake condition, remember to buy brake sensors if you do a DIY brake job.

Onyxyth

iTrader: (2)

Damn, great info Curly. I really like the idea of i6 turbo but you're probably right about them, I can't imagine them being easy to maintain. I think I'll keep an eye out for the NA i6 models (325/328?) and see what pops up. I'm also looking at Focus/Fiesta ST's. I kinda like hatch/wagons for dailys.

kevinspann

iTrader: (1)

Yeah the duratecs are neat because there are no keyways on the cams or crank - all of the torque on the crank bolt (and friction washers) hold everything in time. Yours was junk anyways...you might've gotten by for a bit by doing bearings (the rod journal was probably in worse shape than the crank) but I don't know that it would've been worth the trouble.

Onyxyth

iTrader: (2)

****, really? That's exactly what happened then. It probably went out of time immediately, the thing was only running for 3-4 seconds.

Onyxyth

iTrader: (2)

Going to check out this FoST sometime this week. Looks decent.

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