The E46-chassis BMW has a bit of a bad secret, and it lies near its heart: rod bearings. Some early cars suffered engine failures caused by rod bearing issues, and that news still reverberates through our motorsports world.
Were we about to open a door into hell with our latest purchase?
On the plus side, our car was built in …
Is this just an ad for Redline fluids? It reads like one of those shills that Howard Stern does for Steven Singer Jewelers. At least try to hide the product placement just a little will you? To keep the illusion that you are all here for the love alive just a little bit.
I'll be honest: When we got this car, I figured that we'd use the recommended oil along with MTL in the gearbox--the stuff that we have been using for years. After talking to Cameron and James--two guys who know a lot about BMWs and oil--we learned a few things. It's a unique application and some of the Red Line recommendations vary from the BMW specs, so hopefully there's some good info in here for other E46 M3 owners.
The "advice" that we found online was all over the place. We decided to go to the guys who know way more about this stuff than we do.
I just got my oil analysis info back from Blackstone on my 2004 M3. Lead shoot up, it was already high 5k miles ago, and now its showing copper.
I am at 95k miles.
Tomorrow I'll order new bearings along with a bunch of while in there parts. Will make for an interesting Thanksgiving weekend.
Spend the $30 on an oil analysis and keep an eye on the results for lead/copper.
When I was messing with newer BMWs still I settled on a 50/50 mix of the D4 ATF and MTL instead of one or the other in the gearbox. ATF alone just seemed to be too thin under really strenuous use, and lots of guys running track events seemed to concur.
Oh yeah, oil is getting changed any minute, and a sample will be sent to Blackstone asap. I voted to change the rod bearings just for peace of mind, but everyone said to get the oil analysis report first. Who knows, maybe it's all in spec. And if the report says to change them, we won't cry.
pointofdeparture wrote: When I was messing with newer BMWs still I settled on a 50/50 mix of the D4 ATF and MTL instead of one or the other in the gearbox. ATF alone just seemed to be too thin under really strenuous use, and lots of guys running track events seemed to concur.
Yeah, same here. The D4 is too thin. It runs really hot and it spits out all over the place from the vent. I have always used MTL for track work (and street) in the BMW ZF boxes. That is 4 street cars, 3 race cars for anyone counting. It's a little stiff shifting when really cold (well below freezing) but after a short warm up it's perfect.
If you (OP: David) are doing HPDE or TT with this car maybe mention it to them. The Redline guys are BMW CR sponsors and decent guys. They showed up at a few race weekends and did some handshaking. I'd be interested in what they have to say - having already had this conversation with them in the paddock at the Glen ;)
Right now the plan is to keep the car on the streets.
Don't know about D4 in ZF boxes, but it's great for manuals that require ATF only because of carbon composite internal bits or the like. I'm thinking Ford T5 here.
I myself am a victim of 10W-60 self-doubt and anxiety, though in my case it's the S65 V8 that keeps me up at night. Some owners have lost their main bearings at 50k. There are two generations, both with tight tolerances but at least I have the second which is the less-tight of the two.
It's not a street car like yours, and it sees a LOT of sustained high-rev driving on the track. Really, the only limitation I've found on the car is that I can get it to 3/4 on the oil temp gauge, which is the point at which it starts flashing warnings at me. (Well, the other limit is the times when I slide it through the turns so hard that it tries to call BMW Assist. Glad I've never had an active cell phone link when that happened.) So I stick with the 60, warm the car up with care, and hope for the best about the bearings. Blackstone reports too (though the main bearings aren't lead-based, so it's only useful to see if the viscosity is staying up to snuff).
JBasham wrote: Blackstone reports too (though the main bearings aren't lead-based, so it's only useful to see if the viscosity is staying up to snuff).
E46 M3 are copper and then have a lead layer.
What are the S65 ones made of? I know my brother is tracking both lead and copper on his. Do I need to tell him he is doing it wrong?
JBasham wrote: I myself am a victim of 10W-60 self-doubt and anxiety, though in my case it's the S65 V8 that keeps me up at night.
We should form a self-help group. Yes, seriously.
Next time anyone here sees James at BimmerWorld, ask him about my e-mails asking about oil and bearings. There was a lot of wisdom shared and hands held. Fortunately once Hurricane Matthew set its sights on us, I could obsess about something else.
David S. Wallens wrote:JBasham wrote: I myself am a victim of 10W-60 self-doubt and anxiety, though in my case it's the S65 V8 that keeps me up at night.We should form a self-help group. Yes, seriously.
In that case, can we add rear trunk floor tearout member support group? Maybe some cognitive based therapy would help? 
BTW, congrats on getting a great deal on the most car for the money going!
(Even though no visible cracks, the scale on the spot welds is a tell -- they are being flexed.)
On this episode of Cribs...
Oh yeah, trunk floor worriers are also invited. So are the VANOS peoples.
Seriously, I figure this car will let us discuss these popular issues.
Fun stuff.
Only half-jokingly: If your friends describe you as a pessimist (I prefer to consider myself a realist,) then the WORST that can happen is that you're right all the time.
That said, I have had a very positive BMW ownership experience.
Slippery wrote:
Nice data point. Unfortunately it looks like you're ready for new rod bearings!
What is your cold startup driving like? How hot do you let the oil get before going up to XXXX RPM? For example "I keep it below 4000 RPM until the oil is at least 120*F".
series8217 wrote:Slippery wrote:Nice data point. Unfortunately it looks like you're ready for new rod bearings! What is your cold startup driving like? How hot do you let the oil get before going up to XXXX RPM? For example "I keep it below 4000 RPM until the oil is at least 120*F".
Bearings have been ordered along with a bunch of "while in there" parts and the car has been grounded until Thanksgiving weekend.
The car never sees over 3500 RPMs until oil temperature is around 180 deg F. I believe my biggest problem is that the car has seen a few track days.
Also of note is that my experience with these cars is that you have to drive them to get the oil up to temperature, you cannot turn it on and leave it idling outside your house and expect the oil temp to rise much.
Think what you like about this being a commercial but I have never had an engine failure on the street or the track and although I cannot say Redline oil is the reason that is reason enough for me to stick with it. I think the guys are trying to share good info.BTW I tracked an E46 M3 for 4 years and now a Spec E46 both using the Redline.
Today's update:
And I need to thank Nancy for putting postage on the Blackstone bottle so it gets there. I don't even know where we keep our new postage machine.
Slippery wrote:JBasham wrote: Blackstone reports too (though the main bearings aren't lead-based, so it's only useful to see if the viscosity is staying up to snuff).E46 M3 are copper and then have a lead layer. What are the S65 ones made of? I know my brother is tracking both lead and copper on his. Do I need to tell him he is doing it wrong?
If it's an earlier production model, he has typical lead/copper. It's only the later production models that switched to some bimetal aluminum composite.
JBasham wrote:Slippery wrote:If it's an earlier production model, he has typical lead/copper. It's only the later production models that switched to some bimetal aluminum composite. S65 motor bearing tech infoJBasham wrote: Blackstone reports too (though the main bearings aren't lead-based, so it's only useful to see if the viscosity is staying up to snuff).E46 M3 are copper and then have a lead layer. What are the S65 ones made of? I know my brother is tracking both lead and copper on his. Do I need to tell him he is doing it wrong?
Yes, I checked after your post. His is a 2009. I believe the changeover was in 2011.
Post the results once you get them David!
David S. Wallens wrote: Today's update:
Yech. I just chugged one of those based on your advertisement here and it gave me the squirts.
Slippery wrote: Post the results once you get them David!
I shall. I'm guessing I'll know something in a week or so.
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