discussion Is my BMW E90 N46 far gone?

[Mr Krabs]

Hey everyone,

I trust you're well. Is my BMW E90 N46 320i far too gone and not worth it to repair?

Car is in limp mode. Took to BMW, they quoted to replace valve stem seals and eccentric shaft sensor. Now they notice cylinder 2 fails compression test and has a 45% leak on the leakage test. They recommend me having the cylinder block removed and sent away for a deep clean and lapping and cleaning valves and changing the stem seals with the head off.

The milage is at 226 678km, and they said there is a great chance the engineers would advise BMW and I of it being on the limit of spec. That it either needs a new engine or be re-assembled at my own risk. BMW said the cost of the sending it to the engineers would be twice as much as just having the valve stem seals replaced. Est maybe R80 000, while just the valve stem seals at R40 000.

What's everyone's opinion? The past year or two. I did a transmission service at ZF, new propshaft, new battery, new starter, new VANOS motor and some other things.

Should I just cut my loses and sell the car on? The car body is in really good shape.

I had pictures taken of the carbon build up in cylinder 2 and my compression tests.

 

[///M Individual]

What's the price on an import motor?

 

[Mr Krabs]

What's the price on an import motor?

Not entirely sure on 2nd hand engine. I have no idea where to get one. But the BMW dealership near me said that they can import a new engine or find a 2nd hand one through their network. The parts people said above 200k for a new N46 and est. maybe above 100k for a 2nd hand. This is all without them checking my VIN number yet.

 

[Stephanv]

BMW 318i N46 E90 Engine - Engineden

BMW 318i N46 E90 Engine

engineden.co.za

 

[Mr Krabs]

BMW 318i N46 E90 Engine - Engineden

BMW 318i N46 E90 Engine

engineden.co.za

Better to buy a 2nd hand engine or repair the current one?

 

[TBP88]

I'd guess the cleanest E90 320i is probably a sub R100k car at this point. @op, part it out, move on.

 

[TurboLlew]

On a good day, this is a R60-70K car, no?

Firstly, putting in a new engine is absurd

Spending money on this engine when a used one is 20-30K (assuming you want to keep the car forever after that point) doesn't make alot of sense (if indeed you actually have a compression issue: I'd get a second opinion on this). There is lower compression on one cylinder... but that doesn't mean you must send the block to engineers and do basically a full rebuild

What will be at the limit of spec at 230000km? Not sure why they believe this will be the case if you've never had the block/heads skimmed before and it has never overheated. What 'deep cleaning' of the cylinder block are they doing? Does that R80K involve new pistons/rings? bearings? Something doesn't add up with those descriptions. Either way, spending the value of the car over makes zero sense.

I feel the prices are also 'dealer prices' for this kind of work and it is not something they really do (and they have quoted accordingly). R100K for a used N46 is just pulling numbers from their backsides. You can buy a used F10 M5 engine for not much more than that

Also struggling to understand why valve stem seals are costing R40K? I think @Nick had these done for under R10K? I may be mistaken. If anyone knows LOL90 maintenance and costs it's him.

 

[TurboLlew]

I'd guess the cleanest E90 320i is probably a sub R100k car at this point. @op, part it out, move on.

Or sell it complete to a person with a crashed car but good motor who can benefit from the history and maintenance on the other components

 

[TBP88]

Or sell it complete to a person with a crashed car but good motor who can benefit from the history and maintenance on the other components

An option. @OP, unless you're confident you can code in a new engine and fit yourself/with help from mates, this is just going to be endless pain. The car, simply, isn't worth the hassle. If you had something rarer and more valuable it *may* have been worth the missions. But even after tens of thousands (at a minimum) spent, you'll then just have a 320i (the least desirable 320i ever made???), with a 2nd hand engine.

 

[Mr Krabs]

On a good day, this is a R60-70K car, no?

Firstly, putting in a new engine is absurd

Spending money on this engine when a used one is 20-30K (assuming you want to keep the car forever after that point) doesn't make alot of sense (if indeed you actually have a compression issue: I'd get a second opinion on this). There is lower compression on one cylinder... but that doesn't mean you must send the block to engineers and do basically a full rebuild

What will be at the limit of spec at 230000km? Not sure why they believe this will be the case if you've never had the block/heads skimmed before and it has never overheated. What 'deep cleaning' of the cylinder block are they doing? Does that R80K involve new pistons/rings? bearings? Something doesn't add up with those descriptions. Either way, spending the value of the car over makes zero sense.

I feel the prices are also 'dealer prices' for this kind of work and it is not something they really do (and they have quoted accordingly). R100K for a used N46 is just pulling numbers from their backsides. You can buy a used F10 M5 engine for not much more than that

Also struggling to understand why valve stem seals are costing R40K? I think @Nick had these done for under R10K? I may be mistaken. If anyone knows LOL90 maintenance and costs it's him.

Yes, I know these are dealer prices. The engine has never heated before and I have done a lot of preventative maintance on this car. I did the valve stem seals back in 2019. I attached the quote they gave me, and yes the drink holder is not important, and most prob. I can do that repair on my own. I have comteplated in just getting it fixed elsewhere. But not sure where is a reliable place in Cape Town.

 

[Mr Krabs]

An option. @OP, unless you're confident you can code in a new engine and fit yourself/with help from mates, this is just going to be endless pain. The car, simply, isn't worth the hassle. If you had something rarer and more valuable it *may* have been worth the missions. But even after tens of thousands (at a minimum) spent, you'll then just have a 320i (the least desirable 320i ever made???), with a 2nd hand engine.

I am not confident in putting a 2nd hand engine in myself, and most likely it will have a lot of 2nd hand engine problems, and I don't know the full history on it, compared to my one, which I pretty much had since 2009 lol.

 

[Mr Krabs]

When I spoke to BMW, they said the R80k is an est. and that they will send it to Northern Motor Engineers in Cape Town. Not sure how good they are.

 

[Zach]

Sell to WeHoardE90s (wbc).They will buy in any condition it seems.😅

 

[DarrylvanNiekerk]

You definitely need a second opinion, there are number of specialists out there who deal with refurbing heads and engines all day every day.

I rebuilt my N46 including engineering costs and head refurbing for less than R30k. Granted I did everything else myself but I have a brand new engine that runs beautifully.

 

[DarrylvanNiekerk]

At the end of the day it will come down to your own decision and how much value you place on the car.

If the rest of the car is in good condition, the interior is clean, it is great to drive then for me (personally) I would (and did) put the effort and money in to repair.

You never know what you are going to get with a second hand engine which you still need to inspect, do compression and leak down tests, then service, completely remove your motor and swap for the new one before installing and you still don't know whether it is a ticking time bomb.

People are going to advise you to run and invest in something faster, more powerful, has more bragging rights but this is your car and your decision to make. Ask questions, do research, become informed and only then look at all your alternatives and the associated costs and risks.

The reason I rebuilt my car was it had never been in an accident, is near perfect inside, drives beautifully, handles brilliantly, I feel safe on the road and get out after a long trip without aching. Knowing I have a brand new engine, albeit in an older car is a huge comfort.

I also had to face the reality just after taking a massive COVID bath. What can I get for similar money that offers what I already have - with a bit of time and money? With a stuffed engine my car was worth maybe R15k and I could have parted it out and maybe made R75k being left with a lot of undesirable items all over the place.

I am so glad I put the effort in because I learned so much, can do anything on my own now and have a car that drives like a dream. It did take a long time, mostly because I bought parts as and when I could afford them, and I had to replace a lot of general service items at the same time, but I'm super happy.

Make your own decision based on your own needs and desires, guided by the input and knowledge of others.

 

[momo1]

agree with some of the comments above, I dont think its worth saving, i would think about parting the car out ,you could still get good money for the gearbox, interior and body panels, might take a while to strip and sell everything but in the long run i think its better than paying another 30k to 60k for an engine rebuild or to get another engine installed without any guarantee , at the end of the day a decent e90 320i with no engine issues will still not fetch over 140k

part it out and use the same money you were supposed use on an engine rebuild on getting another solid used car

 

[cRed001]

Get a second opinion from a good bmw specialist and then reassess your options. It's never going to be economically feasible to carry out engine repairs on older model at dealership.

 

[Sabretooth tiger]

2JZ swop and keep the 320i badge

 

[Nick]

On a good day, this is a R60-70K car, no?

Firstly, putting in a new engine is absurd

Spending money on this engine when a used one is 20-30K (assuming you want to keep the car forever after that point) doesn't make alot of sense (if indeed you actually have a compression issue: I'd get a second opinion on this). There is lower compression on one cylinder... but that doesn't mean you must send the block to engineers and do basically a full rebuild

What will be at the limit of spec at 230000km? Not sure why they believe this will be the case if you've never had the block/heads skimmed before and it has never overheated. What 'deep cleaning' of the cylinder block are they doing? Does that R80K involve new pistons/rings? bearings? Something doesn't add up with those descriptions. Either way, spending the value of the car over makes zero sense.

I feel the prices are also 'dealer prices' for this kind of work and it is not something they really do (and they have quoted accordingly). R100K for a used N46 is just pulling numbers from their backsides. You can buy a used F10 M5 engine for not much more than that

Also struggling to understand why valve stem seals are costing R40K? I think @Nick had these done for under R10K? I may be mistaken. If anyone knows LOL90 maintenance and costs it's him.

I had that replacement planned, then i sold the car after a truck pushed me into the bushes and i broke all my wheels.

But ye it was about 10K back then through an independant.

To the OP id cut my losses and buy something newer , even in the same e90 family like a 320D or 330D if you can find one.
Life is MUCH better without a 320i.

There is also the other option of putting another Axis powers engine in there, 2jz or and LS v8 - these also come with their headaches.

 

[TBP88]

I'd imagine 2jz conversion would much, much more than what you'd be willing to spend. Would need likely upgraded brakes, suspension, probably reinforcement of the subframes, add in the coding, fueling. God only knows what it'd cost you at the end. And I can't imagine a single person on earth lining up to buy a E90 320i with a 2jz for even 1/10th of what it'd cost you to get that working. So unless you (for some reason) are extremely passionate about this specific car, the best is to (1) get a quote somewhere else from an independent mechie of what they think it'd cost to fix and (2) probably part or whole-sale the car off.