Where to find a good M54?
 

Well, after my water pump belt fiasco and the unicorn radiator that doesn't exist, I finally got the head gasket tester on it today and it turned green. I even did it a second time because - of course I did. You always hope beyond hope.

I've heard many a horror story about buying an engine online and finding out it's bad after you get it in. So that points to one of the big name sellers. But then you're paying out the nose. For that price, I could get a 330i or a 530i donor off marketplace and pull that engine and I'd be able to check it out in a running car. But it's probably going to be high mileage and it would be smart to refresh it while it's on a stand. But if I'm going to refresh one, why not do mine and save a bunch of time and money from buying a donor car - mine runs great and has no signs of a problem (yet) other than the green test fluid... decisions, decisions...

I bought two BMW motors this year.

Both via eBay. One from importapart (eBay store for the YouTube channel “idocars”) and one from e-yautoparts.

Both were excellent motors both had video of the motor running before removal from host.

There were minor issues with both.

One had sit outside and got water in the spark tubes of 5-6 and the coils were destroyed but that engine was nearly spotless.

The other suffered damage to the OFH from the crash that killed the host, they replaced with the wrong OFH but I was able to swap the one from wife’s dead motor.

Not cheap but brought both our cars back from the dead and for ¼ the cost of replacing the car with an equally aged car.

The M54 is a very tough motor most often head gasket blown you can just replace the head and that’s a lot cheaper and easier than full motor swap.

Importapart is great: when they swapped the OFH they got oil into G water pump and I didn’t want to risk installing that into wife’s car: they paid half on a brand new OE pump/thermostat.


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Other posts here said that replacing the engine is easier than doing a head gasket. On the M20, that is not the case. But I watched idocars tear down the M54 and I'm thinking it doesn't look like fun. I could buy a donor 330i for 2K or less. A video of an engine running is good and all, but a video of my engine would look good, too.

The two i mentioned came with warranty. You do want to be prepared to install quickly though. I had over 3 mo. delay before i could install; chewed up a lot of the warranty time.

I haven't watched YouTube of head swap on M54, but considering the difficulty of getting to plug 6, i suppose it might be almost as bad as engine swap.

Having just done two engine swaps, a major benefit of full swap is getting to the old hoses etc. I swapped all my coolant hoses and power steering lines.


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So why wasn't the block check working before ??

Maybe that was a different thread.

The block check I'm using is super cheap. It's a wine making air lock with an enlarged, tapered, rubber stopper to go into the radiator cap. The pee hole for the air bleed at the top of the coolant tank shoots pretty much at the opening for the stopper. When everything warmed up and started expanding, some coolant would get into the tester and contaminate it. But to start everything off, the water pump belt broke, and the upper radiator hose exploded. I had to fix those to find out the radiator also split. So I had to replace that to find out the head gasket went, too.

I'm convinced that I need a "real" temperature sensor/gauge combo for the cylinder head. The stock unit never told me anything useful throughout the entire ordeal. It sat right in the middle even after the radiator hose exploded.

Right now, the leak is small. I'm going to try the Blue Devil head gasket sealer first. Uncle Tony's Garage did an episode on it. It uses waterglass to get into the leak, then solidify. The results seem to be 50/50. If I'm planning a swap anyway, it seems that I have nothing to lose except $60.00.

I rebuild M54 B30's...I buy them overheated or with valve problems and bring them back.
In my case a rebuild includes:
new piston rings,
new conrod bearings and bolts.
time-sert block
new timing guides.
send the head to a machinist to fix a valve or two and deck the surface.
rebuilt Vanos
new hard ccoolant pipes & CCV
new gaskets, seals, and a few other things.

Rebuilding an M54 is great way to go.

Now I have also done two in-car head gaskets on E53 x5 3.0 that had overheated. its actually pretty easy with a lot of access and the fact taht the E53 stays on its wheels the whole time.

You have choices...

There are some issues I see in my future if I'm trying to do a head gasket on this car... I'd need to look to know the exact number, but this engine has 200K+ miles on it. Probably like 230K. I picture the timing chain dropping down into the cover. So then I'd have to take that off and find out that all of the plastic chain guides are broken. Tgen I wouldn't be able to get the chain back on the pump and I'd have to drop the pan. And long before this I'd be wishing I had just pulled the engine in the first place. Or is this just Murphy running wild in my brain?

The last time I did my M20, it was easy. The timing belt and water pump was an afternoon job for that car. I pulled the belt, unbolted the head, and lifted it with a cherry picker. I remember I left the exhaust on, but I don't remember about the intake. That motor is so simple and bulletproof, I never resurfaced anything. I just bolted it back together and went.

Well my E39 530i has 430k miles on it and the orig engine and its timing guides have NEVER been touched.

If the timing chain drops it can be fished out easily w/out removing timing cover. BTW I have never chained the timing guides on my X5. But I don't think pulling the timing cover would be the end of the world...pull the radiator to give you some room.

Having done it twice, I think an in-car head gasket on an E53 is better than puling the engine...Now pulling the engine allows you to do a bunch of othert things, but if a head gasket gets it back on the road, that's what I am doing.

I used a cherry picker and pulled the head with exhaust manifolds attached. Reinstalled it the same way.

You can use zip ties to keep the timing chain up there. I did the m52 in the e36 and it wasn't too bad. There's a lot more room in the e53. I used the chemdip parts cleaner to get the carbon while I had everything out. The plastic scraper and white plastic drill brush is pretty good for the head surface. The big problem I had on the E36 was the torque to angle bolts and the junk torque angle gauge I had. There wasn't enough room on the rear two bolts for the gauge so I ended up having to eyeball them. Going forward I would just do ARP studs, it's worth the extra money.

The m54 is aluminum, I think the big concern is some of them can strip out, so make sure the threads are very clean with the chaser tap several times and compressed air etc. I would do the ARP studs just with very light oil on the bottom threads and the moly lube up top per directions.

Cherry picker or a second person isn't a bad idea. When I pulled the b58, the head gasket was rather sticky, and I ended up dinging it on one of the dowel pins, right on the fire ring. I had to get the head decked just because of that. I did the m52 by myself and was careful to give it a good rip up and out and then watch the dowel pins when setting it down.

Pulling the engine isn't a bad idea but if you do that you might as well just knock the rotating assembly out and send the block out etc. Then you won't drive the car for 6 months and it will cost you over 5k. Tough call, I've been there

Eric at Importapart is a stand-up guy in a shady-as-f business. I wouldn't hesistate to buy something from him.

He put a blown-up Lambo V10 on the stand last Saturday.

I've been wanting to watch that video. I first watched his N55 tear down after mine self destructed. Two months later wife's also.

Mine i think boost got into the crankcase and besides blowing out front and back main seals, it disrupted oil flow to the rod bearings and seized beyond words.

It took a 24" pipe wrench on the crank pulley and a 10# sledge hammer about a dozen hits to get to to start turning (need to turn the engine to separate the transmission)!

Once I got it to turn at all I used a 1m long 3/4 drivev ratchet to hand turn the motor.

Wife's died with an interesting mode I've not heard of before: the OFHG blew out; sprayed the entire side of the motor with oil and apparently lost enough pressure to starve a bearing or two.

In my case a couple shells welded to the crank. I haven't done the autopsy on wife's yet.

I prob reset the clock at least 120-150k miles so i could get 8+ years out of the $5500 or so i put in. Much better than any other option really.

And bonus: my insurance went down in spite of a nearly $4000 deer related payout 2 years ago. (and i have $0 deductible for comp).


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N55 OFHG strikes again... the one in my F30 is still dry after 12 years, but it's just barely over 40Kmi too. I try to remember to pop the hood and check every couple months.

I cut a notch in the intake on wife's car so i can change the gasket in an hour every couple years preventive.

I still need to cut mine but I'll be taking intake off to walnut blast in spring I'll do it then.

I'm not sure what failed on my car to inject boost into the crankcase but the vacuum tank on the valve cover also has oil.


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I have the odd swivel socket for that eventuality. They call it the Bitch Bolt on the F30 forums.