SergeyM

Sorry for the long post but none of my cars (6 in last 10 years) ever had any engine repair done and I really do not know what to do. Anyway, here is the story:

When two weeks ago I took my 1 year old 545 for the annual free oil service (first oil change when the car was 6 month old) I had two small complains. Cold engine idle was rough and unstable and there was a slight tapping noise that could be heard on acceleration until engine warms up. I expected both problem to be corrected by a software update or some kind of a small adjustment. My service advisor called the same day and confirmed my expectations. The car needs some programming he said. Next day he called again and the latest news was: the car required a valve job, they need to order parts and it will take 5-6 days to finish. He also said that he recommends the repair to be performed immediately. So I agreed. I got my car back yesterday and it seems to be OK but the work order looks really scary. It seems to me that they performed a major engine surgery and the car cannot be trusted anymore. Here are the exact notes from the repair sheet:

<Cust states car idles rough when cold. Checked vehicle is rough running when cold followed SIB 110205 observed rough running values when cold over -2.5 Removed valve cover found inter. levers within pro range 04 290 Replaced all intermediate levers Also found inter. shafts worn Replaced intermediate shafts Operation Normal>

I am spelling it exactly as it is on the worksheet including "running values" that probably should?ve been "running valves". Below is the list of parts replaced with the number of items:

Intermed. lever - 8
Gasket set - 1
Gask set cylin head -1
Gasket -2
O-Ring ? 2
Gasket -1
Gasket -1
O-Ring - 4
O-Ring ? 4
Screw - 4
O-Ring ? 4
Sealing ? 2
Eccentric shaft ? 1
Eccentric shaft ? 1
Injection pipe ? 1
Bearing ? 8
Screw ? 4
Screw ? 1

So I have two questions:
1. Should the engine be broken in again?
2. I`ve got my car with 25 miles on it. Is it possible that the engine was damaged by an abusive test driver?

ImolaRedM

I'm a little currious about these items but it doesn't sound like `major' work that would require a 1000 mile break in. Just take it easy for a few miles and you should be okay. Sound almost like this is work done on an RX7

rollee

anything could have happened, but i feel the parts replaced were all sort of wear and tear items: o ring/ gasket/ lever/bearing leading to shaft replacement.

these parts must have subjected to extremely high temperatures for extended periods of time, before systemic break down of this nature can occur. :'(
OR
this enigine was manufactured with a batch of parts coincidentally substandard. can happen in maufacturing process of any kind.
BUT
with teutonic technology, QC and manufacturing the chances are fairly unlikely.

hopefully its only these that were problematic. if its the cylinder head leaking, bent valves then its another story.

as for reliability, drive it through summer as normal, see if the problems arise again or if any leaks are detected. i would even bring it in for dyno check every 6 months to test the power/performance of the engine. lucky its still under warranty, be thankful for that.

andy545

SergeyM,

a well known issue. First to answer your question - no need to break in engine. Since the SIB is out for this problem, it is not an issue of someone having driven your car abusively either....Your repair ? Yes, an involved repair, but really, not a big deal.


Second, if you search "intermediate valves" in the forum you will come up with 5 or 6 very good discussions on this topic. I suggest you read them. Someone had his entire engine replaced starting with this problem.

I have had the ticking/tapping issue as well. Valvetronic levers replaced once - no good, replaced again together with the shaft. Still not satisfactory. I am having the cylinders checked by BMW with a mini camera next week to see if there is an out of tolerance between piston rings and cylinder. It can happen, manufacturing tolerances etc.

In any case, the tapping issue you had hopefully combined with rough idle, has been resolved with this repair. I had the same issue without the rough idle - and I have been told that the problem is "deep in the engine"....

Final words....keep an eye out ( or better an ear out ) on your repair.

Evenflow545

What's worse is that about 125 folks on this board seem to report the same problem, i.e., ticking or tapping noise on cold weather starts.

Evenflow545

When my engine blows, I'm getting a Japanese car.

Evenflow545

Just kidding.

andy545

True, problem is I can hear the tapping when the engine is warm as well....

EBMCS03

Its a known problem for the N62 engine built from 06/04 to 02/05. The valvetronic wears out prematurly if you idle your car a lot. They have fixed it and are now using stonger components.

See here

Ricracing

I would not worry about that repair.

My '99 320Ci did have a similar valve problem.

When a valve is changed I would drive carefully for about 500 miles.
It's not nesessary but still.

Every time or when ever the valve deck is opened a lot of gaskets and seals etc. must be replaced
because they get ripped when opened.
They are usally glued to ensure the compression.

Enjoy your fine car!