2004 BMW 545i Rough idle, stalling, trouble starting
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Ldrake_4 (01-27-2021)
01-27-2021, 05:18 AM
#73
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He had someone with a real BMW diagnostic tool read everything and he also took off oil pan to find that there was barely any oil and plastic pieces. There was a lot of oil leaking form the seals it looked like and the oil sensor must have broke because I didn't get any low oil codes. I'm not sure how it could have gotten that low that fast because I check coolant and oil fairy frequently but I should have checked the oil more often I guess.
01-27-2021, 02:52 PM
#74
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Sad to hear. The plastic pieces are probably timing chain guides I guess. Based on that, once the engine ran low on oil, the timing chain guides failed and then the timing chain was free to jump around. I personally wouldn't rule out swapping in a good engine, or even repairing the one that is in there, but either of these would be a reasonably big undertaking. The last time I swapped an engine (in a simpler car) it took me a solid week doing it solo. If your friend is willing to lend you some time and space it would be a good exercise.
But, it is also valid to write this car off and part it out.
But, it is also valid to write this car off and part it out.
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Ldrake_4 (03-20-2021)
02-09-2021, 07:29 AM
#75
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My Ride: 2004 BMW 545i
Sad to hear. The plastic pieces are probably timing chain guides I guess. Based on that, once the engine ran low on oil, the timing chain guides failed and then the timing chain was free to jump around. I personally wouldn't rule out swapping in a good engine, or even repairing the one that is in there, but either of these would be a reasonably big undertaking. The last time I swapped an engine (in a simpler car) it took me a solid week doing it solo. If your friend is willing to lend you some time and space it would be a good exercise.
But, it is also valid to write this car off and part it out.
But, it is also valid to write this car off and part it out.
Also do i need and special tools to remove the head? I am not planning on dropping the engine.
\\Thanks
02-09-2021, 11:34 AM
#76
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"he also took off oil pan to find that there was barely any oil and plastic pieces"
If this is right, then most likely the engine was oil-starved, the timing chain tensioner disintegrated, the timing chain jumped, and we know the engine ran badly for some time with the timing off before failing completely.
Unfortunately I don't think the problems are going to come down to one head, for starters you have the timing chain/tensioner problems, but most importantly the engine ran without oil. And was leaking a lot of oil before that. So there is a lot to fix with this engine. The fact it was oil starved concerns me the most; you could fix everything else and end up with a car that burns oil and blows smoke.
That is not to say it can't be done. Maybe you could consider buying a good used engine, cleaning it up, and putting it in. It is still a big job of course.
If this is right, then most likely the engine was oil-starved, the timing chain tensioner disintegrated, the timing chain jumped, and we know the engine ran badly for some time with the timing off before failing completely.
Unfortunately I don't think the problems are going to come down to one head, for starters you have the timing chain/tensioner problems, but most importantly the engine ran without oil. And was leaking a lot of oil before that. So there is a lot to fix with this engine. The fact it was oil starved concerns me the most; you could fix everything else and end up with a car that burns oil and blows smoke.
That is not to say it can't be done. Maybe you could consider buying a good used engine, cleaning it up, and putting it in. It is still a big job of course.
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Ldrake_4 (03-20-2021)
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Ldrake_4 (03-20-2021)
03-20-2021, 06:38 PM
#78
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"he also took off oil pan to find that there was barely any oil and plastic pieces"
If this is right, then most likely the engine was oil-starved, the timing chain tensioner disintegrated, the timing chain jumped, and we know the engine ran badly for some time with the timing off before failing completely.
Unfortunately I don't think the problems are going to come down to one head, for starters you have the timing chain/tensioner problems, but most importantly the engine ran without oil. And was leaking a lot of oil before that. So there is a lot to fix with this engine. The fact it was oil starved concerns me the most; you could fix everything else and end up with a car that burns oil and blows smoke.
That is not to say it can't be done. Maybe you could consider buying a good used engine, cleaning it up, and putting it in. It is still a big job of course.
If this is right, then most likely the engine was oil-starved, the timing chain tensioner disintegrated, the timing chain jumped, and we know the engine ran badly for some time with the timing off before failing completely.
Unfortunately I don't think the problems are going to come down to one head, for starters you have the timing chain/tensioner problems, but most importantly the engine ran without oil. And was leaking a lot of oil before that. So there is a lot to fix with this engine. The fact it was oil starved concerns me the most; you could fix everything else and end up with a car that burns oil and blows smoke.
That is not to say it can't be done. Maybe you could consider buying a good used engine, cleaning it up, and putting it in. It is still a big job of course.
Anyways the compression test gave me 90 for all for cylinders on the passenger side bank, I think is bank 1, and anywhere form 180 to 210 on the bank 2, the one that had misfires.
This is intimately very confusing. Why would the bank with the supposedly advanced timing and misfires in all 4 cylinders have good compression but the supposedly good bank not?
Coincidentally all of the coolant is pooled on the passenger side of the skid plate beneath the car. This very well could be a result of my coolant o ring repair job not being done correctly but it still seems odd to me and leads me to suspect the headgaske on that bank is bad. But even so that passenger side bank's having a bad headgasket doesn't explain the misfires and timing on the OTHER bank, the one with good compression.
Ultimately I am very lost and would benefit any input anybody has. Thank you and let me know if I need to clarify anything.
03-21-2021, 09:53 PM
#79
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If your engine is horribly messed up, you're going to get misleading codes and end up running around in circles chasing ghosts.