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      09-20-2018, 10:19 AM   #1
guslealisla
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First Post N55 engine failure after OFHG replacement

I had my oil filter housing gaskets replaced at bimmers only in dallas. I just bought this car the month prior and wanted to do the maintenance on it fast. We also did the oil pan gasket.

1 mile from picking up the car it stalled at a stop sign and wouldnt turn on.
It was also running catless downpipe and jb4 map 2 but I was not hooning it, i was just taking it home.

The shop after 3 weeks so far can tell its not cam related. they can manually crank the engine but it gets stiff in one section during 1 full rotation.

They have not given me a quote for the repair yet but i'm anticipating that its a spun rod and will need a bottom end rebuild. They said initially that you never know when that will happen with an engine but they test drove it fine.

I am looking for some advice on how to handle the situation moving forward once I get the quote.

I understand that some N55s have failed for the same reason and the cause is oil starvation for not building up enough oil pressure after the install. I don't really have a way to prove that it is their fault. I don't really know what to do...


BAD update:1-9-2020

I sent the engine to be rebuilt by ghassan auto in OK. It took about 8 months for the shop to pull the engine, then send it, then have it rebuilt then get it back in. 150 miles into the engine break it it started knocking. I took it to the shop and it seized while we were there...

I ended up shipping the whole car to the engine builder. I should have probably done that the first time. Ghassan the engine builder claimed injector failure dumped gas into the oil and reduced its viscosity and it seized because of that.
Claim: Not his fault... it needed new motor, new injectors, new starter, new battery.

another $6,000...

the car arrived 6 months later (he said it would take 2). It arrived with a broken front bumper, missing toe hitch, lug nut bar, entire undertray plastics, and bumper covers. Gauge cluster was not functioning. Also it has a boost leak. It had mismatching spark plugs and the coils went in a couple hundred miles.

He said he was going to look into it and never got back to me.


Luckily I left Dallas and moved back to phoenix where i'm from and I have a shop that I trust and we have been getting the car dialed in.

I may have the worst luck on this forum. I bought the car for $13,500 and now have just over $20,000 in repairs in under 2 years and less than 4K miles driven since I bought it.

I'm so upside down on this car that I am never going to sell it.
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Last edited by guslealisla; 01-09-2020 at 01:54 PM.. Reason: update
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      09-20-2018, 11:32 AM   #2
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Sounds like the engine seized, main bearings and possibly rods spun and seized.
I have seen this happen several times , it loves to happen on the test drive after doing a oil pan and oil filter housing gasket.
BMW has no information about this situation but I suspect that a large air bubble is introduced to the oil pump pick up during these type or repairs and something about higher mileage N54-55 variable displacement oil pumps can't clear the air pocket and they cavitate and no oil is circulated. Just my thoughts on why this happens.
The genius at BMW that decided we no longer needed a low oil pressure warning needs his teeth knocked out
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      09-20-2018, 07:25 PM   #3
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Wait, we don’t have a low oil pressure light? Does the DME read oil pressure?
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      09-20-2018, 08:17 PM   #4
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N55 has an oil pressure sensor

Both the N54 and N55 have the oil pressure switch on the filter housing which is supposed to kick at 7 psi iirc

I don't know if either does any good
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      09-21-2018, 11:45 AM   #5
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Is there a standard procedure to build the oil pressure after the gasket replacement? Such as cranking it with the injectors disabled to build the pressure?
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      09-21-2018, 12:22 PM   #6
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I did my OFHG about one month ago. Had this thread been up then, I might not have done the job myself.

Anyway, all went well.

In general, one can pull the fuses for low and high pressure fuel pumps then crank the car. This will get the oil pump and all mechanicals spinning and send oil through the block. However, the one response from a tech, above, says the problem is due to an air bubble and cavitation that will not clear the pump. That's a bigger problem.
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      09-21-2018, 05:10 PM   #7
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They called today recommending I pay for a re-manufactured engine... After I spent 2,500 on them doing the oil pan gasket and OFHGaskets and having an immediate engine failure post pick up.
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      09-21-2018, 07:37 PM   #8
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They also said that since the crank and bearings are in the oil pan that they couldn't be starved of oil. This is going down a slippery slope...
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      09-22-2018, 06:36 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by guslealisla View Post
They called today recommending I pay for a re-manufactured engine... After I spent 2,500 on them doing the oil pan gasket and OFHGaskets and having an immediate engine failure post pick up.
Are they doing the work for free on the remanufactured engine?

This is the first time I've heard/read about this. Maybe MightyMouseTech can shed some light on if this is a common issue.
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      09-22-2018, 08:56 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gangplank View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by guslealisla View Post
They called today recommending I pay for a re-manufactured engine... After I spent 2,500 on them doing the oil pan gasket and OFHGaskets and having an immediate engine failure post pick up.
Are they doing the work for free on the remanufactured engine?

This is the first time I've heard/read about this. Maybe MightyMouseTech can shed some light on if this is a common issue.
They suggested I pay for the new engine. I didn't accept that and waiting on a call from the owner who previously told me that sometimes the engine just fails. I'm in a really bad spot. Hope they will work it out with me.
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      09-22-2018, 11:51 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by guslealisla View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gangplank View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by guslealisla View Post
They called today recommending I pay for a re-manufactured engine... After I spent 2,500 on them doing the oil pan gasket and OFHGaskets and having an immediate engine failure post pick up.
Are they doing the work for free on the remanufactured engine?

This is the first time I've heard/read about this. Maybe MightyMouseTech can shed some light on if this is a common issue.
They suggested I pay for the new engine. I didn't accept that and waiting on a call from the owner who previously told me that sometimes the engine just fails. I'm in a really bad spot. Hope they will work it out with me.
If they will sell you the engine at cost and do the work for free at least you'll have a new engine!
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      09-23-2018, 08:25 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by guslealisla View Post
They also said that since the crank and bearings are in the oil pan that they couldn't be starved of oil.
That is a shocking statement coming from a mechanic. These people either have no idea what they are doing or they think you’re an idiot they can take advantage of.

The crank does not sit in the pan, bathed in oil. It is fed oil by the oil pump and sits above the pan, out of direct contact with oil.

You’ve got a big problem with these people.
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      09-23-2018, 09:31 AM   #13
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Sorry but in no way do I see OFHG causing the problem.

Please find a new shop for a second opinion... maybe have them dig in to it more
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      09-24-2018, 03:04 PM   #14
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They are digging into it to see if they can just replace the bearing/maybe rod. But they are going to charge me labor on it. Then give me the diagnosis for me to decide what to do, buy a re-manufactured engine or repair this one...
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      09-24-2018, 03:19 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by drwillb View Post
I did my OFHG about one month ago. Had this thread been up then, I might not have done the job myself.

Anyway, all went well.

In general, one can pull the fuses for low and high pressure fuel pumps then crank the car. This will get the oil pump and all mechanicals spinning and send oil through the block. However, the one response from a tech, above, says the problem is due to an air bubble and cavitation that will not clear the pump. That's a bigger problem.
Same. Would not have done it myself (last weekend) if this thread was up. Test drive was fine. I have anxiety over my pulleys squeaking after doing it. I can't imagine what OP is going through. Hopefully OP gets everything worked out and fixed. Good luck to you man.
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      09-25-2018, 11:30 AM   #16
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I stopped at the shop and spoke to the lead tech. It appears to be the bearings. They are pulling the crank tomorrow. They are going to work with me on the labor now and he will let me know tomorrow if we can just replace the bearings. I am going to elect to replace the oil pump as well for good measure if the rods and block are sound. Crossing my fingers. 2-2.5k is better than 8k to get this car back on the road.
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      09-25-2018, 10:10 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gangplank View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by guslealisla View Post
They called today recommending I pay for a re-manufactured engine... After I spent 2,500 on them doing the oil pan gasket and OFHGaskets and having an immediate engine failure post pick up.
Are they doing the work for free on the remanufactured engine?

This is the first time I've heard/read about this. Maybe MightyMouseTech can shed some light on if this is a common issue.
First time I have heard of such an issue except for sub zero temps (like -40C temps).

Question, is this the first time the oil has been changed since you bought it? Did the car have a new serpentine belt on it?

Very common for the belt to break, get sucked into the engine through the front main seal and get sucked into the oil pump. Maybe that is why the car was for sale. Damage was already there and someone cleaned out the pan, put a new belt on it, filled the crank with super thick oil, and traded it in.
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      09-26-2018, 11:32 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MightyMouseTech View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gangplank View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by guslealisla View Post
They called today recommending I pay for a re-manufactured engine... After I spent 2,500 on them doing the oil pan gasket and OFHGaskets and having an immediate engine failure post pick up.
Are they doing the work for free on the remanufactured engine?

This is the first time I've heard/read about this. Maybe MightyMouseTech can shed some light on if this is a common issue.
First time I have heard of such an issue except for sub zero temps (like -40C temps).

Question, is this the first time the oil has been changed since you bought it? Did the car have a new serpentine belt on it?

Very common for the belt to break, get sucked into the engine through the front main seal and get sucked into the oil pump. Maybe that is why the car was for sale. Damage was already there and someone cleaned out the pan, put a new belt on it, filled the crank with super thick oil, and traded it in.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MightyMouseTech View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gangplank View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by guslealisla View Post
They called today recommending I pay for a re-manufactured engine... After I spent 2,500 on them doing the oil pan gasket and OFHGaskets and having an immediate engine failure post pick up.
Are they doing the work for free on the remanufactured engine?

This is the first time I've heard/read about this. Maybe MightyMouseTech can shed some light on if this is a common issue.
First time I have heard of such an issue except for sub zero temps (like -40C temps).

Question, is this the first time the oil has been changed since you bought it? Did the car have a new serpentine belt on it?

Very common for the belt to break, get sucked into the engine through the front main seal and get sucked into the oil pump. Maybe that is why the car was for sale. Damage was already there and someone cleaned out the pan, put a new belt on it, filled the crank with super thick oil, and traded it in.
It was after the first oil change, serpentine belt broke on test drive after oil pan gasket. Went back to replace the belt an ofhg. Now that you mention it. I think I NEED to change the oil pump.

Thanks for your input
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      09-26-2018, 04:37 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by guslealisla View Post
It was after the first oil change, serpentine belt broke on test drive after oil pan gasket. Went back to replace the belt an ofhg. Now that you mention it. I think I NEED to change the oil pump.

Thanks for your input
Wait ... the belt broke when they went to first test drive it???? Wow - isn't that exactly what MightyMouseTech is saying is a probably cause for the spun rod?????
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      09-26-2018, 07:38 PM   #20
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Something definitely seems fishy
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      09-26-2018, 07:44 PM   #21
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I have replaced dozens of N55 oil filter housing gaskets. Never has one resulted in engine failure. The worst I have seen is an Intake vanos fault from debris falling into the solenoid oil port during cleaning. Pull the intake solenoid, clean it and fault is gone. Something else is going on, seems weird to me.

Last edited by AlpineTi; 09-26-2018 at 07:49 PM..
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      09-26-2018, 10:41 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by guslealisla View Post
It was after the first oil change, serpentine belt broke on test drive after oil pan gasket. Went back to replace the belt an ofhg. Now that you mention it. I think I NEED to change the oil pump.

Thanks for your input
Ive replaced probably a hundred oil filter housing gaskets with no engine failure, this whole thing sounds like b.s. I’ve also repaired several shredded belts as a result of leaking oil filter housing gaskets.

Nine out of ten times when the belt shreads it gets sucked into the engine and gets tangled in the timing chain, it also sometimes gets sucked into the oil pickup. Any time the belt shreds like that the crank pulley should be removed, and the front seal inspected. If the belt was sucked in then the oil pan and valve cover NEED to come off and all traces of belt removed.

None of what you say they did makes any sense. Any half competent BMW tech knows about this relatively common issue and should know what to do if the belt shreds. Also I do not understand why they would replace an oil pan gasket and not the leaking oil filter housing first, as the oil filter housing is a much more obvious and critical leak. Not to mention when it leaks badly enough oil makes its way around the seam of the oil pan and makes it look like it’s leaking when in fact it may not be.

As a tech myself usually when these types of threads pop up I can see why a shop did what they did/charge what they do, but if the chain of events are as you said, in my opinion your engine failure is their fault. Also if they are under the impression that the crank and or rod bearings cannot be starved of oil because they “bathe in oil” I would not trust them to change a light bulb much less rebuild an engine. Unfortunately this is a prime example of why to go to a dealership or well known independent Bmw specialist.

I’m sorry if this isn’t what you wanted to hear, I do hope everything works out for you. Good luck
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