46PPM lead and 21PPM Copper in S54 BMW

[Bill in Utah]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete


OP, where is the whole UOA report?


Best question I've seen... Post it up and tell us more about the use, history and such before we can make comments....

 

[ammolab]

Originally Posted By: Travis99LS1
Just a question..is this your first oil analysis? Have you had an inspection 1 or inspection 2 service? If you did they probably added techron to your fuel tank..from what I've seen techron will cause high lead readings. I'm a BMW mechanic and the dealer I work at uses the BMW fuel system cleaner which is rebadged techron. Just a thought...


Yes, my first oil analysis on the car @ 60,000 miles. I have had all required services but NOT at the BMW dealer. No Fuel or oil additives have been used in my car. I am on vacation in the boondocks now and will post the Oil Analysis report next week. Nothing to note but the HIGH Lead/Copper.

Your BMW shop hasn't done MANY Rod Bearing jobs on S54 Engines? They did them for FREE as a recall on M 3s with this motor... We M Coupe and M Roadsters got NADA!

History: Bought in 2002 with 1100 miles on the clock. The original buyers Wife wouldn't fit in the little car so he bought an M5. I drove the next 59,000miles in Houston Tx with no abuse, track days or anything other than normal commuter, week end trip use. TWS 10W-60 every 6000 miles. No cold start issue in Houston and I don't do trips much under 17 miles or so. Rod Bearing replacement is VERY COMMON in this engine. It's just my turn to pay up or trash the motor.

 

[Travis99LS1]

Originally Posted By: ammolab
Originally Posted By: Travis99LS1
Just a question..is this your first oil analysis? Have you had an inspection 1 or inspection 2 service? If you did they probably added techron to your fuel tank..from what I've seen techron will cause high lead readings. I'm a BMW mechanic and the dealer I work at uses the BMW fuel system cleaner which is rebadged techron. Just a thought...


Yes, my first oil analysis on the car @ 60,000 miles. I have had all required services but NOT at the BMW dealer. No Fuel or oil additives have been used in my car. I am on vacation in the boondocks now and will post the Oil Analysis report next week. Nothing to note but the HIGH Lead/Copper.

Your BMW shop hasn't done MANY Rod Bearing jobs on S54 Engines? They did them for FREE as a recall on M 3s with this motor... We M Coupe and M Roadsters got NADA!

History: Bought in 2002 with 1100 miles on the clock. The original buyers Wife wouldn't fit in the little car so he bought an M5. I drove the next 59,000miles in Houston Tx with no abuse, track days or anything other than normal commuter, week end trip use. TWS 10W-60 every 6000 miles. No cold start issue in Houston and I don't do trips much under 17 miles or so. Rod Bearing replacement is VERY COMMON in this engine. It's just my turn to pay up or trash the motor.


Okay,just wondering about the additives. Yes the shop I work at is quite large so I have seen my fair share of rod bearing replacements. But on the other hand I work on an m roadster with 265,xxx miles with no motor work done except routine maintenance...and the guy who owns it goes through about 4 rear tires between maintenance services...go figure? Well hopefully after the bearings are replaced you will be set for another 10 years...you have by far one of my favorite m cars! Good luck with it.

 

[Audios]

What about a retest just to guarantee accuracy in a few thousand miles before dropping 1800? The M coupes use a much less aggressive fuel map/timing than the sedans with 333hp. Its also not the max hp number, but where it is. Those cars didnt need the extra power due to weight and its distribution. Even the 2.8 in those cars feels really quick. The engine may be the same in specifications, but how BMW controlled it was a different story. This question actually came up when I was at tech training in Montvale, the Motorsport Technology class. They also wanted to sell more E46s, so it had to have more power since it was the latest and greatest. Maybe they pushed it a little too much.

 

[ammolab]

Originally Posted By: Audios
What about a retest just to guarantee accuracy in a few thousand miles before dropping 1800? The M coupes use a much less aggressive fuel map/timing than the sedans with 333hp. Its also not the max hp number, but where it is. Those cars didnt need the extra power due to weight and its distribution.


"Much less fuel map/timing"? "Much"? How much less can it be? The M Coupe engine makes 315hp vs the M3s 333! And this is with a lower RPM Limit on the M Coupe. Power loss was Explained by the engineers that developed the car as a different exhaust manifold and exhaust system. In any case, many of the M Coupe/Roadsters have had Rod Bearing replacements and I think I will do it now as a preventive measure. I plan to keep the car ten more years and I don't want the issue to come up when I move to Ruidoso NM in 4 months. I already had to tow my Audi S4 out of there when the CV joint on the driveshaft failed.

These are GREAT little cars. Fastest 6cyl car BMW has ever sold (sorry M3 drivers!). Only 340 made in 2002 so it has to be one of the future collectable BMWs around. Prices for used M Coupes were up in 2011 over 2010

 

[ammolab]

Here is the whole Report:

 

[ARCOgraphite]

I loved my 1998 M3 roadster - best casual sports car Ive ever driven - tight cockpit and all. Even the Harm Kardon Stereo and weather radio was great. That Had the oil eat the TC guides around the VANOS chain spockets. Hope you gat that baby fixed and then - drive her like you mean it!

 

[ammolab]

Originally Posted By: JAG
I've seen copper or lead in the hundreds of PPM realm in UOAs of non-failing engines.


Are you talking about hundreds of BMW S54 Engines that had Rod Bearing recalls from the factory in one series of cars, but NOT in my particular car? I think I have a unique set of circumstances here. See below:

Well the oil pan is off my car today and the Rod Bearings are TOAST. One bearing had moved, but not "spun". The Babbit material is down to nothing BUT Copper in one bearing. Crank looks OK so it looks like I caught the common BMW S54 Bearing failure issue in time.

25 Bucks for an oil analysis saved me many thousands of dollars.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: ammolab
Originally Posted By: JAG
I've seen copper or lead in the hundreds of PPM realm in UOAs of non-failing engines.


Are you talking about hundreds of BMW S54 Engines that had Rod Bearing recalls from the factory in one series of cars, but NOT in my particular car? I think I have a unique set of circumstances here. See below:

Well the oil pan is off my car today and the Rod Bearings are TOAST. One bearing had moved, but not "spun". The Babbit material is down to nothing BUT Copper in one bearing. Crank looks OK so it looks like I caught the common BMW S54 Bearing failure issue in time.

25 Bucks for an oil analysis saved me many thousands of dollars.


Glad to hear you caught it!

Would have been nice to see the contents of the filter. Judging by what you described, there should have been a pretty decent accumulation of the shiny stuff in it.

 

[INDYMAC]

Sounds like you'll be able to sleep now. Congrats on your excellent detective work!