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      08-24-2017, 12:27 PM   #1
Eson
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S54 Catastrophic Failure

Hey fellas,

After four previous S54 powered cars, my luck ran out with what I thought would be my most robust one yet -

2007 Z4M Coupe. Street driven, 42k miles, 3-5k oil change/15k valve adjustment intervals documented since new. Most recent oil change and valve adjustment was 1,400 miles prior to this mishap...

After previously driving spiritedly (though no overrev, money-shift, etc...), my motor began knocking in 4th gear at 2k RPM. My initial thought was a rod bearing very prematurely spun as it was a consistent "slap" and the typical go-to S54 issue, but that surprisingly was not the case ---

After dropping the front subframe, removing the oil pan, inspecting the rod bearings, main bearings, and crank, I pulled the valve cover and plugs where I took a borescope down cylinder #2 and found that the top of the piston was polished clean from hitting the cylinder head. I have not yet been able to determine why, though I did NOT spin a bearing. I'm going back under to see if there is play in the rod, if a wrist pin bushing broke, etc. Regardless, the piston is slapping.

This leaves me with essentially four options -

1.) Rebuild at my trusted local shop and have the machine work done at a nearby reputable machinist. This would consist of OEM, CP pistons, Carillo rods, and Schrick cams, etc... $14k

2.) Source a used S54 for $4-5k, spend $$$ on Beisan VANOS, bearings, cams, and airbox for a total of roughly $10k.. all while hoping lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place.

3.) Buy a BMW crate motor for $15k.

4.) Have Lang Racing build me a mildly modified motor (CP pistons, carillo rods, Beisan VANOS, 288/280 cams, DLC rockers, widened rod journals, etc, etc).

5.) Dinan. $$$$$$, but Dinan.

Keep in mind this is a low mileage, otherwise mint Z4M Coupe that I now plan to keep for at minimum a few years

Are there any options I'm overlooking? Thoughts?

Last edited by Eson; 03-05-2018 at 10:10 PM..
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      08-24-2017, 01:25 PM   #2
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      08-24-2017, 01:33 PM   #3
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      08-24-2017, 01:46 PM   #4
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Ouch, all those numbers hurt. Didn't you just get this M Coupe not too long ago (I also follow m3f).

Sorry to hear about the troubles. I'm at 92k miles so it's time high time to do some preventative maintenance.
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      08-24-2017, 01:59 PM   #5
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I'm very curious what finally caused it.
As for the options, I certainly wouldnt rebuild this motor/use this block unless you've 100% identified the cause (and all potential damage of it) of the failure and you're sure you can correct it.
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      08-24-2017, 02:18 PM   #6
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OUCH! #4
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      08-24-2017, 05:01 PM   #7
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Wow, so sorry to hear this and of course the nightmare scenario for any Z4M owner. My personal opinion is to go with #4 if you have the time to spare/extra car to use etc. I'd consider #3 if it came with a warranty from BMW, which I think it does (2 years right?).

I'm very curious to hear what caused this, as it doesn't sound like any of the known traditional issues the S54 can have?

Best of luck to you, and believe me my heart goes out to you on this.
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      08-24-2017, 05:36 PM   #8
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Crap! Sorry to hear all this!

Definitely interested to see what the root cause is on this one.....
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      08-24-2017, 08:02 PM   #9
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Yikes. Sorry man.

I'd probably go with #2. Odds of this happening again are pretty low I imagine. Might be able to save some of the upgrades (beisan, etc) from your dearly departed if you already have them.
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      08-25-2017, 04:08 PM   #10
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I'd probably buy a used low mileage S54 and just drop it in. You could do that 3 times before you reach the cost of replacement. Then modify the used motor. Perhaps a supercharger if you want more power.
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      08-25-2017, 08:00 PM   #11
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#2 without the cams and air box would be your most economical solution for now.

I'm not a big believer in the more frequent oil changes = longer engine life. It all depends on what ultimately fails. In your case it sounds at this point not to be lubrication related.

Likely a fluke. Pick up the dice and throw them again...
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      08-26-2017, 12:28 PM   #12
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I'd probably take that as a great time to make a stroker motor. Vac has a nice kit.
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      08-31-2017, 03:40 PM   #13
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#4 or......LS3. With a new crate engine, trans, tune, and other stuff to make it work you are probably near the $14-$15k mark


(sacrilegious I know, but tempting)
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      08-31-2017, 07:49 PM   #14
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A crate motor is really only $15k? That's a bargain price IMO.
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      09-08-2017, 11:09 AM   #15
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Thank you all for the input - I appreciate it!

I've decided to have Dinan (SD Autotech) build me a motor.

11.7:1 CP, 3.3L, forged internals, Carillo rods, 288/280 Schrick cams, DLC rockers, etc, etc..

Will update!
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      09-08-2017, 12:34 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Eson View Post
Thank you all for the input - I appreciate it!

I've decided to have Dinan (SD Autotech) build me a motor.

11.7:1 CP, 3.3L, forged internals, Carillo rods, 288/280 Schrick cams, DLC rockers, etc, etc..

Will update!
Wow, please keep us posted!!

Did you ever find out what caused the failure?
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      09-08-2017, 01:09 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NickyC View Post
Wow, please keep us posted!!

Did you ever find out what caused the failure?
No, not yet. The motor should be out of the car this afternoon, so I'm anticipating tear down to start Monday.
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      09-19-2017, 02:28 PM   #18
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Any updates on this? I am curious to know the root of the failure as well.
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      09-19-2017, 04:45 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GQM View Post
Any updates on this? I am curious to know the root of the failure as well.
Oddly enough, there was a shard of stainless steel found in the combustion chamber that was lodged between the #2 piston and the cylinder head. After hours of disassembly and digging, Steve Dinan actually found the culprit to be a tiny piece of welding broken off of my newly purchased (<100 miles) ACTIVE AUTOWERKE headers - a terrible construction flaw. I questioned how the piece essentially swam back upstream into the motor, but Dinan assured me it's surprisingly plausible - someone whose opinion I value beyond measure. He/his shop verified no other failures (not intake, valvetrain, head, block, etc) anywhere else.

As time permits, I'll go into more depth with a writeup.

Last edited by Eson; 09-19-2017 at 04:54 PM..
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      09-19-2017, 05:16 PM   #20
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So then how made that slap the piston agains the cilinderhead?
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      09-19-2017, 07:24 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Eson View Post
Oddly enough, there was a shard of stainless steel found in the combustion chamber that was lodged between the #2 piston and the cylinder head. After hours of disassembly and digging, Steve Dinan actually found the culprit to be a tiny piece of welding broken off of my newly purchased (<100 miles) ACTIVE AUTOWERKE headers - a terrible construction flaw. I questioned how the piece essentially swam back upstream into the motor, but Dinan assured me it's surprisingly plausible - someone whose opinion I value beyond measure. He/his shop verified no other failures (not intake, valvetrain, head, block, etc) anywhere else.

As time permits, I'll go into more depth with a writeup.
wtf....................
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      09-19-2017, 07:51 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GuidoK View Post
So then how made that slap the piston agains the cilinderhead?
It didn't. It was hammering the piece of steel between the piston and head.
I had a similar fate befall my '73 Sports Bug when a piece of the Cal Custom air cleaner fell down the intake.
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