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Considering the horror story, this motor should be thrown away. But it seems to be totally fine...so far.
This summer, I bought an E46-generation BMW M3 with an amazing 284,761 miles. On the surface, considering the mileage, it appears to be a clean car, but after a few hundred miles, it is clear that some serious work needs to be done. Fortunately, the most expensive part of the car's engine seems very healthy.
In addition to sounding good and pulling to the red line without any problems, the 3.2-liter S54 straight six-cylinder engine under the M3 hood still feels about the same power as the 332 horsepower produced by the factory more than a decade ago. It does not burn oil, nor does it make any strange clicking noises.
To be sure, I sent the oil sample to the Blackstone Laboratory in Illinois for analysis. Although oil analysis cannot tell you everything, they can help determine the degree of wear inside the engine since the last oil change. The following is Blackstone's evaluation of my S54:
There are no signs of rod bearing problems. Given BMW's reputation for reliability (or lack of reliability), this is all very surprising. So far, the only thing I have found outside is that the rear main seal has become weak. Not bad, but still worth paying attention as I continue to drive.
I ordered a maintenance service kit specifically for my car from FCP Euro. In addition to the oil change kit, it is also equipped with new spark plugs, intake filters and fuel filters-all standard items should be replaced regularly to maintain The engine is running healthy.
Most of the new parts are fine, although some of the spark plugs that come with the car have too much torque on the head. Thankfully, none of them seem to cause any damage to the threads, because the new plug is easy to insert.
The person who replaced the air filter before me would fall into a reusable device from K&N, which is neat. This may be the first car I have ever seen equipped with a K&N filter. It does not have those nasty stickers on the air box. I put the new OEM filter in place anyway, because I don't want to waste it. Once the OEM filter needs to be replaced, I will clean the K&N unit and reuse it.
After solving all these basic maintenance items, I don't have to worry too much about the health of the engine... as long as it is actually running, that's it.
The tail light cover on the driver's side played a role on the way I drove home, so that the left turn signal came to a complete stop. I tried to replace the bulb to solve the problem, but the problem was caused by the bulb housing itself. So I just bought a new house from FCP Euro, which is equipped with new turn signal lights and brake bulbs. I put them in and the problem is solved.
When I checked them for the first time, all four tires were below the recommended psi, and three-quarters of the tires hovered around 25 psi (they should be between 30-35). The fourth tire, the rear wheel on the passenger side, goes all the way down under a pressure of 10 psi. I refilled them and this car doesn't feel like I am driving on the beach. I haven't figured out what kind of tires I will put on this car, so I will continue to monitor the psi and add as needed.
There are a bunch of small things I want to fix to make this M3 more suitable for use as a daily driver. The license plate lights do not work, they need to work to pass the inspection, so I will solve this problem first. There are also DSC and ABS lights on the dashboard, which I have to diagnose. Smaller components such as the headlight level sensor and ambient air temperature sensor also need to be replaced.
Bigger things, such as the front brakes, steering clearance, suspension bushings, and possible subframe cracks that I mentioned in the previous article, will appear later. stay tuned.