BAD BMW 328i N20 Engine Teardown! Customer Returned, And Now Its Ruined! What A Waste! 

I look forward to these videos, every Saturday evening. As a mechanic of 55+ years, it's always enjoyable to see an engine teardown. It reminds me of my long career.

With the sand on the intake manifold,water damage could be flood damage.Non running flood damage

One of the only BMW engines I've had to replace (while working for a German car specialist, and not including Mini even though the are BMW) was one of these. It was a 5-series that only had like 50k miles on it and had a very unusual tapping sound and a failed HP fuel pump. The car was owned by a used car dealer, and their in-house "mechanic" (I use that term very loosely) had already shotgunned a ton of parts at the car, including a "engine rebuild." The HP pump didn't make any pressure at all and the tapping noise wasn't obvious, so I replaced the HPFP first. After that, it drove perfectly but still had a tapping noise. The problem ended up being that one of the connecting rods was very slightly bent. I found it by measuring the piston height when each of the pistons was at TDC and one of them was a couple mm less than the rest. I took the bottom end of the engine apart and all the bearings looked perfect. Never figured out how one of the rods got bent, and the dealer "mechanic" had messed with so much stuff on the engine it was impossible to know what was the original issue at what got installed by them. Luckily, on a 5-series, these engines are wonderfully simple to replace (by BMW standards). The "oil pump assembly" on these engines includes counter-balance shafts. That's the only reason it is so big. The oil pump itself is nothing special. To be clear, there are plenty of other BMW engine issues out there that are *incredibly* expensive to repair, but most of them don't require replacing the entire engine. Their reliability is horrible, but except for the newer turbo engines, catastrophic failure that requires replacing the entire engine is rare. The Mini engines, pretty much from the moment that BMW re-released the Mini, are all junk, and I mean *junk* . The early ones are basically a Dodge Neon engine and have constant timing chain issues. The newer ones are BMW design and are basically guaranteed not to make it to 100k miles, even if you take good care of them.

It's 1:51am here in the UK but still here I am

Some notes for future vids and to anyone working on these: Yes, vacuum pump has to come off to do the valve cover or gasket. It is not difficult to reinstall, just don't mess with the gear and it will slip right in, you'll feel it. There are also dowels of sorts for the bolts so just put it where it was before and you'll be able to reassemble it with no problem. You also should remove the VANOS solenoids so you aren't fighting them like Eric was, it is literally 2 screws on each one, just don't fuck up the placement Turbocharger linkages are known to have issues with pins rusting in place and/or breaking. This can happen on the turbo side or on the wastegate side They had vacuum wastegates in the first year or two and electronic ever after The intake has to come off per the FSM to replace the oil filter housing or the gasket. You can instead loosen the five nuts that hold it and have either a buddy or an object of some sort hold up the intake while you force an E10 (or E12, can't quite remember) over the bolt with a swivel and an extension attached. In either case, the computer has to come off so be gentle with harnesses. I find it easier to remove them entirely. If you are gentle and a little lucky, you can get away without ripping the intake seals and just put it back on as is. if you unclip the coils, injectors, grounds, the entire harness on the front of the valve cover can be removed as a unit after also being disconnected from the ECM. The Valvetronic harness is also easy to remove as a unit, all it has is 4 pins for the motor and its position

Discovered your channel recently. I'm not a car person by much, mostly an interesting topic to me as my hobbies are computer related. How ever you've given me so much more knowledge on engines through the teardown videos that I decided to do work on my own Prius engine and did head gasket and a few other things on my own. Thanks a lot!

The carnage teardowns are entertaining for sure, but I get just as much enjoyment watching a regular teardown. It's still interesting to see how things are supposed to be.

Humble request, and you probably never see these in your shop because... well, why would you? But I'd love to see the following: Old Mopar small block, like a 318; A high-revving supercar engine like a Ferrari 12 cyl, and something with a huge displacement like a boat engine - perhaps a Volvo Penta or Cummings.

Thank you for finally doing an N20. Most people don’t realize it but the N20 is exactly 1/2 of the N63 V8. Engine geometry, Pistons, cylinder head, fuel injections, valvetronic, many gaskets and seals, and…….. *oil pump* are all shared with the N63 V8. That would probably be why the oil pump is so huge for such a small engine.

Great Video! The N20's and N26's (SULEV) that were installed in xDrives, were fitted with a metal oil pan. The non xDrives have a plastic oil pan.

Eric, we love to see you come out ahead!

Rust dust shooting out the plug holes? Nice

The complexity of this engine is daunting.

10K oil changes is from the marketing department to make people think they're cheap to maintain. All they care about it they get through the warranty period with as few claims as possible. If you rent it, then do what they say. If you own it and want to keep it, every 6 months or 5K.

Working on my E30 and E39 was always fun and straightforward. My e92 335i was a pain in the ass. My wife has a e90 328i and while I love the handling, I hate the SULEV valvetronic N51 engine. Not only does it feel choked in both performance and tone from the extra cat, the valvetronic system really takes the fun out of revving it out. My M20 (and later M50) e30 loved to rev and sing to redline. Same with the 540i. The N51 seems to resist it. Perhaps I need to drive an N52.

I have a 2014 Z4 (E89) with this engine. The engine is fine, light and punchy. But there is a class-action lawsuit settlement for the timing chain guides disintegrating. Mine came from the factory with a cracked valve cover though. The car ALWAYS smelled like burning oil after I'd drive it. Just for a few seconds. Turns out the leak was teensy and it would occasionally drip oil onto the cat. I am eternally grateful to the BMW tech who finally found it and replaced the cover (7 years after I bought it). Sorry we didn't get to see the turbo. But I'm glad this one came up!

Another great informative video. Especially love when you comment about a part that's in perfect shape and then we hear it being flung across your shop 🤣

Been a tech for 36 years, I change the oil on my 2011 camry v6 every 4k k s with high quality synthetic oil. That 60.00 I spend every 4-5 months is nothing compared to the money you save in the end

Well Rod Berings are a wear item on most newer BMW engines 😂

I do 10K oil changes on my Tundra and did the prior two Tundras. I use Mobile1 0W-20 and a mobile 1 oil filter (although they cheapened it this past year) So far on my current tundra combined with the last two, I have 1.4 million collective miles. If you buy a quality vehicle with a quality engine and use quality oil, 10K is no big deal.

you are right! engine is expensive. oil change is cheap! I use synthetic oil and change every 5k religious

I love me some 90’s and 00’s BMWs! Got to ride in a ‘95 M3 lightweight at an autocross once. It was sublime! The e36 and e46 had some real classics among their ranks.

And this is the reason why i got rid of my pre-production F30 328i. When it ran well, it was fun to drive, but at idle it sounded like a diesel, made funny noises and within a year of me selling it, the timing chain guides went, on a car that had less than 30k km on it.

That was so cool to see how the valvetronic works. Thank you for showing us!

It looks like 8 computer controlled mouse traps run the valve train train, or is it valve valve train, hmm.... Watching you tear down things, build things, restore things, clean things, breath on things, sell things, and generally work in your shops is one of my favorite weekly things to do. Keep it up.

“The rod is never long enough” perfect setup for a that’s what she said joke

Those years of training came in handy when using that small rod fuel injector tool

You have definitely found your niche on RU-vid! Another great video my friend!

Yeah, all these luxury manufacturers went to 10,000 mile oil change intervals when they started offering oil changes as part of the initial service package that came with the car. It was never in the best interest of maintenance or longevity. I was just marketing to dangle a carrot in front of the consumer and then trying to pay as little for that carrot as possible.... consequences be darned.

rust dust was poofing out the plug holes 😆

Not just an adjustable flow oil pump, but the balance shafts and gears are in that lower housing.

I love the carnage teardowns, but for a higher-tech engine pulling apart a mostly-good one is entertaining just to see how the tech is packaged and actually works.

How bout a grandfather chain cutter restoration video. That thing is righteous! Glad to hear you can sell some parts off this. Your time with us is worth that resale value. Great job Eric.

The rod is never long enough in who's tool - oops, forget that. LoL As a retired Aerospace engineer, thanks for showing and explanation the elaborate BMW valve system operation! Plus, thanks for the entertaining narratives in your informative disassembles.

Keep the great videos coming. How's the new family member doing? It was good seeing ya out at the Cars and Coffee at Holman Motors

Well done my friend..keep up the great work !!!

I wonder if the monster sized oil pump has a balance shaft or weight hiding inside it. Even the chain drive looked like it had a 1:2 ratio.

Shout out to Brian Patton from Ontario!

Maybe a video on how to inspect a engine to see if it was in a flood? With the hurricane, I bet a lot of salt water flooded engines will be popping up.

Interesting engine with the design of valvetronic as well as how they chose to isolate the fuel injectors and spark plug tubes from the rest of the head. This may be my overactive hoarding instinct but I get the sense in 10-20 years some people would have been interested in some of those mint looking timing chain guides that get chucked when the replacements are ether bad or non-existent... I know they always get replaced if there needs to be a timing service due to the time and labor cost but I could see that part on some engine being the linch pin on a restore job.

Love the clouds of dust coming out the plug holes when you barred that over, lol.

Please keep doing Videos We really to enjoy them !

Aw yay, glad to see the drift arrived! Hope it serves you well, Eric. Thanks for this and the many, many videos you've put out. Keep up the great work!

Excellent video, as usual. Thanks, Eric!

another great teardown video. thanks

Finally getting to see the engine I have in my car here, for better or worse. "They are kinda buzzy" is an understatement, the N20 noise is notorious among other things.

Eric I think you made a good point when you took apart this engine . You like me we tend to like the older engines better than the newer engines and that's because he's a new engines are just so damn complicated I mean look at the valvetrain in that engine you just took apart . I like the late seventies all through the '80s and early 90s engines they're not as complicated as the ones made now , I like the older engines a lot better than the new engines that's just my opinion and I think a lot of people will back me up , as always keep up these great videos I look forward to watching them each week .

I have always had my oil changed religiously at 5k. I never had a problem with smoking out the tailpipe or oil consumption. I have a Honda accord 2008 with 202 808 km and never added oil between changes. I am very happy you have a lot of good parts.

Eric, I must agree with all of the comments below concerning oil change / fluid replacement but that's the MARKETING DEPT FOR THE ULTINATE DRIVING MACHINE BS. Thank you for another wonderful video sir but best if all how is you new baby doing ???? ❤️ congrats Eric. My best to all TMP from N.J.

I believe starting in 97, BMW engineers added a a minimum 1/8th inch of dirt to the top of the intake manifolds from factory. 🤣

When I brought my 128i in for the Takata airbag recall, the service manager told me to stay away from anything with an N20. Amazingly, the timing chain guides on this one were not worn out. That leads me to think this is either not a high mileage engine, or they've been replaced. Those rod bearings didn't look great.

Love that fuel rail just hangin out way out there like that, hahaha.

I don't know why but I find your tear down videos extremly interesting. Let's do an Abarth 1.4 MultiAir Turbo, plz.

I agree with you, though the E30's from 1984 to 1990 were damn good. My first one was a 1985 2-door 323i. If anything it was better built than the following two E30 325i's I owned (1986 4-door, 1987 2-door). All told about 330,000 miles with all three car's mileages added together and no significant problems, didn't have to replace anything mechanical. Loved the M20 engines, loved the cars, they drove really nicely. The 1988 cars were the first ones fitted with cats in the EU and were slightly softer.

Glad your viewers get to see what a mechanic goes through to fix an engine now days, no longer a Back Yard mechanics job!

I always enjoy your videos

4:52 Is that dust shooting out of the engine or????

Would love to see a supercharged w11 engine out in the early 2000s Mini Cooper S.

The car probably got submerged while parked. That's how the engine took water. So they pulled it and it sat for awhile.

I'm also a Landcruiser and Bmw Enthusiast.... I have both also. So I completely get this channel..... Nice videos!!

My Ford recommends 10k mile oil changes, I do it myself every 5k miles. Oil change is approximately $35, new engine is several thousand dollars.

Awesome video!!! TY

Wow that valve control? What a jumble sale to put together! Give me a Model T Ford gearbox any day! I loved working on the old engines from yesteryear, spent many years as a mechanic on buses, even screaming jimmies, or 1960s Leyland lay on its side engines. Thanks Eric, keep up the good work. Ted from down under.

Excellent work 👍

I have a 2013 X3 Xdrive28i with the N20 and I change the oil based on season. Pennzoil 5W-30 in the summer and Pennzoil 0W-30 Euro LX in the harsh winter. I only use it around town so sometimes there's less than 1000 miles between oil changes. Its not a waste in my eyes as the 0W-30 helps a whole lot starting in winter. Oil changes do not have to be pricey if you learn how to do them yourselves. I am a mechanic and I believe anyone can learn basic maintenance and save money.

Can’t wait to see the work on the Lexus behind ya!

Great show

My 2.0 TDI (240bhp) oil changes are every 10k. I now have 160k. Engine still like new and no oil burning between changes.

"the rod is never long enough", that's what she said

Blew up two of these now I’m watching this

Great video and word to the wise. Squirt some wd40 on those cylinder walls when removing the pistons and it might help the Sliiiddee out :)

I love my N52 in my 128I. Such a smooth running engine!

You should have been able to remove the bolts holding the oil pump to the bottom of the engine and pivot it to remove the chain.

Grandpa’s chain cutters still work!

Great channel Erik! As anotther BMW owner/ fan I would love to see an M54 teardown.

That is one smart engine. The oil pump could also be reconfigured as an oil extraction pump. Thus evolving the oil change procedure.

Try to find a 2ZR-FAE or 3ZR-FAE, they both use a VVL system on the intake cam (Vavlematic) that is powered by a electric motor that is known to fail that is similar to BMW's Vavletronic system.

Great video! Would love to see a Honda B series, a B20 out of a CR-V would be common and cool!

Thank you!!

Thanks. Great job!

The pre-2014 versions of the N20 had a known failure that the timing chain guide mounting points (those thin plastic circles) would break and cause catastrophic engine damage. It's well documented and BMW extended the warranty on the engines to 100K IIRC. Anyone who has one of these should replace the chains/guides or you are playing with a loaded gun. The guides were fixed in the 2014 and on model years and are backwards compatible so that when you change them you get the new designs. the timing chain/guides/etc all come out as a cartridge that is held on by a big bolt in the front of the crank. you take that out, it goes through the lower gear and the whole thing lifts out as an assembly so you don't have to break anything. shame about the rust, nothing looked bad on that engine other than normal wear. An easy rebuild if it was clean

The last engine I tore down was a 1960-something MG 4 cylinder. It had about as many parts altogether as the valve train on this engine.

If that valve cover isn't broke that is a VERY EXPENSIVE part too. If you want to do something real fun try replacing the timing chains and guides on 1 of these things. I had to buy the tools to lock the cams and crank down. Doing it in the car is quite an experience if you haven't done 1 yet. That crank bolt is some thing else to get off and back on. Oh yeah.. The tools weren't that pricey the parts are a bit outrageous though.

I think the water damage was caused by the yard---I don't know of anyone that buys a replacement engine for their vehicle, and then leaves it sit outside in the rain. If I had to guess, that was a high-mileage engine that was making some ominous noises, which caused it to be returned

I've always been taught that German cars were all about 'perfect engineering', but that oil pump, what the hell, WHAT THE HELL!?!

28:40-Besides the PCV diaphragm rupturing in a valve cover, that's a nice view of why the N20 uses so much oil. BMW "pretty good". I bet you say the same thing about hemorrhoids.

@24:20 Sparks flew when grandpa's old cutters had the chain make its peace with it.

Love the "poofs" of dust from the spark plug holes when turning over the engine

One engine I'd like to see a teardown of is one of the first to highlight the problem of oil sludge: the Toyota 1MZ V6. Sure, they're reliable when you have regular oil changes, but even well-maintained ones have some minor sludge in them.

Watching this gives me the distinct opinion that this engine is way over engineered thus it is prone to breaking down much to early in it life. There is an old saying "KISS, Keep It Simple Stupid" something that the BMW people apparently have never heard before. Unfortunately they think of them selves as engineering geniuses when in fact they make themselves out to be fools.

Literally been waiting for this engine lol

You have the special service tools for the valve Tronic it’s called old blue and a hammer😅

I bought a '01 BMW 325xi with well over 200k miles on it. Put about 50,000 more on it. The only BMW I've ever owned. Other than a few annoying electrical gremlins and shot rear suspension bushings, that car was one if my favs, especially the super smooth engine and surprisingly capable AWD driveline. I have to suspect this engine was from a flood car. It could explain why there was so much dirt, that looked more like sediment, in the cavities. I spy a 1st gen RX7 and is that an old B-series?

outstanding teardown! Would like to see a Toyota 2GR-FE 3.5L V6

4:51 - Well, at least it seems to be able to build compression in one cylinder, it the cloud of rust/dirt being thrown out is any indication.

best show on Saturday night TV LOL

I am ALWAYS interested in your teardowns. I am not interested at all in a four cylinder BMW engine (unless it is an S14).

Would love to see a Hyundai gamma 1.6t gdi engine teardown

I have that same harbor freight socket wrench. Had it for years now

10k oil change is nuts, I do 5k on my s55 M3 and 3.0t Q7. But on my VOLT I usually follow the 1.5-2yr the computer says, but it’s just a Chevy and the gas engine rarely even runs, and never very hard. I do send it out for analysis and it’s fine at 120k. FYI for those interested valvetronic uses valve lift to control throttle, bmw said they would ditch the throttle body but they didn’t it’s there but wide open in normal operation. Assume it’s there as a backup and to keep critters out of the engine when parked. Why no throttle body and/or wide open? in a traditional design the throttle body is a large pumping loss at part throttle, so therefore a loss in efficiency.