EVERY automotive engineer should be forced to work in the dealer service department for a month and work on every repair before designing anything on a car.
When i worked for Acura as a tech we had engineers working with us on the real problem vehicles. It was actually pretty cool to watch them make their own parts sometimes like engine dampers for vibrations on 2004 2005 Acura TL.
I disagree. The engineer and technician would enter into collusion on how to keep one another employed🤣, thereby, exacerbating the complexity of working on your BMW!!
@@Rock-Bottem1982 I would be happy with water pumps that are not driven off of timing belts that grenade the engine when they lock up or timing chain tensioners that can be accessed without dropping the subframe. I would even be happy with clearance to get at the rear spark plugs. As for BMW, bearings that are not made of butter would be nice.
This is why FCP Euro is the best. I ordered a thermostat and spark plugs from you guys and everything was properly packaged and you had videos on how to do the work. Saved a good $700 thanks to FCP Euro.
Thanks heaps for the video guys, extremely informative as usual! For those looking to do this work - get yourself a 3/4 or 1" drive breaker bar. My crankshaft bolt took about 90 kg of body weight and a 1.3m cheater pipe in a jerking motion to break free... that's around 840 ft-lbs / 1100NM. My 1/2 breaker bar was beginning to flex dangerously at the head below these torque levels, so I switched it out for a 3/4". Also, I highly suggest you remove the alignment pin from the block / flex plate, once you've installed the toothed locking tool which goes through the transmission and engages the flex plate. I'd suggest also putting some texta marks on the ring gear, where it engages with the transmission tool - just in case the trans tool slips out, you'll be able to easily re-install/align them again. Depending on your tool set used and the tolerances/alignments for a given engine, you may find that your alignment pin starts taking some of the load (torque) when trying to break the crankshaft bolt free. I'd say it's almost a given. Given how tight my crankshaft bolt was, I decided to check the how the alignment pin in the flex plate was going when switching from the 1/2" to 3/4" breaker bar, and realized I couldn't remove it - it was actually taking some torque which resulted in a slight bend in it and a burr on the side of it. This prevented me from being able to pull it out by hand. I finally managed to get it out by removing the downpipe off the turbo (v-band + several bolts), then using a small pry to pull it out.
I have a 2013 328i oil changed every 5000 miles with no problems ..... changing oil is everything ! I buy all my parts from you guys Thank you and thank you .
I really appreciate how everytime there's something hidden like locking the crank, the camera person doesn't show any of the angles that would help with doing this. And the fast forwards through the parts that are important are also nice too.
Excellent video. I just completed this job on a 2013 328i with rear wheel drive and a manual transmission. It is a BIG job and unless you have done it before, it is unlikely that you can complete it in a weekend. This video, as well as the one by the "Auto Repair Guys", both grumble at the poor access to the bell housing for insertion of the flywheel locking pin (removal of the factory dust plug is the issue) and at the hassle of removing the oil pan. I fully agree. These are the two most frustrating parts of the job. The rest of the work is pretty straight forward, if you follow the videos, label all the hose and electrical connections and keep track of which fasteners go with which parts. For cars with automatic transmissions or x-Drive, I would suggest dropping the front subframe to improve access to the oil pan. Eight subframe bolts, two motor mount nuts, some screws in the fender liners, freeing two hoses and the power steering electrical cables from their mountings, and disconnecting the outside temp sensor and ride height connectors. The subframe will drop 3-4" and hang from the shock towers.Use a jack to lower and balance the subframe. Not a lot of work, for a lot better access. Note that you need to support the engine separately. Also, loosen the crankshaft bolt before dropping the subframe. The oil pan on this engine has a pair of "humps" along the rear mounting surface. These humps are taller than the space between the engine (actually the oil pump) and the edge of the transmission bell housing. The automatic transmissions apparently have a pair of cutouts to accommodate these humps. Given a couple of inches of jiggling space (either by raising the engine, or dropping the subframe, or both) you can remove the oil pan. Unfortunately, the manual transmission does not have these cutouts. I needed to completely remove the subframe in order to drop the front of the oil pan 8-10" in order to wiggle the pan through the available space. Finally, one nitpick with the video. There is no need to remove the windshield wipers and the apron just below the windshield. Access to the strut mount bolts is through two removable plugs in the apron.
@@bigdeal87 Yes, the u-joint needs to be removed. As I recall, you also need to remove the brake calipers, the cable connecting to the steering box and a couple of hoses that are routed along the subframe.
This is a fantastic presentation. I don't even own an N20 / N26 engine BMW yet, but this has me in the mood to consider one, I would love a 3er wagon from this era. Currently DD a fully self-rebuilt 2001 740i Sport (yes, I did my own TCGs), got a 2005 330i ZHP MT6 in the garage right now getting the full renovation treatment.
Thanks guys. Used this video the change valve cover, vacuum pump, and the solenoid. In a few months I'll be going back in to do the timing chain. I didn't feel prepared to tackle it yet, but I'll be ready to plan to change a lot of things next time.
Great great vid! My son in law has the four cylinder , im lucky I have the tried an tested inline six ! Its Bullit proof 214 k on the clock An still going strong ! I love my bmw
I was going to change the timing chain myself but after watching this video, definitely will sell my 320i!!! In fact, I’m about to go to the BMW dealer here locally to accept their offer on buying my car. I have a 2013 320i with 71,000 miles. I do all the maintenance myself since doing it at the dealer will cost me two arms and a leg!
Excellent! Thanks for not having any distracting music during the instruction. 👍🏻 My wife has a 2012 X1 xdrive128i. In Canada we got this model before the US. A couple of years ago I decided to get BMW to proactively replace the timing chain/guide to avoid the potential bricking of the N20. Having X-Drive complicated the job too, I felt. At that time, there weren't any quality videos and tool guides like yours to aid the DIYer.
Where was this video back in April!!! Lol I searched all over the internet and forums when my buddy’s F30 went down. Ended up figuring it out on my own. Also dropped the front diff and oil pan WITHOUT dropping the subframe. 😉
I want to do this job myself, but I can’t imagine removing the oil pan on a XDrive vehicle. Without a lift and pole jacks, this job is 10x harder. Unfortunately my extended warranty doesn’t cover this job for the timing chain rattle, so I will have to wait for it to grenade before they will pay for it. I guess I will just let it go! Excellent video though, you guys are awesome! Thanks for helping me make my decision!
The all wheel drive cars are much harder to work on. Front axles and differential needs to be removed first. Then the front subframe need to be loosened and lowered several inches. My x3 oil pan was removed in my driveway, without a lift. Extra Jack stands and plenty of patience is needed.
Great video. Can't wait for part 2. Having an n20, this is something that I'm going to have to get done at some point. Funny enough, I have the exact same year vehicle you guys have. So its good motivation.
This is by far the best tech video for the N20 timing chain. As a BMW OEM tech, I can offer time savers for this: 1. There is no need to put the automatic transmission in neutral. The parking pawl only holds the output side on the driveshaft. The torque converter and flywheel will spin freely. 2. There is no need to remove the crank pulley from the hub. It’s almost always rusted on, and will be damaged. You can put the lower guide bolts and plugs in before you put the damper/pulley/hub unit back on. The crank bolt is torqued through the center, and the pulley/damper does not get in the way. 3. The flywheel locking tool is incorrectly installed. It is a tight fit, and the zip ties should not be there. Place the tool into the bellhousing, and slide the bolts fully forward to engage the teeth. 4. For oil pan removal, especially on AWD cars, unbolt the motor mounts, and use ratchet straps to move/tilt the motor into positions you need for access. 5. There is no need to do the TDC procedure. The cam tool will only lock in two positions, and only one position will have both cam lobes pointing up.
@@hydn79 I would trust the BMW Tech, they think park in the transmission somehow locks the engine. It doesn't, the park rod only locks the output shaft not the input, else the starter would never be able to start the engine while in park, see the logic.
@@hydn79 Yes, i'm a BMW Master Tech and can confirm the tips suggested above. Crank pulley can be left onto the hub and can be removed as a unit once the crank bolt is removed. Though for me...on XDrive models, I actually prefer to remove the front subframe completely. Front subframe comes out relatively easily and everything is easier with it completely out of the way, IMHO. Your mileage may vary...
@@atchipmunk Hi I'm looking to buy a non starting 328i xdrive N20 and need to put in neutral so it can be rolled / towed etc. Cranking the engine and pushing on the shifter method does not work. It stays in P. Will screwing in that bolt on the tranny as shown allow all 4 wheels to turn??
Excellent video! Scary how loose that chain was. I have 4 friends with this engine, all of them above 60k miles, none have the new timing guides yet. I'm the mechanically inclined one who nerds out over BMW's. I know one of them is going to ask me to do this job for them sooner or later 😐 I got an n55 that's approaching 200k miles and I'm hearing a subtle whine sound. I'm praying it's not the timing chain guides 😕
One correction: That tensioner guide is not held in place by that little loop from the other guide. It's held in place by the bolt you removed so there's no way it can move the way you claimed at 43:13 Other than that, very informative video. Nicely done.
Just did the timing chain on my 2013 f30 this past weekend started sat around 3pm finished sun 9pm give or take a couple hours for lunch breaks lol. If you’re mechanically inclined, it’s definitely a weekend project. Make sure you have all the tools needed beforehand as well. Trickiest part for me was dropping the oil pan as I had to loose the subframe and drop it about a inch. It’s not hard as it seems just very tedious steps. No expensive oem tools needed every tool I bought was off eBay cheapest of the cheapest. Double check the timing before taking off the cam timing tool. Tensioner tool ON BEFORE timing engine.
Hey whats up, I have same '13 F30 xdrive and need to do this job but stressing over dropping the subframe. Did you have to remove any of the control arms or splined steering column shaft?
Nate, great video and thorough in your explanation and steps you take for this DIY timing chain video. If possible, please do one for the N52 engine. Thanks.
You and your colleagues have good jobs man, making money off making service videos for fcp, I'm sure you do other stuff too. But when you're making service videos you get to take your time and do it right. It's not like you have to rush on it to get it out the door as quick as possible. My motto for servicing car's is the work has to be factory or better LOL. Thanks for the vid and the knowledge.
Great video! I was thinking about buying a new 330e but I really don’t want to deal with this design flaw down the road so I am going to pass on it since it has the N20.
Man so glad to see this how to! I am definitely staying away from the N20/26 BMWs'. I LOVE the B58 so far, looking to find a mint 340i or 540i in the future.
Knowing of FCP from Formula Drift, this was my first stop when i got offered to buy my co-workers '12 328i that needs this service (and other oil leaks fixed) Terrifically informative video, going to be a spendy repair, I hope its worth it. Also... how did they manage to make the interiors smell the same since the 80s?
Parking prawl pin I knew what you were talking about 😆. The valve cover gasket on my sister's 14 320i Xdrive is leaking in the same spot as where you were soaking up the oil in the left side sparkplug/injector hole in the cover.
Just to let you guys know...anyone who may have the f30 n20 manual 6 speed transmission platform, you do not need a flywheel lock!!!! You simply put the car in 6th gear with the emergency brake on. Do NOT make the mistake I did and buy a flywheel lock only to realize you never needed one in the first place, if you have a manual transmission. This should be mentioned in the video..
Man, this can’t be that easily done at home. It’s bloody expensive but might need to get it done by someone as I’ll stuff it up on a driveway. Great vid btw
You are amazing in teaching. I just have a couple of questions and that is the lock you put under with the yellow thread I was not clear where it goes since the camera does not show in there very clear
You guys are absolutely amazing. Thank you for such an in-depth video. I have a beautiful 2012 328i Sportline 6 Speed manual. I will be buying the timing chain kit from your website and doing this on my own.
@@justinparisien4317 I am currently in the process of doing it right now and I am just about done. I have the new timing chain installed, but I manually rotated the motor by hand and the timing seems to not line up, so tomorrow I will figure out why and correct the issue. You must always rotate the motor by hand before you start it to ensure that the motor stays in time
@@youandiryan that’s good to know about turning the engine manually before starting it. Questions about that, how many time you need to rotate it and you you proceed to do so?
@@justinparisien4317 the crankshaft will have to spin 2 times for every one time that the camshafts turn. So you would want to turn the crankshaft 2 times or 4 times. And if your marks line up on the crankshaft then it is correct. You would put a 22 mm socket on the crankshaft bolt, and turn it clockwise by hand with a socket.
Important to clarify that BMW remedied this after January/February of 2015. I have a 16 428i F36 that I maintain and have nearly 80k on that car and it’s running strong. These engines are loud on cold start owing to the loud Bosch DI Injectors.
Can't BMW do anything right? I was about to look 3- or 5-series with this engine (it's the cheapest and the one I can afford) but same sh*t like with my last E90. How much time they need to build a chain that lasts?
How could you force bmw to change the chain on their cost i have a 2014 bmw 328 xdrive ?? I feel like they should repaire the car like preventive repair.
Hi and thanks for a super video .I have been making cars professionally since 1979 but first time on a BMW N20 engine I am very happy with your detailed video and chain change on that car. However, experienced something that scared me to assemble the car incorrectly .the tool for the oil pump did not really sit so without noticing the turned oil pump driven around and was in doubt and the timing was right in terms of the balance axis perhaps one should say that if only the pin is inserted in the hole and fits then no problem as it turns one to one (no exchange) I was afraid that there might be an imbalance in the engine Many Thanks for a Great Video Regards Torben Møller
Lock the crankshaft into place first, also on the side of the trans there is a cover, if you take the cover off and look up on the flywheel you can actually see the crank pin going through the hole. But I’ve done this repair locking the cams in place first and the crank pin did not align.
@36 min, I think you are supposed to have the front timing tool (green piece) installed before loosing the cam bolts so you are not crunching the chain or stressing the back part
Do you recall on the two lower T45 guide pin bolts you removed from the front of the engine. Did you need an extended bit or will a standard length be enough to reach?? Thanks
Hello my name is Jose. And we just purchased your timing chain and followed your instruction step by step. Thank you for sharing your video. We replaced the timing chain and the timing module. Timing was on point but when we start the vehicle its starts fine but the check engine light came on with P052B and P054B codes. What could this be??
As a happy FCP Euro customer, owner of a 1997 Volvo 850R and 1992 Volvo 940gl; I hope I don't offend any BMW owners by this but I have often thought that BMW engineering can be somewhat pretentious and questionable.
That is on the new BMWs, bean counter accountant vs engineers. Make it last just until warranty expires and buy a new BMW. I have had e28, e30, e39 and they are tanks. The M3 and M5 compared to the new ones, are 100 times more reliable, even the v10.
Great video series! One question, What about clearing the “drivetrain malfunction” code in the system; what scanner do you recommend for BMW’s to best diagnose and clear error codes? Just had this issue diagnosed and am wanting to do the job myself. Again, great job, big help to us “do it yourself(er’s)”!!
FCP Euro Thanks guys. This scanner will clear the drivetrain malfunction as well as other fault codes? Just don’t want to have to deal with the dealership anymore.
I'm curious as far as that specialty tool is concerned I know the price of it at FCP and ECS tuning is upwards 300 bucks. I'm wondering can I buy a lesser cost tool on amazon or ebay. and still do the job properly?
Do you absolutely need the flex plate tool to complete the job. I have everything except for that and I completely forgot to order it. Engine is exposed and don’t want to wait too long to put back together
@fcpeuro I have an issue of pulling wastegate actuator off. I was able to get the pin off but it seems like the rod does not have enough space to slide off the hook. Do you have any way to get that hook off?
Hi, thank you for the awesome video. I have a 2013 328i currently on 100k miles & I'm looking to keep long term, is there any other preventative maintenance that's worth doing when the engine is stripped down during this job? Also wanted to confirm given my mileage & plan for long term ownership would you recommend replacing the valve cover when doing the gaskets?
cylinder #4 cam lobes must be in beginning to intake and ending exhaust positions. That's when cylinder #1 is top dead center. This is based on the 1342 firing order.
Hello, thanks for video, question my 328i engine seized, I removed valve cover and oil pan and chain looks okay, did get a warning low pressure oil. I'm thinking did the oil pump went out no lubrication. In this situation why would the oil pump go out? If oil pump chain was not broken. Would there be a way to test the oil pump? There was oil in the engine. Is there any upgrades with oil pump? oil pan? Thank you so much, for all the input.
Hi I got a 2013 528i with N20 Engine , 103k miles , notice rattle at start up but no check engine light goes away after 2 min. , is it good idea to change timing chain tensioner to see if that improve noise . or it just going to create more trouble & waste of money? Thank you
