Engine Low Pressure - Stop Carefully!

[sansib]

E60 525i 2006 model gave this type of error 'Engine Low Pressure - Stop Carefully, Possible Engine Damage!' Couple of days back, the car was choking like mad at low RPM. Took it to the mechanic and the found the air valve adjuster broken. Changed that, no more choking but message still appears. Now back in workshop. They opened the engine cover and found scary stuffs!!!1- hardened sludges all over the engine parts and valves2- top end bolt on one of the crank shaft broken3- serious wear on the round pullyNow I got a big hole in my pocket...big headache!View attachment 27993View attachment 27994View attachment 27996View attachment 27995View attachment 27997Any of you guys had these problems before? How much do I need to spend to replace these broken parts?Thanks in advance for your reply..

 

[irfan80]

woo, that is a real scary stuff...i m driving the same machine too...E60 2006 525i.... can u share what was the symptoms before this bro? any additive used before this bro?

 

[sansib]

I bought this from someone 3 years ago.. it was 45000km then and 100,000km now. I have been changing oils every 10,000km and flushed 2-3 times. Looking at the harden sludges, I guess this was the complement from the previous owner, damnn!! I used fully synthetic Liqui Moly engine oil and flush liquids.

 

[Devillian]

Encountered something similar to that before - sludge buildup. Basically, it's cos the owner didn't change the engine oil frequently enough and it's been running hot. Before the breakdown, there were no indication when driving that the engine's having problem. Just one day, it developed a "tapping" noise, and a few minutes after, the engine died completely. Since then, have made it a point to advice people to just remove the head to make sure no sludge is being built up, when they send their car for servicing. Removing just the top is a really quick job,

Here are the pics.

View attachment 27999
View attachment 28000

This is after the cleanup
View attachment 27998

 

[sansib]

Thanks Devillian! Leasons learn for me.

 

[unstopables_7]

if im not mistaken this is quiet common now for most BMW especially the first badge of e60 and e90, mainly due to oil change , not frequent enough.. and yes this is scary ..

i guess this is what happend to you bro sansib maybe the previous owner took the oil service lightly.. what did your mechanic advise? top overhaul??

 

[sansib]

Yes, top overhaul for now. They will do total clean up and get new parts for the shaft gear pully and the broken bolt. Put back all nuts and bolts into place, then check engine pressure level. If OK, I can smile. If not, complete overhaul, I'll die bro!

 

[unstopables_7]

nahh.. i think top overhaul will solve it bro.. relax bro .. smile as if nothing gonna happen and pray hard!! haha
best of luck bro , do keep posting on whats next..

 

[ICEMAN 68]

Yes, top overhaul for now. They will do total clean up and get new parts for the shaft gear pully and the broken bolt. Put back all nuts and bolts into place, then check engine pressure level. If OK, I can smile. If not, complete overhaul, I'll die bro!

pls ensure your engine oil pump is cleaned OR better still replace a new one ...as the gunk would still be around ...you need to open up your bottom oil pan to get the view of the oil pump ..

i wonder if this problem could be due to an weekening / clogged oil pump ..as when your engine oil change intervals are not done in the proper time frame ..the gunk will start building up at the oil pump strainer hence not enough oil to lube up the cams etc etc

 

[sansib]

ICEMAN 68, you are right! Actually this warning message pop up 5 months back and the car went dead completely. Took it to the same shop, they diagnosed the oil pump wasn't pumping enough fuel. So I had it changed to new oil pump plus new engine oil pressure sensor. All went fine and drove 7000kms until this same problem came up 2 days ago. Obviously this was due to sludge buildup inside the camshaft...

 

[azamin99]

Yes, top overhaul for now. They will do total clean up and get new parts for the shaft gear pully and the broken bolt. Put back all nuts and bolts into place, then check engine pressure level. If OK, I can smile. If not, complete overhaul, I'll die bro!

Sansib, just for info, let us know how much it cost to top-overhaul yr engine..mine didnt hv any issue yet, so again just for info to me n others if nx time we encounter same issue..tks.

 

[irfan80]

what can we do or how to check before the problem become severe? i dont know how my car previous owner treated the car? advice pls

 

[sansib]

will do.. but appreciate for someone give me some benchmark figures? I need to negotiate with those $$ suckers mechanics!

 

[ICEMAN 68]

ICEMAN 68, you are right! Actually this warning message pop up 5 months back and the car went dead completely. Took it to the same shop, they diagnosed the oil pump wasn't pumping enough fuel. So I had it changed to new oil pump plus new engine oil pressure sensor. All went fine and drove 7000kms until this same problem came up 2 days ago. Obviously this was due to sludge buildup inside the camshaft...

sansib ...did you change the oil pump OR fuel pump ? as you wrote " oil pump wasn't pumping enough fuel " ..typo error ka ?

if the mechanic whom had carried out the oil pump change will surely notice the gunk build up and should had advise you accordingly ...atleast you would had done several engine oil flushes to clear the rest of the gunk that was built up ...

 

[Devillian]

what can we do or how to check before the problem become severe? i dont know how my car previous owner treated the car? advice pls

Just ask them to remove the head cover and do a visual check. You won't need to remove the cams, or anything like that. It would be easily viewable without opening up too much.

 

[anaksarawak]

Look like engine flush can't remove stubborn gunk from the engine

 

[consoglieri]

Do get quotations from few workshops. The price may varies.

 

[Vincent Hor]

will do.. but appreciate for someone give me some benchmark figures? I need to negotiate with those $$ suckers mechanics!

I stand corrected. The real sucker of your RM is BMW. If you feel it's your mechanic, then replace them immediately.

 

[azam9636]

thanks for sharing bro ... p

 

[kby88]

I just done my top overhaul. But mine is e46 with N42 engine.
Cost me RM2018.00. Took about 1 week to complete.
Head removed, cleaned, pressure tested. After done top overhaul :top: