:17:Hi guys, I am serious need of help. I recently purchased a used BMW e46. Today the temperature started to go up and the gearbox started slipping. There was some brown residue at the engine oil cap,which means that either the gasket is burnt, the head is fcked or worse the engine block is cracked. My question is:- 1)Is it that easy for the block to get cracked (M54)? 2)For the gearbox slippage, should I try flushing and replacing the fluids? Also how much should I allocate? Appreciate any help
Engine Overheating & Gearbox slipping
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B33mEr
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gimli;700765 said:
Certainly it's very heart breaking to hear this sort of stories ... Your dream ride could potentially be your worst nightmare.
1) M54 block is made of Aluminium so yes it is easy to get it busted if it's overheated and you kept on driving.
2) Get the car scanned and see if there's codes thrown out ... You can change the fluid but i doubt it will do anything
What's your current mileage? Did you check your cooling system and check for leaks?
Anyway do send to a good bmw workshop and see what they say ... Good luck bro :top:
I haven't check for any leakages yet as the current priority is to make sure that the head & block is ok. The original workshop that I sent to didn't do anything so I towed the car to another shop, will only get to know tomorrow, another sleepless night for me 
I have been talking to a few people and it seems that the valve body & water entering the gearbox might also be causing problems. since the car is overheating, water might be entering the gearbox.
I have been talking to a few people and it seems that the valve body & water entering the gearbox might also be causing problems. since the car is overheating, water might be entering the gearbox.
my worst fear has just been confirmed, according to the mechanic the block has warped. He said that its possible to skim the engine block, but have to do full overhaul. He estimates the cost to be about RM10k. Is that normal? Does anyone know of any engineering company which can skim the block (KL or Selangor)? My next option would be buying a halfcut engine, which I already have, but I would prefer not to.
Lionel_Koh
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gimli;701415 said:
Don't skim either d block or head. . . .
Get a used engine instead. . . .
Alex5522
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Bro, maybe you you can try to consider asking about this : http://www.mudah.my/Engine+BMW+e46+325i+double+vanos-13226191.htm
Good luck to you.
Good luck to you.
Unfortunately already overhaul the engine & gearbox. Fcking pissed when I saw the ad. btw the mechanic said that the gasket he used is 0.3mm. Is that the maximum size? also how do I go about testing that there is no more leaking? he did give me warranty,but.i want to test on the spot.
Ecc0
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B33mEr;700872 said:
..is it all M54's are made from aluminum?? Im asking because I heard some are made from iron and (or) magnesium ?? But i am not sure what BMW model has it...I was under impression that my Z has M54 (iron one)..so i guess, im wrong ?
B33mEr
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Ecc0;706940 said:
Yup M54 block is made of aluminium as opposed to the S54 which is made from iron. S54 is basically a racing engine made for the streets hence the construction need to sturdier for longevity. The N52's block is made of magnesium hence it's the lightest inline six BMW ever made. Interestingly the the twin turbo N54 shares the same basic block of the M54's but that's about it really.
