N54 Negative issues

[KennyP]

Waterpump and thermostat are pretty well packed in there. You wouldnt want to take your waterpump/thermostat out twice(pay for the labor twice) because you cheaped out on not replacing a 50 eur thermostat. So it is recommended to replace it with the pump.

My waterpump did not fail due to its electric motor. Mine developed cracks in ist plastic housing part and leaked coolant from there.. i did not get into any limp mode.. just low coolant warning that came back at about 0.5-1 day after filling coolant up to max again.
Also i saw some minor cracks developing in the old thermostats plastic aswell.. so if waterpump hadnt leaked... thermostat would soon have... Remember that thermostat and waterpump are located almost right next to the front turbo in the engine bay..

[KennyP]

Originally Posted by Tangent

Just for a change of pace, here's been my experience with my 2011 35i that I bought at 50,000 miles and currently has 89,000:

Water pump failed at 86,000 miles
Ignition coil failed at ~65,000; replaced all 6 because they're pretty cheap

That's it for repairs, otherwise it's just been regular maintenance.

Thats great... mine had no issues before 10 years old and somewhere like 65k miles... all the engine issues( leaks, waterpump alternator) have happened during the last 2 years.

My list of issues may be caused by a few things...
First some roads i drive are quite ruff so all the adaptive shocks, suspension parts, wheel bearings get a beating and wear out faster. Also i dont drive alot but when i do im always pushing it.
Second all the oil leaks may be caused: first by my driving and pushing the car, second by the stage 1 tune thats has upped the power, boost and with that also heat in the engine bay. Stock N54 may be alot more reliable but once you tune them even a bit things wear out faster.

Also i cant be certain but i do suspect that my main seal leak and valvecover leak may have been caused by the faulty PCV valve in the valvecover that may have let excess pressure in and pressurized the crankcase and that pressure can push main seals out and cause them to leak.. so i think those leaks originated from the same underlaying problem.. replaced valvecover first and right after that noticed that rear main seal was leaking aswell...

[KennyP]

Originally Posted by B21

...all alloy Pierburg pump and a new Mahle thermostat…

I found out about Pierburg all alloy pumps like a day after i had ordered my replacement.. Wish i knew about it earlier.Those Pierburg pumps were quite a new option on the market and not that well known yet. Anyway i got VDO pump that is OEM for these pumps and i think Mahle thermostat aswell.

[paris1]

Originally Posted by KennyP

I found out about Pierburg all alloy pumps like a day after i had ordered my replacement.. Wish i knew about it earlier.Those Pierburg pumps were quite a new option on the market and not that well known yet. Anyway i got VDO pump that is OEM for these pumps and i think Mahle thermostat aswell.

Pretty sure the one that came off mine was Continental.

[KennyP]

Originally Posted by paris1

Pretty sure the one that came off mine was Continental.

VDO is Continental.

VDO is a German brand of Continental Automotive which makes automotive electronics and mechatronics for powertrains, engine management systems and fuel injection systems

[paris1]

Originally Posted by KennyP

VDO is Continental.

[B21]

Originally Posted by KennyP

I found out about Pierburg all alloy pumps like a day after i had ordered my replacement.. Wish i knew about it earlier.Those Pierburg pumps were quite a new option on the market and not that well known yet. Anyway i got VDO pump that is OEM for these pumps and i think Mahle thermostat aswell.

I got the Zed back from the shop today…hopefully I’m good for 100k+ miles on those two parts..off to the Pyrenees for two weeks so here’s hoping they cinched everything up tight…🙈👌

[KennyP]

There are more things that can go wrong with the coolant system on n54.
For example coolant pipe that goes from thermostat to the head has a plastic mickey mouse fitting on it that turns very fragile with time, all the heat cycles and so on... eventually it can just break and coolant hose pops off... and you are stranded on the side of the road with no coolant.

There is an aluminum part you can buy to upgrade it. I actually have one in the trunk but havent installed it yet... at least if mine breaks i still have replacement part ready to go.
I dont take long roadtrips so if anything breaks its not that bad. But for a 1000km+ roadtrip i would replace it just in case.


Upgraded flange on fcpeuro:
https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...e-rein-chc0609

Video talking about it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvOoeoFL0do

I got mine from here:
https://55parts.de/collections/motor...oupe-335ix-n54

buy option in UK:
https://www.mlperformance.co.uk/prod...i-535i-740i-m3

[B21]

Originally Posted by KennyP

There are more things that can go wrong with the coolant system on n54.
For example coolant pipe that goes from thermostat to the head has a plastic mickey mouse fitting on it that turns very fragile with time, all the heat cycles and so on... eventually it can just break and coolant hose pops off... and you are stranded on the side of the road with no coolant.

There is an aluminum part you can buy to upgrade it. I actually have one in the trunk but havent installed it yet... at least if mine breaks i still have replacement part ready to go.
I dont take long roadtrips so if anything breaks its not that bad. But for a 1000km+ roadtrip i would replace it just in case.


Upgraded flange on fcpeuro:
https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...e-rein-chc0609

Video talking about it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvOoeoFL0do

I got mine from here:
https://55parts.de/collections/motor...oupe-335ix-n54

buy option in UK:
https://www.mlperformance.co.uk/prod...i-535i-740i-m3

That looks like a good idea…too late for this trip but I’ll add it to the winter rebuild …given the revised turbos it will need all the cooling it can get…

I do about 10k miles of remote pleasure miles so piece of mind is good..👌