E91 Straight Six Bearding

[Z4MCSL]

Ok so I literally only just realised what "bearding" is!

I have been watching this thread grow for the last year or so on the assumption that "Bearding" must be some sort of issue with the pistons or something that was a real problem for some of the E9* straight six engines. I never re-examined this thought and it just drifted along as a weirdly solid assumption.

Today I looked at the post again and thought how on earth can this issue be so bad as to create 159+ pages of thread so I clicked on it.

Oh my days I am a doofus 😂

[zippyonline]

On the subject of oil, I tended to use Castrol edge 0W-30 which was BMW LL04 approved. I’ve since found out the following from Opie Oils.

“BMW have made a slight change to the BMW LL04 spec, and are also using a new test engine. The current BMW LL04 spec was due to run out at the end of 2018 but as Shell would have been the only ones to have the new BMW LL04 spec approval BMW decided to extend it till the end of June 2019 to allow other manufacturers to catch up. Most oil brands you will notice no difference, they will just be updating their existing oil LL04 approved oil to meet the new requirements and submit for approval. Castrol, for some reason decided to take the LL04 approval of their oils early, despite them still being approved till the end of June 2019 and came out with a new oil the Castrol Edge M that carries the new LL04 approval.”

Which in my case is the Castrol Edge 5W-30 M FST for the BMW N52 engine. That said, as far as I understand it, it’s only cars from July 2019 or so that will need the revised spec LL04 oil, so carrying on using the edge 0w-30 which no longer has the LL04 stamp on it will still lubricate my engine effectively (last time I did an oil change it turns out I had one bottle which says LL04 approved and the other wasn’t, but it was the same oil I’d bought, just revised packaging!).

There’s a nice list of LL04 approved oils here: https://www.opieoils.co.uk/c-686-bmw-longlife-04-e...

[rob0r]

My new purchase! 325i SE manual N52



I've done around 500 miles in it so far and measuring from fill ups I'm getting around 28.5mpg. It's a lovely car in great condition but I'm finding it very gutless and I can easily get caught out when trying to accelerate onto slip roads and into gaps on carriageways. I came from the battered Mercedes E320 cdi in the back ground which was effortless in comparision, but I guess it's a turbo diesel...

It's on 126K and I bought it needing a service, I paid from what I can tell is well under the expected amount for one of these. The main issue is the steering pump sounds like it's going to explode at anytime, so I have a new pump and reservoir to go on!

[ferrisbueller]

Check the fluid level.

[cerb4.5lee]

rob0r said:

It's a lovely car in great condition but I'm finding it very gutless and I can easily get caught out when trying to accelerate onto slip roads and into gaps on carriageways. I came from the battered Mercedes E320 cdi in the back ground which was effortless in comparision, but I guess it's a turbo diesel...

I felt the same when I first got my E90 330i because I'd been used to the effortless overtaking capability of a E90 330d. The 330i took some getting used to in comparison, and you had to make sure that you were right at the top of the revs to get the best from it. Whereas in the 330d a gentle prod of the throttle was enough for most situations.

[croissant]

rob0r said:

My new purchase! 325i SE manual N52



It's a lovely car in great condition but I'm finding it very gutless

Vanos solenoids or disa valves could need some attention

[rob0r]

ferrisbueller said:

Check the fluid level.

Unfortunately this is fine. On doing some research it seems the filter in the bottom of the reservoir can starve the pump, and replacing just the reservoir can resolve the issue. Since it's been driven on fairly substantially with this issue I'm just going to replace the lot.

cerb4.5lee said:

I felt the same when I first got my E90 330i because I'd been used to the effortless overtaking capability of a E90 330d. The 330i took some getting used to in comparison, and you had to make sure that you were right at the top of the revs to get the best from it. Whereas in the 330d a gentle prod of the throttle was enough for most situations.

Hopefully I will get used to it! If it had just a little bit extra low down torque it would be fine. I've had plenty of petrol BMWs but this one has surprised me with the lack of pull in the lower revs.

croissant said:

Vanos solenoids or disa valves could need some attention

Thanks! I will look into these.

[gizlaroc]

rob0r said:

.....but I'm finding it very gutless and I can easily get caught out when trying to accelerate onto slip roads and into gaps on carriageways.

Is there a delay, almost a stutter when you accelerate after cruising or when you are only doing say 1500rpm?

[g3org3y]

MajorMantra said:

gizlaroc said:

Me too.

Really reduced the tappetty noise on the 330i for me too. Good oil for these cars.

That's interesting, I've been meaning to ask on this thread if there were any success stories about curing the tapping – mine (N52) is pretty noticeable for the first few minutes of running.

A mechanic suggested I might try an oil flush but I'm wary of creating new leaks, my sump is already weeping slightly. My last oil change was with Gulf Formula ULE 5W-40.

I find when my wife uses the car for prolonged periods, typically running errands around town or going to baby groups it gets more tappety. If I get the opportunity to use it, I'll usually try and include a bit of DC with hard acceleration to the red line down the slip road. Car usually seems happier after that.

bodhi said:

Another good place to get oil believe it or not is Tesco. I usually get 2L of 5W30 LL04 BMW spec for £12, and have occasionally seen it at 50% off too.

I use it to keep mine topped up between services, seems to work well.

Tesco brand oil or a different make?

I use the Elf oil that was mentioned on the previous page. Decent value as a bulk buy.

Z4MCSL said:

Ok so I literally only just realised what "bearding" is!

I have been watching this thread grow for the last year or so on the assumption that "Bearding" must be some sort of issue with the pistons or something that was a real problem for some of the E9* straight six engines. I never re-examined this thought and it just drifted along as a weirdly solid assumption.

Today I looked at the post again and thought how on earth can this issue be so bad as to create 159+ pages of thread so I clicked on it.

Oh my days I am a doofus ??

rob0r said:

My new purchase! 325i SE manual N52

I've done around 500 miles in it so far and measuring from fill ups I'm getting around 28.5mpg. It's a lovely car in great condition but I'm finding it very gutless and I can easily get caught out when trying to accelerate onto slip roads and into gaps on carriageways.

I felt the same when I recently test drove one. There just seemed to be no shove when putting your foot down. Felt a lot slower than my wife's E91 330i (auto), my current E36 330i (man) and tbh my previous E36 328i (man).

[MajorMantra]

zippyonline said:

On the subject of oil, I tended to use Castrol edge 0W-30 which was BMW LL04 approved. I’ve since found out the following from Opie Oils.

“BMW have made a slight change to the BMW LL04 spec, and are also using a new test engine. The current BMW LL04 spec was due to run out at the end of 2018 but as Shell would have been the only ones to have the new BMW LL04 spec approval BMW decided to extend it till the end of June 2019 to allow other manufacturers to catch up. Most oil brands you will notice no difference, they will just be updating their existing oil LL04 approved oil to meet the new requirements and submit for approval. Castrol, for some reason decided to take the LL04 approval of their oils early, despite them still being approved till the end of June 2019 and came out with a new oil the Castrol Edge M that carries the new LL04 approval.”

Which in my case is the Castrol Edge 5W-30 M FST for the BMW N52 engine. That said, as far as I understand it, it’s only cars from July 2019 or so that will need the revised spec LL04 oil, so carrying on using the edge 0w-30 which no longer has the LL04 stamp on it will still lubricate my engine effectively (last time I did an oil change it turns out I had one bottle which says LL04 approved and the other wasn’t, but it was the same oil I’d bought, just revised packaging!).

There’s a nice list of LL04 approved oils here: https://www.opieoils.co.uk/c-686-bmw-longlife-04-e...

Ha ha, the whole oil standards thing does feel like a bit of racket sometimes, eh? I should perhaps mention that I've only used LL-04 oils in mine, most recently the Gulf mentioned above, and before that Fuchs Titan something.

I did give the car a bit of a thrashing (ugh, Troy Queef vibes) on Tuesday on a 200 mile round trip to Milton Keynes (I have a very exciting life), so hopefully that might have unstuck my sticky lifters a little...

[rob0r]

gizlaroc said:

Is there a delay, almost a stutter when you accelerate after cruising or when you are only doing say 1500rpm?

I don't think so, I have to say mine is very smooth throughout the rev range and on idle, it just feels slow!

[croissant]

gizlaroc said:

rob0r said:

.....but I'm finding it very gutless and I can easily get caught out when trying to accelerate onto slip roads and into gaps on carriageways.

Is there a delay, almost a stutter when you accelerate after cruising or when you are only doing say 1500rpm?

My 330 n52 did this the other day, is this vanos related?

[zippyonline]

Re performance: I guess part of it is because I came from a 1.6 petrol with 98bhp as my main car (my first car actually, 2001 mazda 323) prior to my n52 330i, and my other fun car is an RX-8…both of which lack in the torque department, that I really don’t find the car slow! I frequently find myself at the end of a slip road glancing at the speedo and going “oops, better back off” as the top of 4th gear is where I used to be pretty much at DC/Motorway cruising speed, and it’s basically a ton in this…, I can also line up at any lane at the front of a set of lights for a roundabout and make sure I’m first out to go anywhere I want without cutting anyone up…. It really doesn’t lack useable pace on the road, and I don’t feel I miss out on overtaking opportunities. Before in a little first car I’d be flat out absolutely everywhere!
Sure you can get a faster car – you’d have to have a good driver and an empty bit of road to make that count. Torque makes the driving easier/lazier, but also IMHO a bit more boring. Sure there’s a balance, and for me the n52 330i is perfect – that’s a very personal thing and I totally get why people would prefer more torque. If I’m not in the responsive gear, it pulls like a 320d with the zf 8 speed which does the gears for you – I’m really impressed by that gearbox and I’d be tempted by it if I had to drive in traffic all the time, and I was in a warranty period – I prfer my manual box being I’m north of 219k miles…

I had a brief period where I worked out I needed to fix/replace my DISA valve where the car was a bit tappy and the power delivery wasn’t as smooth. That’s about it…

Z4MCSL said:

Oh my days I am a doofus ??

Hello – you’ll fit in well here

[gizlaroc]

croissant said:

My 330 n52 did this the other day, is this vanos related?

Could be Vanos Solenoids, Disa Valves or the Eccentric cam shaft sensor.

As they fail the car adapts to keep it running as smooth as it can.

You really need to read the live values in INPA to see what is happening and read codes.

It will get worse over time, you then need to replace what is failing and reset the adaptations.

[JakeT]

To weigh in on the oil thing, I've always used an LL-04 oil in any of my BMWs. Always 5w30. Mine gets a bit tappety if I only use it for short runs down to the station and back when I am working in London. One trip to the office (42 miles each way) sorts it dead fine. I think I've got Millers Nanodrive in mine currently after Opie didn't have the usual Fuchs stuff in I would use.

Even after a 330d, my 330i still feels spritely. I found my 330d quite hard to drive in town, or on winding roads. Does need some revs to really go though, which is good as they rev out nicely.

[Mr Tidy]

rob0r said:

My new purchase! 325i SE manual N52

I've done around 500 miles in it so far and measuring from fill ups I'm getting around 28.5mpg. It's a lovely car in great condition but I'm finding it very gutless and I can easily get caught out when trying to accelerate onto slip roads and into gaps on carriageways. I came from the battered Mercedes E320 cdi in the back ground which was effortless in comparision, but I guess it's a turbo diesel...

It's on 126K and I bought it needing a service, I paid from what I can tell is well under the expected amount for one of these. The main issue is the steering pump sounds like it's going to explode at anytime, so I have a new pump and reservoir to go on!

Well your E91 looks great, but I can relate to your concerns. 2 years ago I bought an E91 325i with the N52 engine that had done 132K, albeit with full BMWSH. But after my E46 325ti I also found it felt a bit "limp", and it just couldn't accelerate in 6th from 55/60 if you got balked by traffic on an A road/Motorway - it only got moving if you revved the nuts off it.

So last year I replaced it with an E90 330i (also N52 engine), and that is just so much better!

[13aines]

My nearside rear alloy on my 335i E92 that cracked in November and was professionally welded up by a reputable well reviewed company has cracked again, this time just by the edge of the weld. I knew it wasn't a perfect solution but was hopefully for a little more longevity.

I'm running Falken FK453 non-runflat tyres at the recommended 2.7 bar. So disappointed in BMW alloys, it seems no particular style is sturdier than any other in this era. Mine are the chunky style 230 5 spoke twist alloys.

Other than fitting 18s with larger profile tyres, can anything be done to help this? I want to avoid this as I have recently fitted new Pilot Sport front tyres at a cost of almost £300.

I'm considering having the wheel repaired again, or buying a (supposedly) crack free second hand wheel (£250+) and since I'm not far off of needing new rear tyres, fitting 35 profile for a bit more compliance and cushion.

Either that or buying a different style 19" set. I found a very good deal on a set of style 220 M3 wheels but don't think they are reported to be much sturdier - and likely won't fit on the back without rubbing.

Other than that I'm left with aftermarket wheels... Beginning to wonder if replica 666m OR something would better, but I doubt it.

Has anyone any experience of this or advice?

Edited by 13aines on Friday 21st February 00:49

[to3m]

bodhi said:

Another good place to get oil believe it or not is Tesco. I usually get 2L of 5W30 LL04 BMW spec for £12, and have occasionally seen it at 50% off too.

I've seen some good offers at Tesco for branded oil, but for some reason I keep forgetting to check when I'm there doing my usual shopping. I do often remember when I'm in the Asda near where I work, though, and the price on their own brand stuff can be good. 5w30 LL04 is sometimes £15 for 5 L.

Anyway, either way, this suggests that if you're looking for cost-effective oil, the supermarket might be worth checking, as you could get lucky.

(I know some people don't like supermarket petrol, so maybe they won't like supermarket engine oil either. But I've had no problems with the petrol, and, similarly, I've had no problems with the engine oil. At least, my car doesn't seem to use it up any quicker than the expensive stuff...)

[gizlaroc]

40psi sounds far too high imho.

I would do 2.3 bar front and 2.5 rear.

I much prefer these on 18s though, so much better in every way.

[Mr Tidy]

I'm just glad my 330i is an SE so it has 17s, because with run-flats they are still pretty unyielding!