BMW 330Ci Coupe M54B30 engine rebuild

[LunarOne]

So I have a 2001 330Ci Coupe at 210k miles which until a couple of years ago was my daily driver. I've owned the car from new and always loved it which is why I've never sold it. Over the years I've replaced my own brake pads and rotors, the thermostat, the power steering pump, the fuel pump and the alternator myself, but recently, the coolant expansion tank cracked, the engine overheated and I have a feeling that the head gasket has gone bad. Having replaced the expansion tank, the engine starts and runs normally, but after a while it starts to misfire badly before returning to normal. I'm not exactly sure what's causing the misfire, but if water or oil is getting into the cylinders then that would explain it. For the last 50 to 60 thousand miles, the engine has been using a lot more oil than normal, so I'm now considering a rebuild.

Now if this was a cheap car which I'd bought used with many miles, I'd be thinking of selling it for scrap. The nearside front suspension balljoint was flagged up at its last MOT although it passed, and the rear arches are beginning to rust, so it's not a car I'd consider buying even as a shed, but since I bought the car new and have owned it for nearly 20 years, I'm pretty emotionally attached.

I gather it's not a particularly cheap endeavour, and I'd be removing the engine and transmission from the car to do the work, so I'd have to get hold of an engine hoist and stand as well as a number of tools. In fact the prospect of getting more tools is the most exciting bit! It's not that I'm expecting the car to last another 20 years, but I'd love to have a go at rebuilding the engine from scratch. Last time I worked on engine internals, I was 15 years old, helping to build motorcycle engines for hovercraft racing. That was a good 30 years ago! I've watched videos on the subject by 50skid and Welshdrive. There's also great information on this e46fanatics thread.

What say you PH? Am I completely crazy?

[LunarOne]

helix402 said:

I wouldn’t bother with a head gasket. The threads tend to pull out of the block. Better off with a used engine.

Most of the rebuilders seem to rethread the block and insert some new threads - are they called helicoils? Your username is so apt!!

[LunarOne]

d_a_n1979 said:

Not crazy at all, always good to learn and get new toys to do that too

But I think a replacement engine would make life a lot easier and it’s be cheaper too.

Unless you really want to rebuild the engine (it has its own issues if the head comes away unclean) then an engine swap would be much more straight forward

Swapping the engine would certainly be much easier, but it wouldn't give me the rebuilding experience. I'm also on the lookout for an interesting collector car which might need some work, so I'm considering this a practice run. After all, I've already got the car for free so it won't cost me much to try. And if I get inside and discover that things are beyond repair, then I can always get hold of a replacement engine at that time.

[LunarOne]

g3org3y said:

Given you've had it from new, I'd say no, not completely crazy.

Since it's not your daily driver you can have it as a weekend project to busy yourself with. Am sure you'll learn lots on the way and any excuse to buy new tools and equipement.

Good luck!

I actually have a lot more time on my hands than just weekends at the moment. So part of this is giving myself something to get my teeth stuck into. And I've been looking for an excuse to buy an air compressor and perhaps an ultrasonic parts cleaner, even if those probably aren't 100% essential.

[LunarOne]

I plan if at all possible to strip and rebuild all the way down to the bottom end, so that I end up with a stock M54B30 within factory tolerances. The idea being that not only will I learn how to do something like this, but if I document everything I've done, the engine should have a resale value well above that of a used M54 that's just had the top end done.

I haven't decided if I will do anything about restoring the car itself. Having bought it new, I specced it myself and added £10k worth of options. These won't be worth anything in terms of value, but it makes it still a nice car to drive. I remember the salesman at Heathrow BMW (as it was called then) thinking I was crazy to want both the glass sunroof AND the climate control. He said the system was set up so that I could have one or the other. I insisted on both. I think the only options I didn't specify were the through-loading ski-hatch, and the automatic transmission. The same salesman told me that as far as he was aware, I was the only customer not to have specced an autobox.

Sadly my 330 was an early one with a 5-speed manual. If I can find one in good condition, I'm considering swapping it for the 6-speed unit. I know the first 5 ratios are exactly the same, but the one thing that always bugged me was the lack of an overdrive gear for cruising. I doubt I'll ever be doing long distance driving in that car, but if I can get the gearbox cheap, then why not?

[LunarOne]

8Tech said:

Pull the engine, strip it and cost up what it needs. If it is financially viable, you will be able to reseat the valves, port the heads, rethread the block and maybe balance the internals. Depending on budget, you could uprate the cams and replace the timing chains and tensioners.

At least if you strip it first, you will know what route to take.

https://store.vacmotorsports.com/je-pistons-forged...

https://store.vacmotorsports.com/schrick-camshaft-...

87mm pistons will give you 3.2 litres.

I am definitely reluctant to install upgrades as I'm a fan of everything being as original as possible but thanks for the links - that's a very interesting site! Who knows. Maybe there's little point in trying to remain original in what will likely never be a collector's car.

[LunarOne]

aka_kerrly said:

With the increase in oil usage have you inspected the CCV - crank case breather system that can get clogged up an cause excessive oil consumption an it maybe that the engine is in a better condition than you think. My first port of call would be to get a code reader on to see if the ECU is registering the misfire and then performing a compression test & a sniff test done as that will give you a much clearer idea if the HG has failed and the condition of the engine.

I'd also consider perhaps buying another engine and doing a rebuild on that whilst you can still use your car then when the engine is built you can remove the accessory parts and do the swap much quicker. I also like the idea another guy posted of using this as an opportunity to price up some cams/headwork /6 branch manifold an getting some extra power from a fresh motor.

I know that the CCV system is shot, because a few years ago I gave the car to a garage to do oil seals because it was leaving oil on my drive. A few months after getting it back (and with no improvement) I noticed that one of the CCV hoses (connected at the firewall on the left hand side of the car) was dangling loose down by the power steering pump, and I could never figure out where it was supposed to go. Then months later while looking at the engine bay with another "mechanic", I remembered the dangling hose and pointed it out to him. He said, "Oh, I can fix this in a second!" so I let him have a go. Only for him to snap the fitting on the firewall. That hose (along with the piece that is supposed to be on the firewall) is still in the boot of the car. At the time I thought it was something to do with emissions and had no idea it might impact oil consumption, so I just let it be. Yes, I do get codes that suggest a vacuum leak on and off, and I've just cleared them and carried on.

The car also mostly has nowhere near the power it once had. Sometimes the power comes back miraculously, but most of the time it feels like 100bhp have gone AWOL. The car is still perfectly driveable and doesn't hesitate, but something is clearly up. Even at times when no codes are generated. I've become convinced that it's a software thing rather than anything mechanical, but again I plan to rebuild the VANOS and replace all the hoses and plastic parts that have aged, along with the entire CCV system.

As for the head gasket - I borrowed a coolant system pressure tester from my local garage where I have a friendly relationship with the head mechanic. The result from that, plus the bubbles visible in the coolant, suggest HG failure. But there's no evidence of coolant/oil mix, so that's a bit weird. I was expecting to see some sludge under the oil filler cap but the oil looks clean and uncontaminated.

[LunarOne]

BFleming said:

Let's get some 330i ratios written down for some perspective:
5 speed/6 speed
1st: 4.21/4.35
2nd: 2.49/2.50
3rd: 1.66/1.66
4th: 1.24/1.23
5th: 1.00/1.00
6th: --- / 0.85
Diff: 2.93/2.93

So pretty much identical all the way through, except a 6th gear that's a reasonable amount taller than 5th.

The US 330i ZHP models had a 1:3.07 final drive (diff) ratio for better acceleration, but this means more revs when cruising. From memory, my own pre-facelift 330i was crying out for a 6th gear, which of course they addressed from 2003.

Forgive me if I'm wrong but didn't the ZHP pack only come out on facelift cars? So all ZHP cars had 6-speed boxes. Comparing cruising RPMs with non ZHP 5-speed cars shows that 0.85x3.07 gives total cruising ratio of 1:2.61 vs 1.0 x 2.93 = 1:2.93. So even with the higher ratio diff for better acceleration on ZHP models, the 6th gear cruising RPM will be lower than the 5th gear cruise on a non-ZHP car. In other words, ZHP cars get better acceleration and still have a lower cruise RPM than a 5-speed car. Sounds like a good upgrade, but getting a ZHP diff in the UK might be tricky and expensive, while getting a 6-speed gearbox alone might be more realistic if not easy.

[LunarOne]

4rephill said:

Some engines were subjected to excessively high revs and red-lining during the break-in period = High oil consumption later on in the cars life.

Some engines were broken in as BMW specified (or close to it) = Minimum oil consumption later on in the car's life.

Some engines were subjected to too low revs during the break-in period = High oil consumption later on in the car's life.

When I spoke to him, and asked about the engine break-in procedure, he said to me: "They were talking complete b0II0cks about breaking the engine in! - Everyone knows you don't exceed 2,000rpm for the first couple of thousand miles!"

I tried to explain to him that that was wrong, and bad for the engine, but he wouldn't have it - He knew more about breaking engine's in than the Ford engineers!

I'm not disputing what you say, but what is the difference between doing no more than 2000rpm for 2000 miles and then adding rpms later, and doing what BMW say? Surely the bedding in just takes longer. Or are you saying it doesn't happen at all? I'm very curious as to what mechanical things are happening during run-in?

I can't remember what I did, but I am one of those freaks who like operating manuals as bedtime reading, and try to follow them to the letter. I don't know exactly when the oil consumption began to increase, but I do remember it coming on quite suddenly. To me, that points to a CCV issue rather than sudden piston ring or cylinder liner wear, in which case perhaps my engine isn't in such bad shape. But during its life I was never shy of revs and would often accelerate as hard as possible - perhaps kicking myself for not having bought an M3 instead. And having lived in Germany for 18 months, I took every opportunity to go much faster than I could in the UK, and would spend a decent amount of time above 130mph. Now you know why only having 5 speeds was annoying!

Edited by LunarOne on Wednesday 17th June 16:34

[LunarOne]

Alan535 said:

I would recommend the o2pilot mod which only requires 2 ft of vacuum pipe

Yes 50sKid (I wish I knew his actual name) has a video about that and thinks it's a worthwhile mod. I think I'll do that in addition to fitting M53TU piston rings. So much for keeping everything original, but those are hardly big changes. As soon as I discovered the exhaust flap after a few weeks of ownership, I pulled off the rubber vacuum hose at the tailpipe actuator and stuck a screw up it. The sound was much nicer and I never noticed any disadvantage to doing that.

By the way, the car is on its original clutch and exhaust. I see no reason replace the exhaust, but I'm definitely looking to replace the clutch. Not because there's anything wrong with it now, but while I have the engine out and transmission out it seems stupid not to. Any other suggestions for things to replace proactively?

Here are a couple of gratuitous photos:

Aged 1 year old in 2002, with mum's E30 318i in the background:


Somewhere in the Alps or Pyrenees in 2003:


Outside my flat in Hamburg in 2009:


And then it snowed, and it snowed. I had to buy a set of alloys with winter tyres, because that winter seemed to go on for 6 months!

[LunarOne]

BFleming said:

Radiator, expansion tank and water pump! I also had the power steering pump shaft snap, meaning the pulley still rotated, but didn't actually do anything. That was in Germany; on the drive home my car got christened "The Routemaster".

Radiator was changed a few years ago as it was bulging, but by the dealer during a service. So it's not that old and it's easy to do any time later. Expansion tank has just been changed with a new one after the old one cracked. And the water pump is a good shout.

Exact same thing happened to me on the power steering pump just before Christmas in 2015, coming back from Prague. In fact I'd just got to my overnight stop in Nuremberg and had gone to park in the hotel's underground car park when it went. Getting in required some manoeuvring. Getting out required a 1000-point turn! I called local BMW dealers but being December 23rd, nobody had the part or shop time to fit it. So I carried on my merry way back to England without power steering. In fact it made high speed autobahn driving much nicer as the steering was much more meaty without being uncomfortable. It's only when stopping to fill up did I realise just how difficult it was to steer at crawling speed. Didn't prevent me trying to negotiate the Cite d'Europe car park as I wanted to fill the car with continental meats, cheeses and seafood before returning to Blighty, the land of terrible supermarkets.

[LunarOne]

JakeT said:

This is a lovely thread.

I like it too!!

JakeT said:

Were I sorting this, I'd think about buying an engine from a breaker. Someone like Nick Jupp is great for E46 parts. As mentioned, the threads can weaken on the block and pull out when torquing the head down.

The point of this project is not to get the car up and running again, although that would be a fantastic by-product. I really want to learn how to take an engine apart and rebuilt it. I happen to have a car that I love and is just taking up space on my driveway. But I can't bear to scrap it as I've had it from new and I've used it to travel almost all of Europe together over the years - with the exception of Sweden and Norway. Since I won't scrap it, and I can't drive it, and I want to learn how to rebuild an engine, it seems that my path is clear. I may as well have a go. Just doing an engine swap would leave my baby with the heart of another and deny me the reason to do a rebuild. It's not about saving money - it's more an emotional thing. Then if I ever complete this project, I can say I rebuilt the engine myself, and I'll have no fear of taking on another car that needs engine work. Perhaps a 911 or an older 1980s BMW? I already have the Haynes manual for the car, and my first new tool, a Dewalt DCB899HB torque wrench has arrived. I've got some impact sockets on order, and I want to get an electric ratchet too as it seems like it would make things a lot easier. Richt now I consider myself a fairly competent but basic level DIY mechanic. I'd like to develop my skills so that one day, I can give advice rather than just ask for it.

[LunarOne]

Touring442 said:

Ha, I lived there in 2002 on Grindelallee downtown from Eppendorf Hoheluft.

Lovely - I lived a little way out of town because I was on call and needed to be able to arrive at Lufthansa's base at the airport as quickly as possible. So I lived near Berne U-bahn. Close enough to the airport while still being in a quiet leafy area, and super easy access to the centre either by car or by U-bahn. I didn't have an office to go to - I was on contract with IBM only to be on call. In the end I found that I didn't get called more than a few times a month, so I spent most of my time in the centre attending a language school. I ended up at the school for 25 hours a week for just over a year, and by the time I left I'd attained a fairly decent standard of German. The job I got on my return to the UK in 2011 relied on being able to speak German. WHile I wasn't fluent, I was deemed good enough to be able to do the job so it wasn't time wasted. Now that I've proved to myself that I CAN learn a language, I've redoubled my efforts with improving my GCSE French and also started learning Spanish - because many of the friends I made in Hamburg were either Spanish or from South America and spoke Spanish, and I loved their culture.

[LunarOne]

PaulGT3 said:

The only downside was having to release the AC gas but as I wanted to put the lower mileage AC pump from the donor engine on, I was going to do that regardless.

If you have a look at the e46fanatics thread I mention in my OP, they do mention taking off the front clip and setting the AC condenser aside, thereby leaving the AC circuit closed and that's what I propose to do. I realise that you had to break the loop to replace the compressor, but I may ask an A/C specialist to discharge the system for me before I begin work. It's easy to do and shouldn't cost much, while it will have me on the right side of the law and my environmental concerns. I know it's not a lot of gas, but it's REALLY bad for the environment.

[LunarOne]

Boobonman said:

Having owned it from new you should DEFINITELY rebuild it. Split the task into different jobs, as has been alluded to removing it from the car is an endeavour all of its own.

That's what I've been hoping someone might tell me all along. Makes me feel a little bit less mental! I was under the impression that pulling the engine and transmission out should be pretty easy. My best friend has said she's willing to help me with things like that, and she says she's a little bit envious because she'd love to do a project like that. Her Cayenne GTS is always going in for some work, so who knows - we might both learn something and apply it to her car too.

Boobonman said:

I learnt a bit of spannering by fitting a replacement engine in a Mk1 MX5, made loads of mistakes and took ten times longer than an expert would have done, but learnt a lot and really enjoyed it.

Good work! I bet you could do it in less than half the time if you had to do it again. I recently had to take the front off my Boxster to repair one of the radiator grilles that was destroyed by a jaywalking pheasant. I bet I could do that in less than half the time if I had to do it again. If anyone is interested, there's a thread at https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[LunarOne]

ZX10R NIN said:

I hope this helps:

https://youtu.be/4PURllAu80k

Thanks for this - I think I saw one of the first videos here a bunch of guys knocked a hole in the gearbox and then I wrote the channel off as being useless in terms of good information. Seems I was wrong!