As great and powerful as bmw made the s54 engine they left it lacking in a critical area it s rod bearing reliability.
S54 connecting rod bearings.
It takes approximately 15 minutes to review the content of the cd.
2005 e46 m3 98k miles.
First time at circuit of the americas also first dry session.
Connecting rod bearing failure is catastrophic on any engine and will typically leave the vehicle in need of a complete replacement engine.
That also means plenty of oil splashing around.
By specializing in engine bearings king has built an extensive product offering that includes a wide range of engine bearings for automobiles light duty and heavy duty trucks marine aviation standby power.
Available in standard size and std x with additional oil clearance as well as 0 025mm and 0 25mm oversizes.
The wrist pins connecting the pistons to the connecting rods are lubricated by oil splashing around.
Unfortunately the s54 used in e46 m3 and mz3 4 cars was released with a rod bearing problem in earlier 2001 2003 model years which often leads to failure.
For another engine it might be the rod or the cylinder wall or something else.
For s54 s there s also a spray of oil into the bottom of the piston for cooling.
Detailed service action repair instructions can be found on the cd rom sip s54 connecting rod bearings replacement which was included in the oil pump kit with connecting rod bearings p n 11 41 0 301 359 used for the previous m3 engine campaign 356 si b11 02 03.
Pressurized oil flows up to the connecting rod bearings from the main bearings.
Car exhibited no signs of bearing wear before the event had good oil.
King engine bearings was founded in 1960 with one simple objective.
The xp series is a line of bearings with advanced metallurgical and geometric technologies that meet extreme performance loads.
We have seen these types of failures in a wide variety of engines from subaru ejs to newer bmw s63s.
But the problem is much more likely to happen in the s54 s65 and s85 for a few specific reasons.
The mighty and powerful bmw s54 has an achilles heel it s rod bearings.
Whether its a design failure or intentional the s54 has a very well documented history of consuming rod bearings at a rate faster than desired.
King racing xp series big end connecting rod bearings for the bmw s54b32 engine.
S54 engines up tp 02 2003 production use the m11 bolts.
While our s54 rod bearing widening solution is a great way to save engines that have already spun a bearing we believe the s54 engine will run a long time on stock bearings if the proper maintenance is performed.
Oil changes at low intervals along with replacing rod bearings pre preemptively will lead to a long living engine.
