Just Blew My Motor... Need Advice

[DeTh]

Not the post I wanted to be making in the New Year, and a horrible late birthday present to boot.

So what happened?
- I was driving last night under light throttle (25%) in 2nd gear, heard a bang, tons of smoke behind, in front, and inside the cabin, and a huge puddle of oil underneath the car when I stepped outside.
- Turned the car off within 10 seconds of the initial bang. I was originally hoping it wasn't seized, and I tried to get the car into Neutral. I put the 3 quarts of oil I had in the trunk in the engine, tried to turn it over, absolutely nothing. The oil then poured out of the bottom

You can see the video here:

What did the tuner say?
- I talked to my tuner (CaryJordan), and he said it sounds like one of my injectors was stuck closed/open and caused the motor to let go. I do not think that this was caused by him, since it was not under major load and not during high RPM (2,500-3,000 at time of failure)


Car Engine Mod List
- Front Mounts
- Downpipes
- Charge Pipes
- Crankbolt Capture
- NGK 97506 plugs (8k miles on plugs)
- CaryJordan Full E85 Tune

The car at the time of failure was just over 24,000 miles.

So here's what you're looking for, the carnage




Obviously a wrist pin, some pieces of the oil pan and piston rings. I'm not sure what the bolt below the wrist pin picture is from.
I haven't had the time (or quite frankly the desire) to pull spark plugs and borescope the cylinders to see the extent of the damage.

My questions are:

If the block is damaged (my guess is it is), is it acceptable as a core for a built motor? Or would it be better to get it bored and sleeved?

Obviously the car will need new rod(s) and pistons. This is my only mode of transportation (I will be renting a car in the mean time). What is a reasonable expectation for a turn around time (and cost) for:
- A) Sleeving the motor, getting pistons and rods installed and everything put back in

- B) Sourcing an already built motor from somewhere This is the option I ended up going with

To update the above section for those that haven't read below. I have an awesome friend in Miami that was able to source me new motor that doesn't need a core. I've decided to go semi-all out for this. I will update with pricing of the engine once it's installed, but I feel it's best to wait until everything is complete to share.

New Engine and Its Components:



The Engine Has:
- CP Pistons
- Carillo Rods w/ WMC Bolts
- ACL Rod Bearings
- Carbahn Valve Springs and Retainers
- Pinned Hub

- Stock Headgasket
- Stock Main Bearings
- Stock Head Studs

I was told this setup is rated for 850-900 wheel. My power goals (which I think are rather conservative given the internals), are around the 700whp/wtq mark.

To help hit this goal, I'm upgrading the stock turbos to Pure S2+'s. They're rated for well over the power I am to make, and I believe they will stay strong, efficient, and reliable for a long time.
- I paid $3,000 for the pair, with one having been freshly rebuilt
I also took the opportunity to upgrade to EU5s. Being that my stock EU6s probably failed (and my power is increasing), I figured I'd take the liberty to upgrade these. From what I've heard, I can sit comfortably at around 700whp without PI or Meth, and not stress the HPFP/LPFP to an unreliable limit.
- I paid $500 for these installed and coded
- They have about 500 miles
I may also plan to upgrade the DCT clutches as well. I have a connect that knows Deka (located in Miami), and can get me a discount on some Stage 2 clutches. (I did not end up doing clutches)

Update! 01/07/24

- Engine
It has arrived and is real... lol! My friend was kind enough to pick it up for me and it awaits my arrival in Miami. I am not going to go with Miami Engines like I originally planned, as the shop selling me this engine has given me a great deal on an installation price as well. I was also told I got this motor at cost from the shop, so that speaks for the deal I got

They've also offered a 500 mile warranty (I was hoping for more, but it gets me through break in and covers me from any installation errors, so I'm satisfied.)


- Shop Advice
Based on my power goals, the shop that will be doing the install said that they don't recommend I do clutches. Keeping it under 700wtq should keep everything happy. Also more money that I don't have to spend



I plan to keep updating this thread with my engine building journey as it goes along.
The ultimate goal here is to get back on the road by the end of January! (New target is second week of February, mostly based on the turbos taking time to get rebuilt

Update 02/01/24
Turbos have arrived!


Here's the most recent picture of the car. There's more "in progress" pictures in the full thread.


I was told an ETA of the middle of next week. Thanks everyone who has been following!
Where I am at currently with money spent, I'm under 20k with room to spare. Even if I did clutches I would be justttt under 20k.

Update! 3/1/24
Alright guys! I got her back. We had a few hiccups along the way

The car was transported from the original shop to Miami Engines on 2/15. The original shop put a massive scratch in my quarter panel (unintentionally) and took $1500 off the labor that I owed them. I have a connect at a phenomenal paint shop here in Miami and was quoted way under $1500, so I'm not that mad.

It got to Miami Engines and was missing quite a few assorted bolts/parts. They were able to make do with items they had on hand and the things I was able to bring them. They decided to pull the motor to do the turbos, so it came out again on 2/21. It was reinstalled on 2/23 and had a few delays as we were moving parts from one shop to the other, and when we realized the valve cover was cracked and needed to be replaced.

On 2/26, the car started for the first time. It had a super rough idle, and was struggling to not stall. Miami Engines read multiple codes, and linked it to a bad valvetronic servomotor.

This is when I learned from Miami Engines that the motor that is in the car does not indeed have Carbahn valve springs and retainers. Although I don't need them based on my power goals, it's still something I paid for that I did not receive. The original shop is working with the engine builder to determine where the disconnect in communication was. They did confirm that the pistons were upgraded (I knew this anyways because of the pictures I had of it being built) so I am not overly concerned.

We replaced the valvetronic servomotor and the car ran beautifully. I picked it up on 2/28, and have driven it about 200 miles so far. No issues aside from the first 10 miles of leaving the shop, the car read minimum engine oil level. Both Miami Engines and the original shop said that it was normal since the engine had been bone dry before. I added a quart and have had no oil consumption issues after checking quite frequently.

I plan to install the LPFP and Flex Fuel sensor this weekend. I will do some extra driving to get the break-in done at a bit of an accelerated process, so I hope to start tuning in the middle of next week. The turbos sound absolutely insane! If it wasnt a head turner before, it definitely is now. Ready to get this thing ripping! I'll keep this updated with the tuning process, and dragy times as we start putting power down!

Pricing!
So I know this is probably something a lot of you were curious with, so here is the rough breakdown of how much I paid for everything so far:
Built Motor - $8500
Pure S2+ - $3000
Labor from original shop - $1500 (after $1500 was taken off from them scratching my car)
Labor from Miami Engines - $2480 for pulling the motor a second time, installing turbos, and fixing a few misc things
Labor from Miami Engines - $1240 for fixing the valvetronic servomotor
EU5 Injectors - $500 installed and coded
Snow Meth - $500 installed
Mosselman Oil Thermostat - $250
Stage 3 Brushless LPFP - $650
BM3 Flex Fuel Analyzer - $350
__________________________________
Total: - $18,970

So we are indeed under $20k. I do still have to pay for a tune so that will bring me a touch over. Theres also a few miscellaneous parts that I didn't keep track of/didn't include, but those total to <$500.

[M3SQRD]

Sorry man. Terrible belated birthday present. I’d consider a Carbahn built engine but they require a rebuildable core. Sounds like you’re block May not be rebuildable.

[JBM4]

+1 on the Carbahn built engines. They have 3 stages last I checked + warranty. Someone here used their warranty without issues.

Also, check out Billy Mason. You can msg Topjimmy. I believe he had his built by him and was speaking very highly of the guy.

Best of luck and let us know which route you end up going with.

[DeTh]

Originally Posted by JBM4

+1 on the Carbahn built engines. They have 3 stages last I checked + warranty. Someone here used their warranty without issues.

Also, check out Billy Mason. You can msg Topjimmy. I believe he had his built by him and was speaking very highly of the guy.

Best of luck and let us know which route you end up going with.

I've read a lot of good things about them so far from the forums... but I've heard they have a 3-4 month wait time for an engine. To be honest, I can't really afford to wait that long. I will give them a call, but if my core is unusable ($10k core charge addition), spending $28k on just the motor for me is relatively unfeasible. I'm hoping my head is good. That will impact my decision making process. Will try to find out tomorrow.

I'm going to try my absolute best to keep this under $20k all in
- I'm seeing a few blocks on ebay for $2-2.5k
- Used crankshaft for ~$1k (assuming mine is unusable)
- cp & carillo rods and pistons, head studs, bearings from turner for $4k

That would put me at around $7k before labor, and be a good solid platform. Obviously labor is expensive, but my goal is only ~700 wheel and I'm pretty sure stock head is capable at that level.

Definitely new to this, so insight is appreciated. I'm probably missing some things

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by DeTh

To be honest, I can't really afford to wait that long.




but my goal is only ~700 wheel and I'm pretty sure stock head is capable at that level.

It's your money, but if you need a car as a daily driver and that is the car you're modding, perhaps E85 is not a good idea. And trying to build a 700whp engine when it's your only car may not be the best idea either.

Just some free advice

[DeTh]

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

It's your money, but if you need a car as a daily driver and that is the car you're modding, perhaps E85 is not a good idea. And trying to build a 700whp engine when it's your only car may not be the best idea either.

Just some free advice

Honestly you're probably right, but I'm imagining its going to cost me the same amount of money to rebuild it to stock specs anyways. Probably going to steer away from e85 and keep the new setup to 93, which should be about 650 wheel. Still debating on what I want to do.

Go big or go home, right?

Right??

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by DeTh

Honestly you're probably right, but I'm imagining its going to cost me the same amount of money to rebuild it to stock specs anyways. Probably going to steer away from e85 and keep the new setup to 93, which should be about 650 wheel. Still debating on what I want to do.

Go big or go home, right?

Right??

Yeah, I hear you! But when you do 650whp or whatever, it's not just an engine problem. Half shafts, DCT, etc etc etc. You pay to play, but in your case, besides the money topic you have a daily-driver limitation. That's an even bigger concern, for me.

Sorry for your loss, it absolutely sucks to lose an engine like that.

[DeTh]

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

Yeah, I hear you! But when you do 650whp or whatever, it's not just an engine problem. Half shafts, DCT, etc etc etc. You pay to play, but in your case, besides the money topic you have a daily-driver limitation. That's an even bigger concern, for me.

Sorry for your loss, it absolutely sucks to lose an engine like that.

Yeah there's definitely more components that I now will have to worry about failing. Deka is close to me in Miami (and I have a connect to get discounted pricing), so I might also do stage 2 clutches. They'll have the motor out, cant imagine the labor for trans is significantly higher.

Appreciate the kind words. Definitely a big bummer. I never would have thought that stock turbo s55 with 24k miles would have to worry about a failure as catastrophic as this. Clearly I was wrong.

[M3SQRD]

Originally Posted by JBM4

+1 on the Carbahn built engines. They have 3 stages last I checked + warranty. Someone here used their warranty without issues.

Also, check out Billy Mason. You can msg Topjimmy. I believe he had his built by him and was speaking very highly of the guy.

Best of luck and let us know which route you end up going with.

TopJimmy

Doesn’t TopJimmy have a built engine for sale?

[JBM4]

Originally Posted by M3SQRD

TopJimmy

Doesn’t TopJimmy have a built engine for sale?

I think he sold it. But should be a good reference point.

https://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1995553

[Wanted_M]

Sorry to hear that, bummer man. Since you reside in Miami, try giving these guys a call and see what they say for an engine build. They're in Boca.
https://miamiengines.com/bmw-engine-rebuilds/S55/

[DeTh]

Originally Posted by Wanted_M

Sorry to hear that, bummer man. Since you reside in Miami, try giving these guys a call and see what they say for an engine build. They're in Boca.

https://miamiengines.com/bmw-engine-rebuilds/

Almost positive that this is who I was going to have do it. They offer a warranty on their work and build my friends F90 motor and transmission. He speaks highly of them

[b_w.]

Sucks man. Unfortunately hear a number of these stories every year on e85.

Build it back better!

[TopJimmy]

Ahhhhh DeTh…that sucks to see. I’m sorry.

I doubt your engine block is usable but it’s a maybe. I’m hoping for you. It does sound like you got a bad DI leaker and hydrolocked a cylinder. I’m hoping you just blew through the piston and the block is okay. Either way, you don’t want to sleeve it.

Options…(yes, mine was sold to a buddy here on BPost)
1) Carbahn Stg3 and pay the extra core fee. You can pull your damaged engine and swap the Carbahn in, and you’re good. Minimal downtime and break in, plus warranty, on a built engine.
2) Reuse your block and head BUT both must be good. Building takes a while so you have extra downtime and rental cost. A good engine build is $12-15K in parts plus $3-5K in swap work effort. If the head got dinged or the cam journals scratched because the piston or rod hit the valves, then go back to 1).

3) If head and/block are known bad then a good shop will offer to source one for you. I do like the looks of the Miami engine shop, but it’s just from pictures.

Also on Instagram ping Bryan at Kies, Omar at Vader, Billy Mason at BMBAutoWerks, and even the sales team at Kratos, to ask about extra or complete engines ready to ship.

[DeTh]

Originally Posted by TopJimmy

Ahhhhh DeTh…that sucks to see. I’m sorry.

Thanks for the kind words Jimmy. I've read through several of your posts in their entirety and you've given great insight.

Here's an update. I'm getting a great deal on a built motor that I found locally that doesn't need a core exchange. I'd tell you guys the price but that might make some people upset . This is falling into place pretty quick and going better than I expected. Hopefully all will go well. Once I get back to Miami on the 13th or so (I have to trailer my car there, U-Haul babyy), the shop is claiming a 2-4 day turn around time. My friend had their motor built there and they were true to their word.

I was told this motor is good for 850-900 wheel.

Built motor has:
CP Pistons
Carillo Rods w/ WMC Bolts
ACL Rod Bearings
Carbahn Valve Springs and Retainers
Pinned Hub

Stock Headgasket
Stock Main Bearings
Stock Head Studs

If anyone has suggestions for things that should be upgraded/checked before, am all ears. Good news is this should impact me less financially and I will also be able to part out my currently damaged motor.

[TopJimmy]

Sounds good

[N1rve]

Sucks… but think of it this way. You can have a fully built motor now.

[DavidSL]

Originally Posted by N1rve

Sucks… but think of it this way. You can have a fully built motor now.

Yes, t

[MrRager01]

Curious to know How much psi were you making?

[DeTh]

Originally Posted by MrRager01

Curious to know How much psi were you making?

I think the highest I ever saw in my datalogs was 26.5 psi. I don’t think this is a tune related failure as the motor popped at 40 mph with 20-25% throttle.

I’ll put the video of the motor blowing on youtube and update this comment shortly.

Edit: https://youtu.be/NJ9nCsfEsno?si=c32atOjo8cCHQLtq

[MrRager01]

Originally Posted by DeTh

I think the highest I ever saw in my datalogs was 26.5 psi. I don’t think this is a tune related failure as the motor popped at 40 mph with 20-25% throttle.

I’ll put the video of the motor blowing on youtube and update this comment shortly.

Is this just bad luck then ?

[DeTh]

Originally Posted by MrRager01

Is this just bad luck then ?

Cary thinks an injector got stuck closed and caused a lean out condition and the motor just blew. Definitely very unlucky. Car has only 24k miles

I updated my previous comment with the video