142.1KVIEWS
238REPLIES
174APPRECIATES
05-31-2025LAST POST
pbonsalb wrote
I have seen some posted that I thought looked good, like what would be common on other motors.
Blasphemy! Fake news!

I kid I kid, always exceptions to the rules I suppose.
pbonsalb wrote
I have seen posts of only a few sets of BE bearings removed after some miles. Definitely not enough to draw any conclusions about good results. Hopefully over the next few years, people will change bearings a second time and there will be a number of examples of no wear after 50k or more miles. This can be said of any brand bearing replacement, not just BE; we just don’t have much in the way of results yet.
True enough. Lead dropped to zero after the BE bearings and has stayed a goose-egg over the past 19,500 miles in the car, (lifetime average before the bearing change was 8, 20-21ppm spike triggered the change at ~100kilomiles) so if they're wearing, it's not significant enuogh to show up on the blackstone report when combined with whatever wear I'mg etting from the mains. That's the kind of empirical results we have to go on so far. I think preventive changes with BE are going to be few and far between if lead in oil analysis is used as a trigger. If all goes well, I won't change them again until the heads or ring sealing gets loose enough to trigger a top-down rebuild
pbonsalb wrote
That actually is not true. I have seen a few sets posted in the forum. It’s a small percentage, though. Probably 10% or less that look good.
I don't think I've seen any of the lead bearings looking decent, but I agree some of the updated bearings have looked "ok" in a couple cases
If we all agree that the BMW engineers screwed up on the bearing clearance specs...

Then why would we trust them on which oil to use?
Richbot wrote
I don't think I've seen any of the lead bearings looking decent, but I agree some of the updated bearings have looked "ok" in a couple cases
These are my 088/089 bearings. They look good for an S65. They still show wear. And at 30K KM, that is just unacceptable. These are probably the best set of 088/089 bearings I have seen come out of an S65.

At best, the new 702/703 bearings have never looked excellent - just OK.

Perhaps if I am bored some day, I will take my BE bearings out for a quick inspection.
Attached image
330indy wrote
Scharbag wrote
Richbot wrote
I don't think I've seen any of the lead bearings looking decent, but I agree some of the updated bearings have looked "ok" in a couple cases
These are my 088/089 bearings. They look good for an S65. They still show wear. And at 30K KM, that is just unacceptable. These are probably the best set of 088/089 bearings I have seen come out of an S65.

At best, the new 702/703 bearings have never looked excellent - just OK.

Perhaps if I am bored some day, I will take my BE bearings out for a quick inspection.
What has been your OCI regimen?
5W-50 Recommended by TroyJeup [#90]
Ngilbe36 wrote
Hi! Automotive engineer here. Engineers were 100% consulted on this OCI and signed off on it.
Signed off versus preferred are different things. You guys all have and to blink when margin preservation is part of your job as an engineer. Maybe even kicking and screaming, but you do.
CarPoor wrote
Signed off versus preferred are different things. You guys all have and to blink when margin preservation is part of your job as an engineer. Maybe even kicking and screaming, but you do.
+1 on the "kicking and screaming" hahaha
Soooooo I suspected I needed a valve cover gasket This morning. Needed an oil change anyways....
Smelled a bit of oil on exhaust manifold-
my Z3 with 50,000 miles. It's a 2000.

I've been using Redline in the car since I got it with 32k on the clock
My mechanic said he never ever sees the valve train so clean at this mileage
as new
Attached image
330indy wrote
Soooooo I suspected I needed a valve cover gasket This morning. Needed an oil change anyways....
Smelled a bit of oil on exhaust manifold-
my Z3 with 50,000 miles. It's a 2000.

I've been using Redline in the car since I got it with 32k on the clock
My mechanic said he never ever sees the valve train so clean at this mileage
as new
That does look pretty clean. Regular maintenance with high quality fluids/parts does pay off.

:)
330indy wrote
Soooooo I suspected I needed a valve cover gasket This morning. Needed an oil change anyways....
Smelled a bit of oil on exhaust manifold-
my Z3 with 50,000 miles. It's a 2000.

I've been using Redline in the car since I got it with 32k on the clock
My mechanic said he never ever sees the valve train so clean at this mileage
as new
I'll agree that varnish is quite minimal, but 32k with a good synthetic should produce clean results like that.
So to clarify
I've put 18k miles on it.
The first 32k miles are an UNKNOWN.
And there is z e r o varnish/residue/sludge
nada
That's a bit worse than my S65 looked inside at 104k when I did the valvecovers. It looked new. Cam lobes were maybe a bit polished, but just a bit.

Also, I don't think anybody is disputing BMW knows how to build a topend. Except for some of the VANOS issues. But other than that and also the valvecover gaskets and cam position sensors and sometimes the coils, they're fine. Also the DI injectors and coils on the turbo cars. But otherwise, nails. :lol:

Your mechanic must not see many well-maintained cars, because I don't do anything special and my 328's valvetrain looked like that too at around 80k
330indy wrote
Soooooo I suspected I needed a valve cover gasket This morning. Needed an oil change anyways....
Smelled a bit of oil on exhaust manifold-
my Z3 with 50,000 miles. It's a 2000.

I've been using Redline in the car since I got it with 32k on the clock
My mechanic said he never ever sees the valve train so clean at this mileage
as new
Pretty worthless info for anytype of comparison to an s65 motor. Not sure what point you are trying to prove or how this relates to the thread topic.

But cool story bro. :sigh:
Thanks for that

It's about the cleaning power of Redline

I've seen so many valvetrains with that red gunk left from "BMW FULL SYNTHETIC"
Group 3 junk
330indy wrote
Thanks for that

It's about the cleaning power of Redline
Motors are different enough where it's irrelevant. Doesn't mean the same will apply to an s65. It probably isn't even the same viscosity of oil as M52/4 doesn't recommend 10w60
tdott wrote
330indy wrote
Thanks for that

It's about the cleaning power of Redline
Motors are different enough where it's irrelevant. Doesn't mean the same will apply to an s65. It probably isn't even the same viscosity of oil as M52/4 doesn't recommend 10w60
If you say so
🙄
Regardless, short OCI with good oil will pretty much guarantee a clean engine. Especially if the engine is not daily driven where it never gets up to temp properly.

The inside of our Honda race motors are clean. And they started life as a race motor at 160k km. But we usually change oil every 2400 km. And they burn half a liter every couple hours...

:)

:offtopic:
Probably most engines would burn at least that much oil scaled to displacement if they spent 90% of their life above half redline rpm rather than 90% below half the rpm of the redline.
pbonsalb wrote
Richbot wrote
lots of people getting good results from them (BE)
I have seen posts of only a few sets of BE bearings removed after some miles. Definitely not enough to draw any conclusions about good results. Hopefully over the next few years, people will change bearings a second time and there will be a number of examples of no wear after 50k or more miles. This can be said of any brand bearing replacement, not just BE; we just don’t have much in the way of results yet.
And one other thing: no one has spun a properly installed BE bearing from what I have read. So there is that too. :)
The “you must use the 10W60 that BMW specifies” crowd will struggle with the Bimmerworld article. I struggle with the 2.5L per 1000 mile acceptable oil consumption. The S65 is a four stroke not a two stroke motor.
pbonsalb wrote
The “you must use the 10W60 that BMW specifies” crowd will struggle with the Bimmerworld article. I struggle with the 2.5L per 1000 mile acceptable oil consumption. The S65 is a four stroke not a two stroke motor.
Yeah that 2.5L/1600km is a crazy number just for BMW to make sure they always are on the safe side.
Sure some consumption is fine but to claim it "should burn oil" is clearly bs. Mine for instance have never burned anything measureable between changes, so should have been toast by now...
Thread referenced by akkando in What have you done with or to your M3 today? 10-18-2019