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04-11-2024LAST POST
Helmsman wrote
...plus I'm thinking early owners who didn't quite appreciate the mechanical sympathy required by the S65 has left the scene or learned.
Not saying some motors have blown simply because tolerance stack up but I personally assume quite a few went due to lack of care.
Yeah , it's part of it . Floor it when the engine isn't warmed up , and that's what you can get ...

And sooner or later we can add them in the (very long) Bimmerpost list :D

But the Bimmerpost list is just a small % of the worldwide S65 bearing failures ..
Just like the latest Austrian S65 blown engine , the guy drove his ///M3 like a savage and he's 'not at Bimmerpost .
Yea, those reasons and that quite a number now have had their bearings replaced.
When I bought my M3 3 1/2 yrs ago (and for some time after) almost no M3s were advertised as having their rod bearings done, now I think it's got to be approaching half of them do (although I haven't actually counted them, hmm, maybe I should make that my next stats project ;) ).
///M Power-Belgium wrote
April 21/2023
A guy in Austria got S65 bearing failure at the highway.

You can see it happening : The video and RIP S65
by the video, I guess it could be something different.

1- car was having issues with successive misfires, not fully adressed even replacing the coil, because the issue repeated moments before full sending on autobahn.

2- ESS display was blurred by them for some intriguing reason, it could have previewed that something was about to happen, and there is no way to preview something bad happening to a rod bearing

3- engine was still running after the event

4- alu debris were found in the oil filter, guess it wouldn't be the case if it was bearings related?

I would bet more on air-fuel mixture issues followed by pre-detonation.
jvictormp wrote
by the video, I guess it could be something different.

1- car was having issues with successive misfires, not fully adressed even replacing the coil, because the issue repeated moments before full sending on autobahn.

2- ESS display was blurred by them for some intriguing reason, it could have previewed that something was about to happen, and there is no way to preview something bad happening to a rod bearing

3- engine was still running after the event

4- alu debris were found in the oil filter, guess it wouldn't be the case if it was bearings related?

I would bet more on air-fuel mixture issues followed by pre-detonation.
I just mailed SCHAEFCHEN to get some news about his S65 engine . Hopefully we'll hear it from him ...
Assimilator1 wrote
Yea, those reasons and that quite a number now have had their bearings replaced.
When I bought my M3 3 1/2 yrs ago (and for some time after) almost no M3s were advertised as having their rod bearings done, now I think it's got to be approaching half of them do (although I haven't actually counted them, hmm, maybe I should make that my next stats project ;) ).
Ruebsteak for the list => https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?p=30392728#post30392728
I'm going to read up on that one now. [edit] Ruebsteak added to list.

Btw, with my recent job move to BMW, I was told today by a work college about a 2013 year M3 which threw it's rod big style, he showed me the pictures of the block with massive holes in it! He's agreed to share the photos with me (ones without VIN or the reg anyway, which is fair enough), we just didn't have time today. So 2 postings in a row of LCI engine failures!

So all I have atm are a few details, as mentioned it's a 2013 model, had done about 40k miles, the engine blew during the 1st week of Covid lockdown here in the UK, so March 2020 IIRC. As I understand it, the guy hadn't long bought it, but by a massive stroke of luck for him the previous owner had bought extended warrantee for the car, and it had 1 week left when the engine blew!! How lucky was that!? lol

This car was repaired at a BMW dealer in Southampton (my college's former work place).
I will add this case when I (hopefully) get the photos, I need to check that it hasn't been submitted here 1st, but I doubt it.
Attached imageAttached imageAttached image
Post referenced by Assimilator1 in Blown motors, S65 failure registry - v2, failures catorgorised 03-29-2024
Updated above post with pics.
Will add it to the list. [edit] done.
Country names added to my rod bearing failed lists.
deansbimmer wrote
No oil reports. I can't think of a single time where a customer with a failed engine ever had any oil test history. Coincidence? Probably not... In my experience, most engine failure customers aren't really BMW enthusiasts and had no idea of the S65 lottery until they won it.

Attached is a pic of six S65's on one of our racks waiting tear down. From left to right:

1: 2009 S65B40, 77k miles, 10w60, seized #1 main.

2: S65 4.6, approximately 45k miles on the build, spun #4 bearing, rod broke, hole in the block. 10w60 oil. 2008 block casting date.

3: 2009 S65B40, 63k miles, 10w60, rod knocking, swarf in oil.

4: 2011 S65B40, 44k miles, 10w60, #1/5 spun rods (first journal).

5: 2013 S65B40, 51k miles, 5w50, rod knock- Cyl #6 bearing galled, not spun yet.

6: 2008 S65B40, 120k miles, supercharged, original bearings, 10w60, spun #2/6 journal.

Picture #2 are more S65's dismantled and waiting further assessment. One (front and center) was a sleeved 4.4 block that had rod bearing failure after 16k miles from the build. That block may still be good to rebuild. Lower middle block had an injector failure and scored a cylinder. The other two blocks in that pic are main failures and cracked.



Interestingly, I have actually welded a windowed block and rebuilt it successfully. It was a perfect scenario however with where the hole was, no bore/mains damage, etc...Agree that usually it's not an option. That engine is still running as far as I know. I'd also like to experiment with welding a cracked main web and seeing how well that kind of repair would take...
I know you posted this quite a while ago now, but I don't suppose you know which US state those engines came from?
I'm just trying to compile stats in my list of country with each report.

Btw, got any more to add?
Added in a several old cases missed (MPoweredAuto, O4RC51, filinm3, regular guy, clem, 1fastdoc, rawdenim, Rahstar, Sid3waze, catpat8000, mchm3 & ZEEM3R) from the original list, got the extra names from the list from SeniorFunkyPants list in this thread - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=935368 and a few from a poll he did.
Also a few from slightly updated SFP list by Bert (attached in my list post, see sig link 'blown engines').
Just thought some people might be interested to know that I've started a registry of failed S65 engines over at m3cutters (mainly a UK/Ire forum), I found 20 odd cases there which hadn't been listed anywhere (AFAIK). See this thread - https://forums.m3cutters.co.uk/threads/s65-failed-engines-registry.267063/
I guess I should add them to the list here too [edit. Which will be another 24 added to the list, oh and Gagerbag from this thread was missed, now also added], seeing as it's more of an international list here.
Added a missed old case from tuxblackedo (funnily enough his thread was linked in the op, but it wasn't in the blown engine list).
Also moved 6 from the uncertain list to the bearing lists, I created a new 'likely mains failure list' for those with seized engines, metal in oil & no temperature warnings (Brooklyn Mark's, M3NST3R, LoonR1, ifly747 and CrusherM3 cases). Possibly more to be moved.
(Note to self, done up to no15 of uncertain list)
Hi,

This is my car and have very strange noise and i thing is rod bearing noise.

Here on two vidoes.First is outside and other i inside in the car.

1st video I couldn't hear anything of note.
2nd video, I don't think I could hear any knocking, but it perhaps sounded like the exhaust manifold was blowing? But I'm not sure if that's the sound you are referring to.

Anyway, really you need to take it to a garage to get it diagnosed properly.
HI ,

Listen carefully on first video inside the car from 22sec to 26sec just like bearings rattle.Is very slight noise.My car is stage 2 and test piped.

We open filter with my father and iside is clean no have any metal shaving .

Anyway we plan to send car to be inspected....first step is to remove oil pan and see what is condition of crank and rod beearings.
kokuwow wrote
Hi,

This is my car and have very strange noise and i thing is rod bearing noise.

Here on two vidoes.First is outside and other i inside in the car.

Negative . That's not the bearings or rod knock .
I think your S65 ran with bad fuel at that moment .
kokuwow wrote
HI ,

Listen carefully on first video inside the car from 22sec to 26sec just like bearings rattle.Is very slight noise.My car is stage 2 and test piped.

We open filter with my father and iside is clean no have any metal shaving .

Anyway we plan to send car to be inspected....first step is to remove oil pan and see what is condition of crank and rod beearings.
I can hear the low rpm's drone from your test pipes in combination with your aftermarket exhaust .
But not rod knock . I'm pretty sure your S65 runs fine !
Enjoy your car :thumbsup:
kokuwow wrote
Hi,

This is my car and have very strange noise and i thing is rod bearing noise.

Here on two vidoes.First is outside and other i inside in the car.

At the 40s mark of the 1st video, and with my iMac volume turned up to max, I can hear some light knocking noise. However, there's also a lot of timing chain and valve-train noise. Noisy S65 engines typically do not have 10W60 engine oil? The oil level might be low and/or the engine oil viscosity maybe wrong. Another item to check is the engine mounts. If the engine mounts are worn out or broken they can be a vibration and sound transfer path into the cabin. The driver's side engine mount often fails first and they seem to have a lifespan of about 70K miles or about 6 years depending upon driving style, launch control usage, heat from the exhaust headers and possibly even salted roads.

I'm not sure if the knocking noise I hear the 40s mark is rod bearing knock. Also try cycling the Air Conditioning compressor on and off (with A/C re-circulation turned on too) and see if that effects the knock. The forum has seen cases of belt pulleys causing whine and knock. So be aware many things on an S65 can cause noise. Even the valve train if the engine oil viscosity is not 10W60.
Oil was changed before 2100km with BMW 10w60 oil wich is actually Shell i thing.

And very strange inside where is oil filter is clean no any signs of metal.
kokuwow wrote
Oil was changed before 2100km with BMW 10w60 oil wich is actually Shell i thing. And very strange inside where is oil filter is clean no any signs of metal.
Okay. So all of those are very good signs and data. How about the engine oil level, and the A/C compressor bearing (cycle it on and off with recirculation on), how about the condition of the engine mounts, or the belt tensioner pulleys? Let us know. Good luck.
Moved from the uncertain list to the bearing lists (JYTSky, PerfM5, avusm3).
Also added in missed old reports in 2016 from bsb, and NotoriousART who posted in this thread (failure occurred in 2013).

(note to self, rechecked up to 27 in uncertain list).
jvictormp wrote
Hey, it's not clear in the OP, so I may note that my engine failure was not bearing related, but stuck open injector.
I made that clear in my clean up and categorisation of the list :), (see link in my sig).


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