Jake's Epic BMW 135i Build Thread! (5+ Years of Ownership)

[suspenceful]

Earl said:

Wouldn't it be safe to say that any modded n54/n55 has been driven hard? Lol I mean, why add power to not use it

Yeah, but it's different when the car is actively maintained versus being put away wet. From what I've heard and seen of the previous owner, it isn't someone I'd like to buy a $3000 engine from... especially to rely on at high power levels.

Iceddragon said:

I sorta know him, I was going to buy his white E92 when I was on the hunt for a 335. He told me his dad owns a truck shop of some kind, I can look up that conversation if you want/need, and that he does all his own work out of that shop. Edit: Just looked, the shop is called Toys for Trucks
I'd be curious to know how long ago that car was junked, because he just recently sold the white one I was going to buy, just before I sold my 330.

Good luck finding out more, hopefully the engine is sound. I want to see your car running (and I need your spare parts).

Gotcha. The car was wrecked at the very beginning of the year and junked a few months later. I think the scrapyard had it for a month or two now.

I still have full bolt ons for stock turbos for sale, and am contemplating selling my upgraded twin setup in exchange for a single turbo. 

patsbimmer1 said:

I'd say there's a difference between driven hard and abused. I drive the shit out of my car but I wouldn't say it gets abused. There's a certain level of care that has to go above and beyond what's normal if you're going to drive a car hard. 

Exactly!

[suspenceful]

Started on this the other day. Took the whole front clip off. Drained oil and coolant. Removed intake, intercooler, intake manifold, injector and coil harness, disconnected coolant lines, vacuum lines, electrical clips, etc. Forgot the car has A/C stuff in it still so I quit and pushed it back in the corner.

I honestly haven't had much motivation to work on this car, I don't know why.

[m42b32]

suspenceful said:

I honestly haven't had much motivation to work on this car, I don't know why.

It's that fall/early winter project car slump. Spring is far away and you have "loads of time", its starting to get cold, holidays are expensive...all things not conducive to car progress

[B C]

“Hey, im pretty bored, im gonna take advantage of this dreadful season and go in the garage.... nevermind, 40F is a lot colder than I thought it would be”

[REKIII]

What did you end up doing with the engine?

[suspenceful]

REKIII said:

What did you end up doing with the engine?

The used one that I bought? It's still sitting on the stand. I'm going to compression test it before installing it.

[Jeff]

I have always loved how the front end of these cars just comes right off to work on things

[i_love_cars]

Earl said:

Wouldn't it be safe to say that any modded n54/n55 has been driven hard? Lol I mean, why add power to not use it

Well, there's a difference between driving a car with power and abusing it. I did my last 135i up with plenty of power and never did a burnout, never raced from a dig, didn't look for roll races every 1/4 mile down the highway. I used the power on my own terms in open stretches or occasionally when I just wanted to rip it around someone on the highway. By no means did I abuse my car, which is a large reason why the new owner is still enjoying it to this day. There's a reason he told me "if it was anyone but you, I would never buy this car", because your average "enthusiast" modding an n54/n55 isn't really an enthusiast who cares - they just want to rip shit on the street like they are speed racer. I see the behavior in literally every other local 135 and 335 in my area. 

Car enthusiasts are like any other group of people - a few winners and a whole lot of losers. 

Fingers crossed for the new motor, Jake

[GunMetalGrey]

i_love_cars said:

. I see the behavior in literally every other local 135 and 335 in my area. 

I think what really makes the difference in the long run is the attitude towards maintenance. Frequent full throttle runs aren't going to kill a motor, but those full throttle pulls with oil that was supposed to be changed 2k miles ago is going to make it much worse. 
Same goes for the people that hop in their car in the dead of winter and get up into high rpm's right away, giving the oil no time to get to a temperature where it is the most effective. 
The guy that bought the E30 from me knew I drove it hard as much as I pleased, but because I had the common sense to keep all parts in good shape it was no concern to him. 

You're right, it comes down to the person behind the wheel. 

Jake, when is your 3 month window up?

[suspenceful]

GunMetalGrey said:

Jake, when is your 3 month window up? 

Beginning of January. I'm getting to the point where I'm on the fence about paying someone to remove the rest of the current motor. That way I can take care of everything while both engines are on stands.

[suspenceful]

My buddy came over and finished pulling the motor on Friday night. I removed the twin turbos on Saturday morning to be shipped to their new owner. Sad, because they had less than 500 miles on them.

Then my finger slipped...

[B C]

Glad the twins sold. What are the specs on the clutch?

[suspenceful]

Snap said:

Glad the twins sold. What are the specs on the clutch?

Me too, and I got a good price for them. Now I have a 50% less chance of my turbo(s) breaking.

As far as the clutch; less than 1,000 miles on a SPEC Stage 3+.

http://my1series.com/2017/06/26/bmw-n54-clutch-upgrade-spec-stage-3-with-mfactory-smfw/

[KaiserRolls]

Jake I’m sure you mentioned it earlier, but was the failure on this engine?

[suspenceful]

KaiserRolls said:

Jake I’m sure you mentioned it earlier, but was the failure on this engine?

I'm assuming you meant to ask "what was", but if not, correct me.

Low compression on cylinder #3. Ran fine, but had a slight miss to it. Dumped a tablespoon of oil down the hatch of #3 and compression went back up. Assuming it's a cracked ring or ringland. Don't have it ripped apart.

[KaiserRolls]

Yes that’s what I meant lol, I don’t use my phone well.

Tune issue then?

[suspenceful]

KaiserRolls said:

Yes that’s what I meant lol, I don’t use my phone well.

Tune issue then?

I was having ignition issues, and I think the motor was getting tired at 120k. It'd been pushed very hard since 80k.

[Jdesign]

Glad to see motivation returned to this thread. Where did I set my popcorn now....

[KaiserRolls]

Jdesign said:

Glad to see motivation returned to this thread. Where did I set my popcorn now....

Agreed!

[suspenceful]

Something was left on my doorstep today! I'm honestly blown away by the quality and craftsmanship of this kit. The attention-to-detail is crazy. I've dealt with a lot of vendors on this platform and this was probably the nicest overall experience I've had. It shipped on time, came complete, and was packaged VERY nicely. I can't say the same about my previous expensive purchases. Super excited to get this installed for spring!