Jake's Epic BMW 135i Build Thread! (5+ Years of Ownership)
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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
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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.
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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
2011 E92 M3 6MT ZCP - ESS 625 supercharged
2007 Z4MR
2003 E39 M5
2002 E46 M3
2021 X5 40i -
. 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?
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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.
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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...
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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/
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Jake I’m sure you mentioned it earlier, but was the failure on this engine?
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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.
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Yes that’s what I meant lol, I don’t use my phone well.
Tune issue then?
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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.
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Glad to see motivation returned to this thread. Where did I set my popcorn now....
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🥳SOLD BMW E24 633CSI - BMW M30B32 🧪SOLD HCH ES9 - 1.3 LDA
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🤹♀️SOLD BMW E36/7 Z3 - BMW M54B25 🧓SOLD BMW E10 2002 - BMW M10M05 -
Glad to see motivation returned to this thread. Where did I set my popcorn now....
Agreed!
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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!
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What is the brand on that downpipe? DUCKFACE? UUCRACE?
It's on the manifold. DOCRACE. The lighting makes it difficult to read, but looks really nice in person.
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