I have a 99' 528i. That recently the engine died on. All 4 cylinders are filled with Oil. The Shop indicates that I need a new motor in it, I was wondering if these are good quotes for a normal replacement:
Engine 1
53,000 Mi $6000 - Motor $2000 - Labor Total Est: $8000
Engine 2
120,000 Mi $4500 - Motor $2000 - Labor Total Est: $6500
Now these are rough est. and it could be more or less depending on what needs replaced in the end (Hoses, Water pump etc...) Are those ok prices on a used engine installed?
It was a local shop that ived had do work before. They do Dealer level work for less the the dealership would. Ive compared alot of items in the past and they have always been alot cheaper.
"Branden Nelsen" wrote in news:erd5vb$780$ snipped-for-privacy@news.netins.net:
I'm with those guys.. that seems crazy high. I guess the labor is in the ball park but I'm amazed you can't find a good used engine for less than $4500
Like you can buy a completely reconditioned/rebuilt engine w/5 year warranty from
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with clutch kit for under 6k
Not that I've used them but just as an example.
Have you hit your local junk yards?
I guess if you really love the car its worth it .. I"m always willing to spend money on something I want to keep for a long time.
Can you be a bit more specific about the engine - like what happened, and what were the symptoms.
Replacing the car and selling the old one for breaking sounds a better deal, but only if the engine is a write off and you can't get a replacement at a sensible price (somewhat less than half the value of the car).
I was driving to work like normal, Everything was going great then all of the sudden I lost all power to the engine. The Car still had Electric power, just nothing from the engine. I pulled over and there was ALOT of smoke rolling from the Exhaust in the rear. I also noticed that Oil (or what looked ALOT like it) was dripping slowly from the exhaust also. I tried to crank it over after abit and nothing happened at all. When it did happen the Emissions, Oil and one other light I cant think of came on, on the dash.
I love the car, its the best ive driven and owned. The unfortunate part is I still owe $7000 on it, so if I cant get it fixed ill be paying for a very expensive lawn ornament :)
JoshIII remembers: Does your 528 use hydraulic fluid pump to assist with power steering *and* power brakes?
My old 1980's vintage 320i uses pneumatic power brake assist taken from the intake manifold.
I am familiar with a case involving my cousin's 1990's vintage Bronco II of a defective pollution control valve (PCV) or other check valve that somehow allowed oil or power steering fluid to get injected into the intake manifold...
I'm doing this from memory, but it seems like I remember the fluid involved was from the power steering/braking system?
Apparently the braking system on that vehicle relied on some combination of manifold pressure (vacuum) and pressurized fluid to actuate the brakes. Failure of some valve allowed fluid to get mixed with intake air in his engine.
The Bronco II had German made fuel injected Ford engines in them.
I remember when it happened, but I don't remember all the the details. I just remember he said plumes of white smoke started billowing out his exhaust. When it happened, he thought he had a blown an engine.
My cousin is a Ford mechanic. I should ask him about the experience again. He made the simple repair of the valve himself.
Besides the engine, you're likely to need all the O2 sensors and the catalytic converters if the oil actually was running from the exhaust.
It sounds as if you have a cracked head..
Not a good thing.
If it was me - I'd consider doing one of two things:
Find my own junkyard engine. The engines on these cars aren't terribly troublesome so there should be some fine examples kicking around in various junkyards. This is where Google, or membership in the BMW-CCA would be useful. You want BMW specific junkyards like Vines Automotive.. Get the same engine you have if you want the simplest swap out..
Find an E36/M3 S52 engine. Direct drop-in, and MUCH more powerful than the engine you have (240HP vs around 190HP) - it's plug and play compatible.. but you might (not even sure if this is necessary) have to get your engine ECU "flashed" to a ROM version for this engine. There are various performance upgrade places that have software updates to do this sort of thing.
#2 is gonna cost more - the S52 engines do go for some $$$ - but not any more than either of the options you've listed. #1 should be considerably less expensive than the quotes you got.
You might also check around (Yellow Pages) to see if there are shops in your area that specialize in doing engine swaps... there are shops like this and they are usually less expensive and faster than using your friendly local independent mechanic.
FWIW - a BMW rebuilt S54 engine (344HP) as used in the E46/M3 and the Z4/M-Coupe is only about $6,500 with a good "core".. the prices your friendly mechanic is giving you seem awfully high.
White - water - wet fuel of water in head (gaskets or cracks) Blue - oil - oil leak in head - gasket, crasks or worn / broken rings Black - fuel - far too rich
How long have you had the car? What sort of servicing?
**Replaced within the last year** Front Struts Front Control arms and bushings Rear Control arms and bushings Front Rotors Spark Plugs (Bosch Platinum 4+) Airfilter with K&N Airfilter VANOS Timing system All filters in the car
Oil has been changed every 3-4000mi and Inspection 2 done within last
It sounds to me like this shop is not really interested in doing this job judging from the prices quoted. I see used M52 engines on Ebay for $2000 to $3000 so these guys are apparently marking up the engine cost by about 100%. The swap job should only take an experienced mechanic 8 hours to perform so they seem to be marking up the labor by 100% also. If you have any other options I would seek another quote or if they are your only choice you could buy the engine yourself and have them install it.
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