BMW 330iT E46

I doubt it needs an engine to pass the MOT, so long as it steers and stops OK !!!!

Emissions test, brake assistance, power steering, road test

Can imagine the tester being delighted to push the car onto the ramp. ;-)

Ah, but would save him the bother of the emissions test!

certainly would, still be a failure though. failure to be able to drive the car is a reason to refuse to test.

Wasn't there some engines which used an alloy that could be dissolved by petrol?

Rover and BMW had a problem with cylinder bores that went porous IIRC There is more of a problem with the methanol that is being added to modern petrol, that corrodes certain alloys used in older fuel systems (carburettors particularly) and that has upset the classic car owners.

I should have put ethanol (not methanol)

Are you thinking of the Nikasil coating on the bores? Which was said to be dissolved by high sulphur content petrol?

Nothing new about alcohol in petrol. That was heavily advertised many years ago. It seems to go for the 'rubber' used in some types of fuel hoses, mainly.

My last BMW had a Nikasil engine. No trouble at all here. Think it was down to cheap imported fuel sold in some areas. All the filling stations round here are ordinary brands like BP, etc.

Those who have followed this thread might like the latest news. After getting it going again (new petrol pump) it required a new steel brake pipe front to back for an MOT. So quite costly, as difficult to get at. A few days later it did a 250 mile round trip, and ran very well. And then broke a front spring the other day - digging in to the near new tyre and wrecking that too...

surely it was replaced with a 'copper' pipe ?

Said steel to differentiate from a flexible hose.

But even cardboard would likely outlast this car. ;-)

BTW, I prefer kunifer to copper.