N55 engine seized

EdieC · 12-16-2018, 08:07 PM

So 2 weeks ago I dropped my '11 e90 off at my independent mechanic for a leaking OFHG and a tune up including replacing all fluid, new plugs, and coil packs. I received a call a few days after dropping it off and he said that he had to replace the solenoids too. I was upset because they were fine when I dropped the car off. He agreed to give them to me at his cost ($200) and not charge me labor. I agreed.

I got a call from him last week saying the car was all set. He charged me just over $2k for the work. I was looking forward to the car running in top shape.

I went and picked it up and the car started vibrating under roughly 50% plus throttle. It ended up going into limo mode and I got an engine malfunction warning. I turned the car off and called him. He asked me to bring it back to him. After waiting 10 mins, the warning went away and I drove it back to his shop and got a ride home.

Here's where it gets interesting.... I received a call from him 2 days later. He said it was a bad coil pack. He replaced it and said the car was running perfectly. He said he was roughly 20 mins into his test drive and the car just shut off on him. He had it towed back to his shop and bottom line is the engine is seized and it needs a new engine.

He said he took apart the top part of the engine and the issue is not there so it must be in the bottom part of the engine. Now I'm clearly no mechanic so Im not sure what he's talking about or if he's just BS'ing me. He asked for the weekend to think about how he should proceed.

I told him he has insurance for this type of thing but he thinks that his insurance won't cover it b/c the seizure couldn't be caused by what he did and is claiming it was a complete coincidence which is total BS. The car was running perfectly before I dropped it off for preventative maintenance. Not CEL or anything.

I hope he does the right thing and files an insurance claim but I spoke to my attorney on Friday in case he sticks with his "coincidence" story.

Any advice or thoughts on this would be much appreciated. I'm racking my brain about what to do about it or how I should proceed. Hoping to get some opinions on what could have casued this from those much more knowledge then me too.

Thanks for letting me vent!

Supermoon · 12-16-2018, 08:25 PM

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showt...php?p=23978972

EdieC · 12-16-2018, 08:27 PM

Wow. Sounds familiar. Thanks for the reply.

rick100 · 12-16-2018, 08:30 PM

is this a BMW specialist shop or a do it all type of shop.

is he sure the engine seized?

At this point I wouldn't trust anything he says , and I would personally get the car towed to a different BMW specialist shop to get a proper opinion

As of right now , you are only going by what he tells you , so unless you get another shop involved to evaluated what could've happened , it will very hard to prove any wrong doing

EdieC · 12-16-2018, 08:45 PM

Good point. I just found this out on Friday. This all happened while the car was in his possession so it seems cut and dry to me.

He works primarily on BMW's, Audi's, and Mercedes. I've been going to him for 2 years now and have been happy up until this point.

Assuming he won't submit an insurance claim, I'm going to get my attorney involved and will discuss with him bringing it to another shop for a 2nd opinion.

vespa · 12-17-2018, 09:12 PM

It's not unusual for an N55 to seize within a few dozen miles of an oil filter gasket replacement. The housing design makes it very easy to drop dirt or gasket crud into the oil passage during the repair and it seems there may be something special about the N55 crankshaft oil passages that make them much more susceptible to clogging than the countless other BMW engines with this same ofhg arrangement.

Welcome to NBA Jam · 12-17-2018, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vespa

It's not unusual for an N55 to seize within a few dozen miles of an oil filter gasket replacement.

We have differing definitions of "not unusual."

ahlbe1cl · 12-18-2018, 08:34 AM

agreed. Name 1 other instance please.

TheMidnightNarwhal · 12-18-2018, 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ahlbe1cl

agreed. Name 1 other instance please.

Lol sure.

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1554479

TheMidnightNarwhal · 12-18-2018, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vespa

It's not unusual for an N55 to seize within a few dozen miles of an oil filter gasket replacement. The housing design makes it very easy to drop dirt or gasket crud into the oil passage during the repair and it seems there may be something special about the N55 crankshaft oil passages that make them much more susceptible to clogging than the countless other BMW engines with this same ofhg arrangement.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Welcome to NBA Jam

We have differing definitions of "not unusual."

It's definitely something that we see possibly happen after a OFHG job is what I think he meant.

Pladi · 12-18-2018, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ahlbe1cl

agreed. Name 1 other instance please.

its happened enough to give it a second thought when ur doing that job..

TheMidnightNarwhal · 12-18-2018, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pladi

its happened enough to give it a second thought when ur doing that job..

And it's more the fact that it's not even sure why it happens.

If it's dirt that clogs stuff or if it's oil going back down to slowly or whatever and not feeding enough.

Pladi · 12-18-2018, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMidnightNarwhal

And it's more the fact that it's not even sure why it happens.

If it's dirt that clogs stuff or if it's oil going back down to slowly or whatever and not feeding enough.

All we can do is try to prevent the area from being contaminated. Thats the only thing we can control. So if i do my part and it still fails then guess what ill never own a BMW. lol

Does anyone know if the oil passage is different from N54 to N55 ?

bbnks2 · 12-18-2018, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pladi

All we can do is try to prevent the area from being contaminated. Thats the only thing we can control. So if i do my part and it still fails then guess what ill never own a BMW. lol

Does anyone know if the oil passage is different from N54 to N55 ?

I can't see how dirt can be the issue with these specific failures. Oil passages are larger than a pea. You'd have to really screw up to clog the oil rail. It's not until you get to the bearings themselves that a clog can happen and I'd think it would take quiet a bit of dirt to actually destroy bearings to the points of a seized engine. With no torn down engines to look at you're still just speculating. Did the main bearings fail? did the rod bearings? did all the rods lack oil? did a single rod spin and sieze?

A completely seized engine seems more like complete loss of oiling to me. Like, your mechanic forgot to put oil back in the car. Or, your mechanic pinched the gasket and your bearings got fed coolant. Or, your mechanic left a rag stuffed in the passage. This coming from someone who spun bearings in his N55... I did my oil filter housing gasket 3x on this engine and it never had an issue until I had a complete oiling failure on track.

Review the N55 engine PDF if you want to see the oil rail and passages.

EdieC · 12-18-2018, 09:50 AM

Quick update: I just heard back from the mechanic. He stepped up and filed an insurance claim. The adjuster will be there in 2 days. I'll keep everyone updated on the resolution.

Pladi · 12-18-2018, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbnks2

I honestly can't see how dirt can be an issue with these specific failures. Oil passages are larger than a pea. You'd have to really screw up to clog the oil rail. It's not until you get to the bearings themselves that a clog can happen and I'd think it would take quiet a bit of dirt to actually seize an engine.

With no torn down engines to look at you're still just speculating. Seized engine seems more like complete loss of oiling to me more like the oil pump bleeds down and doesn't get primed before running the engine. Or, your mechanic forgot to put oil back in the car. Or, your mechanic pinched the gasket and your bearings got fed coolant.'

Review the N55 engines PDF if you want to see the oil rail and passages.

I hear you. But then why do we filter the system down to microns ? If a very small rock/particle of dust thats hard enough makes it down that path it can potentially reach the bearing. That would not be good..

Pladi · 12-18-2018, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EdieC

Quick update: I just heard back from the mechanic. He stepped up and filed an insurance claim. The adjuster will be there in 2 days. I'll keep everyone updated on the resolution.

good to hear ! glad you hopefully will be getting a resolution.

EdieC · 12-18-2018, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pladi

good to hear ! glad you hopefully will be getting a resolution.

Thanks Pladi! I'm not out of the woods yet but this is a great 1st step.

bbnks2 · 12-18-2018, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pladi

I hear you. But then why do we filter the system down to microns ? If a very small rock/particle of dust thats hard enough makes it down that path it can potentially reach the bearing. That would not be good..

No matter what it points to the mechanics work and not the engine itself. The only plausible explanation I see that would free the mechanic of this liability is if there is some inherent issue with the oil pump and air. Not likely as people crank rebuilt engines with 0 oil pressure without issue. People put completely empty oil coolers into their car and crank it right up without issue.

Pladi · 12-18-2018, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbnks2

No matter what it points to the mechanics work and not the engine itself. The only plausible explanation I see that would free the mechanic of this liability is if there is some inherent issue with the oil pump and air. Not likely as people crank rebuilt engines with 0 oil pressure without issue. People put completely empty oil coolers into their car and crank it right up without issue.

All i am saying is, if anyone is doing this job be clean..

bbnks2 · 12-18-2018, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pladi

All i am saying is, if anyone is doing this job be clean..

I was just watching videos of people pour sand into engines. It's quiet entertaining lol.

Pladi · 12-18-2018, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbnks2

I was just watching videos of people pour sand into engines. It's quiet entertaining lol.

Or engines running on oilive oil or WD40. lol i cringe when i see stuff like that.

12-16-2018, 08:07 PM	#1
EdieC New Member 13 Rep 29 Posts Drives: 2011 335xi Join Date: May 2015 Location: CT iTrader: (0)	N55 engine seized So 2 weeks ago I dropped my '11 e90 off at my independent mechanic for a leaking OFHG and a tune up including replacing all fluid, new plugs, and coil packs. I received a call a few days after dropping it off and he said that he had to replace the solenoids too. I was upset because they were fine when I dropped the car off. He agreed to give them to me at his cost ($200) and not charge me labor. I agreed. I got a call from him last week saying the car was all set. He charged me just over $2k for the work. I was looking forward to the car running in top shape. I went and picked it up and the car started vibrating under roughly 50% plus throttle. It ended up going into limo mode and I got an engine malfunction warning. I turned the car off and called him. He asked me to bring it back to him. After waiting 10 mins, the warning went away and I drove it back to his shop and got a ride home. Here's where it gets interesting.... I received a call from him 2 days later. He said it was a bad coil pack. He replaced it and said the car was running perfectly. He said he was roughly 20 mins into his test drive and the car just shut off on him. He had it towed back to his shop and bottom line is the engine is seized and it needs a new engine. He said he took apart the top part of the engine and the issue is not there so it must be in the bottom part of the engine. Now I'm clearly no mechanic so Im not sure what he's talking about or if he's just BS'ing me. He asked for the weekend to think about how he should proceed. I told him he has insurance for this type of thing but he thinks that his insurance won't cover it b/c the seizure couldn't be caused by what he did and is claiming it was a complete coincidence which is total BS. The car was running perfectly before I dropped it off for preventative maintenance. Not CEL or anything. I hope he does the right thing and files an insurance claim but I spoke to my attorney on Friday in case he sticks with his "coincidence" story. Any advice or thoughts on this would be much appreciated. I'm racking my brain about what to do about it or how I should proceed. Hoping to get some opinions on what could have casued this from those much more knowledge then me too. Thanks for letting me vent!
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12-16-2018, 08:25 PM	#2
Supermoon Lieutenant 166 Rep 429 Posts Drives: 2011 e92 335xi Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Seoul iTrader: (6) Garage List 2011 BMW 335i xDriv ... [10.00]	https://www.e90post.com/forums/showt...php?p=23978972 __________________ 2011 E92 335i xDrive Pure Stage 1 \| DV+ & Inlet \| Injen Intake \| M3 Cowl \| ETS 5" FMIC & CP \| Aquamist HFS4 Direct Port \| CSF Radiator \| Wagner Catted DP \| BMW PE \| Apex FL-5 \| Michelin PS4S \| 335is Engine mount \| SDW Monoball thrust arms \| UUC Swaybars & SS Brake lines \| Bilstein B8 \| Dinan Springs & Shock mounts \| Whiteline RSFB \| M3 Rear Control arms \| Manzo Toe arms \| Wavetrac LSD Last edited by Supermoon; 12-16-2018 at 08:37 PM..
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12-16-2018, 08:27 PM	#3
EdieC New Member 13 Rep 29 Posts Drives: 2011 335xi Join Date: May 2015 Location: CT iTrader: (0)	Wow. Sounds familiar. Thanks for the reply.
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12-16-2018, 08:30 PM	#4
rick100 Colonel 551 Rep 2,293 Posts Drives: 328 Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: canada iTrader: (0)	is this a BMW specialist shop or a do it all type of shop. is he sure the engine seized? At this point I wouldn't trust anything he says , and I would personally get the car towed to a different BMW specialist shop to get a proper opinion As of right now , you are only going by what he tells you , so unless you get another shop involved to evaluated what could've happened , it will very hard to prove any wrong doing
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12-16-2018, 08:45 PM	#5
EdieC New Member 13 Rep 29 Posts Drives: 2011 335xi Join Date: May 2015 Location: CT iTrader: (0)	Good point. I just found this out on Friday. This all happened while the car was in his possession so it seems cut and dry to me. He works primarily on BMW's, Audi's, and Mercedes. I've been going to him for 2 years now and have been happy up until this point. Assuming he won't submit an insurance claim, I'm going to get my attorney involved and will discuss with him bringing it to another shop for a 2nd opinion.
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12-17-2018, 09:12 PM	#6
vespa First Lieutenant 217 Rep 245 Posts Drives: 2011 335i Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Thousand Oaks iTrader: (0)	It's not unusual for an N55 to seize within a few dozen miles of an oil filter gasket replacement. The housing design makes it very easy to drop dirt or gasket crud into the oil passage during the repair and it seems there may be something special about the N55 crankshaft oil passages that make them much more susceptible to clogging than the countless other BMW engines with this same ofhg arrangement.
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12-18-2018, 08:34 AM	#8
ahlbe1cl Private First Class 30 Rep 106 Posts Drives: 2011 328i xDrive Join Date: Oct 2017 Location: Michigan iTrader: (0)	agreed. Name 1 other instance please.
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12-18-2018, 09:50 AM	#15
EdieC New Member 13 Rep 29 Posts Drives: 2011 335xi Join Date: May 2015 Location: CT iTrader: (0)	Quick update: I just heard back from the mechanic. He stepped up and filed an insurance claim. The adjuster will be there in 2 days. I'll keep everyone updated on the resolution.
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