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TMS Weekly Article 2
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From Rob's Garage: Just E39 Things
I've long been "That BMW guy" to my friends. A friend of a friend had a ‘97 528i loafing in his driveway for two years. It had been a reliable daily driver for him, but he attempted some preventative maintenance work on his own and never successfully finished the job.
Fed up with the silver lump of BMW in their driveway, his wife threatened a call to Kars 4 Kids. Properly motivated, we were connected and I made arrangements to pick the car up.
As it turned out, the most expensive part of breathing life back into the car was the trailer rental.
As we all know, BMW's 90's-era cooling systems did not win awards or love. I was nervous that the car had its one fight with an overheating condition and was effectively dead. The risk/reward of an E39 in my driveway made me take the plunge, and I'm glad I did. |
| "The most expensive part of breathing life back into the car was the trailer rental." |
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I'm a veteran of several BMW resuscitations. The M10 and M20 are hearty engines that can do some surprising things after even a decade of hibernation. This was a slightly different beast. Some of the methods we use to revive the older vehicles might not play well with the more sensitive sensors monitoring an OBDII powerplant. With nothing to lose, I set about firing this thing to life. Let this be the cautionary tale that we've all heard before, but often stumble over. Check the simple things first.
I'll spare readers the tedium of an engineer meticulously checking every box. Pulling spark plugs to check their condition, checking cylinder health with a borescope, compression checks... I do it all. When I finally took the step to turn the motor over by hand, I noticed something odd. The belt didn't grab the water pump pulley. The routing was all wrong. It was missing a rib. Somehow, some way, an air conditioning belt had been installed to grab as many accessories as possible. |
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Well, then.
I got my hands on the right belts, set things up, and fired the car to life. After a few minutes of "Why did you dump oil down my cylinders?", the idle steadied out and the biggest BMW I'd ever owned started to sound like a German-engineered Autobahn cruiser. Of course, the cooling system wasn't properly bled, so that was next on the list. In my driveway in the dead of summer, the temperature read comfortably for a long stretch on my computer. Good signs. I still did all of the responsible work. I changed all of the fluids. I replaced all of the filters. I cleaned up the brakes and bled them. I found myself with a heck of a car to take the burden off my E30 in the winter months.
In retrospect, establishing myself as "That BMW guy" has worked out pretty well.
-Rob Theriaque |
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The German Epics and their Tragic Flaws
Any high school graduate should know the legends of Achilles, or at the least, recount his singular weakness that allowed an arrow shot by Paris to be his demise at the end of the Trojan War. His famous ‘Achilles Heel' has colloquially come to describe a similar weak point in something otherwise impervious to failure. Achilles' strength and divine ability was derived from his parents, the Nymph, Thetis, and the Greek Hero, Peleus. Achille was invulnerable, except for his heel, where Thetis held him when he was dipped in the river Styx. BMW and their M-GmbH division are Peleus and Thetis, and their offspring are the nearly perfect Achilles. The S54, S65, and S85 are engines that represent the pinnacle of BMW technology and motorsport prowess, but their superiority is levied by a tragic flaw. The rod bearings installed at the factory are their own heels that can spell disaster for M3, M5, and M6 owners. Turner Motorsport WPC-treated OEM bearings offer a protection tailored to eliminate the weakness of the S54, S65, an S85 to make them worthy of their epic status.
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If you own a BMW with one of these hearts, you know how glorious the performance capabilities of the platforms can be. Anyone interested in purchasing an E46 or E9X M3, E6X M5, or E6X M6 should never shy away for fear of a small downside that can easily be replaced. Just look at our articles on what to know about an E46 M3 or E9X M3 before you buy and you can easily see enough benefit to purchasing one. That isn't to say, however, that you should neglect what could potentially be an expensive, and unnecessary, rebuild. Our WPC-Treated Rod Bearings are the correct OEM specifications for each engine, but with added strength and reduced friction to eliminate that worry entirely.
Our specialists here at Turner Motorsport have put together full kits to overhaul your S54, S65, or S85 to take care of your major maintenance concerns and protect your engine as the miles climb up with each enjoyable drive or track day. Owning something as heroic as a BMW M3, M5, or M6 does not have to end as tragically as a Greek Epic, but the story can be just as compelling.
Taking the steps to maintain your M-Powered BMW and improving upon the legendary design is what it takes to ensure they are as timeless as The Iliad. These WPC-Treated Bearings will help you continue to write your story with an M3, M5, or M6 rather than close the book on a downer ending. With your dedication, a little time, and some preventative measures, the S54, S65, or S85 under your hood will be a source of power and pleasure you can drive with confidence, free of the constant worry that might have kept you from experiencing the limits of these wonderful cars. The children of BMW and their M-GmbH division might have their tragic flaws where the river Styx missed the rod bearings, but we at Turner Motorsport are dedicated to preventing their fall on the street or track with our additions to the BMW M-Powered legacy.
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Locking Up
As a group of enthusiasts, we all share a passion for our BMWs. Whether that means caring for the mint, unmolested, time capsule in our garages, or building something absurd to paint a picture of our abilities with a BMW canvas, our roots are deeply seeded in the German manufacturer's automobiles. Every BMW and owner has countless stories that provide depth to our enjoyment of them. These stories do more than solidify our relationships with our BMWs; they allow us to further relate to similar enthusiasts with an equally relentless passion for these cars. You may know our stories well, but the community might not know yours. We want to hear what you love about your BMW and the experiences it has been the vessel to bring you enjoyment.
Next week, we look forward to Tim Konrad and his journeys through amateur racing in an E46. What story will you share with the Turner Motorsport family?
-Turner Motorsport
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