S52 with damage

[PrimeTimeSlime]

I found a s52 today for really cheap. Only problem is it was smashed up in a collision. The oil pan and timing chain cover are destroyed along with the oil pump. Th oil filter housing was sheered off. Must've been a nasty wreck. I think I could manage fixing those things without too much cost or trouble but I am worried about the valves, lifters, and cams. Do you guys think they're messed up too? Would it be more trouble than it is worth to tackle it? Might be a fun summer project. I could have a 332ti by fall!

[FMD]

i'd stay away

[1996 318ti NY]

Dittooooo!

[tiFreak]

you'd be looking at one lengthy, probably expensive project, if you go through with it, be prepared to spend some late nights swearing, pulling your hair out and throwing tools across the garage in frustration

[familytruckster]

Yeah, that's prolly trashed. Good chance of block damage on the bottom corner.

top end might be decent..but doubtful.

[Bluebimma]

Youre dealing with covers and the filter housing, about 150$ worth of parts over on bfc. Probably something id buy, but im not you. lol

[chrisbec]

I'd buy it. I would have a good look around to block to make sure there are no cracks on the cast iron block itself. If the block is in good shape I would definitely buy this engine and replace those broken covers. They would be the same as an M52.

[PrimeTimeSlime]

Yea, I think Im going to buy it. Is the s52 an interference engine? the only thing i am worried about is that the timing chain might have broken while it was running and destroyed the valves and cams.

[pdxmotorhead]

Its also very likely the crank is shot, I've seen several track BMWs get hit deep in the front and crank damage happened in a couple of them.

Dave

[bimmerboy16]

who knows how long the car was left running after it dumped all the oil out of it.....?

[Xenocide]

I would be more worried about how hard the crank got hit in the front rather than the oil pan damage. Also the oil pump sheared off and it sits on dolls to align it. So block damage could be present, but last of your concern.

[cooljess76]

Notice the crank pulley/vibration dampener is removed. Somebody had to remove it, because if the bolt were to get sheared, you'd never be able to get it out of the crank due to the insane torque required to tighten it. I'm guessing that they removed the pulley/dampener because it was bent/damaged pretty badly and would lead anyone to believe that the crank took a significant hit. When I bought my wrecked M3, one of the motor mount arms snapped and the rubber mount on the other side tore. This left the engine resting on the front cross member. Needless to say, the oil pan had a couple hairline cracks, but there was no real impact to the crankshaft, oil pump or other vital components. By the looks of that timing cover, there's a very slim chance that that engine made it through the accident without any internal damage. Unless you're getting it for a hundred bucks, it might not even be good for parts if the crankshaft, rods, pistons, valves, timing assembly, cams, bearings etc need to be replaced. You're still going to have to buy a bunch of stuff like motor mount arms/rubber mounts, oil filter housing, timing cover, oil pan, radiator/expansion tank, thermostat/housing, hoses, transmission, ecu, power steering reservior, fan, intake, clutch, a crapload of seals gaskets and bearings and probably a ton of stuff I'm leaving out. Not to mention all of the timing tools and any other special tools you'll need to rebuild the motor and do the swap. All of these parts add up quickly. Your best bet is to buy a complete car with a good engine as a donor, atleast this way you'll have about 90% of the parts you need.

[pdxmotorhead]

Bottom line this is a parts bucket motor, I'd buy it by the pound. As parts not as an engine. If I had another engine I needed a head for or some misc internal Otherwise its scrap.

It takes some pretty specialized tools and knowledge to check cranks for damage. and its expensive to have done right.

Dave

[cooljess76]

^^^ I agree 100% and as I mentioned earlier, this thing might not even be good for parts. With that sort of lower end damage, there's no telling what happened up top. Especially since the timing chain appears to be snapped or mangled at the very least. If that crankshaft is damaged, which I'm willing to put money on that it is, everything else will be thrown off balance. That thing spins at 7 thousand times a minute, billions of times throughout it's lifespan. With level of precision that's necessary, the slightest defect can be catastrophic. You might hit the guy up for the harness, ecu, ews module, transponder chip and any other components that might be unaffected, but I'd walk away from that motor and not look back.

[PrimeTimeSlime]

In case you guys are interested:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...=STRK:MEWAX:IT