My New, Old E92 335i, n54 DCT.

YasserIsmail

///Member
Life happens. Can't wait to get her back and carry on with the build.

Serviced at BMW, 5w30 oil. Mileage is 83000kms....

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cRed001

Active member
Life happens. Can't wait to get her back and carry on with the build.

Serviced at BMW, 5w30 oil. Mileage is 83000kms....

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Really unfortunate considering the car has low mileage and its not a common issue with the N54. I've had two BMW specialists advise that the N54 should use 10W60 oil in our climate.
 

FiRi@Rennzport

Well-known member
Official Advertiser
Really unfortunate considering the car has low mileage and its not a common issue with the N54. I've had two BMW specialists advise that the N54 should use 10W60 oil in our climate.
5w40 shell helix ultra is brilliant.

Used it for over 5 years and did 50k kilos of mixed driving with highboost, lowboost , long trips. When we opened just to inspect it after 3 years of changing oil every 7500kilos, it's was brilliant golden with no sludge whatsoever.

My advise would be for any vechile in today's times, forget about manufacturers 20 to 25k kilos service and get it done every 10k at max.

@YasserIsmail , I know 1st hand how well you look after your cars and how you possibly got taken for a ride here with regard to oil services being carried out. Wish you all the best going forward and once she's back, may she bring nothing but joy and bliss along with brilliant memories. Amen

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Salt

///Member
Sorry about this bud! Hang in there...keep us posted on how it goes. I truly hope the car comes back better than ever! You deserve a super ride!
 

osiris

///Member
Really unfortunate considering the car has low mileage and its not a common issue with the N54. I've had two BMW specialists advise that the N54 should use 10W60 oil in our climate.
I looked into this as well but it isn't a great idea because 90% of engine wear happens on first start up. Due to 10w60 being so thick and the n54 engine not being designed for that viscosity oil, the oil cannot get through all the oil gulley's fast enough on start up so it would actually cause premature wear. If you had a way to heat up the oil first like F1 cars then it would be a different story. 5w40 is perfect as @FiRi@Rennzport stated above. I have been using that in my car since I got it back in 2017, I change my oil every 3 - 5k and when I do I flush the engine out a few times first. It's a process but in the long run on a modified car it makes logical sense to me.

Sorry this happened to you @YasserIsmail But now at least you know how crucial it is to make sure the oil on these cars is kept in tip top condition especially when modified. Take a look at my thread sometime and have a look at how I do my oil service and check how many flushes it took to get the oil clean, It goes to show how much dirty oil still stays in the motor after an oil change. It turns out to be a little costly but if you find a good supplier to get oil from it can still be cheaper than a single oil service from BMW or any other mechanic. (Also you don't need to goto extremes like I did in that thread. I often just do one or two flushes and then put the final oil in these days depending on how dark the oil is etc).
 

Jeremy

Well-known member
Im so sorry bud. I hope you get everything sorted soon.

I also use 5W40 on the recommendation of my tuner, my oil changes are at max 7500km, and i use motul 5w40.

I look forward to you getting your baby back, and to more boosting.
 

YasserIsmail

///Member
It's been a while since I had anything to add to this thread.

After close to a year my e92 335i motor rebuild is finally done!

She's actually up and running thanks to Janak at Solankis Auto in Lenasia.

Unfortunately, still not ready to come home though due to a nagging boost leak which we believe to be caused by a faulty actuator on the rear turbo.

Managed getting a 2nd hand one thanks to @Jeremy who was kind enough to give me one from a spare set of Turbos he had laying around.

Fitted the actuator and did a quick Vaccum test and thought it was all good. But unfortunately I didn't test for long enough. The actuator was bleeding off slowly which Janak discovered when he tested it.

@Jeremy sourced me a 2nd actuator which we tested (as you will see in the video below) and it held pressure!

But with my luck the very next day it started bleeding out the same way the other one did.

So I am on the hunt for another one but also considering getting a brand new one from FCP Euro which will cost just over R2k. Would love some input from more experienced n54 owners and perhaps some assistance if anyone has an extra actuator that's in good condition.

I really can't wait for this to be sorted as I miss driving this car so damn much...

Thanks!






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NBN

Well-known member
Why don’t you consider replacing both actuators since seeing you have already had this issue before ?


Mamba offers both front and rear and if you really want to future proof , you can get their wastegate anti rattle kit also.


You know what they say … in for a penny , in for a pound

Or if you really have an itch that needs to be scratched

 
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YasserIsmail

///Member
Why don’t you consider replacing both actuators since seeing you have already had this issue before ?


Mamba offers both front and rear and if you really want to future proof , you can get their wastegate anti rattle kit also.


You know what they say … in for a penny , in for a pound

Or if you really have an itch that needs to be scratched

Thanks for the links! I looked at this option but it said the seller doesn't shop to SA? Unless I looked at a different seller selling the same actuators.

I'll take another look. Definitely would make sense to change both.

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osiris

///Member
Thanks for the links! I looked at this option but it said the seller doesn't shop to SA? Unless I looked at a different seller selling the same actuators.

I'll take another look. Definitely would make sense to change both.

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I have the Mamba kit done on my turbos, Justin brought in the kit for me and I had Gabby at Fastec do the engineering and fitment on my turbos. They have held up seriously well for a long time now. That mamba kit is proper quality! And Gabby’s work on the turbos is second to none!
 

YasserIsmail

///Member
I have the Mamba kit done on my turbos, Justin brought in the kit for me and I had Gabby at Fastec do the engineering and fitment on my turbos. They have held up seriously well for a long time now. That mamba kit is proper quality! And Gabby’s work on the turbos is second to none!
Ordered new actuators and the wastegate rattle kit from Mamabtek

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YasserIsmail

///Member
After the frustration of used actuators failing I decided to bite the bullet and purchase a brand new set along with the wastegate rattle repair kit from Mambatek.

Ordered off eBay : https://www.ebay.com/str/mambatekuk

Delivery was surprisingly quick and well packaged. The products seem to be top notch in terms of quality too!

We had Janak remove the turbos, collected and took them to Gaby at Fastec Turbochargers to fit the new parts.

Lets hope this is the end of our 30ff issues on the 335i.


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osiris

///Member
If fitment is all done correctly those turbos will last a very long time! These mamba turbos are some proper quality! The spool up is almost on par with stock turbos but the boost up top is obviously allot better than the stock turbos and you will definitely feel the difference! please do make sure you are not using stock inlets though! the stock airbox is fine but stock inlets no ways!

Oh and congrats on all of this. Can't wait to see this all come together!
 
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