How to REPLACE ROD BEARINGS on a BMW E46 M3 (S54 Engine)

I was invited to come down to Euro///MPire and see how to change the rod bearings on a 2002 BMW E46 M3 that they had in the shop. While I wasn't able to make a FULLY detailed video like I normally do when doing the work myself, I was able to capture a lot of the critical parts around the rod bearings themselves. The tech doing the work, Brendan, gives some great tips for making sure the job is done right and saving some time. The book has this at a 10 hour job and I could see how the full 10 hours would be used until you've done this several times like he has.
Rod Bearing Kit for BMW E46 M3 S54:
amzn.to/3gCo1bN
WPC Kit with oil:
www.bimmerworl...
ARP Rod Bolt Kit:
www.bimmerworl...
Red Line Assembly Lube:
www.bimmerworl...
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I am a Do It Yourself, also known as DIY, mechanic. I am NOT a professional mechanic. I do not have any formal training in the automotive field.
Help Me DIY assumes no liability for anything you choose to do to your car, before, or after watching one of my videos or utilizing the content from this web site.
All DIY repairs or modifications you perform to your car are made at your own risk. Sometimes, even if you've done everything the right way, you can destroy or damage one or more things on your car. You must understand this, but by leveraging knowledge and patience, the probability of encountering one or more problems can be reduced.
Also, if for some unfortunate reason, I do give incorrect instructions and something breaks because you followed my instructions, I will NOT reimburse or pay in any way for whatever cost that may be incurred due to following my wrong instructions.
Lastly, please don't do anything to your car unless you yourself feel comfortable and confident in doing so.

[@derekhanson4215]

Great video. Is there a recommended break-in period after installing the new rod bearings? I need to do the oil pan gasket on mine and might as well do the bearings while I’m at it.

[@HelpMeDIY]

+Derek Hanson thanks! Yes, break in is covered in this video as well. Around 19:20

[@derekhanson4215]

Help Me DIY Oh, thanks. I got interrupted and had to come back to finish the video and must have missed that part 🤦‍♂️

[@mg-ss5tw]

Just completed a rod bearing service on my 02. I did it in my garage on quick jacks. Removing the subframe and steering rack makes it much easier. Just a heads up, removing the oil pump gear isn’t necessary, you can get the oil pump out with it installed.

[@HelpMeDIY]

+m g great!

[@__Charlie__]

Great video! Contemplating doing this on my 07 z4mc. 70k miles. I've heard the rod bearings issue was corrected by this year but also hear they can go bad on any s54.

[@HelpMeDIY]

+1989Charlieee thanks!

[@samthing4thetrack806]

Thanks for this I have seen a few different ones and this one adds to the knowledge base. So far no one has been compelled to measure clearances. I guess if it all looks ok then it's ok?!!! Anyway bought an S54 for a e36 M3 into swap... getting excited about doing all of this stuff

[@arminbmw100]

Amazing video

[@HelpMeDIY]

+Armin ///M thank you 🙏

[@teddybgame1973]

I’m really surprised that he sprayed brake cleaner fluid (a solvent) all over the exposed crank shaft area. This is probably one of the only S54 rod bearing vids where I’ve seen that done. I really think you want to very prescriptive and surgical about where you use brake cleaner in that area. Spray on a shop towel or coffee filter (zero lint) and clean accordingly. Hope this helps!

[@HelpMeDIY]

+@teddybgame1973 why do you think that’s a problem? It cleans any dirt/oil and doesn’t harm the metal. It’s used liberally during an engine build.

[@teddybgame1973]

@@HelpMeDIY hi! Thanks for quick reply. The key issue I see here is that you’re introducing friction into the camshaft area. There’s nothing wrong with cleaning debris from the oil pan gasket area or external engine areas…but once you start spraying a solvent like brake cleaner all over areas that need lubrication, you compromise the assembly lube and potentially introduce friction. Sure, with an engine rebuild, you want to clean off all the parts…but I’ve yet to see someone rebuild a S54 or any BMW engine, where they used an assembly lube, and then sprayed that area with a cleaning solvent after. Of the 30+ YT vids covering this repair, this was the only I noticed where the solvent wasn’t used in a controlled fashion. Hope this further explains my PoV. Keep up with the great DIY vids! Thanks!! :)

[@HelpMeDIY]

@@teddybgame1973 Oh I hear ya!

[@BenJShaw]

Very informative, thanks! 👊

[@HelpMeDIY]

+Ben Shaw 😁👊

[@Juke-Redlin]

This really gives me a lot more confidence to tackle this in the next few months. I'm at 150K with stock bearings, so I'm trying to get ready fast,. If I DIY I can skip having to pay someone, nd the price falls dramatically.

[@HelpMeDIY]

+Jayson Hughes good luck and let us know how it goes if you decide to tackle it.

[@jamesbarber8308]

Do you have to measure the clearances ? I’m not sure what size bearing to order

[@hhn2002]

Such a good video and mechanic, unfortunate it's in 360p

[@HelpMeDIY]

+hhn2002 I knowwwww 😥. But pretty good for such low quality, no?

[@TheBmarshall15]

my greatest fear of doing this job with the engine in the car is knicking the crank journals with the rod end. i feel like this would be less likely to happen with the engine out.

[@HelpMeDIY]

+TheBmarshall15 they made it look easy, but I understand they have done a LOT of them 😁

[@mg-ss5tw]

This and keeping everything clean were the hardest parts of this job IMO.

[@chrislittle7286]

per the original bulletin, use a lint free cardboard cutout 20x150mm to help

[@toddlemmon]

Great vid. I only wish that Audi's engine in the background would've seized up just so I could've heard you guys better...I'm curious how he suspended the engine for this. Just a standard bar rig or something fancier? Thanks.

[@HelpMeDIY]

+Todd Lemmon haha me too! That thing was LOUD! Pretty sure engine was still fully attached to engine mounts in the car.

[@toddlemmon]

@@HelpMeDIY But he had definitely dropped the subframe, no? so it had to be off the engine mounts, right? If that's true, it would be awesome to know how he did that. Plus, you mentioned at one point (I think) that the engine was slightly rotated along the long axis. Thanks very much .

[@HelpMeDIY]

@@toddlemmon Yes I believe that is what he said… But I sure don’t remember anything holding the engine from above, but I honestly don’t know. I think I just assumed it was still mounted in the car but I see what you were saying. And when I said it was “tilted“, I meant that is how it was built. But the owner Matt is super friendly and helpful, so don’t hesitate to give the shop a call and ask!

[@BmwMe-uh9sy]

not gonna check bearing clearance?

[@darrend2035]

There are so many high mileage s54 that are still on original rod bearings 🤷‍♂️ I own 2 M3s , I had the one that had 130,000 miles replaced as preventative maintenance and they weren’t to bad ? I might wait on having to other one done The 2 I have a 2003s post facelift

[@HelpMeDIY]

I think it's like most "known issues" on a certain model of any car... it's a "fairly common" issue that people talk about and want to get in front of, and then there are people that never even know about it and never have an issue with it (or at least know they have an issue).

[@claycrawford9009]

@@HelpMeDIY you only hear about the people with issues....people are too busy enjoying them to advocate against it:) I’ve always used redline 5w50 with motorkote and have had no issues. And oil comes back way under normal wear.

[@joemanga350]

How much does a job like this cost? I priced the rod bearings and bolts at $800 for parts.

[@HelpMeDIY]

+Joe Manga prices vary wildly I’m sure. You’ll have to call around.

[@anthonyt.2284]

wait, why is this in 360p!?

[@HelpMeDIY]

Lol great question! I guess I screwed up the upload. Ugh. Pretty great for 360 though right?!

[@putinisgod6814]

2002 model. You shouldn't replace the rod bolts. They are matched to your con rods.

[@HelpMeDIY]

+JN That’s not true. In fact I’m almost positive they HAVE to be replaced because they stretch and are one time use.

[@putinisgod6814]

@@HelpMeDIY Not these ones. The m10 are one time use. But the m11 are meant to be able to be stretched repeatedly. BMW issued a service Bulletin about this.

[@HelpMeDIY]

@@putinisgod6814 oh ok. Good to know, thanks!

[@putinisgod6814]

@@HelpMeDIY no problem. It‘s my pleasure to help.

[@usman1alam]

what are the symptoms of poor rod bearings?

[@HelpMeDIY]

+usman1alam It’s a Maintenance item on these cars. There are no symptoms until your engine blows up from what I understand lol

[@usman1alam]

@@HelpMeDIY Lmaoo how are we meant to look after them? I wait for my engine to warm up properly with the Orange indicators on the rev counter to go down before driving it. How else do we maintain the life of the rod bearings?

[@usman1alam]

@@HelpMeDIY also what does the red paint do on the bearings?

[@HelpMeDIY]

@@usman1alam Yeah I think simple things like that will help prolong the life of them.

[@misterkota1252]

360p? You should repost this in better quality

[@HelpMeDIY]

+King’Kota sorry my editing software had the wrong settings for a couple weeks before I realized it 😞

[@dokterkarel]

These old bearing caps actually don't look that bad. I've done 2 M54 engines and they were in worse shape than these.

[@HelpMeDIY]

+dokterkarel 👍

[@Eastbayfitteds_]

How much would it cost for a shop to do a job like this on a M54

[@HelpMeDIY]

@@Eastbayfitteds_ I assume you mean an S54? But all ships will be different and a quick call to them is all it would take to find out 😉

[@Eastbayfitteds_]

@@HelpMeDIY No i ment M54 I got a 325XI and wanted a job like this done

[@Eastbayfitteds_]

@@HelpMeDIY What shop is this and where are they located ?

[@noekumagay7114]

He needs to explain what is doing and why ,needs more communication with thepublic then this will be great.

[@HelpMeDIY]

+Noe Kumagay it was his first time doing something like this and he was told a few minutes before he was going to be on camera, so under those circumstances he did really well. I had to coax out some of the what and why

[@frontspring1]

Harbor freight ratchets..ewwwww

[@HelpMeDIY]

+A E 😂