Needs an ENGINE? BMW N20 Timing Chain Failure | Can We SAVE It?

Today we dive into another brand that can't seem to get timing chains right either. See it is not Just Land Rover with the LR4 and Ranger Rover 5.0 V8.
This particular BMW was just diagnosed at the BMW dealer with needing an entire engine replacement. The BMW N20 and N26 4 cylinder engine found in the 320i/328i/X1/X3 is very prone to timing chain failures which in some cases can ruin the engine.
I'm just not so sure that is the case on this one. So lets jump into a timing chain repair on they 328i xDrive.
www.TheLostCauseRanch.com

[@chaoslordferrok]

I was a bmw master tech for 5 years. Recently switched to land rover. The funny thing about the bmw’s is we saw alot more failures in older peoples cars that would not drive them hard. Meanwhile a co worker had the same engine and beat the crap out of it for 120k miles and it still did not need a timing chain.

[@nature10879]

I hear some bmw owners confess that bmw need to be driven hard and most often. If one doen't, they are prone to failure in certain ways.

[@azznee6413]

Im guessing it's because older people tend to drive with comfort or eco pro modes which means more gear changes. Sport mode usually uses all of engine rpms which means less gear changes. Thats my guess.

[@markbielawski]

Well, if that machine had to draw first blood, at least you won in the end! Great job!!

[@LostCauseRanch]

I’ll donate a little blood for that outcome any day of the week!

[@opticaldilusion6381]

Rovers or not always love the content ! Thanks for showing the bmw fix !

[@LostCauseRanch]

Appreciate that. The Rovers will be back front and center shortly. Goes in waves around here.

[@pgtips6143]

That made for a fantastic tutorial video, well done for having the balls to give it a go. Perhaps the customer should send a link to your video to the BMW Dealer, just to show them not only how wrong they were to advise the customer he needed a new engine, but also expose them for the shit job they did with regard reassembling or rather not his engine, they should be ashamed of themselves. Perfect they should reimburse the customer for not only the missing parts they failed to put back, but also some labour costs as well, if not “Name and Shame them”🤔. I bet your customer is over the moon with regards to your efforts and his wallet feels a whole lot better. 👍 Looking forward to the next video. 🍻😎

[@LostCauseRanch]

I’m happy it all turned out well in the end. Unfortunate how it started but it is what it is I guess. Still fun to get it all figured out and sorted. Really enjoy the process of diagnosing these, especially when it goes the right way.

[@pgtips6143]

@@LostCauseRanch 👍🤩

[@aaroncarpenter2999]

These little N20s are actually kinda fun to work on. Since the engine is so small and longitudinally placed, it leaves some decent space to work. I grabbed a cheap '13 X3 that was minutes away from self destruction (misfires and rough running simply due to slack in the chain from broken guides!). I found another recently that 'died' and 'needs a timing chain' according to the owner's mechanic, but that is a little more scary... gotta assume it WILL need an engine unless it just jumped like yours! Great vid!

[@Alixstair]

Awesome vlog with seamless editing - good work👍

[@LostCauseRanch]

Appreciate that! Thanks for following along in all the fun.

[@roverdogs_keithwhelchel]

I have to agree with an good independent that you can trust, Still hard to find these days but you can. Personally being screwed by both dealers and a couple independents I prefer to do the work myself. Heck got screwed on just getting a front end alignment after replacing practically everything on the D2. They never tightened the steering stabilizer mount back tight. Found out the hard way at 55 mph and front end jumping and not running going down the highway. Oh and around 200 rovers last weekend at winter romp :-) And some carnages too. but not me this time. Oh and it nice to watch tear downs and rebuild like this anyway.

[@IowaLR4]

Nice work. I have two F54 mini clubmans now, so I have to start learning BMW. Though I hear good things about the B48. One of my F54s is a JCW with the 306hp/331tq variant.... shes spicy.

[@LostCauseRanch]

I haven’t heard anything bad about the b48 yet either. The early turbo Minis were kind of plagued with issues so it’s good you are in the F54. That JCW has to be a riot!

[@graemelliott3942]

That’s a whole lot of specialty tools needed. I’ll say it for you “Stealerships”

[@LostCauseRanch]

It is a fair amount, the only nice thing is it really takes the guess work out of getting it all lined up. There are certain vehicles we’ve run across over the years that have made timing them correctly a little more “guesswork” or up to you getting everything set perfect. So while it makes it less feasible for a one off repair these were actually somewhat pleasant to do when we had the repair shop. Plus being able to help people out in a more economical repair was always fun.

[@nature10879]

15k oil change is a terrible idea.The mindset behind the whole thing was for marketing and fkin up the used car buyer in the end. Basically, manufactures want to spend less on maintenance during the manufacturer warranty and also at the same time have the new car owner only bring it in 2 to 3 times before the warranty expires(you're talking about 3 oil changes for 45k miles!!!!!). When the car is new,its HIGHLY unlikely that this would happen and they know this. After that,they could care less for 2nd+ hand owners or whoever buys it after the warranty expires (These failures will make the dealers money anyway from the fixing and replacement of parts hahaha). I see a lot of idiots still doing this after the warranty expires claiming that is what the manufacture recommends😂😂. Oil is cheap at Walmart, i'd do 4k miles using high quality motor oil as soon as I buy literally ANY car.

[@derelict_wanderer]

A Stealership scheming against a customer? Say it ain't so! Everything in the first few minutes of this video is why I work on my own stuff now. All wheel drive and dropping an oil pan? Oh crap! I'm getting flashbacks of the rear main seal replacement in our AMC Eagle. Remove halfshafts, remove axle, disassemble steering stuff so the front suspension can do the "Herbie is sad, Love bug squat", support engine from above, Lower K member. Then, remove pan to replace 2 piece seal. What a pain! Like you, I punched something (The torque flight transmission bellhousing) and gave a blood sacrifice to the car gods. Really messed up 3 knuckles that day. Took a week off of the job to heal. Given how modern cars sound, I don't feel as bad with the way the 4.0 in the YJ clatters at idle.

[@LostCauseRanch]

Shocking I know haha. It is nice to work on your own stuff, it usually just leaves one person to blame then. I’ve never been around them in-depth but that AMC Eagle sounds like an interesting piece as well. It’s crazy how some stuff is designed, not saying there is a better way but I find it all interesting. The new direct injection stuff is crazy loud, pretty close to diesel’s in noise. This one sounds better in person, camera mic does amplify it a bit.

[@Toxinhq]

What were some of the symptoms of the timing chain failing? Mine is getting repaired right now and I was get misfires and the acceleration was poor and gas mileage was getting bad. Also between 1500-2000 rpm it would keep trying to shift.

[@patrickquinn3574]

Anyone tell ya lately now much you look like Don as you age Bud???? Lol Nice work Joe

[@LostCauseRanch]

I’ll take it. Hopefully I look that good when I get older haha.

[@ThatCivilGuy]

What hundred do you have coming up? I’m doing my first 100 in 5 years and I wish I was only trying to drop 10 lbs!

[@LostCauseRanch]

I’ll be doing the Mines of Spain 100 in October. I did the 100 miler there in 2019, then the 100k in 2020 an 2021. But have paced/volunteered with that one every year, great race in a neat park with some decent elevation for being in the Midwest. Which one are you planning on?

[@ThatCivilGuy]

Great to have those local races that you can be part of year in and year out. I’m doing Mountain Lakes 100m in Central Oregon in September.

[@Okierover]

Funner-est

[@LostCauseRanch]

Definitely the most funner-est haha. I’ll have to add that one to the vocabulary.

[@nature10879]

BMW should be ashamed for using plastic guides inside an engine. They should have used aluminum or some other metal. I guess they only care about saving a few dollars here and there and making the used car owners pay for it by making their dealers and themselves money by just replacing the whole engine.

[@olddieselguy1]

You realize auto manufacturers have been using plastic timing chain guides since the earliy 60's. And how do they sell cars if they last forever.

[@nature10879]

@@olddieselguy1 good point

[@Diggity42]

The new guides are supposed to last much longer than those original guides that weren’t made as well. I’m planning to do my chain soon on my N20 X3 with 167k miles.