Making My N54 Fast AND Reliable! (Road to 700HP+)

[@joshuaquilliam2887]

Good stuff guys, good to see folks still pushing the N54. Great video!

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

much appreciated, thank you! 🙏

[@khemchee4685]

This is one of the best n54 KZbin channels. You actually explain things and show all the details on installations.

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

thanks! we really appreciate the kind words!!

[@Bdub423]

N54 is de wey 🙌🏾❤. Just take care of it and it will bring you endless smiles and compliments

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

absolutely!!

[@andresmendoza7226]

I’m pushing roughly about 690 with upgraded internals.

[@draytonPW]

When I walnut blast I use a carb cleaner to help clean and loosen the carbon. I also use it to verify valves are sealed. Spray some in the port, if it sits in there you know its safe to blast.

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

I use a stick and rotate the engine to confirm TDC, the only reason I don't use carb cleaner is because I recycle the walnut shells for the next blasting session.

[@BMW1M]

I've watched a pretty large number of N54 builds, and can say, great job! Best of luck with the "reliable" goal if you push much over 500whp though... been there, done that, and again, and again, and again. (And doing it again, again) 🤣

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

thanks! I'm going to cross my fingers and hope for the best lol.

[@dinalg8687]

Love the long detailed videos!

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

Glad you like them!

[@friguy4444]

I always learn something useful or new (Both? LOL). When I watch your videos! Thank you!

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

of course! anytime!

[@AnthonyWayneLee]

Just fyi. I have the exact same ff intake manifold as that. The company welded the throttle body flange 90° off. If you look at other FF manifolds, the bolt hole should be at an angle to the manifold. Otherwise the throttle body doesn't sit correctly and hits the alternator. The company sent me an adapter to rotate it so it doesn't hit now. I also have the 335d reservoir. I had to space it up so it didn't rub on the manifold.

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

Good tips! I figured the 335d tank would need to be spaced a bit, minor issue really. The FF manifold flange does appear off, it won't allow me to have the motor portion of the throttle body on the side how I'd like as, like you mentioned, hits the alternator, I believe if I rotate it clock wise one-hole, it should be OK. the butterfly doesn't need to be in any specific orientation from what I gather, just needs to open. it'll make the evap. port that will be facing down, a challenge but with a 90 degree fitting from the brake booster line, I think I can make it work with little issue. (hopefully).

[@sonicnofadz]

mickey mouse flange will crumble regardless of what type of coolant used. My car has 100k miles on it, always had oem blue coolant, and it crumbled like croutons. Very common for valve cover pieces to get into crankcase when swapping them so that is what my guess is for the mystery particles. Really should take the cam's off and have a look at cam ledges + change valve seals. Pinned crankhub is also a very good idea, especially while motor is out. Lots of people tend to ignore these issues, and they WILL bite you eventually. You are 100% correct, once you open the motor, can very easily turn into a very expensive and time consuming can of worms lol...but if the motor is out and on a stand...you might as well!

[@ryanmolloy5421]

How do you recommend going about pinning the crank hub? I know they make backer plates to it also to keep the belt from yeeting itself around the crank.

[@sonicnofadz]

@@ryanmolloy5421 not sure what you mean, pinning the hub basically requires you to remove the timing chains, then drill holes into the crank snout (comes with a jig to make sure you drill the holes straight). Then you just re-install the timing chains.

[@ryanmolloy5421]

@@sonicnofadz yeah I'm a ding dong I was thinking of something else. But yeah I know what you're talking about. Do these chains stretch under heavier horsepower or just straight up fail? I recall my evo X had the chain stretch and created a bit of an issue to say the least, only to find out they made an updated chain on later years because of the exact issue.

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

@ryanmolloy5421 in my experience the hub is more likely to slip than the chain stretching. doesn't mean it can't happen, just unlikely. more likely if they've gone far between oil chsnges.

[@karemzahrdein4680]

Nice build man!!! A lot of inspiration and knowledge from this video 👌🏻

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying our content!

[@user-ns4eg9bt4x]

been loving your content bro !

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

Thanks! I always love reading comments like this!

[@friguy4444]

My second time watching this one. I really enjoy watching the very work I tend to end up doing myself in my garage too. LOL.

[@jeremiah7786]

Learned alot thanks for the video

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

anytime!!

[@twitchkillgod2985]

Love to see it i plan on doing my project soon 900+hp

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

awesome! that's quite the build!! the N54 is such a good motor in the right hands.

[@twitchkillgod2985]

@@tony.nextlevelrides more like the right funds 😭😭but im slowly saving every penny for the parts glad to see at least a build will subscribe to keep watching

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

@twitchkillgod2985 awesome. no point rushing it and doing it twice, just need to do it proper the first time!

[@098cpt]

Canadian fellow here. Did my 1st run on my E91 swapped ST a week ago. Then I was confident to go to the exhaust shop to have a single exit for that sweet L6 sound. Annnnd the serpentine belt flew away. got back on a towing. Ive started a post on e90post, feel free to comment !

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

send us the link if you can! I'd be curious to read it. when it rains, it pours. but sunny days aren't far off.

[@098cpt]

can't post a link here , but go on forums e90post, thread is 'Project : Fast Wagen - BMW E91'. My swap is done, but Ill post in series.

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

@@098cpt awesome, I'll look for it!

[@ArticulateArena]

wish I wasn't so severly restricted most of my life. I thought flipping burgers was / being a manager was peak life. Now i'm almost 40 broke and aimless. I got a good priced 128i but now my insurance is more than the car for some reason haha. I want to do upgrades to it for power and for looks. I got it with some mods already and looks insanely good but I can't even do the bare minimum maintenance. I'll never be able to do anything like this to it. I wish I had the childhood of all these people doing stuff like this and even bigger crazier things that make $$$$$$$

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

just gotta keep moving forward try to better yourself daily. you'll get there. I didn't have my 💩 sorted (still barely is) until I was in my mid 30's.

[@PartiBuoy]

oil pan bolts are very misleading being feather light tension as well

[@billyringo2able]

Nice exhaust manifold so sad they dont make it t4...what s the a/r on the exhaust hausing?

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

this one is their T4 upgraded one! the rear AR is 0.67. was hoping for around a 0.82 but they didn't have a housing available.

[@PartiBuoy]

yeah try oil gunning the actuator

[@BrokeMahWallet]

Never knew you had a 1 series 🔥🔥. I just picked one up a month ago n55 variant tho.

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

awesome! I think those came with a DCT? wicked combo!

[@BrokeMahWallet]

@@tony.nextlevelrides Yessir they did! The shifts are next level, can’t wait to put xhp on it in the summer 😆.

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

it's going to get even better!

[@arilamar1]

Should have done rod bearings and upgraded crankhub possibly do timing chain oil pump chain and guides

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

didn't think there was too much of a point. rod bearings isn't a common failure point on them but had I seen some specs or metal in the filter or throughout the motor, I would have done them. at the point of doing all that, I may as well have used the motor in the car and also. done rods and pistons. I'll likely build the motor coming out of the car, I don't think this one will need it. maybe.... hopefully.... *knock on wood*

[@arilamar1]

@@tony.nextlevelrides atleast you have a spare motor lol

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

lmao. I do NOT want to be swapping motors every weekend!

[@arilamar1]

@@tony.nextlevelrides i know that feeling i just did full maintenance on my motor including everything i mentioned and insane crankhub and all seals and went single turbo

[@MaXpeedingRods_Coop]

keep your work !

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

Thanks, will do!

[@quazar1343]

Where in Canada?

[@steen8946]

tbh thought that the video was going to be installing a downpipe and tune

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

if it was an S58, that would have been accurate!

[@PartiBuoy]

I replaced that mickymouse line too mine wasn't green thankfully but it still broke off and I picked it out

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

Yeah 9 times out of 10 the mickymouse is ready to explode and leave you stranded 🤦

[@saulmendez5533]

How is the eBay engine oil cooler doing on the other 335i? Thinking about buying one thanks.

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

it's good, one issue with the o-ring blowing out though, I would recommend getting a multi pack of Viton o-rings and use a larger one than the ones it came with, or even the OEM BMW one's we used. The only other thing is the two 90degree fittings sitting side-by-side, get a -10AN extension fitting so they sit one above the other and you're set!

[@NTromb]

15:59 Why is it a major part like that is plastic and not steel or stainless steel or something like that😢 I mean, obviously, it’s engineered for that but still

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

yeah, I dunno. I can't say I'm smarter than BMW engineers. 😅

[@msalamlaham7129]

How did you buy the On 3 ST kit in Canada? shows that it only ships in the US

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

You need to message them directly for a shipping quote and when you're ready to pull the trigger, you need to give them a call. That's the ONLY way to get it shipped to Canada. Do NOT ship with UPS, only FedEx, duties and fees were MUCH less.

[@msalamlaham7129]

Also what size turbo did you go with? Super excited for this build!!

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

it's a dual ceramic ball bearing 6466 from ON3 with the billet wheel. the car should make some good power!

[@friguy4444]

@@tony.nextlevelridesTotally! I'm fed up with UPS! They always charge big extra fees after the purchase has been bought and paid for. Even with the seller including all fees that they find that should effect us in Canada in the price of shipping. Then UPS sends you a message (Yes it's really UPS not a scammer) TELLING YOU THAT IF YOU WANT YOUR ITEMS THEN YOU MUST PAY more DUTY or tax OR FEES OF SOME KIND! It doesn't matter where you buy from in the USA either. It's all UPS's doing. If ANY other shipping company ships it then there's no extra fees.

[@msalamlaham7129]

@@tony.nextlevelrides I am only seeing a JB 6466 on their website, did you have to custom order?

[@JamesDean-rx6wy]

ZA DOM!👊 From Australia

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

Hvala vam!

[@ti_totheger6063]

The Front facing intake manifold, any reason why you choose that over the stock location? I’ve read that FF has a better top end power but worse mid range. Was planning on running one when I go down the port injection route. Just got a single turbo. Want to keep the engine from blowing thinking having that reduced torque mid range is better plus you get a good bit or air flow top end. Just wondering your thoughts

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

ifs hard to say, some have better mid range, some better top end. I bought it with the port setup, PR coils, etc as a package used. it does look better but being a bmp manifold, should add a bit mid range and top end. you only notice the difference between manifolds when you turn it up quite a bit with a single turbo, otherwise there's no point in using it. the oem style is more than fine. our e92 is using an oem style and still makes tons of good power.

[@ti_totheger6063]

@@tony.nextlevelrides yeah I’m in stock location now, thinking of going FF when I spend the money for port but since I just got a single turbo I’m gonna wait for a while. Trying to be in the 10s this summer at my local drag strip. At least that’s the hope.

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

yeah, sounds like a FF manifold would be a good choice for you. everything I got with the manifold came at the cost of judt buying the manifold separately. plus, it looks so damn good.

[@mexicointentfilms725]

Is that the deepmotor pi manifold?

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

deep motor? I believe it's the BMP one.

[@The_TURK.]

700hp with stock internals ❤n54 power 💪🔥🔥

[@joshuaquilliam2887]

LOL for a mile or maybe a few hundred miles. I can't even fathom how stupid a big single would be. My 08 xi has pure stage 2 and it's fuckn nuts on just plain ole pump 93. But awd puts it down and doesn't just spin. Our roads are so shitty I have found I can't really even use the power, unless I feel like snapping axles.

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

keep on mind, a big single is easier on the motor than upgraded twins. if you can keep the big spike of torque out of the mid range that you get with upgraded twins, 700hp is plenty possible. of course, it won't ALWAYS be turned up, I'll keep it around 500whp day to day.

[@NTromb]

19:05 Oh man, your dog is so cute. How does he get along with other dogs?

[@arndtcraftrace9522]

@@tony.nextlevelrides as long as you’re not bouncing off the limiter on every shift, for KZbin content… it’ll last a long time. I’m 5 1/2 years on a single 6766 270k mile un opened N54, daily-ing on 700+. Zero issues. Be sensible, let it warm up, keep the RPM below 7k and she’ll live happy.

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

@@arndtcraftrace9522 that's the plan! I don't want to be swapping motors every few weeks like some!

[@NTromb]

All those people are telling you to get a walnut blaster. There’s soda blaster there’s a bunch of different ones but straight up your vehicles your choices. Next time somebody asks you about a walnut blast. You should be like what about Deez Nuts blaster.

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

DEEZ NUTS 🥜😅

[@theradgamerx]

Make it look like 1m clone be prefect 135 lol

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

it would! I might start with the 1M Rep. bumper and keep it narrow body for now. don't want to be doing the rear flares and that just yet.

[@geogeo2551]

Hey brother finally figured out the smoking issue . Wasn’t PCV wasn’t Turbos was The Motor. …

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

WHAT!? what happened? ring? ring land? valve seal?

[@TruBimmer]

Just wanna chime in. I have an N54 at 118k miles. Same thing, hella white smoke, oil consumption. Car still boosts doesn’t throw any codes or misfires. I think it’s rings or something

[@TruBimmer]

Check out 335i Carlos I believe something similar happened to him too. Super weird. I was upgraded turbo pi tho

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

I saw the video, his seems like a tune related issue since he just changed tuners. If run too aggressive it can crack a ring or crack a ring land. should show up on a compression test. one cylinder would likely be at least 50psi down.

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

one way to test if tis blowby (ring, ring land, etc) is to open the oil cap and look for smoke. raise the idle with cap off and see if it worsens or pulses, that's a bad sign.

[@dreamstasis5672]

Plz run a quality meth/port system. ring lands will cook eventually if no meth. Also rod bearings.

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

I mean, the BMS port controller may spray in batch but it only sprays at higher RPM to supplement the direct injection system. it should be fine. are you referencing motiv to use?

[@RickJames-qz8vt]

I have owned a 335i for 2 weeks and I realize why everyone says they're unreliable. you half ass everything. Fix it right while its out? Its more expensive to do things the cheap way twice than the expensive way once.

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

exactly! it's a rough lesson to learn.

[@GamerFit86]

surgery for the ex :)

[@dreamcar5426]

Why pull the engine if you're not going to do a complete rebuild on the car you plan on keeping

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

it didn't need it. like opening a can of worms, didn't want to fall down the rabbit hole.

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

oh, it's also a replacement engine. not the original. the original is getting rebuilt if it's needed.

[@exiteternium]

this guy seems to hate his life choices, yet he keeps making the same ones. also, you spun the engien backwards, the ding is the tensioner taking the slack back up and the VANOS gears pinging internally from it as they are dry on oil, spin it clockwise, not counter clockwise. you do this on a timing belt engine like a honda and you can cause severe engine damage by throwing the cam crank phase off on an interference engine ( this is also an interference engine) . and make pistons kiss valves causing all kinds of problems, happens on Eagle Talons too.. know the aftermath of timing jumps on a 4G63 all too well. POS engine..

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

life choices are things to be contemplated, sometimes it ain't that bad. I do tend to learn the hard way, after the first 10 times. lol don't worry, I ensured to only spin it clockwise. I'd never spin it backwards don't worry! I figured it was the vanos gear dinging, nothing to worry about. can't say I have love for the 4G63. 😅

[@exiteternium]

@@tony.nextlevelrides aah the recording looks like your spinning it backwards. maybe i watched it wrong, then again i was also monitoring stuff for work at same time and making glances. all good, you got out the timing kit to verify afterword anyway, Also, could you show the exact location of where the crank holder goes into the block with that timing kit? 50s kid makes mention of it.

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

hmm, I'll have to check. do you mean the one on the flex plate or flywheel?

[@exiteternium]

@@tony.nextlevelrides he shows it as a yellow item about 4 inches long removed from the side of the block let me see if i can get a trimestamp, it's on his video for vanos codes caused by the steel ring seal on the cams.

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

ahh yeah, those damn steel rings. maybe he's talking about pinning the flywheel to confirm TDC. if you email us, or. message on Instagram, I'll send you the picture I took.

[@BmwMe-uh9sy]

its not making 700 plus lol

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

🧢

[@BrokeMahWallet]

This boutta age like fine milk 😶‍🌫️😮‍💨

[@DJZander303]

​@@BrokeMahWalletI guess he missed the "road to" 😂

[@geo335st]

This can make 700+ easy depends on what turbo he got. Either the GT35 or 6466 and full e85 with Pi will get you there at 28-30 psi.

[@tony.nextlevelrides]

it's a dual ceramic ball bearing 6466, I don't think he watched the video though. I did say 700hp too, not 700whp. mind you. I WILL be aiming for the latter. 😎