Things to address ASAP on your BMW E90 - N52 - 3.0L - 3 Series

[@weasel9062]

Things that broke or needed replacing on my 06 325I in the 9 years I've owned it: Water pump and thermostat Power window regulators Ignition coils (spark plugs also) Oil filter housing gasket Drive belt and tensioner pulley Valve cover gasket Door lock actuator Cup holder spring Adaptive headlight malfunction Many of these I did myself. It could also use a new oil pan gasket and transmission fluid change but I'm holding off a bit on that. I changed the rear differential fluid myself, and over the years I've done the rear brakes, new front rotors and brakes, and of course a nee set of rims and several tires... because the guy I got it from put 19 inch wheels on it... never will I buy a car with over 17 inch wheels. I need to fix the angel eyes also. But the headlights themselves are okay.

[@mecheng1977]

Rogue Agent I agree, 19” is too heavy and not good with pot holes, I have oem 17”, I sold the 16” they were too small. I have oil pan gasket weeping but it’s a weeping and not leak so it’s fine for now, it’s a big job

[@weasel9062]

@@mecheng1977 Yes. Dropping the subframe and the oil leak isn't really noticable unless its compared over the course of 3 or 4 months.

[@kingly71]

hey i know this is super old but hoping you'll see this... why no 18" wheels? I can see 19s obviously, but I would've thought 18s would be ok on this car. I bought a 2011 E90 recently and am really enjoying working on it. It's at 105k, no oil burning or loss at all. I do have slight seepage from the oil pan. I've done a few coolant hoses, expansion tank, rear shocks, tie rods, sway bar links. Such a good car if you get a good one and can put in a modicum of work yourself.

[@thecodfather5204]

Thanks for this video, feel comfortable knowing my car at the moment is in good health, my car does have a slow start like in your video and checking on that now

[@mecheng1977]

My starter failed a few months after this video

[@thecodfather5204]

@@mecheng1977 Yeah mines already replaced just recently

[@kingpin16052]

I just replaced my water pump, 160k miles w original pump (2009 pump) N51 engine. was still going strong, but I didn't want to stress about it anymore lol

[@mecheng1977]

kingpin16052 it will show shadow codes when it is getting old no need to replace it unless you get those warning codes

[@kingpin16052]

Zero shadow codes. I’m deploying, leaving it for my wife as a back up car so I didn’t want to chance it... I will say tho, when it kicks on above 3-4K RPM it consistently cools it down nearly 20 degrees better than the old pump did

[@kingpin16052]

Zero shadow codes. I’m deploying, leaving it for my wife as a back up car so I didn’t want to chance it... I will say tho, when it kicks on above 3-4K RPM it consistently cools it down nearly 20 degrees better than the old pump did

[@kingpin16052]

@@mecheng1977 no shadow codes. im about to deploy and leave the car with my wife as a secondary vehicle and be safe about it.... however I will say, since putting the new pump in my coolant temps are anywhere from 5-20 degrees cooler depending on RPM range. im happy

[@nebojsa1976]

@@mecheng1977 Will it trigger check engine light or I have to scan it with special BMW tool?

[@L-Noble.YT_Hi.Res-Soundminds]

Also a problem that happens latter on is a fuel leak that happens on top of the fuel tank because the fuel sender and pump top is plastic and can crack. If you smell fuel then usually if you look under the rear of car you will smell it and see it. To fix it you need to remove the rear sear to get to the part that needs replacing. Also the leak comes close to the exhaust pipes under there.

[@mecheng1977]

LaZaRItOLnObLE M how many miles does this occur?

[@L-Noble.YT_Hi.Res-Soundminds]

@@mecheng1977 I bought the car used with 90,000 miles and found out others have had this happen also. My car is an 08 328i e90.

[@TarekMidani]

3:41 I too weep when my bimmer weeps

[@mecheng1977]

Tarek M good one !

[@AdrianJayeOnline]

try at 1.25 , txs, your welcome

[@acefr8816]

As a 3rd owner of an E90, I think this car is engineered to fail. There are no reasons BMW uses hard plastic parts around the engine that turn brittle and break such as the Coolant Expansion Tank hose that sits on top of radiator, or the plastic connector from the engine block to the thermostat hose. Or a thin gasket in OFH that will leak coolant into engine oil . Or an engine oil pan gasket that leaks on every E90. I am quite handy and fix most of its problems but I can imagine the nightmare this car will give to an average owner.

[@mecheng1977]

But they get the big stuff right like the engine and transmission itself and also the excellent aluminum suspension and excellent corrosion resistance of the body. All car companies are using plastic now and the aftermarket supplies many cheap fixes to these plastic components

[@acefr8816]

@@mecheng1977 Suspension? The struts leaked and the springs are very hard to compress. I do like the handling of my E90, but too many problems to fix.

[@georgipartsalev6193]

Very informative, thank you

[@OneSourceMortgage2877]

Thank you for taking the time to put this together 👍

[@mecheng1977]

Shiva Narine you are welcome

[@nebojsa1976]

I replaced oil pan maybe 5 years ago on 328i from 2008 and it is still weeping, leaking somewhere on the side. Now, I lose 1 liter every 6 months. Not sure if that is leak or just weeping somewhere. But I don't know, I think 1 liter every 6 months is ok. Maybe it is burned. I see not dripping under the car. Still, anyway I have to change oil every 6 months, so I guess it's ok.

[@mecheng1977]

Did you use an oem gasket? If not what brand?

[@nebojsa1976]

@@mecheng1977 No, I didn't do it myself. I took it to BMW specialized shop.

[@doose911]

I have a hundred and eighty-five thousand hundred nine miles on my 06 530i. I'm going to definitely check the water pump. But so far this engine has been going strong. The only thing I needed to do is change the belt tensioner and idle pulley. I just had the whole front end rebuilt. The mechanic said they were all OEM parts. Everything else I did by myself the belt etc. I'm planning on doing the water pump just to prevent any issues. Thanks for the info! I'm having a problem with my n52 engine oil sensor not working. I don't have to have an engine support to replace that correct?

[@mecheng1977]

Gregg well done!

[@L-Noble.YT_Hi.Res-Soundminds]

The sensor can be removed from the bottom of the oil pan if Im not mistaking. Also the sensor has a gasket or seal that you should also replace.

[@joeismissing]

What part of the harness is the fire hazard/recall you were speaking about?

[@mecheng1977]

joe stryke the blower motor. I just had my recall done

[@ShapeShifterMinizen1]

Hey man, im thinking of getting a 2007 E60 with the same engine and around 192,000km, do you think it would be wise to do all of the preventitive maintenance every other oil change or better to address them asap? On day one, i do plan on doing the water pump with thermostat, atf change with filter, coils and plugs, DISA, then the rest later.

[@mecheng1977]

don't touch the wp or thermostat unless it is showing shadow codes. Plugs are good for 160k so check service records before blindly replacing things

[@ShapeShifterMinizen1]

@@mecheng1977 thank you very much for the reply :)

[@leonidascossyphas7707]

Explain how a belt gets sucked into an engine...

[@mecheng1977]

There is a seal on the front crank, it takes out the seal and into the engine it goes.

[@L-Noble.YT_Hi.Res-Soundminds]

Its crazy but hes right it gets tangled on the crank pulley and it has happened. So take care of the oil leaks and replace the belt and tensioner after a couple years for peace of mind.

[@briantii]

Yep... it’s a thing. Belt gets wrapped around the crank pulley and behind it then pushes past the front crank seal. People have found bits in the oil pan and timing chain.

[@foreignexclusives3763]

Put blue coolant only and don’t run your car wit low coolant ever your water pump will last.

[@RandomGuy-ej9gr]

Just sell that piece of junk already. Requires more attention than a new born baby. Ridiculous engineering.

[@mecheng1977]

Its been great, I will never sell this car, even if I buy something newer. It is the last NA- straight six, its much better than the turbo 4.