My New BMW E34 540i/6 Suffered A Very Unusual Engine Failure...M60B40 Failure Analysis

[@disco_volante1062]

M60s have 4 cams and 32 valves in total! When you said it has 16 valves (like American V8s) I was expecting the M60 to come out of the car and slap you!

[@m3nameisjosh464]

@@disco_volante1062 youd think i haven’t built an entire m60 stroker before talking like that🤣🤣🤣 off day filming man, I damaged my mic and my camera, wasn’t at peak performance

[@teamphashash]

That Ferrari looking mighty fine in the background there.

[@m3nameisjosh464]

AHHH Thank you! ;)))

[@viperocco]

Bro, These are allegedly "hard to find" but you are pulling them out of thin air.

[@m3nameisjosh464]

@@viperocco knowing the right people 😇

[@streetinvade]

his middle name is he53

[@m3nameisjosh464]

@@streetinvade 😏

[@viperocco]

@@streetinvade haha

[@viperocco]

@@m3nameisjosh464 got the connects

[@Nash_Benson]

Hey Josh, I know this is random but I really love watching your content. I recently got my BMW E34 for couple packs of Guinness ($43) I’ve had it for about five months and it’s been awesome. I’ve got it running and now I just need to put new tires and new fluids and a new battery in. Also, this is a BMW E34 525i 1990 M20B25 with a five speed GETRAG transmission and it’s been a blast. I’m 17 and I just really like watching your videos. Also I know my BMW is one of the slower ones but I love it and love driving it.

[@m3nameisjosh464]

That is awesome to hear!! Cant beat an E34 in exchange for beer!! Keep on enjoying it man!!

[@Nash_Benson]

@@m3nameisjosh464 yeah thank you very much, keep on making the great content!

[@TimSlee1]

That's the best deal I've ever heard.

[@Nash_Benson]

@@TimSlee1 made sure to get him a good amount of Guinness for that incredible trade because he really just wanted any pack of Guinness I think I either got him a 12 pack and a six pack or a 24 pack

[@greebj]

Dental floss to rotate the boroscope to look at the valves, nice idea. Would be good to see if it had a chip tune that maybe had it run lean

[@m3nameisjosh464]

only deployed the dental floss because I broke the adjuster trying to get it to see the valves LOL. Good idea, wouldn't be surprised if there is a chip

[@francispowell1811]

That was good thinking, Josh.

[@habsom1406]

This is why I love this channel, you're a natural communicator Josh and a wizard when it comes to diagnostics. That e34 is beautiful, I'm drooling! 😍

[@m3nameisjosh464]

Thank you!!!!

[@juancorrea9037]

Showing your troubleshooting skills I see. Nice job and beautifull E34. Reminded me of how I used to be back in the Army with helicopters. Show of my troubleshooting skills all the time, unmatched by none. Can wait to see how it runs when is all fixed. Great work Josh! Never afraid of a challenge.

[@m3nameisjosh464]

Thanks Juan!! Yessir I employed some fo the brain power for this one!! Thank you for your service!!

[@BITTYBOY121]

The head will deffo have to come off ! - no if's or but's - I had this same problem with cylinder 7 bank 2 of an non Vanos M62 B44 v8 that was in my 1998 e39 540i auto - It happened when my MAF failed and it backfired badly when pulling out of a side road... after this my engine had a very bad judder/shake and was only firing on 7 cylinders... I tried everything from swapping plugs, leads and coil packs and even injectors !... still cylinder 7 bank 2 misfire when reading the codes via the OB2 reader... I didn't have a stethoscope so just believed it was a blown head gasket on bank 2 so stripped it down on that side and pulled the head, what I saw was a broken intake valve instead of a blown head gasket... So I bought a MAF and another valve off eBay and some valve seating paste and sorted it - Never had any misfires after that and the engine pulled strong like it normally did... This was in 2013... I have since sold that car and now miss it :( Before that I did have a 1988 E34 535i auto with the straight 6 M30 engine which was also very smooth and great to own...

[@m3nameisjosh464]

Wow these M6x like to destroy valves eh? Ive never had an inline 6 do this. Makes sense for a big backfire to melt a valve away. Will have to investigate other pieces of this puzzle before reinstalling

[@BITTYBOY121]

@@m3nameisjosh464 All the very best of luck mate - Those M30's in the E34's were pretty robust and reliable engines and don't break easily !

[@m3nameisjosh464]

@@BITTYBOY121 absolutely love M30s

[@BITTYBOY121]

@@m3nameisjosh464 Me too ! - Their V8 was a nightmare lol - That M30 B34 I had was 100% reliable and never broke !

[@hamzamohammad351]

I am genuinely happy that this car was saved, im happy it landed in the right hands.

[@m3nameisjosh464]

@@hamzamohammad351 🤝🤝🤝it found the right place for sure

[@torygyberg8837]

Dude, that seven cylinder sounds great!

[@m3nameisjosh464]

Right, it really doesn't sound bad lol

[@liampritchard2853]

Such a beautiful car, glad to see the engine seems ok. We’ll find out during the tear down. I’d love to see more content on this car!!!

[@m3nameisjosh464]

More content on the way with it!!

[@BimmerSourceCA]

Looking forward to this one! I have a dinan supercharger on my low mileage (60k miles) e38. I've been wanting to do a muffler delete until I get the exhaust done. These V8s sound SO nice with just a muffler delete.

[@m3nameisjosh464]

Unlike the inline 6s yes these v8s sound amazing!

[@DocMackGarage]

That is a very good buy. Possibly someone in the past rotated the engine by hand with a screw driver in the cylinder . Just my guess . But 271k miles is insane .

[@m3nameisjosh464]

Anything is possible!! At 271k she has been enjoyed!

[@brenden0311]

Excited to see how this one plays out!

[@m3nameisjosh464]

@@brenden0311 me too after many labor hours

[@rodri7000]

Love that body / rims color combo! 😍

[@m3nameisjosh464]

@@rodri7000 same!!

[@streetinvade]

luv the m60 content

[@m3nameisjosh464]

Its become a regular on the channel!

[@KAS470]

I love “best worst case” scenarios like this. Like what are the odds it would fly right out of the exhaust and everything else got away unscathed. Unless it was a slow process and bits and pieces just fell off slowly over time

[@m3nameisjosh464]

Right?!! so crazy. Even if it was piece by piece, anything at all getting thrown around in cylinder would damage it, so its astonishing to look so good.

[@berwhaletheavenger]

It's the exhaust valve that's gone. It happens. A white 540i 6sp with those Style 32's looks good. The wheel colour is sweet as well as the light tan trim. You've done a 4.4 - now it's time for a 4.6 😀👍

[@m3nameisjosh464]

@@berwhaletheavenger im trying to find a 4.6!!! Not easy:((

[@SmellsLikeGASOLINE]

Actually that's not so unusual. I know several m60 that had the same problem. I had one as well (730i e38)

[@SmellsLikeGASOLINE]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/bqebhKxsg7t2mMUsi=h66rfxZUX6cxKLYW&t=330

[@m3nameisjosh464]

@@SmellsLikeGASOLINE wow!

[@nokizorque]

I've seen the same happen on an M52. The valve was chipped, the piece was nowhere to be found and no compression on cylinder 5. Best of luck my friend.

[@m3nameisjosh464]

@@nokizorque thank you sir!

[@Lars-xl6lv]

The best BMW I've ever owned is an e34 540i. Utterly brilliant cars. Reliable, economical, grunts comfortable. Just a great all rounder.

[@m3nameisjosh464]

@@Lars-xl6lv agreeed!!

[@TimSlee1]

Are they reliable though? They sell for really cheap here in Australia and I should know that any remotely interesting car here costs a fortune.

[@m3nameisjosh464]

@@TimSlee1 i think they are very reliable

[@TimSlee1]

@@m3nameisjosh464 They might be a hidden gem then. Everything else in this country has been spoiled by clout-chasers.

[@Lars-xl6lv]

@TimSlee1 hell yes. I'm from New Zealand mate. Ive owned an e39 540,a 545i..both lemons, the early 540 is bulletproof....just make sure the Trans is OK as most down here are automatic.

[@LiquidChild99]

Looks like a burnt exhaust valve to me, happens from running lean, so I would get the fuel injectors and AFR tested. The reason there isn't a chunk of valve in the cylinder is because it was burned away.

[@m3nameisjosh464]

@@LiquidChild99 brilliant! Thank you!!!

[@dadonaftermath899]

Ola Josh, let's go and open the motor with us and see how bad or better it is. I would love to see it.

[@m3nameisjosh464]

@@dadonaftermath899 will open it up in next episode!

[@mikesphoenix_e46m3]

Ive seen this happen a few times over the years can it not happen from the engine over fueling running lean and getting hot ps great job josh btw looking forward to more contents on this

[@m3nameisjosh464]

Likely an underfueling issue to cause this!

[@BROOKLYNSPEED]

Thats a broken exhaust valve. Bad fuel mixture, bad oil seals, or if previously they worked on the head and put used set of valves that could do it too. You should def do a stroker and throw some cams on it 🤌

[@m3nameisjosh464]

Thanks for the input bro!!!

[@TimSlee1]

These sell suspiciously cheap here in Australia, I thought they'd have been more sought-after because they have a V8 and seemed like an alternative to the much more expensive M5. But after looking up the problems that engine has I realized what was up.

[@m3nameisjosh464]

@@TimSlee1 m60 is much more “reliable” and cheaper to own than an S38..

[@TimSlee1]

@@m3nameisjosh464 Yet another thing I didn't know till now. All it would need is a suspension upgrade and it'd be almost as fun to drive as an M5 I'd recon.

[@Stompychann]

He53 🙌

[@SasquatchLurks]

You should raffle these e34s

[@m3nameisjosh464]

@@SasquatchLurks ive thought about it man! But worry if the demand will be there!

[@lorantnagy4336]

There is no way to change a valve without the head coming off!

[@m3nameisjosh464]

@@lorantnagy4336 DUH, it has to slide down hahah, idk what I was thinking

[@quattrofrank]

just need to make a inspection hole it the cylinder wall to take it out :D

[@BITTYBOY121]

@@quattrofrank lol

[@m3nameisjosh464]

@@quattrofrank LMAOO

[@Prof_CS]

Dio you consider selling this beauty when you fix it, or you'd keep it for yourself? Love your content, Josh! Greetings from a fellow Eastern European 520 user here! 👋

[@m3nameisjosh464]

Thank you!! This likely won't be a long time keeper but will certainly enjoy it!

[@justusjade9870]

hey josh, love your work :) i've got an alpine white e34 m20b25 with red leather interiour myself (love that combo) and i wonder what those rims on yours are? :O

[@m3nameisjosh464]

@@justusjade9870 lovely combo!! These are style 32 wheels painted gold

[@justusjade9870]

@@m3nameisjosh464 love the muscular look the create. The m20 is a little too small for a 5 series, you said that in one of your videos and its true. But i like the raspy sound and its fun to drive quick with a manual :) im actually considering an upgrade.. package would involve chiptuning, sports camshaft and headers. makes about 25 hp and 18 Nm, i feel like thats just the right amount to live it up. Would be done by an experienced, highly professional company here in Germany. Would you do something like that or just keep it stock? And if its not an yes or no answer for you, nevermind haha. I find it amazing that you find the time to get over every comment.. keep up the great work josh! Greetings from Berlin :)

[@m3nameisjosh464]

@ i agree, a manual car driven quick is fun regardless of engine hp!! Honestly I think that is a lot of work and expenses for the hp gain. Camshaft involves removing the cylinder head, which basically removes half the engine, at that point a M50 swap would be about just as much work.

[@justusjade9870]

@@m3nameisjosh464 okay, i just keep it stock for now :D

[@grapeape780]

My '94 m50 had a bad exhaust valve in cyl. 2 that looked very similar. A 360 cam on the bore scope would be slick.

[@m3nameisjosh464]

Not sure why they don't have 360 cam! lol

[@christopherdow5755]

I had an exhaust valve burn and chip off and blow out, it stumbled but no engine noise.

[@m3nameisjosh464]

@@christopherdow5755 lucky)

[@clayp.e30_v86]

Trust me, m60b44 frankenmotor is well worth it in the right chassis. Yes rhe e34 is a chunk heavier than an e30, but lighter than the e31... My e30 ate an f80 m3 up our locak link road with my frankenmotor.!! His face was a picture 😂

[@m3nameisjosh464]

DUDEEE Your making me excited!! That sounds awesome!!

[@clayp.e30_v86]

​@m3nameisjosh464 do yourself a favour though. If you're gunna make another, give it some mods to help it. 6 kilo lightened flywheel, a nice pair of 4 to 1 stainless manifolds, 3.15 dif, I used the lighter lifters from vw range (exactly the same dimensions just lighter) but keep the dual valve springs. I run mine on standalone so fully tunable. No maf sensor, 2 wide band lambda sensors instead of the factory narrow band sensors. Runs a map sensor T'd into thr fuel reg vac line... I went from m60b40 directly to this and I can definitely feel how much stringer she is 💪 😎 Lookig forward to the vids mate 😎

[@m3nameisjosh464]

@@clayp.e30_v86 great idea, definitely hoping to mod this one further!!

[@slightlypermafried]

Looks like a burnt exhaust valve to me. Maybe it was from a bad hydraulic lifter running too tight but I haven't seen it yet, I always got a loose one that ticks sometimes. Would reckon it's from too much carbon deposits and not closing all the way. Redone several BMW heads and they've had a lot of carbon build up on the exhaust valves. Just my guess I just went thru a misfire issue after changing my valve cover gasket. Sounded pretty good, throwing random CEL. Hard to tell on these v8s lol. Easy to burn one without noticing much

[@m3nameisjosh464]

Agreed man, super hard to tell. They run smooth even on 7!

[@carolinacars739]

Man, that exhaust (or lack of it) may sound nice, but I'd imagine it would get pretty tiresome just cruising after 10-20 mins...

[@m3nameisjosh464]

@@carolinacars739 Extremely tiresome. Going to remuffler it🤣

[@Watches.Nicholas]

Hey I’ve been watching your videos and thought about getting a 94 530i do you think it would be a good first car or are they not too reliable thanks for the great content.

[@m3nameisjosh464]

I think it would be a good first car. Fun, but not Dangerous fun. Reliable engines for sure, unless of course this happens!

[@kevinlogan2306]

The exhaust valves are usually the smaller valves

[@m3nameisjosh464]

Not sure why I had this mixed up!

[@JY-vr8ok]

Check intake for broken things and injector,”plastics are the future my boy” from the graduate movie!! Aluminum is basically plastic metal it just cost more! Stick with what works! Please engineers! “But it’s high temp plastic” it’s still going to degrade with heat just like metal just way faster!!

[@Nino_E34]

Another One ✅

[@m3nameisjosh464]

YESSIRR

[@Agent-mw8th]

I had this car back in the day i need one back , E34 is an addiction if you know you know , looking for one if anyone got a solid unmolested example LFG

[@m3nameisjosh464]

Someone get this man another E34!!!!

[@takpak1]

Seems like lean mixture and burned valve issue

[@m3nameisjosh464]

@@takpak1 yup seeing as thats an exhaust valve thats definitely the issue.

[@mtechnic325]

this valve burned out, it was not mechanically damaged, it must have been going on for a long time, it must have been something to do with the fuel mixture being too lean.Repair shouldn't be a problem, luckily :)

[@m3nameisjosh464]

@@mtechnic325 ahhh okay. I wonder what the tune was like on car. Ive never witnessed this issue on a BMW engine before.

[@nikkosx]

what type of boroscope do you use? would you recommend it for someone looking to use it for similar purposes?

[@m3nameisjosh464]

Its an Amazon one I borrowed from a friend and then broke it, so can't say I think highly of it! lol

[@oLDwASHEDuPsKATERS]

I vote stroker. Do it!

[@aydinkov]

V8 worth to saving

[@icecactus11]

Where do you find these bmw

[@m3nameisjosh464]

@@icecactus11 this came from a person ive worked with before!

[@icecactus11]

@@m3nameisjosh464 yeah I heard in the video I’m talking about in general are there any websites you’d recommend?

[@m3nameisjosh464]

@@icecactus11 usually facebook groups

[@NaiJerd]

is a n46 reliable?

[@m3nameisjosh464]

@@NaiJerd never heard of it

[@KAS470]

Man I’m boutta sell my e36 and get a e34 540i

[@m3nameisjosh464]

I like where your heads at!

[@johnmcanulty7341]

Was going to stay on to see if you were going to remove the intake valve w/o pulling the head - going to unsub now, bye.

[@m3nameisjosh464]

No come back!

[@shihabaldien2496]

Hi ..I need project car e34 540 if you interested to help I.m from Africa we love you.

[@AlloyworksOfficial]

Hi Friend, Your vids are awesome! This is Alloyworks! We specialize in the production of automotive radiators, heat exchangers, and cooling system components. We're wondering if we could collaborate. Would you like to put our products to the test and review them on your channel?

[@lancecooper4646]

That's a burnt exhaust valve 👍

[@m3nameisjosh464]

@@lancecooper4646 ahhh okay. Makes sense. Not sure why I thought exhaust valves were the bigger ones.