Pulling The N52 Engine OUT! Unbolting the Transmission, Exhaust & Intake! [N52 Engine Swap Part 3]

👉UP NEXT: Part 4: • Full Teardown / Disass...
After fully rebuilding our oil drinking BMW N52 engine, its time to swap out the old engine and put in the new one. In this video we take a look at how to disconnect the transmission, exhaust, intake and a few other bits. And then we take out our old engine! Please remember to disconnect the battery and be careful when removing all the plugs, relays and other connectors. They are brittle and can break easily... if that happens, it won't be an easy fix!
🧰THE BEST ENGINE OILS
bmw-repairs.co...
☕Was the video helpful? Buy Me A Coffee and support the channel: www.buymeacoff...
---------------------------------------------------------------
✅ Follow Me Here For More Behind The Scenes:
✔️ / buildanddrive_
✔️ / buildanddrive9
✔️vm.tiktok.com/...
✔️ / buildanddrive
----------------------------------------------------------------
▶️ How To Maintain Your BMW [Easy DIY Tutorials]: • DIY BMW Maintenance Se...
▶️ BMW N52 Rebuild Playlist here: • [DIY] How To Rebuild a...
▶️How To Swap an N52 Engine Playlist: • [DIY] How To Swap A BM...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
🤙If any of this info was helpful, consider subscribing for more videos like these and dropping a like to help get these videos in front of other e90 owners. Hopefully they can help someone else!
🧰 Helpful Tools:
Engine Crane: geni.us/Il9CO9
Engine Leveler: geni.us/BadJ7
Engine Stand: geni.us/pPI0b
Torque Wrench: geni.us/bAgBoG
Entire Torx Kit: geni.us/BEoJv
🧰Other Tools:
Torque Angle Gauge: geni.us/HJZW4
Compression Tester: geni.us/XtfQEh
Coil Spring Compressor Tool: geni.us/x8dxgj
Valve Spring Compressor Tool: geni.us/FJ0h4sw
Valve Stem Seal Pliers: geni.us/qycuuwg
T50 3/8 Inner Torx: geni.us/Clwen
T60 3/8 Inner Torx: geni.us/BLKMqXK
5/16 3/8 Bit Holder: geni.us/tOXVI
3/8 Extensions: geni.us/tqaAFL
N52, N53 N54 Timing Tool kit : geni.us/3xtCv
----------------------------------------
🧰THE BEST OILS
Liqui Moly 5w40: geni.us/lS4Nnc
Castrol 0w40: geni.us/IsqSaW
Mann Hummel HU816x Oil Filter: geni.us/K6uhXr
Oil filter tool: geni.us/uWvPm8
👉Other Oils
Liqui Moly 0w40: geni.us/phAa
Liqui Moly 5w30: geni.us/Ae1hMBL
Motul 5w40: geni.us/0NO525
Mobil 1 0w40: geni.us/cFPI (North America only)
Meguin 5w40: geni.us/W3NkcU (Europe Only)
Mann Hummel HU816x Oil Filter: (3 pack) geni.us/ty8N1Wc
🔧Basic Maintenance:
BMW Radiator Antifreeze/Coolant: geni.us/xUPN
Pentosin CHF 11S: geni.us/RXNUu8
Differential Gear Oil: geni.us/Qfai9w1
Spark Plugs NGK 5987: geni.us/PK1UmsH
Spark Plugs BOSCH Platinum: geni.us/Slow
Spark Plug Tool: geni.us/oMUe2
🔧Best Brake Fluid to Use!
ATE Type 200 Brake Fluid: geni.us/A4n1kl
Prestone DOT4 Brake Fluid: geni.us/9dLk70
Motul RBF600 Brake Fluid: geni.us/HFP7
Brake Fluid Tester: geni.us/hsoUx6
🧰Other Tools:
Torque Angle Gauge: geni.us/HJZW4
Compression Tester: geni.us/XtfQEh
Coil Spring Compressor Tool: geni.us/x8dxgj
Valve Spring Compressor Tool: geni.us/FJ0h4sw
Valve Stem Seal Pliers: geni.us/qycuuwg
Engine Crane: geni.us/Il9CO9
Engine Leveler: geni.us/BadJ7
Engine Stand: geni.us/pPI0b
Disclaimer: If you would like to support the channel, use the Amazon Affiliate links provided. There is no additional charge to you but as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Always shop around for a better price! But thank you for supporting the Build and Drive Channel.
This video is for entertainment purposes only. Build And Drive assumes no liability for any repairs or modifications performed by the viewer as a result of the information contained in this video.
Music By DJ Grumble / Streambeats.com
Disclaimer: If you would like to support the channel, use the Amazon Affiliate links provided. There is no additional charge to you but as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Always shop around for a better price! But thank you for supporting the Build and Drive Channel.
This video is for entertainment purposes only. Build And Drive assumes no liability for any repairs or modifications performed by the viewer as a result of the information contained in this video.
Music By DJ Grumble / Streambeats.com

[@losidude11]

dude u have no idea how much ur videos saved my life. literaly as i was on my way to my shop to install an lsd on my e90 330i manual i get a low oil presure light :/ but watching you do this gave me the confidence to do this on my own. thank u dude.

[@buildanddrive]

So glad the videos helped. I was also learning along the way. How did your engine swap go?

[@YourBuddyKeith]

Props to you for putting this video out there... I'll be embarking on this journey soon

[@buildanddrive]

its a ton of work. hope the videos can help you plan in advance what you need. Good luck1

[@computerboetiek]

you are a very determined man on a mission... respect... no pain no gain

[@buildanddrive]

Thanks man! We're gonna go all the way with this! 💪🏼😂 Hopefully these videos can help others to fix their cars!

[@antonijestanisa8565]

Got my n52 out today man! Once again, thanks to your videos. Watching your series as I go

[@buildanddrive]

Let's goooooo!!!!

[@Thejohnmyster69]

Does the transmission have to come out ?

[@patrickcharest2050]

Damn you are awesome and very patient to do that in your driveway!! I am a mechanic and i won't have the patience to do that without my car lift and the torches

[@buildanddrive]

Yep... There are many challenges to doing this in a driveway but it can be done The whole swap took me a long time but it will be worth it in the end (hopefully) 😂. Where is your shop? You are lucky to have access to all the tools in the world! 🙌🏼

[@patrickcharest2050]

My shop is at a canadian tire near montreal and yes i am very lucky! I can take it there and borrow a lift for few hours and it costs me nothing ahah

[@buildanddrive]

Just remember... There is no such thing as "as few hours" when working on a BMW 😅🇨🇦

[@patrickcharest2050]

I totally agree with you on that point 🤣🤣 but it is not my own garage so i can't let it sit there forever ahaha but when i supercharged my n52 i did a lot of maintenance and mods while i was there and the car sat there 4 days but i was not working on that week so i worked on my car all days ahah

[@buildanddrive]

Send me photos of your build on Instagram. Would love to see how you supercharged it💪🏼

[@frxa2739]

Dude you have a great lady. What a project! Thanks for your vids.

[@buildanddrive]

I do. She is the best. Hope these vids can you help you keep your car on the road!

[@frxa2739]

@@buildanddrive yes it's so informative 👌. Having a marathon watching it all

[@buildanddrive]

I really appreciate it!!! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 I tried to make the videos useful for others so thanks for watching 👍🏼

[@bassamabdelnabi3117]

Awesome thanks so much for sharing this. Respect to you for hiding your wife picture. You are a good man. Please continue to do great things

[@buildanddrive]

Yes, I want to help my fellow e90 owners with everything I've learned on this car but don't want to share our faces. 🙏🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@4twny]

Spray exhaust bolts with blaster. Let sit for 24 hrs. Spray again. Comes right off. Couldnt even see my threads till i did this. Love ya vids tho man. Nice job 💪

[@buildanddrive]

Thanks dude! I tried everything, just cutting them off would have saved me 4 hours 😂

[@4twny]

@@buildanddrive 🤣 i can see how that could happen for sureeeee

[@buildanddrive]

@@4twny I had to even ride my bike and hour and back to buy the angle grinder from the hardware store 😂😂😂

[@tonyalfaro4123]

Good job, i just got mine out last week. I discovered a broken bolt in my oil pan while replacing the oil pan gasket. Luckily its not from the oil pump so now the search begins to find out where it came from.......

[@buildanddrive]

Send me a photo on Instagram of the broken bolt and I'll take a look too

[@GautamKumar-cr7tw]

Removing those exhaust nuts are a pain in the butt. I had to pull my exhaust off when I refreshed my transmission and transfer case fluid because of the long bolt that holds the transfer case on. The bolts on the exhaust seemed to be one part with the pipes, it's either they are designed that way or they just rusted on. I had a little more space because I have a quick jack

[@buildanddrive]

It took me 4 hours and 2 trips to the hardware store to remove the 4 bolts on the downpipe. You should plan to cut them off and just buy new hardware. I couldn't get at the manifold bolts so I just took out the headers with the engine lol

[@dilloncarter3800]

How much oil was it drinking? N52 engines are notorious for this. My money is on gunked up or burnt up piston rings.

[@buildanddrive]

The pistons rings are low tension rings so once they start burning oil, there is no reviving them like on other engines. I got my car and it was burning at 1L/1000kms and went all the way down to 1L/300kms 😅

[@John-yz8dp]

Seemed like a lot of oil on the air intake. I guess the new CCV didn't make much difference. Or was it just residual oil from before the change?

[@buildanddrive]

I think this CCV system wasn't designed very well in the first place. It always seems to collect some oil in the intake over time... Even with the new cvv system installed

[@vincentwang5189]

I may have missed it, but how are you connecting the crane to the rear part of the engine??

[@buildanddrive]

Through the starter hole.

[@vincentwang5189]

@@buildanddrive thanks! I’m actually pulling my n52 right now, your videos have been a great help!!

[@buildanddrive]

Good luck 🤞

[@ThisReckless]

So couple things, I am about to get a 330xi with a seized motor. It’s too clean to say no. Is there a way to test if the seize is the starter or the clutch/flywheel/transmission? Also looking back, would you have just keep the transmission in the car, and does the exhaust headers have to come off?

[@buildanddrive]

Yes, take out the plugs first and see if any are smashed. Then you know the timing is off. You could also try to bump the starter or just remove it. Take it out of gear, remove the serpintine belt and put a 22mm socket on the crank bolt with a breaker bar to see if it spins.

[@RitvarsLuza]

Why did you take out the intake manifold, can't you take put the engine with that intake still being attached? Can you explain it?

[@buildanddrive]

The mounting point for the engine hoist is at the starter. You need to remove the intake to access this mounting point.

[@RitvarsLuza]

@@buildanddrive gotcha, so you have to remove it in order to access the motor mount.

[@buildanddrive]

The mounting point to lift the engine and the engine mount are two different things

[@buildanddrive]

Watch this entire video for removing an n52. You can see the mounting points at @34:19 kzbin.info/www/bejne/maeVYpisqruobKc

[@OD99C]

How long did this take you? Like total hours or full days? I've done many engine swaps, this seems real easy to me because you can remove the front end, in cars where it's part of the unibody it's really frustrating pulling it out with the trans.

[@buildanddrive]

The engine swap itself or the rebuild?

[@OD99C]

@@buildanddrive Just the swap, I'm not competent enough to rebuild an N52 yet.

[@buildanddrive]

The swap was easy enough 😅. Maybe 30-40 hours spread out over several weeks. I had to wait for a bunch of parts that I didn't know I needed. I was on a budget so I didn't replace alot of stuff and rolled the dice with some things. If you are ONLY doing a swap, you should first work on the engine you are swapping in. Like changing oil pan gasket, front/rear main seals etc. Are you going to reuse your water pump/thermostat or get a new one etc.? Then when you have your old engine out, you can change the engine mounts, AC drier, transmission seals (like the shifter seal is tough in the car) clutch, release bearing, upgrade the release form pivot to a brass fitting etc. You should make a budget for this and decide what you want to swap over and have it all ready to go. I know it's a lot to think about and it does cost $$$

[@OD99C]

@@buildanddrive I'm just sourcing things right now. I know I'll need to swap so would rather have everything lined up. I'm definitely changing all accessories, new pump etc. Might keep A/C, where I live it's not needed so if it stops working it won't be a biggie as long as bearing doesn't seize up. I'm sort of on a tight budget too, I rarely use the car so don't want to dump money if I don't have to.

[@kapilapatikiriachchige7658]

Other thing is don't use too thin oil, that cause oil burn.

[@buildanddrive]

What oil do you recommend?

[@-Clique]

Can I ask why you didn't leave the transmission in the car and just pull the bell housing bolts?

[@buildanddrive]

They are really tough to get at, you have to lower the trans anyway. I wanted to replace the seals on the trans, clutch etc. So I tore it all out

[@-Clique]

@@buildanddrive alright I got ya. I gotta motor swap an auto for a customer so I wasn't sure what the best way was

[@buildanddrive]

You can leave the trans in, especially if you have a lift and some good tools

[@-Clique]

@@buildanddrive that's what I had planned to do I don't have a lift yet but I got a 1 bay shop I just opened up so I'm saving up for a lift any tips for getting to the top bell housing bolts? I would guess long extension and a u joint

[@buildanddrive]

Yes, you will have to lower the trans from the bracket, so support it with a jack or something. Then you can get at the bolts at the top of the engine with a long extension

[@noscopeguy3789]

in descrition it says part 4 is here but its private video xD

[@buildanddrive]

I changed the setting... Try again

[@noscopeguy3789]

@@buildanddrive thanks !

[@bal4cars]

wow

[@buildanddrive]

Yes

[@michaelrios2045]

Any tips to just removing the transmission ??

[@buildanddrive]

Yes, unbolt it and it will drop out 😆😆😆. Use a lift or a transmission jack.

[@josephhawley]

Dude it's a fucking nightmare without a hoist. I have a trans jack, but you would be better off having like 2-3 people lifting and muscling the Trans in there with someone up top to direct it on. Or just pull the whole motor an trans together. (Easier) because mounting the trans to the bell housing is near impossible on jackstands lol. I did an automatic 335i by myself luckily, but the N52 330xi manual is fucking dumb.

[@mach275]

hey man! i wanted ask if i pull the trans off the motor, will i mess up the timing of the motor? i’m selling my motor but they don’t want trans. someone else told me that i need to remove it correctly if i don’t want the timing to jump?

[@buildanddrive]

Pulling the trans won't mess up the timing

[@mach275]

@@buildanddrive alright alright thank you! now to move this dam chicken out the way! lol

[@mach275]

@@buildanddrive got it off! motor block and head only sold for $800 with no trans! thank you !

[@mach275]

Alright any tips or what to avoid when pulling the motor besides what’s in the video. I plan to scrap my car and need to remove the whole drive train. Quick stat. Should I just cut the wires to the motor to speed up the process or is the engine bay harness worth a pretty penny. (09 328i) I have no exhaust no cats so it might a little easier to wiggle it out but I’ll still remove the driver side motor mount plate.

[@buildanddrive]

I would keep the harness in tact, it doesnt take too much time to disconnect it all.

[@mach275]

@@buildanddrive Hey thanks for your respond. Will I be able to pull it with the upper intake manifold still attached?

[@mach275]

@@buildanddrive I think the harness can be disconnected from the firewall?

[@buildanddrive]

You will need to remove the intake to get at. The hook at the back of the motor next to the starter in order to attach the chain

[@mach275]

@@buildanddrive gotcha!! Thank you so much!

[@jeffreygrullon2962]

Where are your boys when you need them? You don’t need them when your wife got your back. When you said whoever designed this has to be an idiot when removing the intake manifold I could only think after BMW hearing this over and over and still not doing anything confirms it. They need to pick up something from the Japanese. Maybe if they are on the verge of losing the business they will.

[@buildanddrive]

Yes, it looks as if the CCV under the intake was a quick last minute thought to get emissions into control rather than design something easier to access. Wifes got my back! Lol

[@scorps-hl8ue]

Fuck soon I'll be doing the same thing and I'm not looking forward to this hell no I wish I had a car hoist how much easier that would be

[@buildanddrive]

Why are you doing this soon? I wouldn't look forward to it again either, too many things go wrong and it takes alot of time... and i was in my driveway which proved many challenges.

[@jordantaylor5557]

All of this just to replace the harness for the ignition coils? something seems a bit too much here. :(

[@buildanddrive]

I don't understand. The engine is totaled.

[@bobturnbull18]

Interestingly enough, the harness for the ignition coils is going back into the car, just on a different engine.

[@brandencat5628]

Divorce the pessimist. If your girl cannot rally behind you and ha e your back and give you courage she's useless as a women. The whole time you hear her co.plaining amd whining. "I don't know how your ever gonna get that back together"

[@buildanddrive]

🤣