my 24v build, slightly different than the norm. Now with dyno numbers!

[Wanganstyle]

I definitely dont have a deep checkbook, but the problem in "round 1" was me. I removed myself from the equation.

AFAIK the timeserts are a factory recommendation. The Incorrect pistons were never installed and Ive been assured from TMS, more than once, that the pistons I have are correct. The assembly snafu was all me, and Im not involved in any of the assembly this time. Just paying for it. literally, and figuratively... again, time will tell. It will have a nice "shakedown" run soon after its done because I will be driving it from Seattle, to SoCal. I guess I do have balls of titaniurm

There you go; Balls of titanium.

Best of luck; if you can have it dyno'ed before you set off on your trip it may settle some mental doubts.

[2mAn]

I definitely dont have a deep checkbook, but the problem in "round 1" was me. I removed myself from the equation.

AFAIK the timeserts are a factory recommendation. The Incorrect pistons were never installed and Ive been assured from TMS, more than once, that the pistons I have are correct. The assembly snafu was all me, and Im not involved in any of the assembly this time. Just paying for it. literally, and figuratively... again, time will tell. It will have a nice "shakedown" run soon after its done because I will be driving it from Seattle, to SoCal. I guess I do have balls of titaniurm

[Wanganstyle]

Know the feeling all too well. It'll be worth it in the end. At least you're getting to do this exactly the way you want.

IF it runs reliably. BIG IF at this point; only time will tell.

Block that has been thread inserted.
+aftermarket pistons (that were wrong once)
+prior assembly / spun bearing snafu failure. ......

And then the round 2 of fight by the same members that caused round 1 results.

Very Scary equation to be calculating the odds on.

OP has some balls of titanium or a really deep check book.

[e30austin]

Its tough, this whole thing has cost me thousands more than my "worst case scenario." I hate debt and I have debt now because of this. I keep reminding myself that this has happened to me before and everytime I do an in-depth build this happens and I end up selling the car and getting something less.Happened with my 8v turbo rabbit, my turbo diesel jetta coupe. Sold both to get out of debt and both cars are out there still running strong. I've regretted selling both, and I know I will regret selling this, if that happens.

The good news is that I've resisted buying another car.

trying to keep my eyes on the prize and dream about the day Im driving this car. :zzz:

Know the feeling all too well. It'll be worth it in the end. At least you're getting to do this exactly the way you want.

[2mAn]

I hear ya, and the lessons Ive learned so far is
#1 go OEM as far as possible.
why? the MM bearings were just a waste of money, I wont get to test if they are as good as they were claimed, but either way an unnecessary expense for what I was building. The pistons, I dont regret, because OEM BMW would've cost $300/ piston (more than 2x as much) and werent in the US. as it stands right now, the pistons are the only thing thats not OEM.

#2 let the experts do everything, or nothing.
why? a big fiasco has been the timeserts. I was nervous and never comfortable doing it so I should've kept myself out of that, but in order to save a few bucks I did what I thought I could and it ended up costing me a TON more down the road.

#3 no timelines should be expected with these types of builds
why? It just adds to the frustration when things go wrong and most of the time something will happen that will push back deadlines

#4 keep your eye on the prize
why? all the stress has taken the fun out of the build. this is supposed to be enjoyable and this has been far from it. I never get good news from the guys and when I do its immediately followed by something bad. I have been trying to stay focused on what this car will be when its done and that has helped me through the process. this E30 will be exactly the way I want it. light, powerful, balanced and a fruition of my vision.

[Wanganstyle]

I'm trying, I'm trying...



Its tough, this whole thing has cost me thousands more than my "worst case scenario." I hate debt and I have debt now because of this. I keep reminding myself that this has happened to me before and everytime I do an in-depth build this happens and I end up selling the car and getting something less.Happened with my 8v turbo rabbit, my turbo diesel jetta coupe. Sold both to get out of debt and both cars are out there still running strong. I've regretted selling both, and I know I will regret selling this, if that happens.

The good news is that I've resisted buying another car.

trying to keep my eyes on the prize and dream about the day Im driving this car. :zzz:

Sometimes weird Franken engine with all Super cool everything is just that. Bite off more than can chew engine build failures happen all day long for engines in many platforms.

Building a 100% good stock engine to 0 mile spec is often just easier on the wallet and stress level.

Oh and reliability; pretty critical; stock setups are almost always more reliable.

[2mAn]

hang in there. imagine what a sweet motor you'll have when it all works out.

I'm trying, I'm trying...

Laaaaaame. Do you plan on keeping the car at this point?

Its tough, this whole thing has cost me thousands more than my "worst case scenario." I hate debt and I have debt now because of this. I keep reminding myself that this has happened to me before and everytime I do an in-depth build this happens and I end up selling the car and getting something less.Happened with my 8v turbo rabbit, my turbo diesel jetta coupe. Sold both to get out of debt and both cars are out there still running strong. I've regretted selling both, and I know I will regret selling this, if that happens.

The good news is that I've resisted buying another car.

trying to keep my eyes on the prize and dream about the day Im driving this car. :zzz:

[e30austin]

spoke to the engine builder today, this is the 3rd time he said "it will be done this week" .... FML Im over this...

Laaaaaame. Do you plan on keeping the car at this point?

[MyE30]

hang in there. imagine what a sweet motor you'll have when it all works out.

[2mAn]

spoke to the engine builder today, this is the 3rd time he said "it will be done this week" .... FML Im over this...

[2mAn]

Yea they were definitely a waste of money! I bought OEM stuff this time around...

[RobertK]

Wrong bearing size would be a big WTF because its not an overbore size. I HIGHLY doubt the machine shop didnt put any assembly lube on it, assuming thats what you mean by pre-lube. I was told the crank was fine and cleaned up good. I'll ask about mic-ing the bearings and also if it was a rod or a main. I only had a small window to go visit. Its a tough situation to be in (1200 miles away) and I hope nobody else tries to do a build this way. just seems to be the way things go in my life.:curse:

Plastigauge every rod journal.

Honestly, the Metric Mechanic bearings are wasted $$$. OEM bearings go 250k and come out looking nice without any special coating. I highly recommend just getting some OEM bearings. That bearing looks like it was way too tight and the spotting shows that something has contaminated the bearing and bedded into it.

Also check the rod caps and make sure they match up. A close friend of mine learned that lesson the hard way.

[2mAn]

With the drama this engine/your builld has gone through you should set up a R3v meet/celebration for the fireup.

the car is definitely getting driven hard for all the shit Ive been going through since I bought it...

Hang in there, it will be awesome when finished!

Im hanging on by a thin thread. It seems like everytime I go balls deep into a build (like this) I end up in a shitty position and I end up selling the car, and regretting it. Im trying hard to prevent this, but its been a rough road.

So not quite a spin bearing, but one that was very unhappy. There are a number of reasons that could have cause this; oil starvation, improper torque, no pre-lube, not enough oil clearance, etc.,.

My guess is the not enough oil clearance (wrong bearing size) or no prel-ube. Is the machine shop going to micro-polish the crank journals and mic the new bearings prior to final assembly?

Also, was that a main or rod bearing?

Wrong bearing size would be a big WTF because its not an overbore size. I HIGHLY doubt the machine shop didnt put any assembly lube on it, assuming thats what you mean by pre-lube. I was told the crank was fine and cleaned up good. I'll ask about mic-ing the bearings and also if it was a rod or a main. I only had a small window to go visit. Its a tough situation to be in (1200 miles away) and I hope nobody else tries to do a build this way. just seems to be the way things go in my life.:curse:

[MyE30]

So not quite a spin bearing, but one that was very unhappy. There are a number of reasons that could have cause this; oil starvation, improper torque, no pre-lube, not enough oil clearance, etc.,.

My guess is the not enough oil clearance (wrong bearing size) or no prel-ube. Is the machine shop going to micro-polish the crank journals and mic the new bearings prior to final assembly?

Also, was that a main or rod bearing?

[wazzu70]

Hang in there, it will be awesome when finished!