Yasmina Bursac.
Posted on 02/09/2015 6:05:02 AM PST by rickmichaels
#80 A crunch is a good sound for a car to make as you turn over the engine.... : )
The mid 2000’s VW Passat had an “engine sludge” issue that caused a large percentage of engine failures and 10k bills. VW kept it a secret and when they failed they pulled the same thing, offering to pay half of the inflated charges which basically got them off the hook financially for a flawed engine design.
I think I’d rather have the government be a watchdog for these types of things rather than suing and fining other companies for no consumer protection reason but becuase it;s boatloads of $$ for government.
What? It sounds like crunchy potato chips...mmmm...potato chips.
It’s paid off though and I have a strict “pay as you go” policy with paid off vehicles.
It makes no sense, but don’t ask me to make sense please. I’m terrible at it.
My ex-wife drove the thing, and she did terrible things to it. I not only paid it off, but paid to fix a bunch of damage she did to it. She liked to pop curbs you see.
I figure if it poops the bed, it poops the bed. I’ll buy a new one. I just hate buying cars.
Yes, that probably is the bendix. You may want to get that fixed soon as it could damage the teeth on the ring gear (which is pressed onto the flywheel). That repair requires the removal of the transmission and then the flywheel.
The starter replacement shouldn’t be too expensive. And, yes,
plan on the car lasting a long, long time.
I have a hard time believing the vacuum pump somehow caused a timing issue, but I don’t know this engine’s design. If it is designed in such a way that a vacuum pump failure can cause a timing issue, then the whole damn engine is a piece of crap IMHO. Because losing vacuum can happen by any compromise to the system, not just the pump itself failing.
However, the reality is, interference engines are the norm not the exception these days, with the need to get as much HP output out of as little space as possible, for fuel economy etc, they are the norm.
I heard that the first Lexus RX model (RX300 with a 3.0 liter engine) had sludge problems that caused early engine failure.
The wife has the RX330 and apparently Toyota/Lexus fixed the
problem. I have been a long time Toyota fan, but they are not immune to problems.
Many vehicles have problems, if they admit to them and fix them then fine. If they hide them like VW did with their, I think 1.8 or 2.0 ltr engines then it's a crime.
A vacuum pump is used to create vacuum for the brake system. On modern BMW's your engine no longer creates enough vacuum to support the brake booster due to the valvetronic system. Vacuum is no longer created in the intake manifold at times and could lead to a loss of brake assist. To make sure there is enough brake assist BMW has added a vacuum pump that runs off the engine. If the vacuum pump fails it can lead to a loss of brake assist or in the worst case scenario if it seizes it can lead to engine failure.
Yikes. So it seizes, breaks the timing chain, and the pistons smash the valves at max lift. The BMW engineering analysis probably determined that driving the pump off an external aux power belt was too unreliable and risky. What a brilliant design!
Governments have put car manufacturers under such pressure to increase mileage and reduce emissions, that they have to resort to fiendishly complicated mechanical tricks to comply with the regulations and still provide a car that people enjoy driving.
But they cost you plenty when you buy, and even more when they break.
Maybe, but I thought it said the dispute dates to 2013 and that it was a 2010 model. Original owner/leasee moved the car before the warranty was out. Smart move on most European brands.
Canada warranties might be different, but I’d sure think BMW and the dealer would want this to go away if it is as presented.
Stupid woman.
Did she get the car checked out with CarFax?
That’s what I did before I bought my used car.
It checks for maintenance history, water damage and accident damage - stuff your used car salesman won’t tell you.
You get peace of mind when you buy a used car. I consider it important to do your homework before you buy a used car.
If you buy a used car, and one year later the engine blows, the dealer you brought it from shouldn’t be on the hook unless there’s an extended warranty. Carfax isn’t going to predict something a year in advance. In this case, it sure seems like BMW Canada should make it good (low miles, barely out of warranty, known problem). They may known something about the car’s treatment by the buyer not mentioned here.
I always wanted a mini so I did some reading ... the problem seems to be a hydraulic tensioner that leaks (since updated) and the chain is a single wide that wears out very quickly ... I’ve had other cars with chains go 200,000+ miles without reaching the limits of the tensioner... mini’s are wearing out chains at 25-60,000 miles... this is a defective chain , chains do not stretch... what is termed “stretch” is actually wear at the joints.
This is actually good news for me ... I want an early mini with the “death rattle” from a bad chain .. and I want it dirt cheap... I’ll change it out while I have the head off for porting.
Yasmina Bursac.
A failed vacuum pump caused the timing chain to snap? Can somebody explain that to me?
What’s a vacuum pump on an engine? I thought they all tapped the vacuum in the intake manifold.
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Many mini’s are supercharged so it’s possible they have vacuum pumps for brake boost (like most diesels) I just don’t know ...
The timing chains are poor quality and are “stretching” beyond what the tensioners can adjust for... these are interferance engines (all the high performance ohc engines are) ... a chain doesn’t actually stretch ,, the joints wear and the cumulative wear on hundreds of joints has the appearance of stretch... if the stretch becomes excessive it’s possible to hammer an exhaust valve with a piston and (guessing here) the shock of the interferance and sudden massive increase in force as the valve hitting the piston attempts to stop the cams rotation , that shock snaps the (already weak/worn) chain and likely holes a piston.
Yikes. So it seizes, breaks the timing chain, and the pistons smash the valves at max lift. The BMW engineering analysis probably determined that driving the pump off an external aux power belt was too unreliable and risky. What a brilliant design!
Germany engineering at its finest.
I’ve had vacuum pumps fail on me ... on Lycomings... but on aircraft the vacuum pumps use graphite impeller vanes that are self lubricating and run off a jackshaft... absolutely no chance of engine damage when one fails..
Check the owners manual. For my wife’s ‘03 TDI, the belt is on a 100K service interval. Parts were about $350, special tools $250 and I did the work myself.
It may have banged up pistons and possibly bent connecting rods.
For my wife’s ‘03 TDI, the belt is on a 100K service interval. Parts were about $350, special tools $250 and I did the work myself.
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So when can I marry you?
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