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E46 330Ci Engine Rebuild and Installation

36K views 16 replies 13 participants last post by  bigjae1976 
#1 · (Edited)
I picked up a 2001 330Ci with a seized up engine, I really liked it because the body was very strait and in very good condition. I had meet the guy the day before and test drove it but it was making a weird noise so i meet him the following day at a BMW specialist. While the car was being checked out the engine seized up. The mechanic said the timing chain had locked up. I ended up getting the car alot cheaper and a new project began




I towed it home and began taking it apart, i dont have very good pictures of the removal, i got carried away and forgot to take pictures.



After removing the spark plugs i noticed oil on some of the plugs. i began to turn over the engien and oil sprayed out of the cylinders and the timing chain ended up being fine.


I went on to pull the head to see what the issue was.

<a href="http://s1292.beta.photobucket.com/user/trevorsword/media/20130221_113656_zps8711c53d.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b580/trevorsword/20130221_113656_zps8711c53d.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 20130221_113656_zps8711c53d.jpg"/></a>

The some of the cylinder walls were scared.

I pulled the rest of the engine and transmission out. i decide to not use that engine because i would have to bore and buy oversize pistons.

I decided to buy an engine on craigslist for very cheap out of a wrecked car. the only problem with this engine was it had very little compression. I took the risk and bought it in hope the bottom end was salvageable.



I pulled this engine apart and luckly the bottom end was in great shape. It also had a hole in it from the crash but this was not a problem for my welding friend

I will take better and more pictures of the rebuilding process.

I plan on putting new rings, bearing, and all gaskets.
 
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#7 ·
So I broke my phone a lost all the pictures of the build sorry to disappoint you guys. I will tell you what I did though; I got the other block welded and began rebuilding it. I got the blocked honed by the machine shop, then replaced the bearings and installed new rings. This part was basically just like any other car. I then installed a new head gasket, and head studs. Once the head was installed I installed the vanos system. This process was not to complicated just took some time to make sure everything was correct. Before I did the swap I plugged in the main wire harness to all the sensors on the engine. When I installed the engine I did it without the transmission. I have heard you can do it with the engine and tranny attached but it seemed too difficult to get angle perfect to drop it in. I then installed a new clutch and finished bolting everything back together. When I turned it over and it fired up first try, I had a misfire from a bad coil pack but other than that it runs great. I have about 2000 miles on it, ive had a few minor problems with it but that***8217;s about it. If you have any questions just let me know
 
#8 ·
So I broke my phone a lost all the pictures of the build sorry to disappoint you guys. I will tell you what I did though; I got the other block welded and began rebuilding it. I got the blocked honed by the machine shop, then replaced the bearings and installed new rings. This part was basically just like any other car. I then installed a new head gasket, and head studs. Once the head was installed I installed the vanos system. This process was not to complicated just took some time to make sure everything was correct. Before I did the swap I plugged in the main wire harness to all the sensors on the engine. When I installed the engine I did it without the transmission. I have heard you can do it with the engine and tranny attached but it seemed too difficult to get angle perfect to drop it in. I then installed a new clutch and finished bolting everything back together. When I turned it over and it fired up first try, I had a misfire from a bad coil pack but other than that it runs great. I have about 2000 miles on it, ive had a few minor problems with it but that's about it. If you have any questions just let me know
How much did it cost you to rebuild it?
 
#17 ·
Are there any detailed resources available that show the engine removal and installation process for an E46/M54 on this forum that you can recommend? The Bentley Manual, while very good, is not detailed enough, at least not for me. Thx
I just did an engine in my M3. I removed the engine with the exhaust manifolds and transmission attached. Here are the rough steps:

Drain coolant & power steering systems
Remove radiator
Remove power steering cooler
Remove front bumper
Remove front end clip
Remove intake to the cylinder head (leave TBs on if M3)
Disconnect power steering pump and reservoir
Unbolt steering rack and steering column
Disconnect engine mounts from top
Put car on jack stands
Remove underbody panels and front reinforcement
Disconnect exhaust, driveshaft and shifter
Support engine with shop crane
Remove transmission brace
Unbolt front subframe and lower
Pull out engine and tranny
 
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