2013 BMW 2.0L/Turbo 110k mi (engine 55k mi); Castrol Edge 5w-40 3.4k mi

[MichMan7991]

2013 BMW 2.0L/Turbo, with OEM replaced engine @55k mi

Hey guys just found out about the world of UOA and started doing tests on my home fleet.
Have an interesting result that came back and would like your input as I am new to understanding these readouts.

Item of interest appears to be very high Iron content = 110 and slightly elevated Copper = 6.
Per the lab “normal wear” is 23 for the Iron. Is that a good ballpark number to go off?

Current vehicle mileage is 110k miles, motor was replaced under warranty ~55k miles ago. Timing chain tensioner let loose and motor went bye bye, no holes in the block per se but I believe it did serious internal damage. BMW dealer inspected and ordered a new engine from Germany which was replaced under warranty. I am not sure if just the block is new or “everything” got replaced.
So the cylinders, rings, block and bearings should have only ~55k miles of wear on them which is why I am concerned such an elevated number for iron.

Oil is changed every 5k miles.

Appreciate your thoughts on this.

 

[fantastic]

Yeah, it's elevated metals. You could try going to a 50 grade for the time being but oil won't prevent it from coming apart if that's what's already happening. I'll assume no more warranty so not much else to do?

 

[Brons2]

That's rough. How long was this oil in service from a time perspective? Is this the oil brand you normally use? Is it a daily driver or a weekend car?

5K seems like a good interval, but maybe cut back to 3K with fresh oil and see if there's any difference? There is some shear/viscosity loss noted but that isn't unusual for Euro oils.

I would consider using a different lab also like Oil Analyzers that uses a more accurate method of determining fuel dilution. I would bet money yours is more than 0.8%. The flashpoint is pretty low.

 

[Propflux01]

New engine or remanufactured? 5K intervals shouldn't be an issue, but I would retest in 5k if there is no sign of anything going wrong (strange knocks, noises, etc.). Like previously stated, try a different Analysis company. To me, Blackstone seems to have gone downhill over the last few years. Perhaps chain/tensioner wear.

 

[JavierH19]

32.5ppm/1k miles is rough, I don't even know what I'd do. Maybe use M1 15w-50 and change at 2k?? Not gonna stop it from blowing up since it looks to be happening in slow motion but it could prolong it a bit. Try to see what you can get for it on trade.

 

[dnewton3]

He's already running Edge 5w-40; an oil which most folks believe is the creme-de-la-creme of all lubes. Now, some of you are suggesting thicker oil and even shorter OCIs? Come on now ... as if "more" is always the answer? More thicker? More sooner? Geeeeezzzzzz ....

************

OP ...

First, you need to get a second opinion of sorts. I'd ask BS to rerun the sample and confirm the results.
Then, send another sample to a different lab. See if they are reasonably close to the BS data.

Then you can formulate a plan of action. (or inaction ...)

 

[Ursatdx]

As a former "quick lube" owner I have seen a bunch of engine failures on these BMW engines.
Many where I was looked at the cause of the issues. A quick Google search will open your eyes as to
the extent of engine failures that occur.


Timing Chain Issues:

• The timing chain, which is crucial for synchronizing engine components, has been a significant concern in early N20 engines.
  
  
• Early N20 engines (2011-2015) were prone to timing chain guide failure due to brittle plastic guides.
  
  
• Symptoms include rattling noises, especially during startup, engine misfires, loss of power, and a check engine light.
  
  
• In severe cases, a snapped timing chain can lead to catastrophic engine damage.
  
  
• BMW addressed this issue with a technical service bulletin and extended warranty for some regions.
  
  
• Replacing the timing chain, guides, and tensioner is often necessary between 60,000 and 100,000 miles.

 

[Egg_Head]

tic-tock .... +

 

[TiGeo]

Need another data point here for the iron to see if that's real but yes that's v. high. Copper at 6 is a nothing burger. The other concern is viscosity. Definitely some fuel here dragging that down (and there will always be some shearing in addition) with the somewhat low flashpoint and BS showing 0.8% fuel...that's likely underrepresented in my opinion. Just about any Euro 5W-40 will look the same here except possibly HPL which won't shear as much (better VIIs) so would likely show a higher viscosity even with the fuel.

 

[Speedbird001]

If this one blows without warrant coverage, what is it going to cost?

Me? I would cut my losses and dump it at Carmax or Carvana (Or trade on something new... If you are still in love with and not afraid of another one, I was told and offered more than once that BMW makes very generous offers for trade-ups.

 

[FowVay]

I would do another sample and choose a different lab. Be certain to take the sample after the engine has been run and draw the speciman after the oil has flowed a few seconds to ensure you're not getting uncirculated sediment.

How hard is it to pull the timing chain cover? The N20 engine is known for chain wear issues and if the plastic has chunked away from the guides then you're going to see some high wear. A oil sample only detects the tiny particles so inspect your oil filter thoroughly to see if you have any chunks/flakes.

Hopefully it'll be as simple as replacing the timing components. Correct it before more damage adds to the repair bill.

 

[MichMan7991]

Unfortunately I can't do another sample as I just changed the oil and did not keep extra samples as I didn't anticipate double checks.
Does Blackstone keep the samples for some time, is asking to re-run a test even a posibility?
So when you guys take oil samples, do you stash away a spare one for just-in-case cross check if the original sample shows concerning numbers? I never thought of that, now new paranoia is unlocked

So this is my wife's car, she only puts 4-5K miles per year so I change the oil once a year. She has a government provided vehicle that she drives normaly, so this is for leaisure and weekend driving. Since I just changed the oil I will have to wait several months before I could pull another sample since I'd want at least a couple thousand miles on the oil to pull some meaningfull numbers off it.

We've been thinking about updating her car just because of age and before a lot of wear items like suspension start to deteriorate. With the engine only being 55k it was not on my worries list, but I guess it just moved up to the top now
So if the Iron 110 value is way too high, then it gives us a needed kick to start looking to sell this one & buy another vehicle as it appears things are unavoidably moving in the not good direction.

 

[edyvw]

Several things:
1. It is not oil, but Castrol Edge 5W40 is mediocre oil. It is, for all intended purposes, budget LL01. Use Mobil1 0W40, Pennzoil Platinum Euro 5W40 or Castrol Edge 0W30/4 (Auto Zone).
2. Iron is high. There is no viscosity that will help you with this. Something is up, probably timing chain assembly. When did you replace engine? Some have updated tensioners, guides. If you got old one before update, you are closing in on scenario you had at 55k.
3. KV100 is too low. You either did not heat up engine to operating temperature (oil, not coolant) and drove a bit before taking sample or vehicle is doing a lot of short trips.

I don’t think it is Blackstone issue. I would start thinking either to sell vehicle or do timing chain assembly work.

 

[KEVINK0000]

Take another sample at 1000 miles to see if this was an anomaly. If results are similar, sell it if you are not in love with it. Looks like the engine that went back in had original style tc parts. Could be something else, like the gent a few months ago that had similar iron and it looked to be cylinder / ring wear (erosion of pistons observed).

 

[levesqu6]

I'm that guy with another higher mileage n20. I gave up on figuring out where my wear metals are coming from. Car runs fine and at this point isnt worth much. I'd want to disclose the condition of the engine to someone buying so i can sleep at night so that doesnt help either. https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/t...-n20-146k-7-5k-m1-euro-ow40-high-wear.389356/

It looks like i have higher aluminum and less iron especially when you consider 5k vs 7.4k miles.

I dont know what to tell you. I checked the chain on mine with a bore scope and special elongation tool, found damaged pistons but perfect bores, ive had the valve cover off and things looked fine in there.

When they fixed the n20 timing chain issue in 2015 they updated the chain and tensioner. The guides are all the same and some of them are shared with the n52 and n55. The chain is shared with the n52 and n55.

you can look in your oil cap and see if you engine has the updated timing chain (the bottom chain in the attached pic is the updated). The tensioner hex head can be seen on the side of the cylinder head. The height of the hex indicates updates part vs old.

if you want to check your timing chain elongation. i have the tool. Would be pretty cool if you found through oil analysis right before it was going to go.