At least it died doing something cool

"e36Jeff now drives a ZHP" (e36jeff)
10/10/2017 at 11:45 • Filed to: None

I managed to blow the engine in my ZHP this weekend at Summit Point. It was shockingly quiet for how massive the damage is.

This is what was sitting in my belly pan when I took it off. That bolt in the lower right is supposed to be holding my connecting rod onto my engine.

It wasn’t a blown shift, and it wasn’t an over-rev, it was just it’s time to check out. All-in-all, it was about the best place I could have had a blown engine, the tow truck was there in under 5 minutes, I already had alternate transportation home from the track, and there were plenty of people showing concern for both me and the car. On top of that, if the engine had checked out a few seconds later I would have been trying to negotiate a 45 degree banked turn at 60+ mph with tires coated in engine oil, which likely would have resulted in me getting ejected out the top of the turn with a pretty good likelyhood of flipping the car.

I’ve already sourced a new used engine out of an ‘06 ZHP with only 79k miles on it for $2100 shipped, so my car will be back on the road fairly soon. Just sucks that it happened in my second run. I was really looking forward to driving the track in the rain on Sunday.

DISCUSSION (20)

Discerning > e36Jeff now drives a ZHP
10/10/2017 at 11:55

Isn’t 2 grand for an M54B30 a Lot? Just sends like a lot for a used 235hp engine

e36Jeff now drives a ZHP > Discerning
10/10/2017 at 11:58

that 2k includes $500 to ship it from CA to MD.

AkursedX > e36Jeff now drives a ZHP
10/10/2017 at 12:07

How many miles were on it? I’m looking at a well kept ZHP but it has 147k miles on it. Probably wont see any track days but would see a few auto-x’s a year.

AkursedX > AkursedX
10/10/2017 at 12:09

And I agree, at least it went out doing what it was meant for! Glad you are throwing another engine in and not dumping it.

e36Jeff now drives a ZHP > AkursedX
10/10/2017 at 12:10

it was at 236k miles.

AkursedX > e36Jeff now drives a ZHP
10/10/2017 at 12:22

Thanks. Those BMW I-6's are quite impressive as far as performance and longevity are concerned IMO.

uofime-2 > e36Jeff now drives a ZHP
10/10/2017 at 13:18

That sucks big time!

You are handling it better than I would

e36Jeff now drives a ZHP > uofime-2
10/10/2017 at 13:24

It was kinda weird, I wasn’t really all that angry at all. After re-watching the entire session, the worst thing I do is say “well, shit” after I look behind me and see a 5' wide oil slick. I’m not really one to go flying off the handle, but even I would have expected a bigger reaction out of me than that.

E92M3 > e36Jeff now drives a ZHP
10/10/2017 at 13:50

Does anyone in the aftermarket make a baffled oil pan for that engine? I’m assuming tracking the car, and the cornering forces introduced some degree of oil starvation.

e36Jeff now drives a ZHP > E92M3
10/10/2017 at 14:27

I think VAC does, but I don’t think I’m generating high enough lateral forces to starve that engine. It’s not a common failure method, and I didn’t get any low oil pressure lights prior to failure.

jonny11quest > e36Jeff now drives a ZHP
10/10/2017 at 17:45

What’d you use to find the new engine? I’ve always wondered what was the most trustworthy source for replacement engines.

e36Jeff now drives a ZHP > jonny11quest
10/10/2017 at 19:26

http://specializedgerman.com/

They test the engine in the car, or if that’s not possible, they test it on a dyno, and it comes with a 1 year unlimited mileage warranty, so its about as reliable as a used engine can get.

Dru > e36Jeff now drives a ZHP
10/11/2017 at 20:07

Ever considered an S54 swap? I dunno how direct it is but it’s a significant power bump.

e36Jeff now drives a ZHP > Dru
10/11/2017 at 20:32

I did, but in addition to the engine you need the transmission, driveshaft, diff, rear subframe, ECU and wiring harness. the big parts are all bolt on, but the wiring harness needs to be spliced together with the existing one. The costs would be more than just getting an ESS supercharger, which would give me more HP for less work.

Dru > e36Jeff now drives a ZHP
10/11/2017 at 20:48

Good to know. I’m actually trying to buy a ZHP right now.

e36Jeff now drives a ZHP > Dru
10/12/2017 at 08:32

If an S54 swap is something you’re interested in doing there is a thread at e46fanatics where a guy meticulously documented turning a ZHP into a 4-door M3's. he refuses to call it an M3's though, his rear badge says 332i.

Dru > e36Jeff now drives a ZHP
10/12/2017 at 09:19

Thanks for the info. I had the opportunity to drive one a while back and it was superb, but I thought it could use just a smidge more power. I almost worry an S54 would be overkill. I like the everyday usability of the Z the relative affordability.

I like that he called it a 332. That’s clever. Doing a true M3 conversion would require some custom fanning of the fenders I think.

Dru > Dru
10/12/2017 at 09:20

Fabbing not fanning.

RacinBob > e36Jeff now drives a ZHP
10/29/2017 at 10:02

I would look at a pan. Bearings almost always fail because they were run dry. Also electronic oil gauges are very slow. Mechanical ones are slow. A pan is cheap insurance.

RacinBob > RacinBob
10/29/2017 at 11:07

Oops, meant to say mechanical gauges are fast.