[Thespaceman]

Update

Official word from BMW is the camshaft broke. The service writer is not in today but that’s the word I’m getting from another writer. Has anyone heard of this before? Is it common for camshafts to break especially at 56,000 miles? Thanks again

[karl s]

Originally Posted by Thespaceman

Update

Official word from BMW is the camshaft broke. The service writer is not in today but that’s the word I’m getting from another writer. Has anyone heard of this before? Is it common for camshafts to break especially at 56,000 miles? Thanks again

Likely, no. Possible, yes. I broke a cam because a grain of dirt got between the cam and cam journal in the head. It ate away at the aluminum and eventually seized the cam under WOT, then snap. If you have any aftermarket breather installed on the PCV system it increases the likelyness because often times PCV systems connect to the valve covers near the cam journals. This was not an M3 that happened to me on, however..

As far as bent valves and piston damage, it really depends on the motor.. Some motors bend valves, some don't. Typically it's a 50 50 shot depending on if the engineers made it so tight that the valves will open far enough to collide with the pistons. This seems more common on High performance motors and I'm assuming you guys who say he did already know this engine is a valve bender..

[freshmanit]

Originally Posted by Thespaceman

Update

I had the car towed to BMW and they are scheduled to open it up tomorrow morning. I talked to the warranty company and they stated that timing chain failure is covered. Its actually a relief because they also cover fuel pump failure and vanos failure which i hear are also expensive should that ever happen. I will reply tomorrow with the results. Thanks for the info/support.

Just curious, what warranty will cover it? I've got an 04 as well and thought the warranty was done. Thanks.

[Thespaceman]

Originally Posted by freshmanit

Just curious, what warranty will cover it? I've got an 04 as well and thought the warranty was done. Thanks.

Its an aftermarket warranty. The factory warranty is long gone.. Not a fan of the aftermarket warranty so far, but hopefully they become more helpful.

[RedM3/4]

ensure the Vanos is completely normal, as I still bet it was a factor in the cam breakage. If my car was apart like this I'd probably buy the Dr Vanos rebuilt unit out of pocket and have it put on.

ADS

[odgaard]

Originally Posted by Thespaceman

Thanks for all the replies. I called BMW where this car was serviced from birth and it has a good clean service history. I'm starting to wonder about the mechanic and if he failed to diagnose the car correctly. Like most people say, timing chains don't just fail. I think the next move is getting the car to BMW and having them dig into it. I also don't like the way the dealer has handled this problem. I'm going to talk with a lawyer.

What the?

[johnclarke]

Ain't the cam lubricated by like oil and stuff ? What about the 100k motor warranty from the mother ship ? Does it apply to your car ?

[///Mo]

Originally Posted by Thespaceman

Its an aftermarket warranty. The factory warranty is long gone.. Not a fan of the aftermarket warranty so far, but hopefully they become more helpful.

what's the name of the warranty company? and nice to hear you're covered

[karl s]

Originally Posted by johnclarke

Ain't the cam lubricated by like oil and stuff ? What about the 100k motor warranty from the mother ship ? Does it apply to your car ?

The cam does have oil lubrication but can still break. A drop in oil pressure (caused by a faulty oil pump, clogged pickup tube, or clogged journals), Dirt in bearing/journals, and several other RARE but possible situations cause camshafts to break on occasion. I'm not too sure what vanos is but I imagine its the technologically advanced valve timing system used in the M3. I imagine this puts abnormal stresses on cams and when faulty can cause a cam to break as well..

[johnclarke]

I was refering to the factory 6yr/100k warranty (that applies to some e46 M3's) on all parts lubricated by oil, not the cause of the failure. Sounds like he's covered anyway.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VANOS