Engine replacement/repair Suggestion-2014 X3 28I 2.0L -

stevejohn121 · 07-31-2019, 12:07 AM

I am Newbie to BMW world and stuck whether to resolve my X3(2014 X3 28I 2.0L) issue with New engine which has 83K miles (purchase this car 2 years back with 60k milege):

Garage 1 Inspect report:

-Coolant leak, though I don't see external leak (Need to refill coolant every day) . Garage 1 Inspection report -On Cold start up cooling system builds up an abnormal amount of pressure. System holds pressure but during engine operation,coolant abnormally boils over within a very short time of frame.
-Check Engine ON , since misfire from Cylinder 2 & 3 (Check engine ON and Coolant could be interrelated issues)
-Spark Plugs number 2 getting wet and other spark plus are getting rusted.
-Lin Bus communication Error (CD8E10)

Garage 2 Inspect report:

-Suggesting to replace the Engine considering engine issues and also spark plug threading is lost.

Any suggestion to see , if I can resolve this issue with repair or it is absolute necessary to replace with New Engine.

In case, if I take engine replacement, where do I get reasonable engine and what is the price for engine(googling price seems to with large band width) and also cost for fitting the engine.

Stuck between deep sea and devil....frankly speaking I want to sell the car but I got too low offer (25% price with what I paid).

Hoping to hear some advice/suggestion/pointers (any garage/mechanic reference within San Diego would be appreciated)

stevejohn121 · 08-01-2019, 12:34 AM

Any expert opinion..pls

Wgosma · 08-01-2019, 08:55 AM

Regards the coolant issues, it seems possible the engines head gasket may be breached- common symptoms are mixing of oil and coolant, typically the engine overheats easily, if coolant is being lost without a seeming external leak that fluid may be getting past the head gasket and into the combustion chambers, it exhibits as white smoke (steam) out the tailpipe - could also be why spark plugs show signs of rust.

You might want the shop to perform a compression and leakdown test on the engine; or "block test" using special fluid to detect presence of combustion gases in coolant-either method are commonly used to diagnose head gasket failure. And of course the car's cooling system should be pressure/leak tested, thermostat operation verified.

Seems bit more diagnostic testing may be in order based on what I read; pinpoint root cause.
Good luck
Bill

Opie55 · 08-01-2019, 03:13 PM

You don't say how much coolant you are adding each day. Have you removed the oil cap and looked at the oil to see if it looks like chocolate milk or like regular oil? But somebody stripped the plug threads? That can be fixed, but jeez, who worked on this car. Nobody can tell you what an engine will run better than you can by looking, and you gave no criteria. I assume you mean a used engine. How many miles is your limit, etc.? One thing I have noted recently is when those engine need to be replaced with brand new ones because of timing chain guide failures, people were reporting new engine prices of like $5-6,000. That seems way to low, but I've read it several times now.

Wgosma · 08-01-2019, 04:45 PM

New 4-cylinder motors: a buddy in NYC works in Euro parts biz; when I chatted with him months ago about the timing chain guide failure issue in N-20 model he said that in fact BMW was selling replacement motors for few thousand bucks.

stevejohn121 · 08-01-2019, 11:00 PM

I need to refill coolant completely , its almost empty, if I drive 130 miles and I don't see any oil leak in coolant cap (brown color).

To-day I called few Garage(engine replacement) and they have Used engine in stock ranging mileage from 27k to 6ok, the one with lowest mileage (27k) is quoting $6k to replace the engine.

Can I check with BWM itself as suggestion by Wgosma for replacement...I didn't think this as an option.

hogwldfltr · 08-02-2019, 06:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevejohn121

I need to refill coolant completely , its almost empty, if I drive 130 miles and I don't see any oil leak in coolant cap (brown color).

To-day I called few Garage(engine replacement) and they have Used engine in stock ranging mileage from 27k to 6ok, the one with lowest mileage (27k) is quoting $6k to replace the engine.

Can I check with BWM itself as suggestion by Wgosma for replacement...I didn't think this as an option.

Are all the dealerships closed or have you lost your phone? Make the call.

Wgosma · 08-02-2019, 08:57 AM

Worth a call to BMW to check price of motor; tho it was at least a year or so ago my friend in the parts biz mentioned the rather modest pricing on replacement motors.

richardodn · 08-03-2019, 07:11 AM

Note that the poster is quoting $6k installed.

OP - From the sound of things, it does sound like a failed head gasket plus the spark plug issue. Failure modes on head gasket allow passage between the cylinder, coolant passages, and/or oil passages. A head gasket failure won't necessarily be between all of them.

If you have coolant in the oil, I'd go with replacing the engine. This usually doesn't happen because the oil is higher pressure than the coolant system.
If you have oil in the coolant, you'll need to have the coolant system cleaned and flushed. I'd recommend replacing all the hoses. I'd also recommend replacing the hoses on an engine swap anyway.
From your description, you at least have a failure between the cylinder and the coolant system. This causes the cylinder to literally inflate the coolant system when the piston is on the compression stroke. A quick way to check this is to squeeze one of the radiator hoses on a cold engine. It should be relatively soft. Start the engine and the hose will go hard within a minute as the system pressurizes.
Considering the amount of coolant you're losing, I'd guess you're venting coolant as you drive due to the pressure.

A new short block (Block, head and internal parts. No external parts.) lists for about $11000. Dealer costs is usually above this. Best price I've seen is $9100. Additionally there's freight (~$500) and a core charge ($1000) which is refunded when you ship the old block back (another $500?). With other incidentals, I'd estimate this route would cost you about $10000 + installation costs. I'm not sure what that would be but let's guess about $2000. So $12k all in and you have a new engine. I don't know what the warranty on this would be, but I'd guess 90 days on the engine only. Labor would likely be covered only if done at a dealer.

Your $6k estimate for installed used engine with 27k miles sounds like a pretty fair deal. Assuming a parts and labor warranty from the shop of at least 90 days, this sounds like your best bet.

07-31-2019, 12:07 AM	#1
stevejohn121 Registered 1 Rep 4 Posts Drives: BMW X3 28I Join Date: Jul 2019 Location: California iTrader: (0)	Engine replacement/repair Suggestion-2014 X3 28I 2.0L - I am Newbie to BMW world and stuck whether to resolve my X3(2014 X3 28I 2.0L) issue with New engine which has 83K miles (purchase this car 2 years back with 60k milege): Garage 1 Inspect report: -Coolant leak, though I don't see external leak (Need to refill coolant every day) . Garage 1 Inspection report -On Cold start up cooling system builds up an abnormal amount of pressure. System holds pressure but during engine operation,coolant abnormally boils over within a very short time of frame. -Check Engine ON , since misfire from Cylinder 2 & 3 (Check engine ON and Coolant could be interrelated issues) -Spark Plugs number 2 getting wet and other spark plus are getting rusted. -Lin Bus communication Error (CD8E10) Garage 2 Inspect report: -Suggesting to replace the Engine considering engine issues and also spark plug threading is lost. Any suggestion to see , if I can resolve this issue with repair or it is absolute necessary to replace with New Engine. In case, if I take engine replacement, where do I get reasonable engine and what is the price for engine(googling price seems to with large band width) and also cost for fitting the engine. Stuck between deep sea and devil....frankly speaking I want to sell the car but I got too low offer (25% price with what I paid). Hoping to hear some advice/suggestion/pointers (any garage/mechanic reference within San Diego would be appreciated) Last edited by stevejohn121; 07-31-2019 at 12:15 AM..
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08-01-2019, 12:34 AM	#2
stevejohn121 Registered 1 Rep 4 Posts Drives: BMW X3 28I Join Date: Jul 2019 Location: California iTrader: (0)	Any expert opinion..pls
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08-01-2019, 08:55 AM	#3
Wgosma Lieutenant Colonel 806 Rep 1,906 Posts Drives: 2012 F25 X3 28i (N52) Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: Northern Nevada iTrader: (0)	Regards the coolant issues, it seems possible the engines head gasket may be breached- common symptoms are mixing of oil and coolant, typically the engine overheats easily, if coolant is being lost without a seeming external leak that fluid may be getting past the head gasket and into the combustion chambers, it exhibits as white smoke (steam) out the tailpipe - could also be why spark plugs show signs of rust. You might want the shop to perform a compression and leakdown test on the engine; or "block test" using special fluid to detect presence of combustion gases in coolant-either method are commonly used to diagnose head gasket failure. And of course the car's cooling system should be pressure/leak tested, thermostat operation verified. Seems bit more diagnostic testing may be in order based on what I read; pinpoint root cause. Good luck Bill
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08-01-2019, 03:13 PM	#4
Opie55 Colonel 1195 Rep 2,907 Posts Drives: '15 650i Convertible Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: US iTrader: (0)	You don't say how much coolant you are adding each day. Have you removed the oil cap and looked at the oil to see if it looks like chocolate milk or like regular oil? But somebody stripped the plug threads? That can be fixed, but jeez, who worked on this car. Nobody can tell you what an engine will run better than you can by looking, and you gave no criteria. I assume you mean a used engine. How many miles is your limit, etc.? One thing I have noted recently is when those engine need to be replaced with brand new ones because of timing chain guide failures, people were reporting new engine prices of like $5-6,000. That seems way to low, but I've read it several times now.
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08-01-2019, 04:45 PM	#5
Wgosma Lieutenant Colonel 806 Rep 1,906 Posts Drives: 2012 F25 X3 28i (N52) Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: Northern Nevada iTrader: (0)	New 4-cylinder motors: a buddy in NYC works in Euro parts biz; when I chatted with him months ago about the timing chain guide failure issue in N-20 model he said that in fact BMW was selling replacement motors for few thousand bucks.
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08-01-2019, 11:00 PM	#6
stevejohn121 Registered 1 Rep 4 Posts Drives: BMW X3 28I Join Date: Jul 2019 Location: California iTrader: (0)	I need to refill coolant completely , its almost empty, if I drive 130 miles and I don't see any oil leak in coolant cap (brown color). To-day I called few Garage(engine replacement) and they have Used engine in stock ranging mileage from 27k to 6ok, the one with lowest mileage (27k) is quoting $6k to replace the engine. Can I check with BWM itself as suggestion by Wgosma for replacement...I didn't think this as an option.
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08-02-2019, 08:57 AM	#8
Wgosma Lieutenant Colonel 806 Rep 1,906 Posts Drives: 2012 F25 X3 28i (N52) Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: Northern Nevada iTrader: (0)	Worth a call to BMW to check price of motor; tho it was at least a year or so ago my friend in the parts biz mentioned the rather modest pricing on replacement motors.
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08-03-2019, 07:11 AM	#9
richardodn First Lieutenant 160 Rep 350 Posts Drives: '12 X3 35iX/'20 440ix cabrio Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: Denver, CO iTrader: (0)	Note that the poster is quoting $6k installed. OP - From the sound of things, it does sound like a failed head gasket plus the spark plug issue. Failure modes on head gasket allow passage between the cylinder, coolant passages, and/or oil passages. A head gasket failure won't necessarily be between all of them. If you have coolant in the oil, I'd go with replacing the engine. This usually doesn't happen because the oil is higher pressure than the coolant system. If you have oil in the coolant, you'll need to have the coolant system cleaned and flushed. I'd recommend replacing all the hoses. I'd also recommend replacing the hoses on an engine swap anyway. From your description, you at least have a failure between the cylinder and the coolant system. This causes the cylinder to literally inflate the coolant system when the piston is on the compression stroke. A quick way to check this is to squeeze one of the radiator hoses on a cold engine. It should be relatively soft. Start the engine and the hose will go hard within a minute as the system pressurizes. Considering the amount of coolant you're losing, I'd guess you're venting coolant as you drive due to the pressure. A new short block (Block, head and internal parts. No external parts.) lists for about $11000. Dealer costs is usually above this. Best price I've seen is $9100. Additionally there's freight (~$500) and a core charge ($1000) which is refunded when you ship the old block back (another $500?). With other incidentals, I'd estimate this route would cost you about $10000 + installation costs. I'm not sure what that would be but let's guess about $2000. So $12k all in and you have a new engine. I don't know what the warranty on this would be, but I'd guess 90 days on the engine only. Labor would likely be covered only if done at a dealer. Your $6k estimate for installed used engine with 27k miles sounds like a pretty fair deal. Assuming a parts and labor warranty from the shop of at least 90 days, this sounds like your best bet.
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