E46 M3 Rod Bearing Recall

Eventually bmw succumbed to the serious s54 rod bearing issues.

E46 m3 rod bearing recall.

As a result the connecting rod bearings are susceptible to overheating. That s because the s54 m3 engine is plagued by rod bearing wear issues so much so that there was a recall from bmw to replace the bearings on early 01 to mid 03 model year e46 m3s like ours. Did bmw recall e46 m3 s for engine failure related issues. The explanation they gave was that the rod bearings were manufactured incorrectly resulting in too tight of a rod bearing clearance when the engines were assembled.

One of the top jobs on our list was to inspect the rod bearings for wear and replace them if necessary. We found out though in 2003 that they made a mistake. Bmw of north america llc bmw is recalling certain 2009 328i and 328xi 2009 2011 335d 2008 2012 m3 coupe and m3 convertible and 2008 2011 m3 sedan vehicles. No problems before and the car runs great since the work was performed.

E46 m3 coupe convertible with s54b32 engine produced from 02 12 2001 up to 05 22 2003 the connecting rod bearings installed in m3 coupe convertible vehicles produced from february 2001 through may 2003 were not manufactured to bmw quality standards. They made their recall explaining that there was a problem with the rod bearings they manufactured in the early years. Internal issues are never good. Rod bearings are an essential component to proper internal function.

Connecting rod bearing replacement in october 2004 bmw issued technical service bulletin si b11 04 04 for bmw e46 m3 coupes with the s54b32 engine that were manufactured from 12 february 2001 to 22 may 2003. I bought my 2002 about 8 months ago and i have since brought it in for the rod bearing recall. Unfortunately the s54 used in e46 m3 and mz3 4 cars was released with a rod bearing problem in earlier 2001 2003 model years which often leads to failure. The recall work comes with a 6 year 100 000 mile warrany on the engine.

Bmw gave owners a hassle early on claiming engine failures due to rod bearings were caused by over revving.