Turbo lifespan and rebuild

[Cincinnatus]

Howdy, folks.

I'm whipping a 2013 F13 with 52K lovingly driven miles, only about half of which have been put on by me over the last 4 years. I'm fanatical about oil changes, and I do a Blackstone test at each seasonal change... yes, I do a change every 3-5k miles per year, at the end of each season so old oil doesn't sit in the crank for the 4-5 months the car is garaged over the winter. So far, every test has come back aces.

Recently, after replacing a valve cover gasket at a dealership on their recommendation, I've heard a 'tapping' noise coming from the engine bay. It's not audible when the car is cold, only after the engine gets to operating temperature. I won't tell you the potential horror story that the dealer presented, but a quick diagnosis from an indy suggests that it might be the turbo bearings starting to go.

Is this to be expected? I'm given to understand that the S63Tu is one of BMW's more reliable engines and turbo failure doesn't seem to be one of the characteristic flaws like rod bearings on the V10 or torn subframes on the E46, so I'm kind of surprised.

If the indy is right, what options would you recommend? I'm seeing turbo rebuild kits for as little as $60 each, which would seem the most cost-effective remedy, but please share your thoughts.

What say you?

[Mhaus]

Is the car tuned? Do you have video of the “tapping”? It is highly uncommon for turbo failures on these cars and these motors but anything is possible it is a M afterall lol. The worst case scenario would be a bent rod or rod bearings……. a video would be fantastic.

[Cincinnatus]

Bone stock that I know of, other than a Meisterschaft exhaust. I'm the second owner, but after multiple visits to the dealership, nobody has said anything about a tune.

I'll try to capture a video tomorrow...

[Mhaus]

Originally Posted by Cincinnatus

Bone stock that I know of, other than a Meisterschaft exhaust. I'm the second owner, but after multiple visits to the dealership, nobody has said anything about a tune.

I'll try to capture a video tomorrow...

A video would really help, take it easy on the car till you come to the source of your problem just my 2 cents

[TinCanSailor]

I've been through an engine and tapping noise is something that reminds me of rod bearing. Get us some video/audio as it help but be mindful not 100% accurate.

Maybe have the oil and rod bearings tested/inspected.

[Cincinnatus]

Went for a drive today with the intent to grab a video, and surprisingly enough, the sound wasn't nearly as bad as previous. Not sure how this factors in, but I did an oil change at the dealership not 100-ish miles ago. Waiting for the sample results to come back from Blackstone. I'll re-post if the sound reappears. Stand by. ..

[HeyKC]

Originally Posted by Cincinnatus

Went for a drive today with the intent to grab a video, and surprisingly enough, the sound wasn't nearly as bad as previous. Not sure how this factors in, but I did an oil change at the dealership not 100-ish miles ago. Waiting for the sample results to come back from Blackstone. I'll re-post if the sound reappears. Stand by. ..

If the dealership is still using 5-30 on cars I would look for an independent shop.

[Cincinnatus]

Originally Posted by HeyKC

If the dealership is still using 5-30 on cars I would look for an independent shop.

Not sure, I'll have to check with them. Is 5-30 too heavy for the S63Tu?

[HeyKC]

Originally Posted by Cincinnatus

Not sure, I'll have to check with them. Is 5-30 too heavy for the S63Tu?

Most are strongly recommending 5-40 or 5-50. If you surf the M5 side you will see it comes up a lot. Lots of good info on brands and weights that benefit our cars the most.

[arucano]

Although 5-40 is an acceptable alternative for warmer weather areas, there is little to support that 5-50 is of any benefit for a healthy engine. There are "internet engineers" and there are engineers that specify the oil viscosity based on requirements of the design.

[RiverRunner]

Was the tapping noise different when the engine was under a load vs decelerating? Different at idle vs at varying RPM?

Other than during differences in engine oil temperatures; Wrist pin and rod bearing noises in motors usually don’t go away on their own. Valve train components and injector noises often do.

As for your oil analysis, keep in mind the bearings in the S63Tu are not typical, and are made of a ‘non-lead’ alloy.