[MikesX35i]

Hello Guys,

to be clear here, I wasn’t here for anything that I’m about to mention. This is all he (my dad) told me..

So a couple of weeks ago (maybe 3 or so), my fathers 2013 BMW 528i broke down on him in the middle of the road. He said that he got a message on the iDrive screen that said “Drivetrain Malfunction - Drive with Caution” (or something similar). So he told me that he was maybe 2 minutes away from home when it told him something about his oil next, oil pressure? Oil temp? maybe oil level? I have no idea.

Anyways he gets it towed back to his house which was $300 (ridiculous for a 2 min tow) and has been sitting in front of our house for a while now. He said he had a friend who could look at it and told him that after looking through the ECU with his “Big Ass Tablet”, he deduced that my father would have to replace the whole engine. Now to me that sounds crazy but I could always be wrong, so I scanned the codes myself and the picture liked to this post is it.

I don’t really know what it could be but I want second opinions on this because I don’t want my dad to get screwed over, paying 8k for a new engine install.

Anything can help, Thank You 🙏🏼

[StradaRedlands]

N20 engines have a HUGE catastrophic problem with timing chains, timing chain guides, and possibly timing gears that were made from inferior materials from the factory. Sounds like this may be one of them. Potentially repairable, but it indeed might be borked.
Google "BMW N20 engine problems" and come back to commiserate.

[MikesX35i]

StradaRedlands
…so doing my research brought me to this conclusion.

Any N20 Engine before the inevitable update in 2015 was prone to some sort of timing chain related issues due to the material used for it.

Now taking that into consideration, is it possible to put the updated (2015 and up) engine into this 2013 528i? I feel like it would be much more worth it if we bought an engine knowing it would last longer than the outdated one.

What extra steps would we have to go through to get it to work? Is it even worth it? I need some guidance and I’m thinking you’re the man that can help.

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by MikesX35i

StradaRedlands
…so doing my research brought me to this conclusion.

Any N20 Engine before the inevitable update in 2015 was prone to some sort of timing chain related issues due to the material used for it.

Now taking that into consideration, is it possible to put the updated (2015 and up) engine into this 2013 528i? I feel like it would be much more worth it if we bought an engine knowing it would last longer than the outdated one.

What extra steps would we have to go through to get it to work? Is it even worth it? I need some guidance and I’m thinking you’re the man that can help.

It's the same generation engine, so it should work. Though, I would verify with your dealer. Why not just rebuild your engine with the updated parts? Wouldn't that be much less expensive? I've seen a YouTube or two on replacing the chain & guides.

[MikesX35i]

@ezaircon4jc

Well give me some insight then, the car has 116,000 original miles on it.

Do you think it’s smarter to:

Buy a whole new engine with low miles (~60,000k miles)

Rebuild the current engine with better parts

Buy a 2015+ 2.0 4 cyl engine

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by MikesX35i

@ezaircon4jc

Well give me some insight then, the car has 116,000 original miles on it.

Do you think it’s smarter to:

Buy a whole new engine with low miles (~60,000k miles)

Rebuild the current engine with better parts

Buy a 2015+ 2.0 4 cyl engine

It all depends on his budget. Personally, I would probably just replace the chain & guides as it's much more economical.

That's is if it is the chain & guides. My 1st step would be to get a proper diagnosis. I'm not a mechanic, but from what I've read and the repair videos I've watched (I'm kind of addicted to these), those errors can very well be caused by a timing chain that has jumped a tooth or two.

[StradaRedlands]

No easy or correct answer MikesX35i. And no inexpensive one. I'm 95% sure you can get a post March 2015 motor and drop it in with zero problems. That would be the for sure move and probably the priciest one as well.

Getting a low mile 14 or older motor and THEN doing the timing chain/guide upgrade is a pretty good call as well. IF the motor could be procured inexpensively any shop can do the update.

Finally, I don't know if the N20 is an interference motor or not. If so, dad is totally effed on that one. If not, then it could potentially be repaired and updated. I don't know enough on that one, and really you're going to have to find a good shop that wants to take it on and will be honest with you.

Finally-finally, dad could just walk away and donate it to a charity and take the hit. Mileage is sorta' up there. N20 isn't a super-desireable engine to begin with. Car doesn't look like it has M sport or anything nice like that. Suspension repairs are going to start coming up soon, along with a potential plethora of additional maintenance. I'm not saying it's a bad car, just that it's kind of basic and potential maintenance costs coming up. If he could get $2k tax credit from a charity, maybe a good move.

[n3985]

Originally Posted by MikesX35i

@ezaircon4jc

Well give me some insight then, the car has 116,000 original miles on it.

Do you think it’s smarter to:

Buy a whole new engine with low miles (~60,000k miles)

Rebuild the current engine with better parts

Buy a 2015+ 2.0 4 cyl engine

For a 2013 your dad's N20 might be pneumatic waste gate whereas newer ones were electric. You can' swap an EWG into a PWG car or vice versa.

Your best bet is to have a good shop diagnose if current can be salvaged first.