[Chihuahua]

good episode. E70 X5 is the best X5.

[Tambohamilton]

Originally Posted by Mani59

The next episode on the E70 X5 series.

The diff nut, and 5min torque window... I'm guessing the nut is "micro encapsulated" - that is, the thread locker is contained in tiny capsules which get crushed when you install the nut. The micro encapsulated thread locker looks crusty and dry, but basically gets activated when it's installed.

...just in case anyone cares

[Mani59]

New workshop update!

[M-technik-3]

Great sized shop. Entryway was definitely a forklift entry vs cars. Looking forward to seeing it take shape.

[DubaiRich]

I thought the same thing. Entry will be tight, unless he's going to bring the cars at an angle.

[E36 wire harness]

Pretty cool space. That corner where he said he was going to keep the apple picker looks like a wash bay. (May need to add a drain).

PS - E53 X5 with manual transmission is better than e70

[tcphoto]

I saw on my Instagram feed that he welcomed his son Gabriel into the world yesterday, joked that his legal name was Vanos...brilliant! Congrats

[vt100]

Originally Posted by tcphoto

I saw on my Instagram feed that he welcomed his son Gabriel into the world yesterday, joked that his legal name was Vanos...brilliant! Congrats

Sreten, if you’re reading this, congrats!!! Welcome to the club!

[Mani59]

The next update on the E39 Alpina B10 Touring series.

[Mani59]

The next Project Skövde (E39 M5) update is here.

[Chihuahua]

Watched this yesterday, it's awesome. I enjoy all of Sreten's videos but this one is a cut above. Great watch.

[tracer bullet]

I'm only a half hour in. I used to do engineering work at an engine business, so it's fun to revisit a lot of what I remember and even see some new tech we didn't have.

I didn't expect a new video anytime soon, but I guess he must have done this before the new baby and maybe put it together here and there in between catching some sleep.

[M-technik-3]

love seeing the cnc work. wished i could do some stuff for my cars at work but it's forbodden.

[Mani59]

I traveled to Danville, Virginia, to visit Partee Racing, and along the way, I came across a unique E46 M3 Touring build, and an E91 335d with an 8HP auto.

[S85 builder]

Well Sreten, it looks like I was proven right 2x.

1)Roger Partee schooled you in exactly what I said (in good faith) to about you/to you about how that S65 you built with H2 was sub optimal by any professional engine builder's standards. I know you were asking Roger why torque plates were necessary and he agreed with what I told you. Just let Roger and his team build your engine.

2) When are you going to post or talk about the fact that your 3rd (or 4th "engine rebuild" failed). Don't you owe it to your fan base to come clean about how and why your "better than OEM" S65 engine built by you failed.

I really don't have much else to stay other than when folks with some significant experience chime in to help educate you and others, it might be worthwhile to listen.

Congratulations on your continued financial success on YouTube.

Originally Posted by Sreten

Thanks for the feedback! I didn't want to spam the other thread which is where you wrote this stuff, but if I may add a couple of things.

I've installed a ton of front & rear main seals with such method and similar. I've never had one leak after. I actually use a caliper and measure the depth all around to make sure it's evenly tapped in.
I'm sure you, like most of us, used this method at some point as well when in need.

Is it better and more precise with a proper tool? Absolutely, but those tools are everything but affordable and specific to one engine, and since I'm not an active shop, it'd probably be a one-time use which makes it not worth it. However, I do buy such tools when they are not grossly overpriced and I know I'll use them, like the rear main seal tool for the M54.

Regarding the measurements, you have to remember that I took apart a good working engine that didn't need to be rebuilt in the first place. I didn't mix the crank or the bedplate or the block. I didn't reuse a different crank like you said.
I did make all the necessary measurements to make sure it was good to be put back together.

I measured the crankshaft, all perfect and within spec. I purposely didn't want to have it polished as it was in perfect condition and I don't trust machine shops which, given my track record with them, you can probably understand.

For the mains, I ordered one upper and lower new G bearing (stamped on the block and the crank) from the dealer and measured and compared with King Race main bearings, and they were within tolerance. King Race bearings come in one size, so this plus plastigauge is more than sufficient to know you are safe to use them.
If I were mixing and matching a different crank/bedplate/block, then for sure, proper measurements with tools are highly recommendable, but this wasn't my case.

With the rod bearings and BE bearings, there's really no point in doing anything if the rod journals measure within given spec which they did.

I measured the block myself and so did the machine shop after honing.

Weigh and balance for what reason? I reused all good parts from the same engine that was assembled by the factory. The only new component was the Mahle MS pistons which I did weigh, and they are the same weight or within 1 gram compared to the stock pistons. Nothing to be unbalanced.

How did I not pressurize the oil system? I cranked the engine without fuel or ignition for a lot longer than what I showed on the video, to the point that the battery actually got weak.

The cylinder heads were overhauled by a machine shop that I trust and specializes in this area. Besides a standard head overhaul, they ported the exhaust side and done a multi angle valve job. It's not something I can do myself. I asked if they could record the process, but given how busy they are, they couldn't and it was too far to drive there myself and film.
I later installed Schrick titanium retainers, springs and keepers. It's actually pretty easy and I've done it many times. This makes you sound like you've never done it yourself if you think that's difficult.

Double sealing the O-rings — it's not a paste. Reinzoplast is a permanently liquid sealing compound, high viscosity, for highly stressed sealing joints. Operating temp ranging from -50°C to 250°C.
It cannot cause any problems if you later need to replace the O-rings again, you simply wipe it off. It's not like standard RTV where excess silicone can end up in your oil pickup.
On Alpina, I had a brand-new oil cooler, brand-new O-rings and the connection would leak despite replacing it twice, all correctly installed without damaging the O-rings. I then used a bit of Reinzoplast and it sealed immediately.
Look it up, it is a wonderful invention and something you'll want to have in your tool chest. In my opinion, it's a brilliant idea to use it on the weak points of the ultimate oil leaking machine. We all know, despite everything being brand new, it doesn't take long for them to develop an oil leak.

I also see you are banging around about torque plate not being used when honing the block. Okay, it is a topic where opinions will be divided, but you must know that it's not necessary to use one on a street engine. H2Motors has honed hundreds of these blocks without using one and they all run without any issues. The honing guy drives his engine on the Nürburgring regularly.

You also said how H2Motors is assembling the engine properly, unlike me, which makes me question your experience and knowledge among other things you are writing, but whatever. If you actually saw their S65 assembly video, like you claim, you'd see that they do it differently and don't always follow TIS in order to save time. By your standards this should be heavily wrong as many steps are skipped, and yet you said you'd let them assemble your engine?! In reality, it's not wrong, it just a different approach where their engine builder manages to save time and still build it successfully.

If we are being realistic, you are just purposely nitpicking and there are no big NO NOs here.
By no means am I saying I'm flawless. I'm self-taught and have no professional training or experience.
I've done everything I could within my means and knowledge to build a good engine that will last. I don't cut corners and I always try to do everything as correctly as I can.

You say this wasn't a proper or correct engine rebuild. Fine, your opinion and I wholeheartedly disagree. There are far worse engine rebuilds done by professional shops, where everything is torqued with an impact and nothing is measured.

Since you didn't see the Alpina series, that was my first engine rebuild, and unlike most of us here, I've done that with the whole world watching. In short, the machine shop that sleeved the block got the wrong piston-to-wall clearance. Alpina pistons are forged alloy which expand more than standard BMW pistons. Having not known better back then, I trusted that the machine shop knew what they were doing and assembled it like that, only to watch it die after 100 km as the rear pistons #4 & #8 expanded and naturally destroyed the cylinders.

That was my first biggest learning experience that cost me dearly as I lost all that money and time putting that engine together. The machine shop never reimbursed me for the damages.
But, from mistakes we learn and I acquired invaluable knowledge from that, and the 2nd engine that I built for that car was successful, without involving machine shops. That's the experience I'll never forget and one I promised myself never to let happen again.

No, I don't do this to maximize YT views and engagement, and you shouldn't just assume something like that after briefly watching a couple of videos. I started off from literally nothing, I didn't know how to change the oil when I bought my first car. When I moved to Germany, I worked with cheap tools that were in the plastic box in the back of my M5. I worked in parking lots, driveways and even got poisoning after changing the front struts on my M5 in an underground parking lot while having "friendly" neighbors nagging all the time.
I hold a college degree in computer science and after YT thing took off out of nowhere, I managed to quit my day job and get to where I am today. I wake up smiling and make a living by doing something that I Iove. That's something we all strive for.

You see 99% positive comments because 99% of them are genuinely positive from the people who follow the channel. I don't understand how something like that can make you sad. That's a bit weird and concerning.
There's a small number of offensive and hateful comments too that only I get to see cause YT algorithm blocks them. Stuff where people swear and threaten me for no apparent reason, stuff that no one wants to see, but such is the world we live in.

I assume that people enjoy watching cause I fix things the right way (as much as I can), and restore cars back to their original condition while having fun and goofing around. They learn something and I don't try to bullshit them or sell them VPNs, hair products and other stuff that most channels have to do in order to survive.
I strictly work only with companies that relate to what I do, that help me restore cars and have products I can stand behind. With YT revenue, Patreon and selling some of the cars in the end, I'm fortunate to be able to stay true to what I believe. I can't imagine bringing myself to filming an ad spot for say a ball shaving product. But again, not everyone is able to do that.

I learned a long time ago it's impossible to please everyone, YT is simply too big and it's easy for people to hide behind the keyboard, get angry and carried away over nothing.
I hope I added some clarity for you since you made some ill assumptions.
Thanks for watching the video. Cheers!

[Tambohamilton]

Originally Posted by S85 builder

Well Sreten, it looks like I was proven right 2x.

1)Roger Partee schooled you in exactly what I said (in good faith) to about you/to you about how that S65 you built with H2 was sub optimal by any professional engine builder's standards. I know you were asking Roger why torque plates were necessary and he agreed with what I told you. Just let Roger and his team build your engine.

2) When are you going to post or talk about the fact that your 3rd (or 4th "engine rebuild" failed). Don't you owe it to your fan base to come clean about how and why your "better than OEM" S65 engine built by you failed.

I really don't have much else to stay other than when folks with some significant experience chime in to help educate you and others, it might be worthwhile to listen.

Congratulations on your continued financial success on YouTube.

How does point 2 prove you are right? I'm sure sreten will tell all, in due time - he always does, but it takes time to produce content and look after a newborn...and only one of those is important.

[Chihuahua]

I don't get the animosity either. It's YT content, it's free, it's there for everyone to consume and do what they want with it. It's not like Sreten is selling anyone a product, it's a frigging free Youtube video FFS and the guy owes all of us exactly zero. Lighten up.

[S85 builder]

Originally Posted by Chihuahua

I don't get the animosity either. It's YT content, it's free, it's there for everyone to consume and do what they want with it. It's not like Sreten is selling anyone a product, it's a frigging free Youtube video FFS and the guy owes all of us exactly zero. Lighten up.

Originally Posted by Tambohamilton

How does point 2 prove you are right? I'm sure sreten will tell all, in due time - he always does, but it takes time to produce content and look after a newborn...and only one of those is important.

I presumed you guys watched this.

I just saw it just this past Sunday. Read my original commentary and then Sreten's, you will see Peter validates what was saying. You will see my original commentary was responding to a comment on what Sreten does wrong. The point was to help educate others in the community that what he was doing and claiming as "OEM plus" was well short of proper engine building. Partree and his guys (one who is ex Dinan) are properly using the standard tools of the trade (none of it is even state of the art, but that's a bit irrelevant).

With point 2, I was saying that not adhere to the critical key engine building practices certainly leads to failures. It even happens at the OEM level. For I short time I used to do process control at one of the largest engine plants in the US. It would be great if he comes clean with what actually happen with his OEM plus level build, and he as the engine builder is most likely at fault.

I get it that most here are a big fan boys of Sreten, nothing I say will ever change that. I really don't care, my point then and now was to disseminate truth and best industry practices, there are a small amount of folks that will appreciate that. I've not deleted anything I said, it and more are all there still. Even Peter- an ex lawyer- makes a few major technical blunders in his explanation of some things. I can't really fault him since he'd not an engineer and hasn't studied metallurgy and material science. He's giving an explanation to lay people who have little to no subject matter expertise, same with Sreten.

If there is an animosity, it's against people like me who offer a contrary but correct PoV and I'm ok with that. But just as an example with Alusil, it's a perpetuated myth in large part to forums, and ALSO to guys like Sreten and echo chambers.

[Ab28]

Originally Posted by S85 builder

I presumed you guys watched this.

I just saw it just this past Sunday. Read my original commentary and then Sreten's, you will see Roger validates what was saying. You will see my original commentary was responding to a comment on what Sreten does wrong. The point was to help educate others in the community that what he was doing and claiming as "OEM plus" was well short of proper engine building. Partree and his guys (one who is ex Dinan) are properly using the standard tools of the trade (none of it is even state of the art, but that's a bit irrelevant).

With point 2, I was saying that not adhere to the critical key engine building practices certainly leads to failures. It even happens at the OEM level. For I short time I used to do process control at one of the largest engine plants in the US. It would be great if he comes clean with what actually happen with his OEM plus level build, and he as the engine builder is most likely at fault.

I get it that most here are a big fan boys of Sreten, nothing I say will ever change that. I really don't care, my point then and now was to disseminate truth and best industry practices, there are a small amount of folks that will appreciate that. I've not deleted anything I said, it and more are all there still. Even Roger- an ex lawyer- makes a few major technical blunders in his explanation of some things. I can't really fault him since he'd not an engineer and hasn't studied metallurgy and material science. He's giving an explanation to lay people who have little to no subject matter expertise, same with Sreten.

If there is an animosity, it's against people like me who offer a contrary but correct PoV and I'm ok with that. But just as an example with Alusil, it's a perpetuated myth in large part to forums, and ALSO to guys like Sreten and echo chambers.

Just FYI, his name is Peter, not Roger.

[S85 builder]

Originally Posted by Ab28

Just FYI, his name is Peter, not Roger.

yep, my bad. I've done this on a few occasions. I will see if I have privileges to can go back and edit my post.

[Ab28]

Originally Posted by S85 builder

yep, my bad. I've done this on a few occasions. I will see if I have privileges to can go back and edit my post.

No worries, simple enough mistake!

[tracer bullet]

Originally Posted by S85 builder

If there is an animosity

It's not really the message, it's probably more the delivery.

I spent > a decade in a variety of engineering roles at an engine rebuilder, it was quite a while ago so I've got no opinion on current practices. I thought the video was a fun watch to recall a lot of the equipment, processes, brands used, and so on. It served the purpose of being entertaining and I'd also say informative, even if it wasn't perfect either in some people's eyes or actual reality. People who are interested in the subject will learn something, but I doubt anyone in a shop or going to a shop will have anything done differently, only have a better understanding of things. So in the end the technical accuracy isn't very important. It wasn't a how-to video.

We should all strive for accuracy, and I think he does, even sometimes saying later in a video or in a later video when he's got something wrong. Try to reach him if you can, but maybe don't bother complaining here that you were right about something all along, because no one's going to go botch an engine rebuild based on one of his videos.