Engine Breakdowns?

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Lancsbob
Joined: Fri 15 Aug, 2014 16:35
Posts: 256

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Location: Ormskirk

Engine Breakdowns?

Post by Lancsbob »

Hi
Just an idle thought, has anyone had an engine breakdown/failure whilst
out on a run & ifso what was the cause. As these engines are supposed
to be so reliable am wondering if this ever happens.
Might give people ideas what to check for as these cars are now
getting a bit long in the tooth.
Mine seems to be in fine fettle though. 2.2 M54

Cheers Bob
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Southernboy
Joined: Thu 07 Oct, 2010 12:39
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  Z3 roadster 3.0i
Location: Johannesburg

Re: Engine Breakdowns?

Post by Southernboy »

I have only ever had 2 incidents - first was a burst radiator hose and second was the clutch plate gave in, As for the motor itself, I have never heard of any failures.
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Robert T
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  Z3 roadster 1.9
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Re: Engine Breakdowns?

Post by Robert T »

Camshaft sensor stopped mine and I had to limp it off a busy main road. And they aren't that long in the tooth - my sprite has 40 years on the zed.

Cheers R.

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Boosh
Joined: Sun 30 Nov, 2014 22:40
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  Z3 roadster 1.9i

Re: Engine Breakdowns?

Post by Boosh »

Funny you should mention that! I broke down at half four in the morning last week coming back for my sister's wedding. Busted T-piece in a cooling hose, 170 miles from home. Cut off engine straight away. Had to have a garage replace the hose (which I could've done myself had the car been home). Got it back this morning, still have to drive back. Mechanic's not convince that head gasket hasn't suffered, as signs of coolant in oil have returned, even after oil+filter change. Don't fancy having the head gasket done, as it's beyond my ability as well as costly. I will keep my eyes on the temp needle, and check for water loss at the end of the trip.
Apart from that, trouble-free ownership for two years (2002, 1.9i, 126k miles).
Wish me luck,

Boosh.
Robin82
Joined: Fri 28 May, 2010 02:04
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  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: Engine Breakdowns?

Post by Robin82 »

Yep camshaft position sensor for me too. Lots of backfiring and instant loss off power. The only thing engine wise. TOUCH WOOD
Robin82
Joined: Fri 28 May, 2010 02:04
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  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: Engine Breakdowns?

Post by Robin82 »

Boosh wrote:Funny you should mention that! I broke down at half four in the morning last week coming back for my sister's wedding. Busted T-piece in a cooling hose, 170 miles from home. Cut off engine straight away. Had to have a garage replace the hose (which I could've done myself had the car been home). Got it back this morning, still have to drive back. Mechanic's not convince that head gasket hasn't suffered, as signs of coolant in oil have returned, even after oil+filter change. Don't fancy having the head gasket done, as it's beyond my ability as well as costly. I will keep my eyes on the temp needle, and check for water loss at the end of the trip.
Apart from that, trouble-free ownership for two years (2002, 1.9i, 126k miles).
Wish me luck,

Boosh.
Funny you should mention THAT! My mate has a zed too - had a leak in his rad - got it fixed at a garage - they forgot to tighten the hose so it lost all its coolant a few miles down the road and had to be recovered. Anyway his head gasket did suffer. Not a complete break but enough to produce white/blue smoke and crack in a re-fitted radiator 6 months later (this is when he discovered the faulty head). Enter K-Seal. Now not an ideal solution but sure has hell works! Considering a new head gasket would've cost him £1k and the car probably worth just over £2k for £9 i think the saving of £991 was well worth it. He had the head tested last week (with k-seal) results came back - all fine and dandy. I know most on here probably wouldn't be seen dead using this stuff - but maybe worth considering if it's a choice between sending it to the scrappers and spending a grand.
gookah
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  Z3 roadster 2.8

Re: Engine Breakdowns?

Post by gookah »

head gasket on the mrs's 1.9,
driving along then heater started blowing cold, then temp gauge went up and steam everywhere.
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pingu
Joined: Fri 30 Apr, 2004 16:01
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  M roadster S50

Re: Engine Breakdowns?

Post by pingu »

I think that I got away it when my auxiliary water pump failed.

I'll find out tomorrow when I give it a test drive with Deano :shock: :drive
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Lancsbob
Joined: Fri 15 Aug, 2014 16:35
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Re: Engine Breakdowns?

Post by Lancsbob »

Robert T wrote:Camshaft sensor stopped mine and I had to limp it off a busy main road. And they aren't that long in the tooth - my sprite has 40 years on the zed.

Cheers R.

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Funnily enough i changed a camshaft sensor soon after buying mine after
checking with a diagnostic tool but no other problems apart from split
intake rubber componants.
Seems like the mechanics are pretty much bullet proof but sensors & cooling
problems are what to keep an eye on.
Interesting reading others experiences.

Bob
Boosh
Joined: Sun 30 Nov, 2014 22:40
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  Z3 roadster 1.9i

Re: Engine Breakdowns?

Post by Boosh »

Well, I did make it home without any problem, needle never left 12 o'clock position. Mechanic was concerned by water appearing in the new oil, but reckons there's a slim chance it just might possibly, with a bit of luck, be due to condensation when the breakdown occurred, and would therefore be sorted with a good engine flush and oil+filter change. So the 5 litres of oil they charged me €90 for will only last a couple of months! I will check for loss of coolant in the morning. If it has gone down, I'll have to get used to eating spuds and pasta for a long while... I had not thought of 'stop-leak' additives, it might be worth a try. I'll keep my fingers crossed for now, and have a look in the morning.
Boosh.

Edit: checked coolant level this morning. Cap went psshhh! when I opened the reservoir, so I'm assuming that residual pressure proves no leak in the radiator. Level had gone from max when I left yesterday, to min when I checked this morning. Mechanic had said that level going down a little was to be expected. More surprisingly, the grey-ish colour of the oil at the dipstick yesterday (which he saw as a bad omen for the head gasket) is no more, and the mayonnaise I cleaned off the oil filler cap has not returned. However, though the car is not parked on level ground, the oil level seems quite high. The garage bill indicates 5 litres of oil, but I used just about four when I changed the oil earlier this year. Thinking about it, it was quite high yesterday morning, too. Wouldn't too much oil be detrimental to the engine?
Thanks,

B.
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Southernboy
Joined: Thu 07 Oct, 2010 12:39
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  Z3 roadster 3.0i
Location: Johannesburg

Re: Engine Breakdowns?

Post by Southernboy »

The oil level should not exceed maximum as indicated on the dip stick. Perhaps get under the car when it's cold and been standing - on level ground - drain about a litre, then top it up to the correct level again.
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Boosh
Joined: Sun 30 Nov, 2014 22:40
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Re: Engine Breakdowns?

Post by Boosh »

Thanks, Barry, that's what I thought. When changing the oil on my Zed for the first time, I did find on the net that oil capacity for my engine was 5 liters. So I emptied the whole container, to then find that is was too much. Earlier this year, when I changed the oil again, I knew better and poured oil in stages, waiting and checking as I went. Just about four liters was enough. But it looks like I'm going to have to change the oil yet again anyway (because of the dirty oil issue). For the time being, I might get away with sucking the oil up from above with a syringe and rubber tubing. Thanks again,

Boosh.

Well, She decided otherwise. Took RedZed to work this morning. Engine temp stuck at 12o'clock point all the way, but heater was blowing cold air, then tepid, then cold again. Upon leaving, I checked for coolant loss: the car had lost more water in 30miles than after 170 two days ago...Topped up, drove 5 miles, and... engine started heating up, coolant pouring out of the expansion tank when I unscrewed the lid. No beating around the bush: new head gasket, water pump and hoses on the cards. Who needs to eat, after all? Paying for parts and labour is so much more fun...
AW8
Joined: Tue 27 Jan, 2009 12:55
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  Z3 roadster 2.2i
Location: sussex

Re: Engine Breakdowns?

Post by AW8 »

Z3 2.2i owned here.....I have had to change both cam sensors and car came into my hands with leak from a hairline crack to sump (sourcing correct replacememt was a mission) but otherwise no issues. Not burning much oil either and odometer shows 133k.....car owned here for 7 years since 102k.

Wonderful engine and well matched to the Z3 IMO.

HTH :)
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Althulas
Joined: Fri 13 Feb, 2009 00:55
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  M roadster S50

Re: Engine Breakdowns?

Post by Althulas »

pingu wrote:I think that I got away it when my auxiliary water pump failed.

I'll find out tomorrow when I give it a test drive with Deano :shock: :drive

I thought all the auxiliary water pump did was cycle water through the heater matrix and just end up with a cool cabin if it failed and would not effect the engine cooling system.
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Del
Joined: Sat 19 Nov, 2011 18:35
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Re: Engine Breakdowns?

Post by Del »

Boosh wrote:When changing the oil on my Zed for the first time, I did find on the net that oil capacity for my engine was 5 liters. So I emptied the whole container, to then find that is was too much. Earlier this year, when I changed the oil again, I knew better and poured oil in stages, waiting and checking as I went. Just about four liters was enough.
1.9 M43TU engine takes 4 litres
1.9 M44 engine takes 5 litres
There is confusion on the net as many forums etc are dominated by US members and the US only ever had the M44 engine.
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pingu
Joined: Fri 30 Apr, 2004 16:01
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Re: Engine Breakdowns?

Post by pingu »

Althulas wrote:
pingu wrote:I think that I got away it when my auxiliary water pump failed.

I'll find out tomorrow when I give it a test drive with Deano :shock: :drive

I thought all the auxiliary water pump did was cycle water through the heater matrix and just end up with a cool cabin if it failed and would not effect the engine cooling system.
The "water" going through the heater matrix is the same water that goes through the engine. The whole circuit is in series. I don't think there are any parallel circuits.

The failure that you talk about is what would happen if it failed to pump, but the fault was that the pump's internal housing split. At first, I thought it was the seal, but it was actually a hairline split in the internal housing, which opened under pressure.
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Althulas
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Re: Engine Breakdowns?

Post by Althulas »

A close escape then I hope.
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Bombshell61
Joined: Tue 26 Jun, 2012 10:04
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Re: Engine Breakdowns?

Post by Bombshell61 »

I have been told that I need a new expansion tank on my 1998 Z3 - is this a difficult job that would require a mechanic?
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kjb1
Joined: Thu 04 Feb, 2016 11:12
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Re: Engine Breakdowns?

Post by kjb1 »

Bombshell61 wrote:I have been told that I need a new expansion tank on my 1998 Z3 - is this a difficult job that would require a mechanic?
if you are asking this question, then I would say yes

( no offence )
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Southernboy
Joined: Thu 07 Oct, 2010 12:39
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Location: Johannesburg

Re: Engine Breakdowns?

Post by Southernboy »

Removing the radiator is a relatively simple task and once removed, access to the expansion tank will be as easy. Replacing the expansion tank with a new unit can be done before replacing the radiator again.
Easiest way to start is to remove the fan and fan shroud, then drain the radiator from the bottom drain plug and disconnect all the attached hoses before lifting the radiator out. The radiator has 2 clips at the top which can be seen on top of the radiator.
From there it's just straight forward common sense. You might want to purchase new coolant before starting the task, since you may as well replace the coolant at the same time.

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