BMW S63 engine reliability, problems and repair. Identifying the Symptoms of a Bad Rod Bearing. A BMW M3 engine failure lawsuit has been filed alleging the M3 S65 engine can fail due to metal debris from the connecting rod bearings. I'm really gutted as I've been waiting 18months to get out on track in the car, and on the first outing (Goodwood on 20th June), after 4 sessions, I started the car to move it forward in the pit queue, and at maybe 1500rpm it just started knocking horridly. The lawsuit alleges the BMW M3 engines fail due to defective rotating assemblies, including the connecting rod Unfortunately cost on Genuine BMW bearings went up considerably and BE bearings became the lowest cost solution for doing rod bearing replacements and achieving industry accepted rod bearing clearance. After production of M5 E60 with S85B50 engine, at M GmbH decided to use more compact V8 with two turbochargers.The cylinder block, the crankshaft and rods got from usual N63. This ACL rod bearing set is designed to replicate BMW standard rod bearing clearance. ACL 8B1578HX-STD - ACL BMW N63/S63 V8 Standard Size High Performance Rod Bearing Set w/.001 Oil Clearance. Hi all, Apologies if this one has been done to death, but over the weekend my rod bearings appear to have let go on my 07 Z4M coupe. This premature component failure appears to occur because the connecting rod bearing clearance to journal ratio for S65/S85 engines is smaller than recommended by engine builders. Last week, BMW of North America was hit with a class action lawsuit alleging certain 2008 to 2013 BMW M3 vehicles containing S65 engines have a defect that can lead to catastrophic engine failure. Some engines have been known to fail within 60,000 miles. Everyone on forums talk about the usual rod bearing failure and connecting rods bending. But there's no need to panic, as WheelZine gives you a useful analysis of rod bearing failure, so as to help you understand its causes, and diagnose its symptoms. Manufacturer ACL. Our US based technical sales experts look forward to assisting you with your high performance automotive needs. BMW has been known to use bearings with tight tolerances which cause excessive wear and the need to replace them frequently. Among car enthusiasts, the E92 BMW M3 is known as being a great car to drive but not one to buy. In 2018 ACL began to make rod bearings for the S65 and S85 in two varieties, a STD size and an HX (.001) oversize. The BMW S63 engine comes from the factory with proper bearing clearance. This seems to be the number one issue that numerous forums call out. A bad rod bearing means that the clock is ticking for your car engine. Features: This bearing clearance is what we use on the race engines we build in the shop and what we recommend for this engine. ACL Rod Bearing Set BMW F10 M5 V8 N63/S63. The engine rod bearings in these BMW models experience excessive wear and consequently premature failure. According to the lawsuit, 2008 to 2013 model year BMW M3 S65 engines suffer from a “rotating assembly defect.” The suit explains that when the connecting rod bearings and main bearings in the affected engines begin to fail, metal debris can find its way into the engine oil and then circulate throughout the engine. The rod bearings in the S65 have a tendency to wear out prematurely, which could end in engine failure. With the spun rod bearing being the route cause of this issue, for our S63 builds we spec our own rod bearings that can handle the abuse of higher horsepower and reduce the risk of running into a spun rod bearing. The BMW M3 S65 engine failure class-action lawsuit includes current and former owners and lessees for model years 2008-2013.