[Tobz_au]

Originally Posted by Freakystein

Oh..i see

Btw, anyone running Mosselman oil thermostat with uprated oil cooler? Thibking will it help to stabilize the N55 oil temp as its kinda hot in my country where temp can reach 34c/93f.

Ive got the CSF oil cooler and am planning to use it with the stock oil thermostat to hopefully stabilise the temps at 120c. can reach 40c here is australia so will see how it holds up.

[Polo08816]

Originally Posted by Freakystein

Oh..i see

Btw, anyone running Mosselman oil thermostat with uprated oil cooler? Thibking will it help to stabilize the N55 oil temp as its kinda hot in my country where temp can reach 34c/93f.

Originally Posted by Tobz_au

Ive got the CSF oil cooler and am planning to use it with the stock oil thermostat to hopefully stabilise the temps at 120c. can reach 40c here is australia so will see how it holds up.

I'm running the Mosselman oil thermostat and CSF oil cooler. Will see how it does this season.

I also replaced a good portion of the cooling system and use a CSF radiator as well.

[Freakystein]

Originally Posted by Tobz_au

Ive got the CSF oil cooler and am planning to use it with the stock oil thermostat to hopefully stabilise the temps at 120c. can reach 40c here is australia so will see how it holds up.

Great..lets see if it holds up well...

Originally Posted by Polo08816

I'm running the Mosselman oil thermostat and CSF oil cooler. Will see how it does this season.

I also replaced a good portion of the cooling system and use a CSF radiator as well.

Nice..i was thinking do i need to upgrade the radiator as well...but as the rebuild is quite costly, decide to put that on hold first..

[DVC]

Originally Posted by Freakystein

This baffle does look impressive, keep it posted here to and let us know the results. I was thinking using the m2 sump and oil pump, but it's quite hard to find a used set and the price for new is pretty steep.

Was tracking the car, everything went great on the early stage, but after about 2 hours of tracking, the car oil temp started going up, then it started to feel like misfire. So i stop the car and didnt continue. Send in for check the next day and thought it was just coil or plugs, but after changing those, the knock became more apparent at low rpm. Here is the pic of the shod rod bearing and crank.

Great job stopping the car when you noticed the misfires, and saving further damage! I was not so fortunate....

I had heard it was not possible to oil starve an N55 F30 on street tires, but I managed to do coming through the Chute at Summit Point. Before I knew what was happening, the car was pulling power, threw a rod through the block, and the engine caught fire. I was THIS close to upgrading to the M3 oil pan and pumps before this event, but the cost was definitely a deterrent.

I was on the fence for a while with either rebuilding the car with a used engine, or selling the chassis and getting started with a apec e46 build. In the end I chose the latter. I will truly miss this car.

[Freakystein]

Originally Posted by DVC

Great job stopping the car when you noticed the misfires, and saving further damage! I was not so fortunate....

I had heard it was not possible to oil starve an N55 F30 on street tires, but I managed to do coming through the Chute at Summit Point. Before I knew what was happening, the car was pulling power, threw a rod through the block, and the engine caught fire. I was THIS close to upgrading to the M3 oil pan and pumps before this event, but the cost was definitely a deterrent.

I was on the fence for a while with either rebuilding the car with a used engine, or selling the chassis and getting started with a apec e46 build. In the end I chose the latter. I will truly miss this car.

Oh man, sad to hear that, your build was amazing.

Yeah man, was lucky not to seize the engine. But it still need a new crank, which was lucky my mech was able to find 1. Now i do actually have a similar dilemma as whether to rebuild it with the m3 pump and pan as well, but the cost is really high. MMR baffle is also one of my considerations as it is much more cost effective.

The car runs very well and and handle brilliantly with ohlins on the track, but am now thinking whether should i just rebuild it back to stock and get a different car for track as to avoid such issues.

[DVC]

Originally Posted by Freakystein

Oh man, sad to hear that, your build was amazing.

Yeah man, was lucky not to seize the engine. But it still need a new crank, which was lucky my mech was able to find 1. Now i do actually have a similar dilemma as whether to rebuild it with the m3 pump and pan as well, but the cost is really high. MMR baffle is also one of my considerations as it is much more cost effective.

The car runs very well and and handle brilliantly with ohlins on the track, but am now thinking whether should i just rebuild it back to stock and get a different car for track as to avoid such issues.

Yeah, that's the dilemma. The F30 is awesome with the right mods, but when something breaks, it's still very expensive to fix. And the N55 (like all modern turbo engines) is certainly not as robust and tolerant of abuse as the old NA straight 6s.

This car took me from my first DE, all the way through being an instructor, and I enjoyed every minute of it on track; no regrets. If my goal were to continue to run DEs and instruct - without pushing the car to its outer limits on the regular - it's still a solid option for that (with the M3 oil pan and pumps of course!). But I am interested in continuing to push my pace, and would actually like to get into club racing, so naturally I came to the conclusion that spec e46 made more sense than a costly rebuild.

[Foxtrot3Zero]

Originally Posted by DVC

Yeah, that's the dilemma. The F30 is awesome with the right mods, but when something breaks, it's still very expensive to fix. And the N55 (like all modern turbo engines) is certainly not as robust and tolerant of abuse as the old NA straight 6s.

This car took me from my first DE, all the way through being an instructor, and I enjoyed every minute of it on track; no regrets. If my goal were to continue to run DEs and instruct - without pushing the car to its outer limits on the regular - it's still a solid option for that (with the M3 oil pan and pumps of course!). But I am interested in continuing to push my pace, and would actually like to get into club racing, so naturally I came to the conclusion that spec e46 made more sense than a costly rebuild.

Oh man. Tough to hear that about your car. You had a great build that I was using as a go-by for mine... How many years of track use did you get? Were you overfilling oil a bit on track days? I am not instructor level by any stretch so probably not pushing nearly as much as you. Trying to gauge my approach while saving up for M parts. BTW I am still looking for a vendor for a sunroof insert like you have... Good luck on the new ride!

[Pussiwillow]

Originally Posted by DVC

Great job stopping the car when you noticed the misfires, and saving further damage! I was not so fortunate....

I had heard it was not possible to oil starve an N55 F30 on street tires, but I managed to do coming through the Chute at Summit Point. Before I knew what was happening, the car was pulling power, threw a rod through the block, and the engine caught fire. I was THIS close to upgrading to the M3 oil pan and pumps before this event, but the cost was definitely a deterrent.

I was on the fence for a while with either rebuilding the car with a used engine, or selling the chassis and getting started with a apec e46 build. In the end I chose the latter. I will truly miss this car.

Dvc… I'm so sorry for the unfortunate event with the car. Your build is inspiring, I think you made a good choice moving to the spec e46 tho I think you're going to love it.

How many miles were on your engine?

[daxtor]

For those of you overfill 1 qt of engine oil, how often do you do that? I only go to track days like 2 to 3 times at most a year, and if I overfill it in the 1st track day of the year, do I need to overfill it again before the 2nd track day? This sounds a bit excessive and having too much engine oil isn't good either.

[Tobz_au]

Originally Posted by daxtor

For those of you overfill 1 qt of engine oil, how often do you do that? I only go to track days like 2 to 3 times at most a year, and if I overfill it in the 1st track day of the year, do I need to overfill it again before the 2nd track day? This sounds a bit excessive and having too much engine oil isn't good either.

I change my oil after each event... its overkill for sure, but not overly expensive

[brigade24]

Originally Posted by DVC

Great job stopping the car when you noticed the misfires, and saving further damage! I was not so fortunate....

I had heard it was not possible to oil starve an N55 F30 on street tires, but I managed to do coming through the Chute at Summit Point. Before I knew what was happening, the car was pulling power, threw a rod through the block, and the engine caught fire. I was THIS close to upgrading to the M3 oil pan and pumps before this event, but the cost was definitely a deterrent.

I was on the fence for a while with either rebuilding the car with a used engine, or selling the chassis and getting started with a apec e46 build. In the end I chose the latter. I will truly miss this car.

damn, sorry to hear man...you put alot of time in that car. i was thinking for track to go back to my ls1 camaro...easier to prep for track.

[Polo08816]

Originally Posted by DVC

Yeah, that's the dilemma. The F30 is awesome with the right mods, but when something breaks, it's still very expensive to fix. And the N55 (like all modern turbo engines) is certainly not as robust and tolerant of abuse as the old NA straight 6s.

This car took me from my first DE, all the way through being an instructor, and I enjoyed every minute of it on track; no regrets. If my goal were to continue to run DEs and instruct - without pushing the car to its outer limits on the regular - it's still a solid option for that (with the M3 oil pan and pumps of course!). But I am interested in continuing to push my pace, and would actually like to get into club racing, so naturally I came to the conclusion that spec e46 made more sense than a costly rebuild.

I can attest to that. Here's a snapshot right after my engine seized up at VIR this past weekend LOL. Judging from the oil at the bottom of the car, my engine might have gained a secondary oil drain plug hole as a bonus feature.

146,000 miles, 8SAT, M Sport, RWD, stock (stage 0) tune except for BM3 CEL delete. Other related mods may have been:

- Wagner Tuning Competition Intercooler Kit EVO 2
- ER Chargepipe
- ER TIC
- CSF oil cooler (requires additional oil due to extra volume that is added to the system)
- CSF radiator
- Mosselman Oil Thermostat

Handling/suspension mods:
- F80 control arms
- solid rear subframe bushings
- Millway street camber plates
- Ohlins R&T coilovers
- M Performance LSD
- square 255/40/18 Goodyear F1 Supercar 3 tires (220 TW)

I've always had a 5,000 mile OCI since the car was delivered and I was running Castrol Edge 5w-40 oil which I usually overfill by .5 quarts due to track use.

I looked at the data for the rest of my sessions and oil temps never rose above 250F with this setup which means that the CSF oil cooler and Mossleman oil thermostat should have had sufficient capacity to cool the engine oil as long as the engine was functioning properly.

My guess is that the failure happened about 1-2 laps before my engine seized, locking up my rear wheels, and causing me to have some playtime in the infield after exiting Turn 10.


As to what was the root cause of the failure. It's hard to tell because the engine did have 146,000 miles on it. It's certainly not a new engine by any stretch. Would an M oil sump system have saved it? I don't know because it's lasted for so many miles. For an engine that fails much earlier based on mileage, perhaps. I think someone who is planning on tracking a car with a non M car N55 engine, it's worth having the rod bearings inspected and replaced at a certain interval.

[Foxtrot3Zero]

Originally Posted by Polo08816

I can attest to that. Here's a snapshot right after my engine seized up at VIR this past weekend LOL. Judging from the oil at the bottom of the car, my engine might have gained a secondary oil drain plug hole as a bonus feature.

146,000 miles, 8SAT, M Sport, RWD, stock (stage 0) tune except for BM3 CEL delete. Other related mods may have been:

- Wagner Tuning Competition Intercooler Kit EVO 2
- ER Chargepipe
- ER TIC
- CSF oil cooler (requires additional oil due to extra volume that is added to the system)
- CSF radiator
- Mosselman Oil Thermostat

Handling/suspension mods:
- F80 control arms
- solid rear subframe bushings
- Millway street camber plates
- Ohlins R&T coilovers
- M Performance LSD
- square 255/40/18 Goodyear F1 Supercar 3 tires (220 TW)

I've always had a 5,000 mile OCI since the car was delivered and I was running Castrol Edge 5w-40 oil which I usually overfill by .5 quarts due to track use.

I looked at the data for the rest of my sessions and oil temps never rose above 250F with this setup which means that the CSF oil cooler and Mossleman oil thermostat should have had sufficient capacity to cool the engine oil as long as the engine was functioning properly.

My guess is that the failure happened about 1-2 laps before my engine seized, locking up my rear wheels, and causing me to have some playtime in the infield after exiting Turn 10.


As to what was the root cause of the failure. It's hard to tell because the engine did have 146,000 miles on it. It's certainly not a new engine by any stretch. Would an M oil sump system have saved it? I don't know because it's lasted for so many miles. For an engine that fails much earlier based on mileage, perhaps. I think someone who is planning on tracking a car with a non M car N55 engine, it's worth having the rod bearings inspected and replaced at a certain interval.

Ugh, another one. Sorry to hear about your car Polo08816. I have a TNiA at Daytona (Rolex full course) next month. Feeling pretty anxious now. Might delay until I get an Accusump or the M setup. I'm not super fast or pushing it by any stretch, but still...ugh!

What are your plans? New engine build?

[Polo08816]

Originally Posted by Foxtrot3Zero

Ugh, another one. Sorry to hear about your car Polo08816. I have a TNiA at Daytona (Rolex full course) next month. Feeling pretty anxious now. Might delay until I get an Accusump or the M setup. I'm not super fast or pushing it by any stretch, but still...ugh!

What are your plans? New engine build?

I think that makes sense - I don't think I'm at a point where I have to switch chassis or platforms yet. It's hard to say without knowing the pricing and condition of used engines. If I could get another 3-5 years of use out of this chassis that would be great.

[Tobz_au]

Ooo I saw you said you need additional oil as you have the csf oil cooler and you also overfill by 0.5quart. Does that mean you are filling 7.5L per oil change or 8L?

I’ve assumed that the additional oil for the oil cooler is only needed when you add the cooler the first time, or drain the oil cooler. For all fills after that, I assumed 7L is a full change. Interested to see your thoughts

[Tobz_au]

Originally Posted by Foxtrot3Zero

Ugh, another one. Sorry to hear about your car Polo08816. I have a TNiA at Daytona (Rolex full course) next month. Feeling pretty anxious now. Might delay until I get an Accusump or the M setup. I'm not super fast or pushing it by any stretch, but still...ugh!

What are your plans? New engine build?

Adding the mmr oil baffle was quite easy and cheap. Worth considering. Can check a rod bearing as well and decide if you want to swap them

[Polo08816]

Originally Posted by Tobz_au

Ooo I saw you said you need additional oil as you have the csf oil cooler and you also overfill by 0.5quart. Does that mean you are filling 7.5L per oil change or 8L?

I’ve assumed that the additional oil for the oil cooler is only needed when you add the cooler the first time, or drain the oil cooler. For all fills after that, I assumed 7L is a full change. Interested to see your thoughts

So good point.

My factory fill was around 6.75 quarts it seemed to reach max level on the digital oil measurement. CSF cooler would take it to around 7.25 quarts on initial fill. I usually ended up putting in about 7.5 quarts on most oil changes.

I think that even if you overfilled by whatever amount after that, you would still drain out the excess on the next oil change because the plumbing for the oil cooler would take a fixed volume.

I don't think the amount I was overfilling by would have been catastrophic - because it would have blown up at some point during the 2021 track season. I had for about 8 events since the start of the 2021 track season.

[Tobz_au]

Ooo yer 7.5 quarts would be more than fine

[Foxtrot3Zero]

Originally Posted by Polo08816

I think that makes sense - I don't think I'm at a point where I have to switch chassis or platforms yet. It's hard to say without knowing the pricing and condition of used engines. If I could get another 3-5 years of use out of this chassis that would be great.

Well, please keep us informed as you undertake it - if you don't mind. Would love to watch the progress and learn from it.

[Foxtrot3Zero]

Originally Posted by Tobz_au

Adding the mmr oil baffle was quite easy and cheap. Worth considering. Can check a rod bearing as well and decide if you want to swap them

Yeah, watching the progress in the other thread was inspiring for sure. Seeing what you guys did and how it went was very helpful.

[Cal96]

Originally Posted by Polo08816

I can attest to that. Here's a snapshot right after my engine seized up at VIR this past weekend LOL. Judging from the oil at the bottom of the car, my engine might have gained a secondary oil drain plug hole as a bonus feature.

146,000 miles, 8SAT, M Sport, RWD, stock (stage 0) tune except for BM3 CEL delete. Other related mods may have been:

- Wagner Tuning Competition Intercooler Kit EVO 2
- ER Chargepipe
- ER TIC
- CSF oil cooler (requires additional oil due to extra volume that is added to the system)
- CSF radiator
- Mosselman Oil Thermostat

Handling/suspension mods:
- F80 control arms
- solid rear subframe bushings
- Millway street camber plates
- Ohlins R&T coilovers
- M Performance LSD
- square 255/40/18 Goodyear F1 Supercar 3 tires (220 TW)

I've always had a 5,000 mile OCI since the car was delivered and I was running Castrol Edge 5w-40 oil which I usually overfill by .5 quarts due to track use.

I looked at the data for the rest of my sessions and oil temps never rose above 250F with this setup which means that the CSF oil cooler and Mossleman oil thermostat should have had sufficient capacity to cool the engine oil as long as the engine was functioning properly.

My guess is that the failure happened about 1-2 laps before my engine seized, locking up my rear wheels, and causing me to have some playtime in the infield after exiting Turn 10.


As to what was the root cause of the failure. It's hard to tell because the engine did have 146,000 miles on it. It's certainly not a new engine by any stretch. Would an M oil sump system have saved it? I don't know because it's lasted for so many miles. For an engine that fails much earlier based on mileage, perhaps. I think someone who is planning on tracking a car with a non M car N55 engine, it's worth having the rod bearings inspected and replaced at a certain interval.

Wast this a downhill? Can't tell..

[Polo08816]

Originally Posted by Cal96

Wast this a downhill? Can't tell..

The oil on the track indicated that it was right at at the top of the hill. We were about to go downhill - well, we did go downhill. The rear axle locked up when the engine seized and we spun into the infield. It's really hard to countersteer because you lose steering assist.