My Alpina is dead :(((

S

SkiNNeR

Member
yo there guys and gals

My engine is now firing on 5 cylinders, I plugged in my ODB2 scanner was getting misfire on cylinder 6. Car is running terrible, took out the plugs and changed em. Have noticed that the plug from no.6 is sooted with oil and has no gaps at all.. almost like the pins have been pushed back, i'm going to do a compression test, but i'm almost certain its going to fail. New head gasket will be needed i think as the car has done 87k. I just hope to god that the cylinder head is not warped or something else horrific.

I'm considering pulling the engine out and doing a full rebuild myself. I don't suppose there is a guide somewhere on this... its prolly a stupid question because i know its a stupid massive job but it would be good to have a list of all items in correct order when building it back up so i don't miss anything out. Plus all the tolerances n shiz. Any information would be grateful

Can't believe this has happened, my baby is dead :( arrggg
 
Don’t panic yet, check the simple stuff first before pulling the engine to pieces.
The ccv can block & it tends to foul the rear cylinders before the front ones due to the way it’s vented into the inlet manifold. I’d remove the disa and see if the inlet is coated in oil which is a bit if a giveaway to a defunct breather.
Rob
 
Hey man, thats some good info haven't checked these things yet. by the ccv do you mean the crank case breather valve? I changed that about 2 years ago
 
Give ducklakeview (Mike) a message on here and see what he would charge for the diagnostics/rebuild. He comes very highly recommended by members on here and is an expert on all things Z4 - I already plan to send my Z4 work to him!
 
hey again, um do you know where ducklakeview (Mike) is based might be a shout? Firebobby yea m8 tried switching em around in diff cylinders same shiz :/ i'm gona get the dizzy off and take a look in the next couple of days anyway, and do a compression check just to be sure.

Cheers
 
SkiNNeR said:
hey again, um do you know where ducklakeview (Mike) is based might be a shout? Firebobby yea m8 tried switching em around in diff cylinders same shiz :/ i'm gona get the dizzy off and take a look in the next couple of days anyway, and do a compression check just to be sure.

Cheers
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He's in Warrington area
There's a face book page
https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=105182
 
The engine in the alpina Z4 is basically a modified e36M3 s50 engine. It's basically the same engine they used in the e46 based alpina b3s. You seem o already know they are known for head gasket failure, even with the revised head gasket part fitted. But the good news is it's usually just the gasket, not the block/head/Pistons etc although your plug with no gap is a bit of a worry. Obviously a compression test is the first port of call but beyond that it's whether your going to tackle it yourself or get someone else to do it. If your going to let someone else handle it you really need a proper BMW specialist who's got experience of working on M cars, specifically the E36/E46 etc, or even better they've got experience of E36 E39 and E46 alpinas etc. Either that or a good engine builder who familiar with the S50 engine etc.
You be amazed at the number of so called specialists that Dont know their way around a BMW M car engine, never mind an Alpinas.
 
MACK said:
The engine in the alpina Z4 is basically a modified e36M3 s50 engine. It's basically the same engine they used in the e46 based alpina b3s. They are known for head gasket failure, even with the revised head gasket part fitted. Obviously a compression test is the first port of call but beyond that it's whether your going to tackle it yourself or get someone else to do it. If your going to let someone else handle it you really need a proper BMW specialist who's got experience of working on M cars, specifically the E36/E46 etc, or even better they've got experience of E36 E39 and E46 alpinas etc. Either that or a good engine builder who familiar with the S50 engine etc.
You be amazed at the number of so called specialists that Dont know their way around a BMW M car engine, never mind an Alpinas.
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My thoughts to.
 
thanks for all your help guys its appreciated. im currently trying to source the disa and i can't find it. it looks completely different to other Z4 3.0 so im struggling to source where it is. any suggestions?
 
ive just had a tinker around. noticed theres a little bit of suction when i take the oil cap off the engine and a mad humming noise coming from the ccv when its off. the engine cuts out too. Its strange because higher up the rev range the car seems to almost respond normally, but then goes bad. its low rpm thats the worst. I think theres a good chance it could be a faulty breather. I know when i replaced the CCV before i didn't replace the dipstick tubes etc. maybe thats desperately needing changed also..
 
SkiNNeR said:
thanks for all your help guys its appreciated. im currently trying to source the disa and i can't find it. it looks completely different to other Z4 3.0 so im struggling to source where it is. any suggestions?
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Sorry I can't really help on the alpina stuff. But as a thought looking at the E36 and E46 S series engined M cars on real Oem might be worth a shout. After all the engine is basically a modded E36 M3 jobbie
 
Ok just done a compression test and its coming back with just under 3 PSI on cylinder 6, cylinder 5 was just a bit over 10 and the rest were 13/14. After i put new plugs in.... cylinder 6 plug is crushed again, so something must be flying around in the cylinder. either that or i've cracked a valve maybe which has damaged the plug. Going to get a cylinder head gasket kit from somewhere i know they come in 87 and 89mm gaskets. Can someone confirm which it is so i order the correct part? I will stick an upgraded gasket on there. Will also need valve stem seals stretch bolts no doubt and all the other needed gaskets plus the head skimmed.

Cheers
 
SkiNNeR said:
Ok just done a compression test and its coming back with just under 3 PSI on cylinder 6, cylinder 5 was just a bit over 10 and the rest were 13/14. After i put new plugs in.... cylinder 6 plug is crushed again, so something must be flying around in the cylinder. either that or i've cracked a valve maybe which has damaged the plug. Going to get a cylinder head gasket kit from somewhere i know they come in 87 and 89mm gaskets. Can someone confirm which it is so i order the correct part? I will stick an upgraded gasket on there. Will also need valve stem seals stretch bolts no doubt and all the other needed gaskets plus the head skimmed.

Cheers
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There's a specific Alpina gasket for the B3S engine - but it's not cheap!! You're very unlikely to be able to find an off-the-shelf generic or aftermarket kit that will work. Phil Crouch at CPC was trying to source an alternative gasket from the US that he thought might fit but I don't know if he succeeded, he was also looking at the possibility of getting copper gaskets made - again, I don't know the outcome of this.

Try contacting him for advice as he has a lot of experience with these engines - http://www.cpcpe.com/
 
well it looks like Athena have a Gasket for that size.... £285 but im not sure if this a kit that comes with the other bits n bobs..

https://forged-pistons.co.uk/webshop/athena-racing-headgaskets/bmw/b-32-330020r-gasket-bore-mm87-1gasket-thickness1-80/
 
SkiNNeR said:
well it looks like Athena have a Gasket for that size.... £285 but im not sure if this a kit that comes with the other bits n bobs..

https://forged-pistons.co.uk/webshop/athena-racing-headgaskets/bmw/b-32-330020r-gasket-bore-mm87-1gasket-thickness1-80/
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AFAIUI a gasket for the standard S52B32 engine won't work on the 3.4L B3S engine - although there are reports of it working with the earlier 3.3L B3 engine - you're not the first person to have looked for an off-the-shelf alternative to the expensive Alpina B3S gasket.

I really do suggest that, before you spend money on something like this, you contact Phil Crouch for advice
 
PerryGunn said:
There's a specific Alpina gasket for the B3S engine - but it's not cheap!! You're very unlikely to be able to find an off-the-shelf generic or aftermarket kit that will work. Phil Crouch at CPC was trying to source an alternative gasket from the US that he thought might fit but I don't know if he succeeded, he was also looking at the possibility of getting copper gaskets made - again, I don't know the outcome of this.

Try contacting him for advice as he has a lot of experience with these engines - http://www.cpcpe.com/
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+1 - There is a thread on the Alpina forum where we discussed this at length. I also remember it mentioned that Phil was going to source a copper gasket although I don't remember it ever came to fruition. He has got experience of replacing a number of the B3S engine head gaskets though. 80k is the usual number quoted for the key mileage although it all depends on a number of factors; for example mine was at 115k+ and showed no signs (I had the compression test done a number of times)
 
markeg - yes im sorry you did mention that indeed. But i wouldn't want to wait a long time to get shipment from america. And i've heard copper gaskets can be a nightmare to seal sometimes. I will give him a shout tho indeed, But quick question does anyone know how much the gasket is from Alpina?
 
PerryGunn - Yea its strange m8, there are so many places that say the car is 3.3, when its a 3.4. Even the horse power is different and top speed on some sites :) its crazy. finding parts can be a bloody nightmare!
 
Last I heard the Alpina B3S gasket was ~£400 inc. VAT (+ fitting) but I'm sure Phil Crouch will have a more up-to-date cost.

The normal way to find out parts info is to contact the parts department at the Nottingham branch of Syntner - that's effectively HQ for Alpina in the UK. If they can't help because the part isn't listed, an email to Axel Rimpler, the Alpina production manager in Buchloe, should help with unusual items - although it may take a few days - but, to avoid Axel being bombarded with queries (and becoming less helpful) please try Sytner Nottingham first.
 
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