Not the car (archive)

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As with any ultra-high performance car, they're really expensive to run when something goes wrong. But, everyone blames the cars not the mechanic? My experience is that 99% of the time its the mechanic.

Whoever did the crankshaft work on your car obviously didn't get it right. There is absolutely no excuse for yours coming loose the second time. Since the front hub torque is 326ft/lbs very few shops have the skill and correct tools to accurately set it. The hub clean-up is also very suspect. The hub/keyway tolerances are so close that I can't imagine any kind of clean-up work that wouldn't introduce some additional play. Only a tiny amount is necessary to work the hub bolt loose even at regular rpm.

If you're crank nose is shot and you need a replacement I have a spare in perfect condition sitting in my garage.

A few months ago I had my keyway dissolve and the harmonic balancer came off. Some delicate crank-snout cleaning was done, and a new keyway and crank nut were installed, breathing a bit more life into my motor.

I later read about the frank fahey crank hub, and that apparently what happened to me is not uncommon on the M5 and M6. So i've been babying hte car since then, rarely getting up to even 5krpm, much less the 6500+ BMW AG says is where you start getting into trouble.

Yet this evenin was lesuirely driving a friend home, when i notice the steering doesn't feel quite right. I figure its perhaps just my imagination, or the wheels being misbalanced (i've got an odd vibration at about 40mph). I get to an intersection and stop, and suddenly my steering is extremely heavy and all my SI lights come on - exactly what happened last time my harmonic balancer came off the crank. I immediately killed the motor and we attempted to push the car through the intersection, but couldn't, so i ran it for all ov 4 seconds to get us over the hill and then coasted into my friends apartment parking lot. I assumed I had snapped my belts some how. However, all the belts were intact, and looked completely new (afterall, they were all replaced just a couple months ago (if that!). However, i thought to check for belt tightness... and though they were generally tight, as i wobbled the belts, the _entire harmonic balancer_ was rocking back and forth. Not good behavior for something which is supposed to be attached to the _crank_ at >200 ft/lbs.

I was hoping to get the fahey hub installed before another disaster. I may be too late. Labor on keeping this car running has completely blown my budget. Friday I was just given a great raise and bonus, and was looking forward to getting ahead of my car service bills again. Not so - the M5 never lets me down - when it comes to breaking down that is.

This is ridiculous for a BMW with only 100k miles. My e12 had 240k miles on it when i _sold_ it. I had the distributor go, the freezeplugs go, a few radiators, power steering go, etc, but the motor was _indestructible_.

I have parts sitting around for the m5 that i can't afford to have installed yet. Now this shit happens. At what point do i quit my job and become a full time mechanic for just my own vehicle ? I live in an apartment and i have a carport - the pavement isn't even flat enough to jack the car up safely. I sure as hell dont have a lift i can use to do this crap myself.

To this day i have not tasted the full power of my car. From shitty exhuast to leaky accordion valve to melted crank hub to you fucking name it.

Sorry about the incoherent ranting. I am absolutely furious. No car is worth this bullshit. I should have just waited around and gotten an E34 535i. I'm sure that someday this M5 will be nice and reliable and not have a shopping list of "to fix" items, but i dont know when, and i dont know whos going to be able to pay for it.

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