Nikasil

[spitfire]

Anyone out there have problem free Nikasil's? If so, any idea's on why? My 95 540/6 has 147.000kms with no problems so far. (touch wood)
Spitfire.

[Tiger]

Mine is still running 94

[Tiger]

Guys... give it a rest about Nikasil...U don't like it... fine... Then how do you explain Porche using Nikasil engine in their limited edition cars that cost $400,000? I forget what model it was...

[Tiger]

And don't every baby your Nikasil engine... it wasn't meant to be babied... The harder you drive on it... the better it will survive this problem.

[Tiger]

Flame me... flame me... whatever...

[new540iowner]

As it turns out, my original Nikasil block with 113K on the clock is now idling perfect thanks to a German Chip I purchased on Ebay a while back. The original chip in the car had been "reprogrammed" to run with a lower idle as it constantly idled in the 500-600 RPM range. Well, after replacing the OEM chip with the German M chip, the car idles perfectly at between 600-700 RPMs and I even got the RPM limiter removed too! For all you M60 owners out there with the "reprogrammed" OEM chip, you may want to fork over the $100 and buy the German Ebay chip as the idle fix alone is worth the money to me.

[Bill R.]

As it turns out, my original Nikasil block with 113K on the clock is now idling perfect thanks to a German Chip I purchased on Ebay a while back. The original chip in the car had been "reprogrammed" to run with a lower idle as it constantly idled in the 500-600 RPM range. Well, after replacing the OEM chip with the German M chip, the car idles perfectly at between 600-700 RPMs and I even got the RPM limiter removed too! For all you M60 owners out there with the "reprogrammed" OEM chip, you may want to fork over the $100 and buy the German Ebay chip as the idle fix alone is worth the money to me.

[new540iowner]

The car sounded like crap and I had to keep the A/C on just to maintain some driveability. The German Ebay chip increased the base idle by about 100 RPMs, removed the speed limiter and rev limiter (have to be careful now) and supposeably increased horsepower by 23 and torque by 25 or so.
I think Funfer had the same problem with his Alusil block so after talking with him, I figured it must be the reprogrammed chip since all gaskets, coils, injectors, MAF, PCV plate and ICV had been replaced on my car prior to the swap. For anyone else having a lumpy or low idle, I would first replace the PCV plate and gaskets, then if that didn't fix it, move on to the $100 chip.
As I recall, when BMW reprogrammed the chip they were trying to increase the temperature of the engine by running it leaner to minimize the sulfur damage to Nikasil blocks. Since you will be producing more NOx emissions with a leaner mixture, they must have lowered the idle RPM at the same time to maintain the same base emissions in the stock chip. Anyways, the German chip worked for me and hopefully it solves some other M60 owner's problem.

[Rich in Sandy Ego]

Unless you make your own sulfur-free gas, it's just a matter of time. My 94 finally lost the head gasket at 93,000 miles, mostly freeway. All top-grade California gas, too. The idle is just bumpy for a while until the cylinder wall degradation just gets to be too much and the rear cylinders start leaking badly.
I was lucky and found a low-mileage factory replacement engine to swap. There are no more factory blocks available, they were $10k US anyway.
Another option when the time comes is the machine shop in Sacramento that does steel cylinder liner replacements. They claim to have had very good luck.

http://www.bmrparts.com/engine1a.htm

At least you can be sure that the car is worth a new engine. It's just disappointing that BMW allowed this whole Nikasil debacle to happen. Their engines are supposed to be untouchable!!!

[Tiger]

Whatever... don't care.