E-Bay seller's claim about M30 engine.. True??

[Dave M]

The claim

The engine got it's reputation from being run 4 years straight in a factory accumulating 800,000 miles then it was disassembled and any problem areas addressed.

The Link http://cgi.ebay.ca/RARE-BMW-535i-5sp-e34-5-series-535-M5-options_W0QQitemZ4603964142QQcategoryZ6755QQrdZ1QQ cmdZViewItem

For entertainment,

Dave M

[misfortune]

The claim

The engine got it's reputation from being run 4 years straight in a factory accumulating 800,000 miles then it was disassembled and any problem areas addressed.

The Link http://cgi.ebay.ca/RARE-BMW-535i-5sp-e34-5-series-535-M5-options_W0QQitemZ4603964142QQcategoryZ6755QQrdZ1QQ cmdZViewItem

For entertainment,

Dave M
Thats a pretty nice description. Wonder how much is BS

[zygoteer]

I suspect the statistic has been distorted over time.

It says the "engine" was run continuously for 4 years ...
How is this (presumably run on a test bed) related to miles ?
- it doesn't say in a car which would have been far more impressive anyway !

If it was in a car, or cars, then its average speed was only 22.83 mph ... so is that a real test for wear patterns ?
I doubt it.

[Paul in NZ]

the m30 got its reputation by continual improvement over a period of time

[Incantation]

most wear comes from cold starts

[Jay 535i]

If it was in a car, or cars, then its average speed was only 22.83 mph ... so is that a real test for wear patterns ?
I doubt it.

Indeed. Plus, it was presumably run without load, rev changes, G forces or anything at all, really, that would cause anything more than minimal wear.

I doubt the claim, and even if it's true it's meaningless.

[Alexlind123]

I think my average speed is around that, according to the obc.

EDIT: i just read the article. That is a nice car!! I notice that he has a painted valve cover as well :)

[Jay 535i]

I think my average speed is around that, according to the obc.

Your AVERAGE speed is, perhaps, 23MPH.

But for the engine in question, 23MPH was the ONLY speed!

Big difference.

[Alexlind123]

I see, probably at a constant rpm?

[Jay 535i]

I see, probably at a constant rpm?

Presumably, yeah.

[Torque]

I may be wrong in my thinking; and if I am, please correct me, but don't they run an engine at it's peak power rpm when they test it like that? Isn't that where the most wear occurs?

[Jay 535i]

1) don't they run an engine at it's peak power rpm when they test it like that?

2)Isn't that where the most wear occurs?

1) I don't know, but...

2) ...when the engine's not pushing anything, the wear is minimal regardless of RPMs.

I'm not an expert at this stuff. This is just what my intuition tells me.

It's not impossible to simulate the real life of an engine on a test bed, but I'm not sure if that was done -- if this ever happened at all.

[SRR2]

I read the whole ad a few times and couldn't find either the year of the car or the miles on it. I *did* find a LOT of BS, and saw the ugly steering wheel that dispensed with the airbag. I'd guess this is an '89 or early '90 due to the lack of wood trim on the dash and console. The "iM" option wasn't available until much later in the model run, so it looks to me like this thing is a hacked-up bastard.

That business about "... engine got it's [sic] reputation..." is especially bogus.