How To: Replacing Rod Bearings on an S54
How To: Replacing Rod Bearings on an S54
Our good friends over at speed acamedy are currently refreshing an S54 motor for their E46 M3 project, and needed to replace their rod bearings. If you’ve ever dealt with an S54 you know that it’s an amazing motor… With an unfortunate Achilles Heel.
That Achilles Heel? Rod bearings!
The bearings that come in the S54 out of the BMW factory are known for lacking reliability due to thermal breakdown. To make the S54 a bit more reliable for both track and street use we created a kit that supplies you with all the parts you need to easily swap out the factory connecting rod bearing shells and bolts in one simple kit. The bearings themselves use a high performance coating helps keep friction as well as temperature down to a minimum. The kit also includes ARP’s s54 connecting rod bolts and the proper needed lubricant.Our Kit is embraced by BMW engine builders world wide, and is popular for both N/A, and forced injection builds alike.
Check out Speed Academy's install video below. This is a great reference video for anyone about to, or thinking about doing this job!