Where to buy engines? (m44b19)

[Alakdeus]

hey, i am looking to fine (then price) an M44b19 engine for a 98 318ti.

Pretty much my rod bearings have crapped out and it could die at anytime.

You guys know:

1. Where a good place to find this kind of engine is?
2. what is a good price to pay for one that is reliable and under 100k miles
3. If it is more cost efficient to just have it rebuilt by
A) Profession automechanic
B) friend who is master mechanic (with no warranty)

Thanks for anytime you put into responding. Any help is truly appreciated.

[Marv17]

OH. should contact Hugo. he just pulled out his M44 out of his ti since he's putting in a S52. i believe its a 99 motor and just under 100k i think.

[bmwgeoff]

yeah try hugo. if not i got mine from bavairiain auto recycling for a steep price of 1700 shipped from cali to iowa! car runs great though

[Bobbak]

cooljess 76 is selling a motor as well contact him too

[cooljess76]

My motor has just over 42k on it. The previous owner had it replaced under warranty @ 107k. The car now has 149k and some change, motor runs strong and smooth. When I had it smog checked last year, the inspector said he never seen an engine produce such low emissions. Anyway, it's coming out for a motor swap next week if you're interested.

[Marv17]

oooo.... next week? (cant wait to see)

well there you go buddy. got two M44's up for sale in SoCal.

[thesk8nmidget]

problem solved! :)

[CAti]

I have a beloved 97 318ti, that very recently blew its engine. Does anyone know of a great mechanic in SF Bay Area I can trust to rebuild or replace the engine?

bmwgeoff, thanks for the great lead on bavariain auto recycling (pricy but at least I can save my car).

THX

[montjuic]

Hello, Did you get any help or lead on replacing the engine?

It's a sad day: I need a new M44. Short story: the hard plastic coolant connector broke,
engine overheated, will not turnover, am being told I need a new engine. Period. I've 151K miles on it and in the past 4months i've replaced the steering rack, clutch, flywheel, window regulator, radiator, a/c condenser, front end, hood, belts....

I've replaced cracked heads on my old 320i, '02....but have never had to deal with an entire engine.
It has horrid compression so i'm being told the whole thing needs to be replaced....

Thanks,
B (wondering how to hang on to my T)

[dave45056]

Read the thread... there were 3 suggestions where to get one. Try contacting that member. If you need help figuring out if you need to replace the whole engine or not, start a new thread.

[CAti]

Hi montjuic,

Sorry was on vacation. I didn't find a cheap mechanic, took it to

Palo Alto Bimmer
799 Alma St
650.325.3818
Kosro Tabrizi (one of owners)

They did a good job, got a new factory engine (it comes from the East Coast but doesn't take long, couple of days) had clutch replaced as long as they were in there. Was NOT cheap, all together about $7,200 or $7,300 don't have the bill here. My car (97) had hardly an issue prior and this shouldn't have happened, long sad story, won't bore you. And I really hope this is it for a while. I checked into bavariain auto recycling, but would have cost approx same. Hope this helps.

[angel318ti]

damn you could have bought 2 ti's for that price, I hope it runs forever after all that.

[cooljess76]

OUCH!!! I sold my m44 to a member here for a fraction of that. Seriously you could have got a whole ti with money leftover for mods or one hell of a s52 swap project. Oh well, if you're happy with the results, live and learn I guess. Congrats on getting your car back on the road.

[montjuic]

Thanks for the info, CAti and others.
I've yet to get an official quote from my mechanic--who I do trust.
Initially, they were telling me the same for a new engine: $7k. That's a new one with
a 2 yr factory warranty.
I just did a load of work on it and frankly, if I were to look for a replacement...i'd look for exactly what i just lost. Despite my 150kmiles, wear and tear...etc.

It gets emotional really quick, doesn't it.
Similarly, my car really didn't pose any problem prior to this very big one.

Just want to get it back.