The key to a long life for your BMW engine

Once you have your BMW engine installed and broken in what should you do as far as continuing maintenance for your engine?

We've put together a list of all the things you'll need to do on a scheduled basis. These are basic guidelines and by no means encompass all of the maintenance necessary for the entire vehicle.

To start, and most importantly, you should have your oil and filter changed every 3,000 miles. Good clean oil means a clean engine. With regular replacement of oil and filter you will ensure that your engine will never run short of precious lubricating oil and maintain the proper viscosity for maximum protection against heat and friction.

With today's fuel injected engines it's a good idea to keep your injectors operating in top condition. To achieve this we recommend that you use an injector cleaner (in stock at Bavarian or your local auto parts store) every 10,000 miles. These cleaners use special solvents that will actually remove deposits from within the injectors and allow proper fuel flow to the engine.

The next order of business is the ignition system. After all, without a spark there is no fire.. and fire is what puts the power to the pavement. You should have your spark plugs replaced every 20,000 miles to keep the engine running at optimum performance. And while you're at it have your distributor cap and rotor checked for any corrosion on the contacts.

By 24,000 miles your engine has done a lot of work - hot work. As the engine continually cools itself with the radiator and coolant, the fluid slowly begins to break down and impurities my become visible. At this time you should have your engine coolant changed and your system flushed . This can be performed by just about any auto mechanic and only takes about half an hour.

KEEP THOSE VALVES ADJUSTED! Yes, your valves do require a continual checking in order to keep the engine running at its best. We recommend that you have them adjusted every 15,000 miles. This will not only improve performance but will also prevent premature wear on the cam and rockers.

Finally, and most importantly, you should have your timing belt replaced every 50,000 miles.. period. While this might be a somewhat costly procedure, it is still far less expensive than replacing your cylinder head or entire engine. When a timing belt or chain breaks, the "sync" between the crankshaft and the camshaft is thrown off and the pistons could (and usually will) hit a valve or two. This will result in either a bent valve or a damaged piston or both! So it is in your best interest to have your timing belt replaced when scheduled. Don't risk it.

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