one more thing! VERY often overlooked and rarely mentioned: 🤓 The hydraulic lifters OFTEN clog and cause all kinds of engine fault codes, NONE of these codes actually mention to check the hydraulic lifters, they always "blame" another part. hence you end up replacing alot of parts which are still good without getting to the root cause. Try HYDRAULIC LIFTER CLEANING FLUID first, this stuff is meant to do just that, and it often really works! this is the simplest fix for your M54 engine, and you can't really hurt the engine with cleaner lifters, even if there is another fault as well.
Excellent video! The information matches exactly with my experience in our 120k miles (22 years old) E46 M54. We changed to an E60 530i M54 and surprisingly, it jerks just at 4,000 rpm but it does it only when it has not been used for some weeks... It's a bit strange. Thanks a lot for the video!
This video is amazing, couldn't have been more accurate. I bought a BMW E46 with the M54B22 engine 5 months ago. All of the problematic things you mentioned were there and were fixed/replaced. Bought a new water pump and a thermostat, gasket and a fan(idk why it broke but it stopped spinning). The PCV valve was opened and cleaned and there was so much scum in there build up over time.
Hi Steve. I was so so happy with my E46 330ci (M54) that we bought an E60 530i (also M54) when our kids were born. The feeling is surprisingly different taking into account that the engine is exactly the same, theoretically. E46 330ci was "rude", sporty, I was absolutely in love of its sound. Sometimes I started it in the garaje just to hear it for a moment, and I loved its handling. However E60 M54 is so silent, so quiet, so smooth, so progressive... That it seems to be much less powerful, even though both are manual (much shorter gear ratio on E46), and our E60 has only 50k miles against 120,000 the E46. And it's not because of the weight, because our E46 was cabrio (1.6 tons) and E60 is surprisingly lightweight (circa 1.5 tons). Regards from Spain!
It'll last 300k? Bruh, a good engine is TROUBLE FREE for 300k, and with TLC goes on to 500k or more. [Not impressed] 😐 Edit: Ignore that above. I was being a neurotic asshat conspiring against BMW.
@@8020Media My bad my mental health is relapsing and in retrospect my comment here was egregiously myopic and narrow minded, and failed to account for more nuances in the heat of a neurotic moment....I'm sorry bro 😶
I've replaced many of the plastic failing parts on my M54 engine to make it more bullet proof. (1) Aluminium Rocker Cover (2) water pump with a metal propeller (3) aluminium thermostat housing (4) Disa valve upgraded to aluminium one (5) aluminium fan belt pulley (6) aluminium power steering pulley. The other thing I'm considering is to remove the pcv setup to an oil catch can instead.
@@8020Media it’s RU-vid videos like yours which have been a great help. Without them I wouldn’t have had a clue 👍🏼 It’s less scary now venturing out on longer journeys 😂
Bought a 2001 E53 (1st-gen X5) with M54 and a 5-speed manual last year. About to hit 200Kmiles. Instant starts, no smoke, purrs, no issues other than the (Chinesium?) water pump failed 30Kmiles after replacement... OEM-only going forward. Prior owner did all the things mentioned here. Might want to mention the electric "auxiliary water pump" which are also prone to failing.
For some people who love the M54, it will be time for a rebuild. Regardless, the M54 3.0 and 2.8 is BMWs best, with all the necessary maintenance, no question. If nothing has gone wrong beyond 100K miles, have it checked from top to bottom anyway. You'll be happy. Except 22mpg depending on your model.
