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Can Vanos really cause Valve damage? On the VTC rattle video you said it wouldn't harm anything cause it rattles in between normal limits. Why would it be different here?
I just ran across your channel and gotta say you are one knowledgeable guy. I went to a lot of training classes during my career and never saw presentations as clear and concise as yours. Fantastic job!
@@speedkar99 I can't tell if you have a hobby of taking things apart and learn or if you own a garage maybe even a scrap yard. Which ever you certainly know your stuff and most probably had good technical education to start with.
BMW says that you can address carbon build up by running the engine at 3k rpm for several minutes, especially if you do a low of low rpm driving. I make sure to take it out every few days and work it to 3-5k in sport mode for a bit. Since I began doing that, the engine is performing like a rocket. Also, I have begun. at 138k, a slow investment in the motor, shaft sensors, seals, belt, vanos, OCV, and soon, the DISA. Ill probably keep investing. The mechanic’s son told me, “I think this is a fantastic BMW, it drives so well.”. The 52 is a marvel of efficiency.
One of the smoothest engines. Can sit on the motorway @ 120mph all day, just stop to refuel. I've got the N53 which is a bit more economical. Wonderful engine for touring, quiet, powerful, economical.
Unfortunately, I had to learn how it works because I had to replace the eccentric camshaft and the valvetronic motor on my N55 engine... Fairly disappointed that BMW decided to put a plastic motor inside the engine.
I have two BMWs with this engine a 530xit and a Z4 coupe both with lots of miles and both run like a top knock on wood. And your right on with your description. If your handy with a wrench and stop the oil leaks they should go for a long time. Maintenance is the key
I'm not a wrench turner, but I have a 330xi. Besides oil changes and gaskets, what constitutes proper maintenance? How do I clean the engine to maintain nice clean cylinder heads?
@@Navisworker Hello since your engine is port injected your engine shouldn’t carbon up like a turbocharged engine. I’ve removed the intake manifold off to replace a starter motor and the intake valves where as clean as a whistle. Keep the oil changed at 7 thousand and keep an eye on you PVC system and it will go for a long time. Word of caution fix the oil leaks especially the oil filter housing gasket.
@@anthonygillesse7242 I had all my gaskets replaced at the same time (even the oil pan), not a job I want to pay for again. I do oil changes ever 10-12k km.
This is quite a good engine and as you said relatively reliable. The N52 had a 3 stage intake system on the 330i which gave it a nice intake growl under full throttle and downshifts. 255hp is not a lot but still enough to enjoy fast sporty driving.
I put the 3 stage intake manifold on my 128i and flashed the ECU with 330i software and the low end torque gain completely changes the character of the car.
The engine is great, really, but these 255 horsepower.... here in Russia we pay like 150$ road tax for 250 hp car - and it rises to $500+ for 251 and more. Taking into account 500$ is an average man's monthly wage - these 5 horsepower are a real pain in the ass
@@fear-is-a-tokenso expensive. In America we don't pay taxes based on the car, it's like a set fee for all cars that is paid annually, but nowhere as expensive as Russia or Europe by the sounds of it.
@@zzoinks wish we had the same system. For small cars the tax is quite low - I pay ~4$ for my 63hp Lada samara, paid 7$ for another Lada (98hp) I had some time ago, and my friend pays ~10$ for his Ford focus. But when it comes to real cars, taxes are really high. I can afford buying a used truck now (2002 ram 1500 hemi, absolutely unpopular in this world of lada shitboxes here, but some are around, and I really like it) - but the idea of paying from 1/20 to 1/10 of its price annually to the government just pisses me off.
Like you mentioned, these engines were sensitive to proper oil pressure- so make sure you don’t have run low on oil, or even overfill the oil level. A really nice engine, overall.
I can tell you exactly why this failed, not sure why someone would ditch this engine because it was 100% repairable. Notice how at around 5:10 the intake VANOS gear basically came apart. That's not supposed to happen. On the N52 engine specifically, the VANOS gears are held together with a "safety" or "tamper proof" torx bolt setup, which are very prone to shearing off. This causes the engine to have a crank no start condition due to the camshaft no longer turning with the engine. It can be the cause of a lot of misdiagnosed "faulty" engines as well, due to the camshaft being stuck in one position resulting in no compression during crank. That's likely why this engine was removed from its home. Seen it a lot, and replaced quite a few VANOS gears in my time for this exact issue. Engine looks pretty healthy, all it needs are the VANOS gears and to be re-timed. Edit: you can see the bolt heads in the oil pan at 19:17
This engine is actually pretty reliable and fault-proof for how complex it is - aside from direct fuel injection it got EVERY thing you can think of for optimizing that natural aspiration... It's main problem (just like every BMW) is usually it's oil consumption, but then it depends on how it was driven and maintained. What really amazed me is that i seen engines having their head rebuilt yet required no work on pistons/cylinders after 10-13 years... Although their design/materials do contribute to that oil consumption somewhat. Otherwise the only thing that kept annoying me was DISAs, but mainly because you have to crack them open to service them and they tend to fail without you knowing yet they affect performance greatly.
Yea. I've had an E46 M54B30 and currently have an E90 328i with the N52B30. I can take that M54 and tell you everything about it. This engine is a bit more complex. I am mixed on the port injection vs direct injection only due to the fact that I don't have to worry about carbon build up on the back of the valves. I had a 2016 Malibu Limited LTZ with the 2.5L ecoboost. Had put 152k miles on it and the valves had a bit of carbon on the back. My E46 and E90 have clean valves at 230k and 192k miles, respectively. Overall, the N52 has given me very little issue. I just got the part to change the OFH gasket, but the process actually looks easier than the M54 one.
@@JoiceVaderd yeah oil filter housing gasket on m54 was a PITA. i had the intake off and replaced the crankcase ventilation valve at the same time so had more room but wasnt fun
@@brainkill7034 After 2 years, my engine blew at 250k miles lol. And that OFHG was a piece of cake, too. Much easier than the M54B30. I actually found my old E46. Went through a few hands, but I know the guy that currently owns it. She's in great condition, too. Regret selling her.
Absolutely loving all you videos. EVERY one is a masterclass in engine design and operation. Thank you for the time and effort into sharing your knowledge. It is very much appreciated ;)
One of my favorite engines, had one in a e90 from 70k km to 150k km did 4 oil changes 1 radiator 1 coil pack and 6x spark plugs I was super pleased with the motor and oddly I never had an oil leak was still very tidy under. I have since upgraded to the newer B58 I-6 3L single T and boy do I get similar vibes in the robustness
If you’re looking at an N52 3 series I can say go for it. Few oil leaks, but really really solid engines especially compared to the garbage most companies are building these days.
I got this motor in my 2006 3 series. I got it six years now and its been pretty awesome. Enough power, smooth as butter and it handles great. Mainly because its my first rwd car, I've had 5 fwd cars before the 3 series. Just gotta be handy with a wrench. If not its best to get a Toyota.
@@halogod0298 What is even that argument. The internet is international. He could have wrote "the last NA BMW straight six that made it to North America". No wonder americans have no clue about european cars
@@tjallaballa no one cares dawg, it’s a simple mistake. He is American and didn’t know about the engine, relax. As far as him and most of his viewers, it’s the last one. You got a license to be this big of a dickhead?
Honest question here. How do you know so many things about so many different areas of a vehicle while so young. Ita like you went to school for years then applied it for another 10 yrs Trans, vvt this, that, whatever complex system on the vehicle it's like you helped design it. I'm not kissing ur butt I'm honestly curious
I learn as you learn here, pulling the actual thing apart and investigating by myself. I don't go to school for this stuff, no school will teach you like this.
Just wanted to add, the block is not coated magnesium on the inside, the inner part is an aluminium silicon insert that contains the cylinder bores and coolant channels and the outer part is magnesium.
@@somonides1 I think the serial number gives you a clue has to which was designed first N52 - N53. BMW moves forward with numbers not backwards, ie N52, N53, N54, N55 etc. Stop it now, you're starting to sound stupid.
@@bertsmith7013 Jesus fucking christ, N52 was obviously before N53, but N53 ended before N52 and N52 continued till 2015 in asia, so its the last in-line 6 atmospheric engine to be put in a bmw, its your turn to stop sounding stupid now.
early N52 had metal cover. typical BMW, engineers build great stuff, then the accountants go and ruin it for everyone Plastic is harder to torque properly, less forgiving esp to overtorque, I'm not defending their unforgivable use of plastic parts, they can just be rendered even less reliable by minor user error
BMW's diesel engines need no introduction, it's either very good M47, M51, M57, N57 or very crappy ones like M21, B57, M67 and, oh god, B37... They all reliable because, first of all, it's diesel thus lower operating temperatures, there's more oil in the block, torque is available right from the idle so you don't need to push pedal to hard, second, there's no crappy electronics, no VANOS no Valvetronic, no EC thermostat. It's simple as rock, prolly built like rock too, which is a good thing, because cyl sleeves made from cast iron. They got their moments like glow plugs and harmonic balancers but it's nothing compared to gas engine. I got 2004 E46 with M47N engine and after 350k km i ONLY changed oil and filters and had basically 0 issues with this engine. I own 11 different cars and believe me, BMWs is the best to work on them.
Holly crap!, you clearly don't know about BMW engines or what goes wrong with them. Sure, they leak oil, but the vanos and the hydraulic lifters are both reliable and fairly easily repairable often needing nothing more than an engine flush and fresh oil, as for the valvetronic, that has proved to be very reliable and worry free.
Nice video using the proper information! What I like about BMW's are the online support community and the easy availability of actual engineering and mechanical data. Thanks for a proper tear down!!!
The solution to the tapping valves is nit to replace the assembly. Its drive it spiritually for a bit and it will go away. It does not tap with Mobil 1 oil but I did have these taps with oem castrol
The solution to the tapping valves is nit to replace the assembly. Its drive it spiritually for a bit and it will go away. It does not tap with Mobil 1 oil but I did have these taps with oem castrol
I have 306 000 kms on my N52 3.0 l. Looks like previous owners changed oil regularly in shorter intervals cause the engine is clean inside with no sludge and other crap. And I'm surprised it still takes not more than 1 l of oil for 10 000 km, which is miracle for old BMW.
There is a problem that plagues all German cars around a 100,000 mile mark. They all are going to start having problems, expensive ones. At the same time, because of the high-dollar problems, their value plummets. I bet the owner crunched the numbers and said: trash it. A Toyota Camry in the exact same situation would have been repaired and put back on the road without hesitation.
@@2605155 the level of ignorance in this comment lol the n52 engine is one of the most reliable engines ever made by BMW. My 2010 e93 328i is at 198k miles got it brand new 0 miles. Have had no major issues with it. Never left me stranded or nothing.
I got this engine in my F10, 5000 km since I bought it and I can say it has enough power for smooth daily driving, the sound is also very nice. I also have the oil leak from the valve gasket cover and now I know how to remove it :) Thanks, great video. Saved on my playlist for future garage repairs!
This joker calls this motor "one of BMWs more reliable engines" meanwhile this motor has so many problems. Leaking oil, Timing issue, and seized. Nothing reliable about that.
I have a 2006 530i e60 with the n52 engine it's got 275000km on the odo, the only things that I replaced are the spark plugs and the coils, I bought it 2 years ago.
After my second bimmer I came to a conclusion. They are like puppies. As long as you pay attention to them they are cute and cuddly. Leave them alone and poop all over the place.
Hmm, I have N53 and I thought that was the last naturally aspirated inline six. I'm quite sure I would've noticed a turbo or supercharger should there be one. :D
It worth mentioning that if you have an oil leak from the eccentric shaft position sensor o-ring that is located in the front of the valve cover, it should be replaced ASAP. Otherwise the oil will get into the sensor and destroy it, and replacement of the sensor is a pain.
0:27: In germany we had a naturally aspirated BMW r6 engine with direct injection, called "N53". This engine were offered after the N52. At the same time the N20 (turbocharged er) were offered. The N53 runs lean, unlike the N20. This is why the N53 consumes a similar amount of fuel.
Here in England, we have plenty of inline 6 BMW engines still being sold. The B58 in my M140i is awesome, even though it is turbocharged, hardly any lag at all.
@@speedkar99 Yes I know mate, I watched the video. The title doesn't say anything about naturally aspirated though, just 'the last inline 6 engine BMW N52' .......... I loved the M52 engine in my E36 328i especially after fitting the M50 engine manifold, and Simota carbon fibre induction kit. It loved to rev. Oh, and I have owned a few BMW's, all with straight 6 engines, and one M40 diesel 4 pot, yet none of them have leaved or even used a drop of oil between servicing, so your opinion of them is biased and wrong. I work in the motor trade too.
@@DjNikGnashers I'm guessing you probably didn't get that many leaks because it is a much cooler climate in England and Europe which probably explains why the plastic doesn't break. In the US and well especially here in Australia, the climate is much warmer which does ware off plastics. But yeah the older inline 6 engines are quite good.
@@laplays6916 There were a small number of BMW engines which did have issues, and these were very much exaggerated to give the impression that the numbers of failures were a lot larger than the actual truth. Modern BMW engines are incredible, and there are still some great straight 6's .... It is people who get their information from rumours and internet bro' science who 'think' they know the truth, but in fact, they only have a very biased input of information to base their own opinions on. But we know how stupid and easily influenced some clowns are. When you have worked in the motor trade yourself for years, like me, you tend to have a much more truthful and realistic opinion of things.
Its the last NA inline 6 engine anywhere, but its not the last inline 6 gas engine. The turbo B58, which powers any M40i vehicles and the Mark V Supra, came soon afterwards. This was followed in 2017 by the Mercedes Benz M256 engine, then in 2022 by the Stellantis Hurricane 6. Then there's talk that Mazda will come out with a Skyactiv inline 6 for the next gen Mazda 6, an engine that Toyota is said to be in talks to use for itself. I don't know if the Mazda straight 6 is naturally aspirated or turbo or comes in both. Great video by the way.
Great engine and great vide as always! I would love to see you do a dissection of an M50/52/54, the evolutions of which ran from the e30 to the e46 primarily. They don’t have all the fancy Valvetronic stuff but they’re stout and “classic BMW”
Composite is just a fancy word for plastic. If the valve covers and the timing chain guides were made of aluminum, then BMW made something awesome. Better gaskets could help too
@@kclefthanded427 Any auto made in china will most likely be atrocious, i once saw a chinese knock off of a Honda 50cc generator engine, the Honda made ones are legendary in their longevity, this one had no sump plug and no oil filler cap, the oil was put in through the tappet ajuster screw cap at the factory and was supposed to last the lifetime of the engine, which wasnt very long, then when it popped you were supposed to buy another. CCP ? Complete Crap Producers.
Just discovered your channel. Probably watched 10 teardowns so far. They're addicting! And you don't waste any time, the whole video is information. Hoping you do a teardown of a Mercedes M112 or M113 someday. That's what's in my car. 160k and not a single engine-related issue since I bought it with 91k. Even then, I think the previous owner only had to do a crank sensor. Runs like a clock.
Thanks for this N52 teardown! I'm an owner of a BMW 328i X-drive with N52 engine. Yes, I have done the valve cover replacement including the gasket. I've also replace the oil filter housing gasket. And replaced the coolant hose attachment (plastic) located at the oil filter housing. I replaced it with a aluminum one. I've also put in some AT-205 to stop oil leaks on the other gaskets. This seems to be working quite well. The engine itself is covered in grease and dirt. But it runs well and I enjoy driving the car. It is unbelievable how many rubber, plastic parts there are in a BMW. Lastly, BMWs need to be driven hard. So that the carbon build up goes away. Give the engine an Italian tune often and it will last longer.
One of many delightful engines from BMW. Straight 6s have long been their bread-and-butter motors. But WHY did/does BMW persist with those awful plastic chain guides..!? Thats possible the only real fly in the otherwise very smooth ointment. It's a pity they no longer make an NA engine like this.
I drive a 06 BMW 325i with this engine, only smaller displacement. Had to replace the expensive water pump once and the oil consumption went down to zero after replacing all these gaskets. This engine is - even after 17 years and almost 120k miles - as smooth as on its first day. By the way: since I had the above mentioned issues I looked across youtube for videos explaining parts of this engine and this clip is by far the best !! 👍
on the 08 n52 is there suppose to be a grip disk washer or some other type of washer on the crank bub. i took mines apart and only have oil pump and vac pump gears on my crank hub bolt. im sure i didn't drop it. im positive there was never one on there
wait did you say the half shaft goes through the oil pan ! So apart from all the other BMW problems when the oil pan gasket leaks i will have to remove the half shafts in order to replace it ! WTF BMW !
Had this engine since new in my '08 128i. now 130,000 miles and still working great. Also the lifter tick can be solved by running the engine above 3,000 RPM for a few minutes when it's cold. Only big problem I had was being RWD only it has a Steel oil pan and that had a paint flaw from factory and rusted through. That was a mess.If you see rust on your oil pan, DON'T PICK AT IT!!!! The Piston mess was from using non-"top teir" 87 octane and actually letting the oil cook itself out to the Service Monitor not changing it sooner.
This is the engine my bmw has and I really appreciate you doing this video. It has helped me come to understand my engine a lot more and you have earned a new sub this video was a great video to learn from. Thanks and keep it up!
That was a great video, lovely engine, its designed well, the internal parts are built to last a long time. You're too good to be working out in the snow. You are a highly skilled individual IMHO.
@@speedkar99 Mine has 150k miles on it now and I got it 4 years ago with 120k miles. With these engines it turns out that the main problems come from the surrounding equipment instead of the actual engine itself. Total problems I've had include crankshaft position sensor, vaccuum pump, valve cover gasket leaking, oil filter housing gasket leaking, and the starter. I've done a lot of preventative maintenance with things like the waterpump and thermostat as well. It does cost a lot to keep everything operating correctly but if the funds are there it's totally worth it due to its nice sound, more than enough 255hp, and smooth linear power delivery.
@@speedkar99 I bought a car with this engine in 2006. What a marvel at the time!. I remember sitting at the dealership waiting for my car after service and meeting a guy whose engine blew at 47k km. I was startled at time, thinking that they were reliable. I got rid of mine at 90k km. I didn't want to chance it out of motor plan. The main problem in retrospect are those 25k km service intervals. That's crazy. That is the main reason for the gunking of the engine.
@@speedkar99 absolutely. However like you said it’s not like these engines have huge catastrophic mechanical failures associated with them. If routine maintenance is done along with some preventative they can last a while. Some n52s on the forums are past 300k miles and one over 400k.
i got valvetronic code all code related to valvtronic and engine has starting problem do u think vavletronic motor is bad? it take several attempt to start km on car is 114000 one owner
@@speedkar99 last year I was looking to buy a M3, a 09 with the 4.0 V8, ended up with a ISF, a friend bought the M3 I was looking at and is now looking at a engine rebuild, dodged a bullet there.
This is probably the best low emission engine in existence, and generally one of the best engines ever. By the way, it isn't BMW's last inline 6 nor their last naturally aspirated. However, poor petrol quality standards prohibit the introduction of BMW's current naturally aspirated i6 to the American market.
