BMW M54 | Common Problems & Reliability

[@JP212nyc]

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.

[@8020Media]

JP - Thanks for adding this insight! It will certainly help future viewers.

[@froggy8301]

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]

F - Nice! Sounds like you're doing everything right.

[@froggy8301]

@@8020Media it’s KZbin 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 😂

[@8020Media]

F - Thanks for sharing. Glad you found the channel helpful!

[@Angel_PC]

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!

[@8020Media]

Angel - Thanks for the feedback and sharing your experience! Glad you found it useful.

[@geeniusatwrok]

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.

[@8020Media]

G - Thanks for taking the time to share your first hand experience!

[@davidparkin9017]

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.

[@8020Media]

David - We couldn't agree more!

[@emoven369]

Oil leak from the oil filter housing gasket is also common on these

[@8020Media]

E - Correct!

[@danielatkinson5976]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and wisdom! Its greatly appreciated.

[@8020Media]

D - Thanks for the feedback! We hope it helped.

[@georgiyanev7822]

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.

[@8020Media]

Thanks for watching! Good job getting it all taken care of, should leave you with a pretty solid motor!

[@DAME_AL]

Are the parts interchangeable like water pump thermostat etc between engines ?

[@8020Media]

I - It depends on which engines you’re talking about

[@chuong318]

Can i have your advice ? should i buy a 3 series like 325i E46, or 5 series E60, or 325i E90 which one is easy to deal with, less problem, easy to fix if it have problem, thank you.

[@8020Media]

C - We like the e46 325i.

[@Leo70780]

What about the BMW E60 with the M54

[@8020Media]

Steve - What are you looking to find out? We have a full article on our BMWTuning website that may be of assistance: bmwtuning.co/m54-engine-problems/

[@JP212nyc]

it's the same engine, so unfortunately as far as engine problems are concerned, they were passed on to the E60 as well 😉

[@Angel_PC]

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!

[@8020Media]

Angel - Thanks for taking the time to write out your experience and to help Steve!

[@garyvanremortel5218]

You forgot the IAC.

[@8020Media]

G - Thanks for sharing the insight.

[@davidparkin9017]

Change oil every 6 months.

[@8020Media]

David - Great insight here!

[@caha9583]

Why? It all depends on how much you drive.

[@8020Media]

C - Doesn't matter how much you drive.

[@caha9583]

@@8020Media of course it does. Do you think modern synthetic oil just gets bad for being in the motor? It´s not milk.

[@8020Media]

C - Why do you think maintenance intervals are year or mileage...? It's just standard good maintenance. Don't think it's worth going in depth here.

[@DisturbedBurger]

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]

D - Not nowadays man..

[@DisturbedBurger]

@@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 😶

[@8020Media]

D - No problem at all. Take care of yourself

[@nqabashabangu5402]

🇿🇦

[@8020Media]

Not sure what this means.

[@nqabashabangu5402]

@@8020Media it's a market you haven't taped into that has a population of 59 million people.

[@8020Media]

N - So you're basically saying where you're from?

[@cobraten91]

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