Characteristics of the N54B30 engine
The BMW N54B30 engine, was produced at the Munich plant from 2006 to 2016. It is known for its high performance and innovative design, which made it one of the most popular engines in the BMW lineup.
Basic Parameters
The N54B30 is an inline six-cylinder engine with an aluminum cylinder block and an injector-based power system. The cylinder diameter is 84 mm and the piston stroke is 89.6 mm. The engine has a compression ratio of 10.2 and a displacement of 2979cc.
Power output
The power output of the engine varies depending on the modification: 306 hp at 5800 rpm, 326 hp at 5800 rpm and 340 hp at 5900 rpm. Maximum torque is 400 Nm between 1,300 and 5,000 rpm and in some versions, 450 Nm between 1,500 and 4,500 rpm. The weight of the engine is around 187 kg.
Economy and operation
For the BMW E92 335i, fuel consumption in urban conditions is 13.2 liters per 100 km, on the highway – 6.7 liters, and in the mixed cycle – 9.1 liters. Oil consumption does not exceed 700 grams per 1000 kilometers. It is recommended to fill the engine with oil with viscosity 5W-30 or 5W-40 with the volume of 6.5 liters. Oil change should be carried out every 10000 km.
The operating temperature of the engine is about 115 degrees Celsius. The factory warranty on the engine resource is not specified, but in practice it is able to run about 300 thousand kilometers.
The N54B30 engine has a significant potential for tuning. The maximum power that can be achieved with this engine is more than 800 hp, but without loss of resource it is possible to get up to 400 hp.
Application
The N54B30 engine has been installed in various BMW models including the BMW 135 E82, BMW 335i E90, BMW 535i E60, BMW 740i F01, BMW X6 E71 and BMW Z4 E89. These vehicles were highly sought after due to their high level of engine reliability and performance, which provided excellent on-road performance and driving comfort.
Reliability and repair of the BMW N54B30 engine
The powerful twin-turbocharged inline six N54, was developed by Alpina in 2006 for BMW’s fast civilian cars and crossovers. It was based on an aluminum M54B30 cylinder block with cast-iron liners, covered with a new cylinder head with Bi-VANOS intake and exhaust camshaft timing and direct fuel injection. The diameter of the intake valves is 31.44 mm, the exhaust valves 28 mm. Characteristics of camshafts on N54 (intake/exhaust): phase 245/261 lift 9.7 mm. There is no Valvetronic variable valve lift system. Supercharging is realized by two Mitsubishi TD03-10TK3 turbochargers, blowing in parallel, each in its three cylinders. The boost pressure on the standard motor is 0.55 bar. Engine management system Siemens MSD 80/MSD 81.
The N54B30 engine was used in BMW 35i cars (40i for the 7-Series). In addition, the motor was used by Alpina in modified to 360 hp and 400 hp variants.
The replacement of the motor came out in 2009, when Munich presented a new generation of in-line turbocharged six – N55B30.
Modifications of the BMW N54B30 engine
- N54B30O0 (2006 – 2010) – base engine with 306 hp at 5800 rpm, 400 Nm of torque at 1400-5000 rpm. For versions with the index 35i.
- N54B30 (2008 – 2012) – version for BMW 740i and 335si, 326 hp at 5800 rpm, 450 Nm torque at 1500-4500 rpm. Differences from the standard in the fan, radiator and ECU firmware.
- N54B30T0 (2010 – current year) – version with 340 hp at 5900 rpm, torque 450 Nm/500 Nm Overboost at 1500-4500 rpm. The differences of N54B30T0 are in the improved cooling system (fan, radiator) and ECU firmware.
The engine was produced for BMW 1M and BMW Z4 E89 sDrive35is.
Problems and disadvantages of BMW N54B30 engines
The most common disadvantage of N54 engines is the high-pressure fuel pump (HPF), which lives about 50 thousand kilometers from low-quality fuel. Symptom of the problem – reduced power. It is not a problem to buy a new fuel pump, its price is quite affordable. High-pressure injectors also die when the mileage reaches +/- 100 thousand km, the pump lives the same amount, plugs ~20 thousand km, turbines go +/- 100 thousand km, depending on the type of operation.
By and large, the motor BMW N54 is quite reliable and trouble-free, powerful, resourceful, with a good safety margin and high potential for tuning. All this makes the purchase of BMW N54 almost an ideal choice.
Tuning of BMW N54B30 engine
Chip tuning. Chip-over. Turbo
Engine N54 is perfectly amenable to modification without serious investments, it is enough to use usual JB4 and on Stage 1 we will get ~350 hp. To increase the power to the standard for 135/335 -th 400 hp, you need to modify the cooling system (replace the fan and install an additional radiator), buy a larger intercooler and air filter, install an oil cooler, knock out the catalytic converters and on Stage 2 we get 400-420 hp. This is the golden mean for N54, combining power, availability and resource.
To increase the power of N54 to 450 hp, you need to buy a methanol kit.
With this tuning, your 135i/335i will go 402m in about 11.3 seconds. A stock BMW 335i N54 will go 13.2-13.4. The difference is significant.
Even more power will be provided by buying a single turbo kit and installing it on a stock piston (holds over 600hp). Next you need to buy a cylinder-head gasket from Alpina B3 S Biturbo, do porting.
MOTOR RATING: 5-