Review of the M57 3L Diesel BMW engine. Using the example of E39 530d, e90 335d When to change the timing chain m57, m57n?

We continue our column about BMW engines and today we have a review of the M57 engine.

The M57 engine was produced from 1998 to 2012, just imagine how successful the engine is, that it has many different modifications and was produced over such a long period.

The BMW bodies on which it was installed are: E39 525d and 530d, E46 330d, E53 (Dorest).

Now we will tell you about the first modification of the M57; the first modifications had 193 hp.

Next came the M57n modifications, installed on the latest versions of the E46, then on the restyled E53, they were also on the E90 before the restyling, the E60 before the restyling was on the latest E-series before the restyling.

Then I went to the M57n2 engine and then came the top versions M57n top1 and M57n top2, there were also the hot versions of the M57 with 2 turbines, for example, on the pre-restyling E60 535d there was a cast iron block, this is the M57n top1 version, and then the E70 European and American versions went on of which there were versions M57n top2. In the M57n and M57n2 versions, the power ranged from 218-245 hp. and in versions with 2 turbines, the E60 restyling had 272 hp. on the E60 and E90 restylings the power was 272-286 hp.

Let's start the story about the first modification of the M57 using the example of the E39 530d, which was produced from 1998-2003. Let's go through our usual template for reviewing engines.

Let's go through the hardware as always: here we have the first modification of the million-plus engine, it received the engine of the year. This engine is so cool that it was installed on OPEL OMEGA and RANGE ROVER.

There are no problems at the bottom and top of the engine if your mileage is not 600,000 km or under 1,000,000 km. Of the problems that we personally saw that broke the cylinder head gasket, we will talk least about mileage in this post since these are diesel engines, they can run a lot and it is not clear what your real mileage is.

Internal part of the engine: everything is fine there.

The outer part of the engine: the oil cup gasket may leak at a mileage of 300,000 km. There is also a crankshaft pulley, which consists of two metal parts and a rubber band in the middle, and this rubber band, due to the vibration of the diesel engine, cracks over time, ruptures and the pulley can fly away, this changes in 300,000 km run.

Replace pan gaskets, crankshaft seals and valve cover at 300,000-500,000 km. As you know from our previous reviews of BMW diesel engines, their reliability is associated with the fact that there are no interesting modifications that are present on BMW gasoline engines, for example VANOS and VALVETRONIC, this is another plus for the reliability of the engine hardware, if we compare the M57 with the M47 in the video we said that There are cases where the crankshaft turns, but here in the M57 such a problem is not particularly encountered.

Timing chains In the first modifications of the M57 there were no particular problems with timing chains since the owners changed them after 500,000 km, the chains here run for 500,000-600,000 km.

Engine Intake System: In this engine it is the most important system after engine iron since it is a turbo engine.

Intake system: air enters through an air filter which needs to be changed every oil change, then the air enters the turbine. In these modifications, it can be pumped with 190 hp. up to 220-230 hp The turbines run normally, if you chip and snot, then the life of the turbine is reduced, because if you have a stock car, then everything will run normally and nothing will break.

The resource is large for 200,000-500,000 km, then the air from the turbine is inflated and goes to the boost pipe, then the intercooler and already to the charge pipe, we explained how to inflate the air very well in a video on YouTube about the M47 engine, in the video there is a very good story about geometry and vacuum control.

In short, in this system it is recommended that every 200,000-300,000 km you look at the vacuum tubes in what condition you have them and we highly recommend that if you just bought a car, then change all the vacuum tubes for controlling the turbine and we highly recommend replacing the turbine pressure regulator, after these replacements, perhaps your 530 or 330 will fly like a bullet from the factory, that is, if they tell you that your turbine is not blowing, then 70-80% of the problem is not the turbine at all; perhaps the problem will be in the turbine control; we talked specifically about this in video about the M47, next comes the boost pipe and intercooler. At the junction of the boost pipe and the intercooler, fogging or oil drops form, this may be due to several reasons,

1) - It is necessary to replace the rings at the junction

2) - Increased crankcase gases from the engine

3) - The turbine can drive oil

The solution is to replace the KVKG, gaskets and repair the turbine; if all this does not help, then you have increased crankcase gases in the engine.

The Boost pipe is partly metal and partly rubber, it can break, get cut, etc., there are questions about it. There are usually no questions about the intercooler unless a stone hits, usually there are no questions about it. There are questions about the charge pipe, it consists of 3 parts, metal and rubber in parts, here the upper and lower parts are cut, burst from supercharging and the like, this is one of the most common replacement parts on this engine.

We came to our favorite intake and vortex salts, metal ones can fly into the cylinder, here we recommend removing them, removing them, muffling them, a few years ago this was a popular procedure, we turned off the flaps and the USR, we sewed it all off with software, we made a chip and the car looked fine flew. This intake is not as clogged as in the N57 engine; it is already the next engine after the M57; in the M57 it is also recommended to remove and replace the gaskets between the cylinder head and the intake.

Exhaust system: these versions of the M57 usually have a cast iron intake manifold, there are no problems with it

If you touch the M57n there is a steel exhaust manifold, it often burns out, crumbles and is replaced with cast iron or like the M57n2 engine.

Following the exhaust comes the turbine, and after it the soot and intermediate catalyst.

Injection system: let's start from the beginning. You have a supply pump in the tank, it gives us 1-bar pressure, that is, it doesn’t decide at all, the main pump decides everything, in this case it is located under the village under the driver’s seat under the bottom, there is a filter there and the main pump, if your main pump is dead, then the car won’t go anywhere and won’t start. If your feed pump in the tank fails, then if you have more than 15 liters in the tank the car will start. There is a fuel filter near the main pump; it is recommended to change it every oil change; then the fuel disappears into the injection pump; it is mechanical and driven by the engine circuit; at idle speed it creates 300 bar; there is a fuel quantity regulator; by default, it opens, but if you need to reduce pressure in the rack, then it can close, then the fuel disappears into the rack; there is a pressure sensor and another pressure regulator. For example, if your car suddenly won’t start, then one of the main options is a fuel pressure regulator in the rack. The injection pump runs for a long time; over time, the gaskets in it may begin to leak, or it may itself lose performance after 300,000-500,000 km. There are no problems with the injectors, but with mileage they may need to be restored or replaced.

Ignition system: here we have a diesel engine and there is no ignition system, there is a glow plug system (Heating the air in the ignition chamber before starting.)

It involves the engine control unit, the glow relay and the glow plugs themselves; if any questions are encountered regarding them, then everything changes immediately when the spark plug and glow relay are assembled.

Coolant system: a diesel engine is less heat-loaded than a gasoline engine, so there are fewer problems with the cooling system, a good plus of the diesel engine is that it does not use an electric pump as on new gasoline engines such as N55 and N20.

Here, one of the weak points is the main pipe that goes from the radiator to the inlet, the most painful place is the flange under the inlet, it is plastic and goes into the cylinder head and cracks over time, to replace it you need to remove the inlet. Another weak point in the cooling system is the thermostat, in winter you will feel it well when it gets stuck in the closed position and you drive, your temperature will either not rise at all, or your temperature will drop when accelerating. The pump usually does not break, but it can leak over long runs; it is not expensive since it is mechanical. There is no need to be surprised if some antifreeze pipe bursts or frays or something like that, since the cars already have 350,000+ km of mileage. It also happens that the radiator gets clogged and the honeycombs sag somewhere over time, become crooked, and the plastic itself can burst, since the machines are already 20 years old. There is also a viscous coupling that is screwed into the pump at long runs and also requires replacement, but this is not a problem. There are heater valves in the cooling system; they regulate the air ventilation system in the cabin; they can also break down; well, a part that doesn’t really relate to the cooling system of the BMW E39 specifically is the heater fan, it’s located in the cabin; this is a common part that breaks; this has nothing to do with other models .

Attachments: With high mileage, the steering wheel and air conditioning compressor may break down, rollers and belts are recommended at 150,000 km, a vacuum pump, as you understand, in a diesel engine there is no throttle; a vacuum is not created in the intake manifold, and the brake system requires vacuum, you will ask where to get it ? A vacuum pump is installed, it is reliable, everything is fine, it is clear that at high mileage it will have to be replaced.

Chip tuning: making a chip for this engine is no longer relevant because the threshold for this engine is 220-240 hp. If everything is perfect, and if you want to make 270-300 hp. Then you will have to make deep modifications, all this is due to the fact that you have to add a fuel system from the M57n engine and tuned turbines, and then in theory, if you transfer the injection pump and injectors, then you can make about 280-300 hp.

Conclusions about this engine: up to 400,000-500,000 km you would only have to service the car, in 2022 it is not clear what mileage the car has.

Let's move on to the modification of the M57n2 engine, the key differences from the M57 are an aluminum block, and there was a cast iron one, a different connecting rod and piston group and an increased volume, but here it is still 3 liters, there are different timing chains, it is recommended to change them after 300,000 km. because they are more susceptible to stretching, gaskets, seals and oil glass are unchanged.

In terms of the exhaust system, the key difference is a turbine, the previous version had a vacuum control of the turbine, but here we have electronic controls for the turbine, which is a big plus for reliability, but if you have a question about it, there will be a nuance here since it is separate from the turbine it is not for sale, the options are either to look for a Chinese analogue or to look for a used one from disassembly. The pipes, intercooler, damper and USR are all the same here as on the M57. There are slight differences in the fuel system, there is no main pump, there may also be a difference in the configuration of the sensors, in the sensor regulator in the ramp, there are completely different injectors for a different power. The reliability of the fuel system is very good here. Here you can use conventional piezo injectors and you can use electromagnetic ones; in terms of reliability, electromagnetic ones are easier to restore, but piezo injectors can also be restored. Since the piezo injector is faster, it opens more times per stroke than electromagnetic ones.

Glow plug system: there are no particular problems or differences.

Cooling system: there are slight differences here, there is always a small upper thermostat near the USR, it sometimes bursts, sometimes it leaks and it is also replaced with the main thermostat, the main problem here is also the flange under the intake system, a newer antifreeze tank is already installed here and newer cover, this cover needs to be changed every 2 years.

Also, among the differences, there is no viscous coupling, there is less load on the pump and there is a valve here. There are differences in the exhaust system; a full-fledged DPE filter is often installed here.

Chip tuning: here at stage 1 the aisle is 280 hp. If you cut out all the ecology, the fuel here is under 300 hp. If you install a modified turbine, you can say about 300 hp.

Let's move on to the most powerful version of the M57 engine using the E91 335d as an example. In theory, the engine hardware should be different. Just for fun, we checked the Vin codes and compared what is the same and what is not.

The crankshaft and connecting rod are the same, the pistons are different, there is also an aluminum block, everything else in the hardware is approximately the same. The biggest changes are the intake system, the engine compartment is completely different than on the M57n2, there is an air filter in a different place, a different flow meter, different pipes, the most interesting thing starts where the turbine is, the engine has 2 turbines, there is a very complex turbine with 3 regulators, the first the vacuum regulates the flap between the large turbine and the small one, it depends on the loading mode, the second vacuum controls the wastegate of the large turbine, the third vacuum regulates the bypass valve at the inlet, the fuel injection pump is one to one as on the M57n2, the antifreeze system is the same as on the M57n2. Attachments: no significant differences.

Chip tuning: here everything is much more interesting, since the stock stock is equipped with hard iron just for a powerful modification, even without replacing the turbines with a hybrid one, if you remove the environment, then 330 hp. You can do it freely.

Conclusions on the M57 engine: the first engine, 500,000+ km, everything is fine and in order.

Engine M57n2 here you can still find normal and fresh copies with real mileage without any problems.

We recommend purchasing a car with this engine!