BMW N57 & N47 Common Problems - At The Wheel

BMW's N47 and N57 engines have some pretty serious and potentially catastrophic common issues you should know about. So here's everything you need to know, including the service schedule!

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[GigiBeleaDK]

Sorry to correct you on a few things... 1. Chain - This can also rattle only when warm and not only at cold starts. To change chains you do NOT need to pull the engine out, can be done while engine is still in the car. 2. DPF - This is not so expensive anymore and compared to other jobs it is actually not such a pain to replace. Can get clogged but as a prevention, the ECU will give you a warning for DPF on ALL newer BMW's when you approach the 250.000km. It can be reset and you can still drive quite much more. 3. INJECTORS - They do tend to fail indeed but the washers on the bottom not so much. If you take out the injectors at one point and if you DO NOT CLEAN the injector seat then yes, it will be more likely to fail sooner or later. So not the washer itself is the culprit but the dirt between washer and cylinder head that will not allow a perfect seal. 4. CRANKSHAFT PULLEY - You do not need any special puller and no need to put the car in service position (TDC) to change it. Removing radiator fan takes 10minutes and then you have plenty of space. Just loosen the belt, lock the tensioner, take out for screws and it is out. Whole operation would take 30-60 min. ... So before you do such videos where you also specify what and how, please do some homework or at leas try to have your hands on some of the work involved then advice people.

[geppiemockingbird]

Don't forgot the PCV membrane, behind the oil fill cap. It degrades over time, due to operation at elevated temperatures, this rubber membrane becomes floppy and may even start to leak. The result is that soot and oil enters the turbo and the rest of the intake system. Replacement is easy, inexpensive, prevents a lot of problems, but is often overlooked.

[docdoon]

I have a e90 325d lci...it's at 156, 000 miles now and not a single issue...when started at cold it has absolutely no noises at all...class engine

[biggur]

My f10 n57 timing chain went about 90k mark. I has the car for just over a year. I purchased it used and had my own warranty which they said the timing chain wasnt covered! Anyway almost £2k later it was sorted! What a nightmare it was. Then my Auto gearbox started playing up and had to have the sump and oil changed.
Now I'm gonna keep the car until it completely dies!!! Need my moneys worth!
(My previous E60 530d with m57 engine had no issues and she was still going strong after almost 250k mainly motorway mileage!)

[barryblack]

2012 F10 3.0 with 180k miles only done regular oil changes circa 7-8k miles and always ran on premium fuel. Never had a single "common" problem.

[zeekgill]

Helpful video. Thanks. Was initially unsure if you're the same guy from TechTeamGB. Useful PC info on that channel as well.

[krpp]

My N57 ran 260k until timing chain started making noises and needed to be replaced :)

[michalhrymniak]

Nice video mate, one terrible thing you left out is crank shaft, thay do have a flaw, micro cracks causing it to bend, not be alligned end over time destroy big end, and Conrod bearings. Have seen one done over size .50 and lasted 1k miles and span bearing again due to being bend. Only option even if mashine shop tells you it can be done on bearing side, still get OEM new crank and that's well heavy on the wallet.

[mcplutt]

I just bought a 2013 X5 LCI with the N57 (211 hp detuned version). It has only 54k miles (87k km) so I hope to prevent most long mileage problems by changing engine and transmission oil at shorter intervals. I guess you can't just block off the EGR without causing something like check engine light/error code?

[kriszml]

Good video but a few things to add. The first is not only a timing will fail on these engines but the crankshaft bearings also about the same time. I have done a few and all of them was gone. But since you pull the engine to do the timing is not a big deal. The other issue is the high pressure fuel pump. This problem effects not only BMW but audi etc where these 1 cylinder bosch high pressure pumps are used. The pump has an excentric shaft to operate the piston and the piston connects with a roller to the excentric shaft. This roller can turn to the side and then the game is over. The whole fuel system is full of metal shavings including injectors, fuel tank and all the pipes. To change the fuel pamp is not a big deal but to clean the whole system is a nightmare.

[AlmostLastJedi]

I went to a BMW specialist and they said that ZF have revised their recommendation to 100k miles, unless there are signs that it failing.

[chrisnewbold]

Swirl flaps: its not the long rod that snaps, but the arm between it and the actuator - I’ve got one to prove it, when the flaps seized due to all that carbon. Do a swirl flap and EGR delete, sorted.

[jermaine_rsh]

My f11 530d xDrive has 260, 000km on it and has never had any problems

[ianwilkinson]

I'm on my 3rd N57 engine - 2007 330d (E91) SE touring, 2012 330d (F31) Msport touring and now an M340d touring, Apart from injector issues (I replaced all 6) in my E91 due to mis-fuelling the car, the only problem I have had is with the EGR valve and EGR valve cooler -the later issues were free issue recalls by BMW.
I did 165, 000miles, 158, 000 miles and currently on 51, 000 miles respectively and have always changed the oil at the recommended BMW intervals with absolutely no issues. Do you honestly think that BMW would compromise their reputation by extending oil changes beyond their useful life? What benefit would it be to them? Also, as BMW recommend, I've NEVER changed the ATF either. One important thing, however, is not to keep the car in D or MS when stationary and idling - it would be like riding your clutch continuously in a manual - it simply heats up and degrades the ATF. If stop/start is not used (or the battery charge is too low for it to operate) the gear stick should be pulled over in to the N position which means the ATF is not 'sheared' by the D or MS modes. Hope this clarifies why BMW engineers recommend the intervals they do.

[krassidimitrov]

I have F11 with 2.5xd N47. Chain is done, ZF done, dpf cleaned with a machinery.. let see...220k-km

[MegaCivicsir]

I'm at 142000 miles on my 530d f10 no issues, the chains are notorious on the 520 models, regular servicing is key people moaning about chains are people who haven't done servicing regularly, also your statement of the chains just snapping is rubbish, you'll always get a chain noise when cold and idle,

[reeced]

So effectively everything related to emissions in prone to fail and without all that crap it would be bulletproof

[marstedt]

Damper ... not dampener ;) Good info and thanks for the video!

[vladyboi]

Helpful video. I just got an n57 535d xdrive from Copart that I’m working on in the garage now. Snagged it for $15k less than what they go for here, and it’s a clean title with 2 owners. Car is at 170k miles tho which is pretty low considering what I’ve seen within 500 miles of me. Besides the timing chain (which I’m gonna do once I install the new radiator and cooling lines so I can drive it to the hoist) what are some other things I should take into consideration? Engine runs healthy based off listening to it and trans is fine as well. I have not done a compression test yet as it’s already in the garage and battery disconnected to conduct proper repairs. I plan on adding some power if it’s worth it. M5 conversion is happening once car is driving perfectly. So far I’ve heard very good things abt the engine and it usually lasting up to 400k miles. Anything would help 👍

[atro]

I also had main bearing issue on N57 535d 2010