Shifterati

BMW M52 engine

This page is a draft. It has not been approved yet, so read it with care.

BMW's six from 1994 to 2001, in the E36 and early E46 323i and 328i, with an iron block in the US.

The story

History: facts, each with its source

Most markets got the M52 with an aluminium block lined with Nikasil, which wore early on high-sulfur fuel. Wikipedia says US and Canadian cars kept a cast-iron block, apart from the Z3 2.8, so most US engines avoided the problem.1

The M52TU of 1998 used an aluminium block with iron sleeves everywhere and added VANOS on the exhaust cam. The M54 replaced it in late 2000.1

  • Valvetrain: Twin overhead cams driven by a chain, VANOS on the intake cam1

Sources

  1. Wikipedia (M52)