The Worst BMW Engine Ever: BMW M62 4.4L V8
In this video we teardown a BMW M62 4.4L V8 engine from a late 90's E39 5-series. This engine is an all aluminum design, featuring timing a timing chain powering dual overhead cams, with the intake having variable valve timing (VANOS).
Common issues with this engine is an under-designed cooling setup, burning and leaking oil and of course the VANOs system. This particular example suffered catastrophic failure internally due to oil and coolant mixing. The result is a milkshake which does not lubricate or cool critical engine components well and causes them to wear rapidly until meltdown. The connecting rod and main crankshaft bearings were chewed up, spun and missing, the piston head in cylinder #6 was completely destroyed and sitting in the oil pan, the timing chain had jumped timing, cylinder walls were scored, the timing chain guides were chewed up, and one valve was destroyed in the processes with damage to the head. This whole engine would not have been able to be saved, since its oil and cooling passages were full of the milkshake and completely clogged up, with metal and plastic bits splattered throughout the engine.
This is the Camera I use:
amzn.to/2Y24ixX (US)
amzn.to/2Yhb3eo (Canada)
Link to Etsy shop where you can purchase speedkar99's brother's socks, t-shirts or hoodies:
www.etsy.com/ca/shop/Speedkar
Check out the speedkar99 Facebook page:
/ speedkar9
Check out the speedkar99 Linkedin page:
/ speedkar99
Follow speedkar9 on Instagram for behind the scenes coverage:
/ speedkar9
Subscribe for more videos just like this:
kzhead.info_...
Don't forget to take pictures as you go along so you can reassemble it.
Something tells me that no one is gonna need that engine reassembled
It'll get reassembled one day....as a coffee table
To remember the hundreds of millions of billions of bolts that bmw uses in everything...
@@speedkar99 a coffee table with carnage easter eggs is an awesome idea.
🤣🤣 Coffee table. That's all it's good for. European car makers want you to replace your car every 4.5 years. That's their business model. It's common knowledge. Mercedes & BMW have said this publicly in the past. That's why nothing is built too last. They drive and feel magnificent but only last for around 100,000 to 150,000 miles. Waste of money.
Fun fact, one of the reason the Vanos fails is because BMW use a rubber sealing that degrades when exposed to motor oil. And they insist on replacing it with an identical seal, but 3rd party suppliers can give you a seal that are actually rated for use in oil.
Good to know
@@speedkar99 My M62 has Beisan Seals, these are the seals that Brynjard talks about
Synthetic rubber is made from oil. They harden with age and heat.
@@jackdripper5675 There are many types, some lasts longer than others. The one BMW chose lasts about 10 years / 180 000 Km, there's plenty of more durable types available (but you won't get them at a BMW dealer). Just as their "lifetime" automatic gearbox oil (lifetime = 180k Km), the engine is explicitly designed to fall apart and stop working after "too" long.
I have a 2014 F10 with the N55 engine, which is known for the oil leak at the filter/cooler housing due to the rubber gaskets failing. Like a responsible BMW owner (lol) I went to the dealer to buy new replacement gaskets. The oil leak returned in less than a year. I learned from other owners, chat lines, forums etc that BMW uses the cheapest gaskets, O-rings, seals etc that they can find. I bought new gaskets from a German car parts specialty supplier, for one third the cost of OEM parts, and after a few years, still no leak. BMW put a lot of quality in what we can see, and touch, but they cheap out on other stuff, and that's why they have failures. C'mon BMW, spend another $20 or $30 per car, and make these wonderful driving machines more reliable.
This was a very poorly maintained engine. M62's are not that bad if you maintain them well. Especially regular oil and filter changes. But I can completely agree, that inline 6-es are more reliable and less needy.
Yep, BMW used blue coolant, that’s the first clue to the smoking gun. Don’t agree with the poster’s assessment of what happened either. This is simply what happens when an owner skimps on maintenance and probably used cheap oil etc. which caused timing chain guides to fail as the oil had the incorrect additives. The owner probably went on to ignore several warning signs on the way and this is where his engine ended up. In front of someone who doesn’t really know BMW engines well enough to make the assertion in the title.
@Irving Zisman Nothing, the coolant in this engine was clearly green though, which means, at the very least the incorrect coolant was used and it is not compatible with the cooling system parts. Probably because the correct BMW coolant is fairly expensive. So at the very least, whoever was maintaining this engine, wasn't very clued up. I'm inferring from that, that the maintenance was likely done on the cheap, or poorly, or that similarly, the oil used, was probably not correct either.
@@si98justme1 Been using the cheapest green coolant on my toyota. It needs pink but somehow it still going strong....
@@Dansk55 If that's working on your Toyota, that's great... BMWs are not Toyotas though, so if you care enough to find out why I, and almost anyone with experience with these BMW engines, will know that this is due to shoddy maintenance, watch this vid: kzhead.info/sun/nth-k9iQn6armas/bejne.html
@@Dansk55 As long as you flush ALL of the previous stuff out you can do that, but the newer formulations work MUCH better at keeping the inside of the cooling system free of corrosion. With the green stuff it just won't stay as clean compared to the correct later coolant.
I have an M62TU engine, has driven something between 500,000km and 600,000km and drives divine, Consumption of engine oil at 10,000 km 0.6L. First of all, you need to know the engine its weakest points and know how to take care of the engine. A million km .It is necessary to step the engine with a thermostat from the engine 740D e38 keeps the temperature at a stable 90 C max 95C I change every 8,000 km Mobil 5w50 and the car serves me perfectly. I have driven 100,000 km with the taxed engine and it has full power without loss of power, it's just about proper maintenance and money. Greetings from Slovakia
Привет из Сибири. Езжу на Е39 540. Тоже ставил холодный механический термостат с температурой открытия 88 градусов. Меняю масло 5w-40 каждые 5.000км. Машина чувствует себя прекрасно.
I had 450,000km before the transmission went on it. The engine was fine. It's called regular maintenance. Awesome tear down video I learned a lot :)
Yes, if replacing literally everything but the block is called regular maintenance. Well, it's good that people still mislead eachother to buy these rolling piles of shit. More hondas and toyotas for me 🤷♂️
@@justjustjoo 290k miles with my biggest repair being an alternator. Just admit you dont know shit and move on
@@TheFanatic340 amen to that
@@TheFanatic340 Haha 🙂 you're just like all the other bmw owners. Having bought a luxury car you'd want it to be quality made. That's why you lie about the reliability of the car. And let's face it. No one who has bought a bmw new and drove it to 450 000km will be here commenting in youtube teardown video. Who comments here is a broke guy who just MUST have a bmw, and prays that their high mileage piece of shit doesn't fall apart 🤥😂
@@justjustjoo M8 u are just disrespectfull, he didn't say nothing to you, and you start talking shit about his stuff when you probably don't even own this engine not even a bmw... Be respecfull with people, if you don't like bmw thats your problem but don't go a watch a video about a bad maintained engine and start thinking you know everything about it. Have a good day
Those engines are not that bad. People choose to skip maintenance and just drive them until they break. The timing chain guides are the Achilles heel of that model. If you perform regular maintenance and change the oil regularly. They tend to need to be replaced around 100K miles, although some have gone longer. That particular engine was SERIOUSLY neglected. It had the wrong coolant, the chain tensioner wasn't replaced, and then the timing chain guides started to go. That engine probably gave the owner several cues and the owner chose to continue driving it until it grenaded. ANY engine would fail if it was neglected like this.
Worst BMW engine ever???! You have OBVIOUSLY never worked on the N63 V8 Twin turbo Direct injected engines. That M62 only failed from abuse and lack of maintenance. They kept driving it AFTER it desperately needed the timing chain and guides replaced and they drove it until it jumped timing and blew up. I worked at A European Auto repair shop for 12 years and I NEVER ONCE saw an M62 V8 go bad like that. In that 12 years I only ever Changed ONE M62 V8 and it had been overheated Severely AND ran very low on Oil, but it still drove 30+ miles to our shop and was running before we pulled it out. I currently own a 2001 E39 540i-6 speed and it has WELL over 250k miles on it, and I daily drive it and I drive it like I stole it and she comes back for more every single day! Saying it's the worst BMW engine ever is ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE. Look up the N63 V8, Literally almost EVERY single one has been replaced under factory recall, when they started blowing up left and right there was a GLOBAL shortage of engines to replace them with. BMW would reimburse customers who paid another shop to swap their blown up engine, or would buy the cars back. After they got the multiple defects worked out they actually seem to be somewhat decent engines, but it took a LONG time for them to get there.
"engine turned itself into a V7" LOL this dude is a great instructor.
Motor had a failed timing tensioner. I guarantee warning signs were ignored. M/S62 are phenomenal motors when maintained.
No way, an engine that was completely neglected failed? Crazy.
cope
😳
Lol his name is Omar Harmoush. Watching stereotypes play out in real life is hilarious sometimes.
@@HappyMistakes Cringe
@@omarharmoush7834 seethe
Sheerly the fact that this engine ran for as long as it did with multiple individual catastrophic points of failure is extremely impressive.
worst? I have 210k miles on mine, my buddy's n62 locked up at 100k miles. The m62 is a fantastic motor no valvetronic problems, no valve stem seal problems. do the timing chain guides at 180-200k miles, took me a weekend. Makes good power, very smooth, and a fat torque curve.
Good motor ..while it's working. Timing chain guides shouldn't be a replacement item though
@@speedkar99 They are NOT. The weak link of the timing chain guides on the M62TU engine is the spring inside the tensionner that holds the chain. It is a 50 cents part that any dweeb can remove and replace. I have logged 202,000 miles on this engine, and it is still running smooth with all the original parts. But maintenance and regular oil changes is key to the longevity of the M62, or of any engine for that matter.
As an owner of two M60s up near 300000km that I by no means baby ... it's a bit depressing to see how many failure points BMW failed to fix, amplified, and added to this engine
Engine must've been starved of oil n62s don't just lock up 😂. A n62 will go it's whole life burning oil while the m62 has a major design flaw that'll blow it up by 200k miles. Timing chains aren't meant to be serviced every 150k miles because that seems to be the spot when it needs to be done i had a x5 with the m62tu and sold that immediately when it started making diesel and clacking noises on startup. I have a 750i with around the same mileage 157k my x5 had 163k and my 750i is quiet on starup and at idle when nice and warmed up
@@speedkar99 yes you get it timing chains should live 400k-500k miles without even needed to be touched
I always appreciate the candid feedback regarding engines and specific problems to watch for.
Awesome
It's best to get that info from a tech that's familiar with the engine.
I would say the best V8 engine, got it in RR, bought with 208.000km on clock and now it's 350.000km, only timing chains gone in 300.000km, beside that zero problems. Just swap 88C thermostat from 740D and all potential cooling system issues are gone. Changing oil every 8-10.000km and Vanos still not knocking and zero oil consumption. ZF box also fine, changing fluid every 40.000km and shifting better and smoother than 2-3 years old cars.
Surely this kind of damage didn't just happen in a mere moment? Someone must have kept driving the car with that sludge for a while and even after blowing up one of the pistons...
The last owner possibly could've tried an additive to seal up the leaks, that seems to make stuff this goopy.
Yes, BMWs give copious warnings of coolant or oil low, which you need to ignore and keep driving for this to happen.
Correct - this engine was never maintained as evidenced by the amount of filth on the outside. It probably didn't have an oil change in it's last 100,000 miles either, and then a water leak into the oil caused the milkiness which took out the timing chain guides and destroyed the bearings. Once the timing chain skipped off the missing piston hit the valve which stopped rotation altogether. The engine was already toast before the owner thought to himself -"I wonder how long I can run it at full throttle before it shits itself?"
I think so. It takes a while to get two opposites like water and oil to really mix together and do so much damage
This engine was so abused
One of those where you either spend big on frequent oil changes or you spend big on a new engine.
Or neither
One of those you return when the lease is up and walk away
@@speedkar99 definitely.
Even with their enormous sump capacity the maths on oil changes shows it's a minor added expense over a 'normal' engine, once or twice a year for this age of car. If you buy a BMW and pinch every penny on maintenance ... well, scroll up for an example of what happens
The perfect lose-lose situation. Either way, BMW owners will be paying the big bucks to keeping their M62 running.
They are actual great engines. Maintenance is you most important thing. How can nobody notice that milkshake inside the engine. This means the owner didnt even care, didnt even check oil level regularly, because there he would already notice the coolant has mixed with his oil. Probably the oil wasnt changed for a long time as well. 1000% the owners fault
It is about reliability here. ;)
@@arandomdeadmau5fan861 bmw engines were actually really solid. It’s just engine oil like every car. You need to change your oil. Internal parts will last for 500,000 so long as you keep changing the oil. I love my m30. It keeps pushing and doesn’t skip a beat. I plan on doing oil changes every 5000km to keep it clean and healthy
Considering it's a luxury car, the owner probably thought maintenance on his car was beneath him lol
@@arandomdeadmau5fan861 up until e34ish. The electronics weren’t too bad. They were easy to operate on and fairly straight forward. It started slowly but surely becoming a mess afterwards
@@amero3577 there are people in this world that would never in their life pop the hood and take a peek in there….and then these same people buy a BMW
1. The M62 is not a bad design overall, just the timing chain setup, unfortunately. The rest of the engine is pretty robust. But, I got 130k miles before I had to replace mine. 2. These things *usually* give plenty of indication before complete timing chain failure. 3. THAT engine has *not* been maintained. It's absolutely filthy inside. Also, green coolant. 4. The middle chamber is the valley pan, and yes. It's known to spring a leak. Someone may have been in there before. It's really not that big a deal to address. 5. The water pump, like most water pumps with a belt-driven fan, is waaay easier to remove if you take the fan clutch off first... 6. The M62 is absolutely not the worst BMW engine... It's not the most reliable, but it's not bad. I'm not sure what you're driving at. Whoever owned that engine was not kind to it. The M62 isn't a bad engine at all. It does take a little more TLC than average I'd say, but if you take care of it, it'll run for a long, long time.
My mate had a 540i with one of these. He got to 350 000km before he sold it. Never had to rebuild or replace the engine. Only changed oil and filters regularly, and used the proper stuff. Same for coolant. Also he did replace the rubber seals a couple of times as they started to leak.
Basically all the later high performance engines from BMW are worse than this in terms of reliability.
Green AG13 coolant has Bmw specs
having to replace an engine at 130k lol
@Jacksirrom Ah, no. Replaced the timing chains/guides at 130k... The engine was fine...
The M62TU engine is actually a very solid and sturdy engine - if maintained properly. (Regular oil/filter change being the most critical). With replacing only the spring of the timing chain tensioner, the radiator, the alternator and a set of spark plugs I logged over 207,000 miles on my M62TU engine over a 21 years time span. Then the main timing chain snapped. Luckily I did not drive more than ¼ of a mile with the snapped chain, and thus avoided a major mechanical carnage as shown on this video.
How did you drive 1/4 mile with a snapped chain?
I love the toothbrush/pointer. Great editing for removing all the dead air time. Makes the video pleasant to watch.
Fred
Bmw's milkshake brings all the mechanics to the bar
Haha
I see I like it. Thank you for making a good video. The joy of how regularly you make new videos.
Thanks!
Very helpful. Thank you for comprehensive description of the hoses and components.
This is awesome. Quick , clear and to the point
I had 200k miles on my 1999 540i-6 and it still hauled ass when I sold it. Changed oil/filter every 3500 miles. No Vanos issues no chain issues. I replaced the radiator at 156k miles, and it didn't need it. I did it based on age and hype about them breaking down. The car in this video was abused and neglected.
Yeah, this guy doesn't have a freaking clue what he's talking about. My 01 540i currently has 255k+ miles and she doesn't use ANY oil, doesn't smoke doesn't tick or knock or anything! And she runs like a bat outta hell anytime I put my foot down! Lol the M62 is a fantastic engine! AND they only get better with Boost! :)
Lies
Those BMW engineers sure know how to make a good milkshake, for better or for worse
The car that literally makes your morning beverage
Wow never learned so much in one video, great stuff, all this knowledge makes me think I can work on one now
1. The valve covers are magnesium 2. Water pumps are not very hard to do in the car at all 3. Seeing green coolant come out tells me all you need to know, nobody who has a clue would put green coolant in one of these, not compatible with the aluminum alloy. 4. Yes, the chain guides, vanos units have a short lifespan, and water cooled alternator idea does suck. I've had my e39 540i for 12 years, which has a supercharger on it, and I also have an F10 M5. The M62tu is not a bad engine, it's overbuilt for its original rated power and with the timing and vanos replaced, it's a dependable and stout engine.
Nice to see you doing BMW engines, love these cars.
Good cars when they work right
You really are very knowledgeable, and i love how you describe everything in detail! I appreciate all your videos, and the time and effort you put into making them interesting!
The entire BMW's engineering department is kicking itself as to why they didn't hire you to design their engine for them..
Haha
I have an M62 in my 2003 BMW X5. Have over 230k miles on it and it's still going strong. Even been used for towing a 5k lb trailer. The trick is doing maintenance and using proper fluids. TC guides haven't been replaced either. Many of these older BMWs were given to kids when they got their license. Most received nearly ZERO maintenance before failure. I just did a 2k round trip from Dallas to Atlanta got back last week. Would use this 20 year old X to do the trip tomorrow if I needed to.
Hey, what engine oil grade do you use in your M62?
@@ammanpandde5097 I've run the Mobil-1 0w 40 European car oil. I believe it's LL-01 spec IIRC. I currently pick up the 5qt jug at Wal-Mart for around $27. Followed the SII for the first 100k, did changes at 7k for the next 100k miles, been doing 5k changes after the 200k mark.
The M62 is a VERY reliable engine, the only problems are - timing chain guides, VANOS rattle, plastic cooling hoses that crack and oil leaks. I have an M62 in my car and I know several cars around - no one has engine problems. The worst gasoline V8 engine from BMW is N63. It is obvious that the person in the video has no experience with the M62, especially when he has several mistakes there. 5:18 - It is only PCV valve (positive crankcase ventilation), small hose is vacuum hose for SAP valve (secondary air injection to exhaust manifold). 9:30 - no, this oil galley feed other timing chain guide for chain lubrication. I recommend changing the timing chain, guides and VANOS every 200 000km (125 000 miles) and change the oil every 10 000km (6000 miles) and I guess M62 will last 600 000km+. I have 385 000 km (240 000 miles) on mine and the engine runs beautifully. I will change timing and VANOS this month.
Thanks for your experience with this engine. A reliable engine shouldn't need timing components that early I'm it's life...
@@speedkar99 I personally do not consider timing components to be lifetime parts. Yes, they have to be changed more often on this engine, but it is the biggest flaw of the M62 engine. It was a mistake that BMW did not use a double-row chain like on the M60 (predecessor of M62) and that they replaced the center sprocket with a plastic U-shape chain guide.
@@speedkar99 So whats the difference between replacing timing chain guides vs a cam belt? Any engine needs a few parts replaced every 100,000k km. It's not like these parts cost much either.
Water-cooled alternator is always a reason for concern
Water pumps used to be a 40 dollar part for normal engines. Why complicate your life ?
@@curtknight1021 Welcome to the wonderful world of BustedMyWallet. They do these things on purpose to keep BMW's out of the hands of budget conscious people so old beat up BMWs aren't running around driven by Walmart Shoppers, thereby sullying the image of BMW. Wealthy people don't care that BMWs only last 3 years before major expensive repairs are needed because they trade them off at 2 years max. During that 2 years they're feeling like Monarchs.
4:56 😂😂. Good video, I like that you left that in there.
My M62B44TU has 349k miles lol. Leaks oil, but doesn't burn any. Low temp thermostat fixed the cooling system problems.
Nice. This one was a milkshake
I learned years ago that I didn’t want anything to do with BMWs. Had a family that lives across the street from me years ago. Was a husband, Wife, and twin sons. They all drove BMWs. The parents had 2 new 5 series and the kids had their old BMWs. Their driveway was solid black because every single one of the cars leaked every fluid. Lol. They had for years a transmission fluid trail that went from their house, through the neighborhood and out onto the main road. They were constantly being worked on.
Apart from leaking oil (which is indeed BMW's thing) you're missing great cars. They are perfectly balanced and driving one is a pure pleasure.
eh. Mine takes nearly 1L of oil between low and high marks on the dipstick. That's plenty of rocker cover leaks before it gets risky plenty of turbo VAGs 20 years less old burn way more oil by "design" anyway
@@volf4o Funny thing is that when BMW took over Rover, they finally had a Rover engine that did not leak like a sieve from new, and the only started leaking after a high mileage. Maintain a BMW well and it will never leak, it only starts when you do not keep up on the little things and neglect regular oil changes. Seen plenty of BMW's of all types well into the 200 000km mark where, because of regular maintenance, the engine is still oil leak free and runs well. Of course that is only now for the first 7 years, while the vehicle is in Motorplan, as the dealership will keep it nice, and bill BMW for all that gravy work. After the Motorplan is over you will cry at the cost, though the good thing is that there are plenty of aftermarket suppliers of parts that will fit the engines, some of them coming from the OEM themselves, just not supplied in the BMW bag and box, but otherwise identical parts.
that's what happens when you live beyond your means
@@goclunker exactly. In my experience all of my BMW’s have been very reliable, never been left stranded or had a leak bad enough to see under the car. IMO most people think BMW’s are unreliable because they see others buying them when they really can’t afford them & naturally the first thing that gets deferred when you can’t afford it to begin with is maintenance.
Great teardown vid. Some things to note: the valve covers are a magnesium alloy. There are also 4 knock sensors rather than 2; 2 per bank. PS, if you want a reliable BMW, only buy an inline six one or (paradoxically) a V12 one. They don't know how to make proper I4s and V8s. And stay away from N-series motors. The M-series (M5X, M6X, M7X, etc.) and B-series (such as B58) motors are better.
Yep, the inline 6 was much better.
The N52 is pretty okay in my books.
@@deesknees7009 N52 is okay it’s just very underpowered. The N55 is way better than the N52 and actually far cheaper to maintain in my experience.
I found that the n62 is more reliable then a n54
N62 and N52 are still good engines from there more modern line of engines. I own a n62 that's in my 750i and it's a good unit I've worked on n54s and I don't see how people would want to deal with that engine unless they had stacks of cash for making it reliable like replacing turbos and all that stuff. N52 is easily the most reliable out of the modern engines as it doesn't use a turbo and the n62 is the secound only needing to be gone through once every 100-150k or so to do the timing cover gaskets and valve cover gaskets not to mention that there is a valve stem seal issue on the n62 but that can be fixed relatively cheap now that I'm seeing
Great information as always.
Thanks
Again you explained a full V8 engine in less than twenty minutes. Thank for the brief and clear tour. The safe location for hiding my gold was good idea as long your car does not get stolen. 👀Thanks 🙏🏻 ( hilarious btw….. 😂)
The M60/M62 isn´t the worst bmw engine at all. I can´t agree with you with this one. Those engines are awesome if maintained and treated properly...
A little bit of neglect in addition to expensive repairs can really take it's toll though
@@speedkar99 e60 m5's v10 is quite infamous for reliability issues though, maybe a video on that some day?
Not shure what your criteria is but in my book an awesome engine is one which won't leave me stranded on a long trip, will last a long time with minimal maintenance, which can be done with basic tools in my back yard. These engines are not for me.
@@blackdeck9112 well you will be using 60s and 70s cars, because now all cars need special tools and computer scanners.
@@PatricioGarcia1973 I drive a 90's Volvo 940. I got it with a 16v 4cyl engine. It was all computer driven but it was a simple system which I could get along with. What I didn't like was the engine itself. I swapped it for a simpler more reliable one. I run it on carburetors now but I think the stock ecu system was very good and I see why some people might prefer it. I'm actually considering going with a standalone ecu in the future. I wouldn't mind a more sophisticated system as long as it's easily accessible for repair.
What a bummer. I had an E39 540i 6 speed and that was a seriously fun car.
When running, yes.
I never had a problem with the engine not running. The main issue was all the expensive small problems that ate the wallet and tanked the value of the car. Then people sell them to a final careless owner who sees a bargain BMW and trashes it. I’d guess this tear down belonged to someone who bought the car for $5k and drove it for 15k mi without maintenance until the engine grenaded. The oil turned to sludge and a cascading series catastrophes resulted.
@@thedownwardmachine i also don't see any sense of him hating so much this engine, i had m50b20 and also don t get any problem with it
They sure are fun when working
These engines are damn good as long as you maintenance them well. I drive a E39 540i M62B44TU with 355000km - Still no problem.
Poor engine had a hard life and eventually self destruct. Awesome tear down Video.
Lol I like the way you transitioned the failed at 4:56.
A water pump with a hydraulic clutch? A liquid-cooled alternator???? Boy, some people sure like to complicate things, don't they?
The water cooled alternator was only on the v8’s and they were expensive anyway you look at it. The hydraulic clutch’s are very simple tho the only reason it looks so bad on his is because they removed the fan via the blades and left the clutch on, the nut is where you disconnect the whole assembly
If you think this engine is bad but somehow think the N62 is better, you haven’t worked on many BMWs. Don’t forget to roll in new rod bearings on your next S85 or S65 oil change also 😉
Great content my friend, I subscribed after watching 2 videos. This engine was obviously scrap, but are you repairing some of these engines or just disassembling for education/enjoyment purposes? Keep it up!
This is m62b44TU engine, I try m60b40 and m62b44 and are very strong engines, lot of trackdays. Im rebuilding m62b44 with catcams, double spring per valve, ITBs intake kit, full exhaust system and remapable ECU
I've been driving one of these engines for the past 10 years and yeah - it's a money pit for sure, but the most reliable part of the car BY FAR is the engine. I've NEVER had to repair anything in the engine. EVER. And I've had the transmission rebuilt!
Those “braces” for the camshaft caps are actually oil rails. Anyway I still have e39 540i with 245k. I did chain guides and vanos seals on mine already, however i still consider it as a decent engine with a lot potential for some upgrades.
Those braces were so thin, I didn't see any way oil could flow through them. It's a good engine when it works. In my opinion vanos and chain guides should last the life of the engine.
I agree with you, but whoever was supplying bmw with timing chain guides at the time, manufactured them the cheapest way I believe.
@@speedkar99 n62 has chains and guides that will live the life of the engine also features valvetronic witch helps alot with power and mph makes a small displacement motor have a good punch
You can't complain tho that a n62 will piss and burn oil it's whole life without being torn down to do a timing chain job that shouldn't need to be done were not in the age of timing belts no more 😂
@@mapkrk1316 it's not a quality part issue, more a design shortcoming. Instead of that goofy U-rail, there should be a gear there like their was on the previous M60. Those used a double tooth gear and don't grenade like the M62's do.
Nice sense of humor, mate :)
very good video showing folk that if you DO NOT have the money for the basic service: proper oil and coolant on time, then this is what happens to the engine. I do have e39 540i is it is smooth as a butter and NO problem since I do the service as the Germans say to do
Agreed. Alot of people think that cars can take abuse
Well, the V8 in my E39 lasted the life of the car. The body rusted out in the rear inner rocker and structural panel and the car with engine, less cat, was sold to a scrap dealer a while back. In 179,000k the problems were that EVAP thing on the back of the engine. I agree the engine shown had a high rpm grenade running on water/oil mayonnaise in the bottom end and oil starvation at the top end. The head gasket itself looks a very robust design to withstand all that. Here in the UK E39s are disappearing at a rapid rate, their time has come and gone. The exception is the M5 which if cherished is collectible and expensive.
Why am I watching this when having my lunch!
Sorry. Should have warned about the gross footage
Question sensei Why did you use a long extension on your breaker bar when undoing the crank bolt and not your highly powered bvoom bvoom impact wrench ?
This might be the funniest of your videos I've seen, I really laughed at some of your comments!
My M62 has over 250k and runs like a top. Its all in the maintenance. Don't change the oil and the nylon timing guides dry up and crack which will shrapnel the engine if you continue to run it after those guides fail.
Awesome. I'm sure you've had expensive maintenance items to take care of though
@@speedkar99 Actually not much, just the regular suspension parts and I of course replaced the "lifetime trans fluid and filter". I also have the 5hp30 which is a beast. You also may want to make sure your not referring to the TU when talking about the M62 as that is a more finicky beast.
@@speedkar99 Most of the parts are actually quite cheap if you price them up, even with genuine parts. Even cheaper when you do the work yourself too!
The engine is fine. Oil changes and a 90C thermostat is a good place to start.
Agree
Fun fact, these engines where downgraded in a couple of key aspects related to the timing chain. That large v-shaped chain guide is one. It replaces a freewheeling sprocket that was used in the first iteration of these engines, the M60. This is a major failure point and resulted in many v8 e38's e39's and others ending up in the scrap yard. Along with this came a less robust chain. So, if you want one of these cars, look for the 95' model years. These have the 4 liter m60.
for emissions reasons, these engines run hot...105C thermostat. 20C hotter than most other engines. The rad cap is 29 psi, double that of most other engines. The heat deteriorates the plastic rad components, and the pressure bursts cooling lines, expansion tanks and radiators. Heat thins the oil, and the timing chain tensioners run slack. same with vanos. Solution is to run a cooler thermostat, drop the cap psi to 20 psi, and use a quality oil, and change it at regular intervals.
Good information, thanks
Ive owned quite a few M62 motors. They are quite superb when properly maintained. Also a tip for any M62 owners. Get the 105C thermostat out asap and replace with 88c. Makes the engine sooo much happier.
I agree. I have very little issues with mine. I recently had to replace mine bc the PO didn't take care of it. Come to find out the engine had a blown head gasket. I had the same milk shake this dude had but for different reasons. I love my car and and want 2 more. Lol. I've had...7...i think. HA! I've had 7 7s! Roflmao!
@@DougBe38 lol love it! Once you have one you cant stop.
this bmw takes knocking to another level
Crazy eh
Knock Knock, Who's their? Cylinder 5...
Engines like the M62 get an unfair rep because they're owned by enthusiasts once they depreciated. My grandma was given a almost-new 2001 740IL M-package from a very rich man she was a cook for and I drove/cleaned it a LOT. It only had 60-70k miles or so when she passed, but the only issues were water pump failure (the main flaw) and a control arm bushing clunk after 13 years. Dealership repair bills seems to be why BMW has a bed rep - yet most BMWs are easier to work on (pre 2005-ish) than, for example, my nightmare 97 DOHC Taurus. I can think of a lot of much newer engines that have VVT-related failures way more severe and common than the M62TUB44 and similar early adopters. I'm biased, but I think the late M62 is overall a great engine given the challenges. It runs incredibly strong/smooth as well despite being 'small', and I presume VANOS contributes a lot to the surprising low-mid power that makes it such a fun car despite having really unimpressive stats on paper. Damn I'd kill for a clean 540 6spd :(
The E39's are a thing of the past now 😪
Are these flat cranks? Or cross cranks?
Going to bet the major cause was exceeding oil change intervals by a lot, and using the cheapest oil they could buy.
Most BMW owners don't change their own oil. Of course, you know that Mr. Lube and even stealerships mostly use the lowest grade motor oil available, which is in fact recycled.
@@fun_ghoul It's BMW. It eats oil but only the refilled one, the fresh one you just added. Not the sludgy one :( Source: I have Peugeot 207 with the Prince engine.
I think so, in addition to one component causing the coolant mix in the first place
How can you exceed 30k km recommend by BMW OCI ;) I guess you simply forget the oil change exists.
@@pliedtka Every newer car manufacutrers have insane oil intervals. Not only bmw.
I've never heard of a good BMW V8
Mercedes>>>
Lol
Love your videos, thank you very much…👏
Welcome
I lost it at the "hidden treasure compartment" :D
Haha
250,000 miles on my 1997 BMW 540 with a Vortech supercharger installed and still running strong. Poor maintenance is what caused that engine to fail.
Everyone on here talking about there m62 and not the tu version which most of these cars had in the US. The non tu is a ok engine but still gets this issue eventually maybe your guides will last another 50k before they go out. There's still a guide that breaks on older m62s it just so happens that they aren't under stress from the vanos. So usually from what I see is people get 50k more miles of life
N series is way worse. But it is true, m62 with that nikasil coating, vanos and thermostat issues, together with the crappy timing chain guide instead of a beefy sprocket wasn't that good
Salut Vlad! Ma bucur sa te găsesc aici cât si pe atelier, ador review-rile tale.
Lots of carnage in this one
Only a few M62 were nikasil, that was mostly a M60 issue. And only when they were fed (cheap) high sulfur petrol, I have two Nikasil M60B40's that still have good comp at nearly 300000km each
You know what you're talking about. And you're absolutely correct on all points shared.The N-series of BMW V8s are far far worse imo. I'm glad you shared your thoughts on the matter. Cheers
@@greebj true, that coating wasn't a good friend with sulphur, and the matter is solved because today's fuels are almost sulphur free.
The Worst BMW Engine Ever: BMW M62 BMW N63: "Hold my beer"
S62: „hold my rod bearing“
Amazing tear down. The oil condition suggests the engine was not maintained. It’s so easy to maintain an engine. Change the oil and filter at the recommended service intervals. You don’t need to change coolant just keep it topped up.
My friend has a X7 with the same engine; we originally set out to change it's timing chain, chain guide and timing advance solenoids... , but, he decided to junk the 💩💩 which will cost him much less than getting all the parts ... no mention the hours we saved, but sure lost a learning opportunity. Phew! P. S. He worked-out with the junk yard owner, we used it for target shooting 😂😂😂😂😂
See, it wasn't totally useless. :-))
You should have sent it here for a full teardown
X7 with M62? I bet you meant an X5.
The only engines I had any in depth experience with before watching this channel were SBCs, 4.3 GM V6s, 3.8 GM V6s, and Honda D-Series. All of those are very simple motors to understand and work on. After watching your teardowns, I am shocked at how complicated some manufacturers make things. It seems like the Toyotas, Hondas, and GMs are all pretty easy. Ford, Subaru and Hyundai are middle of the road. Anything German or Nissan seem needlessly complex. Just my observation. That said, this BMW engine is a head scratcher. There were so many opportunities to simplify. Like, did no one try to remove the water pump while it was in the car? Why have that extra cover in the V? Why is there SO MUCH PLASTIC?!
Couldn't agree more. Seems like luxury brands means complexity
Germans say ; "Why use a simple part when a ten-part electro-mechanical assembly might work just as well ?"
@@curtknight1021 "Yes Franz, but you didn't guarantee that you will build it only with the most brittle plastic that Euros can buy"
That plastic makes them corner better.
These e39 v8 engines are legendary... as in good... lol
The timing chain issue on this engine is kinda popular, very cool to see one that actually had it
Yeah that should be a lifetime item in my opinion
@@speedkar99 Nothing lasts forever, and a surprisingly small amount of car owners actually maintain their car properly. Anyway, cool video and thanks!
Looks less like bad design and more like bad maintenance.
Should I change the title of the video
Yeah, lack of maintenance fucked this engine. Nothing wrong with engine, my dad had one in his 740 and I had one at the same time, my bro had a range rover with the same engine. Yes, valve cover leaks are common, all 3 had cam cover gaskets replaced. All 3 had oil change at 5 to 8k. All made it past 200k miles and were still running fine when sold.
Nice. Did you have to do timing chain and guides?
@@speedkar99 no, not on 1 of um, they were a 1999, 2001 and a 2004. Just used fully synthetic oil and changed it every 5 to 8k. Never thrashed the engine until it was at working temp. My rad went but that was another known problem with um, most probably because of the amount of heat that engine made, it was like stand next to a bonfire if you opened the bonnet after a drive.
That'll buff out really well!
I had one in my 2001 740i. Great engine for me. Up to 127,000 miles when I sold it.
Nice cars before they went to bangle - butt rear end
You didn't say how many kilometers this engine had... Late 90s means it's about 25 years old. Not that bad.
N62 was sold from around 2000 to 2010 roughly. Still 20 odd years old.
@@smithies_jocks Yeah... the video description says late 90s. I didn't know any better. He also says M62, not N62. Wiki says it was built from 1995 to 2005. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_M62. So different engine. N62 was indeed built from 2001 to 2010 (as wiki says).
Prefacelift e39 is all I got from the previous owner. No mileage
Ha ha all the internet expertise. I have 2 bmw with that engine over 200k each engine . And run like champions if you must know how they do. Maintenance and preventive maintenance
What these videos never mention is these problems are the result of people not changing oil. Its common and normal for owners to change oil every 20,000-50,000 kilometres which is absurd. Oil should be changed every 6k religiously, never let it slide. If you do that these engines are very reliable, until the plastic bits break.
Yep Maintenance is key
sssshhhh netsperts talking them down ... Nikasil... Lifetime ATF ... chain guides ... oil pump bolts ... PCV failures ... oil leaks ... PS leaks ... SLS failures ... coolant explosions... "genuine BMW" part costs ... keep repeating it, drive the price down for buyers who know what they're looking at :)
@@smithies_jocks The current BMW and VW group OCI recommended by the manufacturer for their factory filled engine is... 30.000 km. Yes, Joe not 12 or 16k km, but 30.000 km. Most new cars running using good quality synthetic oil can do 8-15k km, depending on the environment (hwy vs city) and climate. Seems like most monitoring system have oil change reminder build in that activates around 15k km. For myself, I change my oil around 10k, more often if I drive the car hard, based on oil lab analisys (I'm still not 100% convinced that according to the lab the oil is 60% good). But I'm starting to think maybe using less expensive synthetic oil and changing it at shorter OCI might be better for the engine.
@@pliedtka I just change my oil once a year regardless of how many miles I do. It would be very rare that I do 10,000 miles (16,000km) in a year. Usually much much less. In the UK, time is the killer as the oil collects moisture with time, especially if not used much, which massively reduced it's lubrication quality. So annual changes are a must. Those who do about 4000 miles a year and change the oil every three years as a result lead to engines that fail. I won't buy a car with low mileage unless the service history shows its had annual changes.
can you do a ford/mazda duratec engine? 1.4 SPJA is preffred but any duratec will work. i have a fiesta with 1.4 duratec engine and id love to see your analysis and learn more :)
0:00 The never ending coffee ~Someone in the internet
what was the best engine well design and best built ?
Toyota 2Y
Small-block Chevrolet
Toyota
@@fun_ghoul One hour later and I'm still laughing about this one...
@@johnnyblue4799 Maybe there's a gas leak in your abode...
I'm safe in the knowledge the 4.7 Liter iForce V8 in my 2004 Sequoia will comfortably go over 300,000 miles if not more, at present it has 161K and runs like a clock. Imagine if you paid top dollar for the car with this engine only for it to explode. It's frustrating because BMW are capable of making long lasting engines but opt for weird design and technology, that weird pipe running from front to back and the oil filter is a case in point, and did you really mention this having a water cooled alternator? On a lighter note the space in between this V engine you pointed out would make an excellent drug stash area, lol.
The good old UZ engines from Toyota will go forever
You do realize that this engine is over 25 years old. And it seems that it was not maintained well. That doesn't mean that the engine is bad but that the owners were slobbers... I currently drive e39 with an M52 engine from 1996 and it runs smooth as a new one. I cannot say what mileage it has actually but I believe it's more than 500 000 km.
@@volf4o It seems it was not maintained well? How do you know that? BMW's are probably the smoothest driving cars, driven many. When I lived in the UK my father owned a 5 Series diesel, a '94 model. He maintained it impeccably. It drove really well. Solid and smooth. But it cost a fortune to maintain, and things went wrong that should not have been going wrong on a car that wasn't that old, not only that but they were always complicated problems and expensive to fix. That's the way BMW make them. I prefer to stay clear.
@@robbflynn4325 Have to admit that you have a point here. BMW does this and all the maintenance and repair work is always expensive.
@@volf4o BMW, the ultimate driving machine! If money was no object then yes I would probably own a BMW, a Porsche and an Alfa Romeo, they are all interesting fine driving cars, but my own priority is about getting from A to B with as little fuss as possible. To others the driving experience comes first and they choose their cars accordingly, I can appreciate that, but that usually comes at a price. What I hate most is the snobbery and ignorance people have against Japanese car makers, people will say things like oh yes, Lexus/Acura, they are just Toyota/Hondas with leather seats, but if you care to look into the engineering, they are so much more. To me right now the new Honda Civic Type R is probably the finest car out there in terms of engineering, reliability, performance and pedigree. Would be nice to own one, and I could afford it, but I'm happy enough with my Sequoia, besides I'm middle aged and fat with a bad back.
Maybe we are looking at a cascade of several failures here that started developing in parallel and only got to meet at the end…. As in: No oil chances or the oil has been seriously overfilled (because more oil is more better, right?) the latter resulting in the oil being basically churned by the crankshaft until foamy, so the oil pump starts sucking in air, leading to less lubrication resulting in the bearings beginning to move out and seek a better life inside the oil filter. At the same time, the cylinders are also not getting adequate oil. Meanwhile, the timing chain developed some slack over time (from the car only ever running in short intervals)….and once the lengthened timing chain did its best Van Halen tribute and decided to Jump, that was the final straw and the engine started smashing its own insides to pieces within seconds, serving up a last minute round of forbidden milkshake on its way out. Could have been a race between the conrod bearings slowly giving out or the timing chain yeeting itself. Either way, the engine was doomed. The lubrication issue probably had not present for that long though, otherwise I would have expected to see some damage on the cams. Or maybe there was a leak in the cooling system which set the whole thing in motion. We will never know, but I find it interesting to think about even though I fully realize it is pointless in retrospect. Whatever happened here - I think it was completely avoidable. Not sure what BMW‘s recommended service intervals are but I am fairly confident that the owner thought care and proper maintenance were not high priority items.
I think an internal coolant leak started everything in motion. Once the oil pressure dropped enough, the timing chain tensioners backed off and allowed the chain to slip off and that grenaded the engine and put it out of its misery. Oftentimes the coolant crossover pipe starts leaking and coolant gets in the oil. Anyone who checks their oil would have noticed the coolant leak before this happened. But apparently they weren’t….
Damn, I wonder why people are not seeing your videos instead of reviews that complains about infotainment systems not having Apple Carplay or Android Auto, BTW keep'em coming
Thanks. Will try to work on more mechanical reviews soon. Depends on how winter goes here.
I am 100% certain he has no idea how good this engine is, these engines are well known in Europe to make over 700 to 800hp stock. This is just an example of not taking care of your engine, all of those problems can be avoided if regular maintenance was done on it. In the video it clearly shows that the man hasn't done any prior research before filming otherwise he would have known that the valve covers are made from magnesium not "Some composite material", the "cross over pipe" is actually a hose that goes to the ccv valve and what he called a "valve for better air mixture" is actually the ccv valve. Obviously ignorance is very well shown in the video as he talk about how much he hates bmw
Thanks for your feedback ! This engine was not maintained at all, or at least run on coolant for too long
I agree. This video is just him bashing bmw and the engines they produce. Watching him tear down the engine that's clearly showing not a single sign of maintenance while talking about how shit it is. I almost think this engine was destroyed on purpose.
I love these engines! Recently I saw a 540 that had a great engine in it, clean inside, but blew a rod and shot the whole engine to hell real good. Looked like water filling the brake booster and somehow made its way into the intake via the booster hose into the throttle Body and sucked up enough water to lose piston #8. Blew up good. Otherwise these engines are great, providing you do the timing chain system before its "all over". M62TUB44 engine is not garbage, in my humble opinion. Very strong engine. And yes you can replace the seals inside the vanos but the seals are not ever in my experience when removed "shot to hell". They just are probably worn a bit. Beisan seals are a normal thing to install. And the owner of the company that makes the seals is a kind and smart gentleman I might add.
You drunk. Bro?
I have one of these and it's a great engine. Regular oil changes every 5k miles and new chain tensioner. Valve covers are magnesium!
Thanks for the info! How many miles?
does the block of this n62 same as n63? my block on n63 done
Someone send this guy new gloves for Christmas 🙂
Please
and toothbrushes
@@chuckycheese84 that brush still has life in it. Just needs a good rinse.
Big Money Wasted
Good one
possible to do an N62 video?
Every engine eventually leaks oil, and there are failure points in every engine!!!
But BMWs are just so prone!
I have worked on BMW's over 20 years, All I can say on that engine is someone got everything they could get out of that one.
BMW: Big money waste 😂
_"Bring my wallet."_
@@fun_ghoul 😲🤣
Yes
In Poland we call it Będziesz Miał Wydatek, which translates to version of Bring My Wallet. There are a few others, one calling BMW a 'glorified village show off machine'. A lot of German automotive Scheiße in Central and Eastern Europe these days.
@@pliedtka who asked?
If you read the history of all bmw engines it’s one of the best engine BMW ever made 32 years experience I never see engine strong like the engine just a good oil and a good cooling system good to go for 450,000 miles with no problem
I have the pre-vanos m62. Still runs like new at 360 thousand km. Had to replace valve cover gaskets but pretty much it.