There are also harmonic issues. If you go over 6K RPM's for a few minutes, an imbalance will occur that will rattle off the reverse-threaded oil pump nut. This can't be fixed, but it can be salved with a four bolt kit. Some bolt in an S54 tensioner to stop the lashing effect of the oil pump chain which may also unbolt the nut. You can also upgrade the dampener, but it's a grand USD. The cylinders oval out topside. Common BMW i6 issue. The piston rings are low friction for economy, but it permits blowby as carbon can build up on them. GOETZ or M52TU rings can fix this. Some of the suspected CCV issues are actually piston ring issues. M54 don't have to burn oil. The rings and CCV just make it common due to high fail rates. The dipstick bolts to the motor mount, so check the o-ring that seats into the block. Stupid design, I think. The fuel pump level cooling the pump doesn't apply to the pumps on the M54. An M56 valve cover fixes CCV issues for good. The inconel exhaust studs and copper nuts will have you angle grinding when you need a replacement. That's a 2000's BMW "feature." Side note on tuning: it seems a lot of M54 tunes came from the same map, and they aren't optimized-- take a look at the Shark information on BMW forums. Companies still sell them knowing this; they're just garbage. Stay with copper spark plugs. Iridium does nothing for the M54. Despite popular opinion, you can replace the cylinder liners. Why would you, though? You can get a pristine M54 block out of an auto 330i for 400 dollars. An M50 intake manifold with a port job will give you a real top end. Throttle body porting does nothing, though.

Good pointy. I just reassembled mine. Replaced the front main seal (leaking bad), oil filter housing gasket (leaking), oil dip stick "O" rinng (leaking). Cooling system was recently overhauled and a new radiator. Now waiting for a new crank bolt (they must be replaced as they are stretch bolts) and torqued to 300ft lbs!

The things i've encountered in my experiance are: CCV problems, vacuum leaks, oil leaks, vanos not working(o-rings), chain guides and tensioners failing (rattles like hell or even skips a tooth), oil pump nut backing off(engine=salad), ignition coils failing if plugs haven't been serviced, EWS immobilizer skipping code(not starting, been stranded once), starter problems, generator voltage regulator failures (left me stranded 4 days ago), oil burning because of bad oil control rings, oil pump propeller breaking due to neglect(mine had 350k miles on the stock pump that was never replaced and failed on the highway...), disa valve breaks a million ways (membrane, coil, o-ring, flap, etc), cam sensors frequently go bad, o2 sensors also, valve cover cracks and leaks a lot of oil on the exhaust, viscous clutch fan fails and causes overheating, electronically controlled thermostat fails frequently, ICV gets dirty and idles bad... And the list goes on.

Absolute GOLD! Thank you for this confidence inspiring video.I just pruchased a 2006 BMW X3 3.0i from a local dealer Saturday. Your tips will help me convince my wife that I was correct when I said this car would be relatively easy for me to work on myself. She's hell bent on sending the car to a pricey mechanic for all the work. Subscribed.

Got 2003 m54 530i, after change pcv/ccv, and all the coolant hose, new oil change, oil filter, oil housing gasket and check valve, oil pump sprocket tighten ,engine got low oil pressure problem. Drive around 6 months, the oil pressure light gone!😂 one bullet proof engine I believe

Going to look at an e46 325i this afternoon. Thanks for the great tips

I just bought a 2002 330ci I needed this video

Very helpful

Everything you touched and mentioned were replaced on my E46, plus few other things, at around 150k mile, and it's running like the original condition. M54 isn't as bad as one might think. You just need to do little more maintenance, and it'll return you the driving enjoyment!

M52TU has engine wire harness issues, that is once the TPS signal is lost, the car goes to a limp mode, most owners keeps replacing the Throttle body (MDK) it is Part mechanical part electric.Actual fault is not in the MDK, its wire harness or the round plug which is connected to the MDK. And the other thing is, when the Crank sensor fails, the traction light lights up in the cluster, some are mistaken for a faulty ABS module. there are other few more things. M54 and M52TU are bit similar but the M54 has drive by wire throttle body and no cables connected to the throttle body.

Just got a 78k mile M54. What I can ascertain from this video and comments is that I better start saving to get this engine overhauled 😭😭

great video man!, i plan on cleaning my throttle body & ICV soon

I just got the exact same 2002 330ci👌🏽

Thats why i have mustard under the oil cap thx to the ccv :D

I wanted to criticize this right out the gate lol. But these were all my issuses on my e39 530i. Disa rebuild which is easy as hell. Valve cover gasket also easy and cheap. Only other issue is blower motor went out but was 30 dollar fix at 172k. And god damn cup holders. But this is by far the most reliable engine from BMW.

one more thing! VERY often overlooked and rarely mentioned: 🤓 The hydraulic lifters OFTEN clog and cause all kinds of engine fault codes, NONE of these codes actually mention to check the hydraulic lifters, they always "blame" another part. hence you end up replacing alot of parts which are still good without getting to the root cause. Try HYDRAULIC LIFTER CLEANING FLUID first, this stuff is meant to do just that, and it often really works! this is the simplest fix for your M54 engine, and you can't really hurt the engine with cleaner lifters, even if there is another fault as well.

Right now im driving my fourth m54 Its a great engine! Only thing that could be better is the sound (predecessor m52 sounds awesome or successor n52)

and this issue also: in highway kick down with engine light on! After restart, engine works fine again. Maybe the Catalysator defekt!

M52>M54 They don't burn oil as much. But the 3.0 liter engine is the best choice. So M54 wins in that department.

I’m a BMW owner and a Subaru Owner. I’ve done less work on the Subi in 5 years then I have on the BMW in one year. M52B28 intake manifold completely ruined this engine.

Would the disa valve throw up an error code?

I think it's a bit strange that there are so many BMW oil burners compared to other cars. If you search the web for engines that use oil, you will mostly find articles and videos about bmw that burn oil. I myself have an X3 oil burner and I will not buy a BMW again because there is a chance that it is also an oil burner. I also think the overall quality of the X3 is worse than the other car I have, a mercedes b180 cdi which, unlike the X3, uses minimal oil.

Camshaft position sensor is another issue that could easily be fixed

How did you retrofit the electric fan? I have a clutch fan & mine is a 2003

Keep getting a dme error when I scan my M54 anybody have knowledge of this?

I have a M54B22 - the car runs perfectly, maybe a bit of oil use... Im getting a check engine/EML lamps sometimes and it goes away after it rests- should I be worried a lot? I cant get it to a mechanic in the next 2 weeks, to busy with work. Anyone with a tip?

Still we have many BMW running 90s early 2000, more than 20 years, But I don't see any Japanese, more than 10 years, all went to junkyard??

A great engine surrounded by shitty parts that are common parts to fail at any time and can destroy your engine , if you own an E46 you can sleep comfortably now

Why are you talking about the fuel pump, the best way to never have this issue is to fuel up your damn car before the reserve fuel light kicks in