Bit of methanol injection will help keep your intake valves cleaner. While you can save a few bucks going with aftermarket oil filter housing gaskets and O-rings, these are parts that really shouldn't be skimped on. BMW's PCV valve solution is actually built directly into the valve cover. Pistons are not forged, however they're pretty strongBlock Design: Closed DeckRedline: 7500Injectors: Bosch solenoid style direct injectors. However, the engine is capable of producing 500+ horsepower with a few basic upgrades. Though, it may be excessive on lower mileage B58's. Its stuff that is pretty cheap to DIY. Haha your last comment seems to be spot on! Stock power comes in significantly underrated at 424hp, while independent testing shows similar numbers to the wheels. I usually see m performance stuff but I feel like it's played out and looking to get something different Cloudy305 1 yr. ago It is still a highly impressive engine that took some minor steps back to focus on reliability as opposed to engine strength. Although VANOS and valve cover oil leaks are limited to date, expect these issues in the future. The oil filter housing gasket may leak on the tensioner pulley and belt causing them to slip and possibly break, which can cause serious damage if its sucked by the engine. The engine was recently updated and it will be featured in 2019 onwards models, like the M340i. Are both available in RWD with manual transmission? Most repairs at the dealer will easily run over $1,000. The B58 engine is the successor to the N55 engine. . Just purchased a 2021 M340. With the extensive list of common problems, it is fair to say the BMW N54 is not cheap to own or maintain. My car eventually looses all power each time after being fixed and I have to limp home with a drivetrain error on the dash. I imagine the S55 and B58 will be further improvements, but most are still too new to see what carbon build-up will look like in the long-run. Im new to all of this. Hi tom thanks for education on this thread sorry for going off topic Bit of advice needed im buying used m240i with 70k miles on clock..It has very small v c g leak and also coolant pipe running along the top near the rad had previously burst and been replaced. B58 is reliable, bulletproof and can handle hella boost on stock block. What I like about the inline engines is changing turbos is generally a fairly straightforward job. Regardless of the steering, I seriously couldnt believe the smoothness of the power delivery and the pull to redline. Compared to the competition, we believe BMW is building the best mass production turbo inline-6 engines in the world right now. The best one worth having and mentioned is S38B38 from the E34 M5 car. other than that it runs good and I still like it. Stay safe everyone! We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. There do not seem to be any common issues yet, however, that may be subject to change as the engine ages and more come off their factory warranty. Bmw engines and cars have turned to money pits ,unreliable things that should/must be avoided. *Picture is from an N54 that had a leaking VCG for nearly 20,000 miles. Agree with you both there Tazzieman/Spjnr. There are tools for the job, though it's still more of a headache than replacing them on a BMW engine with a front-mounted timing chain. I bought it at about 75k. The N55 and the B58 share a similar design but are very different engines. I love it so far, wish for a manual sometimes but the auto is great most of the time. Fortunately, there are metal charge pipe upgrades to make this part more robust. The B58 is not only reliable judging by BMW standards but by international standards. Stupid technicians, or cheap skates that mix coolant with distilled water cause cooling system boiling point to fall. BMW's B58 and S55 engines are newer, so more issues may pop up down the road. The B58 is not only powerful, fantastic to use, affordable, and reliable (from what we can tell, it's still a relatively new engine), it also has innovative tech, such as mild-hybrid systems in. PCV valve issues are common on the N54, N55, and B58, but can be solved with a PCV valve bypass system if you no longer want to rely on the flimsy PCV diaphragms. Although, VANOS work can be done without lifting the engine. This applies to coolant hoses and coolant connecting flanges. Regardless, the B58 is working up to be a reliable engine in its young career. 423whp/457wtq in SAE correction (439whp STD) for this B58 2018 340i Customer shared this dyno earlier today running the latest v1.6 Stage 2 93 octane (98RON for those in Europe) OTS map. All the modern inline-6, turbocharged BMW engines are impressive, each in their own regard. With that being said, I would not buy a BMW B58 at this moment. Why not? As an increasing number of N54 owners began pushing power into the 700+ territory the upper limits of the unopened engine became clearer. Thank you for the response and enjoyed the articles. Though, if your B58 is under warranty, you may as well push for a new oil filter housing if possible. 350-400whp will require at least a decent set of performance tires. Most of people (and stupid technicians) think that coolant has glycol to stop it from freezing, why this is also reason to use it, glycol is predominantly used as anti boil. BMW B58 Reliability. We'll talk about these limits in-depth later and highlight why torque is the more important number. Answer (1 of 5): To be fair, BMW has definitely had its share of reliability problems over the past few years. The B58 is more reliable than the N55. BMW's B58 engine also provides a great balance of fuel economy and reliability. Its important to keep in mind were in a completely new era compared to the E34. It may not display this or other websites correctly. I had the 4.2 I6 in both my 1975 Landcruiser (FJ40) and my 1978 Jeep CJ-7. DIY the basics (oil, brakes, spark plugs, etc) $500 to $1,200 a year Acnam Infotech, BMW Tuning - BMW Performance & Tuning Guides, News, Videos. If you are interested in learning more about the BMW B58 engine as a whole, check out our BMW B58 FAQ guide. Disclaimer: This site contains affiliate links. Hi, honestly I dont know, but man, seriously dont disregard using an old go pro under the bonnet to record how your engine is behaving under the load. The B58 uses two coolant tanks in its system. The B58 is not showing the same flaws seen in the early years of the N55. TwinPower Turbo which is a twin scroll single turbo. Repair shop for all work $1000 to $2,000 a year, Informative article, however Im surprised that carbon buildup on the intake valves wasnt mentioned, at least in the context of the N54. Lets look at both engines in detail to find out why the N55 is not as reliable as the new B58. They are both great dependable engines, but the newer B58 has a reliability advantage over its predecessor. Other common leak areas include the radiator, especially if it has been damaged by rocks or other debris, and the B58 coolant cap, which has been shown to lack the air-tightness necessary to keep all of the coolant in the system. Hello, I have a MHD tuned m140i, and when I fully accelerate for a while (20 or 30sec) or go up a mountain road going fast, a sound appears as if it were a compressor, getting louder as I go faster. Certain G series models began receiving the updated B58TU1 in 2019. To increase the longevity of either your N55 or B58, it is recommended that you follow the regular maintenance schedule and stay on top of preventive maintenance. So much too learn, so little time. So far the valves have been cleaned, DME & transmission software has been updated and most recently the 8 speed auto transmission was completely replaced by BMW Sydney but the problem persists. Improvement of Valvetronic - VVT4 with reduced height. A few recalls and service bulletins do exist for the B58. Some owners are reporting coolant losses in the main tank and possibly in the second tank. Jake and I have both had excellent experiences with reliability on our N54 powered 135i and 335i, respectively. There are a few notorious issues in the N55. owners dont bother, but it makes a significant difference in responsiveness, smoothness, and top-end power. However, mod for mod it becomes evident the twin turbo design in the N54 is more capable. Flush out and refill coolant every 5 years. Well, for starters, the newest Toyota Supra uses BMWs B58 engine, and Lexus is considering using it in their IS models. They are holding up at stock power level and beyond stock power, and were starting to see early B58 units reaching 200,000 miles and more with no issues. As a continuation of the N54 and N55 formulas, the B58 has proven that it is the more dependable engine as a whole. Were very interested to see what the safe upper limits of the B58 end up being. Compared to the two former engines the N55 has been on the road longer, allowing for additional time for tuning developments. In reality, it was worse than the factory part. Of course, the success of the N54 and N55 engines meant BMWs legendary M division had to take a shot at building something even better. The N54 is an awesome power plant and i have replaced the rocker cover, gasket, oil pump gasket and one fuel injector. Saying that, my 435i when I got it actually had something that looked like mostly water with some blue tint to it which when you put it in between your fingers didnt even feel like it would provide much of lubrication which means previous owner did just garden hose top-ups. Good luck with finding the issue with yours. What kind of HP increase could I expect with the JB4 piggyback tune? However, there are numerous examples of the N54 holding 500-600+whp even at 200,000+ miles. We appreciate the positive feedback! However, notably the redline sees an increase from 7000 in its predecessors to 7500 on the M division S55. Sorry for the poor techincal expression but being in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic has left us housebound and its not foremost on my mind right now. With 355 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque, the B58 provides power to a series of BMWs, from the X3 M40i to the M240i and the new X5 xDrive40i. Guessing you are all semi-auto owners.. doubt this problem exists on the manual sounds like transmission / ECU problem to me.. #. This increases performance by. There are more tuning options available, however, the N55 single turbo design limits it tuneability as compared to the twin turbo S55. I found remove driver side first. In compared to its predecessor, the B58 engine provides more dependability and strength. Stock Power: ~330hpWorld Record HP: 655WHPDisplacement: 2998cc (2.998L)Turbocharger: Single Twin Power TurboCompression: 11.0 to 1Bore x Stroke: 82.0mm x 94.6mm (3.23in x 3.72in)Internals: Forged crank and rods. Awesome car and congrats on the new tune. hopefully BMW will sort this out. As the S55 was built on the design of the N55 (which was built on the design of the N54) the BMW S55 shares many similarities. 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