E30 Zone

What was the strongest engine BMW ever made? Obvisously none of the new ones.

...and none from the chocolate head range...

M10 or M30 I'd say. But like all engines they'll die if not looked after.

M20B20, although I have never had issues with my M20B25 and I have blown many a good engine! I mean just look athow much boost they can take standard withought shitting a brick. Obviously there are bad ones out there but none of the properly maintained ones seem to have the same issues.

How many miles did Hubble get before the head went? How many have been boosted and still go strong?

There's an M5 on ebay at the moment (with the 3.6 engine) which has covered 300k miles!

My last M20 managed around 200k before bowing out too, but not sure how well that'd been looked after

I would say the M30 maybe, it dont have a time belt like the M20 and you can to an example find old 5 and 7 series on the continent with a lot of milage and you can tune them hard core as well, to an example you can get a twin turbo kit from the US to it!
But indeed, the M20 is also a very strong engine tbh

they are all shit the true war hero engine is the S14 by miles. Only shocking neglect will kill it as in the chain jumping or snapping but it would be so noisey only a retard wouldn't notice

Ever heard of a cracked head/headgasket issue on an S14? i haven't

Based on the M10 isn't it?
The M10 has the title of being the base of the most powerful 1.5 i can think of too

stonesie wrote:Based on the M10 isn't it?
The M10 has the title of being the base of the most powerful 1.5 i can think of too

no it's closer to an M88 (M1 engine, then modfied a touch for the E28 M5 and e24 M6) with two cylinders chopped off. Which is what Paul rosche did basically. The M88 in turn can trace it's roots back to the M30. I think* the M30 is an M10 very loosely speaking with 2 extra cylinders.

The M10 appeared first though in the 1500 new class saloons, which in turn got Alpina going

i heard the m30 was originally a plane engine from the 40's

whipsey wrote:i heard the m30 was originally a plane engine from the 40's

Boat maybe

DanThe wrote:

whipsey wrote:i heard the m30 was originally a plane engine from the 40's

Boat maybe

nope pretty sure was for a plane tryin to find the info about it

M30's aren't as tough as the folk lore says imo. A good M20 is tougher and an M50 is pretty heroic also

My generalisation would be that the M40 engine is the worst and the rest are tough!

whipsey wrote:

DanThe wrote:

whipsey wrote:i heard the m30 was originally a plane engine from the 40's

Boat maybe

nope pretty sure was for a plane tryin to find the info about it

Oh sorry, I was getting 'engine' mixed up with 'anchor'

IMO the M50 is the best all round engine that was produced, M52's are good but the management is too picky for my liking. M54's are an excellent piece of engineering, but the bullshit emissions/flyby wire bollocks lets them down

Most bulletproof BMW engine?

Probably the 801D 14 cylinder 42 litre radial fitted to the Focke-Wulf FW190.

Pete-M wrote:Most bulletproof BMW engine?

Probably the 801D 14 cylinder 42 litre radial fitted to the Focke-Wulf FW190.

Hardly bullet proof, plenty got shot down

I'd go with M50..

Simon13 wrote:M30's aren't as tough as the folk lore says imo. A good M20 is tougher and an M50 is pretty heroic also

My generalisation would be that the M40 engine is the worst and the rest are tough!

Sorry??

i`d say m50 non vanos mine has done 170k bin neglected but looked after by me for the last 2 years, still gets a e34 to 60 in round about the 8 second mark. m52 vanos noise is annoying the electrical wirly sound, mine is just a rore valver!

Ever heard of a cracked head/headgasket issue on an S14? i haven't

hmm come to think of it, I dont think I have and I am always looking on eBay and see plenty of m20's with blown heads.

Simon13 wrote: the true war hero engine is the S14 by miles. Only shocking neglect will kill it as in the chain jumping or snapping but it would be so noisey only a retard wouldn't notice

Ever heard of a cracked head/headgasket issue on an S14? i haven't

agreed

S14 end of story.

After 7 years of a lot of abuse. My dads engine was still in very very good condition.

maxfield wrote:S14 end of story.

After 7 years of a lot of abuse. My dads engine was still in very very good condition.

Unlike your ringpiece !

Sorry Jamie, you left yourself wide open for that one !, again

M10 is the correct answer. After all, M30 is based on M30, S14 is based on M88 / M30 / M10.

M50 is way too new to be tough, too well optimized.

M20 tough engine?

m10!

I picked up an e34 525tds at the weekend with 299K on the original everything!! Or is diesel cheating

blue30 wrote:I picked up an e34 525tds at the weekend with 299K on the original everything!! Or is diesel cheating

Are you religious ? If not get praying QUICK !

There isn't a weak BMW engine although I don't give the N42 Valvetronic engine long before you see piles of them in scrapyards. All will do 200k if looked after which few are once they get old. The worst was possibly the original 320 carburettor M20, bastards for cracking heads. M10's are known for cracking heads and blocks, M20's are so good that you will still find 20 year old examples with 100'000+ miles that still work properly. M30's are better if maintained and the cars are so old now that few are. Mine has 280'000 on it's original head gasket, cam etc. I'd like to see an S14 with that many miles. Most are pretty tired by 150k and ready for a chain.
M40's are okay if properly maintained and again, almost none are. M52TU and M54's are slightly crap, heads are made from compressed alloy balls and crack like buggery, even more than the older 24v heads do. Add alloy sinkage between liners, heavy oil consumption and occasional small end knock.
Most robust BMW engine? I'd say the M43 1600/1800. Apart from the occasional head gasket caused by anti freeze neglect they just do not go wrong. Bottom end is very strong and roller rockers mean no top end wear.

My 1986 built 325i has over 200K miles on the clock, was recently picked up after 7 years in a body shop, having done about 50 miles during those years.

In the last couple of weeks it's done two return journeys from Essex to Lancashire as well as lots of nipping about with no problems at all.

I am now wood - cladding the front room and touching as much of it as I possibly can...... but I'd say that's fairly bullet - proof

heads are made from compressed alloy balls

Now that's a technology I've never heard of!

You sure they're not just cast using the lost foam process? Makes the castings look like they're made from polystyrene that's been painted silver.

Pete-M wrote:Most bulletproof BMW engine?

Probably the 801D 14 cylinder 42 litre radial fitted to the Focke-Wulf FW190.

Why has no one done this conversion!?

pacerpete wrote:

blue30 wrote:I picked up an e34 525tds at the weekend with 299K on the original everything!! Or is diesel cheating

Are you religious ? If not get praying QUICK !

Its making some very strange noises - a loud vanos-y rattle when you play with the revs, and on idle. Strange clunky rattles which might be clutch/gearbox related... its very rumbly/groany on engine braking too. Oh and the subframe bushes are shot!! And the windscreen is broken. And the boot doesn't shut if you are foolish enough to open it. And the headlights point at the floor and seem to have been attached to the car by hot glue. She's a real beaut!!

Yes I do have RAC cover! I'm just going to drive it till it breaks - currently sat on 300,004

Andyboy wrote:Most robust BMW engine? I'd say the M43 1600/1800. Apart from the occasional head gasket caused by anti freeze neglect they just do not go wrong. Bottom end is very strong and roller rockers mean no top end wear.

The M43 is a very underrated engine that doesn't get the plaudits it deserves. They're not particularly exciting but they just plod on happily forever. I've ran a M43 engined E36 for 80K and its been absolutely superb - minimal running costs, simple to work on, very economical and surprisingly smooth and torquey for a 4 cylinder. One of the last fixable engines BMW produced.

It THE most fixable engine. The engine I like the least the the alloy block M52/54 - one head gasket issue and it's scrap.