BMW M52B20TU engine

M52B20TU- is a gasoline power unit from Bavarian engineers, which is characterized by a working volume of 2 liters, which gives it the ability to provide a maximum power of 150 horsepower. The engine was installed on the BMW 3-series fourth-generation E46 in station wagon, sedan and coupe body styles.

M52B20TU engine specifications

Advantages

The M52B20TU engine is characterized by the presence of a large number of advantages, which were obtained by implementing modern at the time of release of solutions from Bavarian engineers, as well as design features. Among the main advantages, the owners of cars with such a motor under the hood emphasize the following:

• The powertrain is characterized by a minimum amount of harmful substances emitted into the atmosphere. This was achieved through the use of dual-flow catalytic converters, which are installed inside the catalytic converter.
• Drivers get all the information they need about the temperature of the lubricating fluid to maximize engine performance. The Bavarian engineers achieved this with a revised design that incorporates a temperature sensor in the oil filter support.
• The intake manifold is characterized by the installation of an electronically controlled resonance-type damper. This makes it possible to ensure the most precise control and guarantee maximum powertrain output.
• The fuel-air mixture is formed in a vortex chamber. This allows the use of the simplest possible fuel equipment, which entails minimal fanciness to the fuel used in the engine. An additional advantage of this design is that the engine runs stably regardless of the RPM.
• All pipes from the standard cooling system are equipped with quick-release couplings, which allows for quick replacement when necessary, as well as significantly reduce the cost of repair and maintenance.
• The powertrain design includes the installation of a modernized cooling system, which includes the installation of an adaptive pump. In this way, the Bavarian engineers have achieved an increased capacity for antifreeze. The engine therefore reaches operating temperature very quickly and also cools down rapidly when necessary.
• The design of the pistons has also been completely revised. The Bavarians have achieved the largest possible cooling area, which ensures a longer service life for the power unit.

Disadvantages

The BMW M52B20TU engine is characterized by a great tendency to overheat, which leads to certain problems for owners of cars with such power units under the hood. As a rule, in the case of overheating, the cylinder head can behave. If during operation there is an increased temperature, it is necessary to get rid of air plugs in the standard cooling system, clean the radiator, as well as check the integrity of the radiator cap, and check the performance of the thermostat and pump.

Owners of such motors may encounter trouble in the form of increased oil consumption. The engine is designed with piston rings, which are subject to a great deal of wear. In the best case, the cylinder walls remain intact, then the problem can be corrected by simply replacing the piston rings. If the cylinder walls are damaged, then the cylinder block will have to be taken to a liner. It is also worth paying attention to the condition of the crankcase ventilation valve.

Ignition misses are also a common problem faced by owners of vehicles with these engines. Jamming of the hydraulic valve compensators is the main cause of this malfunction. This entails that one of the cylinders stops working properly, so the electronic control unit disables it. You will have to buy new hydraulic compensators and replace them, after which the problem will be eliminated.

The indicator light indicating the correct amount of lubricant may also light up spontaneously. If the oil light is illuminated, it is worth paying attention to the oil cup and the lubricant pump. It is worth checking the condition of these components and replacing them if necessary.

The well-known Vanos technology from Bavarian engineers is not only characterized by positive qualities. The motor may start to work with floating revolutions, it has a drop in power, as well as rumbling during operation. Wear and tear of Vanos – here is the main reason for such problems. Buying and installing a repair kit can solve the problem.

The M52B20TU may stop starting. Such problems are caused by the failure of the camshaft or crankshaft position sensor. The thread, which is designed for fixing the cylinder head, is also not very reliable. The standard thermostat may also start leaking.

Modifications

The base variation of the powertrain is the M52B20, which was produced from 1994 to 1999. The engine achieves a compression ratio of 11 to 1, which makes it possible to develop a maximum power of 150 horsepower at 5900 rpm, and at 4200 rpm you can get a maximum torque of 190 Nm.

Tuning

Stroker is one of the most popular options to increase the maximum power of the powertrain. You can try to increase the working volume up to 2.6 liters. To make such a project is very simple – you need to purchase a crankshaft along with connecting rods and fuel injectors from the M52B28 engine. Pistons remain standard, and the intake manifold must be used from the power unit M50B25. Proper software tuning will give a maximum output of 200 horsepower.

Installing a turbine on this powertrain is also possible, so those who do not have enough 200 horses in the atmospheric version, build turbocharged versions of the M52B20TU. It is best to purchase a turbo kit for this engine, which is based on Garrett T04E or GT30 turbines. The kit should contain the following components: turbo manifold, westgate, block-off, oil supply, intercooler, pump and fuel regulator, boost controller, piping, injectors 250-300 cc, sensors supercharger, oil pressure, fuel-air mixture and exhaust temperature. As a rule, such kits come with their own, customized electronic engine control unit, but if you don’t have one, you can use Megasquirt. The end result is about 250 horsepower of maximum power without the need to replace the standard piston group.

Technical specifications

The first power unit represented by the M52 family is the M52B20 engine. This engine appeared in 1994, but in 1998 received an update, and became known as M52B20TU.  The engine started to have a new cylinder head, and also used dual Vanos on both camshafts. The camshafts themselves became 244/228 lift 9. The cylinder block is accompanied by the installation of cast iron liners, they also replaced the connecting rods, pistons, standard cooling system, began to install an electronically controlled throttle valve. The intake manifold received DISA geometry change system and so on.

This motor can be found on cars of the Bavarian brand, characterized by the presence of the index 20i. Production of the power unit was stopped in 2000. The engine was replaced by a new 2.2 liter motor, which was named M54B22.

This engine is installed on the following models:

BMW 3-Series (E46)