BMW N57D30 engine

The turbocharged diesel engine with an in-line arrangement of six cylinders was launched in 2008. It was produced to replace the M57 range of engines. The new motor used a closed cylinder block made of aluminum, which was equipped with cast iron liners. The working volume of the motor is 3 liters. The cylinder head was also made of aluminum, and had a lower height than the previous model. The cylinder head was equipped with two shafts, with 4 valves per cylinder.

The timing drive has been moved to the rear of the engine. This was done to maximize pedestrian safety in the event of an accident. The chain drive is single row, and is characterized by an increased service life compared to the junior N47 range. If used properly, the chain can last more than 200,000 kilometers.

These engines were equipped with the third version of Common rail forced fuel injection system. A turbine with intercooler was also an integral part of these power units. Garrett GTB2260VK was used, which was able to inflate up to 1.7 bar with the possibility of changing the geometry. At the same time, the motor was fully compliant with all Euro-5 standards. As on the previous model, these engines were equipped with an EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) system, and used a manifold equipped with swirl flaps. Bosch’s DDE7.3 system was responsible for controlling the entire engine.

In the middle of 2009, the world saw a modification of the N57 TOP engine, which was equipped with BMW 740d. This engine was equipped with a two-stage turbine, redesigned exhaust and piezo injectors. The two-stage turbine gave the possibility to pump more than 2 bar, thanks to the fact that the second stage had a variable geometry.

N57D30 engine specifications

Advantages

The N57TU engines began production in 2011 and were considered a refined version of their predecessors. These power units began to consume less fuel due to changes in the combustion chamber and the use of solenoid injectors. This allowed to achieve compliance with the Euro-6 environmental standard. The year 2012 was marked by the release of the most successful engine of this series – N57S. The engine was based on its predecessor with the prefix TOP. For its production a new reinforced cylinder block was used, new pistons with compression ratio up to 16 were installed, and the cooling system of the cylinder head was improved. The crankshafts were also changed.

This motor began to use three turbines, which allowed for up to 381 horsepower with 740 Nm of torque.

Along with the gasoline engine, a diesel counterpart with four cylinders – N47 – was produced. This power unit was considered to be a kind of reduced copy of the N57 motor, which was deprived of a pair of cylinders and differed by turbines, exhaust and intake system.

Disadvantages

The swirl flaps on this powertrain are its weak point. There will be no failures with them flying into the engine as on the M series, but they can become clogged to such an extent that they completely stop moving in the normal mode. This entails interruptions in the uniformity of the power unit and the appearance of a large number of errors during driving. The valve of the exhaust gas circulation system leads to such a breakdown. The situation can be corrected by periodic cleaning of the EGR valve or its programmed removal.

The crankshaft damper also frequently fails, as well as on the N47 engine range. Approximately after 80-120 thousand kilometers this part has to be replaced. The signal of such a failure can be noise, as well as constant extraneous sounds during driving. After a mileage of 200 thousand kilometers, the timing chain may fail.

The turbine on such engines lasts for a long time, about 200 thousand kilometers. Oil change should be carried out in time to ensure maximum engine life, and you should not skimp on the quality of the fluids used. If you use good fuel, you can achieve a motor life of 300 thousand kilometers.

Modifications

Engineers of the German concern developed five modifications of the power unit N57D30, which provided the following:

1. N57D30O0 – This motor was produced from 2008 to 2014 and is considered to be the very first diesel unit in the lineup. With a torque of 540 Nm, this engine allowed up to 245 horsepower.
2. N57D30U0 – production of this motor started in 2010 and ended in 2013. This is the weakest modification of the power unit of the lineup, which provided the installation of a turbine Garrett GTB2260VK. Such an engine allowed to get about 204 horses with 450 Nm of torque. In the future, this was replaced by a range of
3. N57D30T0 – the engine was produced from 2009 to 2014. With a torque of 600 Nm, it was able to develop about 306 horsepower, which allowed it to become the most powerful engine of its range, and completely displaced the power units M57TU2 TOP.
4. N57D30O1 is a rather controversial modification of the engine, which began production from 2011 until now. With 560 Nm of torque, this motor could produce an impressive 260 horses.
5. N57D30T1, also known as N57TU, which was produced from 2011 until today, and was called to become a replacement for the obsolete modifications of N57D30T0. This engine developed up to 313 horsepower and 630 Nm of torque.
6. N57D30S1 – production of this motor started in 2012 and has not ended until now. This is a unique creation of German engineers, allowing to get 381 horsepower at 740 Nm of torque. The main feature of this power unit is the use of three turbines.

Tuning

Motors equipped with a single turbo can be tuned to 300 horsepower using a single firmware. Engine versions equipped with a downpipe can be tuned to 320 horses. N57TU modifications can be tuned up to 330 horsepower.

This engine is installed on the following models:

BMW 5-Series (F10)

BMW 5-Series (F11)

BMW 5-Series Gran Turismo (F07)

BMW 6-Series (F06)

BMW 6-Series (F13)

BMW 6-Series (F12)

BMW 7-Series (G11, G12)

BMW 7-Series (F01)

BMW X4 (F26)

BMW X5 (F15)