BMW M10, M20, M30, M40, M50 engines

These motors were the first models developed by great concern. The crankcase ventilation system is entirely primitive and works due to the differential pressure. CPG has minimal wear at 300-400 thousand km. traveled path. But the valve seals begin to lose their elasticity after 200 thousand km run. This suggests that with them, most likely, there will be problems. It is also worth noting that the requirements for oil are low for the simple reason that engines were created precisely at the time when the market of oil synthetics was only gaining momentum in its development, which meant it was not possible to search for something better, it was necessary to take what is. This generation of engines was repaired without any problems in his garage.

BMW M10 engine

The BMW M10 engine is a single-shaft carburetor engine that has an ignition distributor. Thanks to the constant release of updated versions and modifications, the engine was installed on Bavarian cars for almost 30 years. You can meet this engine in many cars, however, in South Africa, they are a real rarity.

BMW M40 engine

The BMW M40 engine is an advanced engine of the previous brand with hydraulic compensators and belt drive. Not a common, but rather a reliable model.

BMW M20 engine

The BMW M20 is the first six-cylinder with a belt drive. This model took an intermediate position between m10 and m30. The fact is that the four cylinders of the M10 model did not give the opportunity to increase the engine size of more than 2 liters and reach full capacity, because the addition of two more cylinders helped to cope with the task. In our country, this engine was popular in picking with the E34, by the way, he proved himself on the positive side.

BMW M30 engine

BMW M30 engine – the main six-cylinder unit of the first generation. The set of characteristics of this engine is classic: an ignition distributor and one camshaft. The BMW M30 model had many modifications, including for sports cars of the M-Sport series. It became the basis for the popular sports engine S38.

It should be noted that all these engines had one thing in common – they all had a low compression ratio, approximately 9: 1 and 8: 1. This made it possible to use fuel with any octane number, due to reduced sensitivity, and to produce factory turbocharged engines without any special modifications.

BMW M50 engine

If you believe the statistics, then this engine was the last potential “millionaire” of the first wave. This model has many significant differences, allowing to consider it apart from other engines of the first generation.

This engine gave the much needed 4 valves per cylinder, basing the fashion on the “explosive” character of BMW engines, which has survived to the present day. In this engine, some new items have appeared, namely more modern spark plugs and ignition coils. It was this model that set the standard, which subsequently practically did not break, – “1Nm per 10 cubic centimeters of cylinder volume”, which was not possible to achieve in past atmospheric engines. It is true that after this there was a need to significantly change the compression ratio from 10 to 11: 1, it was possible to repeat this only in 2005, in the BMW N52 engine. This unit moves perfectly on 95 fuel, but for a 2-liter modification, even such an OFC may not be enough.

Knock sensors help to compensate for this drawback, although setting the ignition timing only helps to smooth out the consequences of using unsuitable fuel: the car doesn’t drive better from their presence, unfortunately. Motor BMW M50 – the last copy, using the “unkillable” tandem – “aluminum cylinder head – cast iron block.”

The unit, which appeared in 1989, was probably the best in the history of the BMW Group regarding consumer and technical characteristics.

BMW M52 engine

Considering this engine, I immediately want to say that its name sounds a bit wrong because it is an improved series of M50. When in 1992 the unit received an update, it entered the markets with the M50TU index, and only then, over time, they decided to transfer it to a new generation. After all, this is the first engine that received an intake shaft timing control mechanism, known as VANOS.

The addition of 2 valves led to a doubling of the flow area, which negatively affected the filling of the cylinders at low revs. It also caused the curvature of the torque characteristics, degrading the quality of driving at low speeds. The BMW VANOS system was supposed to smooth out engine operation by stretching the torque response. The power was increased, and this was done standardly – the enginemen drew 300 cubes – it turned out a 2.8-liter engine. By the way, according to some information, it became known that non-standard engines with a volume of 2.8 and 2.3 liters were created since it met the tax regulations of Germany at that time.

The engine block of the BMW M52 became aluminum, and the cylinders received a high-stren