M52 or M52TU ? |
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hellojed
Newbie Joined: 10-January-2006 Location: Solihull Status: Offline Points: 26 |
Topic: M52 or M52TU ? Posted: 23-January-2006 at 10:02 |
Guys, please help. I am looking for a 328. And yes I know about the Nikasil issue - but the official line is the cars built after week 10 (March 98) were ok. The supposed change was from an M52 (nikasil) to an M52TU (non-nikasil). But I've been finding cars built later in the year were still fitted with the old engine. Am I right in this? or were late M52 engines non-nikasil anyway? Please help, cause I'm on the verge of packing in my search and buying a Mondeo! |
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bmw325tds
Really Senior Member I Joined: 05-February-2005 Status: Offline Points: 361 |
Posted: 23-January-2006 at 11:04 |
Nikasil engines aren't a problem as long as the block has been changed. I thought the M52TU engine was the twin Vanos one fitted to the E46, and nothing to do with Nikasil - Is this right? |
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Carl
Ford Focus 1.8TDdi Estate Ford Focus 1.8TDdi Porsche 944 Turbo BM's gone, but maybe only temporary! |
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hellojed
Newbie Joined: 10-January-2006 Location: Solihull Status: Offline Points: 26 |
Posted: 23-January-2006 at 11:12 |
Ok, this is where I am now. There is a 1998 328 that I'm looking at. However, it has a production date of April 98. - After the supposed end of Nikasil at week 10 1998. HOWEVER, Bmw say this car has an M52 engine fitted. SO, how do you know if this car has Nikasil or not?
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bmw325tds
Really Senior Member I Joined: 05-February-2005 Status: Offline Points: 361 |
Posted: 23-January-2006 at 11:16 |
BMW should be able to tell you if it's Nikasil or not - give BMW UK a ring - they'll need the engine number.
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Carl
Ford Focus 1.8TDdi Estate Ford Focus 1.8TDdi Porsche 944 Turbo BM's gone, but maybe only temporary! |
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kbannon
Admin Group E39 525i Sport Individual Joined: 09-October-2002 Location: 64 Zoo Lane Status: Offline Points: 15508 |
Posted: 23-January-2006 at 11:19 |
If its production date is April then it would have alusil liners - not nikasil
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Current: 2009 E60 520d "Sport" tractor
Previous: 1989 E30 320i SE 1997 E39 523i 2003 E39 525i Sport Individual |
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hellojed
Newbie Joined: 10-January-2006 Location: Solihull Status: Offline Points: 26 |
Posted: 23-January-2006 at 11:21 |
Will BMW be able to say specifically if its Alusil or Niksail if I give them that engine number? As everytime I ask them this question, they just refer to build dates and the official "its outside the affected dates blurb!" |
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bmw325tds
Really Senior Member I Joined: 05-February-2005 Status: Offline Points: 361 |
Posted: 23-January-2006 at 16:05 |
... then it's outside the affected dates?
Should add that BMW don't "stock" cars, they build them to order. Edited by bmw325tds |
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Carl
Ford Focus 1.8TDdi Estate Ford Focus 1.8TDdi Porsche 944 Turbo BM's gone, but maybe only temporary! |
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ally
Really Senior Member II Joined: 11-October-2004 Status: Offline Points: 1529 |
Posted: 23-January-2006 at 16:32 |
I reckon that's right, mines is built April 98, registered May 98, M52 engine, no Nikasil I'm sure the M52TU is the E46 as stated above. |
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E39 530i Sport Aegean Blue Edition
Saab 9-5T SE Estate E36 318i loon...sold E36 323i coupe...sold |
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hellojed
Newbie Joined: 10-January-2006 Location: Solihull Status: Offline Points: 26 |
Posted: 24-January-2006 at 04:04 |
Thats cool, but ally323, how do you know that your engine isnt Nikasil. (Other than because BMW say its outside the affected dates?)
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Peter Fenwick
Bavarian-Board Contributor Joined: 27-August-2003 Location: Lost somewhere in time... Status: Offline Points: 6484 |
Posted: 24-January-2006 at 04:59 |
If you ring BMW Uk and they say the car is outside of the affected dates then that would be good enough for me. As others have said the M52TU was not fitted to the E36. The E36 after the cut off date got an M52 with alusil liners
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Entering an age of Austerity and now driving a Focus Diesel.
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lewis
Groupie Joined: 12-January-2006 Location: shrewsbury Status: Offline Points: 73 |
Posted: 24-January-2006 at 10:08 |
whats the crack with the nikasil engines then i have a 96 n reg 328i sport should i be worried ??
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lewis six stringlewis@hotmail.co.uk
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kbannon
Admin Group E39 525i Sport Individual Joined: 09-October-2002 Location: 64 Zoo Lane Status: Offline Points: 15508 |
Posted: 24-January-2006 at 10:26 |
lewis - read Nikasil Issue
Your car presumably falls into the nikasil bracket but it is so old at this stage that the problem more than likely will not manifest itself. |
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Current: 2009 E60 520d "Sport" tractor
Previous: 1989 E30 320i SE 1997 E39 523i 2003 E39 525i Sport Individual |
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Peter Fenwick
Bavarian-Board Contributor Joined: 27-August-2003 Location: Lost somewhere in time... Status: Offline Points: 6484 |
Posted: 24-January-2006 at 11:31 |
Lewis, also your car may well have had the engine changed as a result of the Nikasil problem anyway.
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Entering an age of Austerity and now driving a Focus Diesel.
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lewis
Groupie Joined: 12-January-2006 Location: shrewsbury Status: Offline Points: 73 |
Posted: 24-January-2006 at 11:32 |
I suppose you are right , my motors over ten years old and unlike the cars described in the threads you just showed me my car ticks over very well (touch wood) and feels very strong i have had no reason to worry prior to hearing of the nikasil problem on this forum , and think ill leave it at that now, and hope i am one of the lucky ones that gets away with it!! thanks again!
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lewis six stringlewis@hotmail.co.uk
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Stone-IslandV8
Really Senior Member II Joined: 31-January-2003 Location: North Somerset Status: Offline Points: 3015 |
Posted: 24-January-2006 at 17:32 |
IIRC M52TU or twin vanos came in Sept 98 to late 99/early 2000.
There are strong rumours that just because BMW stopped producing nikasil engines in build wk 12 of 1998 that a few left-overs didnt find their way into later engines. To tell if the engine is alusil you need to peer down the side of the engine...passenger side.Use a torch and see if towards the bottom back of the engine there's a brass bolt head-this won't be there on nikasil units. |
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Gentlemen I may not have a brain but I do have an idea
Past; E39 540T/E46 328CI/ E39 535/ E39 520/ E36 M3/ E36 318iS jet black Mtech/ E46 320d/ E36 318iS diamond black/ E36 318iS blue Mtech kit |
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hellojed
Newbie Joined: 10-January-2006 Location: Solihull Status: Offline Points: 26 |
Posted: 26-January-2006 at 04:07 |
Stone-island, I've heard of this brass nut before. Do you have any photos of it? I've tried to look for one before, but how do you tell, when most engines are covered in dirt?
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ally
Really Senior Member II Joined: 11-October-2004 Status: Offline Points: 1529 |
Posted: 26-January-2006 at 10:20 |
I think this nut was only added to engines that had been changed out? Or had the blocks changed out at least, in order to identify them easily. Another way to tell would be to have an oil sample analysis done, they can tell every kind of metal that is in there from that. |
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E39 530i Sport Aegean Blue Edition
Saab 9-5T SE Estate E36 318i loon...sold E36 323i coupe...sold |
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Peter Fenwick
Bavarian-Board Contributor Joined: 27-August-2003 Location: Lost somewhere in time... Status: Offline Points: 6484 |
Posted: 26-January-2006 at 10:38 |
Not the kind of work that you can get done at your local garage though is it. I could get oil analysis done through work but it costs several hundred pounds per test. |
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Entering an age of Austerity and now driving a Focus Diesel.
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Stone-IslandV8
Really Senior Member II Joined: 31-January-2003 Location: North Somerset Status: Offline Points: 3015 |
Posted: 26-January-2006 at 16:38 |
Taken from another forum;
Here's a very quick way to check for a nikasil block: You need to look into the engine bay, from the passengers side of the car, and down the side of the engine toward the middle of the engine where the cyling head meets the block. The metal tab you are looking for will be on the face of the block casting that is facing sort of upwards towards you, just along from where the gearbox meets the block (easy to see my nice shiny, new....damned expensive, gearbox on the right of the pic below!) To help you get your bearings a bit, the black metal support bar you see running from top to bottom across the picture, is the metal support bracket that fits unt underneath the inlet manifold/throttle body area. A nice SAFE Alusil: block will have the little metal tab on, as ringed in the picture below: If you can't see the metal tab pictured above, then the engine block is NIKASIL and has not been replaced with the Alusil one.....yet! :wink: and will look like this |
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Gentlemen I may not have a brain but I do have an idea
Past; E39 540T/E46 328CI/ E39 535/ E39 520/ E36 M3/ E36 318iS jet black Mtech/ E46 320d/ E36 318iS diamond black/ E36 318iS blue Mtech kit |
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hellojed
Newbie Joined: 10-January-2006 Location: Solihull Status: Offline Points: 26 |
Posted: 27-January-2006 at 04:06 |
Stone-island, That is brilliant! The most useful thing I've seen on this entire forum. Thankyou so much. |
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