I've always been super impressed how quiet and low the NVH is on my 330 , especially when it's gear climbing at very low speeds.. a typical 4cyl would be humming and vibrating.. now I know why the b48 is so balanced! Thanks
Have a BMW 1 series in the UK the BMW 128ti - B48 265 BHP and 400NM and it is a great power unit no issues though only around 16K miles on it!!!...Love the BMW 128ti...
Also worth noting that the engine mounts on the TUs seem to fail relatively early (my car, g20, at 45k miles) and are extremely soft- you can easily rock the engine with your hand. Would love to see an aftermarket replacement that isn't completely solid but instead streetable
Thanks for this informative video! Bought my first BMW X3 and surprised how good it rides. Making a note of all items that commonly fail and being doing an oil change every 5000 miles. So many new vehicles are going with plastic parts nowadays.
Thanks for making this video! I have a Stage 2 B48 (F30 330i) and it's been an amazing experience so far! Got to remember to take care of the oil filter housing replacement soon lol. Luckily for me I don't drive that much to begin with
Many thanks for this great review! I’m personally looking for 330i as my next car. It would be useful to know if there are changes in LCI model (which started its life in the middle of 2022 and has a little bit less of power - 245ps here in Europe). Cheers and thanks again!
I have one special e46 tourer 2004 model body not perfect but its got a nice little 2.0t out of a sierra cosworth strapped In the hole whacks out over 330hp bolted to a modded zf 6 speed which is a nice road car power for Scottish roads ... my 500 plus hp sierra is wild on roads 😅😅 obv I love it
@@Rayman.g I actually really like the sound of the B48, it's an old-school 4 cylinder sound akin to something like an old Alfa. Much lower pitched than something like a Mk7 Golf.
@ Honestly this is accurate and I definitely should have clarified. My parents had a G20 loaner while their X3 was in the shop and that actually sounded pretty good. The X3 sounds kind of terrible stock even when the exhaust valve is open. Def could use the MPerf exhaust.
The heat management module does the same thing as the EA839 3.0L V6 in Audi. It have a vacuum actuated shutoff valve for coolant btw block and head. I prefer electric actuator of BMW cuz when it fail the coolant migrate into the vacuum pump and make a mess. Thermostat are regular electronic control. Coolant take 2 min to be hot in the system it's crazy fast.
Ran a stage 2 tune since 36k miles. The only thing that needed replacement, Water pump housing and bracket gasket. The oil filter housing and gaskets DID not fail at 108k miles with hard driving on a stage 2. no. the water pump housing bracket gasket failed. My oil supply line gaskets also failed at 108k.
I have B48A engine which is longitudinal installed in G20. I would like to hear differences between A and B variant internals. If you trust internet, they are saying A variant is some fragile low power variant.
The B48A , I know a few guys running custom stage 1 and stage 2 software with no issues.The main issue is fuel contamination or over fuelling that breaks these engines.
Note to your video; the BMW B46 exhaust is welded together from the cat back. So, the exhaust in the B46 is totally different than a B48 and the coupling is different.
@fcpeuro the B48 is really underated. I know the B58 is even better, but 540i is hard to find and at least a $10k premium. In my country more like $20k. 400 whp B48 will be plenty.
Very fascinating.bmw also tried to build the b series similarly to the diesel platform in a petrol version making it more reliable then the n petrol platform.early n series with eu5 injectors was the worsed ever design conteminating fuel and the n20 worse ever balance shaft design in my experience as a mech.g20 looks quite promising love the detailed explernation❤
Oh, and I have a 2018 G30 xdrive 5 series and I love this engine. It averages 27 MPG in the city and feels great on acceleration. I also noticed when I was watching a video from Europe, a guy was working on an E90 with an N47 turbo diesel. It looked remarkably like a B48. Double chains on the back of the engine, very similar block structure. I wondered if this engine came from that diesel?
Oil filter housing definitely came from B47 diesel. Manufacturers keep making more plastic couplers directly attached to hot engine block - planned problem as money for repair services
Hello, thank you for this detailed video. I am buying a G20 330. Can you please make a video describing the right way to drive the vehicle to ensure longevity of the drive train. For example will it be better to drive it in Eco pro and rip the car a couple of times a week to clean out the engine. This is probably the worst explanation of what I want to know. 😂 I would appreciate someone to explain it better
the b48 is smooth at idle, but ive always found it to be a bit "jolty" at the initial takeoff from first gear. idk, could just be me nickpicking but on my F series 430i, ive found it to be a bit annoying in stop and go. Hopefully they fix that in the next few years if they havent already on the G series
Thank you For uplpading this Video and Clearing all the Confusions and also for clarifying TU... Mine says B48-B-20-O1, How do i find out if it's TU or not?
Daam, if this video was release 1 year earlier... I would have wait for a B48 instead of my 220i N20B20... A not so reliable engin as so many poeple say. Continu the good work, love your video.
@ true, I know the water pump will fail but it seems like there are quite a few failure items on these engines. The block seems very stout though! I’d be worried about the part that coolant could leak into the oil though
@rambow70 in all fairness that part did fail on my 2020 330i at about 8,000 miles.. the audi has been super strong other than a hub bearing and the water pump. And they've both been tuned on e85 since new!
b48 with 120k mi on it, one of the cam shaft position sensor harness broke loool (due to heat I guess? since the wire is so close to engine cover and bmw tend to run a bit warmer for heat efficiency I think). ( the tiny three wires you can see at 1:40 of the video). Now time to learn how to replace the harness loool
I dont think my b48 equipped x1 shares all these components. X1 I know for sure has air to air intercooler. I think it has a more traditional thermostat buried deep with the water pump. The car has about 65000 miles. Only the oil filter housing has failed so far. Now I'm not going to sleep tonight, worrying about what's next.
Electric t-stats, plastic electric t-stats. VW/Audi has had these damn things since 2015, they have TONS of issues, including overheating. Why would BMW say, huh, I bet we could do this and it would be just fine?
It's fundamentally the exact same engine, as the electric drivetrain component of the 330e is actually carried out by it's clever e-motor within the transmission and different programming. The B48 is de-tuned in the 330e application to 184hp and 221 lb-ft, with a combined gas/ electric output of 252hp. The unkown of the 330e will ultimately be this change, and how things like the e-motor clutch (seperation clutch) in the transmission hold-up over time.
@@AlexNelsonFCPEuro I own a G20 330e xDrive. Here in the US, there aren't that many. The highest mileage one I can find has 123,000 miles on it, but most of the ones I see have 40,000 miles or less. What I don't understand is why the detuned engine still requires premium fuel. Just trying to get a feel for what I'm in for :). Thanks for this video and your reply.
I wish BMW built engines for owning instead of leasing. Even Toyota has been adding a bunch of plastic parts to their engines as well for awhile, so it's just a race to the bottom everywhere, unfortunately.
50k mile oil filter housing and pcv valve covers gonna ruin a lot of these cars. Ya crazy if you're think the average consumer is gonna learn all this useless BMW specific issues. Owners are going to do what they always do drive it for a couple months neglect it sell it to the next person and then when it reaches the enthusiast hands it'll be six owners deep and you'll be able to pick these up for three grand. In less than 10 years
Hi guys! I having the issue I cant beat, I did a lot of testing and replaced a lot of stuff but that didnt helped. I have an F32 B48 engine, when I start up, car RPM jumps a lot first 10 seconds. I see you are the experts, maybe you can give me some clues wheree to look? Currently I did: - Replaced injectors _ reeplaced spark plugs - replaced valve housings(valve insullation, I dont know how to call it correctly) - I checked the turbo - I did a valve blasting - I checked thee fuel tank ventilation (swapped other one, but no result) - I checked the full Fuel tank - low presure pump - high presure pump fuel route to engine What could be wrong? Im desperate please help me!
Wrong. The M10/S14 was perfect. Robust enough to make F1 level power and tough enough to live forever under the hood of BMW’s for decades. Simple to work on and takes boost nicely.
I have a B48 with 210K miles on it. No issues so far. Finger's crossed.
Oil Filter Housing changed ? B48 TU ? or F generation ?
That's awesome! I'm a high mileage guy too. Hope mine does well.
120k km on mine and no issues, though i did replace my coolant expansion tank a couple of months back
Change your engine oil & coolant earlier than BMW recommends, you will be fine.
@ That too (2017 G30 530i btw if youre asking)
Such a great and informative video, thanks Alex! I'm already making a list of potential replacement parts for my B48 equipped F31.
Our pleasure - you know where to go when the time comes 😅
B58 NEXT UP
Yesss
😄
You know it - beeeeeffffy video coming on that
132k miles nothing major
Same video but 2 zylinters more
Another great german motor wounded by cost cutting and a focus on lease length ownership.
The lease life - is surely a thing....
When accountants start telling engineers how to engineer 🤙
Nice shoutout to VehicularDIY. I hope his channel along with this video continues to build traction for B48 builds!
B48 the world!
I'm furiously taking notes 📝💨
I've always been super impressed how quiet and low the NVH is on my 330 , especially when it's gear climbing at very low speeds.. a typical 4cyl would be humming and vibrating.. now I know why the b48 is so balanced! Thanks
Have a BMW 1 series in the UK the BMW 128ti - B48 265 BHP and 400NM and it is a great power unit no issues though only around 16K miles on it!!!...Love the BMW 128ti...
Can confirm smoothness and virtually undetectable idle noise.
Great video, Alex!
I own N52 and N20. They are getting up in years, so I'm glad to learn that B48TU is a worthy successor.
Some of the reliability of the N52 with the potential the N20 had 😃
Also worth noting that the engine mounts on the TUs seem to fail relatively early (my car, g20, at 45k miles) and are extremely soft- you can easily rock the engine with your hand. Would love to see an aftermarket replacement that isn't completely solid but instead streetable
I havent seen any car that doesnt have soft mounts.
Thanks for this informative video! Bought my first BMW X3 and surprised how good it rides. Making a note of all items that commonly fail and being doing an oil change every 5000 miles. So many new vehicles are going with plastic parts nowadays.
Thanks for making this video! I have a Stage 2 B48 (F30 330i) and it's been an amazing experience so far! Got to remember to take care of the oil filter housing replacement soon lol. Luckily for me I don't drive that much to begin with
Many thanks for this great review! I’m personally looking for 330i as my next car. It would be useful to know if there are changes in LCI model (which started its life in the middle of 2022 and has a little bit less of power - 245ps here in Europe). Cheers and thanks again!
You guys and vehicular diy are helping me understand these engines. F30 b48❤
Happ to help! Its a great platform
I have one special e46 tourer 2004 model body not perfect but its got a nice little 2.0t out of a sierra cosworth strapped In the hole whacks out over 330hp bolted to a modded zf 6 speed which is a nice road car power for Scottish roads ... my 500 plus hp sierra is wild on roads 😅😅 obv I love it
Very helpful video even for me as a bmw dealership tech 🙌
I think we can all agree, it's an excellent engine but it is not a handsome engine 😆
Not a good sounding one stock either lol
It's handsome if it's totally nude! Lol
@@Rayman.g I actually really like the sound of the B48, it's an old-school 4 cylinder sound akin to something like an old Alfa. Much lower pitched than something like a Mk7 Golf.
@ Honestly this is accurate and I definitely should have clarified. My parents had a G20 loaner while their X3 was in the shop and that actually sounded pretty good. The X3 sounds kind of terrible stock even when the exhaust valve is open. Def could use the MPerf exhaust.
The heat management module does the same thing as the EA839 3.0L V6 in Audi. It have a vacuum actuated shutoff valve for coolant btw block and head. I prefer electric actuator of BMW cuz when it fail the coolant migrate into the vacuum pump and make a mess. Thermostat are regular electronic control. Coolant take 2 min to be hot in the system it's crazy fast.
How long does oil temp take?
@@RandomAccessMemorylosslike 5 min to get to 200f on a b58tu
Here after purchasing a Supra 2.0 ✌️
After having owned a 335i can’t go below it, like I refuse to go for a 30i car, I’m looking for those 40i’s and above ☝️
Ran a stage 2 tune since 36k miles. The only thing that needed replacement, Water pump housing and bracket gasket. The oil filter housing and gaskets DID not fail at 108k miles with hard driving on a stage 2. no. the water pump housing bracket gasket failed. My oil supply line gaskets also failed at 108k.
Thanks for the insights - we always appreciate hearing first hand experience like this!
that purge valve is a curse from gods.
Agree
downloaded to save forever. thanks for this!
I have B48A engine which is longitudinal installed in G20.
I would like to hear differences between A and B variant internals. If you trust internet, they are saying A variant is some fragile low power variant.
The B48A , I know a few guys running custom stage 1 and stage 2 software with no issues.The main issue is fuel contamination or over fuelling that breaks these engines.
Note to your video; the BMW B46 exhaust is welded together from the cat back. So, the exhaust in the B46 is totally different than a B48 and the coupling is different.
Good call - we'll have to look into that fitment on our site
16:20 Similar to the MKV GTI, had to replace them twice, really not ideal.
I have a B48 in my 530i.
Even current Stage 1 with MG Flasher is a beast.
Next up is G25/550 😅😅
Small hit of a tune goes a long way on these!
@fcpeuro the B48 is really underated.
I know the B58 is even better, but 540i is hard to find and at least a $10k premium. In my country more like $20k.
400 whp B48 will be plenty.
Good video, is there any way of lowering running temp on these engines since the are at 110C / 230F at normal operating conditions ?
Yep
Add an oil cooler.
Great video
Very fascinating.bmw also tried to build the b series similarly to the diesel platform in a petrol version making it more reliable then the n petrol platform.early n series with eu5 injectors was the worsed ever design conteminating fuel and the n20 worse ever balance shaft design in my experience as a mech.g20 looks quite promising love the detailed explernation❤
Soo good video!😊
Great stuff!
Love my B46D!
Oh, and I have a 2018 G30 xdrive 5 series and I love this engine. It averages 27 MPG in the city and feels great on acceleration. I also noticed when I was watching a video from Europe, a guy was working on an E90 with an N47 turbo diesel. It looked remarkably like a B48. Double chains on the back of the engine, very similar block structure. I wondered if this engine came from that diesel?
Likelihood of them trying to leverage prior engineering for parts of it is high!
Based off an existing diesel would explain the better reliability. 😂
Oil filter housing definitely came from B47 diesel. Manufacturers keep making more plastic couplers directly attached to hot engine block - planned problem as money for repair services
Hello, thank you for this detailed video.
I am buying a G20 330. Can you please make a video describing the right way to drive the vehicle to ensure longevity of the drive train.
For example will it be better to drive it in Eco pro and rip the car a couple of times a week to clean out the engine.
This is probably the worst explanation of what I want to know. 😂
I would appreciate someone to explain it better
Change the oil and filter every 5k miles.
Use a PEA fuel additive.
the b48 is smooth at idle, but ive always found it to be a bit "jolty" at the initial takeoff from first gear. idk, could just be me nickpicking but on my F series 430i, ive found it to be a bit annoying in stop and go. Hopefully they fix that in the next few years if they havent already on the G series
My 2017 530i has the water air intercooler
love these videos. Sub'd
Thanks for the sub!
Would love to see a similar video to the Mercedes M264-M260 engines.
May be time for a Kyle video then 🤔
Thank you For uplpading this Video and Clearing all the Confusions and also for clarifying TU...
Mine says B48-B-20-O1, How do i find out if it's TU or not?
Thanks for watching! What year is your car?
I have a mini cooper S, so same engine
Daam, if this video was release 1 year earlier... I would have wait for a B48 instead of my 220i N20B20... A not so reliable engin as so many poeple say. Continu the good work, love your video.
Even with all the N20's issues it still has a sweet spot in our heart (check out our entire F30 series)!
There should be a class action lawsuit against that PCV valve design into the valve cover.
They took notes from the Gen2 MINI's N14 .... how'd that engine turn out
BMW runs the B58 in the BTCC 330e
I kno they arent as popular, but i would really like to see someone making progress on the xdrive/all4 variant...im dead set on gettin an m235i😅
Why is there water (coolant) running through the oil filter housing, giving the potential to mix with oil? Why isn't it just oil?
How does it compare with Audi's excellent EA888?
thanks
At first I was sold but damn some of those issues at 50-60k miles.. I’ll stick with the EA888!
I own both , the water pump will degrade on the ea888 motor and in similar fashion the valve cover seal will leak near the sensor as well.. 😮
@ true, I know the water pump will fail but it seems like there are quite a few failure items on these engines. The block seems very stout though! I’d be worried about the part that coolant could leak into the oil though
@rambow70 in all fairness that part did fail on my 2020 330i at about 8,000 miles.. the audi has been super strong other than a hub bearing and the water pump. And they've both been tuned on e85 since new!
I have B48O1ZIK . Nothing you mentioned matches 😢
I just bought my wife a 2024 mini S with B48A20A. What's the last A designation means, and is this engine reliable?
What about that coolant hose leading into the block underneath the intake?
b48 with 120k mi on it, one of the cam shaft position sensor harness broke loool (due to heat I guess? since the wire is so close to engine cover and bmw tend to run a bit warmer for heat efficiency I think). ( the tiny three wires you can see at 1:40 of the video). Now time to learn how to replace the harness loool
Look at the all network pipes and cables!
So Bmw finally fixed its bearing😂 should have done with the e90 and e60 ms
Bearings are only issues on the 8000+rpm engines: s54, s65, s85.
So who made a better engine? BMW B48TU vs VW EA888 Evo4? Seems like BMW used more plastic in the engine?
Can you please make this video about the M54?
M54's are old. You can find pretty much any information on forums
Best 4 name k20
Is this engine in the 530i as well?
Question: is there any performace parts for a b38? Bc i looked up in google and there ain’t much for performance upgrades
I dont think my b48 equipped x1 shares all these components.
X1 I know for sure has air to air intercooler. I think it has a more traditional thermostat buried deep with the water pump.
The car has about 65000 miles. Only the oil filter housing has failed so far. Now I'm not going to sleep tonight, worrying about what's next.
Has he done a B58 video?
No oil filter housing leaks after 210k miles
Ok, now do the S58
Electric t-stats, plastic electric t-stats. VW/Audi has had these damn things since 2015, they have TONS of issues, including overheating. Why would BMW say, huh, I bet we could do this and it would be just fine?
Because they want these engines to have limited life spans, Germans are one of the most anti consumer manufacturers.
Top
The engine is not the problem. Is the melting prone plastic that makes up the coolant return lines and plastic water pump
Check out my b46 do a low 13 sec pass at the drag strip Dp & Tune
Prod date 2018-11 and says B48O...... is it TU?
Strangely most of the comments are pointing to close to no failures as mentioned in the video....😂
The B48 and B48TU especially are only 6 years old, time will tell how much more comprehensive this video will need to be!
Just got my first n20 and this is very interesting to think about.
My condolences
My brother has over 200k miles on his only oil changes and basic maintenance. But he did just recently change his Valcover gasket!
@@DhanleyEntertainment on an n20?
@@angelsoto2194 yes send me your instagram! I'll send pics! Its his daily
You are lucky, in Türkiye it is sold with 1.6 litre engine and for 100.000 us dollars
Been told by two reputable mappers that this B48 is weak when played with. Keep them standard and they are ok
no mention of this engine in it's 330e carnation?
It's fundamentally the exact same engine, as the electric drivetrain component of the 330e is actually carried out by it's clever e-motor within the transmission and different programming. The B48 is de-tuned in the 330e application to 184hp and 221 lb-ft, with a combined gas/ electric output of 252hp. The unkown of the 330e will ultimately be this change, and how things like the e-motor clutch (seperation clutch) in the transmission hold-up over time.
@@AlexNelsonFCPEuro I own a G20 330e xDrive. Here in the US, there aren't that many. The highest mileage one I can find has 123,000 miles on it, but most of the ones I see have 40,000 miles or less. What I don't understand is why the detuned engine still requires premium fuel. Just trying to get a feel for what I'm in for :). Thanks for this video and your reply.
I had issues with thr vanos solenoid and the timing had jumped
What year and mile?
2017 33k
@@adsali03 I was considering one. I wonder if the 2018 models fair any different
Prefer VAG EA888 Gen 4
Ea888.3 all day baby 😂
VW EA888 best 4 cylinder
I wish BMW built engines for owning instead of leasing.
Even Toyota has been adding a bunch of plastic parts to their engines as well for awhile, so it's just a race to the bottom everywhere, unfortunately.
Typo… engine type 6 - 8 cyclinders and bmw doesn’t make 10 cylinders
I don’t Agee that b48 engine is any more ‘reliable’
50k mile oil filter housing and pcv valve covers gonna ruin a lot of these cars. Ya crazy if you're think the average consumer is gonna learn all this useless BMW specific issues. Owners are going to do what they always do drive it for a couple months neglect it sell it to the next person and then when it reaches the enthusiast hands it'll be six owners deep and you'll be able to pick these up for three grand. In less than 10 years
Plastic, plastic, plastic everywhere! 🎉
is it just me, or do these parts look like plastic??
Too many plastic in todays engine, it won't last 20 years
All that plastic....
I like this guys a lot but man shave your neck
It's a lot of surface area to maintain
Hi guys!
I having the issue I cant beat, I did a lot of testing and replaced a lot of stuff but that didnt helped.
I have an F32 B48 engine, when I start up, car RPM jumps a lot first 10 seconds.
I see you are the experts, maybe you can give me some clues wheree to look?
Currently I did:
- Replaced injectors
_ reeplaced spark plugs
- replaced valve housings(valve insullation, I dont know how to call it correctly)
- I checked the turbo
- I did a valve blasting
- I checked thee fuel tank ventilation (swapped other one, but no result)
- I checked the full Fuel tank - low presure pump - high presure pump fuel route to engine
What could be wrong? Im desperate please help me!
Wrong. The M10/S14 was perfect. Robust enough to make F1 level power and tough enough to live forever under the hood of BMW’s for decades. Simple to work on and takes boost nicely.
Is it better than a 15 year old GM Ecotec? Why not BMW? get rid of the plastic garbage.