The BMW M40 series engines have replaced the outdated M10 engine. The motor has been modified and modified in some parts. The designers decided to lighten the power unit for the sake of increasing dynamics.
Characteristics and features of motors
The M40 engine received a cast-iron block and an 8-valve head. A big plus for the engine was the presence of hydraulic lifters, which made it possible not to adjust the valves. The diameter of the intake valves is 42 mm, exhaust 36 mm. Characteristics of BMW M40 camshafts: phase 244/244 rise 10.6/10.6 mm.
Along with the accumulated positive qualities, the motor received a belt that needs to be changed every 40 thousand kilometers. Of course, there is a high probability, in the event of a break, that the valves will bend.
The M40 engine was produced in two versions - 1.8 and 1.6 liters with markings M40V18 and M40V16.
Consider the main technical characteristics of the M40 series motors:
A smaller version of the BMW M40 engine.
Modifications of the M40V16 motor, which were produced in the history of its production:
Maintenance of the BMW M40 engine.
- M40B16 (1988 - 1991 onwards) - basic variation of the engine without a catalyst, power 102 hp at 5500 rpm, torque 143 Nm at 4250 rpm.
- M40B16 (1991 - 1994) - catalytic version, 100 hp at 5500 rpm, torque 141 Nm at 4250 rpm.
Service
Maintenance of M40 motors is no different from standard power units of this class. Maintenance of engines is carried out at intervals of 15,000 km. Recommended maintenance should be carried out every 10,000 km. So, consider a detailed technical service card:
Typical malfunctions
In principle, all motors are similar in design and characteristics. So, let's consider what common problems can be found on the M40:
BMW M40 block head repair.
- Acceleration crashes. The reason for this negative effect is the nozzles that need to be cleaned.
- Oil leak. Occurs as a result of the breakdown of one of the gaskets.
- Knock. Worn camshafts or hydraulic lifters.
- floating turns. The DMRV sensor has failed or the throttle valve is clogged.
- Overheat. A common cause of failure in BMW. In this case, it is worth diagnosing the cooling system - thermostat, water pump or radiator.
- Does not start. The problem may be hiding in the fuel pump or spark plugs. It is worth checking the rest of the fuel system.
Conclusion
The M40 engine is a fairly reliable and high-quality engine. All of them have a high rating and respect of motorists, experts. Maintenance of the power unit can be carried out independently. As for repairs, it is recommended to contact a service station.
These cars still catch the eye with their forms, and in 1991, when the new BMW three-ruble note appeared in the back of the E36, it made a revolution in the camp of the brand's fans. The new three-piece marks the definitive abandonment of Paul Braque's "shark" classic style for a new modern design from Klaus Lute. It no longer had a reverse-sloped grille and a sharp nose. The famous "nostrils" blurred into a full-fledged radiator grille, separate round headlights were under a common polycarbonate cap. And the silhouette of the car became even faster.
By the way, coupe cars differ from four-door sedans in almost all body panels - the exterior was redrawn from scratch, there is even a different slope of the roof pillars. The new German design became a classic during the E36, since it was produced for a long time, until 2000.
Why did you love and dislike
Structurally, the E36 series also differed radically from its predecessors. Large wheelbase, rear multi-link and much more space under the hood. And a much stiffer body and better handling. Of course, they also introduced airbags and active safety systems - ABS and even a stabilization system. you will meet the word “limousine” in a different description of the model, do not think that this is praised by the size of the cabin, by modern standards it does not even pull on a “C grade”, it is cramped even in front. At the back, there is a torture chamber in general - the passengers' knees with a guarantee rest against the hard plastic back panels of the front seats. And "limousine" is just a designation of a body type "sedan" in German. For them, even the little Prinz, which has become a model for our Cossacks, is also a “limousine”. However, they loved this car not at all for space. Until the E46 generation, the third series was not a practical car in any sense, and the body volume of the station wagon is less than that of the Octavia A5 hatchback. Style, image, handling and power of the top options - these are the components of success. Never had any problems with this. And let the most common variants of the car - with four-cylinder engines with a capacity of about 100 liters. s., whose dynamics are worse than those of Solaris with 1.4, anyway, such a car was perceived as very sporty and sharply fashionable. The range of bodies expanded gradually: in 1991 the car came out only as a four-door sedan, in 1992 a two-door coupe was added to it. In 1993, the real dream of any kid appeared in the range of bodies - a four-seater convertible. A year later, they released a stylish "Copmact" - a three-door hatchback on a cheaper platform, and, finally, in 1995 they produced station wagon cars.1 / 5
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Structurally, three-door hatchbacks stand out: despite belonging to the E36 series, elements characteristic of the previous E30 series are used in the design of the rear suspension and interior. The rear suspension is on diagonal levers, and the interior is simpler. In the same way, gradually, the bodies were replaced with the new E46. The sedan was replaced in 1998, and the rest of the body only in 1999-2000. It cannot be said that the car was unsuccessful, but the next “three-ruble note” first of all became more comfortable and stronger - there were strong complaints about the passive safety of the E36. Years later, it was still the favorite "kid car" for the growing "racers". But now it’s already difficult to find a live copy - body corrosion is doing its dirty work, and the rule “unbeaten BMWs do not exist” is truer than ever for the E36. Even with simple motors, her handling is combat, especially in winter. Finding a car in a coupe is doubly difficult - here even a somewhat dead copy with a dead engine is worth its weight in gold. And what else to look for when buying such a machine - below, in detail.
Body and interior
Initially, the body was considered very rigid and sporty. But the new EuroNCAP rules quickly showed that the strength is not enough to get good passive safety. And against the background of more modern models, the torsional rigidity of the body does not even seem to be at least sufficient. Over the years, the strength of the bodies drops dramatically due to corrosion, because the paint quality of the BMW 3 Series in those years left much to be desired - in this respect it was much better done. Absolutely everything rots in three-ruble notes: doors, fenders, sills, interior and trunk floors, windshield frames ... But the most unpleasant thing is that the “glasses” of the front suspension and the welding points of the spars and engine shield, spars and rear subframe rot. When buying, you need a real complete revision of the body, just like with the old Zhiguli.1 / 3
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Sometimes you can close your eyes to the dilapidated anthers of the engine compartment, but other cars can no longer be restored, even if you have your own body area, it’s easier to find something livelier. And sometimes cars, outwardly not bad, can have a lot of problems inside, the same side member glasses and the side members themselves. Many cars are painted on the outside, but no one took care of restoring the bodies. When buying early copies before 1995, you can safely count on restoration with a complete analysis, welding and repainting. Cars produced in 1997-2000 in live condition are much more common, the quality of painting has clearly changed, but you should not count on perfect condition in any case. The salon was once considered very good, but over the years, the budget of materials has been felt: the plastic is cracking and falling apart, the front panel and door cards especially suffer. But the seats are well done to the last. A good salon is a rarity these days.
Cars without air conditioning were especially unlucky, they often don’t have a cabin filter, all plastic and fabric will be constantly covered in dust. In general, you have to look. It makes no sense to talk about possible breakdowns; over the years, almost everything can fail here. The wiring crumbles, power windows, dashboards, buttons break ... For a good owner, all this changes to a new or good used one, but usually the condition is depressing, if you want to “clean up”, you will have to spend a lot of money and time. The condition of the steering column may also turn out to be bad, the shaft itself may frankly play. Particular attention should be paid to the condition of the flooring, and on machines with a sunroof, you should also carefully check the upholstery of the roof pillars for moisture. And do not expect any special “bells and whistles” from the interior - most of the configurations are very simple, on more well-groomed specimens, the options are often assembled “from pine forest” as part of bringing to an ideal state. The special trouble of the salon is the stove. Usually it simply does not heat up, and there can be two reasons. Either the radiator is clogged, or the valve is out of order. But often the radiator is leaking or has long been replaced by a “collective farm” one from an Opel or even a Zhiguli one.
So do not be surprised by the huge difference in price and condition between "traveling" and "collection" cars. The “project machine” is easy to identify - usually, with a generally good condition, the equipment is very different from the factory one, up to the “” motor. However, there is also enough outright crime, because the peak of sales fell on the “difficult” years: then the “customs clearance” was often “left”, and there are enough legalized stolen cars. Do not be too surprised by mismatched motor models, volumes and power. Pay more attention to the condition of the body VIN and engine number.
Brakes, steering and suspension
The state of all systems in most cases is from frankly bad to average. Kid's car, you know ... It's good if the brake discs are not sharpened to a razor. In the best case, the brake pipes have been replaced and the ABS restored, and the brakes themselves are “native” or factory from more powerful versions. At worst, the anti-lock braking system has not been working for a long time, there is an ESP emulator, the brakes are either worn out or "clogged" to the maximum - with non-native brake mechanisms and a vacuum from some Tuareg. Steering aged "please". The slats were rather weak initially, they often required repairs, they flowed regularly. However, the reason is mainly in the style of operation. On a solid part of the machines, the equipment has also not been factory-made for a long time, the rail from the E46 is noticeably more reliable and almost not prone to leaks, although it knocks no worse. And it gets up “one to one”, only the steering tips need to be installed from E46, again.
The suspension of the E36 is rather weak, but even the original parts are inexpensive. Usually the suspension is maintained in excellent condition even on very dead cars. Like the salon, this is a good indicator of attitude towards technology. If it frankly “thumps”, then this “three-ruble note” was not taken care of, and if the owner at least knows what is out of order and makes plans for repairs, then, most likely, it “cuts” a little. The front L-shaped lever suffers from the front, instead of it you can put a stronger one from the E30, then the ball joints can be put from it, also more reliable. The rear arm support is a consumable with a replacement interval of about 20-30 thousand kilometers maximum. Ball goes depending on the type of rubber, but usually not much longer. The lever itself does not withstand our roads - the pits act destructively on it. The resource of shock absorbers is also not happy - 40-50 thousand maximum - the lack of anthers affects. Many owners do not bother, go to the dead. At the rear, the reliability of the suspension does not cause any particular complaints - the ball joints of the transverse levers have a resource of 60-100 thousand kilometers in the city and two times less with frequent country trips. The trailing arm mounts are even a little more reliable. The numbers are not outstanding, but against the background of the hassle with the front suspension, the rear looks very strong.
Transmission
Cardan shafts, drives and a gearbox do not cause any particular complaints, because they are designed for very powerful engines, and the “average three” is 316i or 318i. There are still enough components for minor repairs on sale, and the price does not go off scale. "Mechanics" on low-power machines also does not cause problems, but on the 323i, 328i, and even more so on the M3, it is already at risk. If the owners like to “burn out”, then there are enough malfunctions, and you need to take care of the check. Yes, and the runs of the cars are such that often the box has already been replaced, and more than once. With automatics, things are a little more complicated. On the third series, there are mainly boxes manufactured by GM, four-stage 4L30E. They put such automatic transmissions on all engines, from 1.6 to 2.8 from the very beginning of the model's release. The box is very reliable and has been used on many cars - Honda, Opel, BMW, Isizu ... Weak points are the oil pump itself and plastic washer washers. Due to the design features, the box does not like high revs and absolutely cannot stand overheating, so you need to carefully monitor the condition of the radiators.
Since 1993, the five-speed ZF 5HP18 has also been found. The car with it is noticeably faster, and the box is more reliable: it can withstand races, and even an oil change at the wrong time. But everything breaks. In repair, the box is not very cheap, but it is also repaired without problems, like the four-stage ones. With runs up to 300 thousand, there is still a chance to get a box that has not been repaired, but with an already dying torque converter. But more often there are options “repaired” by craftsmen to death. "Automatic" M3s are equipped with only such an automatic transmission, and it can withstand both 286- and 321-horsepower engines well. Extremely rare guests at the E36 are Jatco JR501E (A5S300J) "automatic machines", which are found mainly on cars for the Japanese market. If you see it, don’t be afraid, it’s a pretty decent box, you just have to go to Japanese services with repairs. It is difficult to say something about the reliability of such an old automatic transmission, many have already experienced a couple of overhauls. But in general, such units nursed their 250-300 thousand, but requiring regular oil changes and frequent repairs of gas turbine linings. It is difficult to find a contract unit, but with a minimum "collective farming" it is possible to make a unit for BMW out of a Nissan contractor, since there are a lot of Japanese boxes and they are extremely cheap. And a car with such a box drives a little worse than with a ZF.
Motors
A lot of engine series for BMW of those years were in store. Due to age, the general condition of most motors is extremely poor, especially with the control electronics and cooling systems. The engine compartment braid frankly frays, sensors at this age require replacement, viscous couplings fail, there are usually a lot of “collective farms”. And the “iron” itself has a huge mileage and is pretty worn out. Even if there were major repairs, it is not a fact that they were done well and recently. You need to soberly understand that the price of cars has long been lower than the price of a good capital. Rescues the presence of contract units. Motors of the M40 series with a volume of 1.6 and 1.8 liters came to the E36 from the E30. This is a simple eight-valve unit, the main problems of which are the short resource of the timing belt, not the most successful lubrication scheme in the cylinder head and the cooling system. The belt needs to be changed every 40-60 thousand kilometers, if it breaks, the valves will definitely bend. Poor lubrication of the camshafts and rockers leads to a lot of wear on the timing mechanism and the appearance of noise. The rest of the motor problems are related to its age. Depreciation of sensors, weak plastic inlet and cooling system and other little things. The resource is somewhere around 200-250 thousand kilometers, and it has long since ended. They put such motors until 1994. You should not avoid them, but cars with them usually already ask for a landfill.
Under the hood of the BMW 3 Series Sedan (E36) "1994–98
M43 series engines replaced earlier belt motors by 1994, but they can be found starting from the 1993 model year. The working volume is 1.6, 1.8 or even 1.9 liters, the latter option is distinguished by its own control system, and not by Bosch's “motors”. The timing drive here is already chain, and the block is unified with the motors of the M42 / M44 series. For this reason, often the engine has already been “improved” - it is covered with a cylinder head from the M42 and turned into a 140-horsepower one. The block is still cast iron, the piston group is strong, and the problems are mainly with the intake and control system. The motor as a whole is more reliable than the older M40s, and, with the exception of low power, has no particular drawbacks. The 318Is has a 140 horsepower 1.8 engine with a 16-valve cylinder head of the M42 / M44 series. In addition to a more complex and expensive timing and a shorter chain resource, it differs little from the M43. Unless the other crankcase and oil supply system are more vulnerable. Earlier M42s were distinguished by an abundance of "childish problems", on later M44s they are practically absent. On machines with such engines already
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BMW produced M40 engines of 1.8 and 1.6 liters. This power plant was installed on the models of the third series and replaced the BMW M10 engine. The engine change coincided with the E30 body update. The M40 engine was released in 1987 and was produced until 1995, but since 1993 the e36 body has already been produced with the new M43 unit.
Technical characteristics of the BMW M40 engine
- This is a cast-iron 4-cylinder engine with an aluminum block head with one camshaft, belt drive and 8 valves. According to experts, the M40 has become less reliable compared to the M10 (for example, when the belt breaks, the valves bend, the pistons break through and cracks form), but at the same time it has become elastic and quieter. Another problem should be called oil starvation of parts that rub - this leads to their wear and overheating.
BMW M40 V16 engine
The BMW M40 B16 engine is a 1.6 liter version. The power of the installation is 102 hp. at 5800 rpm, while the maximum safe rate for the motor is 6200 rpm. The maximum engine torque - 141Nm is reached at 4250 rpm. This motor uses a Bosch M 1.3 injection power system. The cylinder diameter is 84mm, with a piston stroke of 72mm and a compression ratio of 9. This engine model was installed on the BMW E30 316i from 1988 to 1995 and on the BMW E36 316i from 1990 to 1994.
1987 was marked by the appearance of the BMW M40 B018 engine, it was installed on the 318i model in the back of the e30, and since 1988, the 316i e30 was equipped with a smaller engine. Starting in 1990, the BMW M40 engine was also installed on the e36 model, it was equipped with the 316i and 318i models. And the BMW 5 series, which was equipped with the M40 engine, appeared in 1988 and was equipped with this unit until 1994.
BMW M40 B18 engine
The BMW M40 B18 engine is a 1.8 liter version of the power plant with a power of 115 hp, the revolutions of which are 5500 per minute, while the maximum safe rate for the engine is 6200 rpm. The maximum engine torque of 165 Nm is reached at 4250 rpm. This motor uses a Bosch M 1.3 injection power system. The engine is equipped with 84mm cylinders, with a piston stroke of 81mm and a compression ratio of 8.8. 1988 to 1994).
BMW M40B16 engine
Characteristics of the M40V16 engine
| Production | Steyr Plant |
| Engine brand | M40 |
| Release years | 1988-1994 |
| Block material | cast iron |
| Supply system | injector |
| Type | in-line |
| Number of cylinders | 4 |
| Valves per cylinder | 2 |
| Piston stroke, mm | 72 |
| Cylinder diameter, mm | 84 |
| Compression ratio | 9 |
| Engine volume, cc | 1596 |
| Engine power, hp / rpm | 100/5500 102/5500 |
| Torque, Nm/rpm | 141/4250 143/4250 |
| Fuel | 92 |
| Environmental regulations | - |
| Engine weight, kg | ~132 |
| Fuel consumption, l/100 km (for 316i E36) - city - track - mixed. |
10.2 6.1 7.5 |
| Oil consumption, g/1000 km | up to 1000 |
| Engine oil | 0W-30 0W-40 5W-30 5W-40 10W-40 15W-50 |
| How much oil is in the engine, l | 4.0 |
| Oil change is carried out, km | 7000-10000 |
| Operating temperature of the engine, hail. | 90-95 |
| Engine resource, thousand km - according to the plant - on practice |
- 300+ |
| Tuning, HP - potential - no loss of resource |
150+ n.a. |
| The engine was installed |
Reliability, problems and repair of the BMW M40B16 engine
The low-volume in-line four-cylinder engine of the BMW M40 series was released in 1988 and was developed on the base, in which a crankshaft with a smaller stroke (was 81 mm) and other pistons, connecting rods remained the same. M40 1.6 differ from 1.8 and the intake manifold, throttle valve, spark plugs and ECU. The cylinder head has not changed, still the same 8-valve single camshaft (SOHC), with hydraulic valve clearance compensators. The diameter of the intake valves is 42 mm, exhaust 36 mm. Characteristics of the M40 camshafts: phase 244/244 rise 10.6/10.6 mm.
Timing belt drive, the belt itself is not very reliable and does not have the proper width, as a result of whichhas a low resource. On average, the replacement of the timing belt and roller on the M40 is required every ~ 40 thousand km, otherwise, if it breaks, the engine bends the valve.
This motor was used on BMW cars with the 16i index.
A replacement engine appeared in 1993, in the face of a new and within two years, the 1.6-liter M40 completely gave way to an updated power unit.
BMW M40B16 engine modifications
1. M40B16 (1988 - 1991 onwards) - basic variation of the engine without a catalyst, power 102 hp at 5500 rpm, torque 143 Nm at 4250 rpm.
2. M40B16 (1991 - 1994) - version with a catalyst, power 100 hp at 5500 rpm, torque 141 Nm at 4250 rpm.
Problems and disadvantages of BMW M40B16 engines
Malfunctions of the M40B16 are no different from the shortcomings of the older, 1.8-liter, M40B18. You can get acquainted with the possible troubles in detail.
BMW M40B16 engine tuning
Stroker
It is worth making a reservation right away, tuning the M40 is far from the most profitable and successful investment, it is much easier to buy a contract engine, for example, swap and not know the trouble.
If your hands are reaching out to refine your 1.6 l, then the stroker is your choice. To increase the volume up to 2.1 l. you need to purchase a crankshaft from M47D20 (stroke 88 mm), machined pistons, connecting rods. Cylinder head, timing, intake, exhaust, ECU from M44 (or). All this together, together with a block bore up to 86 mm, will give 150-160 hp.
Turbocharging or blowing into the M40 with a compressor is an even more expensive and crazy thing to do, only the cylinder block will remain factory, and the output will not get too much power and lack of reliability.
BMW M40B18 engine
Characteristics of the M40V18 engine
| Production | Steyr Plant |
| Engine brand | M40 |
| Release years | 1987-1994 |
| Block material | cast iron |
| Supply system | injector |
| Type | in-line |
| Number of cylinders | 4 |
| Valves per cylinder | 2 |
| Piston stroke, mm | 81 |
| Cylinder diameter, mm | 84 |
| Compression ratio | 9 |
| Engine volume, cc | 1796 |
| Engine power, hp / rpm | 113/5500 |
| Torque, Nm/rpm | 162/4250 |
| Fuel | 92 |
| Environmental regulations | - |
| Engine weight, kg | ~132 |
| Fuel consumption, l/100 km (for 318i E30) - city - track - mixed. |
10.3 6.7 8.6 |
| Oil consumption, g/1000 km | up to 1000 |
| Engine oil | 5W-30 5W-40 10W-40 15W-50 |
| How much oil is in the engine, l | 4.0 |
| Oil change is carried out, km | 7000-10000 |
| Operating temperature of the engine, hail. | 90-95 |
| Engine resource, thousand km - according to the plant - on practice |
- 300+ |
| Tuning, HP - potential - no loss of resource |
150+ n.a. |
| The engine was installed |
Reliability, problems and repair of the BMW M40B18 engine
The first in-line four-cylinder engine of the M40 family, the older brother, developed in 1987 as a replacement for the outdated M10 series. The engine is based on a cast-iron cylinder block covered with an 8-valve head with one camshaft and hydraulic lifters (valve adjustment is not required on the M40). The diameter of the intake valves is 42 mm, exhaust 36 mm. Characteristics of BMW M40 camshafts: phase 244/244 rise 10.6/10.6 mm.
The timing drive uses an unreliable belt that requires constant monitoring and replacement along with the roller, on average, once every 40 thousand km. With a frivolous attitude to this problem, the risk of breaking the timing belt and bending the valves increases.
This motor was used on BMW cars with the 18i index.
In parallel with the M40B18, since 1989 a more powerful version of the 1.8 liter engine has been produced - for sports 18i.
In 1992, a changer for the M40 engine was released, it became an updated one.
Problems and disadvantages of BMW M40B18 engines
1. Engine knock. Often the fault of various M40 noises lies on a worn camshaft, rocker arms and hydraulic lifters. Check.
2. Swim speed. Check the air duct on the DMRV for integrity, there may be air leaks. Next, we inspect the DMRV, lambda probe, the state of the throttle and KXX. In addition, the M40 speed problem is also hidden in the difficult rotation of the camshaft.
3. Dips during acceleration. The main reason for the dullness of the engine is the injectors, most likely they require cleaning.
4. Overheating. The search for the cause must begin with an inspection of the condition of the radiator, pump, thermostat, checking the cooling system for plugs, checking the condition of the plastic tubes of the cooling system.
5. Won't start. Look for a problem in the fuel pump, spark plugs, high voltage wires, ignition coil.
Do not forget about the well-known problem with the not very reliable timing belt described above. Add to this the age of the motor and the output is not the best acquisition.
The BMW M40 engine itself is reliable, its resource is about 300 thousand km, in some cases more is possible. However, almost all BMW M40B18 to date have crossed this mark and trouble-free operation, most likely, can be forgotten.
