It's like any other tuner engine. More boost and more timing will always hurt reliability slightly but considering you can make 500HP in a car you paid less than 10K to build it's still a good value. I can be on my 3rd engine and still be ahead of my Subaru friends while having spent the same money even factoring in engine swaps and rebuilds.
Once you tackle the preventative maintenance these things hold up pretty well even above 500whp. Just a matter of keeping boost reasonable operating within the limits of your turbo. People wonder why they blow their turbos from trying to run 25psi on the stockers or push aftermarkets to 30+ and then blame the engine.
@@8020Media Not untrue. My philosophy with these cars has always been to do the maintenance but have fun and don’t be afraid to push the car until something breaks…when something breaks upgrade it. Upgraded turbos are cheaper than the stock twinnies anyways
Converting to port injection only isn't simple. N54 PI kits are designed to work as supplemental fueling, and DI is handling 100% of fueling during normal driving. Under WOT, the DI still handles the bulk of fuel delivery and PI will simply handle the extra flow requirements that the stock DI hardware cannot. Very few N54 owners have converted to PI only. You'll need an injector delete kit. Leaving them in place would lead to overheating of the injectors and seals since there wouldn't be fuel flow to cool them down. To the best of my knowledge, deleting the direct injection will also require a stand alone ECU which is an expensive upgrade. Then you lose the many benefits of direct injection. Deleting DI probably only makes sense for those who want to make 800+whp and are already running a standalone ECU. At this point, the PI system is handling so much of the fueling that deleting DI adds a lot of simplicity. Ultimately, deleting the DI system is not cheap and isn't as simple as just adding PI. If your direct injectors are having issues then you'll need to replace them whether or not you have port injection. Unless, again, you're doing a full PI system, true DI delete, and running a standalone ECU. It's a lot more complex than typical N54 PI setups that are built to work with DI and only add supplemental fuel flow.
I'm at a crossroads with my 07 335i. I do all maintenance but I'm still unsure if I should trust the car. The turbos finally went at 175k, not smoking but very bad rattles lol. It's not my daily thank God. Im just unsure if I should go ahead and do upgrades now such as single turbo kit with an engine with that many miles. Any feedback is appreciated. It has all the other bolt on upgrades already plus intercooler and radiator. Still stock injectors. MHD tuned stage 2.
It can certainly be a tough decision with that kind of mileage. If you want to be absolutely certain then compression & leak down tests are a good idea. You can also send an oil sample to Blackstone for analysis. All this would give you a pretty good idea as to where your engine health stands. I personally run RB Twos Plus on my 07 335i and love them. Single turbos are awesome but generally more expensive upfront. The benefit is that they're a bit easier on the engine and trans at given power/boost levels. They also have higher potential and are easier to replace should the turbo(s) fail again. However, if you want a little less skin in the game and/or don't want 650+whp then twins can be a great route. Quality TT options - such as RB Turbos - are going to run about $1,500 to $3,000. Add in port injection and a LPFP upgrade and you can have a 500-600whp N54 for less than $5,000. That's about how much you'll be spending on a single turbo kit alone. I know you mentioned ST and there are definitely a number of benefits to a conversion, but twins aren't a bad route if you're worried about putting too much money into a 175k mile motor. Anyway, we've seen plenty of N54's running around at 150-200k+ miles even on turbo upgrades and 500-600+whp. With proper maintenance, supporting mods, tuning, etc. it shouldn't be a major concern. It's still a lot of miles and anything could happen, though. Fortunately, the N54 is inexpensive and easy to source should your engine let go.
@@8020Media thank you so much for the info. I’ll be looking at the RB twin upgrades. 500whp is my goal and under 5k I’ll be more than happy lol. Truly great knowledge and much appreciated. 🙏🏾
So, some of the same problems with the old Fiat Turbo Engines, ( I Still one a 1997 Fiat Punto GT) Should I be scared of buying one of these BMW ? I really like the E92 coupe. I dont intend on running any mod, just a remap with all stock, might consider a good quality forced induction a new FMIC and a new exhaust, but thats pretty much all.
@8020Media will good quality fuel and oil delay the carbon build up? I use additivated premium fuel 100 octane or 98 octane when on a country 100 isn't available oil I usually use Fuchs synthetic.
Finally i got my imported 335i e92 with 20k miles! the car is completely stock and i want to make some few reliability upgrades. I want to start with chargepipe and index 12. What other things do you guys recommend i should do? i am not planning to go huge power, just downpipes and stage 1 or 2.
Chargepipe and index 12's are a good start. The index 12's are a bit of an expensive upgrade though, you really don't need them if you aren't going crazy power wise but certainly doesn't hurt to have them if you don't mind spending the money. Outside of those things I would just make sure all of the common maintenance items are good like valve cover gasket, oil pan gasket, OFH, etc. Make sure the belt is good, these things can eat belts if it snaps - rubber could be a bit worn down on it given age. At 20k miles most of these should be good but they are aged so just be aware of any leaks and fix em if they develop. Turbos might go eventually but then you can upgrade - but again at 20k miles they have plenty of life left. Definitely get some dual cone intakes - need the extra airflow for the boost, will help keep the turbos healthy.
@@8020Media Thank you, just ordered some delphi coils,bosch sparkplugs and oil filter. the car came with no service book so i dont know what has been done. i have heard if you take the key of the car to bmw they can scan it and see almost everything. Is it any other things i should consider? I looked at your website and you guys wrote the oem intercooler is notoriously small and restrictive. This engine runs hot i think upgrading it will make alot of things last longer like the waterpump. I think n52 and n54 has the same waterpump and the waterpumps on n52 lasts like 2,5x times more. Also i’m from Norway should i just threw in vrsf intercooler,vrsf dualcone,chargepipe and vrsf downpipes with it? I dont want to buy from multiple websites and it looks like vrsf is what you guys like
Cosmos - We are big fans of VRSF. We have over 50 articles on the N54, so you're definitely in the right place for all things N54. Keep us updated on your build!
So the engine is reliable provided you constantly replace stuff, upgrade stuff, maintain stuff, and even pre-emptively change stuff. That's not reliable, that's the textbook definition of unreliable! Why do so many N54/N55 owners claim these engines are reliable? They very obviously are not.
Well said. I've been considering getting into one being that I'm mechanically enclined but it sounds like I'd be continuously replacing parts at the end of their life or fixing the bug ticket shortcoming inherent to this engine. I'm not sure I've ever bought a car with the thought of using $3K of my budget for preventative maintenance! Yikes! My last engine was an M54 which I bought and immediately replaced water pump, T-Stat and was going to do the valve cover gasket but decided on just saving up and buying a new factory valve cover that came with a gasket so I could potentially never have to do a V-Cover gasket on the vehicle again. Seems to me that anyone upgrading from an m54 should skip this generation entirely. And I thought $100 plus for a port fuel injector was bad!
Yes, we agree the N54/N55 are unreliable. Fast, cheap, reliable. Pick two. The N54 is fast and cheap....and unreliable. The 2JZ is fast and reliable...but not cheap. That said, if you do spend the money the N54 can be "reliable" for the short-mid term (like 3-7 years). I knocked out almost all repairs and preventitive maintenance on my 335i between 2017 and 2019. It hasn't had an actual issue since 2017 (minus blowing my stock turbos due to running 19+psi with a boost leak). It's been running 500-500+whp the last few years. So, when we say the N54 can be reliable we mean it takes some money and TLC to get there. But it can get there. Id take my N54 cross country without a second thought. Again, it took a chunk of cash to get there but engines that are fast, cheap, AND reliable don't exist. The N54 is fast and cheap. If you want to make it reliable then it becomes not cheap and you're left with fast, reliable, and expensive.
Thank you for the comment and very valid point. At the time of filming I didn't realize how out of control the prices became for index 12's. For years and years they floated around the $1200-1800 price range, but that has changed drastically since then.
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It's like any other tuner engine. More boost and more timing will always hurt reliability slightly but considering you can make 500HP in a car you paid less than 10K to build it's still a good value.
I can be on my 3rd engine and still be ahead of my Subaru friends while having spent the same money even factoring in engine swaps and rebuilds.
Once you tackle the preventative maintenance these things hold up pretty well even above 500whp. Just a matter of keeping boost reasonable operating within the limits of your turbo. People wonder why they blow their turbos from trying to run 25psi on the stockers or push aftermarkets to 30+ and then blame the engine.
@@8020Media Not untrue.
My philosophy with these cars has always been to do the maintenance but have fun and don’t be afraid to push the car until something breaks…when something breaks upgrade it.
Upgraded turbos are cheaper than the stock twinnies anyways
for 1500 for a set of index 12's, you might aswell convert to port injection, works out about the same, and solves the issue forever.
Converting to port injection only isn't simple. N54 PI kits are designed to work as supplemental fueling, and DI is handling 100% of fueling during normal driving. Under WOT, the DI still handles the bulk of fuel delivery and PI will simply handle the extra flow requirements that the stock DI hardware cannot.
Very few N54 owners have converted to PI only. You'll need an injector delete kit. Leaving them in place would lead to overheating of the injectors and seals since there wouldn't be fuel flow to cool them down. To the best of my knowledge, deleting the direct injection will also require a stand alone ECU which is an expensive upgrade. Then you lose the many benefits of direct injection.
Deleting DI probably only makes sense for those who want to make 800+whp and are already running a standalone ECU. At this point, the PI system is handling so much of the fueling that deleting DI adds a lot of simplicity.
Ultimately, deleting the DI system is not cheap and isn't as simple as just adding PI. If your direct injectors are having issues then you'll need to replace them whether or not you have port injection. Unless, again, you're doing a full PI system, true DI delete, and running a standalone ECU. It's a lot more complex than typical N54 PI setups that are built to work with DI and only add supplemental fuel flow.
Great Content, very informative.
Reginald - Thanks for the feedback! We're going to continue to make quality content for our viewers!
I'm at a crossroads with my 07 335i. I do all maintenance but I'm still unsure if I should trust the car. The turbos finally went at 175k, not smoking but very bad rattles lol. It's not my daily thank God. Im just unsure if I should go ahead and do upgrades now such as single turbo kit with an engine with that many miles. Any feedback is appreciated. It has all the other bolt on upgrades already plus intercooler and radiator. Still stock injectors. MHD tuned stage 2.
It can certainly be a tough decision with that kind of mileage. If you want to be absolutely certain then compression & leak down tests are a good idea. You can also send an oil sample to Blackstone for analysis. All this would give you a pretty good idea as to where your engine health stands.
I personally run RB Twos Plus on my 07 335i and love them. Single turbos are awesome but generally more expensive upfront. The benefit is that they're a bit easier on the engine and trans at given power/boost levels. They also have higher potential and are easier to replace should the turbo(s) fail again. However, if you want a little less skin in the game and/or don't want 650+whp then twins can be a great route.
Quality TT options - such as RB Turbos - are going to run about $1,500 to $3,000. Add in port injection and a LPFP upgrade and you can have a 500-600whp N54 for less than $5,000. That's about how much you'll be spending on a single turbo kit alone. I know you mentioned ST and there are definitely a number of benefits to a conversion, but twins aren't a bad route if you're worried about putting too much money into a 175k mile motor.
Anyway, we've seen plenty of N54's running around at 150-200k+ miles even on turbo upgrades and 500-600+whp. With proper maintenance, supporting mods, tuning, etc. it shouldn't be a major concern. It's still a lot of miles and anything could happen, though. Fortunately, the N54 is inexpensive and easy to source should your engine let go.
@@8020Media thank you so much for the info. I’ll be looking at the RB twin upgrades. 500whp is my goal and under 5k I’ll be more than happy lol. Truly great knowledge and much appreciated. 🙏🏾
So, some of the same problems with the old Fiat Turbo Engines, ( I Still one a 1997 Fiat Punto GT) Should I be scared of buying one of these BMW ? I really like the E92 coupe. I dont intend on running any mod, just a remap with all stock, might consider a good quality forced induction a new FMIC and a new exhaust, but thats pretty much all.
1 - We have two N54's and love them both. However, stay on top of maintenance!
@8020Media will good quality fuel and oil delay the carbon build up? I use additivated premium fuel 100 octane or 98 octane when on a country 100 isn't available oil I usually use Fuchs synthetic.
1 - It will! But unfortunately, it is inevitable.
Finally i got my imported 335i e92 with 20k miles! the car is completely stock and i want to make some few reliability upgrades. I want to start with chargepipe and index 12. What other things do you guys recommend i should do? i am not planning to go huge power, just downpipes and stage 1 or 2.
Chargepipe and index 12's are a good start. The index 12's are a bit of an expensive upgrade though, you really don't need them if you aren't going crazy power wise but certainly doesn't hurt to have them if you don't mind spending the money. Outside of those things I would just make sure all of the common maintenance items are good like valve cover gasket, oil pan gasket, OFH, etc. Make sure the belt is good, these things can eat belts if it snaps - rubber could be a bit worn down on it given age. At 20k miles most of these should be good but they are aged so just be aware of any leaks and fix em if they develop. Turbos might go eventually but then you can upgrade - but again at 20k miles they have plenty of life left. Definitely get some dual cone intakes - need the extra airflow for the boost, will help keep the turbos healthy.
@@8020Media Thank you, just ordered some delphi coils,bosch sparkplugs and oil filter. the car came with no service book so i dont know what has been done. i have heard if you take the key of the car to bmw they can scan it and see almost everything. Is it any other things i should consider? I looked at your website and you guys wrote the oem intercooler is notoriously small and restrictive. This engine runs hot i think upgrading it will make alot of things last longer like the waterpump. I think n52 and n54 has the same waterpump and the waterpumps on n52 lasts like 2,5x times more. Also i’m from Norway should i just threw in vrsf intercooler,vrsf dualcone,chargepipe and vrsf downpipes with it? I dont want to buy from multiple websites and it looks like vrsf is what you guys like
Cosmos - We are big fans of VRSF. We have over 50 articles on the N54, so you're definitely in the right place for all things N54. Keep us updated on your build!
So the engine is reliable provided you constantly replace stuff, upgrade stuff, maintain stuff, and even pre-emptively change stuff.
That's not reliable, that's the textbook definition of unreliable!
Why do so many N54/N55 owners claim these engines are reliable? They very obviously are not.
Well said. I've been considering getting into one being that I'm mechanically enclined but it sounds like I'd be continuously replacing parts at the end of their life or fixing the bug ticket shortcoming inherent to this engine. I'm not sure I've ever bought a car with the thought of using $3K of my budget for preventative maintenance! Yikes! My last engine was an M54 which I bought and immediately replaced water pump, T-Stat and was going to do the valve cover gasket but decided on just saving up and buying a new factory valve cover that came with a gasket so I could potentially never have to do a V-Cover gasket on the vehicle again.
Seems to me that anyone upgrading from an m54 should skip this generation entirely.
And I thought $100 plus for a port fuel injector was bad!
Yes, we agree the N54/N55 are unreliable. Fast, cheap, reliable. Pick two. The N54 is fast and cheap....and unreliable. The 2JZ is fast and reliable...but not cheap.
That said, if you do spend the money the N54 can be "reliable" for the short-mid term (like 3-7 years). I knocked out almost all repairs and preventitive maintenance on my 335i between 2017 and 2019. It hasn't had an actual issue since 2017 (minus blowing my stock turbos due to running 19+psi with a boost leak). It's been running 500-500+whp the last few years.
So, when we say the N54 can be reliable we mean it takes some money and TLC to get there. But it can get there. Id take my N54 cross country without a second thought. Again, it took a chunk of cash to get there but engines that are fast, cheap, AND reliable don't exist. The N54 is fast and cheap. If you want to make it reliable then it becomes not cheap and you're left with fast, reliable, and expensive.
3k for 12 index fcp
Thank you for the comment and very valid point. At the time of filming I didn't realize how out of control the prices became for index 12's. For years and years they floated around the $1200-1800 price range, but that has changed drastically since then.
Is it due to BMW not making them anymore? Is the aftermarket even a decent source for this critical of a part?
Pretty Much what he’s saying is get a Toyota and stick w a 2jz
Baims - Not particularly, if maintained properly the N54 can be an excellent engine. But obviously, a Toyota is more reliable for sure.
Cats expensive and headgaskets labor sucks as well
George - We couldn't agree more.
@@8020Media Went to the dealership for a oil change to find out I need a oil Pan gasket soon , love hate relationship
Sure is!