BMW 4 Cylinder Engines (post 2008)

[Mika_98]

Hi all,

Looking for some advice on the 4 cylinder BMW engines please, preferably the diesel or would also consider petrol (if generally reliable).

Thinking of avoiding the N47 due to the timing chain horror stories. Unless I come across any examples which have already had the job done or frequent oil changes. Was there any year in particular where BMW resolved the chain issue?

I believe the n47 was replaced by the B47 engine. Does this engine have any such issues with the chain? Or any other common or expensive repairs? I have seen a 66 plate 320d EfficientDynamics model with 130k, but very good history and regular oil changes. Anything I should be wary of?

Also, what are the 320i's like from 2010-2016? Same goes with the 4 cylinder engines (petrol or diesel) with the 1 series from 2010-2016.

Looking forward to any advice. Would really appreciate it

[The Conflated Outlier]

N47's are a very good engine but the chain is certainly an issue. Some break at 80,000 and some do lots more.

Plenty of places do a drive in drive out chain job for under a grand now but you want proper BMW or Febi supplied chain kits, not BGA crap, FAI or anything else for that matter.

I'd always have a B47 in preference. But on N47's, if the engine is clean inside and the chains are quiet, just drive the bloody thing.

4 cylinder petrols are all crap until the B48.............the N43 is absolute ste and the N20 in the F30 is not looking that good in old age.

[danb79]

Mika_98 said:

Hi all,

Looking for some advice on the 4 cylinder BMW engines please, preferably the diesel or would also consider petrol (if generally reliable).

Thinking of avoiding the N47 due to the timing chain horror stories. Unless I come across any examples which have already had the job done or frequent oil changes. Was there any year in particular where BMW resolved the chain issue?

I believe the n47 was replaced by the B47 engine. Does this engine have any such issues with the chain? Or any other common or expensive repairs? I have seen a 66 plate 320d EfficientDynamics model with 130k, but very good history and regular oil changes. Anything I should be wary of?

Also, what are the 320i's like from 2010-2016? Same goes with the 4 cylinder engines (petrol or diesel) with the 1 series from 2010-2016.

Looking forward to any advice. Would really appreciate it

Buy a car that's been looked after and maintained, properly, with paperwork/invoices to show etc... No paperwork = carry on looking

We've an F31 325D with the N47, twin turbo. 105k miles on it and it's faultless. But it's been well looked after and well serviced.

My pal Chris has an F31 320D 'Luxury' with nearly 200k on it now; all original bar some of the turbo pipework and 3 new rads in less than 12 months (drives the Autobahn a lot and has had a few stones chucked through the front, unfortunately) - zero issues; oil changed every 5k without fail - uses Mann filters only and runs any 5W40 that meets BMWs LL04 specs etc

There are lots of both engines with very high miles; all down to being well looked after.

Ignore the naysayers and the tinterweb horror stories; you only ever hear the negatives, never the positives...

[rottenegg]

It's like Groundhog day on German car forums with "chain horror stories".

I must see at least 15-20 F3x 20ds every day on my commute. All working perfectly fine.

[P700DEE]

Ran my N47 F11 up to 200K miles with just 20k oil services over 10 years. No issues. Chains inspected at 130K miles when the DMF failed. Cars that do big miles on motorways don't have an issue. If you do lots of town driving with start stop you get more chain issues. The key is to listen to your engine... get a chain rattle get them done before they fail. Currently have B47 on 105k miles and Jaguar 5.0 R Chains are only an issue if you think they last forever and ignore warnings. It could be worse then engine might have a cam belt, look at all those that fail.

[MitchT]

Quarry Motors in Sheffield who specialise in breaking BMWs did an interesting piece on the N47 and said, in the video, that the B47 sufferes the same issue. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A9d9LxLFjU

I was considering a dirt cheap 1 Series as a stop gap car until the 440i that I want comes up for sale but the really cheap ones are N47 engined diesels and the potential for a massive bill is putting me off. I suppose I could find one with a noisy chain, pay pennies for it and take it straight to Quarry Motors to be fixed before it nukes the engine.

That said, it's the luck of the draw. Mate of mine ran an N47-engined 318d to 125k miles with no issues. He mostly did big, long, cruising type journeys but, of course, there's no way of knowing how an old car has been used previously.

Edited by MitchT on Saturday 10th May 11:39

[rottenegg]

Indeed. Attitudes towards car engine chains are curious. They are a maintenance item like bicycle and motorbike chains, but you don't hear bikers complaining about replacing them. People seem to think they should last forever, forgetting the rails that guide them are made of plastic, which also doesn't last forever.

Start stop doesn't help each time the starter jerks on them, and neither does excessive soot in the oil, which acts like an abrasive.

[MitchT]

rottenegg said:

Attitudes towards car engine chains are curious. They are a maintenance item like bicycle and motorbike chains, but you don't hear bikers complaining about replacing them.

I know nothing about bikes so I can't comment on bikers' attitudes towards replacing the bike chains. What I do know is that replacing car chains can be quite a big job and an expensive one, so it's understandable that car owners might not be so laid back about it. If they're a service item, design them to be reasonably easy to replace.

[Mika_98]

Thanks for all the replies. It helps to know the N47's are capable of high miles if well maintained and used for longer runs. What I really want is a straight 6 touring but the right spec hasn't come along yet, everyone seems to hold onto the good ones! Considering a 320d until I find the "right" car.

I understand, like any car - belts, chains, etc. are all bound to fail at some point. It just seems to be a red flag on the N47 as its a costly job.

The Conflated Outlier said:

N47's are a very good engine but the chain is certainly an issue. Some break at 80,000 and some do lots more.

Plenty of places do a drive in drive out chain job for under a grand now but you want proper BMW or Febi supplied chain kits, not BGA crap, FAI or anything else for that matter.

I'd always have a B47 in preference. But on N47's, if the engine is clean inside and the chains are quiet, just drive the bloody thing.

4 cylinder petrols are all crap until the B48.............the N43 is absolute ste and the N20 in the F30 is not looking that good in old age.

Thanks for the info, will keep note on the kits you mention and also avoid the petrol 4 pots.

[OutInTheShed]

rottenegg said:

Indeed. Attitudes towards car engine chains are curious. They are a maintenance item like bicycle and motorbike chains, but you don't hear bikers complaining about replacing them. People seem to think they should last forever, forgetting the rails that guide them are made of plastic, which also doesn't last forever.

Start stop doesn't help each time the starter jerks on them, and neither does excessive soot in the oil, which acts like an abrasive.

A motorbike drive chain can be changed in half an hour.
Many cars have easily changed camchains at the front of the engine.

The N47 engine has the cam chain at the drive end, which means it's a big job. Engine out, flywheel off etc.

If you listen very hard you may hear bikers telling jokes about Honda cam chains from 40 years ago.
Honda V4s like the VF750 changed to gear driven cams there so many failures.

Many cars have had cam chains which last the life of the engine.
Arguably less so since we started expecting OHC engines to last 200,000 miles with only oil changes etc.