BMW M60 Engine Guide

M60 · 3.0 and 4.0 liter V8 · US-market builds 07/1992 to 12/1995 · 530i, 540i, 740i, 740iL, 840i

The M60 is BMW's V8 of the early 1990s, sold in the US in the E34 5 Series, the E32 and E38 7 Series and the E31 8 Series. BMW's training material for its successor calls the M62 a further refinement of the engine range BMW launched in 1992, and says the M62 replaces the M60.

It came in two sizes: the M60B30 (also called M60/1), 2,997 cc, and the M60B40 (M60/2), 3,982 cc. BMW's parts data lists US-market M60 cars built from July 1992 to December 1995.

Two points matter most to a parts counter. First, BMW built M60 crankcases with both a Nikasil coating and an Alusil alloy, and the two use different pistons. Second, BMW's M62 material says the M62 that followed shares some parts with the M60, such as the connecting rods, but not others, such as the cylinder heads. Check the part number before swapping a part.

Quick read

• Ownership position: Not established yet. We are still researching this engine.
• Reliability: Not established yet. The BMW bulletins and recall for the engine are summarized under Known Failure Points and Service Items. None gives a failure rate or a verdict.
• Cost to own: Not established yet. We are still researching this engine.
• Power potential: Not established yet. We are still researching this engine.
• Main watch item: Oil sealing and the cooling system: BMW has bulletins for leaks at the top timing case covers and the lower oil sump gasket, and a recall that lists the M60-era 530i and 540i for coolant system pressure.

M60 At a Glance

Question	Practical answer
Sold in US-market BMWs?	Yes. BMW's parts data lists US-market M60 cars from July 1992 builds to December 1995 builds.
Where you find it	See the table below, US market first.
Displacement	2,997 cc (M60B30) and 3,982 cc (M60B40)
Oil capacity	7.5 liters (about 7.9 US quarts) for an oil change with filter, the same as the M62.
Block material	Nikasil-coated or Alusil, depending on build date; check the casting number before ordering pistons.
Timing drive	Roller chains, with a double roller chain from the crankshaft to the intake camshaft.
Variable cam control	None described in the BMW documents read.
Engine management	Bosch DME M3.3.
Reliability profile	Not established yet. We are still researching this engine.
Typical annual planning budget	Not established yet.
Before buying	Confirm the block type from the casting number, and check the top timing case covers, the lower oil sump joint and the cooling system. Ask a BMW dealer to check your VIN for open recalls.

Where you find it

The table lists the US-market cars in BMW's parts data. The data ends in December 2019, so nothing later is covered. Build dates are BMW's; the US model year column is the parts catalog's own year rule. BMW's data names the E31 car 840i.

Chassis and model	US model years	Built (BMW)
E34 530i sedan	1993-1996	12/1992-12/1995
E34 530i wagon	1993-1996	12/1992-12/1995
E34 540i sedan	1993-1996	11/1992-12/1995
E32 740i	1993-1994	07/1992-04/1994
E32 740iL	1993-1994	07/1992-03/1994
E38 740i	1994-1996	01/1994-12/1995
E38 740iL	1995-1996	10/1994-12/1995
E31 840i	1994-1996	10/1993-11/1995

Technical Specifications

Specification	Detail
Layout	90 degree V8 with two four-valve cylinder heads and a light alloy construction
Displacement, bore and stroke	M60B30: 2,997 cc, 84 mm bore, 67.6 mm stroke. M60B40: 3,982 cc, 89 mm bore, 80 mm stroke.
Compression ratio	10.5:1 for the M60B30 and 10.0:1 for the M60B40.
Maximum engine speed	6,500 rpm for both.
Compression pressure	Minimum 12 to 14 bar, about equal on all cylinders.
Crankshaft and rods	Five main bearings; powder-metal connecting rods, first fitted on the M60.
Valvetrain	Two overhead camshafts per cylinder head and hydraulic bucket tappets 35 mm in diameter.
Timing drive	Double roller chain from the crankshaft to the intake camshaft.
Engine management	Bosch DME M3.3 with cylinder-individual injection, static ignition distribution with eight output stages, a hot-film air mass meter and four knock sensors.
Oil pump	Magnesium housing and cover; the M62's are die-cast aluminum.
Engine oil capacity	7.5 liters for an oil change with filter, 9.25 liters for the initial fill and 8.5 liters with filter and oil cooler on the tropical version.
Engine oil specification	5W-30 LL01 or 0W-30 LL01FE (BMW February 2017 oil chart SI B11 01 15, all gasoline engines of model year 2011 and older).
Output	Wikipedia lists 160 kW and 290 Nm for the M60B30, and 210 kW and 400 Nm for the M60B40. US-specification output: Not established here.
Coolant capacity	Not established here.
Firing order	Not established here.

Factory Deep Dive

Block and crankcase

BMW Service Information bulletin 11 01 97 (191) covers a material changeover for the M60 and M62 crankcases from a Nikasil coating to an Alusil alloy, and says the M60 exchange engine production was affected as well. It lists affected E31, E32, E34 and E38 cars with the M60 built from the start of series production up to March 1997.

The bulletin says pistons and rings from a Nikasil engine must not be fitted to an Alusil engine, or the other way round, and that the type is identified by the unmachined casting number on the right side of the crankcase near the coolant drain screw. The numbers it lists for the M60:

Engine	Unmachined casting number
M60 B30 with the earlier Nikasil coating	1 741 212
M60 B30 with Alusil	1 745 871
M60 B40 with the earlier Nikasil coating	1 742 998
M60 B40 with Alusil	1 745 872

Which block a US-market M60 car got: Not established. BMW's M62 training material says US and Canadian M62 engines used Alusil, but we found no equivalent statement for the M60.

Rotating assembly and heads

BMW's M62 training material says the M62 crankshaft was redesigned for its longer stroke and, like the M60's, runs on five bearings. It also says the M62 and M60 connecting rods are common parts.

The M62 heads follow the M60 design but are not the same part, with the engine code cast into the unmachined head. Compared with the M60, the M62 got smaller 33 mm bucket tappets, a single timing chain, a Hall camshaft sensor in place of the M60's inductive one and a die-cast aluminum oil pump housing in place of magnesium.

Fuel, ignition and engine management

The DME M3.3 injects fuel once per working cycle at each cylinder and uses a separate ignition coil, with its own output stage, for each cylinder, delivering up to 32 kV. It monitors the ignition circuits per cylinder and, if a cylinder misfires, stores a fault, switches off that cylinder's injection and, on US models, lights the lamp. The idle actuator is a two-winding rotary slide valve.

Variants

The two displacements share the layout. Output, compression ratio and bore and stroke are in Technical Specifications. The M62 replaced the M60 in stages from January 1996.

Service Parts at a Glance

BMW part numbers below were looked up in BMW's parts data and show the current, superseded-to number. A matching number helps locate a part; it does not confirm fitment on a specific car.

Part	BMW part number	Note
Oil filter element set	11 42 7 510 717	Current. BMW's supersession chain runs from 11 42 1 745 390 (discontinued 12/2000) to this number, and the value line set 11 42 2 236 320 (discontinued 10/2014) also points here. Listed for every US-market M60 car.
Oil filter support tower (retrofit)	11 42 1 745 392	Retrofit only, once, for cars built before about 09/1995 (build ranges end 09/1995).
Spark plug, High Power	12 12 0 037 607	Eight per car. Current number for the Bosch 12 12 0 141 871 and NGK 12 12 9 071 003 plugs, both discontinued in 2009.
Ignition coil	12 13 7 599 218	Eight per car. Replaces 12 13 9 066 468 (discontinued 08/2011).
Thermostat	11 53 1 702 279	Marked 95CEL in BMW data.
Coolant pump, mechanical, E38 740i and 740iL and E31 840i	11 51 0 004 164	Current. Replaces exchange pump 11 51 0 007 043 (discontinued 11/2013).
Exchange water pump, E34 530i and 540i and E32 740i built to 01/1994	11 51 0 004 163	Current. Replaces 11 51 0 007 042 (discontinued 01/2015).
Top timing case cover gasket set, cylinders 1-4	11 14 1 433 305	Current. The cylinder 5-8 set is 11 14 1 433 306.
Lower oil sump gasket	11 13 1 436 324	Current. The same number is listed for the M62.

Known Failure Points and Service Items

Each item below comes from a BMW bulletin or a recall notice. None of them says how often the problem happens.

01 Crankcase material and parts mix-ups

BMW Service Information bulletin 11 01 97 (191) says to confirm whether an engine is Alusil or Nikasil before starting repairs or ordering parts. Watch for a parts order or rebuild kit chosen by model instead of by casting number.

02 Oil leak at the top timing case covers

BMW Service Information bulletin 11 01 96 (029) covers an oil leak at the top timing case cover on cylinder bank 1-4 or 5-8 of the M60. It applies to E31, E32, E34 and E38 cars built from the start of series production through November 1995. BMW traces the leak to the polyurethane strip on the gasket not sliding as it should; the fix is a gasket with a lubricating varnish coating on one side, now supplied as a separate set for each bank. Watch for oil at the top timing case covers.

03 Lower oil sump gasket leaks

BMW Service Information bulletin 11 03 97 (235) says an improved metal-reinforced lower oil sump gasket entered series production in September 1996. It covers E31, E32, E34, E38 and E39 cars with M60 or M62 engines built before that date. Watch for oil leaking at the joint between the upper and lower oil sump. BMW says retightening the sump screws is not enough to cure the leak.

04 Oil filter support tower

BMW Service Information bulletin 00 15 97 (229) says environmentally friendly oil filter elements have been fitted since September 1995, which needed a modified support tower in the filter housing. Cars built before that date get a retrofit tower once, and it must stay in the housing at later oil changes. BMW says the tower appears to be exchanged by mistake along with the filter, and that it grants no warranty or goodwill for housings damaged by trying to remove it.

05 False oil-pressure warning lamp (E38)

BMW Service Information bulletin 12 04 96 (131) says E38 cars with M60, M62 or M73 engines built up to December 1995 can show the oil-pressure warning lamp although oil pressure is fine. Water entering the oil-pressure switch connector corrodes its contacts. Watch for the lamp coming on with normal oil pressure.

06 Emissions: NOx limits on US model year 1995 cars

BMW Service Information bulletin 00 11 41 01 (May 1999) says E31, E34 and E38 US cars with the M60, model year 1995, built from January 1994 to December 1995, can exceed nitric oxide limits as service life increases because the oxygen sensor signal varies. BMW's remedy is a DME data update by exchanging the EPROM, after a DME update that includes fitting a 95 degree thermostat.

07 Crankshaft bearing bolts

BMW Service Information bulletin 11 02 96 (044) says M60 engines built from October 1995 may have Torx-type M11 crankshaft bearing cap bolts instead of M10 hexagon-head bolts. The tightening angle differs: 100 degrees for the Torx type against 70 degrees for the hexagon type, after the same 20 Nm first step. Watch for the bolt type before any work that unfastens the bearing caps.

08 Valvetrain noise after a cold start

BMW Service Information bulletin 11 10 98 (367) covers rattling from the valve timing area on E31, E32, E34 and E38 cars with the M60, most often right after a cold start. BMW says it comes from thick cold oil or air in the hydraulic tappets and has no damaging effect on engine life.

09 Coolant system recall

NHTSA lists recall 98V178000, reported 4 August 1998, which lists the 530i, 540i, 740i, 740iL and 840Ci for model years up to 1995 among many other BMW models. BMW's recall notice says a failing coolant system part such as the thermostat, water pump or fan belt can raise coolant temperature and pressure, with a risk that the heater core end piece cracks and expels hot coolant. The remedy is a new-design radiator cap. The recall lists many models and engines, so it is not specific to the M60. Ask a BMW dealer to check your VIN for open recalls.

Reliability Verdict

Not established yet. We are still researching this engine. The bulletins above are the only BMW documents we have read for it, and none gives a failure rate or a mileage figure.

Power Potential

Not established yet. We are still researching this engine.

Cost of Ownership

Not established yet. We are still researching this engine.

Common Questions

What BMW models have the M60 engine?

In US-market BMWs, BMW's parts data lists the M60 in the 530i and 540i (E34), the 740i and 740iL (E32 and E38) and the 840i (E31).

What size is the M60?

The M60 came as a 2,997 cc M60B30 and a 3,982 cc M60B40.

How much oil does an M60 take?

BMW says the M60 and M62 take the same amount: 7.5 liters (about 7.9 US quarts) for an oil change with filter and 9.25 liters for the initial fill.

Is the M60 a Nikasil engine?

Some are: BMW built M60 crankcases with a Nikasil coating and with an Alusil alloy, and a 1997 bulletin lists affected M60 cars built up to March 1997. The casting number on the crankcase tells you which one you have.

What replaced the M60?

BMW's training material says the M62 replaces the M60, fitted in stages from January 1996.

Sources

• BMW technical training and service documentation: M62 description of operation (which compares the M60), digital motor electronics M3.3 for the M60, and the M60 engine data sheets
• BMW Service Information bulletins 11 01 97 (191), 11 01 96 (029), 11 03 97 (235), 00 15 97 (229), 12 04 96 (131), 11 02 96 (044), 11 10 98 (367) and 00 11 41 01 (NOx limits, US model year 1995 M60 cars)
• BMW SI B11 01 15 (February 2017), engine oil chart
• BMW parts catalog data, data date December 2019, for build dates, US fitment and part numbers
• NHTSA recall 98V178000: api.nhtsa.gov campaign 98V178000
• Wikipedia, BMW M60, for output figures only: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_M60