BMW M62 Engine Guide

M62 · 3.5, 4.4 and 4.6 liter V8 · US-market builds 12/1995 to 09/2003 · 840Ci, 740i, 740iL, 540i, X5 4.4i, X5 4.6is, ALPINA V8 Roadster

The M62 is BMW's V8 that took over from the M60. BMW's engine training material says the M62 replaces the M60 and was fitted in stages from January 1996 in the E31, E38 and E39 series. It keeps the M60's basic layout: a 90 degree V8 with two four-valve cylinder heads and a light alloy construction.

BMW's training material lists two sizes at launch, 3.5 liter (M62B35) and 4.4 liter (M62B44). A larger version, the M62B46, displaces 4,619 cc and went into the X5 4.6is. BMW's US-specification parts data lists no 535i or 735i, the models BMW's training pairs with the 3.5 liter engine. BMW's parts data lists US-market M62 cars built from December 1995 to September 2003.

The name covers more than one engine, and this guide says which one each statement applies to.

• First-generation M62 (M62B35 and M62B44): No variable cam control is described for it in the BMW training material read.
• M62TU: BMW's training material says the M62TU has controlled VANOS on the intake side, and BMW's repair documents label the VANOS engine "from 9/98". BMW's parts data changes the thermostat and coolant pump numbers at about September 1998 builds.
• Bigger X5 engines: BMW's service documents label the X5 4.4i engine M62TU and the X5 4.6is engine M62HP. A BMW emissions data sheet for the European-specification (EURO 3) X5 4.6is gives production from 12/2001 and lists controlled double VANOS. BMW's parts data lists US X5 4.6is builds from 10/2001 to 09/2003.

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. IAIK, from our own shop: coolant issues and valve cover gasket leaks, little else on the engine.
• 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: Cooling system parts and oil sealing: BMW has a coolant hose bulletin, a cooling fan recall and an oil sump gasket bulletin for these engines. IAIK, from our own shop: coolant issues and valve cover gasket leaks.

M62 At a Glance

Question	Practical answer
Sold in US-market BMWs?	Yes. BMW's parts data lists US-market M62 cars from December 1995 builds to September 2003 builds.
Where you find it	See the table below, US market first.
Displacement	4,398 cc for the M62B44, the 4.4 liter version; 3,498 cc (M62B35) and 4,619 cc (M62B46) are listed in Technical Specifications.
Oil capacity	7.5 liters (about 7.9 US quarts) for an oil change with filter on the 3.5 and 4.4 liter engines. BMW's fluid data lists 8.0 liters for the US X5 4.4i and X5 4.6is.
Block material	Alusil or a Nikasil-coated block depending on build date and market; check the casting number before ordering pistons.
Timing drive	Roller chains, not a belt.
Variable cam control	None on the first generation; intake-side VANOS on the M62TU.
Reliability profile	Not established yet. We are still researching this engine.
Typical annual planning budget	Not established yet.
Before buying	Work out which version it is from the build date, and check the cooling system and oil sealing items below. 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.

Chassis and model	US model years	Built (BMW)
E39 540i sedan	1997-2003	03/1996-07/2003
E39 540i wagon	1999-2003	09/1998-07/2003
E39 540iP sedan	1999-2001	10/1998-04/2001
E38 740i	1996-2001	05/1996-07/2001
E38 740iL	1996-2001	12/1995-07/2001
E38 740iLP	1999-2001	04/1999-03/2001
E31 840Ci	1996-1997	01/1996-08/1997
E53 X5 4.4i	2000-2004	09/1999-09/2003
E53 X5 4.6is	2002-2004	10/2001-09/2003
E52 ALPINA V8 Roadster	2003	10/2002-07/2003

Technical Specifications

Specification	Detail
Displacement, bore and stroke	M62B35: 3,498 cc, 84 mm bore, 78.9 mm stroke. M62B44: 4,398 cc, 92 mm bore, 82.7 mm stroke. M62B46: 4,619 cc, 93 mm bore, 85.0 mm stroke.
Compression ratio	10.0:1 for the M62B35 and M62B44, 10.5:1 for the M62B46.
Maximum engine speed	6,200 rpm (M62B35), 6,100 rpm (M62B44) and 6,500 rpm (M62B46).
Compression pressure	Minimum 12 to 14 bar, about equal on all cylinders.
Block and crankshaft	Aluminum crankcase with a forged steel crankshaft on five bearings.
Pistons	Partial-skirt pistons designed for RON 95 fuel.
Valvetrain	Two overhead camshafts per cylinder head, four valves per cylinder and hydraulic bucket tappets 33 mm in diameter.
Timing drive	A single roller chain from the crankshaft to the intake camshaft, then a chain on each head from the intake to the exhaust camshaft.
VANOS	None described for the first generation. The M62TU adjusts the intake camshafts only, over 40 degrees of crankshaft angle.
Engine management	Bosch DME M5.2 with fully sequential injection, adaptive knock control and OBD II functions for the US.
Ignition	Static ignition distribution with one coil per cylinder, eight coils per car.
Output, X5 4.6is (M62B46)	255 kW at 5,700 rpm and 480 Nm at 3,800 rpm on BMW's European-specification data sheet. US-specification output: Not established here.
Output, first generation	Wikipedia lists 173 kW for the M62B35 and 210 kW for the M62B44. Output for the M62TU and US-specification output: Not established here.
Engine oil capacity	7.5 liters for an oil change with filter, 9.25 liters for the initial fill, 8.5 liters with filter and oil cooler on the tropical version. The MIN and MAX marks on the dipstick are 1.5 liters apart.
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).
Coolant capacity	Not established here.
Firing order	Not established here.

The Insider Read

IAIK means IA-insiders knowledge. Our collected BMW technical and ownership notes.

In our shop, IAIK sees M62 cars come in for coolant issues and valve cover gasket leaks, and little else on the engine.

IAIK also sees a lot of suspension wear on the E38 and E39, which is a chassis item, not an engine one.

Factory Deep Dive

Block and crankcase

BMW's training material says the crankcase was made in two aluminum versions. Alusil, an aluminum-silicon alloy with uncoated, etched bores, went to markets with higher-sulfur fuel: the USA and Canada, the UK, South America, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and South Africa. Other markets got an AlSi9Cu3 alloy block with nickel-dispersion coated (NiCaSil) bores.

BMW Service Information bulletin 11 01 97 (191) says the M62 crankcase changeover from a Nikasil coating to an Alusil alloy was completed in worldwide series production in March 1997, at different dates in different countries. It applies to M62 cars built up to March 1997 and lists the casting numbers that tell the two types apart.

The bulletin says pistons and rings from one type must not be fitted to the other, 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 M62:

Engine	Unmachined casting number
M62 B35 with the earlier Nikasil coating	1 741 212
M62 B35 with Alusil	1 745 871
M62 B44 with the earlier Nikasil coating	1 741 219
M62 B44 with Alusil	1 745 873

Rotating assembly

The crankshaft is forged steel with five bearings, crank pins offset 90 degrees and a central hollow bore to save weight. The connecting rods are powder-metal parts shared with the M60. The pistons are cooled by oil jets from hook-type nozzles screwed into the bearing seats, as on the M52 and M73.

Cylinder heads and valvetrain

The M62 heads follow the M60 design but are not the same part. The engine code and the size code, for example B35, are cast into the unmachined head. The cylinder head covers are magnesium, and BMW warns that surface damage to them raises the risk of corrosion.

BMW cut moving valvetrain mass: the hydraulic bucket tappets shrank from 35 mm on the M60 to 33 mm, and from 80 g to 48 g. The primary drive is a single roller chain, where the M60 used a double roller chain, and each cylinder head has its own hydraulic chain tensioner. A Hall sensor reads the camshaft position, replacing the M60's inductive sensor.

VANOS (M62TU)

On the M62TU the VANOS system adjusts the intake camshaft steplessly, using engine oil pressure switched by a solenoid valve on each cylinder bank under DME control. The adjustment range is 40 degrees of crankshaft angle, which moves the intake spread from 84 to 124 degrees of crankshaft angle. The exhaust camshaft stays fixed at minus 97 degrees (M62B35) or minus 104 degrees (M62B44) of crankshaft angle.

Fuel, induction and engine management

The DME M5.2 replaced the M3.3 used on the M60. On US cars it lights the Check Engine lamp for emissions faults, and it detects misfires from a segmented increment wheel on the flywheel. The intake manifold is a one-piece plastic part, the same as the M60B40's.

Crankcase ventilation is pressure-controlled: a valve in the intake end cover draws blow-by gas through a cyclone filter, returns the oil to the sump and feeds the gas to a mixing chamber at the throttle body. The exhaust is stainless steel with an air-gap-insulated sheet manifold and a catalytic converter with two ceramic monoliths per exhaust branch.

Cooling

The water pump has an aluminum housing bolted to the chain case cover and carries a double coolant temperature sensor at the engine outlet. E38 and E39 cars use a map-controlled thermostat with a heating element the DME can energize. BMW says it opens at about 103 degrees C at the engine inlet without heating, with a control range of roughly 80 to 103 degrees C. Above 113 degrees C at the engine outlet the DME energizes the heater regardless of other conditions. The E31 840Ci keeps a conventional thermostat that opens at 85 degrees C.

Variants

BMW's fuel system description lists a return-free fuel injection pipe for the M62TU. BMW's training lists fully sequential fuel injection for the M62TU. BMW says M62TU cars have a viscous fan as well as an electric fan. BMW's description of the first-generation M62 lists a three-stage electric auxiliary fan in the E39.

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. Listed for every US-market M62 car in the parts data. Replaces 11 42 2 236 320 (value line, discontinued 10/2014).
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. The ALPINA V8 rows list 12 12 0 037 608 instead.
Ignition coil	12 13 7 599 219	Eight per car. Replaces 12 13 1 748 018 (discontinued 12/2013).
Thermostat with characteristics control, cars built up to about 09/1998	11 53 1 437 526	E38 740i and 740iL (built to 08/1998) and E39 540i (built to 09/1998).
Thermostat with characteristics control, cars built from 09/1998	11 53 1 436 386	E38, E39, E53 X5 and ALPINA V8.
Thermostat, E31 840Ci	11 53 2 466 479	Replaces 11 53 1 745 476, which BMW marks 95 GRAD.
Coolant pump, mechanical, cars built up to about 09/1998	11 51 0 393 340	E38, E39 and E31 840Ci.
Coolant pump, mechanical, cars built from 09/1998	11 51 0 393 336	E38, E39, E53 X5 and ALPINA V8.
Lower oil sump gasket	11 13 1 436 324	Current. The same number is listed for the M60.

BMW Service Information bulletin 12 05 98 (368) approves the High Power spark plug for US E38 and E39 cars with the M62 built since September 1997.

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) lists E31, E38 and E39 cars with the M62 built from the start of series production up to March 1997. Watch for a parts order or rebuild kit chosen by model instead of by casting number. BMW's bulletin says to confirm the engine type before starting repairs or ordering parts.

02 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, 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.

03 Intake plenum leaks

BMW Service Information bulletin 11 05 97 (253) says leaks at the intake plenum seals or at the vacuum connections on its rear end cover can disturb idling and store a lean-mixture oxygen sensor fault. It applies to E31, E38 and E39 cars with the M62 built from the start of series production up to October 1997. Watch for rough idle and a lean-mixture fault code. On US cars the Check Engine lamp comes on.

04 Coolant return hose rubbing

BMW Service Information bulletin 00 17 09 01 (November 1999) says the coolant return hose on E38 and E39 cars with the M62 LEV engine can rub against the metal gasket of the secondary air system check valve. It covers cars built from August 1998 to March 1999. BMW says the hose could wear through in the long run. Watch for wear on the hose near the check valve. BMW says a hose with fabric already showing must be replaced.

05 Frozen crankcase ventilation (E53)

BMW Service Information bulletin 11 01 04 (062) says E53 cars with the M62 can misfire, blow blue smoke and use a lot of oil when the oil separator freezes. Watch for misfiring, blue exhaust smoke and high oil consumption. BMW's remedy is a heating collar on the crankcase ventilation lines.

06 Valvetrain noise after a cold start

BMW Service Information bulletin 11 10 98 (367) covers rattling from the valve timing area on E31, E38 and E39 cars with the M62, 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. Watch for rattling that continues once the engine is warm and idling, which the bulletin describes as a separate fault pattern.

07 Cooling fan recall

NHTSA lists recall 01V206000, reported 21 June 2001, covering 2001 model-year BMWs including the 540i, 740i, 740iL and X5. BMW's recall notice says a failing fan motor can overload and burn out the fan control unit, risking engine overheating and damage or a fire in the front of the engine compartment, and that dealers replace the fan. NHTSA lists a supplement, 02V138000, reported 16 May 2002. The same recall lists six-cylinder and V12 models, so it is not specific to this engine. Ask a BMW dealer to check your VIN for open recalls.

08 Coolant issues and valve cover gasket leaks (IAIK, shop experience)

IAIK sees coolant issues and valve cover gasket leaks on M62 cars in our shop. IAIK gives no frequency or mileage, and the BMW coolant hose bulletin above is a narrower, dated item than what IAIK describes.

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.

IAIK, from our own shop, sees M62 cars mainly for coolant issues and valve cover gasket leaks, and little else on the engine. That is IAIK shop experience, not a failure rate.

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 M62 engine?

In US-market BMWs, BMW's parts data lists the M62 in the 840Ci (E31), the 740i, 740iL and 740iLP (E38), the 540i and 540iP (E39), the X5 4.4i and X5 4.6is (E53) and the ALPINA V8 Roadster (E52).

What is the difference between the M62 and the M62TU?

The M62TU is the later version, built from about September 1998 in the E38 and E39, and BMW's training says it adds VANOS on the intake camshafts, which the first-generation M62 does not have in BMW's description.

How much oil does an M62 take?

BMW lists 7.5 liters (about 7.9 US quarts) for an oil change with filter on both the 3.5 and 4.4 liter M62, and 9.25 liters for the initial fill. BMW's fluid data lists 8.0 liters for the US X5 4.4i and X5 4.6is.

Does the M62 have a timing belt or a timing chain?

The M62 uses roller chains: one from the crankshaft to the intake camshaft, and one on each cylinder head from the intake to the exhaust camshaft.

Does a US-market M62 have a Nikasil block?

BMW's M62 training says engines built for the USA and Canada used Alusil crankcases with uncoated, etched bores. BMW's 1997 bulletin says the worldwide changeover from Nikasil to Alusil finished in March 1997 at different times by country, and that the casting number near the coolant drain screw identifies the type.

Sources

• BMW technical training and service documentation for the M62 engine: description of operation, engine block, cylinder head and valve train, VANOS, fuel supply, cooling and engine data sheets
• BMW Service Information bulletins 11 01 97 (191), 11 03 97 (235), 11 05 97 (253), 11 01 04 (062), 11 10 98 (367), 12 05 98 (368) and 00 17 09 01 (coolant return hose, M62 LEV)
• 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 01V206000: api.nhtsa.gov campaign 01V206000
• NHTSA recall 02V138000: api.nhtsa.gov campaign 02V138000
• Wikipedia, BMW M62, for output figures only: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_M62