Bulletin
Engine code

IA Technical Bulletin

BMW S62 Engine Guide

Engine: S62

Bulletin text

The S62 is BMW's 5.0 liter V8, the first V8 engine from BMW's Motorsport division. BMW's M engine training says it was introduced in the third-generation M5, the E39, and was also used in the Z8, only the second time an M engine went into a car that was not an M model.

BMW's service data lists it at 4,941 cc. The V10 S85 of the E60 M5 and the V8 S65 of the E9x M3 came later.

In the US the S62 went into two cars: the E39 M5 sedan and the E52 Z8 roadster, both built until June 2003. This guide only states what BMW documents support. Where we have nothing provable, the page says so.

S62 · 4,941 cc · 90-degree V8 · US-market E39 M5 (built 09/1999-06/2003) and E52 Z8 (built 01/2000-06/2003)

Quick read

Ownership position: Not established yet. We are still researching this engine.
Reliability: No engine recall turned up in the NHTSA records we searched. BMW service information describes a few early-production items, listed under Known Failure Points.
Cost to own: Not established yet. We are still researching this engine.
Power potential: Not established yet. We are still researching this engine. Factory output is in Technical Specifications.
Main watch item: Oil consumption on early E39 M5 cars built up to the end of February 2000.

S62 At a Glance

Question	Practical answer
Where you find it (US market)	E39 M5 sedan built 09/1999-06/2003 and E52 Z8 roadster built 01/2000-06/2003, as build months in BMW's US parts catalog.
Sold in the US?	Yes. BMW's US parts catalog lists US-market types for the E39 M5 and the Z8. The same catalog also lists the engine under European and South African market codes, including right-hand drive.
Factory output	294 kW at 6,600 rpm and 500 Nm at 3,800 rpm. BMW's training gives 394 hp.
Engine oil	BMW's December 2015 oil bulletin lists BMW M 10W-60 for S62 engines built up to March 2000 and BMW Group LL01 5W-30 for S62 engines built from March 2000. BMW's later February 2017 oil chart does not name the S62: it lists 5W-30 LL01 or 0W-30 LL01FE for all BMW gasoline engines of model year 2011 and older, and keeps 10W-60 for the S54, S65 and S85.
Engine oil fill	BMW's parts catalog lists an oil fill of 6.5 liters for the E39 M5 and 7.5 liters for the Z8.
Reliability profile	Not established yet. We are still researching this engine.
Typical annual planning budget	Not established yet. We are still researching this engine.
Possible first-year catch-up	Not established yet. We are still researching this engine.
Largest documented exposure	Early E39 M5 oil consumption, a VANOS start-up rattle on cars built up to November 2000, and a cooling-fan recall that lists the 2001 Z8. Details are in Known Failure Points.
Before buying or modifying	Check the build month against the windows in the failure points. Anything beyond what BMW documents is not established yet.

Technical Specifications

Specification	Detail
Configuration	90-degree V8, eight cylinders
Displacement	4,941 cc · 94 mm bore x 89.0 mm stroke
Compression ratio	11.0:1
Power	294 kW at 6,600 rpm · 394 hp in BMW's training. The two figures are the same power in different units.
Torque	500 Nm at 3,800 rpm
Maximum engine speed	7,000 rpm
Compression pressure	12 to 14 bar, about equal on all cylinders, as BMW lists it
Block and heads	Lightweight aluminum block and cylinder heads
Valvetrain	Lightweight valvetrain with high-pressure Double VANOS · Both camshafts adjust over 30 degrees of camshaft angle, which is 60 degrees of crankshaft angle · the adjustment unit works at an oil pressure of 100 bar
Induction	Eight individual throttle valves, operated electronically by two throttle motors
Engine management	MSS52 engine electronics
Lubrication	Semi-dry sump oiling system
Engine oil	BMW M 10W-60 for engines built up to March 2000; BMW Group LL01 5W-30 from March 2000. The source is the December 2015 oil bulletin named in At a Glance.
Coolant capacity	Not established yet.
Firing order	Not established yet.

Factory Deep Dive

Block and cylinder heads

BMW describes both the block and the cylinder heads as lightweight aluminum. The documents we read give no further detail on the S62 crankcase or crankshaft, so we do not state any.

Valvetrain and VANOS

BMW's S62 service data gives VANOS two aims: more torque in the low and middle speed range, and less residual gas at idle. Adjustment time at full travel is about 200 to 300 milliseconds at an oil temperature between 20 and 80 degrees C.

Induction and engine management

Each cylinder has its own throttle valve, and two throttle motors move them electronically. A central idle speed actuator sits in the V between the cylinder banks and feeds all eight cylinders. The catalog lists two hot-film air mass meters per car.

Oiling

BMW calls the S62 oiling a semi-dry sump system. The documents we read give no pump or pressure detail for the S62, so none is stated here.

Variants and market notes

The oil specification changes at March 2000 production. From September 2000 production BMW dropped the exhaust gas temperature sensor on the E39 and E52 S62 and replaced its function with a software model in the engine control unit.

Service Parts at a Glance

Part	BMW part number	Note
Oil filter element set	11 42 7 510 717	Current. Listed for the E39 M5 and the Z8. Replaced the earlier 11 42 1 745 390.
Oil filter cover	11 42 1 736 674	Current. Listed for the E39 M5 and the Z8.
Ignition coil	12 13 7 599 219	Current. Eight per car. Replaced 12 13 1 748 018.
Air filter element	13 72 1 736 675	Current. Two per car.
Hot-film air mass meter	13 62 1 433 566	Current. Two per car.
Coolant pump, mechanical	11 51 1 407 113	Current. Listed for the E39 M5 only. Replaced 11 51 1 407 806.
Thermostat	11 53 7 835 558	Current. Listed for the E39 M5 and the Z8.
Rocker box cover, cylinders 1-4 (right)	11 12 1 406 776	Current. One per car.
Rocker box cover, cylinders 5-8 (left)	11 12 1 406 779	Current. One per car.

Spark plugs are left out on purpose: the catalog chain for the S62 spark plug lists two current numbers, so we do not name one. Treat a matching number as a way to find a part, not as proof of fit for your VIN.

Known Failure Points and Service Items

Only items backed by an NHTSA recall or a BMW service document are listed. None of them is a statement about how often a failure happens.

01 Oil consumption on early E39 M5 cars

BMW service information covers E39 M5 cars built from the start of production in September 1998 until the end of February 2000, where oil consumption exceeded 1.5 liters per 1,000 km after a 10,000 km running-in period. BMW traces it to the way the piston rings and cylinder bores bedded in during running-in. In series production BMW changed the bore honing and the engine software in January 1999, and fitted improved piston rings in February 2000.

On a customer complaint, BMW's process is to confirm the oil level is checked correctly, measure consumption with a standard procedure, and, where needed, get an approval before a new short block is fitted under warranty. BMW's US parts catalog starts the US-market M5 with cars built in September 1999.

Watch for oil use above the 1.5 liters per 1,000 km figure BMW names, measured after a 10,000 km running-in period. The bulletin covers cars built up to the end of February 2000.

02 VANOS rattle after start

BMW service information describes a rattling noise for a few seconds after start on the E39 M5 and the Z8, in cars built from the start of production up to November 2000. BMW's explanation: with the engine off, oil drains from the VANOS adjustment cylinder, and the noise does not affect output or engine life. On a complaint, a shutoff valve can be retrofitted to the VANOS accumulator, and BMW began fitting that valve in series in December 2000.

Watch for a rattle in the first seconds after start on a car built up to November 2000.

03 Cooling fan recall that lists the 2001 Z8

NHTSA recall 01V-206, with supplement 02V-138, covers the engine cooling fan on certain 2001 BMW models including the Z8. BMW's notice says a failed fan motor can overload and burn out the fan control unit so the fan stops, which could lead to engine overheating and engine damage, and could cause a fire in the fan control unit; the remedy is a new fan. The NHTSA records for this recall do not list the M5.

Watch for a cooling fan that stops operating, which is the failure the recall describes. The fan is a vehicle-level cooling part, not an engine-internal part.

04 Oil dipstick on early Z8 cars

BMW service information covers Z8 cars built up to July 2000 whose oil dipstick probe could snap while being pulled out or refitted; the fix is a revised dipstick. If the probe breaks off, the lower oil pan section has to come off to retrieve the piece.

Watch for a dipstick with a damaged or broken probe on a Z8 built up to July 2000.

Bulletins on cars built before September 1999

BMW service information on a starter and master relay software error covers E39 M5 cars built up to July 1999. A separate bulletin on engines stalling at idle when hot covers E39 M5 cars for the ECE market built up to August 1999. Both windows end before September 1999, the first US-market M5 build month in BMW's parts catalog.

Reliability Verdict

Not established yet. The BMW and NHTSA documents we read describe the early-production items above and show no engine recall. They do not rate how long the S62 lasts or how often it fails.

Power Potential

Not established yet. BMW's factory figure is the only power number given here: 294 kW at 6,600 rpm.

Cost of Ownership

Not established yet. No BMW document we read gives a service budget, repair cost or replacement mileage for the S62.

Common Questions

What BMW has the S62 engine?

In the US, the S62 is in the E39 M5 sedan built from 09/1999 to 06/2003 and the E52 Z8 roadster built from 01/2000 to 06/2003.

How much power does the S62 make?

BMW's service data lists the S62 at 294 kW at 6,600 rpm and 500 Nm of torque at 3,800 rpm, and BMW's training gives 394 hp.

How much oil does an S62 take?

BMW's parts catalog lists 6.5 liters for the E39 M5 and 7.5 liters for the Z8. BMW's December 2015 bulletin lists BMW M 10W-60 for engines built up to March 2000 and LL01 5W-30 for engines built from March 2000.