(800) 467-9769

Login My account icon  

Please, add your first item to the wishlist

My account icon  

Please, add your first item to the wishlist

The BMW N63 Engine- From Hot Vee To Hot Garbage

BMW N63 Engine

Before getting started I wanted to say I feel bad about calling the BMW N63 ‘hot garbage’.  The N63 Twin Turbo 4.4l V8 is a wonder of modern technology, achieving things that no other engine maker was willing to attempt.  The manufacturing processes that went into crafting it are exquisite.  That says a lot for BMW, as they refuse to allow technological innovation to stagnate.  One of the cars that this was installed in was the BMW 750li, a vehicle that approaches 5,000lbs with a driver, makes almost 450hp, and still manages to get around 25mpg on the highway.  That’s V12 performance out of a V8, and impressive no matter how you cut it.  But alas, when you shoot for the stars you are bound to get a few failures to launch.

Breaking New Ground With the BMW N63

When it came out in 2008, the future looked bright.  Utilizing some interesting concepts, such as the hot-vee (exhaust exits into the turbos on top of the engine, in the valley, rather than out the bottom), BMW was taking a lot of risks doing it this way.  This design, as well as the now-common high-pressure direct injection system, led to some complexities that in hindsight probably should have better been left on the table.  The engine bay packaging is great though, nobody can argue that.

One interesting over-complexity is the use of air-to-water intercoolers, rather than the standard style air-to-air exchanger.  This is meant to save space and dramatically shorten the intercooler piping.  However, because of how much heat is being generated, the air-to-water intercoolers utilize a separate coolant pump and reservoir, and THAT has its own radiator in the front of the engine.  What this does effectively kills two birds with one Tomahawk cruise missile, fired from orbit.

The N63B44O0 engine was the first N63 to ship, and went into 5-series, 6-Series, 7-Series, X5, and X6 models that have names ending with a ’50’ between 2008 and 2012.  With such fresh technology, the odds of it reaching the beach was questionable.  Shortly after launch, BMW owners started complaining about problems ranging from abnormal oil consumption and rough idle, all the way up to complete failures.  Enough N63B44O0 engines were coming into dealers with severe engine problems that BMW launched a preemptive fix campaign to help alleviate the risk of having to replace entire BMW N63 engines under warranty.

bmw n63

The N63 Customer Care Package, Service Bulletin B001314

In 2012, the BMW N63 received its first major technical update, known as the N63B44O1. Also referred to as the N63TU ‘Technical Update’, it used several components of the venerable N55 turbo engine. These include the fuel injectors (which utilized a different style design) and the Valvetronic III variable lift intake cam system, which was omitted at the original launch. However, this was not enough to fix the ailing powerplant, and the N63 continues to be plagued by issues baked in from the original design.

In December of 2014, BMW launched a campaign called the Customer Care Package, which is widely covered across the internet. Sometimes requiring more than 40 hours of labor worth of work, the Customer Care Package was meant to cut off the naysayers at the pass and fix the problems before they happened, without using the dreaded R-word (recall, oops I said it). It went well, with many people dropping off practically new cars and having substantial preemptive work done. Good on BMW for doing this, although many agree they pretty much had to. Here are some of the things that this cover:

Battery Issues

It was predating the N63, the BMW Efficient Dynamic system utilized regenerative braking to help the alternator to charge the battery. Because the system relied on a driving style with a lot of off-throttle coasting, in certain driving situations, the battery would not be adequately charged. BMW started using AGM batteries to help with the cases of deep discharge, which was effective until the N63 showed up. With the extraordinary amount of heat in such a small space, the cooling system had to work overtime to keep temps down after the car shut off. That meant extended running of fans, and electric water pumps well after the engine shut off. The size of the battery was increased, but in some cases, this was still not enough. The solution was to continuously replace batteries, sometimes as often as every oil change.

Even with a huge amount of heat shielding, the electrical system still struggles to power the cooling system after engine shut-off

Oil Consumption

The BMW N63 is a thirsty motor, and this became apparent early on. BMW (unofficially, I can’t find the official statement to confirm this) suggests this is due to an improper break-in and going too easy on the motor while brand new. Because not everyone drives their luxury land-yacht like they are in ‘The Fast and Furious: Deutsch Rennwagen Fahren mit hoher Geschwindigkeit,’ the oil change interval was moved from the insane 15k miles to 10k. An extra liter was added to the capacity of the sump to make all the way to 10k without a top-up.

 Additionally, because of how hot the top of the engine is, the plastic PCV system gets an extreme workout in the heat cycling category. This causes hoses to crack and break, and seals to shrink, causing oil leaks all over the place. Typically, these manifest themselves as a faint waft of oil smoke coming out from under the hood, very luxurious.

Speaking of Luxurious, the valve stem seals are another non-metal component on the top of the engine that is subjected to massive doses of turbo heat. Eventually, they will start to leak, causing your high-end BMW to smoke like a Dodge Monaco after a few too many years in the front yard. A friend of mine runs a shop called Swedish Performance outside Raleigh, NC, and sees these come in often. He recently did the valve seals on an N63 equipped X5 and sent a few photos of what the job was like. It looks like a good time.

BMW N63 Valve Stem Seal Replacement

Fuel Injection

High Pressure Fuel Injector A2C9521190280

Even though the injectors were changed between the first generation and the technical update, the high-pressure fuel injector units are still, and always will be, a constant problem for owners with the N63 engine. These were checked and replaced under the Customer Care Package with an updated style of the injector. This is why many N63 owners will notice that the dealer may have replaced all of your fuel injectors at once. The updated injectors can’t be intermixed with the outgoing style, and really, why would you want to risk it anyway? I have even read reports of broken injectors flooding cylinders with enough raw fuel to trigger a chain reaction, ultimately ending in hydro locking and complete engine failure.

Direct injection engines are susceptible to numerous issues, and the N63 is no exception. Because fuel is being blasted at high pressure directly into the combustion chamber, rather than spraying at a low pressure past the open intake valves (like standard port injection cars), there’s nothing to clean the backs of the valves off.

Where port injection engines use gasoline to keep the valves free of PCV oil and sludgy carbon crud from the combustion chamber, the intake valves on direct-injection cars get caked on with black buildup called coking. This will make the engine run terrible due to constricted, rough air passages. BMW’s official intake valve cleaning requires removal of the intake manifolds (on the bottom of the engine for the N63), and then a thorough media blasting with broken up walnut shells. Then the shells are vacuumed out of the chambers. Yes, walnut blasting is a thing and will keep any direct injection car running right.

Timing System

The N63‘s timing system is not immune to issues either. Stretched and broken timing chains have claimed numerous engines before they could get the Customer Care Package inspection and replacement. Here’s a particularly spooky thread outlining the experience of a 750li driver that had a massive timing failure just 4000 miles after the CCP was performed, ultimately totaling around $15k in engine-out service work. The owner states it was the result of a broken chain guide, rather than the commonly broken or stretched chain itself. If you plan on trying to do the timing on one of these yourself, be aware we have several of the required special tools to rent.

The Rest About BMW N63 Engine

As part of the BMW N63 Customer Care Package, the Mass Air Flow sensor (which is the high precision hot film type MAF), as well as the vacuum pump, was commonly replaced. I am not sure if these parts are updated versions currently, as the injectors, but their failure is most certainly linked to the heat of being directly adjacent to the exhaust manifolds and turbochargers. The vacuum pump is also on the list of likely replacement under the CCP. Granted, this is not all of the strife faced by owners of this latest generation of cars, which also feature problems with the drivetrain, active suspension, and other numerous systems.

All in all, the internet has no shortage of people flooding forums looking for answers as to why their BMW is running poorly, and it goes without saying that’s a horrible feeling. A cursory Google search reveals multiple class-action lawsuits, but to be fair to BMW, they are fixing these cars for the most part.

We’ve been noticing a steady uptick in N63 parts and special tool rentals, specifically the fuel injectors, PCV kits, and oil and coolant seals. If you are looking at buying a car with the N63 engine, be warned of these potentially critical issues associated with them.

BLOG HOME
LEAVE A REPLY

26 thoughts on “The BMW N63 Engine- From Hot Vee To Hot Garbage

  1. I have a couple of BMW’s to which I have replaced one engine do to flooding. After reading your discussion on the N63 I’m wondering what feed back have you received on the N54 or N55 engines. I have planed to replace and rebuild a used N54 turbo into my 528i for the upgrade. Any information available to the dependability would be appreciated.
    Thanks

    1. While not a specific point of interest like the N63 is in terms of strange issues, the N54 had similar teething issues being the first commercially produced turbocharged engine BMW produced. One particularly interesting failure we’ve seen on both the N54 and N55 is that oil leaks onto the belts from the oil filter housing. That causes the belt to weaken and slip off, getting jammed under the main crank pulley and thusly sucked into the engine past the main seal and blowing everything up. Many BMW’s will suffer from these same oil filter housing leaks, so they definitely need to be looked out for.

      Another thing to look out for is also applicable to all BMW’s with direct fuel injection. Although the N54 specifically had issues related to the high pressure fuel pump, all DI cars will accumulate carbon buildup on the valves and require a walnut blasting every so often which is a big job. Many small issues with the N54 were ironed out for the N55 (which is a substantially different engine on many levels). That’s not to say both of these engines won’t require occasional and substantial maintenance in their life time, for most people the joy of having an engine as capable as these is worth the expense.

      1. Had a 2011 550i. I had no issues until the Customer Care package came along and the service was performed. After picking it up, I immediately noticed reduced power, and there was a worrying smell of fuel from the driver’s side of the engine bay. The service department refused to acknowledge this for months. They kept taking the car and returning it the next day, saying there was no problem. I had to personally open the hood and show the advisor and technician before they finally did something about it. That soured my experience with that car. I stopped driving it regularly. Over 5 years, I put 36,000 miles on it. What an absolute waste of $70,000. I finally traded it in late 2016 for a new Charger R/T 392. $40,000 out the door with a lifetime warranty from FCA. The Dodge has provided me with zero issues. 43,000 miles and climbing. Sure, the interior doesn’t have the same leather and wood everywhere, and it isn’t as smooth on the highway, but the car is such a damn hoot I don’t really care. I don’t know if I’ll be returning to BMW anytime soon. They keep messing up with their engines. The old M5 with the V10 has horrible issues. Same with the last few M3s. Maybe with the new Supra, Toyota taught them a few lessons about how to make a reliable car.

        -Gary T.

  2. How’s the reliability regarding to the N63TU engine? I haven’t heard much of the issues except adding 1qt oil between oil change. What’s your experience?

    Thanks
    Perry

    1. Hi Perry, the N63TU is the ‘Technical Update’ and has several design changes that were borrowed from other successfully reliable engine models. However, strictly due to the configuration of the engine, the N63 will always have the issues above, except for maybe the fuel injectors which were updated. Even then, due to the immense heat, all these components are put under significantly more stress than other engines.

  3. I have an N63 in my X6 iDrive 5.0 with twin turbo. Nothing but problems from day 1. Started with three sets of fuel injectors and I think by the time I was done, I had totaled about 12K in repairs. All these problems started under warranty.
    At 36K miles, the engine went from consuming maybe 1qt of oil per 1,000 miles to 2qt or more. BMW tracked the oil consumption up to 56K miles telling me this was normal oil consumption. At 56K they said, no, let’s change out some breather hoses. This did nothing. So why would they change the breather hoses to fix the problem if it was normal? Ultimately it started smoking and I parked the car at 95k miles. My wife drove it even though it smoked. I talked to BMW customer sat (dis-sat) many, many times without help. Most recently, the dealer quoted 20K to replace the seals and BMW said they would cover 40%. Absolutely ridiculous! So the car remains parked. I paid 70k USD for the POS. They said I got 95k miles from the car. I say the miles mean nothing!! it’s the fact that the problem started under warranty, they knew it had an issue and they didn’t fix it!

    1. That’s a horror story above and beyond what I am used to reading, sorry this happened. If I were you I would call a lawyer that specializes in cases like this and see what they have to say since the problem stemmed while the car was under warranty, maybe you can recoup some of this to keep it from being a total loss. Another option is to take it to an independent shop (like Swedish Performance outside Raleigh, NC) as some of these places are getting really good at doing this work, as practice makes perfect afterall. At that point you can dump a few grand into it, get it running back to normal, and sell it.

    2. Hey My name is Charissa Davis and I have the same X6 50i drive 2012 and I’m having the same issue as you. I loved this vehicle when I first saw it. It was my dream car that turned into a nightmare. BMW told me they would pay 50% because of the Millage. To fix the engine is 13,000. And I must pay 6,000. Now I’m really upset cause I can’t afford that. If that’s the case I buy me a Nissan Altima has something reliable. I will never ever buy a BMW. I’m so dissatisfied and disappointed in BMW because there cars are advertised on TV as a the ultimate driving machine and it’s really and ultimate piece of shit. Excuse my French. BMW should be ashamed of themselves. Honda has vehicles on the road for 178000 miles still running never needed a engine. This is SAD!!! My car is parked up. I’m now on the train. I’m a single mom and my kids are looking at me like there whole world has come to and end. I’m not rich. Where I’m a get that kind of money. BMW should be responsible for fixing percent of the engine because they knew it was no good from the jump deceiving coustomers. And leaving us with there burdens. But The word is out no one is buying those crappy cars. The new X5 please don’t go near BMW. Stay away!!! Or stay taking the bus/ train cause that’s were you end up after throwing thousands thousand of you’re money away. I’m sick to my stomach. I could have paid my daughters college instead of putting in a god damn motor. Or a down payment on a house.

        1. Agreed, not excusing the BMW for its issues but certain people should not own a BMW.
          Most people have no clue how much it takes to own a BMW.
          There is a reason why 80-100k$ modern BMWs are on the used market for 10-20k all day long.

      1. All
        I always wanted a glorious V8 from BMW but afraid of these horror stories. End up buying 2012 BMW 535i with N55 straight six. 6 years and 138K miles later I still enjoy a smooth and potent n55. Yes its not as fast and brutal as n63 but smooth as butter and very reliable
        Replaced oil pan gasket, water pump, cooling fan – all under CPO warranty at ~85-95k No issues since then. Keep fingers crossed
        Planning to get g30 540i as my next vehicle (CPO of course)

  4. 8/17/2018
    I’m dealing with this problem now. My car has been with the dealer for past three days. I took it in for an engine fault light and oil change. They’re telling me I need a new injector on cylinder-one, two spark plugs, four breather houses, intake pipe seals, o-rings, turbo-coolant lines, and bushings. They want $2600 to do work. I had the all the injectors on bank-two (5,6,7,8) replaced 5/2014. They said the other injectors didn’t show fault so they didn’t replace them at the time.
    I’m reading today about bulletin B001314, and N63 Customer Care Package. The dealer hasn’t mentioned any of this to me.
    I brought B001314 to the attention of my service advisor and she said she will bring it to the attention of the Service Manager. That was 5 hours ago, I’m still waiting for them to call me back and she said because I was out of warranty they can’t provide me with a loaner car.
    Who can help me with this situation? Who can I call at BMW to put some pressure on this dealership (AutoNation) in Roseville, CA to do the right thing?

    1. Yikes!!! I can’t specifically give a recommendation on who to call, but get all your paperwork together and scour google for a lawyer that has worked specifically with the N63 case. They would know what your options are much more than me. They might not need to be local. Good Luck!

  5. In 2 days, I will pick up my 2012 650i N63 after a major engine service that was under CPO warranty. They informed me of the excessive oil consumption class action and maybe I lucked out because my CPO expires in a few weeks. They pulled the engine, replaced all seals, turbo hoses, valve guide seals, and anything else that looks like it could leak. I have no idea everything they may have replaced or fixed.

    Since my CPO was ending, they recommended that I purchase an extended warranty because all of the work they performed on the engine would not be covered after the CPO expires.

    Anyone know if this is typical, that BMW doesn’t provide any warranty for this service work they did – even if CPO expires?

  6. Thank you Adam for putting this excellent article together. I own a 2014 BMW 750i with a N63B44O1 engine. It consumes 1 quart of oil every 1K miles. That is crazy. I have taken it to the dealer numerous times and initially they had a book that tracked the oil changes, but then got ride of the book. The dealer- Peter Pan in Millbrae south of San Francisco, is telling me it is normal for the car to consume 1 quart every 500 miles.

    The PCV failed a few months ago and the dealer was on top of it and had the recall pay for the replacement- $1,800 to BMW.

    The dealer did not mention a customer care package when I complained about the oil loss. I do not think they knew about it since they are very customer centric and the tech advisors try their best to take care of the customers.

    Out of desperation, I have researched high performance oils and came up with AMSoil as 100% synthetic in comparison to a full synthetic with only needs to be more than 50% synthetic- mobile1 and others being in this category. Not sure what the results will be?

    Regardless, thank you for putting this article together.

    I have to say that my 2013 128i with an inline 6 and no turbo is exceptional. I am guessing I will get 200K miles+ out of that car.

  7. This is an interesting article. I never had to add more oil to my 2012 650i and it has over 50k miles on it. I guess I got lucky.,,and I bought this brand new in Sept of 2011.

    I just had it in for regular maintenance; my mechanic checked everything and gave it an excellent bill of health.

    1. I’m really glad to hear the other side of the coin! Beautiful car. I also know one person that has not had any issues with the N63 in his 550i.

  8. My 2018 brand new 750ix one year into lease
    Needs a new engine!!!! Not kidding I am refusing to take it and demanded new vehicle.

  9. I had the exact same situation
    Dealership Grand River BMW spent 5 weeks tearing apart the 750 motor as a courtesy service

    Months later the engine is burning oil and now coolant worse than ever
    I call the Dealership said it had nothing to do with them.. the answer I expected
    weeks later the entire motor seizes while my baby son is in the car, while in middle of highway

    The BMW dealership want $1000 just to diagnose the problem of which I’m certain they knew the problem

    I sold my other bmw a B7 that week in frustration with the entire experience and now switched to a product I love AUDI
    BMW I’m gone for-ever and laugh at all the people that buy your cars. GARBAGE
    A word to all, never buy this car … It’s nothing but trouble , don’t be a fool like me

  10. Jerry here again. I took my car out of the garage after 30 months waiting for the Bang class action to settle. BMW called and said to bring it in for oil consumption repair. I was doing the money dance until they said, “no, cant be repaired because one cylinder was down to 110 PSI, needs to be replaced and your cost is 8,400.” I had so little trust in the dealer I paid $200 for another shop to check the compression, which was low. Also needed an A/C compressor which runs 5,200 installed, maybe less with the engine out. I told them, “SCREW YOU AND THE HIGH END CARS YOU SELL, I’LL NEVER BUY ANOTHER!!” So since I had it registered I thought I would drive it. I dumped some ATP seal repair in the oil and my consumption dropped to 890 miles per QT until last week when all of a sudden it went to 250 per QT. On Monday of this week, stuck in Oakland traffic the engine let loose. Lots of banging on the top end, oil down in the V, smoke out the side of the engine. Done. Finished. Calling 1800kars4kids. My 80k car went 98,353 miles. I bought it to replace a jeep that went 180k. I put 16k in repairs. It was in the shop a total of 9 months. It was parked for 30 months of the past 8yrs of ownership. BMW wouldn’t take my calls, returned my FEDEXs, told me to sue if I wanted and that they would appeal any decision based on Bang, oil consumption, etc. I bought and endoscope to do some forensics tomorrow while I’m off on PTO. Should be interesting… if you have an N63 engine in your BMW unload it as soon as you can.

    Jerry

  11. This thread confirms my decision to never own another BMW. 1970 2800 bought new, rebuilt head at 72000 miles, rust everywhere. 1976 530i: cracked head at 70,000 miles, traded for 1980 Mercedes 240D. Normal oil changes, brake pads, couple of bulbs, new clutch and pressure plate at 330,000. Pastured at 465,000 due to rust, but drivetrain still good. 1988 BMW 750iL: engine disintegrated at 83,000 miles. 1979 MB 300SD: 300,000 and now on Classic plates, 2 or 3 E320 wagons, couple of GL450’s, Volvo 1997 850AWD and 1999 V70AWD R, 2000 Prelude. But never, NEVER another BMW.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

SEARCH OUR BLOG

BLOG CATEGORIES

Working on cars is dangerous, always be careful and be aware of the hazards of working on any vehicle. eEuroparts.com (Newparts Inc) is not responsible for any injury, up to and including death, as a result of working on any vehicle suggested or implied on this website.