Characteristics of the N20 engine
| Characteristics | Data |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing | BMW Plant Hams Hall |
| Engine make | N20 |
| Years of production | 2011-present |
| Cylinder block material | aluminum |
| Power system | injector |
| Type | row |
| Number of cylinders | 4 |
| Valves per cylinder | 4 |
| Piston stroke, mm | 90.1 |
| Cylinder diameter, mm | 84 |
| Compression ratio | 10, 11 (see description) |
| Engine displacement, cc | 1997 |
| Engine power, hp/rpm | 156/5000, 184/5000, 218/5500, 245/5000 (see description) |
| Torque, Nm/rpm | 240/1250-4500, 270/1250-4500, 310/1350-4800, 350/1250-4800 (see description) |
| Torque, Nm/rpm | |
| Fuel | 95-98 |
| Environmental standards | Euro 5-6 |
| Engine weight, kg | – |
| Fuel consumption, l/100 km (for 320i F30) | – city: 8.8, highway: 5.6, mixed: 6.8 |
| Oil consumption, gr./1000 km | up to 700 |
| Engine oil | 5W-30, 5W-40 |
| How much oil in the engine, liters | 5 |
| Oil change is carried out, km | 10000 |
| Engine operating temperature, deg. | – |
| Engine life, thousand kilometers | – according to the factory data: -, in practice: 250+ |
| Tuning, hp | – potential: 300+, without loss of resource: – |
| The engine was installed on | BMW 125i F20, BMW 220i F22, BMW 225i F22, BMW 228i F22, BMW 320i F30, BMW 328i F30, BMW 420i F32, BMW 428i F32, BMW 520i F10, BMW 528i F10, BMW X1 E84, BMW X3 F25, BMW X4 F26, BMW X5 F15, BMW Z4 E89, BMW 320i GT F34, BMW 328i GT F34 |
Reliability, problems and repairs of the BMW N20 engine
The turbocharged inline four BMW N20B20 entered the assembly line in 2011 and was positioned as a replacement for the large atmospheric inline six-cylinder engines N53B25 and N53B30.
The N20 cylinder block is made of aluminum alloy, with two balancer shafts. Steel-sprayed cylinders, forged crankshaft with 4 offset counterweights, 144.35 mm long connecting rods similar to those used on the N55, FM pistons with negative offset piston pin.
The cylinder head is similar to the N55, with Valvetronic III, Double-VANOS intake and exhaust camshafts, the camshafts themselves are compound, fuel injection is direct TVDI.
Turbocharger on BMW N20 twinscroll Mitsubishi TD04LR6-04HR.15TK31-60T, blowing 1.2 bar.
The exhaust manifold is similar in design to the N55 exhaust.
The engine management system is Bosch MEVD17.2.4.
This motor was used in BMW cars with indexes 20i, 25i and 28i.
At this time, N20 is removed from production and instead of it put a more modern B48.
Modifications of the BMW N20B20 engine
- N20B20O0 (2011 – present) – basic version with compression ratio 10, boost pressure 1.15 bar, power 245 hp at 5000 rpm, torque 350 Nm at 1250-4800 rpm. For BMW models with index 28i.
- N20B20O0 (2013 – present) – 238 hp at 5000 rpm, 350 Nm of torque at 1250-4800 rpm. For models with index 25i.
- N20B20M0 (2012 – present) – compression ratio 10, 218 hp at 5000 rpm, 310 Nm of torque at 1350-4800 rpm. For models with index 25i.
- N20B20U0 (2011 – present) – increased to 11 compression ratio, boost pressure 0.55 bar, smaller diameter exhaust, power 184 hp at 5000 rpm, torque 270 Nm at 1250-4500 rpm. For BMW models with index 20i.
- N20B20U0 (2013 – present) – weak version with a compression ratio of 10 and an output of 156 hp at 5000 rpm, torque 240 Nm at 1250-4400 rpm. For models with the index 18i.
Problems and disadvantages of BMW N20B20 engines
The problems of the N20 engine are similar to those of the younger 1.6-liter N13 in the family. The main reasons why owners have to go to the service are as follows:
Swimming revs
The problem of engine “trojan” at idle is often explained by the fact that the valve of the RCH is dirty, or it is worth checking the condition of the throttle valve. If it is covered with soot, and it is jammed, the owner is faced with the fact that after starting the engine floats revolutions.
Fuel consumption has increased
If the engine began to exorbitantly consume gasoline, it is likely that the mass air flow sensor (DMRV) failed. A faulty sensor deceives the ECU, which forces the fuel system to prepare an overly enriched mixture. The solution is to replace the faulty air flow meter.
Motor vibrates
The reason why the owner feels engine vibration that is transmitted to the body is dirty fuel injectors. As they become contaminated, the engine receives a depleted fuel mixture, the engine loses power, dips in acceleration. For prevention it is necessary to clean injector injectors on the stand every 100 thousand kilometers of mileage and replace defective elements with new ones.
EBU failure
With prolonged extreme loads on the motor, the control unit easily fails. Therefore, it is not allowed to idle for long periods of time and the motor should not be overheated.
Total
BMW N20 is quite reliable gasoline “four”, with a good resource and excellent performance characteristics. The owner is required not to save on consumables, reduce the manufacturer’s recommended service interval and entrust the repair of the unit only to highly skilled craftsmen – this is required by the complex systems of this motor.
Tuning the BMW N20 engine
Chip tuning
Everyone has long known how easy it is to increase the power of the engine BMW N20, the usual chip tuning, the so-called Stage 1, gives about 280 hp. Flashing in Stage 2 with cold intake, intercooler, downpipe, exhaust, all this will be able to provide more than 300 hp and dynamics similar to N55 on 335i.
Any tuning of the N20 engine leads to premature wear and the further you go, the sooner you will go to the service for rebuild.
BMW 320i to 328i
A popular way to boost power for the regular 320i is the usual firmware in the 328i, which increases output to 240-245 hp. You have to remember that the 328i uses different pistons for the down to 10 compression ratio and a larger diameter exhaust. That’s why to further increase the output, you need to replace the pistons with 328s, change the exhaust, install a cold intake, intercooler and then sew the engine in Stage 2.
ENGINE RATING: 4+