Brickhouse

I have always owned 4 pot engines over the past 25 years. I have been looking at some E46 BMW's from the 2.5 2.8 and 3.0 6 pot.......Are these 6 pot engines any good?

I read about something called a 'Vanos' are meant to be weak on these engine, looks a rather tricky job to do....Also read that the 6 pots if taken with ease are meant to be fairly fuel friendly?

Thanks in advance.

xr2wishy

iTrader: (2)

Ha ha ha, 6 pot ok on fuel!!!!
Bullet proof engine really, vanos can be a problem, but if you change the seals (cost 50 quid and an hour to do) engine thermostat another 40 quid not much goes wrong.
They are not good on fuel, but sound great once you keep the exhaust valve open and for a cone air filter.
I recommend remapping, better mpg and throttle response, small power gain.
Just go for the 330, if you can get a face lift version you get a six speed box, as good as the auto is in my 330d e90, avoid in the petrol on the e46.
Stereo is shite, change headunit and things get better.
M sport with leather is the way to go imo, try a soft top, quite stiff chassis.
Oh and the dsc button...hold for three seconds at the beginning of every journey
R.e. The fuel thing, you can get 30mpg, i averaged 17.8 over two years lol!

Brickhouse

Thanks greatly mate

So the vanos, is it a job that can be carried out by someone who is ok......ish with mechanics?

I have seen a 320ci, it has the 2.2 M54 170BHP engine. It is a 2002 and covered 142k with little service history which is putting me off a bit. He has fitted 18" alloys and is on coilovers and is currently sitting very very low which I would change as in height, only because I am getting too old for the look of cars a few millimeters above the road

So petrol wise they are not the best? I read they are better than the 4 pot BMW's as meant to have a lot more torque so easier to move thus the engine being fairly chilled out and not straining like a 4 pot? I have a 2001 VW Passat PD130 at the mo', great car and had her mapped to 180BHP.....But looking for something a bit sporty thus looking at the BMW coupe's.

BTW..... Loooove your XR2 in your av' pic......Had a few XR2's in the 90's, brilliant little cars.

Mike1

I'd be more worried about making sure the cooling system is top notch on these engines - water pump, thermostat AND housing, rad, expansion tank all need checking.
If rad is bowed at bottom, not straight, time to replace. Make sure fan, viscous or electric is all working properly - viscous coupling for fans can fail.
If you cook these engines they can be hard to repair

James @ M Developments.

iTrader: (2)

My 135i is the 6 cyl twin turbo 3.0, will easily do 38-40 mpg on a run, the direct injection petrol engines like mine are pretty frugal for what they are really.

Diesel wise, they ain't too bad, on a run my 320d 4 pot was into the 60 mpg area, not fantastic at low speeds though I think I was getting low 30s during the week, 6 pots will be a good percentage away from that
Stus 380bhp 635d is in the 40-50 mpg area on a run

Mike1

Is yours a coupe or hatch James? I quite like the old coupe shape but the extra seat in the back is handy occasionally on my current E46 - especially for carting my young lads and their mates about. A 125i or 135i coupe is next on my list though

Brickhouse

6 pot 3.0 twin turbo.....Bloody 'ell James that must go well!

The lad who owns this E46 lives in North Wales so a 4.5 hour drive from me, he wants to do a straight swap with my Passat B5.5 PD130 estate.

Here is the BMW.......




So 142k, very little service history, 1 years MOT....Bodywork wise is meant to be very good with no rust.

studabear

Is the 2.2 deffo a 6 pot?

Brickhouse

It is indeed bud.

2.2 6 pot 24v making 170BHP.

I am still trying to get over xr2wishy 17mpg over 2 years on a 6 pot.....Maybe not the right car for me as that is seriously thirsty.

CrOwSoN15

Fuck the fuel, get a stainless manifold and system and enjoy. They sound nuts at full chat so you won't care about the fuel!

BigChuck

that deal sounds too good to be true on the face of it...... going from your passat, you will notice a massive difference feul econemy, so prepare your self for that. also spec is everything with bmw make sure it has some toys as without them it will seem very basic comparing it to your passat, i made the change from a b5.5 to a 330d and it was a step up in some ways.

just be careful a 4.5 hour journey to see a car that might not be as described, always be prepared to walk away.

James @ M Developments.

iTrader: (2)

Mines a E82 coupe

James @ M Developments.

iTrader: (2)

Yeah they are fast, run 450bhp pretty easily,

Mike1

I bet he has the seat well forward to drive.......look at the height he's taken the photo from! Smallest BM driver ever

Mike1

All standard James - some of the M3 bits fit the underpinnings don't they?

James @ M Developments.

iTrader: (2)

Yeah they do fit, I've not gone that way yet but I think the front control arms might be going on soon

Cos500

Suspension looks perfect for uk roads��

Brickhouse

Love the honesty and humor on this forum

The lad cant afford the insurance and is in to his VW's......He has already sourced an air suspension kit for mine, I believe they make the car stupidly low, enough to scrape ants testicles!

I have had hot hatches over the years like 205 GTI's, Golf GTI's, R5 GT Turbo's, Escort RS Turbo's......All of these are FWD, never owned a RWD car......Could prove interesting in the wet on a roundabout

Fudgey

iTrader: (4)

A work colleague had one like you posted above but his was an auto.. He sold it after a few months as it drank fuel and wasnt as great as he had hoped.. He was seeing around 17-18mpg that i used to take the piss about as i was getting 21 from my impreza lol.

His has rust around the front wings coming through, and i think the rears, the diff leaked and there was an intermittent issue with the gearbox although i cant remember exactly what.

Nice to look at, but put me off ever buying one.

Brickhouse

Bloody 'ell mate.....Worse than a Scoob to run as in fuel wise..........Hmmmm, think I may give this car a miss!

Indeed they are lovely to look at just was not aware of the fuel costs

I had a T5 Volvo once and had to sell it as could not afford to run it fuel wise and that was around 17MPG. The Parkers guide has these at 28MPG so interesting to hear of people that have owned them so real world figures.

ludacris s

I had an e46 330ci Clubsport for a year. Best mpg on a run was 32mpg and 17/18 round town.
There big comfy cruisers really.
Sold mine and got a clio 182 as it was only a weekend car and wanted something like a go kart.

Fudgey

iTrader: (4)

Thinking about it now his could have been a 325i lol. Ill ask tomorrow. But as said his was auto which is always going to be a little worse.

wildheart

iTrader: (4)

M52 Engines are prone to cylinder heads cracking, infact it looks as if my mum's has just gone

Brickhouse

Thanks greatly guys

Oh so these cars by the sounds of it suffer a fair bit with coolant issues, Vanos troubles and very very poor MPG....... Think I will stick with my Passat 180BHP PD130! Saying this I keep finding myself looking at 306 GTI-6's for sale as one of the few well known hot hatches I have not owned! I may start a new thread asking peoples advice on these cars as this is another car I do not have a clue about! Had 11 205 GTI's since 1991 and loved them all, be it the 1.6 or 1.9.....Amazing cars.

Hobomassiv

I get about 17-18mpg average and 30-32mpg on a motorway run in my E39 540i V8, you must be driving that 330 quite hard!

Brickhouse

Now that is one car I would love.....An E39 540i V8

Trouble is with a budget of £1,500 I cant get one.....One day I will have one outside! That is very good MPG for a 4 litre V8.

XRT_si

iTrader: (2)

I've got a 135i and see 29mpg on average for my commute, which is a mix of A-roads, motorways and high street, so pretty good. On s steady motorway run high 30s are easy.

With my foot down it goes down to single figures. But my car does have switchable maps on the move, which helps.

Dal_

iTrader: (2)

Crikey! My E46 M3 is averaging 27mpg (nearing 38 on a run) over the last 2000 odd miles. But then I am old and don't spank it that much.. lol

Brickhouse

E46 M3

27mpg is very impressive for such car.....So the E46 2.2 M54 engine if not spanked must return similar figures if not better? Trouble is it has a K&N filter on it which would lead me to press the faster pedal that bit more to hear the induction

Cant believe the insurance..... My insurance company said there is no difference between my Passat Estate TDI and the BMW.....I was thinking it would be a lot more to insure as I got quoted on a few cars, the 306 GTI-6 is an extra £178 a year??!!

Dal_

iTrader: (2)

I tend to mainly use it for a Friday commute which is a decent 35 mile each way so it's nice and warmed up at 45-60mph all the way. if you were stop/start in traffic I would imagine you'd be lucky to get it in the 20s to be honest.

All depends on how you drive too. It is a bit addictive to hear it at full chat up to 8,000rpm, but it'd be very easy to lose your licence if you kept doing that.

Fudgey

iTrader: (4)

OK, i was a bit off lol

spoke to my mate, his was a 320 with the 2.2l engine, on an auto. he was averaging around 25/26mpg and over 30 on a run, so sorry. not sure where that other figure came from!

but he did say you are better off going for the 325i as that has the same mpg but more power etc.

Brickhouse

Thanks mate

Interesting as the 2.2, 2.5 and 2.8 are all about the same MPG wise! Think I may have to start looking around for either a 2.5 or 2.8. The 3.0 seems to be the most sought after thus holding their prices.

mick

iTrader: (1)

ive got a 330i 5 speed manual on a y plate with 175k on it , i did a euro trip of around 2300 miles including a couple of laps of the ring and averaged 34 mpg. at the mo its showing 28mpg over the last 6 months with a mix of driving.

xr2wishy

iTrader: (2)

that is some good going!!!
i did push it a lot and didn't have many long cruises, to and from work 2 miles away doesn't help though.
it could do more and i did for a short period average 24mpg when on longer runs.
stats all working and mechanically sound, just it had some go so i used it.

not a lot really goes wrong with the 6 pots, spec is indeed anything, has to be an m sport minimum with a bm, and buy on condition, history and options.
it took me along time to find pretty much what i wanted in my e90.

you've changed your mind, but believe me find a good one and you'll not move back in a hurry. that one in the pic would be uncomfortable and you can't go for a 2.2, it has to be a 330, or a diesel for decent performance. i wanted an m3 though for a long time, didn't find a good one in budget though and sensible head was fitted in time

grant_xr

Any pics of your 330d Sean?
I'm looking for a tourer for next car either a 330 or 530 m sport.

Grant

xr2wishy

iTrader: (2)

I'll get some for ya

gcfcos

I'm pretty sure one of the oil company's is still running an e30 325i at 70mph everyday since it was new just stopping to do regular servicing on the engine. I think it's done over a million miles now without fault? Saw this on Telly

ludacris s

It was an Auto and I tended to drive it in sport most of the time.