What Are Common BMW N63 Engine Problems? The V8 Explained
Photo by Vladyslav Lytvyshchenko on Unsplash The N63 is BMW's twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8. On paper, and in person, if you're honest about it, it's a magnificent thing. Four hundred horsepower in a 5 Series. Five hundred in the right M Sport trim. A sound that makes a grey Tuesday feel like something worth being alive for. It is also, particularly in its early years, a bit of a nightmare. BMW put the turbos in the V-engine valley, between the cylinder banks, tucked right into the hottest part of the engine. The engineering term for this layout is 'hot-V'. It helps reduce turbo lag. It also generates extraordinary heat in places where rubber seals and gaskets were never really designed to live. The early N63s, roughly 2008 to 2013, burned oil, leaked everywhere, ate timing chains, and sometimes failed fuel injectors before the car had done 30,000 miles. BMW eventually acknowledged all of this. More on that shortly. The good news is that if you own a BMW N63 engine...