M20 inside,

[slammin.e28]

M20Bxx


All of them. Every one...sucks.

Where the fuck did BMW get the bright idea to use a timing belt?

This is why I hate M20.

[E-Thirty]

Why would you be proud of BMW's worst 6 cylinder?

What makes you say that? Ignorance?

[slammin.e28]

what makes you say that? experiance?

ftfy.

[87-325ic]

m20s are solid engines. dont hate.

[E-Thirty]

ftfy.

Awww... Is someone afwaid of changing a lil ol' timing belt?

[Conki]

M20 are not bad engines at all. They are bulletproof as long as you change the timing belt.
And with a 3.73 LSD my 325eS is not slow either. I really like it.

[slammin.e28]

Awww... Is someone afwaid of changing a lil ol' timing belt?

Yup. Don't wanna waste my time.


I'm not saying they're bad engines, I just don't like them, hence, IMO, they suck.

[redsubdivisions]

Considering my M20 has given me 0 problems, I can't help but chime in the fact that it's a pretty good engine. Never broken down on me, easy to work on, I can't really ask for much else. My E34 M50-powered wagon has been a slightly different story. Every engine has its pros and cons.

[InuFaye]

m20s blow up. even on new timing belts. so yes they suck. the m50 is a vastly superior engine.
Hell even the m42 is better.

[slammin.e28]

m20s blow up. even on new timing belts. so yes they suck. the m50 is a vastly superior engine.
Hell even the m42 is better.

M42 is tits, as it has a timing chain. It's about the only 4cyl I'd own. I kept my M42 vert up with two M90 635csi on a recent CCA drive. They were impressed.

Waiting on the M20 in my dad's 'vert to pop so I can drop an M30 in it.

Then all the M20s will be purged from my family.

Problem?

[InuFaye]

i dont see a problem. Only problem with m42 is that they eat headgaskets.

[Sagaris]

M42 is tits, as it has a timing chain. It's about the only 4cyl I'd own. I kept my M42 vert up with two M90 635csi on a recent CCA drive. They were impressed.

Waiting on the M20 in my dad's 'vert to pop so I can drop an M30 in it.

Then all the M20s will be purged from my family.

Problem?

Timing chains stretch, get noisy, and cam timing can change.
they are not immune to breaking, weigh more, are noisier, and have more drag and loss in an engine than a belt, destructive when they fail (on a non interference engine), and much more costly to replace if they are worn.

While timing belts DO have a shorter service life, you can be assured that your cam timing is spot-on when you install a new belt on an old engine.

The biggest problem with the M20 is that people write them off without fixing vacuum leaks and tuning them up saying "I need an M50 swap, this thing sucks"

My M20 has been brought back from the edge of death due to years of deferred maintenance. It drove like a Geo Metro with a misfire. After tuning it up and adding a few of my own touches, it is faster than any M50 swap I have come across.


With that said, I DO want a timing chain on a daily driver newer car that I dont care about performance in and just want to drive cheaply til 120k miles, but for my performance car, I want a timing belt. I feel that the M20 is a very under appreciated engine.

Got an M50/M52 swap or an e36 M3 in the Milwaukee area and want to go to the drag strip? let me know

[DREWHALL]

What do you have done that would allow it to keep up with an E36 M? I have personally watched a stock one run deep into the low 14s. My M20 was a turd but it had 270k on it and a cracked head lol. I like the extra torque from even the lowly M50TU with an ebay chip. I did like the sound of the M20 though. I also have a 3.73 LSD and still have the G260 trans after the swap. Perfect gearing IMO.

[240zs30]

All motors have their pro's and con's. Swaps have their place but honestly the M20 is a great motor with the correct maintenance. Ignore any motors maintenance the same and see what happens.

[delatlanta1281]

210k on my m20, with multiple upgrades and going strong. I change my oil on time, adjust my valves, and fix things when they break. Those who hate the m20 probably do not do this, or bought a car with prior issues.
Your fault, not BMW's.
On a well maintained m20, what exactly goes wrong? Please let me know so I can look out for any issues on a car I have had for over 80k.
Kthanksbye.