M20 inside,

[InuFaye]

you wouldn't have this problem if you had a v8.

[Shangsta]

my car have over 350k on the original m20, it had been driven with no coolant/water for a long time(in texas heat) and the thing is still trucking on

[slammin.e28]

As for timing Chain vs Belt, Chains are more common in racing engines due to their strength and reliability and accuracy. Yes I mean accuracy because in a race engine the chain is replaced often enough that chain stretch is not a problem.

Where belts are accurate for there whole life time, and are quiet, that is why they are common in most standard engines. The only reason why they are not used so much in racing engines is purely because they can break, with constant on and off of the accelerator and race springs and cams the chance of failure is much greater, and when you are racing a $50,000 engine a belt snap is not what you want.

Finally! This.

[Simon S]

meh - fucking stickers just add unnecessary weight..

[nightwing66]

For its time m20s were very well constructed engines. Even with high miles these engines keep running strong. They may leak every which way and even ways youve never seen before but besides that ive enjoyed mine. Ive owned the car for a year and not one mechanical breakdown yet. M50s hit the shitter(supposedly) around 200k, mine has close to 300k and is till daily driven and runs like a champ. They may not be well on the performance aspect but they do their job well, and just as well as any bmw engiine every created.

[blackhawkimpact]

http://cgi.ebay.com/2x-M20-inside-stickers-BMW-E30-E34-320i-325is-525i-/260757409743?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item3cb65a4fcf

[kodylk08]

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.

Agreed.

[Massimo]

I have an Idea for a sticker

M20 Outside
S50 Inside

As for timing Chain vs Belt, Chains are more common in racing engines due to their strength and reliability and accuracy. Yes I mean accuracy because in a race engine the chain is replaced often enough that chain stretch is not a problem.

Where belts are accurate for there whole life time, and are quiet, that is why they are common in most standard engines. The only reason why they are not used so much in racing engines is purely because they can break, with constant on and off of the accelerator and race springs and cams the chance of failure is much greater, and when you are racing a $50,000 engine a belt snap is not what you want.

[CabrioPunk]

This kid is an idiot.

[nando]

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

they got the idea because belts are more efficient. they ditched it because soccer moms want to drive their cars into the ground.

I wouldn't use the M42 timing chain as an example of a robust, highly reliable engine - most M42's are ticking time bombs. it costs more money to rebuild than it's worth, by far. I really wanted to buy my friends 318is, it was a fun car, but that damn motor..

[240zs30]

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.

^true. Bought mine over 4yrs ago. 2nd E30. Over 250k similar to yours. Do maintenance on it as well. It feels like it has no end in site and leaks no fluids or burns anything.
I am in the process of swapping to something with a little more umph but not because of the M20. It will probably go into the wifes E30 since we just bought it and I am unsure of it's history.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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