[tpe92]

Hi all,

This question might sound a bit strange, but I am not entirely sure which N52 variant is in my car.
I drive an '07 E92 330I automatic. When I bought the car, I didn't know a lot about these 3 litre petrol engines but I was pretty sure that I have the N53 engine mostly because the car has 272 HP and the engine cover is black. I don't know if this is a general rule, but I've noticed that most N52 engines have a gray cover. Also a friend of mine drives an E90 330i and his cover is also gray.
After a closer inspection, I've noticed that my engine is an N52B30A according to what's written on the side of the body pillar. If I search my VIN on realOEM the engine that comes up is N52N..and on the paperwork that I got back from BMW from when I had it serviced sometime ago, the engine code that is specified is N52K.
I was also surprised when I tried to clean my MAF sensor because I found out that I actually don't have a MAF sensor. Instead..I only have a small temperature sensor.
Also, according to Wikipedia e92 is not on the N52 200kW applications list.

Since I can't find anything on the internet..does anybody know what's the difference between this N52B30A engine and the N52B30?

[W37V]

Originally Posted by tpe92

Hi
Since I can't find anything on the internet..does anybody know what's the difference between this N52B30A engine and the N52B30?

Type in your vin here. It will tell you what you have.
https://www.mdecoder.com/

[tpe92]

Originally Posted by W37V

Type in your vin here. It will tell you what you have.
https://www.mdecoder.com/

I' ve checked on diffrent sites. It says N52k. Just curios to know what's the difference between the regular N52 and the K version. For example the missing MAF sensor could be br one of the differences.

[neilvan]

Originally Posted by tpe92

I' ve checked on diffrent sites. It says N52k. Just curios to know what's the difference between the regular N52 and the K version. For example the missing MAF sensor could be br one of the differences.

Most decoders also have the rated stock HP. Just convert HP to KW and you have your version.

My guess is you have an early euro 2007 330i that still has the 255hp N52 before they switched to the N53

[tpe92]

Originally Posted by neilvan

Most decoders also have the rated stock HP. Just convert HP to KW and you have your version.

My guess is you have an early euro 2007 330i that still has the 255hp N52 before they switched to the N53

that's the thing.. I have 200kw. I can't seem to find any relevant info on google about what's specific about this n52k engine.. and about the fact that there is no MAF sensor.

[W37V]

Originally Posted by tpe92

that's the thing.. I have 200kw. I can't seem to find any relevant info on google about what's specific about this n52k engine.. and about the fact that there is no MAF sensor.

Why do you care if you have a maf or not. If you want to know 100%, then just undo 2 screws and verify what you got - maf or not. Take pictures of maf and post it.

What do you want to know? You got 330 with 268 hp, which was the strongest version of this engine. Almost all n52s are the same but accessories (exhaust manifold, intake manifold) are different. Also software (tune).

Edit: you can't go off wikipedia. Wiki is user provided content and anyone can edit anything on it. So, a lot of information can be wrong on it. It's good for some general info to get you started, but you can't take it as if it is official document.

[tpe92]

Originally Posted by W37V

Why do you care if you have a maf or not. If you want to know 100%, then just undo 2 screws and verify what you got - maf or not. Take pictures of maf and post it.

What do you want to know? You got 330 with 268 hp, which was the strongest version of this engine. Almost all n52s are the same but accessories (exhaust manifold, intake manifold) are different. Also software (tune).

Edit: you can't go off wikipedia. Wiki is user provided content and anyone can edit anything on it. So, a lot of information can be wrong on it. It's good for some general info to get you started, but you can't take it as if it is official document.

I already did that..there is no MAF just a temperature sensor I think. Like the one in the pic.
I sometimes have this slight engine hesitation at low rpm when I floor it, so I've started by cleaning the solenoids and the next step would've been to clean the MAF sensor..but there isn't one.

[bluewater328]

Originally Posted by tpe92

I already did that..there is no MAF just a temperature sensor I think. Like the one in the pic.
I sometimes have this slight engine hesitation at low rpm when I floor it, so I've started by cleaning the solenoids and the next step would've been to clean the MAF sensor..but there isn't one.

That's appropriate given you have a Euro intake and are in the UK (so Euro version of this car) -- they don't have MAFs. That's not your problem; it's something else.

I'm guessing you checked for codes already?

Assuming no codes here, have you tried checking to see if your air filter is clean? Obvious, but just checking.

Also tried looking at your DISAs. If your smaller DISA (inside) isn't functioning correctly, you could get some odd effects. That said, VANOS and maybe some nice Techron/Seafoam/whatever to clean off carbon deposits could help; but those are all shots in the dark.

[W37V]

Originally Posted by tpe92

I already did that..there is no MAF just a temperature sensor I think. Like the one in the pic.
I sometimes have this slight engine hesitation at low rpm when I floor it, so I've started by cleaning the solenoids and the next step would've been to clean the MAF sensor..but there isn't one.

What kind of hesitation?
Is it:
1) when you step on the pedal, nothing happens, and then it starts accelerating? Best described as throttle delay. Answer: normal behavior especially on automatic transmission cars. Can be “fixed” with a tune.

2) you floor it, car starts to accelerate, but there is stumbling and hesitation in power delivery? Answer: plugs, coils, bad sensors.

[tpe92]

Originally Posted by W37V

What kind of hesitation?
Is it:
1) when you step on the pedal, nothing happens, and then it starts accelerating? Best described as throttle delay. Answer: normal behavior especially on automatic transmission cars. Can be “fixed” with a tune.

2) you floor it, car starts to accelerate, but there is stumbling and hesitation in power delivery? Answer: plugs, coils, bad sensors.

It's actually a long story..when I bought the car one year ago, I used to have this massive hesitation but only under 1000 rpm. When on idle, or when driving really slow, if I stepped on the pedal hard, the engine felt like it's going to stall almost...this for about 1- 2 seconds..then after finally passing 1000rpm everything went back to feeling normal. If I pushed the pedal in a normal way, like you would do when you want to slowly drive away, the engine didn't have this hesitation.
This was a very annoying issue and potentially dangerous when in traffic.
It also never happened on sport mode which makes sense mostly because the rpms are never under 1000 when on DS.
In the same time, the car was not starting properly..until one day when the starter stopped working completely. I had to take it on a trailer at a local BMW garage and I've told the mechanics that I also have this hesitation issue. They've changed the starter and put a new battery in, which they've also coded.
Once they've got it started, we realised that the hesitation disappeared completely. It was gone. I don't know why..they didn't do anything else except replacing the battery and starter, but the issue was gone.


After one year almost..this hesitation issue feels like it might reappear. It's not as bad as it was on year ago..but I can sometimes recreate it when on idle.. it happens too rarely to really bother me..however I really want to avoid going back to having that massive hesitation


I definitely also have the throttle delay . There are moments when the gearbox feels like it's "thinking" a bit too much until it changes the gear. It mostly happens at low speeds and it's quite annoying. I am planning on doing an oil change and I hope that this will improve the way it performs. As for fixing it with a tune..it would be great if that's possible but I have the GM gearbox..and from what I found on google there aren't many things that you can do to improve.

[W37V]

Originally Posted by tpe92

It's actually a long story..when I bought the car one year ago, I used to have this massive hesitation but only under 1000 rpm. When on idle, or when driving really slow, if I stepped on the pedal hard, the engine felt like it's going to stall almost...this for about 1- 2 seconds..then after finally passing 1000rpm everything went back to feeling normal. If I pushed the pedal in a normal way, like you would do when you want to slowly drive away, the engine didn't have this hesitation.
This was a very annoying issue and potentially dangerous when in traffic.
It also never happened on sport mode which makes sense mostly because the rpms are never under 1000 when on DS.
In the same time, the car was not starting properly..until one day when the starter stopped working completely. I had to take it on a trailer at a local BMW garage and I've told the mechanics that I also have this hesitation issue. They've changed the starter and put a new battery in, which they've also coded.
Once they've got it started, we realised that the hesitation disappeared completely. It was gone. I don't know why..they didn't do anything else except replacing the battery and starter, but the issue was gone.


After one year almost..this hesitation issue feels like it might reappear. It's not as bad as it was on year ago..but I can sometimes recreate it when on idle.. it happens too rarely to really bother me..however I really want to avoid going back to having that massive hesitation


I definitely also have the throttle delay . There are moments when the gearbox feels like it's "thinking" a bit too much until it changes the gear. It mostly happens at low speeds and it's quite annoying. I am planning on doing an oil change and I hope that this will improve the way it performs. As for fixing it with a tune..it would be great if that's possible but I have the GM gearbox..and from what I found on google there aren't many things that you can do to improve.

Clear your adaptations and report back.

You can clear them via throttle method (google it), or by computer. Did you ever scan for codes? Sometimes faulty throttle sensor (I think it’s on pedal) can cause this issue

[rjahl]

Not likely that this is a transmission issue. You have a toque converter that will allow the engine to rev way past 1,000 RPMs even with the car standing still.

The lag is coming from something else. Check for error codes with a BMW tool, reset adaptations for throttle, VVT and Octane.

If that fails look into maintenance items, plugs, coils, Vanos solenoids and sensors.

[tpe92]

I've done a scan and quite a few codes turned up:

29D2 Combustion misfires cylinder 6
29D9 Missfire at low tank fill level
2AAB Variable intake system, self-diganosis
2A80 Intake VANOS, activ action
2A85 Exhaust VANOS activation
2F08 Intake-air temperature sensor, signal

However, I've erased the errors and so far none reappeared.

2 weeks ago I did see the check engine go on and stayed on for a couple of minutes, but that was the only time.

[nsjames]

so you erased the errors with no corrective action?

did you at least save the freeze frame data?

anywho.
vanos can and will cause rough idles and hesitation. Clean the vanos solenoids.
DISA valves malfuntioning will cause hesitation, and you've got errors for it. Check them as already suggested.
I'm gonna assume that your IAT error is becuase you had it unplugged when the ignition was on.
and a single cylinder misfire is probably a coil.