Got myself back in a BMW. Not a huge fan of the E60, but this 520d is a comfortable cruiser with heated seats Had some work done on the engine, timing chains, guides, pulleys & tensioners. Its currently on 118k. I have a question: The fuel econ is woeful - 23mpg. Ive taken it on a few long runs but this is not improving. No major codes shown - any ideas why the mpg may be low? Thanks Sent from my Note8 using Tapatalk
Is it the N47 engine? Apart from chain/crank issues from that year then it's generally ok. I read somewhere about owners having poor fuel economy and I'm trying to find a link to that particular article. A sticking turbo actuator can cause issues. Also be a good idea to check the pipework from the turbo to the intercooler and from the intercooler to the inlet manifold. The seals don't always seat properly and can cause leaks. Thermostats on the N47 don't have the same issues as the M47 engines and tend not to fail, that being said, does the car get up to temp ok? There's no EGR thermostat to go wrong either, also the EGR doesn't clog up in the same way and is generally pretty reliable. How is the DPF? Apart from the fuel economy does it drive ok otherwise?
Thanks @bishbosh Drives perfectly, I'll look into the issues you highlighted. This is why diesels annoy me Sent from my Note8 using Tapatalk
looks exactly the same as the one that i owned a couple of years ago but mine was a manual, cant help with what might be causing your fuel economy issue but there seems to be somthing a miss with your car mine was running 48 mpg combined and could get up to 60 mpg on a run as long as you were cruising at 70-80 mph on a motorway
@megae39fan Ahh, the bit I'd read which I couldn't find a link to was on Wikipedia - "The return spring on the turbo's waste-gate was not originally lubricated or covered, this frequently resulted in early failure causing the waste-gate to remain partially or fully open. With the subsequent loss in compression, fuel consumption increased by 30%-50%. The problem was described by BMW engineers as a "known fault" and was immediately repaired (BMW mobile engineers even carried boxes of an improved spring), however BMW refused to compensate customers for the excessive fuel consumption and denied this fault was their liability"
Thanks @bishbosh, very useful info. I'm taking a screenshot of your post to wave at my Indy Sent from my Note8 using Tapatalk
