What year was the dual vanos 3.0 engine released?
 

thanks!

2000 as i remember

For some reason I am thinking that it first showed up on the X5 with the 2004 facelift. I could be wrong, however.

2004 for N62 engines in 4.4i(SOP 10/03) and 4.8is(SOP 4/04).

For E53:

3.0i From 2001 till 2006 has the Double-Vanos M54B30(all 3.0i)
4.4 2000-2003: M62TU56 is VVT (not Vanos)
4.6 2001-2003: M62B56 is VVT (not Vanos)
4.4 2004-2006: has the double-vanos N62B44
4.8 2004-2006: has the double-vanos N62B48

The double VANOS technology itself appeared in 1996 (single vanos in 1992), but we are talking E53 here...

Umm, where did you get that info?

IIRC from all my years of owning BMWs, the 4.4 M62TU is a double vanos motor. Its in my 01 740i.

The N62 motors are Valvetronic, hence the N nomenclature.

S series motors are in the ///M cars and utilize the double vanos system also.

Wiki says:

4.4 (2003 and lower) = M62TUB44, Single VANOS
4.6 (2003 and lower) = M62B46, It doesn't say Single VANOS but I'm assuming the engine designation doesn't have to have TU to indicate VANOS - since this engine is supposedly based on the M62TUB44 above.

I couldn't find any info on M62B56/M62TU56.

:dunno:

EDIT: The answer to the OP question is 2001.

actually, you're right. I just found some info that the early M62TU is only Single Vanos.

About Double Vanos from BMW facelift docs for 2004 X5 model:

Double VANOS variable valve timing(all models)
All current BMW engines employ Double VANOS, a system of variable valve timing. The name “VANOS” derives from Variable NOckenwellen Steuerung, German for “variable camshaft control” or variable valve timing. “Double” refers to the fact that VANOS varies the timing of the intake and exhaust valves. By varying valve timing according to operating conditions, VANOS enhances low- to medium-speed torque and emission control, and may have a positive effect on fuel economy. Valve timing is varied “steplessly” between the system’s “earliest” and “latest” settings rather than having simply low- and high-speed settings. Hydraulically actuated, the VANOS system is electronically controlled in response to engine speed, load and temperature. The X5 4.4i and 4.8is engines add Valvetronic, which varies the intake valves’ lift to regulate engine output, replacing the conventional throttle.

M54 DOHC 24-valve inline
6-cylinder engine(X5 3.0i, X3 2.5i & 3.0i)
In the X5 3.0i and X3 3.0i, this
legendary BMW powerplant
appears in its larger 3.0-liter
displacement; in the X3 2.5i, it
comes in the smaller 2.5-liter
size. Either version of this unit
provides these models with
smooth, willing and esthetically
pleasing performance. Highlights
of this engine family include:
• Dual resonance intake system,
with additional turbulence
passages for very low throttle
openings. The two basic intakepath
lengths (one for lower
speeds and loads, the other for
higher speeds and loads) are
optimized for excellent performance
in all speed ranges.
Double VANOS variable valve
timing. Intake timing is varied
by 40°, exhaust by 25° in terms
of crankshaft rotation to
enhance the engine’s torque,
fuel efficiency and emission
control.
• Aluminum block and cylinder
head, for an excellent powerto-
weight ratio.
The 3.0-liter engine delivers 225
hp @ 5900 rpm and 214 lb-ft. of
torque @ 3500 rpm; the 2.5-liter
version delivers184 hp @ 6000
rpm and 175 lb-ft. @ 3500. As
BMW’s “entry” engine, the M54
2.5 makes it clear that every
current BMW is powered by a
high-caliber engine of at least six
cylinders; the 3.0i version
maintains the concept’s sterling
qualities while producing more
power and torque.
The X3 2.5i is certified as an LEV
(Low Emissions Vehicle); X3 and
X5 3.0i models are certified as
ULEV (Ultra Low Emissions
Vehicle). All BMW SAVs belong
to the Environmental Protection
Administration’s LDT (Light Duty
Truck) category.

*****

DOHC (4-cam) 32-valve V-8
engine with Valvetronic and
Double VANOS
(X5 4.4i & 4.8is)
With the ’04 model year, the
unique and technologically
advanced N62 V-8 engine comes
to the X5 Series for the first time.
Compared to conventional
engines, the amazing N62 makes
significant strides in power and
efficiency. There are state-of-theart
engineering details throughout,
but two major new technologies
are the main driving forces.
In the X5 4.4i, the N62 engine
produces 315 horsepower, a
significant 8.6% more than the
previous V-8. Keen observers
will note that 315 hp is 10 hp
less than the N62 engine in the
7 and 5 Series produces; that’s
because the X5 version has
been tuned for special emphasis
on midrange response. As a
result, the X5 power peak occurs
at 5400 rpm, fully 700 rpm lower
than the 7 and 5 Series’ 6100
rpm. Yet there’s no question that
it boosts X5 performance: The
0-60-mph time for the new 4.4i
is 6.8 sec., vs. the previous 7.4.
Equally impressive is dramatically
improved fuel economy: The ’04
Valvetronic X5 4.4i delivers EPA
ratings of 16 mpg city/22 mpg
highway, vs. 14/18 in ’03. (The
new 6-speed automatic transmission
plays some role in this
improvement; see page 50.)
The X5 4.8is version brings even
higher performance. Via its larger
bore and stroke, displacement
grows 9.1% to 4.8 liters. “Hotter”
tuning further boosts output, to
355 hp at 6200 rpm and 360 lb-ft.
at 3600 – 12.7% more power,
11.1% more torque. Just as
impressively, the 4.8is engine
delivers almost the same EPA
mileage: 16 city/21 highway.
Valvetronic: revolutionary new
“breathing” concept. Many
automotive engines now have
variable valve timing, including all
of BMW’s. A number of manufacturers,
including BMW, achieve
variable valve timing – the valves
do not always open and close at
the same point in the combustion
cycle – by rotating the camshafts
relative to their driving sprockets
or pulleys. Others, notably
Honda, vary valve timing via a
mechanism involving more than
one cam lobe per valve; Honda
(including Acura) also uses this
mechanism to change valve lift –
the distance the valve is opened
from its seat in the top of the
combustion chamber.

******

Double VANOS. Responding to
operating conditions and the
driver’s demands for power,
Double VANOS rotates the intake
and exhaust camshafts steplessly
between “earliest” and “latest”
valve timing to enhance the
engine’s torque, fuel efficiency
and emission control. Here it
operates in combination with
Valvetronic to help achieve
heretofore unknown levels of
performance, efficiency and
general operational excellence.
Fully variable intake manifold:
another major new technology.
Some current engines, including
BMW’s 2.5- and 3.0-liter inline
6-cylinder units (X5 3.0i, all X3),
employ 2-stage intake manifolds.
Generally, these have a flap
mechanism that switches
between two paths for air entering
the engine: one tuned for
low- to medium-speed operation
(improving torque and response),
the other for high-speed operation
(improving top-end power).
For the N62 engine, BMW
engineers evolved this concept
into a fully, steplessly variable
intake manifold. They conceived
an internal mechanism consisting
of two intertwined helical elements
which, rotated by an electric
servo motor, vary the effective
intake length steplessly between
215 and 607 mm (8.5–23.9 in.).
Like Valvetronic and stepless
Double VANOS, this manifold
concept dispenses with traditional
compromises to achieve
truly optimum performance.
The proof is in the driving: media
praise. All this ground-breaking
technology pays off in real-world
performance, as media critics
have found in early test drives of
the new X5 4.4i:
• Automobile Magazine, February
’04: “The 4.4i’s tweaked V-8
growls aggressively and mates
ably with the six-speed
automatic.”
• auto motor und sport,
Germany, October 29, ’03: “The
new V-8 with Valvetronic can
do everything better than the
competition, and it harmonizes
beautifully with the 6-speed
automatic.”