From reading a few threads over the years on this, people seem to be using the M54 compression rings and the M52TU oil control ring. Note that the M52 and M52TU are different engines. M52 is E36. M52TU is later and can be found in the E36/7 and E46. Think of the M52TU as the M54 Beta engine. Both double VANOS, use same block and head etc

Check out the sizing of the M52TU compression rings and see it they fit. They most likely will due to the very very closeness of the M52TU and M54.

 

I did some research real quick on SM. Its a reputable German auto parts manufacturer. I downloaded the piston/ring catalog and that set has chrome rings. Nice find! I order two sets for now. Thanks!

 

I've done a b30 rebuild with b30 piston rings and m52tu oil rings. 35k km later and still going strong

 

I've used "SM Motorenteile" brand piston rings in two different engine rebuilds for that reason. Bought on ebay for ~$100.
Like these SM piston rings x6 for BMW M54B30 M54B25 325i 330i 525i 530i 84.00 STD | eBay but there are more sellers with different prices and shipping options for the same product.
So far both engines run great. But I've done no more than 20k km on any so far, too early for quality assessment.

 

I'm using these:

08-137400-00 - Piston Ring Kit

08-137400-00 - Piston Ring Kit manufactured by GOETZE ENGINE applicable for the VW, AUDI, and PORSCHE. Order GOETZE ENGINE piston ring kit online and find many other parts and accessories that fit your car, bike or truck.

spareto.com

Can't tell yet how they'll go. Only just had a short first start today after a full rebuild, will go for a first drive tomorrow.

 

I have re-ringed 6 M54's.

You do you, but I use the upgraded Mahle M54 ring set with much larger slits than original in the oil rings for oil drainage.

The M52TU is a better design, but the upgraded M54 rings will do a decent job of reducing oil consumption if you use the right oil, and change it when you should. At the end of the day, you still only have 4 drain holes in the piston itself...

I am willing to try new rings from any quality manufacturer. I haven't liked the cost of the custom ring sets made by using the M52TU design.

BTW- I whole-heartedly recommend the Wiseco 84mm tapered piston ring compressor part# RCS08400

 

A link to the Wiseco 84mm tapered piston ring compressor.
Wiseco Tapered Piston Ring Compressor - 84mm Bore - RCS08400

 

We may be the outliers, but the 2001 330 gets 12-1400 miles to the quart, whereas the 2004 325 is down to several quarts per 1000 miles, and is scheduled to soon go in for a serious engine-ectomy.

What's frustrating is that it's been 'in the family' since 40k, and has had both regular and high quality oil changes, and oil consumption just keeps going up. Stoopid thing.

t

 

Have you tried MrMCar’s engine flush? I may give it a go on an m54.

 

I did- to no avail. Have flushed twice, and changed to the LeichtLauf.
The Liqui- Moly LeichtLauf, it likes to drink very much, thank you!

I have DMSO in the barn, but I haven't had the time nor the testicular fortitude to do that- yet.
It's on the list for next week. I want to rig up a heater to keep the water jacket hot for this one-
because I REALLY wanna soak this engine!
And then replace it if I ruin it or if it doesn't clean up with the DMSO.

We have 2 M54B25s- one uses NO oil, then there's this on.
An M52TUB- no oil at all
An M54B30- roughly a quart every 1200, but it varies significantly.

t

 

So I went out and looked at the replacement Mahle rings- they're one piece, with a stiff backing spring.
Tiny holes, it's true, and then the spring behind.
That said, BMW has been using a one- piece oil control ring since the 2002,
(that's starting in 1966, btw)
and the M54 is the first engine with piston ring oil control problems.
What struck me is that the oil control ring is STUPID narrow, tho,
compared to earlier designs, so it's quite possible it's a volume issue, as above.
There's just not enough room for a lot of flow.
Interestingly, I wonder if a thinner oil would flow better through the smaller passages.
If I have to open this thing up, I'm going to enlarge the piston drain holes, just for shiggles.

t
one of these days...

 

Those are the upgraded oil rings with bigger slits than original. Those openings are at least 4x or 5x larger than the original holes. This is what I have been using.

BMW may have been using 1-piece rings since 1966, but several including the M52tu had 3-piece rings

 

Isn’t the surface area of the ring so small to lower the friction when sliding on the cylinder wall? I think I once read somewhere that pistom rings make the majority of the friction in an ICE when it is running. This maybe was to lower the fuel consumption?

 

Here are the Goetze part numbers If you want to combine ring sets with the M54 and M52TU 3 piece oil control rings.

 

Just for reference, these are the piston rings Wiseco provides for their 84mm B30 pistons. 0 oil used.

 

I just installed a set of SM rings. I used a FlexHone to renew the cross hatch.
I also installed a set of Rheinmetall rod and main bearings.
Crank journals were absolutely perfect. The cylinder oval was 0.0015 on cyl 3 and half thou on the rest.
SM ring gap was 17 thou and had 3 pc oil rings.

It was a friend's and I just delivered it. I can't wait to see it run...2 years he's had it apart...

Next project...1974 Ford 2.8 60 degree V6 rebuild for my wife's LUV...Then back to M54 land to finish rebuilding my M54...

 

You're wise to not choose the same 2 piece failed design oil control rings again. Why would you want to rebuild you engine and have the same oil comsuption issues in the future? Even if mahle "upgraded those two piece oil control rings they will clog again for sure.
This was the biggest mistake BMW made with these engines.

I rebuilt my engine some months ago with a set of these VW VR6 piston rings: Mahle 030 70 N0 with great results. My oil consumption is zero now (thanks to effduration for the tip).

Before ordering, I did a lot of research about the ring shape, sizes and composition and found that this set meets all the requirements for the M54 pistons.

The top two rings composition shape and size is the same as the stock rings and for the oil control rings is equivalent to the M52TU's so you will be fine.

Don't pay attention to the VW application legend. Rings are rings, as long as they meet the size and requirements the job is the same and they work the same.

Here are some pictures from my rebuild:


new mahle piston rings

Cleaned piston with new mahle rings in place:

New set top ring inside cyl#1 to check gap and fit

And this is a piston just extracted from the engine with the original rings, as can be seen, they were completely clogged with carbon deposits in the oil control rings so the middle and top part of the piston was also dirty with oil and carbon deposits. All 6 pistons were like this:

Greetings.

 

I rebuilt my engine some months ago with a set of these VW VR6 piston rings: Mahle 030 70 N0 with great results. My oil consumption is zero now (thanks to effduration for the tip).

Hey Ralf (or anyone else), can I ask you to please confirm that part number? I can't find a reference or a listing anywhere. Mahle 030 70 N0 ? are all the "0" zeroes?

I know you said I recommended it, and maybe I did, but I have not used them before...I think maybe I read someone else did.

 

Rings are rings, as long as they meet the size and requirements the job is the same and they work the same.

erp. This is true, to a limited extent. And since the VW and the BMW aluminum pistons are made by the same companies for very similar purposes,
it's probably a fair assumption. But I wouldn't try to use said rings on forged pistons, pistons designed by different companies, or pistons
made of different materials. Even if all the specifications were the same. Depth matters a lot, too.

I'm all for trying it- I'm just having a bit of trouble finding the VW part for sale in the US for a reasonable price... The Mahle part number for BMW went
'backorder' a month ago, and now the price is up $10 a set everywhere.

But I also don't believe that a one- piece oil control ring is the end of the planet. I DO believe that the room allowed for an oil control ring
on the M54 piston is awfully, awfully narrow for an engine that we're trying to make last for 20 years.

hmmm.

t

 

The 030 74 N0 mahle piston ring set was designed for the VW 3.2 VR6 engine, that has the same bore, and the same piston ring composition, dimensions and specifications as the M54's but with the same 3 piece oil control rings as the M52TU

You won't find these piston rings in the US. I had to order my set from Lithuania through ebay. If you want to order a set, I suggest to buy from: VRD Baltic Engine Parts. He is a serious seller, and also created a special listing for me with express delivery to the US, and the ring set arrived in 5 days.

I don't know if this set would be OK for forged pistons and track built engines. My engine rebuild was very straightforward, with the same components and with reliabilty in mind. Apart from the required usual gaskets and parts for an engine reassembly, the only new parts I added were the piston rings, new rod bearings and a new exhaust valve that was cracked.

So far, and after 3000 miles, my engine runs stronger than before with zero oil consumption.

I will make a post about my engine rebuild with more details some day.

 

I've referred to these earlier in the thread, having now put 10,000km on the clock since the engine rebuild can happily recommend these Goetze rings. Volkswagen/Audi product but all the rings are the right sizes and has the M52-style control rings. Just did a compression test and got a good 200-210 PSI on all cylinders, haven't so far noticed any oil consumption either. Looks a good, affordable option for anyone looking.

08-137400-00 - Piston Ring Kit

08-137400-00 - Piston Ring Kit manufactured by GOETZE ENGINE applicable for the VW, AUDI, and PORSCHE. Order GOETZE ENGINE piston ring kit online and find many other parts and accessories that fit your car, bike or truck.

spareto.com

 

Yes, those goetze rings are interchangeable with mahle 030 74 N0. They're the same rings and should work too.

Personally I prefer Mahle, but I know Goetze is also a top brand.

These rings need to be imported from Europe anyways same as Mahle.

 

I got interested in this and did a bit of searching.
Oddly enough, it seems in the US it's cheaper to order these rings from Porsche (part# 955-103-925-01).
Placed an order online for under $140 shipped. The dealer notified me the next day the rings are coming from Germany, so it may take 4-5 weeks.
That's fine with me, I don't even know yet where will I take the car to replace rings.

Since M54 ring sets can be ordered per piston, it's probably a good idea to order one just to compare dimensions to those from VAG.

 

$140 for the whole set?

What brand?

 

Haha, after more digging it seems 955-103-925-01 is a set of rings for one piston.
VAG parts diagrams are confusing.
These are even more expensive at Audi dealers.
Just a reminder how easy is to find BMW parts info - compared to others.

 

You won't find these piston rings in the US. I had to order my set from Lithuania through ebay. If you want to order a set, I suggest to buy from: VRD Baltic Engine Parts. He is a serious seller, and also created a special listing for me with express delivery to the US, and the ring set arrived in 5 days.

Ok, thanks- I did find offshore sources, but wasn't sure.

And yes, a set of VW- sourced rings can be yours for less than $300 at ECS!

t
has a few more engines to do, so will shop around.

 

You're right. Finding Audi parts is a pain in the ass, there is not a VIN build database to use like realoem.com. Instead, they use production codes that must be located in a sticker placed in the car owner manual that can be easily lost. These codes have to be deciphered with a decoder website. Besides that, once you've located the part, you have to double check because it might not fit. Mercedes is about the same mess too.

 

Currently in the process of rebuilding my 3.0 swap and I'm still not sure what to order.
Should I order the 030 74 N0 set for the VR6 and use the whole set, or should I order the 083 20 N0 set where I use the upper 2 rings and then order a separate kit of Wiseco/MAHLE rings from where I use the 3 piece oil ring?
My local auto-stores are also having issues finding the 083 20 N0 set, everything is out of stock.

 

I believe you can buy the 030 74 N0 set on Ebay from European sellers...Although I have not used them, I probably will the next time I do rings.

Up to now I have used the OE- style, 4-piece ring from Mahle. Part#11257506252. They have bigger slits for oil drainage, but still suffer from carbon build up that clogs the slits if you don't change oil frequently enough.

 

I believe you can buy the 030 74 N0 set on Ebay from European sellers...Although I have not used them, I probably will the next time I do rings.

Up to now I have used the OE- style, 4-piece ring from Mahle. Part#11257506252. They have bigger slits for oil drainage, but still suffer from carbon build up that clogs the slits if you don't change oil frequently enough.

The VW set isnt an issue, besides I am located in the EU.
Ordered the 030 74 N0 kit, they come in tommorrow and I'll do some comparison.

 

Im attaching this document I made with information about the piston ring set part numbers and details from goetze and mahle for the M54b30 and M52tu engines and put some notes for clarification and details.

I did a lot of research on how to properly choose the right piston rings with a 3 piece oil control style rings for my rebuild since I did not want to have this oil consumption problem again, So rebuilding my engine with a 2 piece coil spring oil control ring again was out of the question.
Initially I was going to combine piston rings sets from M54 and M52 but luckily, I was pointed in the right direction and found a mahle set that already has the right combination and requirements: the Mahle 030 74 N0 for VW and porsche 3.2 vr6 engines.

This mahle set can be found on ebay from europe vendors, or maybe at VW or porsche dealers.

 

Can anyone share what these Mahle three piece oil control rings gapped to?

Mine are .023” out of the box… I have a set of standard m54 oil control ring replacements that gap within the .020” max.

Trying to decide to run the two piece within spec and risk burning oil, or run the three piece out of spec and risk burning oil.

 

Well, those sound like 2 options with the same results!

Give that you have the 3 piece, and that they're so close, in your shoes I'd run the 3 piece rings.

The end gap's less critical with the 2 scraper oil rings that can be run clocked in different orientations,
so any oil that made it by one end gap would be collected by the other ring.
As much as I don't think the oil control design matters all that much, I DO have a bit of a soft spot for the 3- piece design.
Even though I use the stock version myself with few ill effects.

But I'll bet it doesn't make much difference...

t

 

I'm no engine builder but if you read around from ring manufacturers and machine shops then the oil control gap isn't all that critical. So long as it closer to the new spec than the worn spec then it'll be fine. The second ring does more oil control than compression and the oil scrapper is there to tidy up.