The BMW M54 is a straight-6 DOHC piston engine which replaced the M52 and was produced from 2000-2006. There was no "technical update" (TU) version of the M54 produced, therefore the engine specifications remained the same throughout its 7 year production. The M54 began to be phased out following the introduction of the BMW N52 in 2004.
The main differences between the M54 and its M52TU predecessor are the non-return fuel system, a fully electronic throttle[1] (without mechanical backup), an electronically controlled thermostat[2] and that the North American engines no longer use an iron block. The M54 uses an aluminium block and aluminium cylinder head with cast iron cylinder liners and, like the M52TU, the M54 features variable valve timing to both camshafts[3] (called dual VANOS by BMW) and a dual length intake manifold (called "DISA" by BMW).
The E46 M3 is powered by the S54 engine series, which is an evolution of the S50B32, itself being based on the M50. It still features an iron block as opposed to the aluminium M54.[WIKI]
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