Tech Info

Reference material for BMW M57 diesel conversions, written from the builds that come through our Myaree workshop. Everything here is what we actually fit, and what we have learned getting these engines into Patrols, LandCruisers and Defenders.

Grouped by engine variant. If you are not sure which engine you have, start with the identification table below. If something here does not match what is in front of you, ask us — we answer conversion questions every day.

Identify your engine

All three are 3.0L BMW straight-six turbo diesels, and all three swap into the same vehicles. BMW’s own documentation uses different names again, which is where most of the confusion starts.

Variant BMW TIS name Output Where it came from Notes
M57 M57 — Earliest of the three Fewest conversion parts available. Some fuel system torques differ from the later engines.
M57N M57TU 218 HP X5 E53 Cast iron block. Very common conversion engine, widest kit support alongside the M57N2.
M57N2 M57TU2 (also seen as M57T2 / “TOP”) 231 HP X5 E70, 2006–2009 Engine code 306d3. The usual choice for a modern build, normally paired with a ZF 6HP28X or 8HP.

Not sure which suits your vehicle and gearbox? Send us your details and we will recommend the combination. Every engine we supply gets a compression test, injector value and feedback test, boost performance check and leakdown test.

M57N

Conversion overview

The notes below come from fitting an M57N (218 HP, X5 E53, cast iron block) to a manual gearbox in a GU Patrol with a non-common-rail ZD30. They cover the areas that catch people out rather than every step of the install.

Cooling

Item Detail
Radiator Nissan Patrol Y61 GU TB45 radiator is the base. We recommend a Koyo or AdRad in place of a tired original.
Upper hose The BMW hose lands roughly 75 mm short. Extend it with an offcut of the old Nissan hose, and check it clears the airbox and turbo inlet pipe.
Lower hose Ford Barra CH3300C. Retain the push-lock thermostat fitting off the BMW hose.
Heater core hoses Lower hose to the coolant fitting near the oil cooler; upper hose to the smaller cylinder head outlet. Blanking plugs are supplied.
Thermofans Two Maradyne 14" fans, for both cooling capacity and fan life.
Fan control — fixed Thermo fan switch, 95°C on / 90°C off. M14 × 1.5 thread with dual terminals, so signal and power run on separate paths. Fixed switching points, so your coolant outlet housing has to take an M14 × 1.5 sensor.
Fan control — adjustable Digital thermatic fan switch kit, 12V. Adjustable anywhere from 40–110°C with an LED display showing both actual and set temperature, 30 A per fan (40 A maximum), and a 10-second delay before the second fan starts. Sensor lead is 1420 mm total. This is the one we normally use on simplified looms.
Fan shroud Aluminium shroud that bolts to the Koyo or AdRad radiator and suits 14" fans.

Engine & gearbox mounting

  • The gearbox crossmember needs drilling to move the mounts forward — 15 mm or 30 mm depending on which crossmember you have.
  • The gearbox input shaft is shortened by 5 mm.
  • The adapter plate and starter bolt to the bellhousing; the bellhousing needs minor clearancing.
  • The supplied flywheel needs the centre needle bearing removed so the input shaft can pass through.
  • The supplied spigot bearing bush is shortened by about 5 mm.
  • Reuse the factory clutch release bearing. Replace the clutch fork pin with the supplied one.
  • Pressure plate bolts are M8 × 16 mm, 8.8 grade — not supplied.

Fuel system

Part Reference
Lift pump Bosch 0986580131
Fuel filter Mann WK521/3

Vacuum system

  • Block the vacuum at the solenoids, but leave the electrical connectors plugged in — unplugged connectors can put the ECU into limp mode.
  • Brake and clutch boosters run off the Nissan piping.
  • Retain the BMW turbo actuator line and canister, connected as they were in the BMW.

Torque specs — M57N specific

Fastener Thread Torque Angle
Camshaft sprocket bolt, main chain drive M12×1.5 20 Nm +50°

Everything else on this engine uses the shared figures in Common to all M57.

M57N2

Conversion overview

The parts below cover a BMW E70 X5 (2006–2009) M57N2 (306d3) with its ZF6HP28X automatic transmission, into a Nissan Patrol GU (Y61) that came out with a ZD30.

This is a general parts guide compiled from ASLmods conversion builds, for reference only. Specific parts, quantities and pricing vary with donor vehicle condition, chassis, model year and what you want out of the build — contact us for a quote and build specification tailored to your vehicle.

Engine & transmission

Part Reference Notes
M57N2 complete engine 306d3 BMW E70, 2006–2009
ZF6HP28X automatic transmission ZF6HP28X BMW E70, 2006–2009
Billet ZF6HP to Nissan GQ/GU transfer case adapter — Mates the ZF to the Patrol transfer case

Conversion kits do not include the engine or gearbox, but we can quote a complete supply package including a donor car.

Mounts & adapters

Part Notes
M57N2 to ZD30 chassis bolt-in engine mounts Includes bushes
BMW E70 shifter mount to Nissan GU
M57 EDC16 ECU mount bracket GU Patrol
M57N2 turbo actuator relocation bracket BMW E60 / E70
Power steering reservoir relocation bracket
M57 engine breather PCV adapter plate

Steering

Part Notes
M57 to Nissan Patrol power steering hose
Toyota LandCruiser 80 Series steering universal joint Donor part

Wiring & electronics

Part Notes
M57 / M57N / M57N2 plug-and-play automatic wiring loom Includes the ZD30 / Nissan CRD pedal plug and module with display
M57N2 wiring grommet adapter
BMW M57N / M57N2 brake signal module
BMW M57N2 inlet air temperature boss and protection clip

Looms are built in-house to suit each vehicle. You post in parts of your own harness for us to modify, and the 8-week build time starts from the day we receive it. A simplified loom has a quicker turnaround but leaves more wiring for you; the plug-and-play loom just plugs in.

Fuel system

Part Reference
Inline fuel filter Mann WK 516/1
Inline fuel pump Bosch 0986580131

On injectors there is no bolt-on upgrade as such. We recommend new injectors plus an upgraded high-pressure fuel pump, and we stock genuine Bosch injectors for all M57 variants.

Turbo, exhaust & intercooler

Part Spec
Turbo GT2060V, 3" V-band
Turbo downpipe gasket
Turbo manifold seal ring
Turbo manifold V-band clamp
Turbo outlet flange 2.5"
EGR delete kit, 2.5" Suits M57N and M57N2
ASL “Big Dog” top mount intercooler

Pedal & throttle

Part Notes
Nissan Patrol GU throttle pedal bracket Suits ZD30 CRD — for DI ZD30 only
Genuine Nissan Patrol GU throttle pedal Suits ZD30 CRD — for DI ZD30 only

Air conditioning

Part Notes
M57N to M57N2 A/C hose kit, Nissan Patrol Front A/C only — rear A/C is not covered

Cooling

Part Notes
BMW M57N / M57N2 cooling kit for Y61 GU Patrol Radiator, top radiator pipe, lower radiator hose, heater core hoses, radiator cap, fan shroud and Maradyne 14" thermofans
Fan control Same two options as the M57N cooling section — a fixed 95/90°C M14 × 1.5 switch, or the adjustable digital thermatic kit.
Water pump
Thermostat with housing
Oil cooler line barb fittings

ECU & TCU tuning

You normally supply your own ECU and TCU and we tune them in-house — immobiliser delete, emissions delete and performance tune in one, with a hard cut. Turnaround is about 3–4 days and we regularly send tuned units back interstate.

On the transmission side the ZF TCM gets an immobiliser delete and true manual mode. Required for the ZF6HP28X only.

Your existing tune will not survive the conversion — it is a different vehicle now, so it is always retuned. The MAF can be deleted; it is turned off in our tunes.

Refresh parts

Engine, while it is out

The engine is never more accessible than when it is on the stand. We recommend:

  • Valve spring and valve stem seal upgrade
  • Timing chain kit
  • Water pump, and thermostat with housing
  • Engine seal kit — valve cover gasket, crankshaft front and rear main seals, intake manifold gasket set, injector washers, oil cooler gasket, oil filter housing gasket and vacuum pump O-ring
  • Swirl flap delete

Transmission

  • ZF6HP seal kit
  • ZF6HP28 sump pan and filter — Mann H 50 002 / BMW 24152333903

Torque specs — M57N2 specific

Fastener Thread Torque Replace
Intake cam sprocket-to-gear classification screw M7×19 14 Nm —
Exhaust manifold to cylinder head — 19 Nm Yes (nuts)
HP line, injector to rail M12×1.5 23 Nm —
HP line, pump / accumulator to rail M14×1.5 23 Nm —
Rail pressure control valve to accumulator — 60 Nm, open 90°, then 85 Nm —

Main chain sprocket bolt. We have not been able to locate an M57N2 figure in BMW TIS. Do not assume it matches the M57N value — confirm it before you rely on one.

Everything else on this engine uses the shared figures in Common to all M57.

Common to all M57

Driveline & transfer case

  • Driveshafts and crossmember. Converting a ZD30 auto to an M57 with a 6HP26X? Use the manual driveshafts with the auto crossmember.
  • Toyota HF2A transfer adapter. Keeps high and low range as standard.

Clutch & spigot bearing

Read this before you blame the clutch. The clutch disc is the designed weak point in this driveline. The most common cause of an early clutch failure after a conversion is a missing spigot bearing. Before you condemn a flywheel, check dual-mass play: maximum 11° (4 teeth) of rotation and 2.9 mm peripheral play.

Torque specs — all variants

Compiled from BMW TIS for the M57 family. These figures are a field reference, not a substitute for the full repair procedure — confirm against BMW TIS or an official workshop manual for your exact engine code and production date.

Torque-to-yield fasteners stretch when installed and must be replaced, never reused.

Valvetrain & timing

Fastener Thread Torque Angle
Camshaft bearing caps M6 / M7 / M8 10 / 15 / 20 Nm —
Timing chain tensioner cap nut M22×1.5 40 Nm —
Timing case and cover bolts M6 / M7 / M8 / M10 10 / 15 / 22 / 47 Nm —

Cylinder head cover & intake

Fastener Thread Torque Replace
Valve cover bolts M6 8 ±1 Nm —
Intake manifold to cylinder head M6 / M7 / M8 10 / 15 / 22 Nm —
Hydraulic valve clearance compensation screw plug M14×1.5 30 Nm Yes

Common-rail fuel system

Fastener Thread Torque
Injector clamp in cylinder head cover M6 1 Nm, then 4 Nm, then 9 Nm
Pressure regulator to high-pressure pump — 9 Nm

On the earlier engines, high-pressure line torques vary by production date — yellow fittings before 10/2000, grey fittings after, and a further change from 9/2002. Check your engine’s build date before relying on a single figure.

Generic fastener torques

Thread Torque
M5 5 ±0.5 Nm
M6 8 ±1 Nm
M7 13 ±2 Nm
M8 19 ±3 Nm
M10 38 ±5 Nm
Hose clamp, WAF 5 1.0–1.5 Nm
Hose clamp, WAF 6 2.5–3.5 Nm

M57 (original series)

Fastener Thread Torque Angle
Camshaft sprocket bolt, main chain drive M12×1.5 20 Nm +35°
Threaded support sleeve to rail — 60 Nm —

Bottom end figures. Main bearing, connecting rod, cylinder head and harmonic balancer torques are multi-stage and differ between M57, M57N and M57N2. We have kept them off this page rather than publish a figure that could be read against the wrong variant. For a bottom-end rebuild, work from BMW TIS for your exact engine code and production date, or call the workshop and we will confirm the sequence for the engine in front of you.

Downloads

The same material as PDFs, if you would rather have it on a tablet in the shed. Parts guide V1, 23 January 2026; torque specifications V1, 30 July 2026.

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