BMW E60 5-Series M54 6-Cylinder Engine Drive Belt Replacement (2024)

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BMW E60 5-Series M54 6-Cylinder Engine Drive Belt Replacement (5)

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3 Comments

Two drive belts in the M54 6-cylinder engine drive the accessories pulleys at the front of the engine.

The power steering pump, coolant pump and alternator are driven by one belt. A separate belt drives the AC compressor. A tensioner pulley tensions each belt.

Note that the engine-cooling fan is electric and not belt-driven.

The belts are tensioned by strong tensioners and do not need periodic adjustment. But they will, over time and due to heat, cold and the rigors of operating multiple pulleys, develop signs of wear: cracks, fraying, glazing or missing chunks. In addition, the tensioners and idler pulleys may develop defects. Bearings in these pulleys are lifetime lubricated. The lubrication eventually dries up or wears out and may cause noises. If a pulley bearing deteriorates, it can tilt and allow the belt to fly off the pulleys. If it seizes it can damage the belt quite quickly due to excessive friction.

With your engine cold and turned OFF, inspect your drive belts for wear. The belts should be free from cracks, fraying, glazing and missing chunks. Replace belts if any of the previously mentioned issues are present or every four years. In this article, I'll go over the steps involved with replacing the drive belts on the M54 engine. Be sure to work with a cool engine and remove the key from the ignition.

Keep in mind that when your car was serviced before, parts may have been replaced with different size fasteners used in the replacement. The sizes of the nuts and bolts we give may be different from what you have, so be prepared with different size sockets and wrenches.

Protect your eyes, hands and body from fluids, dust and debris while working on your vehicle. If working with the electrical system, disconnect the battery before beginning. Always catch fluids in appropriate containers and properly dispose of any fluid waste. Recycle parts, packaging and fluids when possible. Never work on your vehicle if you feel the task is beyond your ability.

Our vehicle may vary slightly from yours as models do change and evolve, as they grow older. If something seems different, let us know and share your info to help other users. Questions or want to add to the article? Leave a comment below. When leaving a comment, please leave your vehicle information.

Remove the engine splash shields. See our tech article on Engine Splash Shield Removing.

Hot tip

Work with a cool engine

Wayne R. Dempsey, Co-Founder & DIY Expert

Nick Czerula, DIY Expert

Project Photos

BMW E60 5-Series M54 6-Cylinder Engine Drive Belt Replacement (16)

BMW E60 5-Series M54 6-Cylinder Engine Drive Belt Replacement (17)

BMW E60 5-Series M54 6-Cylinder Engine Drive Belt Replacement (18)

BMW E60 5-Series M54 6-Cylinder Engine Drive Belt Replacement (19)

BMW E60 5-Series M54 6-Cylinder Engine Drive Belt Replacement (20)

BMW E60 5-Series M54 6-Cylinder Engine Drive Belt Replacement (21)

jay

July 9, 2020

can a belt slipping or pulley bearing going out make a slight groaning sound when the ac compressor is turned on? it only does it for a few secs and ive had ac recharged an checked, the shop said its fine so i cant figure out whats making noise and why it only seems to happen right when i turn on ac for a few secs. when looking straight down the front of my engine the pully on the drivers side looks like its kinda wobbly compared to how it was but i could just be tripping. i have a 04 525i with m54

Followup from the Pelican Staff:

Could be a belt or tensioner / idler. I would remove the belt and inspect the pulley you think looks crooked. - Nick at Pelican Parts

dgeatdg

June 3, 2020

For those who have had their belt shred here is something I suggest from personal experience. I never understood why the top pulley on the belt tensioner is flat and not grooved even though the grooved side of the belt, not the flat side of the belt, rides on this flat pulley. Just did not make sense to me. So when I replaced the tensioner I replaced the top tensioner pulley with a pulley. The pulley is a 7 rib 76 mm pulley with a bearing internal diameter of of 17 mm. The internal bearing diameter is the same as the OE pulley. The pulley is 76 mm which is 4 mm larger than the OE pulley but you can still get the 7pk1860 belt to go on without much struggle. Grooved side of belt should always go on a grooved pulley. Otherwise the grooves will wear on the flat pulley and will be much more prone to slipping off. Cheap insurance against belt failure.

Followup from the Pelican Staff:

Thanks for the additional info and feedback. We appreciate it. - Nick at Pelican Parts

Brittney

March 14, 2017

Car cut off and alternator malfunction came on

Followup from the Pelican Staff:

Check the belt to be sure it is OK, if so test the starting and charging system to see if the alternator is at fault. - Nick at Pelican Parts

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