Applications BMW N54
Draft. Trigger offset has not been confirmed on a running Race Core install. Pins marked TBD are unknown — do not guess them. A wrong decoder or firing order can destroy the engine.
BMW N54
3.0 L twin-turbo straight six (135i, 335i, 535i, 1M, Z4 35i). Direct injection, dual VANOS, DBW, logic-style pencil coils on the common engine. Race Core 4 A low-sides cannot drive gasoline direct injectors. This note is for a port-injection conversion plus the factory crank and coils. It is not a way to reuse the OEM DI harness.
Recommended: F7, with V4 only after a port rail exists and you accept TBD V4 pins. Six port injectors, six logic coils, DBW on F7, two VANOS solenoids. Direct injectors stay disconnected.
Status: draft. Trigger offset has not been confirmed on a running Race Core install.
- Cylinders: 6
- Displacement: 2979 cc
- Firing order: 1-5-3-6-2-4
- Orientation: Cylinder 1 at the front. Firing order 1-5-3-6-2-4, same as the M50 family.
Variants
| Variant | Years | Trigger | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| N54B30 | 2006–2016 | 60-2 class crank. Count it | Twin turbo, dual VANOS, DBW, DI from the factory. Port kit required. |
Recommended pin assignment (Race Core F7)
Pins below are the library default Race Core F7 map — the same AMPSEAL landings as the verified 1UZ-FE, 2JZ-GTE and LS1 notes. Core EFI V4 and Micro Core cavity numbers are TBD. If a pin is not in this table, it is TBD. Do not guess a spare.
| Pin | TunerStudio | Function |
|---|---|---|
| B5 / B13 | VR 1+ / VR 1− | Crank VR |
| B4 / B12 | VR 2+ / VR 2− | Cam VR |
| A3 | Lowside 1 | Injector cylinder 1 |
| A15 | Lowside 2 | Injector cylinder 2 |
| A4 | Lowside 3 | Injector cylinder 3 |
| A16 | Lowside 4 | Injector cylinder 4 |
| A5 | Lowside 5 | Injector cylinder 5 |
| A6 | Lowside 6 | Injector cylinder 6 |
| A35 | Ign 1 | Cyl 1 logic coil |
| A34 | Ign 2 | Cyl 2 logic coil |
| A22 | Ign 3 | Cyl 3 logic coil |
| A33 | Ign 4 | Cyl 4 logic coil |
| A32 | Ign 5 | Cyl 5 logic coil |
| A31 | Ign 6 | Cyl 6 logic coil |
| A2 | Highside 1 | Cam oil-control valve (PWM) |
| A1 | Highside 2 | Second oil-control or lift solenoid |
| B7/B6 + B15/B8 | ETB 1 ± / ETB 2 ± | DBW motor. Not a stepper as well. Pedal and TPS tracks: follow the APP and ETB notes |
| A14 | Highside 4 | Boost solenoid if it is high-side switched. A ground-switched valve needs a spare low-side — that pin is TBD |
| C20 | Analog Temp 3 | CLT |
| C30 | Analog Temp 2 | IAT |
| C13 | Analog Volt 1 | MAP 0–5 V |
| C24 | Analog Volt 2 | TPS 1 |
| C34 | Knock 1 | Knock |
| A20 | Lowside 10 | Fuel-pump relay coil |
| A21 | Lowside 12 | Main-relay coil |
| A12 | Lowside 15 | Radiator-fan relay coil |
| B17 / B16 | CAN 1 H / L | Dash / wideband |
| B18 | Battery Sense | Ignition-switched 12 V (5 A fuse) |
| B23 | +12 V MR | Main-relay 12 V into ECU |
| A17 A18 A24 B14 B19 B20 | Power GND | Engine block → battery − |
| C9 / C21 / C32 | 5 V Sens 1 | MAP, TPS, pedal 1 |
| C1–C8, C29, C31 | Sensor GND | 0–5 V and thermistor returns |
Trigger
BMW crank of this generation is a 60-2. Count it before selecting the mode. It is the same wheel type as the M50 note, not a new pattern, and the DI system does not change the crank.
Crank
| Pattern | 60-2 VR on B5 / B13 once counted. |
Cam
| Dual VANOS | Intake and exhaust cams. First sensor on Digital 2 or VR 2. Second input pin TBD. |
TunerStudio
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Wheel type | 60-2 after the count |
| Use only rising edge | Yes on MAX992x VR (typical) |
| Invert primary | No — swap VR wires first |
| Firing order | 1-5-3-6-2-4 |
Offset: Light on cylinder 1. Do not copy an M50 offset without the light.
Injection
Direct injectors are high voltage and high pressure. They do not connect to Lowside 1–6. Fit a port rail and high-Z port injectors, then run those sequential. Until that rail exists, do not try to start the engine on the OEM injectors.
| OEM DI | Not supported on Race Core saturated drivers. |
| Port kit | High-Z only. Meter. Set required fuel for 2979 cc and the port injector you fitted. |
Ignition
N54 pencil coils are driver-in-coil on the common part. Confirm three or more pins (power, ground, signal) before you land Ign 1–6. A 2-pin coil is not this output. Dwell 2.0–2.5 ms, then check coil temperature. Firing order in software.
| Order | 1-5-3-6-2-4. |
Idle
DBW only. F7 H-bridges, ETB note, APP note. No stepper. Twin-turbo boost solenoids: Highside 4 is one valve if it is high-side switched. A second wastegate solenoid pin is TBD. VANOS solenoids on Highside 1 and 2 — intake versus exhaust must be identified on the car.
First start
- Load the matching variant configuration in TunerStudio before the harness is live — injectors and coils stay disconnected until the decoder is confirmed.
- Fuel pump fuse out. Coils unplugged or spark outputs disabled. Crank. Open Diagnostics → composite / high-speed logger.
- Confirm crank teeth are even, the missing-tooth (or named pattern) is a single clean gap, and cam is one pulse per two crank revolutions for sequential four-stroke.
- RPM during cranking should sit in the 150–350 rpm band. 0 rpm or 12,000 rpm means the decoder is lost — polarity or wheel type, not offset.
- Lock timing to a fixed 10° (idle control off). Timing light on cylinder 1. Change trigger offset until the damper agrees with 10°.
- Recheck at ~3,000 rpm. If timing walks with RPM, it is VR polarity, a delayed Hall, or the wrong decoder — not offset.
- Enable spark. Confirm a healthy burn (timing light or plug colour) with fuel still disabled.
- Enable fuel. Prime, then crank. Catch the first idle on a rich-safe VE, then lean toward stoich at idle.
- Only then enable closed-loop idle, VVT, boost and traction. A base map is a starting point, not a dyno tune.
A base map is a starting point, not a dyno tune.