Manufactured at BMW’s Steyr plant in Austria, the M43 engine had a cast iron crankcase, an aluminium alloy cylinder head, a single overhead camshaft (with a maintenance-free timing chain), two valves per cylinder actuated by roller cam followers (roller rockers) and coil-on-plug ignition. While the M43B16 and M43B18 engines had Bosch Motronic M 1.7 fuel injection, the M43B19 engine had BMW BMS 46 fuel injection.
Compared to its M40 predecessor, revisions for the M43 engine were made to the accessory belt drive, crankcase breather, thermostat housing and a variable length intake manifold (BMW’s Differentiated Intake System, or DISA) which enabled intake pipe length to be adjusted according to engine speed for more efficient cylinder filling and scavenging.
The M43 was replaced by BMW’s N42 engine.
| Engine | Capacity | C.R. | Peak power | Peak torque | Models | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M43B16 | 1596 cc (84.0 x 72.0) |
9.7:1 | 75kW at 5500rpm | 150Nm at 3900rpm | E36 316i | 1993-99 |
| M43B18 | 1796 cc (84.0 x 81.0) |
8.8:1 | 85kW at 5750rpm | 168Nm at 3900rpm | E36 318i | 1993-99 |
| E34 518i | 1994-96 | |||||
| E36/7 Z3 1.8 | 1996-98 | |||||
| M43TUB19UL | 1895 cc (85.0 x 83.5) |
9.7:1 | 77kW at 5300rpm | 165Nm at 2500rpm | E36 316i | 1999-00 |
| E46 316i | 1998-01 | |||||
| M43TUB19OL | 1895 cc (85.0 x 83.5 |
9.7:1 | 87kW at 5500rpm | 180Nm at 3900rpm | E46 318i | 1998-01 |
| E36/7 Z3 1.9i | 1998-02 |
