High Pressure Fuel Pump Repair – BMW N20 Turbo 4 Cylinder Engine

August 29, 2023

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High Pressure Fuel Pump Repair – BMW N20 Turbo 4 Cylinder Engine

This article gives step-by-step instructions on removing and replacing the high-pressure fuel pump in the BMW N20 4-cylinder turbocharged engine.

Not sure which engine you have in your BMW? Use our engine finder tool to easily identify it!

Possible Symptoms: Engine won't start, lack of power when accelerator depressed

This repair can be used on the following BMW models:

2009

X1 20i SUV, X1 28i SUV, X1 28iX SUV,

2010

125i 3 doors, 125i 5 doors, 520i Sedan, 520i Touring, 528i Sedan, 528i Touring, 528iX Sedan, 528iX Touring, X1 20i SUV, X1 20iX SUV, X1 28i SUV, X1 28iX SUV,

2011

125i 3 doors, 125i 5 doors, 320Li Sedan, 320i Sedan, 320i Touring, 320iX Sedan, 328Li Sedan, 328i Sedan, 328iX Sedan, 328iX Touring, 520Li Sedan, 520i Sedan, 520i Touring, 525Li Sedan, 528i Sedan, 528i Touring, 528iX Sedan, 528iX Touring, X1 20i SUV, X1 20iX SUV, X1 28i SUV, X1 28iX SUV, X3 20iX SUV, X3 28iX SUV, Z4 20i Roadster, Z4 28i Roadster,

2012

125i 3 doors, 125i 5 doors, 220i Coupe, 228i Coupe, 320Li Sedan, 320i Gran Turismo, 320i Sedan, 320i Touring, 320iX Gran Turismo, 320iX Sedan, 320iX Touring, 328Li Sedan, 328i Gran Turismo, 328i Sedan, 328i Touring, 328iX Sedan, 328iX Touring, 428i Coupe, 428iX Coupe, 520Li Sedan, 520i Sedan, 520i Touring, 525Li Sedan, 528i Gran Turismo, 528i Sedan, 528i Touring, 528iX Sedan, 528iX Touring, X1 16i SUV, X1 20i SUV, X1 20iX SUV, X1 28i SUV, X1 28iX SUV, X3 20iX SUV, X3 28iX SUV, Z4 18i Roadster, Z4 20i Roadster, Z4 28i Roadster,

2013

125i 3 doors, 125i 5 doors, 220i Coupe, 228i Coupe, 228iX Coupe, 320Li Sedan, 320i Gran Turismo, 320i Sedan, 320i Touring, 320iX Gran Turismo, 320iX Sedan, 320iX Touring, 328Li Sedan, 328LiX Sedan, 328i Gran Turismo, 328i Sedan, 328iX Gran Turismo, 328iX Sedan, 328iX Touring, 420i Convertible, 420i Coupe, 420iX Coupe, 428i Convertible, 428i Coupe, 428i Gran Coupe, 428iX Convertible, 428iX Coupe, 428iX Gran Coupe, 520Li Sedan, 520i Sedan, 520i Touring, 525Li Sedan, 528Li Sedan, 528LiX Sedan, 528i Gran Turismo, 528i Sedan, 528i Touring, 528iX Sedan, 528iX Touring, 530Le Sedan, X1 16i SUV, X1 18i SUV, X1 20i SUV, X1 20iX SUV, X1 28i SUV, X1 28iX SUV, X3 18i SUV, X3 20i SUV, X3 20iX SUV, X3 28i SUV, X3 28iX SUV, X4 20iX SAC, X4 28iX SAC, X5 40eX SUV, Z4 18i Roadster, Z4 20i Roadster, Z4 28i Roadster,

2014

125i 3 doors, 125i 5 doors, 220i Convertible, 220i Coupe, 228i Convertible, 228i Coupe, 228iX Convertible, 228iX Coupe, 320Li Sedan, 320i Gran Turismo, 320i Sedan, 320i Touring, 320iX Gran Turismo, 320iX Sedan, 320iX Touring, 328Li Sedan, 328LiX Sedan, 328i Sedan, 328iX Gran Turismo, 328iX Sedan, 328iX Touring, 420i Convertible, 420i Coupe, 420iX Coupe, 428i Convertible, 428i Coupe, 428i Gran Coupe, 428iX Convertible, 428iX Coupe, 428iX Gran Coupe, 520Li Sedan, 520i Sedan, 520i Touring, 525Li Sedan, 528Li Sedan, 528LiX Sedan, 528i Gran Turismo, 528i Sedan, 528i Touring, 528iX Sedan, 528iX Touring, 530Le Sedan, X1 16i SUV, X1 18i SUV, X1 20i SUV, X1 20iX SUV, X1 28i SUV, X1 28iX SUV, X3 18i SUV, X3 20i SUV, X3 20iX SUV, X3 28i SUV, X3 28iX SUV, X4 20iX SAC, X4 28iX SAC, X5 28iX SUV, X5 40eX SUV, X6 28iX SAC, Z4 18i Roadster, Z4 20i Roadster, Z4 28i Roadster,

2015

2016

125i 3 doors, 125i 5 doors, 220i Convertible, 220i Coupe, 228i Coupe, 320Li Sedan, 320i Gran Turismo, 320i Sedan, 320iX Gran Turismo, 320iX Sedan, 328Li Sedan, 328LiX Sedan, 328i Sedan, 328iX Touring, 420i Convertible, 420i Coupe, 420iX Coupe, 428i Coupe, 520Li Sedan, 520i Sedan, 520i Touring, 525Li Sedan, 528Li Sedan, 528LiX Sedan, 528i Gran Turismo, 528i Sedan, 528i Touring, 528iX Sedan, 528iX Touring, 530Le Sedan, X3 18i SUV, X3 20i SUV, X3 20iX SUV, X3 28i SUV, X3 28iX SUV, X4 20iX SAC, X4 28iX SAC, X5 28iX SUV, X5 40eX SUV, X6 28iX SAC, Z4 18i Roadster, Z4 20i Roadster, Z4 28i Roadster,

2017

320i Sedan, 320iX Sedan, 520Li Sedan, 520i Touring, 525Li Sedan, 528i Gran Turismo, 528i Touring, 528iX Touring, X3 18i SUV, X3 20i SUV, X3 20iX SUV, X3 28i SUV, X3 28iX SUV, X4 20iX SAC, X4 28iX SAC, X5 28iX SUV, X5 40eX SUV, X6 28iX SAC,

2018

320i Sedan, 320iX Sedan, X4 20iX SAC, X4 28iX SAC, X5 28iX SUV, X5 40eX SUV, X6 28iX SAC,

2019

X6 28iX SAC,

Expert level repair.

Step 1 - Purchase Parts

You will need the following parts and supplies to perform this repair.

High Pressure Fuel Pump

Once again...we are going to preach about purchasing cheap fuel pumps from Amazon and Ebay with manufacturer names you cannot even pronounce. Yea...you get our point. Only...and we mean only install a Genuine BMW factory high pressure fuel pump in your vehicle. Cheap pumps will fail, and can seriously damage your engine. This is the same factory high pressure fuel pump that would be installed at the dealership.

Pump Gasket

When installing a new high pressure fuel pump in your engine, always replace the profile gasket. This will ensure you are leak free after the repair.

Depth Gauge

Excellent automotive depth gauge for measuring smaller holes and slots. Hardened steel base.

Step 2 - Repair Procedure

Unless otherwise noted, all vehicle repair step images in this article are copyrighted, and used courtesy of BMW of North America, Inc. .

Warning

Disconnect battery.

You must disconnect the battery before starting this repair. Not disconnecting the battery may cause catastrophic damage to the engine.

1. Disconnect the battery.

High Pressure Fuel Pump Repair – BMW N20 Turbo 4 Cylinder Engine

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- Remove right trim panel from side of trunk (1).

View part diagram for this step

Pro Tip

Tape a rag around the intelligent battery sensor in the next step to protect it from being damaged. A damaged IBS will cause error codes and electrical malfunctions!

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- Disconnect the negative (1) terminal.

- WARNING. Take extreme care not to damage the intelligent battery sensor (2) attached to the negative cable.

You must remove the ignition coils before continuing with this repair!

Please see our article Ignition Coil Replacement - BMW N20 Turbo 4-Cylinder Engine for instructions on removing the ignition coils.

2. Remove high pressure fuel pump.

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- Locate the fuel lines near the rear center of the engine.

- Loosen the external torx screws (1) and (2), then remove cable clip (3).

View part diagram for this step

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- Loosen the union nuts (1) on the high pressure fuel line.

- Unclip the high pressure fuel line from the bracket and remove from the vehicle.

View part diagram for this step

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- Remove the sound insulation (1) from the high pressure fuel pump 13518604229.

- Loosen union nut (2) and remove the fuel delivery line from the pump.

View part diagram for this step

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- Unplug the electrical connector (1) from the pump.

- Slowly remove the external torx mounting screws (2), being careful to alternate turns every 90 degrees until the pump is loose.

- Remove the high pressure fuel pump 13518604229 (3) from the engine.

View part diagram for this step

3. Installing a new fuel pump.

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- It is important that the high pressure fuel pump camshaft is at its lowest point before installing a new fuel pump. The easiest way to achieve this is with a simple depth gauge (see tool list above).

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- Install the depth gauge into the high pressure pump cavity as shown in the image. The ruler must be positioned on top of the camshaft at the bottom of the cavity.

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- Using a socket and long breaker bar, slowly turn the engine CLOCKWISE at the vibration damper until the high pressure pump camshaft has reached its lowest position.

View part diagram for this step