swap s52 questions...

[MaloventEvil]

I've seen people mention using the stock cooling system from an e36, and others mention using the system from an e30 with new hoses (and same for the transmission).. Is there any disadvantage to using the stock e30 cooling system + e30 transmission when doing an s52 swap?

Also, it seems that some people on here mentioned clearance issues when using stock s52 headers (but others do not mention it). Is this actually an issue?

Thanks!
-Aurash

[Wh33lhop]

There is no issue with a late model E30 radiator, but early model radiators will not work. I chose to get a new M42 radiator for $130 shipped since it was smaller, has an integrated coolant reservoir and does the job just fine. But remember that you will not have enough room to retain the stock mechanical fan, so many people upgrade the AUX fan to a big SPAL or similar. The E36 radiator is the same as the E30 late model I believe, and the E30 and E36 M42/M44 radiators are also identical. You may want to check with realoem.

The issue with the E30 transmission is that it will bolt right up to the S52 (or any DOHC engine for that matter) but the DOHC engine is tilted another ten degrees or so relative to an M20 (since the head is bigger). So, the transmission will also be tilted an extra ~10 degrees. This means you will want to get a different transmission brace (contact Mike, White325is), in addition to bend-twisting your shift tower linkage and your selector rod 10 degrees or so. For me, 10 degrees wasn't enough but the transmission brace I got from Mike worked great.

The issue with OBDII manifolds is that the front manifold exits ~4-5 inches above the front subframe and swaybar pointing down, which doesn't leave much room for a nice bend coming out of it. You may want to try and have it shortened, or you may actually want to try using the front manifold in the rear and vice-versa (I actually just thought of this so I haven't tried it but it may work) if you're getting exhaust fabbed.

[Bmjpv]

Cooling

I used a custom all aluminum radiator and I still have good clearance to run the factory fan . This type of radiator is not the cheapest But it is among the BEST for cooling and capacity increase . As for the ob2 manifolds, (I forgot, front or rear) I cut a pie shape out on the flange as needed and had it re-welded in stainless.

[Mstngcobr761]

I used a custom all aluminum radiator and I still have good clearance to run the factory fan . This type of radiator is not the cheapest But it is among the BEST for cooling and capacity increase . As for the ob2 manifolds, (I forgot, front or rear) I cut a pie shape out on the flange as needed and had it re-welded in stainless.

Mishimoto has e36 aluminum rads for $207.00 and people have been running them for very long without any problems

[M-technik-3]

Remember running some aluminum radiators do not have bleeder screws so this makes it harder to bleed your coolant system, so you might want to add an expansion tank or add a bleeder screw to an aluminium radiator.

There is also the Z3M radiator which is a 3 core unit and offers good cooling, I have not heard of any premature failures with the plastic end tanks.