Euro S50B30 checklist before i start...

[Eric]

I know this has been covered 8 bajillion times, but i'd like to hear from the pro's what i'm missing before i start my swap.

Engine: S50B30 from a 94 M3

Transmission: Stock ZF from the M3


parts acquired.

AKG motor/tranny mounts
AKG wire harness adapter
E34 oil pan
E30 M3 drive-shaft
AKG DTM shift lever
UUC 9lb flywheel E34 M5 clutch
UUS DSSR made for S50 swaps... hope it fits!
VAC full 50mm stainless steel exhaust
VAC 50mm E30 M3 exhaust flange
VAC S50 exhaust flange

I'm going to make a short connector between the exhaust manifolds and where the E30 M3 manifold is. Hopefully this works....



issues i haven't sorted out:

Brake Booster - I have a hydro setup from a 750iL, but it's only the part that mounts to the firewall, I believe I have to pull the 750 PS pump, and i'm not sure if that will mate to the S50 block. any other ideas?

radiator - I'm going to use the stock one from my 89 325. I couldn't decide on M42 radiator, or S54... what say you?

Coolant hoses - I got nothing on this part...

Alternator - jackass that sold me the motor sold the alternator before i picked everything up, will a regular M50 alternator work?

P/S pump - same as alternator, can i use the regular M50 stuff, my M20 stuff, or possibly the 750iL PS pump w/ the hydro boost.

EWS - i have that damn silver label 075 DME. I have the key and the EWS box, but i'd rather go without it all. Is there any good write-ups on getting EWS to work in the E30? I have no harness for the components, just the boxes and key cylinder. Or just find another DME from england or something?




My plan is to drop the M20 down by unbolting the front subframe. Bolting the S50 to the subframe then lowering the car onto it.



SOOOO, what haven't I thought through?

Thanks guys,

[e30s50dan]

Glucklich

[Yeee30]

deleted.. sorry forgot it was a euro motor...

good luck on the swap.

[RoadHazard]

We're talking about a Euro motor so this will be quite different from the US motor. I have a 94 Euro S50 motor in my RHD E30 so I can chime in a little bit.

You'll need the oil pickup and dipstick from 525 E34. There's an oil drain tube that runs from the intake to the oil pan. The E34 oil pan does not have a provision for this tube so you have to make one up or you can move the existing one from the E36 oil pan.

The radiator you should use for this motor should be a radiator with 550mm core such as the one from Euro E36 M3. I believe this motor runs hotter than the US S50. And with radiator of this size, you'll have to run a separate header tank. Coolant hoses depend on the radiator you use. I use the whole setup from the Euro E36 M3.

I have no idea about PS pump and alternator sorry.

You need to either relocate the S50 oil cooler or use the M20 one.

You need the brown M20 water temp sender unit. This will replace the S50 one on the engine block.

You also need to somehow shorten the heater pipes at the firewall and run a couple 90 degree elbows. Otherwise, the intake manifold will hit these pipes.

You'll also need a throttle cable but I don't know what fits LHD cars.

I don't know if the AKG wiring adapter will fit this motor. Better do your homework on this one. But I believe cutting and soldering C101 connector into the E36 harness is a better idea because you'll end up with shorter wires. This makes it easier to hide wiring for neatness purposes.

I also have no idea about the shifter lever and rod. I'm using the one from Euro M3 and it's a little short and crooked to one side. I heard the one from 318 E36 will fit but I have yet to find that out.

I removed the emission air pump from the motor. Depending on your location but you might have to keep it to keep the car street legal. But the tube may or may not fit the E34 oil pan.

I have idea on the EWS wiring. My 94 motor doesn't have one so I didn't research on this issue.

Can't comment on the exhaust either sorry. My exhaust is all custom work except reusing the E36 M3 muffler and parts of the mid section.

The method of engine swap depends on the person who is doing the swap. But I think pulling the engine and dropping from top is easier than lowering the subframe. It's not that bad, really. If you want to really lowering the subframe, the difficult part is swapping motors in and out of the subframe. But this may not be an issue for you. Again this is your call.

And lastly, if this is a street car, you might want to use a diff with 3.15 or 3.25 ratio. You can sort one of these from an E30 M3 or Z3-m.

That's all I could think of for now.

[Jason89i]

i needed treehouse control arm bushings to allow the s50b32 headers to clear. would assume the s50b30 would be the same. also needed to message the footwell for one primary to clear. cheers, jason

[Eric]

We're talking about a Euro motor so this will be quite different from the US motor. I have a 94 Euro S50 motor in my RHD E30 so I can chime in a little bit.

You'll need the oil pickup and dipstick from 525 E34. There's an oil drain tube that runs from the intake to the oil pan. The E34 oil pan does not have a provision for this tube so you have to make one up or you can move the existing one from the E36 oil pan.

Check, i'll add the E34 dipstick to the list

The radiator you should use for this motor should be a radiator with 550mm core such as the one from Euro E36 M3. I believe this motor runs hotter than the US S50. And with radiator of this size, you'll have to run a separate header tank. Coolant hoses depend on the radiator you use. I use the whole setup from the Euro E36 M3.

hmmm, i'll have to order a radiator then.

I have no idea about PS pump and alternator sorry.

You need to either relocate the S50 oil cooler or use the M20 one.

I'm going to use the stock S50 oil cooler.

You need the brown M20 water temp sender unit. This will replace the S50 one on the engine block.

I'll be sure to transfer it over, thanks!

You also need to somehow shorten the heater pipes at the firewall and run a couple 90 degree elbows. Otherwise, the intake manifold will hit these pipes.

I'm running no HVAC, so that is not a problem. I do however need to loop the lines so the flow is not interupted.

You'll also need a throttle cable but I don't know what fits LHD cars.

Check, i'll look into that.

I don't know if the AKG wiring adapter will fit this motor. Better do your homework on this one. But I believe cutting and soldering C101 connector into the E36 harness is a better idea because you'll end up with shorter wires. This makes it easier to hide wiring for neatness purposes.

AKG says the adapter is good to go with the euro motor... i hope he is right!

I also have no idea about the shifter lever and rod. I'm using the one from Euro M3 and it's a little short and crooked to one side. I heard the one from 318 E36 will fit but I have yet to find that out.

The sales rep sold me one specifically made for S50 swaps in E30's. I mentioned it was a euro motor, and he said it didnt' matter... lets hope he is right too! haha.

I removed the emission air pump from the motor. Depending on your location but you might have to keep it to keep the car street legal. But the tube may or may not fit the E34 oil pan.

that will be gone as well.

I have idea on the EWS wiring. My 94 motor doesn't have one so I didn't research on this issue.

damn, that and the brake booster are my largest concerns right now.

Can't comment on the exhaust either sorry. My exhaust is all custom work except reusing the E36 M3 muffler and parts of the mid section.

The method of engine swap depends on the person who is doing the swap. But I think pulling the engine and dropping from top is easier than lowering the subframe. It's not that bad, really. If you want to really lowering the subframe, the difficult part is swapping motors in and out of the subframe. But this may not be an issue for you. Again this is your call.

I'll be doing the swap on a lift. after pulling a few motors with a hoist, it was always a pain in the ass to not bang this big chunk of metal into things. I thought with a lift, i can just lower the car onto the subframe and be good to go (more involved obviously)

can you elaborate on "the difficult part is swapping motors in and out of the subframe?" I don't quite get what you mean.

And lastly, if this is a street car, you might want to use a diff with 3.15 or 3.25 ratio. You can sort one of these from an E30 M3 or Z3-m.

I'm using the 3.73LSD in the car now. the cars soul purpose in life now is to go fast around the Nurburgring.

That's all I could think of for now.

thanks for you help, good info!

i needed treehouse control arm bushings to allow the s50b32 headers to clear. would assume the s50b30 would be the same. also needed to message the footwell for one primary to clear. cheers, jason

Already got the treehouse bushings, and i'll probably massage the firewall a bit to fit #6. did your headers contact the subframe at all?

[RoadHazard]

Well I said it might be difficult because I don't have a lot of experience. I was about to go the same route but changed my mind. But you may know better than me so whatever that works. :D

Pulling the M20 out from the top makes sense. I don't know what kind of equipment you have but how are you going to mount the S50 after the subframe is dropped? And how would you manage to move the assembled engine+subframe into the spot?

Are you planning to mount the trans before or after the engine is dropped in? It will be very difficult to mount the trans with the engine in situ.

The ZF trans has the 5th gear ratio of 1:1 so if you use 3.73 LSD it might be too short for street use. But could be fine if this is a track car.

If you are removing the emission air pump, you want to close the hole on the engine block where the tube is removed. I used BMW PN 11 72 1 402 416 (cover) and 11 72 1 318 467 (gasket). This is from the South African spec M3 which runs no emission.

I just recall that you don't have to keep the carbon cannister. If you decide to remove it, make sure you fill up that hole as well. The electrical connector should be terminated with a 1k resister. I use a BMW one for neatness (PN 13 90 1 734 469).

The stock S50 oil cooler is mounted below the radiator in E36 but that spot will see no air flow in the E30 chassis. You can either cut a hole in the car or custom make new mounting brackets.

The brake booster is a completely different issue in LHD car so I really can't help you with that.

Are you in US or Germany? Can't you find a used Euro M3 radiator from where you are? Another option is the one from E36 325tds which is basically the same thing as the M3 one. I guess a brand new radiator is very expensive.

Please report back on the UUC DSSR and shifter because I may want one too. :D

[BeirBrennerE30]

have you deceided what you are doing for brakes? I am trying to contact Mike B. abotu his boosterless set-up. No answer yet.

[catuned]

have you done it yet? any update?

[Wanganstyle]

for radiator you can use any aftermarket E36M unit; I fit a PWR into my e30. plug and play.

[M-technik-3]

have you done it yet? any update?

for radiator you can use any aftermarket E36M unit; I fit a PWR into my e30. plug and play.

Been completed for sometime. Thread is from 2010.

[Eric]

have you done it yet? any update?

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=75875

for radiator you can use any aftermarket E36M unit; I fit a PWR into my e30. plug and play.

I ended up using a 3 row S54 M coupe radiator!

Been completed for sometime. Thread is from 2010.

Nothing is ever complete!