School me on euro S50B30 buying tips

[Fusion]

I might go see an S50B30 during the next couple days and since there's no car history, I need some tips on what I should check. It is still in the E36 and drivable.
Other than the usual mixed coolant/oil checks, any S50 specifics? Only thing I know is that it does have the usual valve tick after cold start (currently temps around freezing), odometer reads 250kKm but allegedly the engine seems to have less, and the clutch is almost dead.

If is is in good condition and while the engine is out of the car, what would you recommend being serviced/overhauled (S50 specific)? Is it worth it trying to get rid of the valve tick?

Also considering I have the M50 in now, how complicated would the M-S swap be? Would the IS tranny, 3.73 diff, M42 rad, exhaust setup be appropriate? I would need the oil pan I have on the M50 right?

I am only talking euro engines btw.
Oh and if I could get them to do a compression check, what are specs for awesome/good/run away! and the % tollerance between cylinders.

[Fusion]

I know there are human dictionaries somwhere round here ;)

[Fusion]

Also would like to ask people who have done this, what is the best way to put the power down for track use, suspension wise? Is 5 lug mandatory?
The M50 is very well controllable, but I just can't imagine adding about 50% more power.

This is keeping me awake at night.

[FredK]

Fusion's feelin' lonely in this thread! LOL

The S50B30 rest-of-world engine is supposed to be pretty reliable. I'm uncertain what good compression values would be, but I guess plus and minus 5-7 percent of the full scale value is pretty good. So, on a 180 psi good cylinder, the next cylinder should not be any less than 9 to 13 psi lower.

180 psi, of course, is an arbitrary value. Compression testers vary by gauge calibration, and tend to drift downward as the engine is cranked repetitively during a compression test, which drains the battery fairly quickly.

I think your drivetrain setup is pretty solid already. I don't think you need bigger brakes automatically if you plan on driving on a track, unless you're dealing with exceptionally hot weather, a braking-intensive track, and long driving sessions.

[DaveSmed]

Sorting brakes is a whore on euro swapped cars, as the master cylinder/booster requires serious modification. Depending on how that goes can really affect what will work for a BBK.

4 lug is fine. Fox body guys make way more power and way more traction on 4 lug and don't run into problems anywhere near what would be beyond sane for an E30. Haven't figured out how to get it to really stick all that well though, so I really don't have much suspension advice. If you launch it hard, it WILL spin.

[Fusion]

Thanks guys.
So basically the I could directly swap the M/S without major upgrades/fab?
I'm not trying to be cheap on this, but I'd rather it feel like I just gained ~100hp out of nowhere, see what it's like and then later uprgade what's necessary based on my feeling for the change.
If this does happen, it's only a matter of time that the car would get a cage a probably become permanent track candy.

[FredK]

Yeah, not that I know what an extra 100hp feels like, but I think if you're generally gentle on stuff that you will not run into problems.

If you do a lot of drag races, then you might want a beefier clutch. You said you have an IS transmission, which I assume is the Getrag 260 that's usually mated with the M20. If you kept the 228 mm flywheel and didn't upgrade the clutch disc / plate, you might be at risk of wearing it out rather quickly. The S50 clutch and flywheel should bolt right up, using the same throwout bearing, but please check on that if you do decide to do it.

For braking, I'd probably look at doing the E34 or E32 8 cylinder remote brake booster. It requires minimum fabrication and allows you to get a properly boosted braking setup. However, you may not be able to use a stock airbox.

[DaveSmed]

Electrically, the swap is pretty much the same.

With the air box removed, the engine will drop in and promptly hit the headers on the sway bar and rub the firewall.

Install the air box, and you find that the brake booster and heater core lines aren't even close to fitting as compared to an M50.


Aftermarket air boxes like the CF ones guys use when running AlphaN take up even more space, but help with the heater core lines.

[RoadHazard]

At least inspect/service the rear main seal and constant pressure valve. Oil housing gasket also is a good idea.

Not sure what IS tranny is but the M3 ZF is the best choice for me. 3.73 diff is way too short if you go for the zf trans.
You need E34 M50 oil pan as usual.
Manual E36 328i or E30 M3 drive shaft.
I'd run a radiator with 550mm core with a separate expansion tank such as Euro M3 or 325td.