Anybody miss their M20?

[Wh33lhop]

Leaky oil and coolant???

Two things my swap got rid of.

There is no reason for an M20 to have those problems if it is being properly maintained.

No, but a lot of them were not properly maintained. Really though I was just referring to my personal situation.

Anyway, really what I miss is the soul of the M20. I think a built M20 car would be really enjoyable, even if it didn't have a whole lot of grunt. I would be willing to go back to an M20... in a different car.

[E30auddie]

One day I do believe I will have an S52 car and a balls to the wall no holds barred no budget completely built turbo M20 stroker. That one day though I'm sure is a LONG way away though. Frikkin E3 pay sucks.

[Leo_328i]

I had an m50 in my 318is, but I must say I enjoy the m20 more in my vert. It does feel smoother.

Miss the M42 at all? I'm going to plunge into doing an M50TU into my 318iS but I do really enjoy driving such a rev-happy motor at the moment!

[Chaos Theory]

Miss the M42 at all? I'm going to plunge into doing an M50TU into my 318iS but I do really enjoy driving such a rev-happy motor at the moment!

How much for the M42+Getrag240 shipped to ADL?

[Leo_328i]

How much for the M42+Getrag240 shipped to ADL?

PM sent

[MR 325]

Anyway, really what I miss is the soul of the M20. I think a built M20 car would be really enjoyable, even if it didn't have a whole lot of grunt. I would be willing to go back to an M20... in a different car.

Do you still have that 88?

[jahnaboi]

this....m20's suck
every time I wake up and start a swap car I think of

broken rockers
broken timing belt
over heating
oil leaks
broken timing belt again
blown/leaking head gaskets
oil return tube leaks
vacuum leaks
valve adjustments
vbelts
......nope dont miss it at all

Amen. I don't miss mine at all.

[rThor432]

Miss the M42 at all? I'm going to plunge into doing an M50TU into my 318iS but I do really enjoy driving such a rev-happy motor at the moment!

You will probably miss the superb balance that the 4-pot delivers. I appreciated the balance when I was mixing daily use between my M42 and S52 cars.

This thread is relevant to my situation.. I swapped from an eta to an S52 and now I removed the S52 for an M20i motor. I agree with Curt, eras rock. I miss the eta.. I donated it to a Lemons car build and they blew the fuck out of it..

[jlevie]

No, but a lot of them were not properly maintained. Really though I was just referring to my personal situation.

Anyway, really what I miss is the soul of the M20. I think a built M20 car would be really enjoyable, even if it didn't have a whole lot of grunt. I would be willing to go back to an M20... in a different car.

I think you could safely say that hardly any E30's have been properly maintained by this time...

I have a built M20 in my race car and it made 160hp at the rear wheels on a DynoJet. The car is a Spec E30, so chips and the like aren't allowed. The engine and management system has to be bone stock. The car is a lot of fun to drive.

[FredK]

Yeah, a 160 whp M20 is going to be pretty fun. That is better than most tired M50s.

I like the M20's serviceability. It's not that hard to swap a timing belt every 50K miles, and a rebuild is inexpensive and at the same time, you can guarantee another 100-150K miles.

[Wishno87]

Lol let's all start doing 12v swaps shall we? 160whp m20 sounds like fun though.

[markseven]

Lol let's all start doing 12v swaps shall we? 160whp m20 sounds like fun though.

My old M20 made 148hp/148tq. I don't think I would have noticed the additional 12 ponies.

[Wh33lhop]

Do you still have that 88?

...:(

[StereoInstaller1]

The M20 in my E34 sure is easy to get to. I can see that "bitch bolt" at the top of the bellhousing...plenty of room for sure!

[E30auddie]

My old M20 made 148hp/148tq. I don't think I would have noticed the additional 12 ponies.

Not true. If you have driven it enough and know the ins and outs of the car you would be able to notice 12 more. Hell when I first got mine back in '06 drove it for a few months then threw a K&N drop in air filter in I could feel that little extra oomph. I know some will say "placebo" but my Dad drove it a good bit before the air filter then drove after the filter w/o knowing it was in there and he could tell a difference.