Are you happy with your engine swap?

[erik325i]

edit: your car should only have to pass the smog requirements for the year of the car. There is no real way to tell what engine you have in your car. Thats why its so popular to get a 95 e36 m3 and put an obd-1 s52 in there, you get the extra power without breaking the law.

In Cali, you have to meet the requirements of the year of the motor. I guess you could get an s52, and try to act like it was an s50 and nobody would probably notice...

[Hornswoggler]

Fortunately I do not live in Cali... and I think cali law and engine swaps should be in a separate thread.

Can a moderator please prune/move any cali smog talk? Thanks.

[Addissimo]

Can a moderator please prune/move any cali smog talk? Thanks.

We don't do that around here unless there is a cock fight. Threads go off topic, then they come back. Get used to it. This site is about information, the cali smog talk is useful information that will come up in a search for those wondering.

This will probably be my last post in this tread, I'd hate to shit anymore on your registry.

-Addis

[Hornswoggler]

I still think a thread split is best... but thanks for letting it get back on topic.

[erik325i]

Fortunately I do not live in Cali...

If you would fill out your profile so we could know where you live, we can avoid all this confusion in the future.
Anyways, back on topic...

[josephb983]

I wish this thread had continued. This is helpful info for someone considering an M50 swap.

[hoveringuy]

Since I just finished mine I'll give you my data, I've included the original questions.

1. Are you happy with the engine swap end result?
Yes! I was happy with the M20 but love the M50. Changes the character of the car completely even though it only has 20 or so more hp. Broader torque curve, quicker to rev and better breathing at the top. Also sounds less like a sewing machine and more like a modern engine.

2. Did you do the swap yourself, with friends/family, or did a shop do it?
I did it myself in the driveway. Took 2 days to swap motors and another 2 days to fab the exhaust, make the rest of the connections and clean things up. I used an engine hoist, some jackstands and a floor jack. I also have a Mig welder and a better than average collection of tools. I would have preferred to have a second car to drive while I did the swap.

3. Are there any gotcha’s or things that do not work as expected?
I did a lot of things ahead of time to reduce the swap time. Brake booster was already swapped over. I had a machined flywheel prepared, etc. Fabbing the exhaust was more time consuming than I expected. I used OBDII headers and stock e30 from the cats back. Centering the transmission in the tunnel took some finessing of the tranny mount. My heater hoses also had the factory recall performed that rendered the heater hoses useless. Initially had some O2 sensor heater Check Engine Light issues that I have mostly resolved. Somehow, even though the battery was disconnected, I got the $%## SRS light!!

4. Did your swap go beyond estimated budget? Roughly how much did it cost (total)?
Motor cost $350 pulled from a wrecked car with all accesories. Oil pan and dip tube, $150. Tranny mount, $100 (thanks Doug!), misc mounts, throttle cable, seals and parts, $500.

5. What model did you start with? (i.e. 318, 325, 325es, 325i, vert, M3, etc.)
90 325is

6. What engine did you put in? M50 out of a '94 325is. Silver label DME with no EWS.

7. Do you have acceleration numbers on your post-swap vehicle? (timeslips, g-tech runs, etc.) Driving impressions before/after?
No hard numbers. Definately quicker.

8. Would you do it all over again? What would you do differently next time?
Yes. I'd have a second car to drive during the swap. I was araid that stock e30 exhaust wouldn't work well but I've been really suprised by it. Sounds great and not loud. Mileage went from 25mpg before the swap to about 26mpg after, with a lot of flogging:razz: I would go at least M52 now that I know how the motor goes together but liked the M50 for my first swap. I stuck with the stock 260 tranny and have been happy with that as decision as well

[PiercedE30]

1. I'm loving my swap. I went with MegaSquirt2 v.3 for my engine management. I've got knock control, launch/flat shift control, full ignition and injection control, about to install nitrous control.

2. I did the swap myself, at the shop that I work at.

3. I ended up using an OBDII block since my machinist informed me that my original block was cracked, so I needed to get different timing chain guide rails.

4. Not really. I planned on spending about 8 grand, and I definitely did.

5. 1990 325is

6. The block, I have no idea what model car it came out of. My crank came out of an S50, rods from an M52, pistons from M50TU, head remained a NV. Ended up with 11.7:1 CR.

7. Not at the moment. I will have a rough estimation by Thursday. I can say this, it pulls HARD, through the entire 7000 RPM range.

8. Most definitely. I would get custom forged pistons next time and use the M50TU valves and guides for the smaller valve stems and better flow.

[rThor432]

Ended up with 11.7:1 CR.

Sweet Jesus. I bet that is a blast to drive...

[dougsic]

4. Did your swap go beyond estimated budget? Roughly how much did it cost (total)?
Motor cost $350 pulled from a wrecked car with all accesories. Oil pan and dip tube, $150. Tranny mount, $100 (thanks Doug!), misc mounts, throttle cable, seals and parts, $500.

You're very welcome. Glad to see you're up and running (and enjoying it!)

Doug

[vr4boy]

i'm very happy with both of my swaps which i did myself.
most rewarding part of the swap is when you see the m/s 50/52 engine sitting in the e30 engine bay and asking yourself-how the hell did it fit in there....then,hear it start for the very first time w/ open headers.
then the feeling you have when you take it out for the very first time: makes you smile ear to ear like a kid at a candy store...this is a lil' monster you created!

my swaps:
91 mtech vert that got an m50 non vanos/5 speed conversion(sold to my nephew-he's even happier...)
90 e30m3 w/ an s52 obd1 conversion-this really changed the car and in my opinion for the better....i'll be saving up as i'll be dropping in a twinscrew supercharger in it.
something like this that's already in my e36m3...

[dougsic]

Hey Rob,

Can I bum a ride in your e36? I've been eyeballing the TS - perhaps you can convince me?

Doug

[e30polak]

i'm very happy with both of my swaps which i did myself.
most rewarding part of the swap is when you see the m/s 50/52 engine sitting in the e30 engine bay and asking yourself-how the hell did it fit in there....then,hear it start for the very first time w/ open headers.
then the feeling you have when you take it out for the very first time: makes you smile ear to ear like a kid at a candy store...this is a lil' monster you created!

my swaps:
91 mtech vert that got an m50 non vanos/5 speed conversion(sold to my nephew-he's even happier...)
90 e30m3 w/ an s52 obd1 conversion-this really changed the car and in my opinion for the better....i'll be saving up as i'll be dropping in a twinscrew supercharger in it.
something like this that's already in my e36m3...

How much for this kit and tune??? That looks like a really well put together kit...but I wouldn't think any less from active.

I agree with you in every word about the swap. I went through heel and back to get this swap done! Yet, after a year of bullshit i got it done. The first time it started, I called half of LA, and felt like the coolest guy in the world! Then I drove it, and it completely surpassed my wildest expectations!!! After exhaust was done the next week, I raced my friend's dad in his '03 Carrera auto! Needless to say with the 4.10 at the time, I walked him by over a car by the time we hit 110, from a 2nd roll!!! I love my car, the problem is I'm already in need of more power. So by the end of summer I'll either have a turbo or SC e30s52!!!