2.8L M52 opinions

[FredK]

hey jrez,

If you get an EWS delete chip, can you run OBD-II without the key and ignition, as long as you get the ZKE module? Also, what did you do with the secondary air pump? Did you transfer that over as well?

Thanks!

[jrez]

hey jrez,

If you get an EWS delete chip, can you run OBD-II without the key and ignition, as long as you get the ZKE module? Also, what did you do with the secondary air pump? Did you transfer that over as well?

Thanks!

My info was it disables EWS2 completely, eliminating the need for the coded key. This info was given to me last spring by a tuner, but I never pursued because I did'nt need it. Eurospeed claims to do this, but so far I only can find M3's listed. I believe the EWS2 is the same. Currently waiting to hear back from them.
I did'nt install the secondary air system because I did'nt run cats. Now that I plan to, I will be installing it(have all parts except pump) because it brings the cats up to temp quickly when cold starting.
Those pumps have had a rep of being troublesome in the past, so I m going to have dig around and see if there's a better option.
None of the emission stuff when removed, is supposed to hinder engine output. Techs I spoke to beforehand said all you get is an check engine light, and a code. Engines nver miss a beat. Cat omission was debateable, as some claimed more top end, while others said torque/cruise fuel economy(no closed loop)/and even possible exhaust valve wear all suffer if not installed. So I've decided to install them.

John

[jrez]

whoops

[FredK]

Ah, so the CEL is on in your car because of the lack of the secondary air pump?

The pump is supposed to dilute the concentration of hydrocarbons at startup by blowing air through the exhaust. After the engine warms up, it doesn't run. So it doesn't affect performance at all, like you said.

I have an e36 328 and I had a little trouble with the pump, but I cleaned the filter and lubed the motor, and reattached a vacuum line (this is what caused a CEL), and everything was fine again.

The pump is pretty bulky, so I guess finding a suitable location might be difficult.

So since there isn't an EWS delete chip available (so far) for the M52, you're using the EWS system with the coded key?

[jrez]

Ya, the pump is bulky, but Im hoping it will fit in the "battery tray" area on the right side. If not, Im going to have to find out what cfm they're rated at, and possibly find something else.
Still have'nt heard from eurosport, but I know the DME for a '98 M3 is the same series as mine(Siemens 41.1) and EWS2 should be the same. I actually read about one for sale from an M Coupe of the same year that had the ews disabled by eurosport, so Im optimistic.
Answer to your last question - yes



John

[The Fast One!]

you need to change the VANOS

obd2 vanos works perfectly. you just need to change the vanos selinoid (sp) to the obd1 or lengthen the cable. the obd2 selinoid wiring is too short to reach the obd1 wiring harness. cheers, jason

haha, that's what I ment, thanks man.

[EtaSport]

I think the general concensus is that most people who want to do an obd2 engine dont want to hassle with the added complexity of the body control module, ews, and most of the chassis integration. The fact that taking an obd2 engine and converting it picks up a few hp in the process doesnt make it a bad swap. Since most guys who do the swap are trying to find the easiest and more reliable (how many trouble codes do most new bmws throw?) swap, they go obd1. Its also nice since our cars dont have to be tested with the obd2 emissions standards.

The air pumps dont dilute the exhaust mix. Cats need o2 to burn the hydrocarbons, there isnt enough in the exhaust to do this, so they use an air pump. Too much o2 can cause the cat to overheat and fail.

[FredK]

The air pumps dont dilute the exhaust mix. Cats need o2 to burn the hydrocarbons, there isnt enough in the exhaust to do this, so they use an air pump. Too much o2 can cause the cat to overheat and fail.

That makes a lot of sense! I guess I was just repeating what I had heard, which I try to avoid as much as possible. At the time, the explanation seemed reasonable! Like on bf.c, someone was spouting that you should get a piggyback ecu to install a S50 head onto an M50. Rather than just getting the TMS software. Thanks for the clarification.

I should know better, I did a research project in school about oxygen sensor materials, in which the combustion reaction was shown. Hahaha.

[EtaSport]

Hey, Ive heard the same thing too and thought thats what it did. Then I learned about AIR pumps, and emissions systems. Put lots of things I've heard to false.

[jrez]

I still don't get the "reliability" argument with OBD2 vs. OBD1. Mine's given zero driveability problems. The point about codes showing up... the ones I have are secondary air pump,engine check light, both after cat O2 sensors(2 codes),fuel tank vent, and I did have purge valve and vehicle speed, but thats fixed. None of this makes the car any less reliable,driveable, or robs engine output- except vehicle speed, and possibly low end torque with cat deletion.
Also, my car does not have all the subsystems, ABS,ASC,SRS, factory alarm, etc, which constitute the lionshare of new car codes.
My engine check light is not wired into the dme cause I knew there would be stuff I would'nt be using. I just scan for codes once a month to see if anything additional has come up. Nothing so far.
I also been told the OBD1 DME's are a hot item for wrecking yards as failure is not uncommon due to the water contamination problem in e36's. When I initially looked at doing OBD1, wreckers either did'nt want to split up harnesses from engines, or had DME-less harnesses, as used DME's tend to move quickly.
The few extra ponies that come with the OBD1 swap are mostly, if not all, attributed to the better OBD1 intake. Another argument against OBD2 was lack of tuneability. THat's also changed since I started this project, as checking out e36 sites will show.
I would be very interested to actually see some performance numbers between the two options to see what the difference really is. I'd only stipulate the m52 have the m50 intake, that's it.

Cheers'

John

[EtaSport]

Im not putting the obd2 swap down. If you have the patients to work with such a swap, then go for it. True you wont see much power on an m52 by taking it to obd1, the 's' motors seem to be more capable of freeing up power. The obd2 integration is just in my opinion not nessesary. It was a fed mandated emissions monitoring system. True check engine codes do not affect the driveability of the engine like they did on obd1. It is limiting on cars that test emissions with the CEL, but wouldnt be on the e30. If you want to know how many times your car exceeds the federally mandated emissions standards, then go obd2.