M52 too far forward

[gotane30]

Hey r3v, I'm currently swapping an m52 with zf320 into my 85 325e. everything is buttoned up and working except for the shifter... It sits too far forward in the little hole. After some extensive WTF moments, I've figured out that my entire drivetrain is 2" too far forward. Does anybody have any ideas on how to correct this? I'm trying to take this car to SoWo in 6 days HELP ME!

thanks everyone

[DesertBMW]

You are using wrong motor mounts then

[gotane30]

You are using wrong motor mounts then

I considered that, but the motor mounts being used worked with this same swap when it was pulled from my 91 318i

[DesertBMW]

Post some photos lets see

[gotane30]

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[DesertBMW]

not that, the motor mounts

[gotane30]

I'll get some in a bit when I leave work

[gotane30]

Passenger side is on the bottom

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[DesertBMW]

Engine looks like it is properly mounted, all though you need to install 4mm spacers on the mounts for proper leveling.

[gotane30]

Thanks. any idea why I may be short then? I've got the same carrier and everything from my 91, and that didn't have any spacers. This is driving me nuts.

[BlackSpeed66]

I recently got the shift linkage installed into my s52/zf320 swap on my car. Using revshift motor mounts. I did notice that both the e30 and e36 shift carriers (aluminum arm that attaches to trans) didn't quite fit right. Now that's not necessarily the fault of the motor mounts - they sit the engine fairly close to the firewall. I'm guessing the issue is just how the back of the ZF is - slightly different design or length than the original Getrag. The e30 linkage seemed too "short" to fit in the rubber mount at back of the trans tunnel. The e36 linkage seemed to put the shifter over to the side too much. I wound up buying an e46 shift carrier and shortening it to match the length that's needed. It also does a better job of centering the shifter in the hole. I've got pics in another thread from not too long ago - do a search & you should be able to find it.

[tytypetersen]

I had this same problem but with the 260. It sat at about the same place as where your picture is. I used the e28 green mounts and you have to install them so that the dowel tab goes into the bolt hole and the motor mount bolt would go through where the tab would go. That's only if your using the e28 mounts tho.

[marek|steezkal]

Here was my solution to the same problem. The carriers twist well in a vise but as soon as I tried to bend, it snapped. This was alright as I needed to extend it anyways so I made this little angle bar and used loctite and locknuts.

[gotane30]

Thanks for all the replies. I'm still looking into this, I'll post up my findings

[M3PO]

Post a pic of how the motor looks in the engine bay. If you engine really is 2" forward, the accessories must be super close to the radiator.