New daily driver project- 1989 bmw 325i sedan w/ M50 swap

[CMG]

Picked up another e30 for daily driving. Been years since i had a regular e30 so just starting a thread for questions i have along the way. It's an 89 sedan w/ euro bumpers and other goodies plus BAR certified 1993 m50 swap. It's running and driving and all parts are present. Swap seems to be done right and has all the proper swap parts. More pics and info soon. Started with fluids change and not sure if dipstick is the correct one for accuracy but drained out 4 quarts and filled with about 6. I assumed six, does that sound about right? (Dipstick showed at halfway mark so put in another half quart). Priority issue is getting it smogged and it runs fine just rich. High HC and NOX. Any suggestions where to start first (has all obdI emissions intact)? It has the consult port, would a peake reader work? This is what it looks like now. Has some quality upgrades but also a couple of trendy mods that I'm going to remove (like using spacers with +10 et, and ground control coils on stock suspension, etc.

[CMG]

Questions:
1- The issue with the slipping clutch was resolved with a fluid change, but the rear tranny seal is leaking. Can that be easily replaced on the car by just pulling the driveshaft?

2- It currently has Ground Control coil kit with stock mounts. I plan to add Ruff camber plates in front and JTD RSM. Still has stock sway bars and due to clearance issues plan is to get max oem size bars 21/14mm. Most bushings and bearings need replacement so gonna do a full suspension overhaul. I was planning on using garagistic for front and rear subframe and RTA exchange and bushings. It seems that it would cost around the same to have a shop press bushings in and out compared to buying them done by garagistic.

3- The AC was deleted but I can see heater hoses to the core under the intake manifold. HVAC works but no heat from any vents. Is there some kind of solenoid or flap to open heater vent? Hoses are slightly kinked but not bad enough to effect flow. I will be pulling the perfect condition dash to put in the M3, so any recommendations for stuff to do while I'm in there are helpful.

4- Pretty sure it has the E21 brake booster, and when I got it there was no damper between booster and intake manifold and there was vibration in the clutch pedal. I used an e36 damper now, but still have pulsation in clutch pedal. The clutch is starting to go as I said, would the pulsations in the clutch pedal possible be from that?

5- Exhaust is welded one piece using aftermarket headers and oem cats and resonators. I am suspicious that the cats are hollowed out just due to smells coming out of tailpipe (smells like straight pipe). I banged on the cats and resonator and the cats definitely sounded more hollow, but I have no way to actually check cats since they are welded in place. Any suggestions?

[mtech325]

Congrats on getting a BAR legal car! Makes life a little easier in the great state of Kalifornia.

The oil capacity is between 6 and 7 quarts depending who you ask. The e34 m50 is listed at being a little over 6 quarts, but the m50 in an e36 takes nearly 7 quarts. I put closer to 7 quarts in my m50 e30 and haven't had any issues and the dipstick reads accordingly.

The window wiring shouldn't have anything to do with the motor swap. The wiring may have been flipped, or possibly the switch is backwards? You'll have check the wiring and see if there's signs of someone messing with it at some point.

As for the bumpers, those are standard late model plastic bumpers as found on 89+ coupes and sedans (convertibles got them a little later). They look to have the euro side marker delete trim, but the bumpers themselves are what the car would have come with stock.

The car would not have come stock with "iS" side skirts. Some of the 1991 sport package cars came equipped but they're fairly uncommon. The rocker panels below the door are supposed to be black. Either someone painted them white or the paint wore off over the years. If you do like the look of the skirts though, you can still buy the kit and install them.

As for smog, this can be a frustrating process. The best thing to do is to make sure there's no vacuum leaks, and that the plugs, o2 sensor, maf, etc. are all in good shape. If the car has aftermarket cats, they can be prone to burning out quicker than OE cats, so you may have to change the cats if all else doesn't work. Just make sure the car is HOT when you go to the smog station as well, but you probably already know that :)

Best of luck with the new car!

[CMG]

Ok thanks for the info. I found a 194 bulb socket hanging under the bumper so that explains the euro bumper trim on the car. Haven't had a chance to dig into things much but runs and drives fine, just way rich. The oil cap was not even sealing so swapped it out for slight improvement. Car still stinks worse than straight pipe cars.

[CMG]

I put some miles on it and I kind of like the car. I was just gonna use it for a couple months while I worked on my other cars then sell it but I might consider keeping it. It's not fast but that can sometimes be a good thing. I can tell it has been owned by people on the forums, it has all kinds of items in it that I've seen for sale over the last couple of years: garagistic & condor stuff, the unbuffered temp gauge, etc. Pretty sure it has delrin clutch bushings too, it's squeaky and stiff and needs some lube.

I'll get a pic up soon, but pretty sure it has the e21 brake booster. Pedal assistance is kind of weak. I assume the ABS should still function. Out of curiosity how would a 5 lug swap with E36 brakes affect braking feel? Only asking cuz I have the parts, don't really wanna do it.

[CMG]

Bump, anyone got any recommendations for a good clutch set up?

[SnowB0und]

I've been wanting to try the VALEO single mass conversion kit. Comes with flywheel, clutch kit, and all the bolts you need for around 400

[CMG]

Out of curiousity why would you want single mass? The dual mass rarely go bad, and if switching it would make more sense to just get LTW. Also, budget is a consideration, I usually go all out on my cars but trying to be economical with this one. It's not like it's an E30 M3 ; )

[mtech325]

Do you happen to know what flywheel is in car currently? If you have the stock m20 325i single mass flywheel, I'd say keep that and get a replacement e30 325i m20 Sachs clutch kit. The stock clutch is plenty fine for an m50 car. Some people even use them on turbo m20 cars and s5x powered cars with good results.

The Valeo single mass flywheel kit is an interesting idea but poses a few issues: Since it's made for an e36, you'll have to use an e36 starter motor. It also doesn't weigh much different than the dual mass flywheel it replaces, and is heavier than the e30 flywheel (~25 lbs vs. ~18 lbs.). Finally, the Valeo flywheel only works with a Valeo clutch kit according to ECS Tuning.

Just food for thought, but if you already have an m20 flywheel and starter, then your parts cost is only a $200 clutch kit instead of $400 for the single mass Valeo kit plus the cost of an e36 starter.

[SnowB0und]

I didn't realize the OP had a M20 clutch. Makes sense to just get that. Only reason I liked the valeo kit was that it has everything you need in a package for a pretty reasonable price with one less failure point.

[CMG]

I am not 100% sure what clutch or flywheel is in the car now. I actually have not gotten under the car to see what exact driveline it has. I know it is a G 260, and it has the canted tranny mount to straighten the shifter, also has LSD. How can I determine which version tranny I have?

[SnowB0und]

Does it have holes to access the rear oil pan bolts?

[e30austin]

24v with E34 pan holds 6.8 quarts and takes a Mahle OX187/D filter.

If you know that it has the special 10 degree tilted transmission brace, you have an G260, as well as an M20 single mass fly/clutch. Buy an E30 325i Sachs clutch kit and call it a party.

[CMG]

24v with E34 pan holds 6.8 quarts and takes a Mahle OX187/D filter.

If you know that it has the special 10 degree tilted transmission brace, you have an G260, as well as an M20 single mass fly/clutch. Buy an E30 325i Sachs clutch kit and call it a party.

K thanks for info. I was under the impression that the G260 came in multiple models like e36 and e34.

[NufnSus]

^

E30 M20B25 = G260
E34 M20B25 = G260

both are labelled as Gertrag 260 transmission, but they are different models, to suit the trans-tunnel of either the E30 or E34 chassis.

See here for differences

E36 325i = G250

E30 M20B20 = G240
E30 M40B18 = G240

Again, same label, but different model#, and can not be interchanged easily due to do bell-housing alignment.


As others have said, there's a 99% chance that what you currently have installed is a M50 / G260 / M20 SM Flywheel / M20 clutch combo