Don't understand, what engine is this?

[BlackE30]

This looks like a s50, not an s52.... Which one is it?

Do different model s52s have the oil filler location changed? I was under the assumption that its usually on the forward portion of the engine when its an s52.

Can anyone clear this up for me?

Thanks guys,
Jeff

[mattdk318i]

non vanos M50

But does have S50/52 headers

[PiercedE30]

OBDI (M/S50)- that style valve cover, unless someone changed it.
OBDII (M/S52)- oil cap is in front.

[mattdk318i]

i dont see a vanos unit, So most definitly Non vanos M50

[BlackE30]

from the sellers post-

Under the hood:
S52 3.2L engine from 1997 M3 with 61,000 miles, has 65k on engine now. The vanos unit was replaced during the swap. The water pump was also replaced with a post-recall metal impeller unit. The alternator, starter, brake booster, and radiator were all replaced with new units at the time of the swap. The steering rack should be replaced, I have a new unit w/tie rods and all other necessary parts waiting to be installed.

Engine is running OBDI management from OBDI 1995 S50 M3, has complete OBDI conversion and Conforti bolt-ons:
OBDI M3 Intake manifold/throttle body
3.5" Euro HFM
Lightweight aluminum flywheel.
24lb injectors
Conforti chip tuned for this setup
I've never had it on a dynomometer, but my best guess as to horsepower is in the 270-285bhp range.
A full part list will be provided to the buyer for maintenance purposes.

so is this a fake?

[mattdk318i]

umm, Considering its missing the plastic cover saying M power(on purpose) its a fake

[mattdk318i]

and plus, For 8500 you could buy a real M/S50 swapped car

[BlackE30]

http://www.e30tech.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46033

Mike30 bought this car, hes a member on this forum

[mattdk318i]

i could swear this is the same car

http://www.car-forums.com/s26/t25313.html

[BlackE30]

yea it is the same car.

[Teaguer]

umm, Considering its missing the plastic cover saying M power(on purpose) its a fake

Dude , seriously why are you posting ??
You obviously don't know what you are looking at or what you are talking about .

The Vanos bump is clearly visible on the valve cover .
That car/engine is a S52 that has been converted to OBDI and is running the -95 valve cover and coils .

Those are OBDII exhaust manifolds NOT S50 .

The M-Power cam cover means absolutley nothing !
I'm actually running a OBDII valve cover and plain jane cam cover on my OBDI engine .

I could go on and on but the end result is that particular engine/car is a S52 like I stated above .

But just judging from that pic it could actually have been any one of the twin-cam Vanos engines .
Since you can swap parts back and forth there is really no way to tell them apart just by whats installed on them .

[mattdk318i]

ok, So the black valve cover is fucking me up. I can now see that it does indeed have a vanos unit.
So i will eat my works and say its a S52 with a M/S50 valvecover.

[mattdk318i]

Dude , seriously why are you posting ??
You obviously don't know what you are looking at or what you are talking about .

The Vanos bump is clearly visible on the valve cover .
That car/engine is a S52 that has been converted to OBDI and is running the -95 valve cover and coils .

Those are OBDII exhaust manifolds NOT S50 .

The M-Power cam cover means absolutley nothing !
I'm actually running a OBDII valve cover and plain jane cam cover on my OBDI engine .

I could go on and on but the end result is that particular engine/car is a S52 like I stated above .

But just judging from that pic it could actually have been any one of the twin-cam Vanos engines .
Since you can swap parts back and forth there is really no way to tell them apart just by whats installed on them .

I looked at the pic too quickly sorry you got upset, And yes it is kind of weird that the cover is missing. AND i do know that plastic has nothing ot do with the engine.

[Teaguer]

^ Thank you .

Now about the oil filler location :
Yes like Pierced posted the -95 OBDI cars have the fill location in the rear of the cover while the 96+ OBDII cars have ht elocation on front of the cover .

On E30's with 24v swaps its actually common to run the later OBDII covers no matter what engine you are running as it lets you have easy fill location with a strut bar like the Sparcos .

[BlackE30]

ok thanks for clarifying Teaguer. I didn't know you could swap valve covers from the 50 to the 52. I am picking this car up this weekend, thought for a second I was about to get ripped off after a 7 hour drive!

Thanks again.