The comprehensive DOHC engine swap thread.

[northmiler89]

ok i looked and looked and have seen a few people ask this in different places, but no direct answer

m52 out of a 98 328is... going into an e30.. want to stick with obd2.. can i save some time and just buy the treehouse wiring adapter or am I going to have to do the wiring legwork?

thanks

[Jand3rson]

Alright y'all, braking system question. I was going to do the whole "slot the firewall" thing with the stock booster, but I'm getting a Porsche 944 booster for free. Can I use the stock E30 master cylinder, or do I need the 944 one? I read somewhere that the E30 and the 944 masters are the same bore/diameter/something.

[luckysnafu]

ok i looked and looked and have seen a few people ask this in different places, but no direct answer

m52 out of a 98 328is... going into an e30.. want to stick with obd2.. can i save some time and just buy the treehouse wiring adapter or am I going to have to do the wiring legwork?

thanks

I just swapped an m52 from a 96 328is into my e30 and kept obd2 (and ews). The wiring isn't that hard and I can help you out with it. What e30 are you putting the m52 into? I have wiring diagrams for a 91 318is and an 87 325e.

[BimmerTim]

Alright y'all, braking system question. I was going to do the whole "slot the firewall" thing with the stock booster, but I'm getting a Porsche 944 booster for free. Can I use the stock E30 master cylinder, or do I need the 944 one? I read somewhere that the E30 and the 944 masters are the same bore/diameter/something.

90% sure you can use the stock one.

[Jand3rson]

Has anyone done a set of underdrive pulleys with their 24V swap, specifically with an M50? I did some research tonight and found that most people were seeing about a 5-10 hp increase with a full kit (alternator/power steering/water pump), and Turner claims 10.7 hp on the M3 with theirs. Is this something that's worth the money, in conjunction with other bolt-ons/offs? Also, why does UUC's underdrive kit not include the alternator?

[phreshkid]

Janderson, you have an m50. I really wouldn't worry too much about about power if I were you. Stick with smoothness and presentability with this swap. I just swapped in an m52 and while it's a measurable jump over the m42, it's still not that worthwhile in terms of power. What are your overall plans for this swap anyways?

[Jand3rson]

I know it's an M50. I think you nailed it with smoothness and presentability. I'm going to do a chip and ebay headers, but that's pretty much it for this first incarnation. I think I mentioned it before, my long-term goal is to supercharge it.

[phreshkid]

The underdrive pulleys are tricky in the sense that if you compare m50 pulleys to s50 pulleys, they are different in many ways. I think the s50 pulleys were lighter than the m50 pulleys. I haven't checked part numbers but I had 2 s50s an m50 and an m52 and I did notice some differences. I'm not sure if this helps with anything but if you take conceptual physics and a little common sense into consideration, reduction of rotating mass does have a profound effect in terms of how easy or hard an engine is allowed to run. There is a limit to how light you can go before problems arise, take the flywheel for a prime example.

I don't really know what relevancy my statement had to anything you said but I said it anyways.

Good luck with your swap man and nice wheels.

[jaywood]

What goes into swapping an auto s50 into a manual e30? I want to keep my e30 manual.

(as far as trannies go)

[Wishno87]

What goes into swapping an auto s50 into a manual e30? I want to keep my e30 manual.

(as far as trannies go)

(Dude read every page of this thread before you ask a question like that)

Because Im nice: If you have a single mass FW keep it and have the rear shaved down. Bolt that to your S50 and everything else should work with it. Use your M20 starter too. I have an M20 FW and clutch setup in my 24V and it works fine. There is a lot more to it than that but you get the condensed version.

[phreshkid]

(Dude read every page of this thread before you ask a question like that)

Because Im nice: If you have a single mass FW keep it and have the rear shaved down. Bolt that to your S50 and everything else should work with it. Use your M20 starter too. I have an M20 FW and clutch setup in my 24V and it works fine. There is a lot more to it than that but you get the condensed version.

So you essentially took an "e" flywheel, shaved it down 2 pounds from the inside and made it work that way? What tranny did you use? Is using the "i" flywheel a bad idea when pairing it to the g240?

[Wishno87]

So you essentially took an "e" flywheel, shaved it down 2 pounds from the inside and made it work that way? What tranny did you use? Is using the "i" flywheel a bad idea when pairing it to the g240?

I dont know anything about what setup you need for a G240 but I have a G260 and used a euro 323 flywheel which is already a dinner plate so I did not need to shave it down. Most stock single mass M20 flywheels need to be shaved down though. Now that I think about it im pretty sure people have no issues using an "I" flywheel but I dont know what TO bearing you will need.

[phreshkid]

I would need a euro 323i TO bearing which I already have and I have an I flywheel/clutch combo but I am just curious as to how much needs to be shaved off the back, if any at all.

Thanks for your help Wishno, I'll search some more.

[Wishno87]

Well if you can get rid of everything behind your ring gear that would help.

This is what I had.



You pretty much just need it to not interfere with the two back bolts on the back of the oil pan.

[e30-325]

Okay, there are way too many pages to go through to find specific answers to most of my questions. Believe me I've searched and i just need a solid answer for some questions.
I swapped a Vanos m50 into my 89 325i

1. Do i take the brown coolant sensor from my m20 and put it in place of the second sensor on the head of the m50 to make my temp gauge read correctly?

2. Tach doesn't work so what do i have to do? black wire in the glove box or something?

Appreciate any input