transmission of choice?

[Brew]

The oil pan needs to be clearanced to not hit the flywheel. Very easy to do with a decent grinder. I did this same thing on my first M50 swap 5 years ago and thought the motor was seized up!

[WADE30]

Hey guys I have a question here. I am doing the m50 swap into my e30.
M50, Getrag 260, m20 flywheel, m20 performance clutch.

We put the flywheel on last night with the shim on the outside of course, bolted it on and now the crank won't spin because it's hitting the rear cover.

Am I possibly missing a crucial element in this?

Thanks guys

Wade

[johnny88m3]

i'm a bmw master tech. I have been workin on these cars for over 5 years now. What i have personally seen is 2 getrag 250's go bad and 1 zf but have not seen any 260's go bad. One 250 lost first gear and the other lost 2nd and the zf had something get loose in the trans and wedge itself against a gear and break a hole about the size of a half dollar piece in the case but still worked i hope this helps someone. Its rare i get to post here i have read thousands of pages here glad i get to contribute for once.

[bostonbmw]

any insight into the g250? ive heard its weak -- I got one right now came with my s52 engine should i scrap it for a 260 for the swap?
also anyone know if it has the same bellhousing/m3 clutch issue as the 260s or can it be used without modification?

I have never seen any supporting facts about the getrag 250 being weak. I got one with a package deal so that's what I plan on running....

[cormier]

g240s came in e30 318i
g250s came in e36 325i
g260s came in e30 325i

zf320s came in e36 m3/328i

iirc the e34 m50 had g250s as well

any insight into the g250? ive heard its weak -- I got one right now came with my s52 engine should i scrap it for a 260 for the swap?
also anyone know if it has the same bellhousing/m3 clutch issue as the 260s or can it be used without modification?

[MIKe30]

I've been searching and can't find it. I thought I read somewhere on here that there was a 5% (or 7%) extra drivetrain loss of power with one tranny over the other.

anybody have any more info on this?

anybody?

[Kerrath]

got vice-grips?

So it's a job for torsion, just bend it around?

[MDryVur]

I run the 260 and am happy with it. I didn't choose it; it chose me..

awsome..:up:

[SpecM]

I get the selector rod, makes sense. In an '86, it uses a shift plate which bolts up to two points on the tranny which means the pivot for the shifter is taken off center too. Got ideas on how to re-center it?

got vice-grips?

[Kerrath]

The M20 is tilted 10-degrees to the left compared to an M50. Therefore, when you mate an M20 (260) transmission to an M50, the tranny sits 10* to the right. This is not a problem. You need to fab up a tranny brace and cut/rotate 10-degrees/weld the selector rod.

It sounds like your friend didn't do this, and the console is getting in the way of grabbing 5th gear. :)

I get the selector rod, makes sense. In an '86, it uses a shift plate which bolts up to two points on the tranny which means the pivot for the shifter is taken off center too. Got ideas on how to re-center it?

[BenM]

'92 525i had the ZF310 AFAIK.

[rThor432]

iirc the e34 m50 had g250s as well

That sounds right.

[SpecM]

im slightly confused. i know 240's came on 318's, 260's came on 325's, what about the getrag 250's? or the zf's? what tranny tranny do e34 m50's come with?

g240s came in e30 318i
g250s came in e36 325i
g260s came in e30 325i

zf320s came in e36 m3/328i

iirc the e34 m50 had g250s as well

[lifeiskaos]

im slightly confused. i know 240's came on 318's, 260's came on 325's, what about the getrag 250's? or the zf's? what tranny tranny do e34 m50's come with?

[MIKe30]

I've been searching and can't find it. I thought I read somewhere on here that there was a 5% (or 7%) extra drivetrain loss of power with one tranny over the other.

anybody have any more info on this?