Yet another N52 -> E30 swap thread

[hoveringuy]

Here's the other way. The Aluminum bushing presses out. Slot it and put a piece of nylon in. It lines up perfect.

[HCMW Adam]

Here's the other way. The Aluminum bushing presses out. Slot it and put a piece of nylon in. It lines up perfect.

Fantastic. Thanks for the pic. I read a pretty detailed thread on E90post about it and that was the same solution as this. I have a manifold and TB from an N54 on the way. Be here this week.

[LukeJ]

I'm not running adapters.

The issue is that if you bolt-up the N54 intake as-is, there's a slight mismatch and it's offset by like 3-4mm, resulting in a small lip. There's a well known fix from the E90 community that offsets the holes in the manifold with a nylon bushing that lines it up again.

Yes, the adapters are not necessary. Unless you want a smooth airflow transition. ;-)

Slotting the intake to allow the ports to line up better does seem to be a very good 'fix'. With the horsepower numbers being put down, it doesn't seem to be hurting much, if at all.

The height of the N52 head ports is 1.26". The outlet ports of the N54 intake manifold are 1.14". So there's an 1/8" difference, and if the ports are lined up, then it's a .060" (1.5mm) step on the top and bottom of the intersection.

Once again, adapters are not necessary, and maybe not even helpful. But my mind can't allow there to be such an obvious disruption in the intake airflow. Especially when I'm trying to optimize things as much as possible in an attempt to match dyno numbers put down by a car that's not running catalytic converters. Plus, I had some 'extra' time during the spring of 2020, so I tried to make the best use of it. LOL.

But so far so good. The new upgraded adapters seem to be working as intended with no leaks detected. Time will tell how much service life they will have. I may end up with a different intake combo before that happens....

[LukeJ]

Well that didn't last long....

With the addition of a new subforum for the N52, and the flurry of activity lately, an update is in order.

I had another Magnaflow universal cat come apart inside the housing and start the rattling sounds, again.... Of course it was under warranty and apologies were made. They send me another one off the shelf in 2 days. But I don't want to have to fix it every few weeks. I guess there's a flaw in the manufacturing process for this particular part number? I had them send the other part number, the straight version that's been fine the whole time. I had to do a little more cutting and welding, but it's back together and pretty much the same as before. I'd say the sound changed slightly, whether it's better or worse, I can't tell.

[LukeJ]

I'll also follow up on a current discussion in one of the other topics about the Z4 engine mount arms.

Here are some pics of the machined adapters I had been using up until recently. Hoveringuy pointed out some Condor engine mounts that would work with the adapters and eliminate the through bolt design of the poly bushing. I bought a pair of Condor VIP M20 mounts and made updated adapters to accommodate the mounts. I was able to keep my engine position and reduce vibrations/noises. The new mounts made the N52 feel more like it's been there all along and not 'a swap' engine.

I wasn't 'advertising' these machined adapters previously, because I wasn't certain of the engine position and the bolt through design has flaws. But they do allow the use of the unmodified Z4 arms and put the motor far enough back to fit a fan behind the radiator.

When I machined the new adapters, I started working, and by the end of the day, they were holding up the engine in the car. I didn't get any pics before installation... Sorry.



By the way, the numbers written on the aluminum plate are the weights in pounds of my exhaust system. The extra 13lbs is the X3 muffler no doubt. Those numbers are not including exhaust manifolds or headers. The headers I forgot to weigh before install.

[hoveringuy]

This photo kinda shows the mounting relation, and in this case the motor is 1/2" forward of center. Luke's is 1/2" aft of center and the generic DOHC mounts all align the arm with the subframe, so it's not forward or back. When you look at the picture you can totally see how his work. One side also has the 5 degree adjustment to compensate for the difference in e30 and e90 subframe angles.

My only sorta-kinda beef with the AKG DOHC mount is that it's 65mm tall and it could be a tad shorter, and that the poly is large and hard, so it's a firm attachment.

It's pretty cool that you can keep the Z4 arms and still have some fore-aft adjustability!

[Panici]

I had to do a little more cutting and welding, but it's back together and pretty much the same as before. I'd say the sound changed slightly, whether it's better or worse, I can't tell.

What kind of paint/coating do you use for the exhaust?

[LukeJ]

What kind of paint/coating do you use for the exhaust?

Thanks for asking. It's a ceramic coating that reduces radiant heat. It supposedly improves power, but the heat reduction was the main reason. Trying to get the heat out of the engine bay as much as possible.

AZ Custom Coatings Tempe, Arizona 85283

I'm not planning on having the pipe recoated after the 2 repairs. If I make a new set of pipes with a different cat setup, I may do it again. Mostly though, it was for the headers.

[Holland]

Thanks for asking. It's a ceramic coating that reduces radiant heat. It supposedly improves power, but the heat reduction was the main reason. Trying to get the heat out of the engine bay as much as possible.

AZ Custom Coatings Tempe, Arizona 85283

I'm not planning on having the pipe recoated after the 2 repairs. If I make a new set of pipes with a different cat setup, I may do it again. Mostly though, it was for the headers.

They do good work? I may have to have them do my Euro S50 headers.

[LukeJ]

They do good work? I may have to have them do my Euro S50 headers.

Yes. Brian is the owner and the person I've dealt with on several occasions. The work is good and I think the pricing is fair. He just moved to a new, larger location, after being at the other spot for 20 years.

[Striker01]

LukeJ,

Curious about your cruise control. You mentioned the X72 connector, isn't that from the Z4? How did you tackle getting the multiple wires out of the E30 cruise switch to the one the IVM is looking for?