N52 -> Into Touring /// What have I done?

[DEV0 E30]

Finally stop changing my mind on what I wanted to do for lighting in the garage. Basically my lady purchased this house and the previous owner had one usable light... a lightbulb fixture on a draw string. It did nothing to light the garage. Even if the heavy stuff happens on the slab out back... real lighting was long overdo. I didn't want to put in the effort that I did at my old house with multiple fixtures and run the electrical, put in switches, etc since we really don't know how long we'll be in this house so I went super cheap and I'm happy so far. Took longer to decide how I wanted to orient them than to install and start using them.



4K to cut back on the amount of blue light my eyes already see everyday. Could have gone with the even warmer color too honestly. As reviews state, disregard screws they include and use better hardware.



Plenty bright.



Not bad for ~50 bucks. I finally have a useable workspace again.




Helper:

[DEV0 E30]

Thanks to projectJTv4, this went pretty fast and having harnesses from two different cars made it easy to cross reference too.

I may have botched something, and I'll be digging more into these soon, but this step definitely helped.


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Z4 Harnesses


Labeled. I think for the most part I'm starting to understand the harnesses. ... ish.


[Z4 CRAB BOX + MORE] https://imgur.com/a/vtp9EjF




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[Z4 INJECTOR + MORE https://imgur.com/a/nIbQ8MM

[DEV0 E30]

E60 Harnesses

Labeled. I think for the most part I'm starting to understand the harnesses --- ish.

[E60 CRAB BOX + MORE] https://imgur.com/a/rJX1ezs

Crankcase breather hose (top of table).
This has a connector that goes to a small holder that can hold multiple connectors.
The angle connector > 11618638014 (labeled #3) goes here, but unsure if that is correct as the same connector exists towards bottom of table.
If I remember correctly, they are the same wire colors, I'll dig more into this.





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[E60 INJECTOR + MORE] https://imgur.com/a/KZWJewi




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I'll dig into more this one.

[E60 Additional Harness + Relays] https://imgur.com/a/42fCyDz

[projectJTv4]

Thanks to projectJTv4, this went pretty fast and having harnesses from two different cars made it easy to cross reference too.

No problem, glad you're making progress!

Not so bad once its laid on a table, right?? haha

[hoveringuy]

The plugs aren't so bad and it's pretty cool how modular the entire wiring system is, that you have sub-harnesses for different functions. You'll have a bunch of left over connectors once you identify everything that you just remove from the harness. I removed the auto transmission wiring, rear O2, vapor purge heating, vapor-tank valve (DTML?)

Different harnesses from the different OEM N52 chassis have different lengths depending on where they mounted the ECU (X3 vs E90 vs E85), I ended up combining two spider box harnesses into one to make it longer. The e30 doesn't mount the ECU in the cowl so if you want it under the glove box it's a stretch.

Finally, you only need a few wires connected between the ECU and chassis to start the car. Power, Ground, the wake-up signal (IGN). That's it! The fuel pump can be jumped at the C101 and so can the starter. Once I had the engine started I added in the chassis-side features one by one. (RPM, oil press, pump relay, etc.)

Also, there is no provision for the ALT light since the N52 alternator is CANBUS controlled and doesn't have separate windings for the dummy light. Not to worry, I have a circuit that I will provide FOR FREE to anyone that completes the swap... Just need LukeJ to do some evaluating on it so I can send it out to fab.

[downforce22]

What are you n52 swap guys doing for gauges? You would want coolant temp and maybe other features that the n52 cluster has as digital signal, right? Do you just lose all the functions and resort to obd2 diagnostics? I know the e30 cluster is pretty simple and only requires alternator, power, fuel signal from tank, and speed signal from diff.

[hoveringuy]

What are you n52 swap guys doing for gauges? You would want coolant temp and maybe other features that the n52 cluster has as digital signal, right? Do you just lose all the functions and resort to obd2 diagnostics? I know the e30 cluster is pretty simple and only requires alternator, power, fuel signal from tank, and speed signal from diff.

The coolant temp for the e30 is analog and requires its own thermistor element, so I added a bung for that in addition to the regular N52 stuff. For everything else on the CANBUS, there are Android apps to view it, and even dedicated little doo-dads that use Arduino to show whatever you want.

[DEV0 E30]

Bumped the main project thread, time to bump this one.

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Headers are at ceramic coating --- should be back this week.

Oil pan is nearly done from fabrication.

Still constantly ordering parts. Probably picking up a few used odds and ends this week from locals.

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Progress has been happening, not as quickly as I was hoping, but life happens. Lots of other things made E30 lower priority from time to time.

Since summer is here, I've moved things around to get the E30 in the garage, and made everything fit so a temporary workspace can happen as necessary.

We almost bought a house with a 3 car garage with 10 foot ceilings... but the market here is nuts along with rates. Cheaper bills are a good thing for the next few years. Making do.





I'm really trying to document the swap and make it easy for myself when I forget what goes where down the line, so I got these labels off of amazon, a white pack, and a multi-color pack, they say they are automotive grade, we shall see.

I'm actually starting to understand the many different harnesses and modules which is neat. I'll link these later on, they feel pretty good and won't tear easily, and the free template they provide makes it easy to print on laser printer.





Helper, helping. She gets bored pretty quickly when she realizes the car isn't taking her somewhere, but that's ok.

[DEV0 E30]

Lost track of wires? I have a *NEW* Wiring Diagram Source For you.

Backstory:

So I had a few secondary power/orange wires come undone from my crab box nest since I wasn't being careful pulling it from my tub to clean it up and work on it, and first thought was:

- This isn't a problem, I can find it in the WDS --- many hours later, realized because these wires combine they aren't shown in any diagram I had access to.

- Still isn't a problem, I have an extra E60 crab box... oh, duh, those wires go to a completely different plug as there is no IVM

- Was going to consult my local who has already helped in a ton on my swap... but to find them, I'd need to basically unplug his crab box and undo all of his wire management...

Then, I found a website, wasn't sure if it was legit... turns out it is. And it was a life saver.

So, I'll likely build on everything I've received and include these for free once I can find time and really make all of my documentation worth contributing, but if you need a late model wiring diagram, this site I think has everything --- as long as it is late model.

It's subscription based so the more "cars" the better the price. You can pay for say "5" cars and download every system for that one specific model and year of car. I think I got the 5 car pack for $30. Downloaded 2007 and 2008 Z4 complete. So I have 3 cars left, will probably download a complete car for a friend. Unfortunately, it doesn't have everything for E30s (and only go back to 1990), while that stuff exists on other sites and a lot of it is here on r3v, I feel like this level of detail would be useful for E30s. They don't have my euro touring listed, but again, I don't think they list C101 for E30s from what I've seen. They do have AC, power windows, and other accessory stuff listed for E30s, but I may pick at random a late model 325i E30 just to have those to compare. I love digital versions of diagrams/manuals because I can back them up and print off as necessary.


TLDR:

LINK: https://portal-diagnostov.com/


Example: Clean, easy to read, and even in color.

NOTE: (This is scaled down) and won't scale up. Just a taste.

PDFs that are scalable for Z4s that I purchased I may include down the line.



LINK: https://portal-diagnostov.com/

[DEV0 E30]

Header Appreciation Post (Pre-ceramic coating):

[FredK]

6 months and an engine got pulled and some wires got labeled. I want my admission refunded.

Bro it's getting hot in PHX. I better see a 5th axis CNC machined pan by October or I'm going to explode.

fredkjk

[DEV0 E30]

I know, progress is way slower than I wanted, trust me. I thought I'd have the engine in the car and it running by now.

It's already too hot to really do anything in the garage if it is after the early morning.

Silly life also keeps getting in the way. I also picked up something heavy and hurt my back a few days ago.

I can say, you'll get your fancy pan pictures before then. It's the coolest damn thing, to not show it off before it goes under the car would be a travesty. So many details.


PS: Go make a thread about your damn S54 already!

[FredK]

oh shoot, was this pan custom fabbed by someone? Like is there a stable design for an N52 pan?

[sreid]

I may have missed this in the thread. But what year was the z4? I saw you said you have the full car all together.

Been looking for an n52 with a magnesium cover. But quickly realizing they are getting scarce so not being picky. Should I also be looking for one from an “I” spec car and not an “IX” as I cannot use the x drive obviously. Just wondering if that matters when we are doing the conversion.

I’ve seen a few e90s with the x drive disconnected but I’m not sure how that works.

this is a loaded post with a few questions thanks in advance.

[hoveringuy]

Been looking for an n52 with a magnesium cover. But quickly realizing they are getting scarce so not being picky. Should I also be looking for one from an “I” spec car and not an “IX” as I cannot use the x drive obviously. Just wondering if that matters when we are doing the conversion.
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I wouldnt bother with the earlier magnesium valve cover motor if you can find a later plastic cover one. The later motors have some technical upgrades and having the vapor collection in the head is really nice, no cyclone separator or oil drainback line to the pan