N52 Swap Discussion

[nando]

Unless you plan to use an intake manifold other than the 3-stage (N54 or ITBS) then you probably don't need to worry about the PS pump overheating because the engine won't make power past the stock redline of 6900rpm anyway.

It matters if you plan to bump up the power band to peak at 7500rpm or higher though.

[MWC]

Unless you plan to use an intake manifold other than the 3-stage (N54 or ITBS) then you probably don't need to worry about the PS pump overheating because the engine won't make power past the stock redline of 6900rpm anyway.

It matters if you plan to bump up the power band to peak at 7500rpm or higher though.

Agreed, I'm going to rev it to at least 7500 rpm though, probably higher just to see what happens. I'll start with the N54 manifold but am excited to see what happens with the S54 stuff if that goes anywhere.

If hoveringuy was overheating his PS in an E30 I will for sure do the same with a slightly heavier car and Hoosiers.

[hoveringuy]

This is going into a racecar so I am definitely going to be cooking that baby with gas lol.

So the whole Cayman pump assembly will swap onto an N52, or you can swap the regulator from pump to pump?

Going back through the thread I realize I may have mixed up 135mm and 135 bar in a few places. The pulley you had made is 135mm, which matches most e36 pulleys. What was the diameter of the pulley off the Cayman pump? Was it 135mm as well?

Yes, I was cooking my PS fluid and temps were in the 285 neighborhood as I recall, and that's in Seattle! A cooler would have obviously helped but I'd rather address the temperature at the source. I like not having extra plumbing and crap to leak.

I don't remember if the Cayman pulley was a different diameter because I wasn't going to use it, but the offset was different. They're cheap on ebay! The regulator looks slightly different but they're interchangeable. The pumps are all a Luk-30 with differences in the pulley offset. I looked at swapping the e90 shaft into the Cayman pump to keep the same offset but it wasn't very easy to do.

[2.5-12]

prius, MR2, RX8 power steering EPS pump maybe?

[MWC]

prius, MR2, RX8 power steering EPS pump maybe?

I'm looking into this as well. Could also be a good solution.


Does anyone know which model had the smallest alternator on an N52?

[hoveringuy]

I'm looking into this as well. Could also be a good solution.


Does anyone know which model had the smallest alternator on an N52?

Ooh. good question.

I know mine came off a 328i and even it's 180A. I would love a smaller, svelte, 115A unit like the e36 had, but with the CAN voltage regulator I don't know how easy it would be to mix and match.

[nando]

maybe from a 1 series?

[hoveringuy]

Best I see is PN 12317543083 which is a 155 amp unit. Not worth the swap for me unless it's a 90 amp or such

[Northern]

Electric PS rack or column?
Something like Z4 "manual" rack + PS column? It's bulky so fitting one is probably a large undertaking.

[hoveringuy]

I need to order a Prius unit to play with it. They work in basically anything and are completely self-contained, a lot of hot rodders use them.

[jbontke]

I need to order a Prius unit to play with it. They work in basically anything and are completely self-contained, a lot of hot rodders use them.

I have been toying with the idea of this. I need to go and get a rack and see if I can make a kit. There is a guy that makes one already, but its $$$$. I think I can make it much cheaper.

[hoveringuy]

I have been toying with the idea of this. I need to go and get a rack and see if I can make a kit. There is a guy that makes one already, but its $$$$. I think I can make it much cheaper.

Right, Belgium I think. He's using the EPS from a European car, forget which one.

The Prius one looks good because it operates completely in fail-safe mode and the ECU is remote mounted. It looks like the motor fits right above the pedals.

There are also the GM version in the Vue and such. They have the ECU integrated which is nice, but also makes it bulkier and more difficult to fit, and they also have a Vss speed signal that dials-back assist with speed which would be nice.

Finally, there are the MR2 hyrdro-electrical units which lets you use the hydraulic rack, but they draw a lot more current and I'm not sure how well they go to idle when there's no demand. I've seen a lot of people say they run at full speed all the time which would be annoying.

An install kit for a Prius EPS would be money!

The only belt-driven accessory left on the N52 would be the alternator and we could probably find a motor-driven alternator....

[jbontke]

Right, Belgium I think. He's using the EPS from a European car, forget which one.

The Prius one looks good because it operates completely in fail-safe mode and the ECU is remote mounted. It looks like the motor fits right above the pedals.

There are also the GM version in the Vue and such. They have the ECU integrated which is nice, but also makes it bulkier and more difficult to fit, and they also have a Vss speed signal that dials-back assist with speed which would be nice.

Finally, there are the MR2 hyrdro-electrical units which lets you use the hydraulic rack, but they draw a lot more current and I'm not sure how well they go to idle when there's no demand. I've seen a lot of people say they run at full speed all the time which would be annoying.

An install kit for a Prius EPS would be money!

The only belt-driven accessory left on the N52 would be the alternator and we could probably find a motor-driven alternator....

That is the guy.

Since there are a million prius... (priui?) I think they would be an easy source. I work with programming hardware, so I thing using an existing speed signal to turn off or possibly turn down the amount of assist is possible. I am headed to the junk yard this weekend, hopefully I can find what I need to get started.

[Caperix]

There is a utv unit that silver mine motors uses in a kit for s30 nissans. It won't be as cheap as a junkyard electric rack but it is very small with a remote module.

[Cdmef]

Wow I’ve read through this whole thread, so much good info in here! I’m set on an n52 swap into my e36 and this has been the most in depth tread I’ve found on the electrical end of things seeing as e30 and e36 are very similar in that respect. My question is to nando, would you be able to do a tune if I sent you an ecu? I am looking to do basically the same setup as hoveringguy with n54 intake. Or conversely point me in the direction of someone who would be able to set up a reliable tune. I don’t need every possible hp so I’m hoping to avoid dropping $1500 on a dyno haha! I’m in Canada btw so if you’re aware of someone up here who could accomplish this lmk. Again, so much amazing work has gone into this to enable more people to do this swap!