24V AWD Swap Knowledge Base

[stonea]

In that case I'll just keep with the ol' fashion 5 speed

[Nisse Järnet]

I compared a E34 trans+TC with a 5 speed 330xi setup and that was around 10cm shorter because of no flex joint so a 6 speed from a later 330xi for example should probably fit. Not sure about the E90 though.

My 6 speed 420g is ~10cm longer than a 5 speed ZF BTW.

[Nisse Järnet]

I really want to use a gs6 37 or 53 from a E90 later on :)

[nando]

I think the E46 and E90 use the same basic transmission, but the E90 TC is obviously superior.

[Nisse Järnet]

Yes you're right, I just looked it up :) 6 speed E46 uses gs6 37. (5 speed uses the good old ZF 320)

Easiest would be 6 speed E46, but as you say the TC isn't as good as E30, E34 or E90..but at least with a stiff suspension and good tires the E46 TC seems to work pretty good, a friend of mine got a 330xi with 700+ hp.

[nando]

it holds torque, but if you're tracking it's completely reliant upon your brakes to control slip. I guess it would be OK for drag racing.

N52 oil pan just came in. Crossing my fingers for good luck.. I've already got some plans for the intake manifold to get everything I wanted from the S54 & more. :)

edit: I picked it up and did a rough measurement from the bellhousing face to the diff centerline. it's about 12.15-12.5". I knew it was going to be a bit further forward than the E34 pan, what I'm thinking of doing is grafting the E34 pan diff mount to the N52 pan. this is assuming I can build the E34 diff with a shorter gear ratio, perhaps 3.73 or 3.91.

Another thing I'm looking at is if the E34 pan will simply bolt to the N52 block (with mods of course). I don't have both in front of me so I don't know how far off they are. The patterns look pretty similar, but they're both inline 6 oil pans so..

[Nisse Järnet]

Interesting! :) Can you convert N52 to mechanical trottle wire?

[nando]

Probably but I wouldn't want to. MSV70 is excellent at what it does and it's pretty easy to hack. I've started on disassembly of the program code, but I don't really know what I'm doing yet. The alternative is to simply pay for an EWS delete or to use a matched DME/CAS & key.

MSV70 can run without a MAF (not a limp mode). I want an airbox like the M3 CSL. I think I can make an adapter out of a stock N52 intake - since there aren't any throttles, it's actually pretty simple to do. I'm hoping I can heat up the plastic and shape it a bit. another thought is to 3D print some 50mm adapters and glue them to the stock flange.

[The Dark Side of Will]

it holds torque, but if you're tracking it's completely reliant upon your brakes to control slip. I guess it would be OK for drag racing.

AWD reduces the power to the rear wheels by ~35%. That alone is enough for a significant reduction in lighting up the inside rear coming off a corner. When used with a rear LSD it should still be VERY effective at putting the power down of the apex... unless your front bar is so stiff that you light up the inside front. At that point, why have AWD at all?
On a drag racer that carries the front tires, AWD is just extra weight.

[nando]

I'll do a side by side comparison later, but here's what i found in 10 minutes with the E34 & N52 pans side by side.

The bolt spacing is pretty similar, but the N52 is just a tad wider and has larger holes (for the aluminum bolts).

The axle centerline is about 1" further forward on the E70 from the E34. It looks a lot like the E30 ix pan, actually.

So, as far as modifying the E34 pan to fit the N52, it would be a ton of work. And I'd be stuck with the 3.38 gearing most llikely.

Grafting the e34 diff support to the N52 pan looks feasible but im still stuck with gearing i wont like.

I'm thinking about option C - grafting the E30 diff carrier to the N52 pan. The E30 is actually more similar to the N52 pan than the E34, and although the diff is weaker, parts are esier to find and i can use a ratio I'd like (probably 3.92).

Now i need to find a cheap E30ix pan - maybe a cracked one?

[stonea]

There's a FS thread with ix parts. I think the guy was selling a oil pan for like $60.

[nando]

yeah, there's one on ebay for not too bad of a price, and I have a $60 credit I can use.

I'm also thinking, with the E34 diff - I'm going to have to pay somebody a lot of customize it with a different ratio. then, I'm going to end up with a one-off piece. if it breaks or something, I'm screwed. I prefer stock parts or at least ones I can easily attain.

that said, if anyone is interested in my E34 parts, I'll probably end up selling them if I can make this N52 pan work.

[The Dark Side of Will]

Are you still thinking of the N52 engine as a swap candidate?

[nando]

I've pretty much changed in that direction entirely, yes. My only real hurdle is the oil pan, but I had the same problem with the S54.

once I'm confident I'm not going down a rabbit hole I'm going to list a lot of the parts I don't need. I have a whole cache of S54 specific parts that I paid almost nothing for!

[Nisse Järnet]

Why not a N52 front diff?