88' 325e to i swap

[calisk8er246]

I just picked up an 88' 325 has the 2.7 in it and i'm wondering if i pickup an i engine, will it bolt right up, like plug and play with the harness, fuel pump setup and everything else in the car. Used to have an is and the 2.7 is pretty doggish in comparison.

Thanks For Your Help Guys,

Kyle

[jlevie]

You'll need the engine, harness and DME from an i/is car.

[mikegar]

check this out.

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=100939

[kenika65]

You have a super eta so all you need to do is swap in an i ecu which is Motronic 1.3 #173 and you will have an i revlimit and higher torque then an i car.

Since you have a super eta you already have an i head on your 2.7 but it only has single valve springs and a 3 bearing eta cam and a slightly smaller intake then the i cars have.

So to make it safe and to get more hp you will want to run an i head with the i double valve springs and i cam with the i intake.

the reason you want to run an i head i because your i head only has 3 oil holes for the 3 bearing eta cam and to run an i cam you will need to have your i head drilled 3 more holes to make an i cam work.

Well this is probably confusing but it will get easier the more you research...

If you still just want an i engine sell me your super eta pistons please thanks.

[calisk8er246]

Thanks Guys

Few more questions, so basically pickup an i head, with all the stock goodies they have, bolt it on to the 2.7 bottom, and swap the ecu and i have a 2.7i that will rev higher and make a decent amount more power?

Thanks Guys, Kyle

[mikegar]

you will have a higher reving 2.7 eta. it wont rev any higher than the i. you will have more power. it is basically a stroker m20b25

[calisk8er246]

one last question

you think it would have just as much power and throttle respone as an i if not better?

[SpecM]

you think it would have just as much power and throttle respone as an i if not better?

same throttle responce, a little more power

usually about 10 hp more (than the 2.5i) and a smoother torque curve

[e30.4.life]

I'm jealous, I wish I could find a super eta. It would make for tons of fun once it became one with the donor i motor I just received! You won't have a hard time selling that motor if you do swap in an i.

[calisk8er246]

Hmm

should be picking a head and all the other goodies up within a month or two do you think with chip intake exhaust and maybe a cam it could be pushing around 200 crank?

[SpecM]

should be picking a head and all the other goodies up within a month or two do you think with chip intake exhaust and maybe a cam it could be pushing around 200 crank?

maybe, depends on the cam

[StereoInstaller1]

I understand Mark D makes a chip specifically for this application.

I would ask him what setup to use, so you are copying a known setup that works best with his chip.

[calisk8er246]

yay!

so i messed up some in the valvetrain the other day pretty sure a snapped rocker arm or something, enough to make the car not start, so i'm doing the 2.7i with an intake and chip right away, but i just want to make sure, I DO NOT NEED THE HARNESS RIGHT? just the ecu and head, and what head gasket set should i get, one for the eta or for the i, or are they the same? should be done within 2-3 weeks then i'm going to dyno it, just for giggles!

thanks for your help guys, merry christmas and happy holidays!

[mikegar]

iirc the superETA harness will work with the i computer. so no you dont need the harness