E30 m42 swap into a e30 325i

[euro760]

I got a 91 325is chassis auto
Im converting it to 5speed
My buddy has a complete m42 out of his 318 that was in a accident
Wondering what i would need
Assuming i need
Driveshaft
Engine/trans
Shift linkage
Mounts
Engine harness
Ecu
Anything else
I know its not as much power as a m20b25
But getting swap for pretty much free

Thanks in advance please only helpful comments

[roguetoaster]

I think you have it sorted out, however you shouldn't need the driveshaft, but I would pick the best of the two you have available.

You might want the fuel system too, but in theory your 91 should have all the right stuff to make the swap work.

[euro760]

Coo thanks alot bro
I would be picking up his full swap with injectors and rail
Another thing i was worried about was the m42engine harness fitting the 325i underdash harness

[roguetoaster]

Coo thanks alot bro
I would be picking up his full swap with injectors and rail
Another thing i was worried about was the m42engine harness fitting the 325i underdash harness

Should have been more clear, meant just the fuel pump/tank in that case.

Wish I could comment accurately on the harness in the cabin.

[TobyB]

Tach, maybe, or at least the coding plug.

In theory the cabin wiring should work. In theory...

You may have to jumper the neutral/park switch from the trans.

It stinks there's not an ETM for the 91 318, or you'd know for sure.
But looking at the E36 318 engine and body diagrams might help...

t

[bmwman91]

Yeah you will need the coding plug for the cluster and OBC for them to work properly.

The M42 cars also had the smaller gas tank (56L I think) and the M20 cars had a larger one (63L I think). You can use the larger one since it has the dual level sensors and the higher capacity fuel gauge in the cluster already.

[euro760]

Thanks alot guys!

[DesktopDave]

I think they're pretty close. C101 should line up correctly but I'm not 100% sure. I use a '92 'vert ETM for the '91 M42 wiring. It's been correct so far. The M42 doesn't have a sender for the oil level.

Don't forget to short out the old auto trans harness, car won't start otherwise.

[irish44j]

if your car isn't an ABS car (e.g. an early 325), make sure to dummy off the ABS wire in the C101 from the M42 engine side harness. If you don't, you'll be putting power to ground and will melt a lot of wires.

If your car has ABS already, should be plug and play IIRC.