1989 325is, automatic to 5 speed?

[E30FreaK89]

I got this 1989 325is and its an automatic....i was woundering if its possible to put a 1987 325is 5 speed transmission in it?? will it work with everything else (ECU)???

[AndrewBird]

Yes, do a search, there are TONS of posts on this topic.

[James Crivellone]

ECU's are the same, although you will need to make one small electrical bypass to disable the P/N Crank disable, and wire up reverse lights.

[Maluco]

ECU's are the same, although you will need to make one small electrical bypass to disable the P/N Crank disable, and wire up reverse lights.

Damn, looks, or should I say, reads pretty intimidating.... What happened to the pics???

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/show...ht=auto+manual

[Teaguer]

Damn, looks, or should I say, reads pretty intimidating.... What happened to the pics???

Dude if that "is" you just picked up is a lame assed auto then LMK as I can do the swap for you .

Can also supply all the parts .
You gots my digits .

[RobertK]

Easy swap... before my E30 I only knew how to change spark plugs, air filter, and my own oil.

When I bought my E30 started learning everything else on my own including the 5 speed swap. It was so much easier than I thought.

[HST]

It is not that hard, if you have changed a clutch before then you are half way there, all you have to do is swap the peddles change the break res., do the wire splice, and put in the master and slave cylinder. If you have not done a clutch before then it will be difficult.

[E30FreaK89]

thanks all you you for the help! now i know that i can do it..

[92 mtechnic cabrio]

I'm a total noob and after having done it with help, I know I can do it by myself in a few days now.

[morontron]

So this is a stretch... but is there anyone in the Southern California area that would be willing to help me with a 5 speed swap? It's mostly that I am intimidated by how many parts are necessary and I don't have all the tools that I would need. If anyone would be willing to help me out with making sure I get everything I need and helping me track down a transmission, I will gladly pay for their time...
I know I'm new but I'm getting more and more into these cars and it kills me driving an automatic that was designed for a woman... haha.

[RobertK]

Grab a Bentley and search the forums. Everything you need to know is available online. I did it with the help from my friend Josh (HST) and he had never swapped any car over to a 5 speed much less a BMW and together we figured it out pretty quick.

[morontron]

I think the thing that makes me view the project as overwhelming is just how many parts are needed.
I have no idea what transmissions will work with my car. Where do I buy it from? Junkyards? How do I tell if it's in good condition?
Going into a project like this on my own just scares me because none of my friends are really heavily into cars.
Seriously I've searched the forums and I still am skeptical about this being something I can do on my own. Any input that anyone has would be greatly appreciated.

[RobertK]

There is only one transmission ou should consider and that's the stock Getrag 260 for ease of swappage.

Read, read, and read some more. Take pictures while taking things apart for reference.

The best thing is to find a car in a junkyard and pull the parts yourself. This way you will have a better understand of how they go back together.

[morontron]

Thanks a lot man,
I am getting more and more confident the more reading I do. (And my Bentley is on it's way from Amazon) I'm considering ordering the kit from Eurodepot just because I don't want to have to worry about getting a bunk tranny from a junkyard and it seems like even if I get all the parts myself it still wouldn't be very much cheaper.
Thoughts?

[blueapplesoda]

Hey man, no worries. Im 17, treated my auto tranny like it was steptronic at the track, then guess what happened. Swap took me a week after getting all the parts, Due to a wrong pilot bearing (BMP). Get extensions. lots of pivoing angle extensions, a few of those super angle peices and a electric torque wrench. I used these tools the most. then all of the other smaller bleh tools you'll use once or twice (Stars and that 14mm long socket which no one had, I could go on....).....A lift would be UBER helpful