In the process of pulling my m20 out of my e30 to put an m52 in and recently came across an e28 that has everything but the engine and trans for a sweet deal. Is throwing the e30 m20 into the e28 as simple as plopping the motor in and plugging it in or what's all required for this simple swap?
Announcement
Collapse
No announcement yet.
E30 m20 into E28
Collapse
X
-
I think the pan and harness are different. Don't quote me, but you might need a super ETA harness if your engine is an M20B25. Also, the eta would be the way to go in the E28 due to weight. I suspect that driveability would be a little compromised in an E28 with a M20B25 due to the torque curve. You could certainly dial it in with the differential ratio which might need to be 3.91 or 4.10. With that said, the car would weigh about the same as an iX or a cabrio so it obviously can be done - its just not going to feel fast. Eta engines are great for comfortable/pleasurable driving with plenty of low end grunt, but do not expect to crank one out to 120 MPH in the desert. Another thing is that the E28 had a wide range of differential ratios so the gearing might have to be changed depending on the specs from factory.
Comment
-
e28's came with m20's, so of course it's possible. The only "issue" is the engine harness plugs will be in different locations.
I have used m20b25 engine harness in an e24 and e28 m30 cars (yes, use the early 1987 m20b25 harness on m30b35) on multiple occasions since the motronic 1.1-1.3 e24/e28 harnesses are nearly impossible to find. The early harnesses used the individual injector wires, so they can spread out for the larger m30. The main relay wire will be on the wrong side, need to be extended, the c101 has to be swapped (or make and adapter), and depending on how you route it, possibly the TPS and CPS wires as well.
In your case, it will be a similar swap. Mainly the c101 needs to be addressed.
Comment
-
I have an 86 528e that I would like to improve performance. Would an 885 head conversion really improve the power and dependability of the ETA engine? I think its easier than putting in an M20B25 engine. Thoughts?I am not sick, I am twisted. Sick makes it sound like there is a cure.
1991 318is Diamantschwarz Metallic
1989 325i Alpine White
Comment
Comment