S50 versus s52

[Kevs87-325is]

I am sure this thread has been up before, unfortunately i could not find it.


I have heard that the s52 is pretty darn reliable but how much more reliable than the s50? What are some pro's and con's? I want it for my daily driver, that is why i was looking for s52's. But an opportunity has came up to get a s50. if you have a S50 i'd love your opinion. Any insight would help guys, thanks.

[nyChris]

They are pretty much the same thing, as far as being in the same engine family. The s52 is an s50 with bolt ons, and the s50 is an upgraded m50. You can technically make an s52 out of an m50 is what I am trying to say.

When you do maintenance to the engine while it is on an engine stand, use the upgraded parts from an s52. One that comes to mind, is the s52 timing chain tensioner.

Reliability will depend on the health of the engine. Leak down numbers would be a good start. I will personally never buy an engine without leak down numbers again. Buying an engine off of someones garage floor is a gamble no matter what documentation you are presented.

[KDAWG97M3]

They are pretty much the same thing, as far as being in the same engine family. The s52 is an s50 with bolt ons, and the s50 is an upgraded m50. You can technically make an s52 out of an m50 is what I am trying to say.

When you do maintenance to the engine while it is on an engine stand, use the upgraded parts from an s52. One that comes to mind, is the s52 timing chain tensioner.

Reliability will depend on the health of the engine. Leak down numbers would be a good start. I will personally never buy an engine without leak down numbers again. Buying an engine off of someones garage floor is a gamble no matter what documentation you are presented.

Huh??

The s52 and s50 are the same block, but I am not sure what bolt ons he is referring to. The s50 3.0 liter was bored out to 3.2 which became the s52. The reason this was one was to offset the OBD2 and emsission restrictions.

The s52, depending on what you do, has a higher chance for head gasket issues as the bore is larger 3.0 versus 3.2. Remember this is the same bock bored out. The HG issues really come into play with turbo or supercharging the motor. I think the s50 is a great motor and maybe a bit more "reliable" but the s52 is a better motor as it is a larger motor with more power.

My buddy and I both track stock s52's and my buddy has 176k and drives it hard, dedicated track car s52 and no signs of issues...mine dedicated 114k and same...knock on wood

Again you can go wrong..s52 has more power/torque s50 is a great motor and runs great..

3.0 versus 3.2 is basically what you are comparing...

[nyChris]

Huh??

What I was saying is, that if you had the proper tools, and experience, you can make an s50 an s52. Pistons, cams, crank, intake, throttle body, exhaust manifolds, among others are all different, but they are essentially the same engine.

You can run an s52 on s50 electronics perfectly, how different can they be.

I agree "bolt on" was probably not the best choice of words. People associate the use of bolt on with ricers, and cold air intakes. Me, and my friend refer to a bolt on as something that does not need to be fabricated.

[KDAWG97M3]

No..pistons won't fit in the s50...3.0 versus 3.2

You can run the harness but there is a lot of work that has to be done to do that..,it isn't plug and play...

[slammin.e28]

Just get an S52. They are getting to the point where the cost isn't that much more than an S50 and it's a better overall powerplant in regards to power.

[M-technik-3]

Huh??

The s52 and s50 are the same block, but I am not sure what bolt ons he is referring to. The s50 3.0 liter was bored out to 3.2 which became the s52. The reason this was one was to offset the OBD2 and emsission restrictions.

The s52, depending on what you do, has a higher chance for head gasket issues as the bore is larger 3.0 versus 3.2. Remember this is the same bock bored out. The HG issues really come into play with turbo or supercharging the motor. I think the s50 is a great motor and maybe a bit more "reliable" but the s52 is a better motor as it is a larger motor with more power.

My buddy and I both track stock s52's and my buddy has 176k and drives it hard, dedicated track car s52 and no signs of issues...mine dedicated 114k and same...knock on wood

Again you can go wrong..s52 has more power/torque s50 is a great motor and runs great..

3.0 versus 3.2 is basically what you are comparing...

The stroke was increased not the bore.

Edit: I stand corrected I am wrong. S50 was 86mm and S52 was 86.4mm so the bore was enlarged 0.4mm

[2mAn]

Since you are looking for a car that will pass BAR they will both be OBD1, unless someone is crazy enough to try and go OBD2. At that point there really isnt much difference, the S52 responds better to the same bolt ons, as it has the advantage of the bigger displacement. S52 were made longer (96-99 IIRC) compared with the S50 which was pretty much just a 95 model so there are more out there.

Ultimately it comes down to that same old adage, buy the best one you can get, whether its a S50 or S52 wont really matter that much in the end.

[jareddavidj]

Since you are looking for a car that will pass BAR they will both be OBD1, unless someone is crazy enough to try and go OBD2. At that point there really isnt much difference, the S52 responds better to the same bolt ons, as it has the advantage of the bigger displacement. S52 were made longer (96-99 IIRC) compared with the S50 which was pretty much just a 95 model so there are more out there.



Ultimately it comes down to that same old adage, buy the best one you can get, whether its a S50 or S52 wont really matter that much in the end.

I thought an OBD1 S52 swap would never be BAR legal? I know there's a chance you could sneak it by the ref if they didn't notice

[nyChris]

No..pistons won't fit in the s50...3.0 versus 3.2

You can run the harness but there is a lot of work that has to be done to do that..,it isn't plug and play...

Your wrong. I have an obd1 (s50 electronics) s52. It is plug, and play.

[KDAWG97M3]

No it isn't...but I am not going to argue with you...OBD1 versus Obd2 it isn't plug and play...but can be made to work....do research

S52 harness has a temp sensor s50 not so much...just one of the differences...

[KDAWG97M3]

The stroke was increased not the bore.

The cylinder bore was widened....I agree the stroke as well...3.2 displacement versus 3.0... Am I wrong?

[M-technik-3]

The cylinder bore was widened....I agree the stroke as well...3.2 displacement versus 3.0... Am I wrong?

I stand corrected I am wrong. S50 was 86mm and S52 was 86.4mm so the bore was enlarged 0.4mm

[mr2peak]

Early S50's had a valve retention problem, be careful.

[M-technik-3]

Early S50's had a valve retention problem, be careful.

Sure did but if it's still running I think it doesn't have the issue huh?