3SGE BEAMS converted 89 E30///Stock as a rock 88 E30 325i Touring///

[super51fan]

The car has been complete for about 5 years now. Was my daily driver for a long time too.

Has about 12 trackdays under its belt at various tracks around Australia which is a big place. Driven on many 3,000km roundtrips to be driven very hard in 40C trackdays.

Id say that is reliable?

That sounds awesome, I am glad you're making use of your car as intended instead of it being a garage queen. I have owned several RWD Toyotas and they have never let me down.

[kameleon]

I have 5 cars, 2 of which are Toyota MR2's.

[super51fan]

I have 5 cars, 2 of which are Toyota MR2's.

So you really are a true 3s fan!
I am accustomed to the Toyota inline 6 family (7m, 1jz, and 2jz).
Do you have any tips on getting everything to work like factory?

[kameleon]

I have seen a few E30's converted since i have done mine but AFAIK my conversion is the only one that has full integration with the factory controls. The car is dumb and the BEAMS ecu is quite smart.

The BEAMS ecu uses a CAN network but it is their own type not an industry standard. It is not really an issue in a old car like an E30 though besides the AC circuit. If you want AC to work properly make your own circuit and do not rely on the ecu as it will not work easily.

Also because the speed signal from BMW to Toyota is a different output per revolution the car will feel like it hits a brick wall at 110kph if you do not have a speed cut defender installed because of the factory 180kph Japanese speed limiter thinking you are hitting that figure at a much lower speed.

There you go, there is some tricks!

[super51fan]

I have seen a few E30's converted since i have done mine but AFAIK my conversion is the only one that has full integration with the factory controls. The car is dumb and the BEAMS ecu is quite smart.

The BEAMS ecu uses a CAN network but it is their own type not an industry standard. It is not really an issue in a old car like an E30 though besides the AC circuit. If you want AC to work properly make your own circuit and do not rely on the ecu as it will not work easily.

Also because the speed signal from BMW to Toyota is a different output per revolution the car will feel like it hits a brick wall at 110kph if you do not have a speed cut defender installed because of the factory 180kph Japanese speed limiter thinking you are hitting that figure at a much lower speed.

There you go, there is some tricks!

I have been reading a lot about 2jz swaps in E30s and Im assuming a lot of the electronics are similar. It looks like the toyota electronics want ground to the ac where as the bmw send 12v (or the other way around) but that doesnt seem to hard to get around.
But the speedometer still reads correctly right? ill have to keep that in mind.
What about the tach? I have a 325e so I know I will have to do something about changing redline visually from 5k to 7.9k.
Does not seem too bad when comparing it other motor swaps on this forum.
Thanks!

[kameleon]

The speedo is off the diff in a BMW so you do not use the speed sensor on the gearbox ala BEAMS.

You will obviously need a 4 cylinder coding plug and then vary your output resistance to show the rpm correctly from there. The factory gauge is very slow and i am yet to find a M3 version that has the right amount of RPM to display (currently goes off the clock)

Ecu in a BEAMS was a lot more advanced than any 2JZ AFAIK.

Engine swaps into any car are not that difficult mechanically. It is only ever the small electrical parts that become issues.

[super51fan]

The speedo is off the diff in a BMW so you do not use the speed sensor on the gearbox ala BEAMS.

You will obviously need a 4 cylinder coding plug and then vary your output resistance to show the rpm correctly from there. The factory gauge is very slow and i am yet to find a M3 version that has the right amount of RPM to display (currently goes off the clock)

Ecu in a BEAMS was a lot more advanced than any 2JZ AFAIK.

Engine swaps into any car are not that difficult mechanically. It is only ever the small electrical parts that become issues.

So the digital signal from the trans go to the ecu and the diff sensor to the cluster? That makes things easy.
Cant you use an ebay overlay for the tach? They make them up to 9000 rpms and are only $40.
The supra ecus are tame because its an older chassis but the aristo vvti ones are very similar to the beams.
Yep, getting them to run is just a few wires but getting everything to work takes more time for sure. I couldnt imagine 2jz swapping an e46 or newer with so many that reach to the moon AND canbus systems

[kameleon]

Overlay looks a bit kack in my opinion.

Yeah the VVTI 1JZ would be a similar era and i have heard people have issues with those.

E46 is a very basic system in my opinion. People get hung up on things like EWS-DME communication but it is quite simple. Working for BMW i would not even be affraid of getting a BEAMS to work in a G30!

[super51fan]

Overlay looks a bit kack in my opinion.

Yeah the VVTI 1JZ would be a similar era and i have heard people have issues with those.

E46 is a very basic system in my opinion. People get hung up on things like EWS-DME communication but it is quite simple. Working for BMW i would not even be affraid of getting a BEAMS to work in a G30!

Really? The ones I have seen look factory, ill see if I can find a link.

Aristo is 2jz, 95% of imported 2jzs are from Aristos. I dont care for 1jz, they are great motors but for just a few hundred more you can have a 2jz.

Thats true, its simply sending multiple feeds of data instead of an analog feed. It wouldnt be hard to integrate with another bmw motor but not a 2jz without a an expensive standalone or wiring dual ecus. My uncles works at Toyota so I always have a backup mechanic if i am unable to fix something lol where as Im on my own with german motors

[kameleon]

We have a lot of VVTI 1JZ's more so than 2JZ's being modified here in Australia. 2JZ anything here is a lot more than a few hundred dollars also.

As long as you can get the engine running on a stand with just a few inputs and get an output from the car to start said engine you are done!

[super51fan]

We have a lot of VVTI 1JZ's more so than 2JZ's being modified here in Australia. 2JZ anything here is a lot more than a few hundred dollars also.

As long as you can get the engine running on a stand with just a few inputs and get an output from the car to start said engine you are done!

Thats the plan, especially since most importers only have 30 day warranties lol.
What did you do for you cooling system? I know the Atlezza/Is300 uses electric fans. Im not sure about the Altezza rs200 but the 2jzge cars use a relay on the radiator temp switch to turn the fans on when it gets to a certain temperature.

[kameleon]

6 cylinder radiator and expansion tank, step up and down hoses, a link pipe for the lower hose, temp sensor in the link pipe and an aftermarket thermofan.

[zogy]

Hi Kameleon. I've watch your posts many times and it's a great help for my e30 beams conversion. I'm getting ready for the cpu connection , so if you dont mind i will have electrical questions for you in a couple of days !!!!

But like you said , the fit is surpisingly straight forward and i cant wait to take it for a ride.

[kameleon]

Hi Zogy,

Yes it is made for it. That is probably why there are 10+ of these conversions on the go atm around the world.

The electrical side is pretty basic.

[TheWipprSnappr]

this car deserves a COTM