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ZF box sitting too far to one side

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    ZF box sitting too far to one side

    Hi guys.

    E30 325i S2 (coupe)
    S50B32 Euro Engine

    Genuine E28 535i Mounts (11 81 1 132 793) a - Mounted to outer hole on subframe
    using e36 s50b32 Euro engine brackets
    ZF310/320 Gearbox.
    E30 325i gearbox crossmember.

    Problem : I cant get the gearbox to line up on the chassis sliding studs. The gearbox appears to sit too far to the right of the car from back of tunnel forward.

    Engine looks straight but i have no idea whether what is causing the box not to line up. The mounts are also genuine. The mounts definitely appear to be on the correct way as the notches at the bottom both fit into the circular inner holes on the subframes, while the stud fits through the outer holes on the subframe.

    I have attached few pictures to show coming soon. I dont know if you can see but maybe you guys can check where the carrier slot on the box sits compared to that a/c drain hole.

    I appreciate any help. I can check anything out if needed. Unsure if it makes difference its a s50b32 euro but all the mounting angles on block should be the same as its been done many times.

    I'm not sure if I need to grind the tabs off the bottom of the mounts to allow them to spin freely so I could possibly swing the gearbox around, or something else?

    Here are a few videos that will show exactly what is happening and how the engine is mounted :









    I have not heard of this issue before but perhaps people do some sort of adjustments to get it to line up.

    I am thinking what should I do :

    1. Is it possible to spin both or one of the mounts 180 degrees so they shift the entire engine more toward the centre? I thought the engine may just be mounted too far to one side but i measured the end of each e36 alloy bracket to the painted section of the chassis and both is 3.2cm telling me the motor appears to be sitting central.

    As I mentioned in the video the Euro S50 arms may offset the motor differently to any other arms as they are a different P/N but they look the same.

    2. Or could I try keep the mounts rotated the way they are currently, but grind the notch at the bottom down so it allows me to tilt the angle of the engine.


    I appreciate any tips or anything I can try out.
    Last edited by Z2TT; 09-09-2017, 03:04 AM.

    #2
    I have put some new videos into my original post.

    Also I can't see anything twisted or misaligned with the chassis so not suspecting anything like that for now.

    I measured very carefully on my car....Just for comparison purpose too for any other people running the same engine. The Front of the throttle shaft is in the same axis with the little notch on the front radiator support like in the below picture. Other photos on the internet I have seen appear to be the same :

    [IMG][/IMG]


    I have done the best I can to guess if the motor is sitting where it should and it sort of appears it is, so the only thing I can think of is finding a way to tilt it to the right such as grinding the notch away on one of the exhaust side engine mount to allow that mount to swivel freely on the subframe, the issue is then the position of the threaded stud will not allow the engine to move anymore even if i remove the notch entirely i would have to elongate the crossmember hole which I don't really want to do at last resort.

    As the motor sits, with all the nuts on the mounts loosened, I can try force the transmission to get into place but it has a lot of pre-load and wants to just spring back, I don't know if I should lift the motor up from the sump on a jack then try repeat. Whether it could be some odd issue with my e28 mounts batch manufacturing tolerence not locating at proper angle that they should or something else, no idea.
    Last edited by Z2TT; 09-09-2017, 09:13 AM.

    Comment


      #3
      I'm having a similar problem with a Getrag 260 transmission. Very perplexing. Anyone have any ideas for us?

      Comment


        #4
        I had an issue where my engine was sitting to one side of the car, but to a smaller degree. I was chasing significant driveshaft vibrations, until I found the transmission misalignment.

        What I ended up doing was to loosen the engine mounts top and bottom so that it was free to tilt and somewhat be able to rotate on the two mounts, and removed the transmission brace. I then used a piece of lumber to nudge the transmission over to a neutral position -- one where when I reinstalled the transmission mounts, they were able to slip into the studs without any interference. The transmission and engine combination likely weighs over 500 pounds / 227 kg so it will not be that easy to shift it over unless you are extremely strong, or use a piece of wood as a lever to shift things into the right spot.

        Once everything is centered, then you should jack the transmission into place with the transmission cross brace and mounts, tighten the transmission mounts, then tighten the engine mounts. The E28 mounts should have enough give so that the transmission mounts being tight should keep the engine in place regardless of them being torqued down. However, check to see if the transmission mounts look distorted. If they do, you will need to repeat the process with nudging the engine over.

        This subforum is pretty quiet, you may find better luck posting in the engine-specific subforums.

        Originally posted by whysimon
        WTF is hello Kitty (I'm 28 with no kids and I don't have cable)

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by FredK View Post
          This subforum is pretty quiet, you may find better luck posting in the engine-specific subforums.
          Good point - it probably belongs in the S50 section, so I moved it.
          Originally posted by kronus
          would be in depending on tip slant and tube size

          Comment


            #6
            swap not lining up

            What Fred K. said. I had the same problem with a 1987 325i s52/ g260. I loosened up the engine / transmission mounts and used a wooden 2x4 to move the transmission around, it took several attempts to nail it. I used a piece of string from the engine to the diff to confirm it all lined up.
            Good luck!

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