Scorched_onion

Thanks for replies guys and sorry to hijack your thread. Yeah i just remember reading that one of them has ews and you need to have it in original chassis for it to work. Unless you have an ews disabling chip.

For the sensors and plugging wrong things etc. When i get the pinouts for the x20 plug, would i be able to go by the colour from the x20 plug to sensor? the colours wouldn't change throughout the harness would they?

As for budget i don't really have one yet but i plan to buy parts as i save.

Yeah was wanting do try and keep a budget as most people. I already have the diff, rad, box and shifter linkage. Im in Hamilton so not too far from auckland which will most likely have alot more parts available than here.

I do have a few questions for the nz m50 swappers though

How much does it cost to get the m50 swap certed and is there any things which i should pay special attention too before going for a cert? Also is it like a wof where if you fail you can just go off and fix it then come back and they tick it off for free? or do you have to pay all over again.

Also which is the one to use? silver label 413 or red? ill probably be getting a NV m50 out of an e34.

With the wiring harness is it possible to plug part of it into the wrong sensor? Noob question but i am noob afterall haha. Have been doing alot of research and what not but still have a few questions.

If i ever get the money together to do this conversion ill be sure to post it all up on this forum

Cheers

Looks real nice mate but may i ask what automotive experience you have?

I am really really keen to do this swap on my 318i but i have limited experience and am loosing confidence, have ripped apart an engine and stuff before and have a few mates who have taken engines out before etc. The wiring seems a bit intense at this stage can you tell me how difficult the whole swap was for you? Any headaches you came across? Hooking everything up etc.

I've gathered alot of information on the swap and have a parts list and everything and what not.

Also are you meant to use 413 silver or red label cause one of them has ews doesn't it? I want one i can chip

Any help is appreciated.

small update.

received new headlights the other day,

Those are awesome, where did you get them from?

Nobody want them? I'll throw in the euro plate surrounds free if you just take it away! Cant be bothered throwing away usable parts at the rubbish dump

Ill take the clutch, flywheel and starter if i pay postage to hamilton? Is it from an e36 323?

You'll want to bolt your engine to the box, and then install the whole lot as one, be a nightmare to to do them seperately.

Not sure about the 240 box and linkages, If the angle doenst change there wont be any problem, it'll be evident when you bolt it in anyway, and isnt hard to fix with and angle grinder and mig I cut the link in half, had one end on the stick, other on the box. Got someone in the car on the hoist holding the stick in neutral, had the box in neutral, one brave bugger holding both ends of the link lined up and zapped it with the mig.

A couple of other hints before you do it -

Ideally stick the engine in with the intake manifold off, the manifold gets VERY close to the heatercore fittings on the firewall, they require minor tweaking to fit. Doing it with the manifold on is no fun.

The EASIEST way to wire up the radiator fan is to go pick up a davis craig thermoswitch kit for like $60 (repco supercheap etc), a pusher fan will set ya back $40. The thermoswitch is rated for 20A current, so you dont even need a relay, its just one wire (ideally with a fuse in it). Running the A/C fan setup can be troublesome, I gave up looking for the right fittings to get the BMW factory switches and stuff into, some places wanted stupid money for one of the aftermarket A/C install fittings. I wouldnt bother even looking into it when it only costs $100 to do it with new parts, that you can set exactly what temp you want it to turn on, and very little screwing around with rubbish parts from wreckers.

As for a brake booster. 2000 renault clio is the way (you want one from a clio with plastic front gaurds), I found one at the renault/jag wreckers up north, theyre nice modern bosch booster( Unlike most golf etc boosters, which 25 years later are rusted heaps of sh*t), they bolt straight in, the onevalve is built in and even aims right at the fitting on the M50 manifold. Also have MUCH better brake feel than the stock E30 booster.

When you go M50 hunting, make sure you get a good one with everything on it, ask for odometer numbers, warranties, compression checks etc. Pull the plastic cover off and have a look at the coils etc, pull the waterpump out and see what sort of condition the coolant was in. If something looks busted, get them to replace it then and there. If they arent willing supply the above, walk away and look elsewhere. Wreckers want way too much money for tired M50's. If your paying ~$1000-1500 for a ~20 year old engine, it had better be a good engine. Learn from my mistakes

Dont forget stuff like a new o2 sensor (~600 from BMW nz, can be had MUCH cheaper overseas for the same one) new themostat/waterpump etc. Its a wise idea to put a small bleed hole in the top of the thermostat BTW, makes for MUCH easier bleeding of the coolant.

Thanks alot mate appreciate that

Also when i take out my old engine should i take out the transmission aswell? do i NEED to change to the getrag 260 shifter linkages or can i use my getrag240 shifter linkages with the new engine?

try to get some updates up tomorow ....its too damn cold to be out in the garage.

Fair enough, snowed the other day in Hamilton. First time anyone has ever seen it here lol so unusual.

Update?

i have the modified gear linkage here you can have for free ( just pay for postage) it came with the z3 shifter I bought off Jacko and I dont need it (as I have my m20b25 in the car).

Let me know if you want it

Sweet thanks mate ill pm ya.

Edit: since this is modified to suit the g260, which is on an angle. If i use it with the g240 then will the shifter be to the left side seeing as the g240 doesn't get angled when its used with m50?

Careful. You can use a 6cyl g240 driveshaft. The 6cyl g260 one won't work. And I dont know about using e36 parts sorry.

Trouble is finding the parts to do it. You'll have fun finding someone willing to sell just a driveshaft etc not part of a conversion. I have everything you need including gearbox for 1000, could take what you have and offset price. Or can do engine as well for 3000 total a shameless plug.. But might be an option

Alright thanks man appreciate that alot, i would be interested if i had the funds at the moment but unfortunately i do not . I am just trying to get all my information together so my conversion can be nice and smooth .

Thanks though helps alot.

If i used the AC fan wiring for the radiator fan would that mean i would have to put the ac on to engage the radiator fan? is there a simple way to wire it so it automatically turns on?

You haven't been under the car yet have you haha. Undo the nuts a turn or two and they slide back and forward to were you want them. Remember e30s came with lots of different engine gearbox and diff combinations but all the same shell so everything's adjustable/multifit

Ahh ok thanks i thought this could be possible but hadn't checked because my car is lowered and i can barely fit my head under haha. Thanks. So i can use a 6cyl e30 driveshaft? or is it best to use a 325 e36 one?

Your list looks good. I don't know if that driveshaft will work but an m20b20 g240 one will. Also use the shifter linkage from the same car. This is what I did on my car.

MAKE SURE the gearbox is from an m40 and you won't have the tilt issue. If you use a g240 from an m20 you will.

1/ if your car has an a/c fan use that. You probably wouldn't bother connecting it up with the m50 anyway.

2/ 3.9x if you can find one. I used 3.6x and that was fine.

3/ The reason this works is because the g240 is the same for both cars except for the bell housing. When connected to an m20 (straight 6 like the m50) it sits one cylinder further back, so using the 6cyl driveshaft makes it work. This is the ONLY 100% e30 parts bin raid setup that works, afaik. You could use an m20 g240 or 260 but then you have the tilt issue and driveshaft problems.

4/ there are a million ones to use. Look towards the Audi/vw/Porsche family. I used a Porsche 944

Ok thanks, yeah i knew about the m20 g240 and how it sits further back because of the engine being larger. My concern was if it sits farther back, then wont the mounting spots on the tranny subframe be too far foward to bolt the transmission into it?

the m50 engine will sit further back in the engine bay than the m40 engine so the gearbox will also sit further back so unless you can shorten your driveshaft to suit by the same amount ??

maybe 50mm???

my mate wants about $600 plus extra for the electrics.

but i am sure if you call him you can work out a deal.

listed here

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=397483486

i have some e36 mounting arms and m52 steel headers if needed

Ah thanks, still needing to save up my funds but i would if i could. Just collecting information so i can have it done as quickly and efficiently as possible when it comes to build time. Im confused as to how the 240 will mount if i need a shorter driveshaft. But i have been told i can use stock mounts and crossmember? how does that work?

Thanks.

check ss/ headers will suit RHD car ..

why not use a bigger e30 325i/e36 325i radiator

the engine will sit back further so the driveshaft will need to be shorter , also the gearshifter rods etc

gearbox mount might have to be made to suit gearbox angle??

3.46 to 3.64 diff should be ok

use a gearing calculator to work out revs vs speed etc

http://members.dodo.com.au/~wawawa/revs.htm

select your gearbox type , tyre size and enter diff ratio's

i have a mate with a m50b25 nv type for sale

I will be doing this on a budget which i am yet to figure out haha, and im pretty sure ill have to get manifold custom modified to fit round steering column. The m40 radiator is fine and people have used it for long periods of time with noproblems. I have read on many different places that stock mounts, transmission subframe and 240 are fine with no modification but if that is the case i dont see why i need a shorter driveshaft? which is what im confused about. Many people use 240s out of 318 with no problems but im still confused. thanks for help so far, btw how much does your mate want for that engine?

Hey all, so have decided to swap an m50 into my 1990 318i. Which is m40 powered (slow )

Anyways. I have been doing alot of research and just wanted to clear a few things up. Have i missed anything out of this list of parts?

-M50B25 NV

-Using getrag 240 out of 318.

-E36 engine arms

-E34 sump, oil pickup, dipstick tube and dipstick.

-E28 m5 mounts

-Wiring adapter and e36 loom.

-M40 radiator (same as m42 one)

-M20 shaved 1/8th flywheel, m20 clutch and starter.

-Ebay ss headers

-E30 csb with e36 325 driveshaft.

1. Electric fan (how easy to set up?)

2. What is the ideal diff to use? primarily for good acceleration but not too noisy.

3. I am told i need to use the e36 325 driveshaft with the e30 240? why can't i just use my e30 driveshaft?

4. Which brake booster to use? one that requires the least amount of modifying but boosts well preferably.

Cheers guys.

haha fair enough. Ive got 2 4x100 steelies with tyres. theyre pretty f***ed but theyll be sweet just for skids. You can have both of them and the diff for $75.

Could be keen bro will let you know wednesday.

$75 for two bottlecaps with good warrentable tyres and no curbing. Pretty sure the diff is 3.73. Should fit a 318i fine. Youre welcome to came around and have a look if you want

thanks Jono

Ah haha im just looking for some skid wheels cause not keen on doing skids on cambered 17s. How much for the diff?

How much for 2 of the bottlecaps?

And what ratio is the diff? fit a 318 no problems?

Awesome

Where did you get your turbo manifold from?

im doing the same conversion i did to my m50 and the only wiring to do was extend a few to reach certain sensors, itll be alot easier if i post a pic of the engine on the stand then ill tell whats in it

So im a bit confused. Are you swapping the m40 with an m42 turbo out of an e30 or an e34/6??

Unless info: first off ive just finished building a m42 turbo to replace my m40b18 using the same ecu and wiring yep a single coil m42.( post pics but no one seems to understand)

Anyway m40 breaks belts the same reason as every other one does, lack of changing or maintance.

Turbo m40 using a j pipe setup on a stock motor and reflash ecu is an easy 200hp not very high power in my books but would improve your ride big time and its the torque that makes the differance.

Nice nice, so you're running the m42 on your m40 ecu? what did you do about the wiring harness? and how much did it cost you to do the turbo on your m42? got any hp and torque numbers? also how did you get the manifold and what did you do about the oil feed and return lines for the turbo? With the breaking of belts i just read that somewhere too by the way.

How hard is it to find turbo parts for an m40? i suspect i'd need a custom manifold etc? pricey?

I'd do the m52b28 conversion, as the m42 would most likely cost the same

either way you will be spending over 3k easy

They race the M40B18 in the E30 series and it is competitive

how about sticking with it and making it breath better

and as for turbo,why not turbo the M40??

Apparantly m40s timing belts fail.