E30 318is engine swap

[Brook-e30 0]

Hey guys,

you might have seen my 316i http://www.bimmersport.co.nz/forums/index....=23243&st=0

Although its a nice car im looking at a little more power.

I dont need a weapon yet as im only on my restricted although it would be cool to have an engine that i could continue to modify and increase power as my driving experiance increases.

I have easy access to a e36 318is m42 engine that im seriously considering putting in these school holidays.

Has any one done this conversion before and/or know what extra mounts/ pipes etc. are required?

Would putting a m42 in be a good move or are there better alternatives?

All your help would be apprieciated alot.

Cheers,

Brook

[Forrest 35]

e30 318is exhaust manifold/headers, your m40 oil sump, someone who knows lots about wiring and can bypass the e36 imobilisers.

Thats about it. Plenty of stuff on m42club.com

Was going to do it to my race car before I wrote it off.

The amount of work to fit it, you miles well put in a m50/m52, much more bang for your buck.

Edited June 24, 2009 by Forrest

[martyyn 2]

Why dont you just sell the 316 and buy something else ?

[laadeelaa 0]

Why dont you just sell the 316 and buy something else ?

Some of us younger folk don't have the money for upgrades.

I certainly wouldn't want to sell my first car in any hurry if it was in decent shape and a bmw!

[nath 129]

I remember wanting to do the same thing with my first car, a 316i coupe. Time went by very quickly and i made the natural progression to other faster cars etc, and honestly- I miss the 316i and how MINT/ RELIABLE/ CHEAP she was!! seriously.

Enjoy what the 316i has to offer while you can

Edit: In fact my third car was another 316i coupe because i missed the first one!

Edited June 24, 2009 by Zeitgeist

[e30plz 1]

I certainly wouldn't want to sell my first car in any hurry if it was in decent shape and a bmw!

I certainly want to, Who else wants to enjoy the MINT/ RELIABLE/ CHEAP'ness of a 316i, ahaha.

[martyyn 2]

Some of us younger folk don't have the money for upgrades.

And yet you have the time and money to rip apart a perfectly good car to slap in an m42 ? There are plenty of half decent 325's around for not a lot of money.

Someone else said this on a previous 'I want more power' thread, why do people buy 316's and then decide to rip them apart and put in a bigger engine? Just buy the bigger engine in the first place and save yourself all the trouble of getting an e36 engine into the 316.

[BM WORLD 1258]

agree , just buy my e36 328i coupe only $4k

[Forrest 35]

To the two above posters....I was in the same boat as the OP a few months ago.

I did it because it is such a base model car especially if it sees some track time (mine had manual windows, non power steer etc etc)

I guess the answer is, if it was easy everyone would do it.

Admittedly I have just brought a 2.5 to replace the 1.6, but that was because of matters out of my control.

I say have a go if you want to try a motor swap, I have more fun building stuff/modding cars than I do driving them, if anyone has actually seen his intro thread he has spent a lot of money tiding it u so you know it will be a good job and in saying that why trade it in for more hp when all the hard work on the interior/exterior has already been done.

My 2c, good luck man.

Edited June 24, 2009 by Forrest

[mitchE30 0]

i have 316i before,but i feel it drives well.For increase your driving skill it only more power.316i upgrade I prefer m40 swap.cheapest way.change cam and chiped.same way to the race car.

[_BRS_ 199]

he has spent a lot of money tiding it u so you know it will be a good job and in saying that why trade it in for more hp when all the hard work on the interior/exterior has already been done.

Exactly why i can't part with my car.

As it is my 1st car it has been a massive learning curve, maybe shouldn't have done so much to a 2.0L, but hey, each to their own remember.

[BM WORLD 1258]

dont worry been there done that . spent lots of money/time on stupid old cars with small motors before .

like hilman hunters , toyota corolla sr coupe ,etc etc .

but have learnt a lot over the years , thats why i offer this advice , save yourself the grief ,

but hey a m42 engined e30 should be fun and a good learning curve .

or maybe try a M44 1.9L has more torque (if i was going to do a e30 thats what i would use)

[320guy 0]

If the m42 is cheap or free, then why not? Its not gonna be fast, but still better than a 316i.

I can give you a hand if you want.

[Brook-e30 0]

Why dont you just sell the 316 and buy something else ?

ha selling isnt really an option for me at the moment.

to much work gone into it to sell just yet.

cheers

Edited June 26, 2009 by Brook-e30

[Brook-e30 0]

Exactly why i can't part with my car.

As it is my 1st car it has been a massive learning curve, maybe shouldn't have done so much to a 2.0L, but hey, each to their own remember.

ya im in the same boat. i'm to attached to sell my car at the moment.

[Cale 36]

I like the idea. I would also love to do it with my touring. The twin cam M42 would/does go well in an e30, as it is a light motor with power that is not that far off a M20B25. Albeit not a smooth torquey(ish) il6.

I say do it, because everyone has a B25, not a 318iS effectively.

[m_power 0]

M42's are the shiz, soooo much better than M20!

DOOOO IT

[OLLIE 26]

I like the idea. I would also love to do it with my touring. The twin cam M42 would/does go well in an e30, as it is a light motor with power that is not that far off a M20B25. Albeit not a smooth torquey(ish) il6.

I say do it, because everyone has a B25, not a 318iS effectively.

good points here.

[E30TOY 0]

Hey mate, ive been doing the same project that your embarking for the last year, i say give it a go, the only thing you will find hard is the wiring, most of everything else from the e30 you can still use (e.g m40 sump, engine brackets and engines mounts). are you slapping a manual to it or a auto, ive almost finshed mine but all i need to find is a wiring diagram to fix my problem with the fuse box plugs, ill be keen to share my comments and photos to ya, im in the middle of jobs at the moment and having shiped my e30 to taupo i now have to ship it back to auckland, so once car is back in a place where i can finsgh it and getting on the net more ill try to help you out, there are alot of people on this site that can help ya, and again im fopr this project, it is worth it i rekon, but i mite have differnt ambissions than you do, but still there aint many e30 318is around so good luck bro

let us know how is goes

big ups for m42

[e30guydownunder 2]

I wouldn't hesitate to do it at all. I just put a 300k km M42 in the race car as a temporary measure while I rebuild the other and finish turbos and funny things. Anyhow, said 300k engine with a Markd chip made 100whp.

Blue is the old engine and no ECU chip, Red "new" engine and ECU chip:

To swap it into your car The easiest way would be to get the engine out of an E30. I say this because there are alot of fiddly little electrical changes between E30 and E36 M42's. Temp Sensors, Knock Sensors added etc.

Starting with an E30 engine, you would need the following:

Complete E30 M42 including AFM (M40 one may work but unsure), Engine Loom, Coil pack and wires and a solution for the exhaust.

Your M40 flywheel is actually advantageous (lighter), The M40 gearbox, flywheel/clutch, starter motor, engine mount arms and sump will all bolt onto the M42. The M42 block is exactly the same as the M40 incase you didn't know, hence all the stuff bolts straight onto it. The M40 radiator will work and so to the hoses attached to it.

Obviously if you start with an E30 M42 the engine mounts arms and sump will be the same anyhow as the M40 stuff. You can use the M40 engine mount rubbers if you wish, But I would advice upgrading to something a bit more substancial. Even the hydraulic filled M42 engine mount rubbers fail. With the use of an E30 M42 and wiring everything is a matter of plug and play. You may need to come up with a mount for the coil pack though.

If you have an E36 motor, not to worry. The electrics will take some figuring out, nothing to hard though and nothing that I know any detail about. Just a matter of matching up the wires function for function though. Swap on your M40 sump and pickup, the M40 engine mount arms (different angle) and go from there.

Goodluck with it. Its a great little engine and very under rated as far as I'm concerned.

[dubman 39]

i'd say do it. I've certainly thought about it, but i dont have the coins to do it. My car's not even half as tidy as your 316, but i'm so attached to it that i dont see selling it for a power upgrade as an option for the future. m42 would be an awesome upgrade. More power but you still have remnants of your 316's previous characteristics.

Edited March 10, 2010 by dubman

[SIR E30 68]

Look how old the thread is guys..

Plus, Brook doesnt even own the car in question anymore!