brighton01 0 Report post Posted August 6, 2005 Hi there everyone, Im still looking for a new engine for my 318 auto. However, now im thinking perhaps while im at it, i should look at something similar that has a bit more power, or even add ons. I say this because i have a 1983 320i, and the 318i has no where near the grunt of the 320i, admittedly, i bought it for my girlfriend to get around in, but it just seems so gutless, reminds me of a 1.5l mazda familia i used to own. Can anyone suggest a reasonable upgrade? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gus 5 Report post Posted August 6, 2005 320 is gutless too.....as im sure you know haha...also uses a sh*t load more gas stick with the 318, maybe go for the facelift (88+) or maybe an e36 one? not sure about the particulars of the conversion though...might be tricky with wiring (but not too hard) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
topless 13 Report post Posted August 6, 2005 320 is gutless too.....as im sure you know haha...also uses a sh*t load more gas Absolutely agree with this, it is gutless unless you rev the sh1t out of it... Did my mate's 318 over some years ago. He wanted to stick with the 2l-4cyl because of the weight advantage over the M20 engine, but wanted heaps more grunt. We balanced the bottom end of the motor, skimmed and reprofiled the combustion chambers in the head to up the compression , flowed and ported it with bigger intake valves. chucked the fuel injection off and added 2x45 sidedraught twinchoke webers on a decent manifold, added a really wild cam, had a decent flowed exhaust manifold and exhaust made up, lowered it on 16" alpinas. It went like a bloody scalded cat, ate my standard facelift 325 E30 bauer cabriolet for breakfast.... also really handled extremely well because of the lesser weight up front too... Won't talk about the fuel consumption at full tilt tho'... :beer: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rollinbmw 0 Report post Posted August 9, 2005 dont waste your time with 4 cylinders,nothing beats the sound of a bmw 6 ringing its ass off!!! :bounce: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
petone 0 Report post Posted August 9, 2005 (edited) Absolutely agree with this, it is gutless unless you rev the sh1t out of it... Did my mate's 318 over some years ago. He wanted to stick with the 2l-4cyl because of the weight advantage over the M20 engine, but wanted heaps more grunt. We balanced the bottom end of the motor, skimmed and reprofiled the combustion chambers in the head to up the compression , flowed and ported it with bigger intake valves. chucked the fuel injection off and added 2x45 sidedraught twinchoke webers on a decent manifold, added a really wild cam, had a decent flowed exhaust manifold and exhaust made up, lowered it on 16" alpinas. It went like a bloody scalded cat, ate my standard facelift 325 E30 bauer cabriolet for breakfast.... also really handled extremely well because of the lesser weight up front too... Won't talk about the fuel consumption at full tilt tho'... :beer: Do you mind telling me what the total bill for the engine was? just curious about bang for buck. Also, why did you ditch the EFI? was it just easier to tune or was the EFI setup too restrictive, or something else entirely?Cheers edit: brighton, half the problem would be the auto box, although mine's 5spd and still horribly slow. Is the 320 auto or manual? Edited August 9, 2005 by petone Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gus 5 Report post Posted August 9, 2005 that 1.8 would be so badass bugger bout $$ though Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
topless 13 Report post Posted August 9, 2005 Do you mind telling me what the total bill for the engine was? just curious about bang for buck. Also, why did you ditch the EFI? was it just easier to tune or was the EFI setup too restrictive, or something else entirely? Can't remember but it wasn't cheap. Also was done back in SA in 1989, not here. (there are many more specialist shops over there to get things balanced skimmed ported etc so cost comparison is difficult). But was probably about the same cost (at that time) as doing a 2.5 M20 transplant including engine, gearbox, diff and front and rear suspension, wiring etc. Engine was the 1990cc 4cyl out of the 518 (very cheap to buy, cost us R50 at the time) and had the K-Jetronic injection system on it. Not an injection system you would want to try to tune as it is a load of cr*p. Anyway, we had a set of webers lying around which we were dying to find a home for. The finished motor also looked great with the set of polished carbs hanging off the side... AND sounds bloody mean when you bang your foot down and 4 great big butterflies open up and bellow for air through K&N filters... :bowdown: The exhaust was the most expensive part of the whole exercise.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
westy 614 Report post Posted August 11, 2005 Has anyone tried the m50,m52 in their E30s? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gus 5 Report post Posted August 11, 2005 (edited) jontym50e30 has no one m52 yet...but goes well enough in an e36 so would be more fun in a tail happy e30 back on topic, a m10 turbo would be badass Edited August 11, 2005 by Gus Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
westy 614 Report post Posted August 11, 2005 your allways struggling with capacity arnt you? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gus 5 Report post Posted August 11, 2005 thats what the turbo is for Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nz320i 0 Report post Posted August 11, 2005 i loooove the sound of the dirty 6 cylinder especially on the 320i even if it is auto mmmm 6 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HOMAGE 0 Report post Posted August 25, 2005 I own an ’86 318i with the ‘gutless M10’ motor and I stick by it. The motor is reliable, clean, & indestructible. The six is indeed more powerful, offering loads more torque, and yes- there’s that exhaust note of a six that you just can’t compete with! However, depending on your needs (wasn’t it for your girlfriend?) the M10 (only with a manual of course) offers enough power to get around, and don’t forget the other variable in this situation is the driver – knowing how to exploit the power. My 318i gets ‘da respekt’ :mosh: from the e30 323/325i clan that I seem to surround myself with. Driver training day at Taupo a few years back when it was nice and wet, the sixes weren’t exactly walking away. An e36 325i from Napier got pissed when he rounded a corner leading onto a long straight and just couldn’t shake that ‘gutless M10’ off his right bumper. :finger: Having said that, off the line speed isn’t that great, as shown by Bumpstop325, who gave me a quarter mile drag at Manfield with a 70 odd meter head start and still beat me by a car length. :banghead: Buy, upgrade, interchange, turbo, supercharge, chip the car at your leisure, but assess the cost-benefits of doing so. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Andrew Report post Posted August 25, 2005 the m10 is a horrible motor hah 35 kW at the wheels just doesn't do it for me. Clean and green hardly. Put the newer 4 cylinder in if you must. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gmccormack 0 Report post Posted August 25, 2005 The M10 is a horrible motor, but I still like the idea of a turbo one. Back in the turbo F1 days, they pushed a M10 block to produce 880hp on 3.8 bar boost and just over 1000hp for qualifying on over 4 bar and that was only a 1500cc. So they can obviously take a bit of punishment. The downside is the engine life was measured in minutes. Still it would be fun for those few minutes Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
westy 614 Report post Posted August 25, 2005 No replacement for displacement. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
downlow 0 Report post Posted August 26, 2005 Im still looking for a new engine for my 318 auto. However, now im thinking perhaps while im at it, i should look at something similar that has a bit more power, or even add ons. I say this because i have a 1983 320i, and the 318i has no where near the grunt of the 320i, admittedly, i bought it for my girlfriend to get around in, but it just seems so gutless, reminds me of a 1.5l mazda familia i used to own. Can anyone suggest a reasonable upgrade? Put a rotary in it, that'll get it moving! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bmwsparkle 3 Report post Posted August 28, 2005 steal one of cains ex s42 engines or just bolt? a m42 and in and do it up, that wud be badass, and fairly cheap Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brighton01 0 Report post Posted September 4, 2005 Hi again everyone, I think ive found a motor for my 86 318i auto. Im gonna get John from Amsterdam Motors in Lower Hutt to put it in. What is it with dutch and bmw's. I like the idea of the turbo, i need it to get over the wainui hill! I can here that guy from Petone laughing now. Any suggestions as to how i should go about putting a turbo in? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Andrew Report post Posted September 4, 2005 Any suggestions as to how i should go about putting a turbo in? just duct tape it to the manifold Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
