Ahmedsinc 414 Report post Posted February 8, 2014 I've recently come into possession of a highish ks M54B30. I'm of two minds whether to do the full engine, loom, DME & EWS transplant into the E36 or to follow the stroker build that I've been toying with for ages. The conversion will entail a bit of arseing about with exhaust manifolds (dreaming of S50 headers but we'll see how the budgets looking by then) and a general engine refresh ie head gaskets etc.... OR the M50 stroker will mean the recipient will be off the road for far longer, plus the extra costs of new bottom end bearings, rings and a whole other bunch of bits along with working out how best to manage the motor. Along with the headaches of tuning an aftermarket ECU (probably Megasquirt) for an engine build that isn't particularly common here yet. Both ideas have their merits and drawbacks, but I'd be interested to hear your opinions, thoughts and experiences please Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BM WORLD 1283 Report post Posted February 8, 2014 get a spare m50 or m52 block and work on that before swapping it over etc . can do a 1996 m52b25 block if you need one Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yng_750 247 Report post Posted February 8, 2014 just bear in mind its very very hard to modify the newer m54 ecu.So if you need to modify or delete EWS etc you will be looking at about $800 USD. i would buy a long block and build it up as a stroker. do all the gaskets and have a fresh painted and built engine ready to go in Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hybrid 1043 Report post Posted February 8, 2014 Dont let the electronics scare you off... I get tired of people taking the pussy way out and compromising on their builds because of the fear of EWS / wiring etc. Westy knew not too much about wiring and managed by himself to move everything across without many issues. If you do you get some of the more advance features such as DSC (assuming you have a DSC car) 3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ahmedsinc 414 Report post Posted February 9, 2014 The donor is Rustees '02 530i that met an unfortunate demise. The intended recipient is a '94 325i. To be honest I haven't spent much time in what's left of the cabin, been too busy removing all the bent steel from the engine bay in preparation for removing the motor and trying to salvage bits that are still saleable. I'm certainly not afraid of a challenge though. The plan is to transplant the full loom across, along with working out how to graft the EWS over. Bearing in mind my knowledge of DSC is zero what would be the fundamentals of migrating it over to a much older car with no stability aids except an LSD? Thanks for the input thus far!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
allan 295 Report post Posted February 9, 2014 Hi MAtt, As you have the donor car every thing is their, bar damaged items of course. Just do your research, research and more research their will be little things that will come up to challenge you but by the sounds of it should not be a Problem!. Go for it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ahmedsinc 414 Report post Posted February 9, 2014 Hi MAtt, As you have the donor car every thing is their, bar damaged items of course. Just do your research, research and more research their will be little things that will come up to challenge you but by the sounds of it should not be a Problem!. Go for it. I wasn't expecting to get my hands on a donor so soon, hence I'm ridiculously underprepared! A lot changed tech wise from my old dinosaur to this model, am hoping those with more smarts and experience will weigh in and give me a better idea of just how much trouble I've gotten myself into Happily the body took 98% of the damage, electrically it appears to be sweet. Whether I can get my head around it remains to be seen though! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
allan 295 Report post Posted February 10, 2014 If I can put a M54b25 into a compact and get it sorted you should fly home with it but I do understand it can seem a daunting proportion. Just research and research check and label things then lay them out as you dismantle. Break the project up into small achievable pieces that way it makes it so much easier and before you know it it will be up and running best of luck. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ahmedsinc 414 Report post Posted February 11, 2014 Ohhhkay, so further to the original topic has anyone got any ideas how to graft ASC & fly-by-wire into a car that has a good old-fashioned cable throttle & no DSC / ASC / electronic trickery to help avoid killing myself? Or places to go looking for useful information that doesn't come from US based forums where all the threads seem to degenerate into arguments about whether S52 cams will fit their bloody head???? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Allanw 1071 Report post Posted February 11, 2014 I have no experience with BMW conversions like that... but give it a go... The thing with BMW's, is that there are a lot of clever cookies out there who have "coded out" options and requirements. You just need to find the required signals and inputs and make them work. Some won't be required - like you won't have to make the radio volume change with increasing speed I could help more if it were Subaru... here's 2 of my 3 past Subaru projects Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ahmedsinc 414 Report post Posted February 11, 2014 Now wait just one f***ing second - what the hell did you put the EJ20 into????? The electronic throttle can probably be circumvented. With my extremely limited knowledge of stability systems I assume the ABS controller would communicate with the DME to reduce engine power in times of compromised traction. Would I be on the right track to assume there will be some sort of brake pedal sensor as well as the TPS & feedback from the potentiometer on the accelerator? What about integration with the speedo cluster? So many questions. And so many more I haven't even thought of yet!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Allanw 1071 Report post Posted February 11, 2014 Now wait just one f***ing second - what the hell did you put the EJ20 into????? Impreza was 1.8A to 2.0M conversion, put am EJ18 in a Beetle... and the weird one is actually an EJ25... in my VW bus. The problem witht he M54 is CANBUS. It's not always a wire going somewhere, but a module may broadcast the signal on the databus, and other modules can pickup the data streaming around the palce. Like the internet Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aja540i 1906 Report post Posted February 12, 2014 Now wait just one f***ing second - what the hell did you put the EJ20 into????? The electronic throttle can probably be circumvented. With my extremely limited knowledge of stability systems I assume the ABS controller would communicate with the DME to reduce engine power in times of compromised traction. Would I be on the right track to assume there will be some sort of brake pedal sensor as well as the TPS & feedback from the potentiometer on the accelerator? What about integration with the speedo cluster? So many questions. And so many more I haven't even thought of yet!! Also i believe there's a steering angle sensor in the mix, and would it be safe to assume the abs module is totally different in a dsc car? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yng_750 247 Report post Posted February 12, 2014 And little things like the fuel pressure reg built into the fuel filter. Sent from my GT-I8160L using Tapatalk 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ahmedsinc 414 Report post Posted February 12, 2014 Impreza was 1.8A to 2.0M conversion, put am EJ18 in a Beetle... and the weird one is actually an EJ25... in my VW bus. Haha, kickass Am reaching the suspicion that for someone of my skill level this ones gonna fall in the too hard basket at least as far as using factory DME is concerned. Still another couple of options to explore though. Unless those with greater knowledge would like to chip in & point out some clever solutions??? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
twisted 45 Report post Posted February 12, 2014 Take rotating assembly from m54 for stroker. Sent from my HTC_PN071 using Tapatalk Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Silver Fox 43 Report post Posted February 12, 2014 (edited) simplest way to use the M54B30 is to do what we've done with the race car and swap it straight in. Use a non-vanos M50B25 loom and ECU and run it as a non vanos engine with the cams locked. You could have it running in no time with no hickups. Downside is that you lose all the modern additions to the engine, upside is that it is uncomplicated and you can end up with 220 to 250 RWHP depending on what you do. Also in Waiuku if you're interested in a look. Edited February 12, 2014 by Silver Fox Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ahmedsinc 414 Report post Posted February 12, 2014 simplest way to use the M54B30 is to do what we've done with the race car and swap it straight in. Use a non-vanos M50B25 loom and ECU and run it as a non vanos engine with the cams locked. You could have it running in no time with no hickups. Downside is that you lose all the modern additions to the engine, upside is that it is uncomplicated and you can end up with 220 to 250 RWHP depending on what you do. Also in Waiuku if you're interested in a look. Hell yes! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
westy 614 Report post Posted February 18, 2014 The M54's one of the best of BMs engines built. You've a donor so get into it! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
