N54 (from 335i) into my E39 528i

[Deminem 0]

I've got a 1999 BMW 528i manual which I'm looking at getting some work done to.

I've had an what I've been calling a phantom overheating issue which has been caused by air getting into the cooling system and building up behind the sensor, fooling it into thinking the car is overheating.

I'm taking it to BM workshop to get a full scan and find out how the air is getting in and from what I've read two of the most likely places are through a busted gasket or through cracks in a cylinder head.

I had been planning over the last few months to get this sorted and then sell my car to get something newer but given that any repairs could be expensive enough to negate any profit I'd receive from selling it, I'm thinking I'll look into putting a new engine in it.

My preferred choice (dependent entirely on costs of course) would be to source the twin turbo N54 engine (from the 335i) and put this in. I know this will incur all sorts of complications in making things matchup etc and I'll probably need a new clutch too. My question to anyone who might have an idea is, would this engine fit in the car? I'm asking because my car has the rack and piñon steering set-up which was not used in the v8 e39s due to the engines being too big to fit this steering system. From what I've found online the n54 is a similar size to the m52 (what my car has) but it'll also have extra bulk from the turbos and associated parts. Any other ideas or recommendations are appreciated.

ps: If I am going through with an engine swap I'd like to get a decent power hike and the aforementioned e39 era v8s present too many complications. My other reason apart from wanting a newer car is wanting something faster and I love the idea of a "sleeper" 528i.

[Deminem 0]

Damn I didn't mean to post this three times. I had error messages each time I clicked post but it looks like it was going through anyway..

[*Glenn* 854]

Damn I didn't mean to post this three times. I had error messages each time I clicked post but it looks like it was going through anyway..

Sorted

[jeffbebe 1559]

You can get just about anything to fit... eventually... But an N54 into an E39 will present a lot of complications. I imagine you'd need to completely overhaul the electronics (i.e. basically swap the complete electronics from a 335i into the E39) as very little will be compatible. I think there will be far more cost effective solutions to getting the power you want than an engine swap from a much newer more complicated car.

I could be wrong as this is not my area of expertise but it sounds like a strange thing to consider doing to an E39 528i. If you can afford the N54 engine you could easily afford a 540i or a bolt on supercharger or both.

Edited February 24, 2014 by jeffbebe

[Deminem 0]

I've had a look at forums for what other people have done, and really with this car, any method is going to be very complicated. Like I mentioned the v8s don't fit without changing the steering and front suspension set-up and there didn't seem to be many options for supercharging. What's also interesting is the 335i engine is generally cheaper than engines from the same era as the e39 (this is from looking on ebay).

It might come down to selling the car and getting something newer and more powerful being the most practical choice. The other element is that this car has been in my family since brand new so there is some sentimental value attached too.

[Palazzo 474]

Call Ray at Hellbm re a replacement 2.8 or even 3 litre, prob cheaper than you think and easy enough to resell.

[jeffbebe 1559]

Ray will almost certainly be able to help with a direct replacement engine if yours can't be fixed but if you want decent power than it would be cheaper to sell and buy a 540i - there have been some okay ones for sub $7K on TM recently.

Quite a few sc options for the M52. Dinan do one but it's expensive, VF engineering, ESS and Vortech all make M52 superchargers. Think the VF one is around NZ$5K brand new.

[twisted 45]

Check your overflow tank. I had the exact same issue with mine, and it turned out to be a cracked nipple on the overflow tank, New tank sorted the issue.

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[jake1829 119]

This sounds exciting -

I saw ages ago a thread about someone trying to swap a N54 into a E46 model:

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?s=36605d5e7f2537d8fe8ec314e8cb0485&t=583857&page=19

looks like it never made it...

edit** looks like on the last page someone reckons they've swapped a N55 into a 1996 E36 - no proof yet tho...

[Deminem 0]

Check your overflow tank. I had the exact same issue with mine, and it turned out to be a cracked nipple on the overflow tank, New tank sorted the issue.

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Thanks for the tip there! I've trawled heaps of forums and none had mentioned that before. I've had most of the cooling system already replaced which is why I was beginning to think it was something more serious. I hope it does turn out to be a simple (and not wallet busting) repair.

[Deminem 0]

Ray will almost certainly be able to help with a direct replacement engine if yours can't be fixed but if you want decent power than it would be cheaper to sell and buy a 540i - there have been some okay ones for sub $7K on TM recently.

Quite a few sc options for the M52. Dinan do one but it's expensive, VF engineering, ESS and Vortech all make M52 superchargers. Think the VF one is around NZ$5K brand new.

I had a look at that VF supercharger option, that's definitely something to consider! I probably wouldn't buy a 540i just because if I was going to get a new car I'd rather get something newer, more around 2005-2007 range. It rules out most BMW's because of price unfortunately.

[Ahmedsinc 414]

It's not just making the N54 fit physically. There's a huge difference in stability systems from older to newer cars, and unless you are game enough to attempt adding them to a chassis they were never designed for then it's too hard. Plus the dramas of integrating newer EWS plus god knows what other $hit BMW have come up with lately. Sort out your overheating issue then speak with Steve Murch at MSE engineering. He's the guru of Holset turbos in NZ and I'd be pretty confident he could deliver better results from turbocharging than an aftermarket s/c kit. Probably cheaper and with the advantage of having the expertise here in NZ the support is waaaay better too. Take a look at his E34 & E36s specifically, might give you an idea of what sort of mayhem you can unleash

[yng_750 247]

For the record air around the sensor usually makes it read cooler

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[kvmvl 6]

so did this happen or not?
I have an e39 and would fully swap it lol

[B.M.W Ltd 950]

15 minutes ago, kvmvl said:

so did this happen or not?
I have an e39 and would fully swap it lol

Probably not. Thread is 6 years old with no new updates

[kvmvl 6]

?

[Anunzis81 32]

On 5/27/2020 at 10:44 AM, kvmvl said:

so did this happen or not?
I have an e39 and would fully swap it lol

probably would be easier in an e39 than an e36.. I wanted to put an n55 in a 318ti, but I saw a guy in the US that had to hammer the front engine bay struts to make room for the turbos, and that would be a big no-no for the cert process but in an e39, I'd think you'd have more room. I would love to see that. Below's the video in which he explains that hammering if you want to have an idea on where the problem was, and note that the guy was not really admired in the 318ti forums, but he did do that, so, hats off for me. 

 

[M3AN 4016]

Long video, here's the relevant part: https://youtu.be/-WIFefCg-h8?t=676