Hellrot 325Ti 0 Report post Posted June 15, 2016 Hey everyone I'm fairly new and would like to provide you all with some entertainment with my new project. I have a E36 318IS Manual Coupe that I am going to convert to a M52B25 Stroked 2.8L, or I may keep it stock. Slightly unsure atm. The M52B25 is coming from my E36 323i Auto Sedan which I picked up quite cheap, before I endeavour further on the matter and post pictures of progress from start to finish I have a couple questions. 1. Will the Getrag box on the M42B18 handle the M52B25 power 2. Will the clutch /flywheel combo work the same (temporarily) 3. From researching 4cyl to 6cyl swaps it seems you need to swap the 6 cyl sway bar and radiator, can anyone confirm this 4. Because I will be using a factory manual car will I also need a Manual M52 DME. Thanks for your time I will post pictures and progress when I get around to it! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RedRocketTi 131 Report post Posted June 15, 2016 Okay so I have just done a swap on my Ti from an Auto M44b19 to an M52B28 manual. I ran with OBD1 sensors and an older computer to get around EWS issues. If your car that the engine is going into has EWSII then you can just swap the EWS modules, DME, and key chip. Im not sure on what to do if the project car isnt EWSII. As far as radiator goes, the 6 has a much larger radiator and if you have the donor car there you may as well swap it in! I also swapped my front sway bar to make sure that it would clear the sump otherwise the 4 cylinder one sits a few mm away from the sump... I didnt want to risk it and had a 6 cylinder one there, 15 min job to swap them over anyway! My DME and engine were orignially auto, however were converted to manual before I bought the donor car and pulled everything apart. I still have all the loom for the Auto box attached but have it all tucked away and the auto box computer isnt plugged in. What model Getrag box do you have? I am running a 220, and know of a guy who races a s50b32 and runs getrag 220's. Im unsure of the clutch and flywheel differences, however my shifter had been extended. This is something that is not quite clear, some people need to lengthen the shifter linkages when putting a 4 cylinder box on a 6 and some dont. Good luck with the swap! The extra power is soo much nicer! However you may want a medium case diff if you dont currently have one to handle the extra power! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hellrot 325Ti 0 Report post Posted June 15, 2016 I'm pretty sure it's a Getrag 220 and I have a shortened shifter linkage already made for the conversion my only real concern is the Auto DME... Also how do you find out what EWS modules you have and from my limited knowledge they are located left and right of the steering column? Thanks for the help, I'm just a young guy who doesn't know a whole lot but is very willing to learn! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hellrot 325Ti 0 Report post Posted June 15, 2016 Found a very useful link for anyone else looking at doing this conversion: http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?1163337-Ultimate-4-Cylinder-to-6-Cylinder-Swap-Thread Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aja540i 1906 Report post Posted June 15, 2016 I hate to be this guy but surely its easier and cheaper to sell what you have and buy a 328i? Now thats out of the way, the 318is is a great little car and the m42 is the last decent 4 cylinder motor bmw made, if you are looking to unload one I could be keen to pick it up. If you decide to keep it stock they are still a lot of fun, I daily drive mine and I am seriously considering turning it into a road legal track car. It will never be super fast, but lots of smiles per dollar. Either way good luck and have fun. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RedRocketTi 131 Report post Posted June 16, 2016 In EWSII cars there is a module under the glove box, it will have a yellow plug on it and should be attached to a black or white box and have EWSII written on it somewhere. I followed that guide for my swap however I didn't have X6031 connectors on either my body or engine... so I currently still need to wire up my check engine light circuit. Some cars do have stuff under the steering column, however mine was all in the glove box. Also aja540i if you are after an m44b19 I have one I need to get rid of Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr Vapour 76 Report post Posted June 16, 2016 Yeah I'm in the same thinking. Any reason for wanting to stroke the m50 over just buying m52b28. Will be much much cheaper in the long run. Good luck withbthe swsp Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hellrot 325Ti 0 Report post Posted June 16, 2016 (edited) I want to stroke it to a 2.8L because I don't think it's been done many times before, it's also 'apparently' very simple to do and I've purchased a dereg E36 323i Sedan very cheap!!! I've looked at many ways to go about it but I was lucky to find the 323i so cheap because now I have everything to convert it Thank everyone for helping! Edited June 16, 2016 by RichardLongley001 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hellrot 325Ti 0 Report post Posted June 16, 2016 I hate to be this guy but surely its easier and cheaper to sell what you have and buy a 328i? Now thats out of the way, the 318is is a great little car and the m42 is the last decent 4 cylinder motor bmw made, if you are looking to unload one I could be keen to pick it up. If you decide to keep it stock they are still a lot of fun, I daily drive mine and I am seriously considering turning it into a road legal track car. It will never be super fast, but lots of smiles per dollar. Either way good luck and have fun. I understand that, my 318is I purchased for only $1000 but it's very high kms It really is in need of a new engine so I might aswell go for a 6 cyl while I'm there! So I doubt I could sell it for a 328i, I understand the 4 cyl are very good engines mine has lasted 350,000Kms apparently LOL. I believe in built not bought though! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aja540i 1906 Report post Posted June 16, 2016 I totally understand the desire to build something yourself, I have a few projects myself, but you can buy a manual e46 328 for less than 4k, I seriously doubt that you will finish the project you describe for less than that, and it will be a frankenstein, a 318is that has been converted and has a cert for being a 328i will not be worth more than a standard 328i. I dont want to put you off a project but it sounds like a lot of time and effort for a negligible reward. If it was me I would be thinking about what I could do with that money and a tired M42! If you decide to go ahead i wish you well and im sure you will enjoy it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aja540i 1906 Report post Posted June 16, 2016 In EWSII cars there is a module under the glove box, it will have a yellow plug on it and should be attached to a black or white box and have EWSII written on it somewhere. I followed that guide for my swap however I didn't have X6031 connectors on either my body or engine... so I currently still need to wire up my check engine light circuit. Some cars do have stuff under the steering column, however mine was all in the glove box. Also aja540i if you are after an m44b19 I have one I need to get rid of Thanks, but I'm trying to stick with m42b18 at this stage as I already have 2 and want to be able to interchange parts as I make them up. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
