danutt 4 Report post Posted March 15, 2006 got an e30 318i auto yea im not making it manual yet but im wondering if the motor can be swaped with another with more power or twin cam and still mount to the current gearbox and not break the gearbox either...someone can help i hope Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
danutt 4 Report post Posted March 15, 2006 also a kind of str8 engine swap no mount changes or maybe not bad mount changes help aprreciated thanx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
*sic 1 Report post Posted March 15, 2006 search Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
E30stz 0 Report post Posted March 15, 2006 (edited) about your only option is you could bolt up a 316 easy ! you'd lose about 12 horsepower . With engine transplants if ur adding cylinders generally your going to have a whole new level of work added. Your only decent upgrade for 4 cylinder model would be a M42 318iS but really.. chance of finding someone wanting to part with that sort engine is about as much as winning Big Wednesday. Also some parts arent universal and cant be used on different models. So you might not be able to use all the core changeable parts currently in your 318. Edited March 15, 2006 by E30stz Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bravo 35 Report post Posted March 15, 2006 Umm Andy - I think he means not having to fabricate new mounts - ie he wants a motor that bolts to the same mounting points - I don't think he's trying to save $80 worth of rubber. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Andrew Report post Posted March 15, 2006 Based on all the questions your asking - sell your car dude and get a 325i. There are some good relatively cheap ones out there. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
E30stz 0 Report post Posted March 15, 2006 (edited) my bad, your right. Why is it your dont want to change to manual ? Are you on your restricted (Auto) ? Manual gearbox can pull out some much better performance out of a 318. Previously having test-driven an Auto 318 they we're just really sedate. Now with my 318i Manual (M40) I dont think I'd consider purchasing a 320i again as they're just better fuel economy and basically same performance. Performance upgrades for a 318i are very limited, hence why your probably looking at an engine transplant. An engine transplant is a good idea if your going from the bottom to the top, but really... its probably more economical getting a different car than sticking a new one in unless your shell is the absolute shiz. The 318i (M40) from my experience seems to be a more refined engine than the 320 and puts out good fuel economy as well as quite useful performance. The 320i engine seems to be a tad underpowered for hte size of the engine and puts out considerably worse economy. If your a student like I suspect, you'll probably realise how much the cost of petrol can matter at times. If you we're going to upgrade a 323 or a 325 would be probably the best value you could get. I found when I was looking at upgrading my 320i (6 cylinder) to another 6cyl spec model of engine I had trouble because not everything matches up. There are conflicts that arise all round, if your putting a facelift into a pre-facelift or vice versa. ECU's .. cooling systems, radiators, gearboxes, wiring ... everything changes. I got quoted for the labour and basic maintenance parts (cambelt, waterpump, etc etc) at upward of $5k to stick a 323i engine into my car at a reputable and more cheaper BMW service specialist (BMWorkshop). Whereas just a straight swap same engine / and model (ie. fl -> fl / pre-fl -> pre-fl) was I think $1200 from a few places, but that was with no guarentee behind the engine being installed and a 3 months guarentee on the workmanship. Hope this is of some help to you. And gives you a better idea of what your getting yourself into should you decide to go that path. Cheers Andy Edited March 15, 2006 by E30stz Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
danutt 4 Report post Posted March 16, 2006 ive been on my full license for ages now haha nope not a student either i have a carreer line in I.T just not looking to do really big things to the bimmer maybe il get sum new whells hell i dont know thanx for the help those some of the info was useful thanx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
danutt 4 Report post Posted March 16, 2006 ive been on my full license for ages now haha nope not a student either i have a carreer line in I.T just not looking to do really big things to the bimmer maybe il get sum new wheels hell i dont know thanx for the help tho some of the info was useful thanx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kerrynzl 3 Report post Posted March 17, 2006 You can buy a complete deregistered 320-325 manual E30 for under $600 dollars these days . You'll get everything you need , Diff, Console,Shifter,Pedals,Crossmember, Engine,Computer Etc [it is the only way to do the swap properly] I've been looking for a manual conversion for my E36 and have found three E30's in the last week alone,in this price range Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
