E30 Zone

hi ,right just been talking to a bloke about engine swap,i told him i was thinkin about putting an is lump in and out with the m40,he then said to stay away from this as it's the worst lump made by bmw????????instead he said get a 18i twin cam se lump?never heard of this does it exist?????????is he a nutta?should i stay away from him.

they only did an i.s with 16v in the e30 the m40 is probably the worst lump they did the bloke is getting confussed sound like you need to stay away from him

Eh? An iS motor (M42) is a twin cam 1.8L 4 pot.

GrindCulture wrote:Eh? An iS motor (M42) is a twin cam 1.8L 4 pot.

he's a nutta,thought so..

The twin cam 16v 1.8 is the M42 found in the iS. The other twin cam 4 cyl is in the M3

DHFiS wrote:The twin cam 16v 1.8 is the M42 found in the iS. The other twin cam 4 cyl is in the M3

only couple grand diff,,,???what is he on about,did they do a 18i twincam se

magpie wrote:

DHFiS wrote:The twin cam 16v 1.8 is the M42 found in the iS. The other twin cam 4 cyl is in the M3

only couple grand diff,,,???what is he on about,did they do a 18i twincam se

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_BMW_engines

I suspect he's just got the names confused, his idea of a 318i se is actually a 318is and just thought the 318is lump was an m40, maybe he thought the IS engine was a tuned m40b18 maybe not. Either way it's not an outrageous statement to say m40s suck and that the 318 twincam engine rocks, even if you can't get the model numbers right. I would dubious of letting him anywhere near my car though.

Have a word with the bloke and tell him to stay off the green stuff!!
m42 is the 318is 16v engine.

Anyone else wanna say the same thing again? That's my job on this thread

GrindCulture wrote:Anyone else wanna say the same thing again? That's my job on this thread

There's a subtle difference I tried to think of a way to defend the idiot.

Elecblondie wrote:I suspect he's just got the names confused, his idea of a 318i se is actually a 318is and just thought the 318is lump was an m40, maybe he thought the IS engine was a tuned m40b18 maybe not. Either way it's not an outrageous statement to say m40s suck and that the 318 twincam engine rocks, even if you can't get the model numbers right. I would dubious of letting him anywhere near my car though.

i thought so,never heard of se lump,don't worry, i wouldn't let him change a light bulb.

isn't it great when someone starts talking to you about your car,then offers you numpty advice,i know what engine i want,and my old smoker m40 isn't it,well no smoke but not quick enough,i was after 1 on here an is complete,off bss325i,but it's been sold,still looking for a {M42] TWIN CAM 16V.........there sorted!

how easy is it to change from an m40 (316i touring k plate)to m42 i know i would have to change ecu and other wiring but anything really major like propshaft

If you leave the box in then the prop can stay, if you use the M42 box then you'll need the M42 prop. The engine loom needs to stay with the engine, but it just plugs straight into the car loom via the C101 plug and the +ive battery terminal. It's all pretty easy though, I did it, and I'm really stupid

There is a bracket or two missing in the bay that the M42 requires iirc but that's nothing too tricky to sort.

I don't think it's a tricky conversion.

would one out of an e36 be anygood if you change the engine mounts and sump or is there more stuff i would need to change

An E36 one will do, but you'll need a lot of the M42 bits, intake manifolds etc. to make it fit. Might as well just get an E30 one and save some hassle.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't the late model M40 tourings have the same diff/brakes/suspension as the is anyways? Does that make it a straight engine swap with an e30 318is engine (assuming the gearbox is the same also)?

All tourings have 325i spec suspension and brakes. 51mm front legs and rear disks/ABS with front/rear rollbars. There is some debate as to whether they all came with full MTec suspension (as seen on 325i Sport and 318is) or just the springs with the dampers as an option, and how many actually had the options.

The main reason that the debate will never really end is that the original springs and dampers will be so thoroughly shagged by now that you can't tell either way. You may as well just bin them straight away. Replacement genuine MTech is way more expensive than Eibach/HnR/Bilstein so the best option is to just go straight to the aftermarket kit which drops it a bit more (15 or 30mm depending on where you started) and handles like a dream.

yea, true that - if an engine swap was to happen it'd be a bit foolish not to at least renew the suspension or consider doing it in the near future....

it seems like the gearing is the same though - the first gear on the 1.6 is so stupid that you can only really use it to get moving from a standstill or up a hill, then promptly change :p..........it also revs at a hair over 3k at 70mph motorway speeds which is a little too short (granted the engine is a little weedy and probably needs the gearing to have any speed at all!)....

Morat wrote: There is some debate as to whether they all came with full MTec suspension (as seen on 325i Sport and 318is) or just the springs with the dampers as an option, and how many actually had the options.

The Touring had its own spec shocks to cope with the extra weight and if the car was spec'd with Mtech Suspension it was then fitted with uprated and lowered Springs because the shocks were already uprated.

Ilkorin wrote:it seems like the gearing is the same though - the first gear on the 1.6 is so stupid that you can only really use it to get moving from a standstill or up a hill, then promptly change :p..........it also revs at a hair over 3k at 70mph motorway speeds which is a little too short (granted the engine is a little weedy and probably needs the gearing to have any speed at all!)....

I used the iS box on my touring and kept the 4.27 diff. Goes pretty well, revs sit a little higher on motorways but it's not that noisey, and I've noticed no difference at all in the fuel consumption.

looks like im goin for an m42 then the cams worn on my m40 so by the time ive bought a cam kit i might as well put the money towards an m42 what u all reckon

Do it.

Is there no way that the e36 m42 intake manifold could stay on the engine? Or is there a height issue? Could it be rectified using smaller engine mounts?

Sorry for the thread pinch just trying to get you some more engine choice dude!

Matt

the thing is its easier to find an m42 out of an e36 than an e30 lower mileage sumtimes as well i been looking at a few websites for an e30 jobbie but cant find many

You might be able to find an E36 M42 easier, but finding the rest of the bits to make it fit is going to be a massive headache.

well he knows alot about bmws dont he

the IS engine is the m42 twin cam and the one you currently have the m40 is the shitter

GrindCulture wrote:You might be able to find an E36 M42 easier, but finding the rest of the bits to make it fit is going to be a massive headache.

Can't be that difficult to use an e36 lump, the flywheel and clutch from the m40 can be used along with the m40 gearbox as the block is the same,

then theres the problem with the sump which can be rectified using the m40 pickup pipe and sump

if there is an issue with with the height surely the m40 engine mounts can be used to drop it down a tad,

the exhaust can be sorted using an m42 e30 unit manifold

then as far as engine wiring goes as long as you have the ecu with the loom its plug and play from there!

At least I think

Actually hope as i'm in this situation.

matt

is a m40 1.8 gearbox longer than a 1.6 one i have a wider diff (mid case i think) but the 1.6 dont have much top end speed (112 mph apparently) so fitting a m42 with the m40 box wouldnt be much different would it

I think the E36 pulley setup may be in the way in order to fit the E30 sump and necessary gubbins, dipstick etc. So this will have to be swapped for the E30 setup probably meaning you need to swap the alternator and bracket over too. Not sure about lowering the engine on the the mounts, when I fitted the M42 to my touring the exhaust manifold was very close to the steering coupling, so I'm not sure how much room you'll have when it's in the car.

Not sure if any of that is actually correct though

reggiebaby wrote:looks like im goin for an m42 then the cams worn on my m40 so by the time ive bought a cam kit i might as well put the money towards an m42 what u all reckon

only easy way out with lots of gains glad you don't live to near me,i'm on the trail of one again after missing out on 1 ,i can't be having competiton,winter is a comming

reggiebaby wrote:is a m40 1.8 gearbox longer than a 1.6 one i have a wider diff (mid case i think) but the 1.6 dont have much top end speed (112 mph apparently) so fitting a m42 with the m40 box wouldnt be much different would it

You can get 121mph out of an m40 1.6!

Can't confirm this though as the speed limits 70.

my m40 will do 120mph is happy to but i'm at 6000rpm... too short