E30 Zone

hey zoners.

i'm looking to buy my next E30 touring, 89' G reg,320i and it has engine and manual gearbox from a 5 series! (of similar age and milage according to the owner )so what i want to ask is, "are there any decernable or major differences between the two engines 3&5 series 2.0 litre straight 6???" also does this enigine require a CAT?? on the exhaust??? not a furry one on the parcel shelf!!

so anyone has the lowdown on what to look out for and wants to comment feel free!!

any help would be greatly appreciated!

I cant say for sure, but I know that the 325 lump in my cabby was from a 525 of the same age and its the exact same engine. So I would say yes but someone in the know should be able to confirm.

Yeah i dont think theres much difference, and the owner seems a genuine human, but im not that bother as long as it aint a shunter!!! but i dont know much about the 5 series lump e.g. is the wiring harness the same, is the engine bay re-positioned to accomodate the 5 series engine and box, i dont know.....it must be very similar though surely???

i think the only difference was the airbox shape on the 5's , but if its in the touring already, cant see the problem, also im sure cats were law j/k onwards

Certainly won't need a cat., as that's determined by the age of the car or engine, whichever is earlier. Your car is, and always will be '89, so won't need a cat., whatever engine is in it.
If this was converted from a M20B20 to E30 spec., they will have almost certainly used the necessary bits off of this engine to fit the E34 engine.

thats great guys, i hate CAT'S....always have!! will do a little more research me thinks!!!