Rebuilt or remanufactured M42 .....

[retroboy]

where can i get myself a reconditioned/remanufactured M42 engine for my 1990 318is coupe . Used to be a crowd called fab auto parts but can'get them now ??????

[RichIS]

fabs located in cinderford if its the same company ?

any where can rebuild an engine just depends wat you want to pay

how urgent are you after a m42 ?

[retroboy]

not sure , think i roasted my m42 . over heated for an hour on my drive , tryin to charge battery...... stupid i know !!!! still tryin to determine if its toast or not. was thinkin of replacing with an 325is maybe ? do i need a gearbox to go with that , or drive shafts or what . i know i need the brain and the harness any other help would be appreciated. was also wondering what off-the-shelf engine parts were available to boost the performance of my m42 if its not toast ??????

[Barx325i]

I'd be tempted to go m50 if you're going to the trouble of 4-6pot, your m42 box will fit up to an m50/m52 & luckily the iS has larger front struts, arb's etc.

back to your m42, what's she running like now?

edited!

[retroboy]

bit ruff . hunting a lot . but this was always the case. bit noisey and nasty sounding . 140k on the clock . probably needs a timing chain , new alternator, new cooling fan and such..... not familar with an m52 engine . whats this out of ??? are they hard to come by ????

[Barx325i]

well m50's are easier to install. the m50 is a 24v 2.5 from an e36 / e34

m52 is the 2.8 variant with alloy block ..but it's trickier & more expensive to do a decent conversion..

[retroboy]

so what would i need , as in a list, to convert to an m50 ? googled it and theres a 1994 version and a 1998 version . will either do ? gear box is ok so i presume the drive train from there to the wheels is sufficient ?? new air intake manifold , complete exhaust ?? new brain and wiring harness ??? where would i get all of this for a start. by the way the headgasket on my m42 engine is gone . lookin at 600 euros and thats if the head doesn't need to be skimmed ......

[Barx325i]

there is extensive info on this conversion on here so have a search but there, a few ways of doing things. Some have vanos, some have ews. 5 series m50's have the correct sump. You need a golf mk2 or clio brake master cyl, beefier front dampers & springs, prop shaft etc etc.

m42 headsets are very expensive, depends where you want the cash to go!

[retroboy]

just gonna get the m42 dickied up for the moment i think . cheers for the help. i might try to collect the parts for this upgrade over the next year or so . wouldn't mind juicin it up a bit . spent a lot on the body and suspension , over ten grand at this stage, and it would be nice to keep going while the parts are readily available. would the adjustable koni's in the front be robust enough for the m50 engine ??? i presume theres a turbo kit or supercharger add on available for such a good lump of engine ???? that would be nice .....

[glenn]

retroboy, you have a pm

[stonesie]

M50's have been run at 600bhp and reliable at 500.... Not cheap though and iirc theres not really a off the shelf kit for this in a E30, the boot floor will need some beefing up around the diff mount too.


Have a good nose round this section, the range of lumps you 'could' fit is massive, even the older M5 V8 has been done



As for your M42, it should have been happy idling away for days so check the viscus coupling, get it slightly over temperature and stick a rolled-up newspaper in the fan, if it gets to 3/4 and the fan still stops then you need to take it for a run to cool it back to normal then go to either GSF or ECP for a new viscus, GSF do 2, a 'fusser' one for 20-odd quid and a good one from Sachs for about £55.

Also is the plasic fan shroud still on? the fan is as good as useless without this even if the viscus is working.

For the hunting, check for air leaks/split hoses

[retroboy]

to glenn , how much would you do the whole job for if i brought it to wales for ye ????