Fitting a 325 lump in a 318IS

Discuss general engine, turbo and supercharger conversions in this section

Moderator: martauto

Post Reply
pac1982
Engaged to the E30 Zone
Engaged to the E30 Zone
Posts: 5330
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 11:00 pm
Location: isle of wight

Sat May 14, 2011 5:32 pm

Right well as a few of you will know my E30 is currently off the road with various problems all of which being engine related, I’ve already thrown a new M42 in it once and if I’m gonna chuck another engine in I want to go for something bigger this time.

I’ve got a second car now in the form of a E36 316i compact which I will be keeping as a daily, before now I’ve always been of the opinion that the old 325 lumps drink to much fuel to warrant there performance but now that the E30 is gonna be a weekend car and not a daily I can just about justify the poor performance/MPG of the older 325 lumps.

I know roughly what’s involved and the costing of fitting a 24v in the E30 which is what I would ultimately like to do but I’m missing the old girl already so it got me thinking how straight forward would it be to put a original 325 lump in.

What would I have to change or does it just drop right in, I know I’d need a new ECU but can I use the existing loom? Will my gear box mate up? And if it is just a case of ripping out the 1.8 16v out and dropping in a 2.5 what sort of money do these old boat anchors sell for?
Image

1991 BMW E30 318i Neon Design Convertible (Sold)
1990 BMW E30 325i Touring (Sold)
1990 BMW E30 318IS (Sold)
1990 BMW E30 316i (RIP)
User avatar
chu346
E30 Zone Addict
E30 Zone Addict
Posts: 2403
Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:00 pm
Location: Leicester

Sat May 14, 2011 11:22 pm

How about M30? Doesn't drink much more than 2.5 but more power :D

I happen to have one for sale, complete drop in kit. Really easy swap just like a M20 swap, no fabrication required
http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... highlight=
pac1982
Engaged to the E30 Zone
Engaged to the E30 Zone
Posts: 5330
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 11:00 pm
Location: isle of wight

Sun May 15, 2011 6:49 pm

chu346 wrote:How about M30? Doesn't drink much more than 2.5 but more power :D

I happen to have one for sale, complete drop in kit. Really easy swap just like a M20 swap, no fabrication required
http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... highlight=
Bit more than i wanted to spend tbh, for a few hundred quid more i could do an M52 conversion for that money.

Was just looking at a cheap fix for the time being until to get me back on the road
Image

1991 BMW E30 318i Neon Design Convertible (Sold)
1990 BMW E30 325i Touring (Sold)
1990 BMW E30 318IS (Sold)
1990 BMW E30 316i (RIP)
User avatar
chu346
E30 Zone Addict
E30 Zone Addict
Posts: 2403
Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:00 pm
Location: Leicester

Sun May 15, 2011 7:25 pm

More powerful than m52 :wink:
Kieran_n22
E30 Zone Regular
E30 Zone Regular
Posts: 679
Joined: Mon Aug 30, 2010 11:00 pm
Location: North London

Sun May 15, 2011 7:32 pm

I wouldn't change from an IS to an M20. The work involved chu346 has a point. An M30 would be a better addition.
Post Reply