my 320 to 325

[Green]

Hey well it must have been just over a month since a rocker snapped in my top end and I couldn't be bothered to fix it and spent the time saving a little aside and scouting for a new engine.

At the weekend I picked up a 2.5 with a sport box for a more then reasonable price.

Monday came and so work began.



Out with the old



This is then i realised the head had a snapped nut in it, and spent
hours getting the stubborn thing out.

Anyways next day and in with the new



Bit of wresting aligning the mounts and a bit later



Magic how i managed to keep my t-shirt white!

Shortly after it was put in i then realised I was missing some bits that were supposed to be included in with the bundle so had to make do with what I had for now.

Everything put back together



All i need to finish this off the engine bay is a 2.5 air intake hose as the 320i doesn't fit over the throttle body.

And if anyone can give me a hand on this bit as well, on the b20 TB there is two tubes coming off next to it as you can see here, with a one way valve connecting them to the brake servo.



Currently i have connevted it up like this



as I don't have a b25 air intake, in which i was going to use the old tube that had the angled breather pipe coming off it, with the one way valve from the bit i have on there already.

Only complication that happened was that upon initial ignition switch on, not turning her over.. I managed to burn a wire all the way through off the old loom



Used the old loom part and problem was solved


Started her up and she ran first go!


Now this was a proper cheap way of going about it, and i'd have loved to get a few things done differently but for now i'm very happy.. just keeping my eye on the engine for the first few runs and see how things go. Biggest mission is bleeding the coolant system so far!
Apart from that i'm impressed with the amount of difference between the two engines, and very happy.


Just need to get my car up to scratch now

[Dave_M3]

Good work, proper way to fix a broken inferior engine anyway

[Barx325i]

kin damn right, oh you will be pleased.. The second you release the clutch in first

[Gyptian]

Why is there a spanner in the roap?

[Barx325i]

leverage, or to lock the 'rope'

[Green]

kin damn right, oh you will be pleased.. The second you release the clutch in first

I didn't think it was going to be that much of an improvement, also think i'd better take it easy pulling out around corners now

Why is there a spanner in the roap?

It's so that the knot in the rope is easier to undo, that rope is 52 years old and we really didn't want to have to cut it open lowering a n engine into it that's half it's age!
Quite often use this as well when I have to two people and haven't got a proper tow rope to hand.

[ETERNITY]

so what differances have you felt from the 2.0 and 2.5

because its a fresh conversion you will be able to give a accurate description

[Green]

I haven't had the chance to take it over 60 as that's when my unbalanced wheel starts to kick in.

So far I have noticed there is a much more low and high power through the gears, low end torque feels much more powerful and really gets you away when it's metal on metal.
It is a worthwhile modification for under £200 and I'd suggest it to anyone even if their e30 knowledge isn't all that, like ours

The difference between the two engines is surprising in my opinion but it's all positive so far!

If you're after more details though feel free to ask.

[Dave_M3]

Imagine how surprised you'd be if you went from an M20b20 to a fettled M52 or S50


The M20 2.5 and 2L engines have very different characteristics even if they seem to be more or less the same engine on the face of it.

The 2L is a far revier engine that doesn't really get going until you give it enough beans while the 2.5 has more or less a wall of torque right from the word go and tends to not like to be pushed much further beyond 6-500rpm.


Surely it cost you more than 200 quid though with service parts etc?

[Green]

I'll be looking forwards to that conversion sometime in the future

You've definitely hit that on the head, tonight i've done about 30 miles driving about on the empty roads, seeing if i can detect any problems. I couldn't help but put my foot down as soon as I came out of the 30's and feel the power instantly hit compare to the delay from the 2l.

Yeah you're right there, I've done it a bit backwards. The engine, box and all the parts off it I got for £150, fitted it and now i'll be taking it to a garage that I trust to have a thorough service, so if something were to happen to it afterwards I can take it back and get them to sort it out.

So it will be costing me overall after the service and couple of parts, under a respectable £300.

Just need to shift the old engine now as it's sitting in the back of my corsa as i've nowhere to store it

[Dave_M3]

Service it yourself, its a piece of piss if you have been able to swap an engine in the first place.

The timing belt can be abit daunting alright I suppose if you have never done one before but its very easy to do once you get stuck in.

[ross2009]

give it a few months and youll wanna boost it believe me lol

[Green]

Service it yourself, its a piece of pee pee if you have been able to swap an engine in the first place.

The timing belt can be abit daunting alright I suppose if you have never done one before but its very easy to do once you get stuck in.

Seeing as I used it to go up to scotland saturday, I decided to service it myself as I had some bits laying about already.
Luckily, it done me proud and I had a problemless 800 mile drive! Minus the 1ltr water adding into my header tank as it appears my throttle body is leaking water?

Can't say anything apart from that's wrong, so all in all - great success

Yep you're right Ross, already got the need for more haha. Shall get the car together a bit and await my m50b25 swap hopefully next year.

[Barx325i]

ideally you want to bypass the throttle body water supply - it just heats it up which you don't really want

nice job..

[333i]

so did u just use the 320i exhaust and exhaust manifolds mate

[goosiegander]

Keep the spare engine if you want to build a stroker at a later date dude,

Very good work!

[Green]

333i the manifolds are the same, and yes I'm using the 320i exhaust still but will upgrade to a 325i in time as it doesn't do it any justice really.

goosiegander as much as I wouldn't mind giving it a go one day, I doubt it'll be in the budget for a long time!

[MillRat]

Good stuff, two things though,

1) You could have cleaned the new engine first, and
2) Lifting the old engine out (with gearbox) by the front lifting tab alone is brave. It is only held on by a 2 bolts (and one of them is certainly on the smallish side).

The 2.5L will be heaps more fun. Every time I drive my E21 I thank myself for replacing the tired 2.0L M20 with a fresh 2.3L.

[gjj107]

hi this is pretty much what im going to do hopefully next weekend just picked up a complete engine swap package ,nice job by the way. any obvious pitfalls to look out for along the way?
320 to 325 got to be better hey?

re lifting the engine whats the best way to lift it if not by the lifting tab and does it need to be at such an extreme angle on its way in and out? thanks in advance

[MillRat]

re lifting the engine whats the best way to lift it if not by the lifting tab and does it need to be at such an extreme angle on its way in and out? thanks in advance

There is another lifting eyelet forged into the engine block above the starter motor. You need to attach another rope/chain to this eyelet. If you have an engine lifter, but not an adjustable spreader, then it would be worth your while to buy one.

Here is a picture of mine (the orange bar above the engine). By winding the handle, you greatly change the angle at which the engine is lifted. The other option (and the way we have always removed, replaced engines), is to remove the gearbox first so that the engine can be almost lifted straight up.

[gjj107]

thanks millrat i think i will be dropping the gearbox off first as you suggest .
i reckon theres less chance of cock ups that way!!