E21 M20 Engine swap into an E30

Sat Jun 23, 2012 10:54 am

I have a good E21 engine (Distributor on side of engine)that I want to swap into my e30. What should I look out for. I have the complete harness etc.. Is the ECU different etc...

Sat Jun 23, 2012 2:29 pm

Don't.

E21 engines are either fitted with a hopeless carburettor (320) or a prehistoric fuel injection system (323i). No ECU's either.

Sat Jun 23, 2012 6:24 pm

Andyboy wrote:Don't.

E21 engines are either fitted with a hopeless carburettor (320) or a prehistoric fuel injection system (323i). No ECU's either.

Mine is a M20B20 with fuel injection, must look to see if it has an ECU connection

Sun Jun 24, 2012 7:21 pm

201964 wrote:
Andyboy wrote:Don't.

E21 engines are either fitted with a hopeless carburettor (320) or a prehistoric fuel injection system (323i). No ECU's either.
Mine is a M20B20 with fuel injection, must look to see if it has an ECU connection

The only 2.0 E21 with injection was a four cylinder with K Jet.

Tue Jun 26, 2012 8:33 pm

Must be from an E28 then as its 6 cyl fuel injected

Wed Jun 27, 2012 2:15 pm

Pictures? i'm sure someone on here can identify it from a picture.

What would be the reason for putting it in?

Thu Jun 28, 2012 10:53 am

HairyScreech wrote:Pictures? i'm sure someone on here can identify it from a picture.

What would be the reason for putting it in?

I have identified as an early version of the M20B20 engine. I took the engine from a 1988 E reg E30, which the engine obviously had been put in as everything was new (new radiator, new leads etc...)
My engine is worn lacking on power, oil thins after a couple of hundred miles and smells of petrol