E30 Zone

i asked once before but i have a terrible memory so i might not of asked lol,

i have a very slow 92 cabriolet with a sohc 16v 1.8 engine and manual gearbox, i also have a 98 323 e39 auto

id like to take the engine from the e39 and put it in my e30 what extra parts will i need to buy and is there a guide on what to do

also can any point me in the right direction to get the oarts i need

thanks in advance

There's loads of threads on here with parts lists ect and a few build threads to, I've done a build thread which will help with pics ect, search my name in the m50 section.....

One thing I would say on this is source an m50 inlet manifold for your 323 engine, it will open it up to 192bhp.

ok isnt the 323 a m52 lump thats y im confused i see lots of 50 conversions but 50 is from an e30 isnt it ? and 52 from e36/39 ?

Yes the 323 lump is m52, its basically a restricted 2.5 (168bhp)
But by putting an m50 inlet manifold on it, in the same way as the m52b28, it will open up some ponies

M50 engines are not from e30's- they are e36 or e34 engines.

lool ok i shant bother then lol ill just watch out for a e36

If you keep your eyes out for an e34 with m50 engine the sump will be e30 friendly, rather than having to source it later on!

e30-dk wrote:Yes the 323 lump is m52, its basically a restricted 2.5 (168bhp)
But by putting an m50 inlet manifold on it, in the same way as the m52b28, it will open up some ponies

M50 engines are not from e30's- they are e36 or e34 engines.

323 is an M50 with the lesser inlet manifold AFAIK approx 170bhp

328 is M52

If your talking E36's mind

e30-dk is correct though on changing the inlets over.

There are some good build threads on here, get yourself a can of beer and get reading lol

Duke137 wrote:
323 is an M50 with the lesser inlet manifold AFAIK approx 170bhp

No dude, 323 lump is also M52, alloy block but 2.5 litres

willnz wrote:M10, M20, M40 found in the e30.

M50 found in e36, e34

M52 found in e36, e38, e39

If the motor you are getting out of the e39 is a M54 (dual vanos), you will have a hell of a job trying to get it to work due to the CAN BUS system, so should be avoided.

how do i tell if its a m52 or m54 ?

and if its just the m52 can i use it ?

Afaik the m54 is not useable! Or it is but its a massive task mate. I'd stick with the m50 or 52 if you are planning to just drop an engine in and go imo

ok but how do i tell wat engine i have in my e39 so i can work out if i can use it

On the end of the head (closest to the rad).
If its single vanos it will have a tea cup sized lump on the inlet cam side.

Dual vanos will obv have 2, 1 on inlet cam and 1 on exhaust cam

Are all dual Vanos M54's??

I thought that later M52's could be dual Vanos. (M52TU?)