Hi Guys,
I'm in the process of purchasing a 316i Touring and would love to swap in an M42 engine from a 318iS, as an engine swap was suggested by martauto.
I've done some reading and looked at the availability of M42 engines, and it seems it would be cheaper to get hold of an E36 318iS and swap as much of the engine and ancillaries over as possible from there. From what I've read I could:
- Swap the 316i sump onto the M42 engine as this should fit
- Use the 316i gearbox and mate this to the M42 engine
- Make a wiring loom from scratch or splice the E36 loom and E30 loom together to make a loom (it seems difficult to find this type of stuff in 2019)
I just have a couple of questions, namely; can you get a plug n play ECU for the E30 318iS? Sourcing an E30 318iS ECU looks like it could be a pain. Finally, are there any aftermarket off the shelf exhaust manifolds to fit an E30 M42 engine?
This car will be my daily driver so an M42 seems to be a good swap, if all the parts work out. I'm just worried I won't be able to source parts at a reasonable price to do the swap! From what I've seen after searching online E30 M42 engine parts are not that readily available.
Cheers,
Ted
2019 M42 parts checklist?
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rix313
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As far as I believe using the E36 loom shouldn't be a problem and you'd just have to follow the same instructions as when people fit the M50/52 engines for E36 but I am not at all clued up on that. Maybe worth speaking to DanThe and other serial E36 engine conversionists for advice there. Sure to say finding an E30 M42 ecu is not going to be a doddle.
With regards the gearbox yes it is a straight swap. Ratios should be exactly the same https://www.e30zone.net/e30wiki/index.p ... Drivetrain. The main difference for you is your final drive ratio will be either 4.27 or 4.45 making the car accelerate well but it would be very revvy and thirsty on a motorway drive so you'd want to look at sourcing a 4.10 diff ideally. Again, not easy these days for sensible money. Usual story, I threw one in the bin a few years ago because I couldn't give it away.
Exhaust I guess there must be something out there aftermarket. You'll need the full exhaust system for an iS as well FYI.
With regards the gearbox yes it is a straight swap. Ratios should be exactly the same https://www.e30zone.net/e30wiki/index.p ... Drivetrain. The main difference for you is your final drive ratio will be either 4.27 or 4.45 making the car accelerate well but it would be very revvy and thirsty on a motorway drive so you'd want to look at sourcing a 4.10 diff ideally. Again, not easy these days for sensible money. Usual story, I threw one in the bin a few years ago because I couldn't give it away.
Exhaust I guess there must be something out there aftermarket. You'll need the full exhaust system for an iS as well FYI.