m42 to m44 conversion

[pac1982]

Is an m44 engine from a z3 a direct swap for my m42 lump? I've been offered a really low miles engine from a rear end write off.

Don't get me wrong I'm not expecting a major performance gain just looking to fit a much newer motor

[appletree]

Not realy unless you have an M42 to take bits off there somthing to do with the inlet manifold hitting the bonnet, if you have both engines then think you will be fine though:D

[LeonNewton]

I am shaw I have seen m44 manifolds in e30's and have read that thay improve low end talk. Is this right?

[rix313]

I always heard the E30 manifold was better for torque but now I dunno lol!

There's a member on here who's local to me 'finite' he's done the swap, he's also on M42 club

[LeonNewton]

Hum. Naw I'm comfosed to. Rather than hijakinh this thread will start another when I'm home.

[mt1104]

take the m44 block combined with the better designed m42 head, that'll do you nicely, tho if your looking for tuning, bear in mind the m44 internals aren't forged iirc.

[pac1982]

Cheers guys so it really is as easy as it sounds then, is the engine loom plug and play? Also is the gearbox from the m44 compatable as it comes with the engine

[rix313]

Please do correct me if I'm wrng but wont the M42 gearbox have the wrong gearing for the M44?

TBH I can't see that the work to performance etc. ratio is great enough to make it worth doing unless your M42 is shafted.

[mt1104]

it'll have to be the e30 m42 gearbox i'm affraid, as the gearboxes from the e36s (and I assume z3s) are a different shape. The ratio's wont be *that* different, the m40 gearbox is pretty much identical to the 318is box - just having a 0.01 difference in 5th.

I think the m44 is slightly tricky in terms of wiring as it has the EWS system iirc, however I also seem to remember reading on this forum thats just 4 wires to deal with.

[GrindCulture]

E30 gearboxes have an overdrive 5th, where as the E36s items don't. The M44 manifold will fit under the E30 bonnet, but it's tuned more towards low end torque and economy, so therefore doesn't flow as freely as the E30 item, making the engine less revvy. Most people have problems running the OBDII management in E30s, but BBB had an M44 car that was running on OBDI as per the M42.

An M44 block and internals with the M42 head and a bit of fiddling with the cam timing should see about 155bhp.

[Bob_S]

complete waste of time and effort tbh mate

[pac1982]

Thing is a 325 conversion is gonna be to thirsty I like the performance of my current engine got enough poke to be fun but its still practical at the same time.

My current engine runs well but does get a little smokey when you give it some which I’m thinking can either be valve stems of piston rings either way I can’t be arsed to rebuild such an old tired engine.

I really like the idea of fitting modern 24v engines in E30’s but again this would take away from the practicality of the car so a modern M44 with below 50k seems ideal that way I get to enjoy my classic E30 with piece of mind of a modern more reliable engine.

Bear in mind I’m not doing this for performance reasons i just after a modern low miles and economical engine to drop in with minimal hassle.

[mt1104]

you could fit a oil catch tank, that'd clean up the running a bit if its bad and lessen future deterioration.

TBH if you can sort out the engine management bit of the m44 then it should be a straight swap with your m42. The m44 has a tad bit more torque and as you say has only 50k miles (tho 50k miles with bad maintenance... - has the car got any service history?) I reckon it'll be a nice engine to have in an light e30.

Perfect time to pilfer the rack off the z3 too

[pac1982]

Not sure what condition the Z3 is in but even an poorly serviced BMW engine with 50k on the clock should be quite strong.

I was thinking about the rack myself, i've heard you can also use the Z3 gear shifter to create a short shift type set up.

To be honest a bigger engine is still not out the question, i just want a really simple swap so if anyone has any suggestions for a dead easy conversion pipe up.