Beemerlad's M52 Chromie

[E30BeemerLad]

Was bored in between the rain showers today, so knocked this slideshow up of some of the pics along the way

[E30Gheko]

Quality. There's a lot of work gone into that! I wish my footwells were as clean as yours! That's a nice shell really isn't it?

[E30BeemerLad]

The shell is structurally excellent, just a bit frilly around the edges such as rear arches and rear panel, otherwise it not a bad old bus.

I started cracking on getting it jacked up and undoing the exhaust system etc and then my brother turned up with his bit of ginger fluff in this.
It's one of the development mules at Lotus, it is getting shipped to the USA next Friday for emissions testing and has to have 4k miles on it before then, it currently has about 1600 on the clock, so he has the awful task of having to drive it around (with free fuel) to put some miles on it.






Took me down the road for a quick blat and it rides so well and has a nice throttle response but the Camry V6 they have doesn't sound all that.

He's just disappeared back off to Norfolk now so I'll get my arse back outside and continue undoing my previous efforts

[Dezzy]

What you got done then mate. Lets have an update with pics.

[E30Gheko]

Your bro has a rough time with his work then....

Looks like a nice Lotus does that!

[E30BeemerLad]

Well I managed to start cracking on after the earlier distractions and got everything unbolted and put the engine hoist back together again.

But that S50 manifold (the absolute bain of my life) is causing bother again. I want to remove it still attached as it's such a cooont to get to some of the nuts, but the steering coupling is in the way, you'll see in one of the pics below. SO when I try to lift the engine up, the exhaust primary that runs underneath it comes up and starts trying to lift the whole car on the coupling. But, because I have this fancy solid coupling I can't just remove it without undoing the rack and tilting it forwards so the coupling will come off the splines, grrrr.

An all too familiar sight

Had to take the inlet manifold off to get to the heater pipes at the bulkhead

I ran out of light eventually and enthusiasm to lie down in the lake of coolant and PAS fluid But I got it jacked up on one side so I can crawl under tomorrow morning and loosen the rack and then hopefully set about pulling this anchor back out.


Would have been nice to end the day with the engine & box on the floor but at least I'm doing something

[Dezzy]

I think if I had had the set back with the motor mate I would have tourched it and cryed. I think just to get back into it your better than me. Nice to see so e progress.

[daimlerman]

Would it be easier to remove the crossmember bolts,column to steering coupling,strut top nuts and the front brake pipes at the flexi's and lift the body off the engine?

[E30BeemerLad]

err nope

[E30BeemerLad]

Just come in to shelter from another downpour but i've got the lump out again.

It's a right turd doing this on your own and the pulley from the PAS pump just didn't want to clear the front panel, so I took the pump off, then the sump was being a pain and getting caught on the front panel and several times I found myself lifting the whole front end of the car clear off the ground.

I couldn't seem to get it at the right angle using the load leveller so I just hooked the crane to the front bracket and went for it


This crane is some piece of kit

Arrrh, she be beached capitain

[Bob_S]

60 steps back.. and 3 inside..

Well done Lee! ;)

[Dezzy]

Hardcore lifting it on that little bracket mate that pic made me wince. I had 4 of us at work putting mine in. I was under it pulling the box back over one man on either side and a man on the crane. Made light work of it i tell you. On my own i dont think i would have got anywhere well done. Big thumbs up

[Daf318is]

If anyone wants a fast M50 engine removal you should get me and Bob around ! You remember pulling yours out with everything still attached don't you!!!!!!!!!!

Getting the lump out of the E36 is much easier Lee, just take the front end off and it's a piece of cake

[E30BeemerLad]

Well the sump is off as is the pickup pipe and the wiring loom off, gearbox off too.

Gave it a jetwash under the bonnet and it's come up nice & clean, gave the box a clean off too. Only thing left to do is remove the flywheel & clutch.

So next thing is to get the poor E36 moved up the drive and set about it.

Only damage caused this time around was I forgot to undo the earth strap on the driver side engine leg, so it has snapped the mount, fortunate the donor is an E36

With the M52 being an auto, will the M20 flywheel bolt straight up or am i going to need spacers machining up etc?

[DanThe]

First fit a spigot bearing into the crank then bolt the flywheel/clutch on as normal

[E30BeemerLad]

Also, something I have discovered, when I took the exhaust manifold off and looked at the new gaskets, you could see blackening around each port hole in the gaskets where it steps to the much bigger S50 manifold, all except cylinder number 4, which was clean.

I recall when I stripped the engine originally, the piston looked a bit damp on number 4 compared to the rest. Reckon the coil pack on that cylinder must be fubar and not firing. So that would explain the rough running, but not the savage knocking sound (unless it was something rubbing/ touching)

Probably find all of this is a waste of time and there was nowt wrong with the engine but hey ho, I'm sure I'll be happier with a 2.8

[E30BeemerLad]

First fit a spigot bearing into the crank then bolt the flywheel/clutch on as normal

OK, remember who you're talking to here.

Where do I get such an item from?

[320Touring]

"you put your engine in, you take your engine out,
In, out,in,out, what's it all about?
You paint your LSD up
and it dont turn round..
Thats what it's all about"

[E30BeemerLad]

Neil, you're a poet and you don't know it

No LSD sir, this is open diff wrongness, hell i don't even know what ratio it is as the tag was so corroded. All I know is it came off a 325 so either 3.91 or 3.73 at a guess.

[320Touring]

Neil, you're a poet and you don't know it

No LSD sir, this is open diff wrongness, hell i don't even know what ratio it is as the tag was so corroded. All I know is it came off a 325 so either 3.91 or 3.73 at a guess.

LSD fits better than diff (poetic Licence)

when you actually gonna have it moving? In its current state my 320i looks like a rocket ship!

what was issue with the m50? my PC dont have speakers

[Dezzy]

Or 3.64 like mine. Mine is lsd though sorry for boasting mate

[E30BeemerLad]

what was issue with the m50? my PC dont have speakers

was running rough, not misfiring a bit more like a splutter when getting on the throttle and was shaking like a shitting dog at tickover. If you put your hands on the inlet manifold when ticking over it just felt rough and coarse (not like a BMW 6 should) Then a really unpleasant knock/ rumble from the bottom end. Just wasn't happy with it mate.

There was some nasty gritty stuff in the sump too when i took that off.

The bottom end I'm guessing is from running on chocolate milk when Mikey had it.

I'll probably tuck the bottom end away in the garage but sell the head as that's tested & skimmed

[320Touring]

what was issue with the m50? my PC dont have speakers

was running rough, not misfiring a bit more like a splutter when getting on the throttle and was shaking like a shitting dog at tickover. If you put your hands on the inlet manifold when ticking over it just felt rough and coarse (not like a BMW 6 should) Then a really unpleasant knock/ rumble from the bottom end. Just wasn't happy with it mate.

There was some nasty gritty stuff in the sump too when i took that off.

The bottom end I'm guessing is from running on chocolate milk when Mikey had it.

I'll probably tuck the bottom end away in the garage but sell the head as that's tested & skimmed

Gutting chief...

sorry to hear that!

best of luck with the m52 swap.

Sould really get us northern boys down, got engine conversions down to abut 10 hrs, inc building ancilaries on etc. handy havin paul to do the loom-trainee sparks can be useful sometiomes...

[Bob_S]

indeed Dafs. I don't think many can extract a 24v that fast!

Neil, you legend!!!

[320Touring]

indeed Dafs. I don't think many can extract a 24v that fast!

Neil, you legend!!!

I'm the gaffer- good tea is very important!

you the one who convinced Lee re the 2.8 multivalveturdiness?

[Bob_S]

indeed Dafs. I don't think many can extract a 24v that fast!

Neil, you legend!!!

I'm the gaffer- good tea is very important!

you the one who convinced Lee re the 2.8 multivalveturdiness?

he knew it was complete rightness!! got me and Omi telling him lol

[daimlerman]

Spigot bearing from the stealer,Lee,I understand that two sizes are available...it fits into the little hole in the clutch end of the crank to reduce it's diameter to support the gearbox first motion shaft.
Gearbox first motion shaft is the roundy bit that pokes out of the front of the gearbox bellhousing and slides through the clutch cover,clutch plate and finaly into the spigot bearing...
Please also buy new bolts from the stealer to fix the flywheel to the crank,it's a bit close to your legs to have it let go....

[E30BeemerLad]

Thanks Malcolm, I'll have a look when I get the M52 liberated.

I may have one on the M50 as I don't know if it came from a manual or auto car originally and I haven't removed the clutch or flywheel yet.

[daimlerman]

When(if!!) you come to fit the M52,you will find it much easier if you lift the rear of the car by about 6-9 inches,it makes the 'dangle angle' of the unit much more managable....
I have never attempted to remove a spigot bearing,they are less than £10,but I am told that filling the cavity with grease,inserting a tight fitting bolt and belting with a birmingham spanner does the trick.I can just imagine grease all over next door's garden and the spigot two streets away....

[Dezzy]

I too have hear that's the way to remove bearings but have never tried it. I was given the same advice about jacking the rear up and it made life far easier mate. I would defos use that advice I had the rear about 1.5 feat off the floar slid in a treat. I don't need that manifold mate just realized I have one in a pile of spares. Sorry to mess you about.

[rob0r]

I used a spigot bearing removal tool borrowed from the friendly local garage, its just like a mini slide hammer.

[stonesie]

I used the grease method, works a treat and nothing goes flying. My bar for hydraulicing it out was a bit of M12 studding packed out with ducktape and the finger of a rubber glove over all that for a good seal.

It can be a bit of a bugger getting all the air out from behind the bearing but i didnt have a syringe to pump the grease in with.

[E30BeemerLad]

Have started molesting the E36.

Exhaust system off, rad out, gearbox mount undone and engine mounts undone. Various bits of plastic fodder under the bonnet removed etc and was starting to undo the wiring harness and various connectors.

The cover behind the fusebox where the ECU is, well I have 2 (assume one is for the auto box) Does anyone know which ECU is which? I have removed the lower one but got bored trying to find out how to remove the top one.

Also, the car has air con. Where would be best to undo the pipework in order to make getting the engine out as hassle free as possible?

[DanThe]

Trans ECU should be a bosch unit, engine ECU will be siemens

best place to remove pipes from is the compressor

[E30BeemerLad]

nice one, the specimen I have removed is a Siemens

Are the pipes removed from the compressor by undoing the allen bolts where the 2 pipes go into the top of the compressor? I haven't looked that closely, I just saw space was a bit limtied so thought I'd come back to that job later