318is Engine swaps

Post Sat Oct 10, 2009 8:19 pm

Hi all,

Im sure this has been asked before but here goes..

How interchangeable are the 1.8 and 1.9 318is engines between the e30 and e36, do they have much in common with each other?

Was also wondering about the engines fitted in the compact ti's and z3's and wether they were basically the same engines?

Reason is im weighing up different engine swaps for my m10 carb anchor, i want to stick with four cylinders (for my sins!) and the 16v e30 lumps are getting harder to come by .

Anybody know of any of these conversions?

Post Sat Oct 10, 2009 8:50 pm

i think that the m42 in e36 upto 94 i think will be fine but will have to change over to an e30 intake manifold and ecu and also some things like pas pump etc. the m44 may be a bit more complicated as far as i know it runs under different managment and i think the m44 cars will all have ews am not sure if this can be disabled or not it would be somthing i would beinterested to know my self as i am looking for an e30 to do a conversion on for a cheap dirty drifter! the 4 pot 16v lumps are very rev happy and i really regret selling my i.s wich did have an e36 lump in and went really well (no info tho as it was converted by a previous owner when the head gasket went on the 1st lump)

some one else will prob give you much better info than this i also look forward to reading it!

Post Sun Oct 11, 2009 12:43 am

I guess that would make sense as e30's were manufactured up until at least 93 iirc?

Im not too worried about ews to be honest, whatever lump i go with i would need all the loom and equipment as my car is one of the completely basic models running a simple single carb setup, so i would need looms, transmission and fuel system etc anyway!

What concerns me about the later lumps is wether they willl fit to any of the e30 gearboxes and mounts, im sure there must be a combination of boxes and props etc that fits!

Post Sun Oct 11, 2009 9:47 am

i think an m40 318i running gear will bolt up to an i.s and be the same parts as used on an i.s as am sure the i.s and 318i share the same gearbox. and am 99% sure that all m40 42 and 44 gearboxes will be interchangable if not identical!

Post Sun Oct 11, 2009 11:53 am

I'd just put an m52 in and live the high life

Post Sun Oct 11, 2009 12:12 pm

lol can be a bit to complicated for the likes of me been a engine transplant virgin!

Post Mon Oct 12, 2009 12:36 am

Bob_S wrote:I'd just put an m52 in and live the high life

Yea thats all well and good if you have the budget.

I dont and its my daily so need something thats cheap, not too much work to fit, is going to turn reasonable mpg (long commute), still have a little poke and be fun to drive.

So it sounds like the four-cyl lumps are pretty much the same mounting and gearbox wise?

Post Mon Oct 12, 2009 12:50 pm

Engine mounts you will be better off getting eye wattering £100 a side IS specific mounts or spending £25 for two solid rubber mounts for an E34 525 (I think), thats what I used anyway!

Post Mon Oct 12, 2009 1:17 pm

You will need the ignition barrel along with the loom and ECU cos the 1.9(M44) does use the EWS system,but you can get the EWS map wiped clean.

The sump is also different on the E36/Z3 M44 engine. Apparently(I'm copying this info from TBMW!) you could use the sump and gasket from the E30 M42,or use the sump and oil pick-up from an M43 engined E34 518i as it has the bulge at the front.