s50 swap

[jimbob88]

hi all,
im seriously considering this swap into my 89 2.7 325i cabby, could someone point me in the direction of a parts list and possibly a full install?
which is the best one to put in? b30 or b32? what is ews? does this make a difference?
i found one on google a few days ago and cant seem to find it now.
cheers jamie

[DanThe]

EWS is like a drop in the ocean compared to exhaust manifolds

[jimbob88]

lol bit off a pain then?

[penton08]

lol bit off a pain then?

Yes....A pain in your pocket.

[Jhonno]

S50 in a Cabby = Fail

[Larsen-Racing]

EWS is like a drop in the ocean compared to exhaust manifolds

And what is the problem with them?

[Kos]

EWS is like a drop in the ocean compared to exhaust manifolds

And what is the problem with them?

UK cars are RHD, and for the engines to make the power you need proper headers and exhaust system which will cost about £1500.

i dont see the point in potting an s50 into an e30 if you are going to kill off about 30bhp with a shit exhaust

[DanThe]

Kos, I think your about £1000 short of the BTB cost

[Peet]

If it was my car i'd stick with the 2.7, the s50 isn't worth the hassle in my opinion, i've fallen out with my E30 since fitting one, its just no where near as reliable as it was with the old engine in it.

I am in the process of collecting parts for my 2.5 (bad idea selling it all off) ready to put it back in

[DanThe]

So you've admitted defeat? Didnt take long

[penton08]

The BTB manifold is now £930 plus VAT, Which really needs the X pipe and that's £400 plus VAT. The whole BTB system is £2250 plus VAT


Peet..... Whats up with it now? It will be worth it once its right

[Larsen-Racing]

Aha, got it! I did not think of the RHD thing. The RHD and LHD S50 manifolds are the same. I had to weld my cylinder nr 6 pipe on mine to get more space to the firewall.

[Peet]

So you've admitted defeat? Didnt take long

not really no. just run out of options and there is a line where you have to decided that spending any more money on it is just being silly, its been on the road for getting on 2 month now and I’ve replaced all the sensor, ICV, coils etc, all new vacuum pipes, new exhaust ect. I’ve messed with it loads and it’s been to several BMW specialists and no-one can come up with any fix to make it right.

Peet..... Whats up with it now? It will be worth it once its right

Its still the same problem, running rough and very hesitant, everyone who has been in it says they expected it to be a lot smoother / quicker than what it is.

and for the amount of money that I have put into the E30 we have just bought a Z3M Coupe, which is doing up near 30mpg on the same run the E30 is doing 17.

[Dave_M3]

What exhaust manifolds did you use?


I reckon S50 in a cab is a fail too as you'd have just as much fun with a good M52 at a far lesser cost.

Sure, you could say an M52 with a M50 inlet, cams, re-map and bits and pieces may get 240-250bhp but cost as much as an S50 engine with similar levels of work needed to fit either.

But if you don't get the manifolds perfect or spend the same money again that you bought the engine for on a BTB item, you'll be down to the same power as the good M52, have a heavier engine, more costly to run and have the majority of power high up in the rev-range.

I've been in and heard an S50b32ed E30 done with no expense spare and finishes off with a full BTB system and with the 6 speed box and 3.91 diff, I reckon every single penny was worth it....
Just plain and simpl... amazing!




Just wondering about the difference in manifolds though...

Would a badly made manifold and cobbled together exhaust make a car feel much slower as in feeling disappointed with it and also not rev as smoothly as hoped and hesitate or even miss abit at certain points of the rev range?

[Peet]

Started off with the fritz bits manifolds and have tried my mates btb on it and its the same with both, sounds better with the fritz one on.

[Dave_M3]

Fritzbits one is for an M50 though isn't it or have they one for the S50 now too?

Don't suppose you've put a scope on it an checked all the valves etc if it doesn't seem to be anything electrical?

[Peet]

I asked for a s50 one and the pipes are very much the same size as the btb one, but decided to try the btb one just incase. i took tempertaure readings with a infrared thermometer and there was only one or 2 deg c difference between the temps at the pipes and on the port area of the head.

Yeah its been in and all the electronic signals have been tested and run through a scope and nothing was found that could be causing the issues, they also looked into fuel pressure and it was fuel down but i've fixed that with the new pump.

[Jhonno]

Have you tried the lambdas yet?

[Peet]

Yeah new lambas fitted and tried in both pipes and still no change Well least i have a pair of spares now.

[Jhonno]

Jesus.. This is mental. That lump was running like absolute clockwork..!

Did you get any shots of the Fritz manifold before fitting? I have heard of exhaust issues causing running problems before, something to do with pulse tuning

[Peet]

Haha yeah its a tad random int it.

Yeah i have some pics on my PC will post em up later when i get home, not sure if its the manifold though as it ran the same with the btb fitted (borrowed my mates one before he fitted it to his car)

Only thing i've not pulled to bits to check / rebuild is the vanos unit now, does anyone know if it should make a noise like a pressure release valve when the engine is stopped ?? The 3.2 we have just rebuilt doesn't do it but thats a twin unit so could be different.

[Jhonno]

I don't think it should no.. Have you got access to a spare?

[bss325i]

Have you tried a new air mass meter?

Have you checked the cam timing?

[Peet]

Reeto could be something to look at then

No, typical got 3 for the b32 but none for the b30 but will hunt one down and give it a try.

[beardymat]

My S50 b32 seems to have a similar problem peet, its fine most of the time but when its been run for a while starts to idle rough but i have noticed the tickover speed is quite low at around 500rpm and now and again i have hesitance which usually comes when accelerating hard from part throttle.

It does however go like a b@stard and doesnt stop me from enjoying the car but i will have to get to the bottom of these niggles. If i find anything usefull ill let you know.

[Peet]

My S50 b32 seems to have a similar problem peet, its fine most of the time but when its been run for a while starts to idle rough but i have noticed the tickover speed is quite low at around 500rpm and now and again i have hesitance which usually comes when accelerating hard from part throttle.

It does however go like a b@stard and doesnt stop me from enjoying the car but i will have to get to the bottom of these niggles. If i find anything usefull ill let you know.

thanks for that. haha i could live with then hesitation on mine if it went ok but its just not quick at all then the hesitation makes it even slower

i am going to pull the vanos unit off this evening and see if anything is a miss with that

oh and sorry to the OP for hijacking your post

[DanThe]

MAF is the same, what fault codes are showing?

[Peet]

its not coming up with any fault codes and nothing seemed to be showing up as being iffy when it was put on a scope to check all the signals

[DanThe]

Maybe you need to try some better diagnostic equipment?

[Peet]

Tried 3 different garages now and a few different software packages my mates have), its been to a BM independant garage and was plugged into there Snap on tester, a EFI speciallists where it was all scoped out and into BMW main dealers and all there is no fault codes

[Dave_M3]

Thats very odd!

Is it a just hesitation or abit of a miss too and does it happen all the time or only when the engine warms up?

Presume you've tried different ECUs too?
Although if that was wrong, surrey it would come up on the diagnostics anyway.

[Peet]

Its a just a hesitation, it doesn't miss just runs uneven and seems as though its flooding all the time, its only doin 18mpg or so on a run keeping it to 60 ish, its most notacible between 2000 - 3000 rpm.

The issues there all the time doesn't seem to change with temperature

Yeah tried another ecu and another vanos ecu as well

[jonnie]

Could be worth giving Mr Vanos a call to see what he thinks, I'n sure he would have come accross the same problem before if its Vanos related.

[Peet]

Been trying to get hold of them all day but looks like he's away.

[bss325i]

Have you tried a brand new genuine BMW or Bosch MAF?

MAF's can be faulty and throw up no codes.