Ian's m52b28 build

Post Fri May 13, 2011 11:46 pm

Might as well start a thread on the build,

The car;

(its the smaller lighter nicer car on the right)

Just sprayed my alpina rep's with a gray spoke..

So the parts list is;
-m52b28 from an auto 328i with the corrected cylinder bores
-328i gearbox
-modified prop to suit e30 and e36 gearbox
-e34 m50 sump
-e36 328i engine mounts
-e36 rad and pipes and pusher fan to go in front of the rad
(â‚¬900 for all for the above)
-e30 3.15 LSD rebuilt with 40% lock (â‚¬400 from the donedeal guy)
-e36 m3 evo rack 3.2 turns but with less travel lock to lock (â‚¬80)
-Steering rack conversion kit with straight steering shaft (â‚¬170)
-Complete e30 24v modified exhaust (£150)
-M50 intake 325i (£60)

Im a school teacher so Im hoping to have all the parts and some work done on the conversion by summer. Iv bought an engine and few parts from a guy in Ireland. Iv started a conversion on the steering to an e36 m3 evo rack and started to prepare the engine for the e30,

The first of the many possible questions is,

how do i get this auto engine +loom to work in my e30? I hear i need to do something with a start inhibit switch to make the ECU think its in drive?

Post Fri May 13, 2011 11:52 pm

Looks to be good conversion mate nice looking car too

Post Sat May 14, 2011 12:12 am

Send the loom to DanThe and get him to sort you out with a plug & play loom.

Have you got the ECU anc EWS stuff and the chipped key from the original donor car?

Post Sat May 14, 2011 12:23 am

Iv already got an e36 engine in my car so i wont need to do that end of things. I will be getting the auto ecu and ews+keys sometime, just depends on how many more people piss me about with sending parts.

Im looking for a way to get around the start inhibit mode, surely its just a wire i need to earth or something? Id much prefer to leave the current loom on.

Post Sat May 14, 2011 12:33 am

If you're not keeping the auto box then you are best getting that loom sorted as there's so much unnecessary crap with the auto loom integrated on the standard setup.

Mine was from an auto and I just sent my loom to dan and got back one stripped back with the E30 plug on the end and long enough so you can mount the ECU in the standard location under the dash. I have no idea about the inhibitor situation.

If you are M50 already, your loom won't be any good to use on the M52

Post Sat May 14, 2011 12:52 am

I do have access to a manual loom over here so if i dont hear of a way around this inhibitor issue il buy this loom and change it over. I always want to take my poor mechanic skills out of the equation as much as possible so thats why id like to keep the factory installed one on

Post Sat May 14, 2011 7:37 am

No inhibit switch on the loom, just cut the auto parts out of the loom and its the same as a manual

Post Sat May 14, 2011 10:32 am

Cool! So I won't have problems with starting the engine? I can even cut the auto box control off? I was hoping I'd get an easy fix on this. Thanks!

Post Thu May 19, 2011 7:43 pm

just a quick subscribe as im about to start mmy own conversion

Post Tue Jun 28, 2011 11:06 am

Another quick question, gear linkages...

Im using a manual 328i box in my conversion but i only have the rod connector and not this part..

I have this in e30 325i form but in using this i had to use the e30 connecting rod also as the e30 one is shorter. It all fits fine but im wondering now that i have lost an inch or 2 will it not fit in my e30?

Is it possible to use e30 325i linkages on the m52 manual box?

Post Mon Jul 04, 2011 3:29 pm

I guess nobody knows?

Post Mon Jul 04, 2011 4:06 pm

i have the same setup using m52 box etc but when it came to doing the linkage i managed to mix up the two carriers and now don't know for sure which one i have on.

IIRC the e36 carrier is offset on the rear mount and seem to remember i tried both carriers and wasn't impressed with the fit of either of them. might be a bit of trial and error mate.

an e36 carrier will not be hard to source from a scrappy.

Post Mon Jul 04, 2011 4:21 pm

I had the 2 carriers side by side and the E30 one is definitely shorter, so I fitted this to my E36 'box and it fits the car fine.

Post Mon Jul 04, 2011 5:48 pm

had a look at mine and it's probably the e30 carrier fitted. it's forward of centre of the hole.

Post Tue Jul 12, 2011 5:42 pm

Iv just test fitted the engine today and the e30 linkages including carrier work fine but it could do with being about 2cm longer or towards the rear. It does select all gear without major problems.

The steering is now the issue, the e30 upper uj is hitting the rear exhaust using my e36 rack. I'll try an e30 one tomorrow OR maybe source a straight shaft from someone?

Post Wed Jul 27, 2011 10:50 pm

So iv got it in and cranking but no spark or fuel. The EWS relay clicks when i turn the key to position 1 and introduce the antenna when turning to P.2. and Iv checked all the EWS wiring and its 100% sound. Its an auto engine + loom but im using a manual box and EWS/key kit.

The fuel pump doesnt prime, did before the conversion (e36 318is was in and running before)

The crank sensor was not reading any resistance so i checked the actual wires,...

Iv since replaced this with another that gave a steady 725 resistance. Its installed and has a gap to the pulley of around 2mm (same as before).

Im thinking Iv missed something stupid, a little plug somewhere.

This spare plug is on the AFM loom...

This spare plug is next to the main and fuel relay....

Spare ECU type plug beside the main ECU plug... im guessing ABS?

Random pics...

Any advice is welcome lads

Post Wed Jul 27, 2011 11:02 pm

Looks like the loom is pretty much complete with all the auto box wiring and plugs, sounds like a wiring fault of some sort.

Post Wed Jul 27, 2011 11:10 pm

So if its not EWS then what could it be?

The EWS only clicks when I do the trick that you have described before in this section, introducing the key to the antenna after i turn the key to position 1.

Post Wed Jul 27, 2011 11:57 pm

When the module clicks it only means the key is matched to the module, it does not mean the key/module are matched to the ECU, or that the ECU is receiving the 'start' signal from the EWS

Post Tue Aug 02, 2011 11:45 pm

Ok so she still aint running so i have a few questions for those people in the know.....

1st question;
Why do i only have 2 relays when I see 3 everywhere else?
I have the main relay and fuel relay but no sign of the ignition relay

normal... (the 3 in the middle)

mine...

2nd question;
Why does my main relay not click on a key turn? (the relay works)

3rd question;
Why did my ECU case spark when it touched a negative??

I made a log of the tests i did today which is not very interesting reading but it might make sense to someone looking to troubleshoot the above...

Relays testing

Main relay socket
A. Ignition key p.2 (ews relay has clicked)

85, no earth continuity
87 red/white 12v
86 red 12v
30 red 12V

Main relay socket
B. Ignition key off

85, no earth continuity
87 red/white 12v
86 red 12v
30 red 12V

Fuel pump socket
A. Ignition key p.2 (ews relay has clicked)

85 brown/green GETS 12V?
87 green/violet 0 volts, but get earth continuity (gets nothing with fuse 11 (pump) out)
86 red/white 12v
30 red 12v

jumping 87(green/violet) + 85(brown/green) will make the pump run

Post Fri Aug 05, 2011 1:42 pm

did you get this going mister?

Post Fri Aug 05, 2011 7:38 pm

You only need two relays.
If the ECU is sparking against the body you probably have a negative cable connected to live.

Post Mon Aug 08, 2011 9:33 am

Thats exactly right, the negative that supplies the ecu (large black wire with 2 thick brown/ orange wires inside) was connected to the fuse box.

. But it did fire up once I changed it!!

The only thing is the ews seems to only work once in every 10 ish attempts. It won't click everytime so I just mess around with taking off the battery cable, switching the key and introducing the key to the antenna.

The other thing that happened that night, still high on getting it running, the clutch slave spilled it's guts into the gearbox so I took out the entire engine

. Back to square 1! There was a small piece in the gearbox that I didn't realise was broken. It's a cone shaped bit on the opposite end of the realease fork from the slave. It should be 20mm high but mine is reduced to about 10mm. This means the slave travels to far and pushes the rod out.

327ire, learning the hard way since 2007.

Post Mon Aug 08, 2011 9:52 am

It sounds like you have the key taped to the ring? You cant do this with all ECU's some dont like it, it could also be the way you have wired the EWS. You have to remove the chip when you turn off and then replace it when you want to start as if you were using it in a normal way

Post Sat Jan 28, 2012 11:22 pm

So iv sorted most of the problems! Good news finally. I drove it, just up and down the lane but at least i know it moves. I cut and welded the gear stick to make the lower part longer (short shift). Im using an e36 328i box with e30 325i levers. Reverse is not engaging properly but its much better with my bodged lever. I guess I just need a standard 328i setup.

The EWS issues were down to the position of the chip on the key. I put it in the middle of the key which was not close enough to the ring. It didnt like being taped on either so it a careful balance to get it right.

I was a bit worried about the clutch at first as the engine was revving up without extra movement but it turned out to be wheel traction . Just to make sure I tried a 2 second burn out and the clutch held well.

I ordered a load of final parts from BMW today so there will be less tape and cable ties holding things together soon. The engine hunts a fair bit after revving hard. The idle system is another one of my bodge jobs so the random hoses and clips will be replaced with new and proper stuff.

Its fairly smokey as you'l see in the video. There is a difference in pressure in either side of the exhaust. The larger back box flows easier than the smaller one. I know this will affect performance but I just want it on the road ASAP. Il probably go with a standard 328i box in the future. I have another rear valance cover so it will have a regular single exhaust cut out.

A new video...
[youtube][/youtube]

I saw an engine suspension kit on eBay recently for around 100£ so that gave me an idea. I have a couple of shocks left over from my old 4 pot 316i so I put one to use. I used a hole in the battery tray and bolted it to the top of the rocker cover. It's not perpendicular but it might help with the tight space around the exhaust manifold.

There are better points to mount the shock but it would mean cutting and welding to the body / exhaust Manifold. Maybe the next time I have the engine out I could do a proper job.

Any idea on why the starter is still making noise even after getting refurbished with new bushings?

Post Thu Feb 16, 2012 12:18 am

Iv got it on the road but im not convinced its putting out all the power. Its feels a bit more like a modified 325i. The low down torque is not great. Iv just got a remapped ECU tuned to the m50 manifold but I havent noticed a difference so there must be something up with my setup. Il make a list of issues;

1. Gurgling noise from intake area
2. Black watery liquid in exhaust
3. Lightly creamed oil filler cap
4. Poor torque
5. Refused to turn on after driving once (had to crank for ages @WOT with gradual turn on)

heres a quick vid...

[youtube][/youtube]

Post Fri Feb 17, 2012 10:15 pm

Fixed! It was a vacuum leak at the servo pipe. Im insured and taxed and MOT'd so I can actually drive it now.... wheel spin @60mph in 3rd gear! That has to be over 200hp! (may get theses toyo proxies on)