m52 help needed

Post Wed Sep 28, 2011 8:11 am

ok im just about to buy a 97 328i complete car

so what else is needed to do the conversion into the e30 ?

i see u need a different sump oil pick up, dipstick,

but what else is needed ? i have an 2.5 in there at the moment out of a c reg car ...

cheers dom

Post Wed Sep 28, 2011 10:26 am

I started with the same base as you there, depending how you're doing the conversion it varies what you need. What gearbox are you using is the main one really? I used the m42 from an e30 is as this is one of the easiest options.

Here's a few threads to read over

http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... c&t=177634

http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... c&t=184072

On my topic I wrote a big list off things to get, a few bits are missing as I had them already such a 320i linkage.. to be honest that's all I can remember not having to buy.

http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... 35&start=0

Have a good read through all them and any topics and see if you've any more questions

Post Wed Sep 28, 2011 9:01 pm

ok cheers and also wunder about this ews ? whats this about ?

also what gearbox fits ? like the 325 m20 ? does that fit ?

what do i get the linkage from ? e30/36 ?

cheers dom

Post Wed Sep 28, 2011 9:41 pm

popular choice seems to be e30 318is gear box with e30 320i linkage, 325i prop,

you can use 325i gear box but will need to follow a different route with prop and gear linkage

the m52 gear box can be used aswell but you will need low ratio lsd (m3 iirc)

many ways to do it, have a read of the links given above and it will become abit clearer

Post Thu Sep 29, 2011 12:44 am

The EWS is BMW's immobiliser basically, it cuts off the fuel from what I noticed.
There's a ring around the ignition that goes to a small box under the dashboard drivers side and a slightly larger box that has a yellow slidey plug under the passenger side that also needs to be removed to work into the ECU wiring.
The EWS is unique to each ECU and unit and key so they need to be from the same vehicle.

I sent the wiring off to Danthe with my loom and it came back all spick and span plug in and play

It can be deleted from the loom altogether though but I'm not sure how to go about that.

You can use the m20 box but it's a pig to fit apparently.. there was some details on the 10 steps to a m52 e30 thread in my previous post, i'm pretty sure that's what they used and had to mod the gearbox bracket.

Post Thu Sep 29, 2011 11:05 pm

ews cuts fuel and spark to the injectors, ive heard of ews delete ect but after speaking to lee i wouldnt touch it as it could cause running issues from what he told me!

yeah m20 box needs the linkage heating up and bent and also the gearbox brace making up to suit, this is due to the m20 unit sitting 10 degrees out when mated to a 24v lump!!

it can be done but by using an m40 or 42 box it bolts straight up with no drama's and also makes dif ratio choice easier to find and prob cheaper aswel. i went for the m42 (318iS) box, purely cos its the stronger unit..... put it this way ive given mine hell and she's allllll good!

Post Fri Sep 30, 2011 6:27 pm

I used the m20 box. No complications in terms of prop as it uses the m20.

As said though you are going to have to do some fab on the gearbox cross member and heat and twist the selector, not hard though

Post Fri Sep 30, 2011 7:31 pm

e30-dk wrote: ive heard of ews delete ect but after speaking to lee i wouldnt touch it as it could cause running issues from what he told me!

What issues? There are different ways to do it, the only proper way is to modify the software on the ECU, there are piggyback emulators out there which make the ecu think the ews is still there, these could go wrong, if the ecu is not looking for the ews signal then there is no problem

Post Sun Oct 02, 2011 5:58 pm

ok right im not going to get the 328 but i do have a 323 engine box prop diff and ecu so from there whats needed ?

do i need to find a ecu ews complete system ? 525 sump and oil pickup/dipstick ? and what e model is it ?

also is the 323 worth swapping ?

Post Sun Oct 02, 2011 6:26 pm

dombrett1 wrote: also is the 323 worth swapping ?

not really.

Post Sun Oct 02, 2011 7:00 pm

The fact that its an M52 is the best part, I would rather an M52 2.5 than an M50 2.5.
The 323/328 loom is interchangeable so if you do upgrade to a 2.8 later you can just swap the loom over, you will obviously need the 2.8 ECU and matching EWS parts if you change engines later on.

Post Sun Oct 02, 2011 7:46 pm

I'm. Not sure on the year but it's a 2.3 with a larger manifold
So I have the ecu but not the ews
Well I might just sell the block and get a 2.8then