Bmw E30 estate engine conversion

[Getrag]

Hi Guys ,

Iam new to this forum so please be gental with me

Ive got a E30 estate and an E36 SI engine/gbox etc

1st Question, do the sumps swap over from the engines ?
as the sump bowls are in diffrent postions.

2nd question is has anyone else tried or attempted this conversion, any help would lovely . Ta

[E30BeemerLad]

Hi & welcome

Just to clarify, is the E36 you've got the engine from a 318is?

[Grrrmachine]

Hi!

1) It's not an Estate, it's a Touring. Otherwise you won't get many results in the Search in the future

2) What model E30 is it? There were two different engines in Touring models (M20 and M40)

3) Some components are swappable between E30s and E36s, but not the sumps. And the gearbox again depends on the engine, but usually means swapping the prop and diff as well, due to the output flange and gear ratios. A lot of work for no gain.

[Getrag]

Hi & welcome

Just to clarify, is the E36 you've got the engine from a 318is?

Yes it is

[Getrag]

Hi!

1) It's not an Estate, it's a Touring. Otherwise you won't get many results in the Search in the future

2) What model E30 is it? There were two different engines in Touring models (M20 and M40)

3) Some components are swappable between E30s and E36s, but not the sumps. And the gearbox again depends on the engine, but usually means swapping the prop and diff as well, due to the output flange and gear ratios. A lot of work for no gain.

Hi, The original engine was a very asthmatic 1.6 8v . I was offered the Twincan ( now belive is the IS model ) very cheap so i had to get it.

Thanks for your help guys, il either just cut and tig the sump or move the engine right back in the bulkhead and tweek the cross member to suit.
Iam very capable at mig and tig welding so watch this space lol

as for propshaft diffrences , il just make one out of the two

[Grrrmachine]

Right. If your original E30 engine is a 1.6, it'll be the M40 engine. You can take the sump off that, fit it to your E36 engine, and bolt the lump to your E30. However, you really need to make sure your E36 engine is an M42 (1.8 ) and not an M44 (1.9). If it's the latter engine then you're better off ditching the whole thing.

If you DO have an M42 engine, you'll still need E30-compatible intake and exhaust manifolds for your new engine. You can't take them off your old 8V engine and you can't knock them up with a mig welder. You'll also need the correct loom (you can butcher the E36 one, but it's fiddly.)

On the plus side, the E36 engine should bolt up to your existing M40 gearbox so you won't need to make your own prop.

For more info read this thread (which is a Sticky in the M40/M42 forum):

http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... c&t=159615

[Getrag]

Iam all most certain mine is the M44 ( 1997 ) ......Doh
At least the engine i have is complete with everything inc wiring loom and ecu etc

Iam off to the states very soon but when i get back il have the gas axe out and get started . As they say.....Ive started so il finish ;)

[Grrrmachine]

M44 will physically fit like the M42, but it is an electrical nightmare. You'll have EWS to contend with as well...

[Getrag]

M44 will physically fit like the M42, but it is an electrical nightmare. You'll have EWS to contend with as well...

Yea i think the wiring will be the only big stumbling block, Ive only watched a vids on youtube and spoken to a few friends about it but there does seem to be some ways around it

[Grrrmachine]

If you're committed, the best bet would be to start a thread in the M40/M42 Engine Swap part of this forum, with photos of the engine you have. There'll be people there with the experience to help you.

Good luck with it

[Getrag]

Thanks for your help

[Scruffymurphy]

You can still use the E30 M42 bits on the M44. If you could pick up a damaged E30 M42 you;d be laughing. You can then swap the M42 loom, intake and exhaust manifolds, coil packs, exhaust and the sumps. Use an E30 M42 ecu and get a good chip for it. It will run the M44 nicely. The only issue is the temp sensor. The M42 uses two sensors and the M44 only one. So you'll have to rig up a sensor in the rad or one of the coolant hoses.

[TPS]

I've seen a couple of people here who have put an M44 into an E30, it can be done.

[Grrrmachine]

I'll have to update the Wiki with this. I think I'm confusing M42-M44 with M52-M54...