Just did S52 cam swap

[frantic]

Hey Guys,

I just swapped a pair of S52 cams into my m52B28, I spent 2 days on and off taking my time doing the swap. Install has gone well, no weird noises or issues.

Just wondering what I should expect at first (I'm still on my same ECU nothing has changed "tune" wise)

All i have noticed thus far is I have lost throttle response and in the higher RPM the engine induction sound is considerably louder but it feels bogged down. I have driven it maybe 30 - 40km so far though and it seems to have gotten slightly better.

Will the ECU be able to adapt better to these cams over time, or am I in need of getting the ECU tuned ASAP? I still need to get a new exhaust system from the headers to the rear which I'm doing in the next month then will get it tuned but in the mean time?

I just pulled the cover off again this morning and triple checked the cam timing is correct just incase, crank at TDC the cam alignment blocks slip on perfectly, ignore the gunky engine

[rich318i]

4200ish RPM you should feel the cams kick in and fell it pulling more.

Ive been using the M52b28 ECU with no problems but a remap is best

[DanThe]

Sounds like something is wrong, losing throttle response and bogging down is not the norm, remap wont make much difference as they are not a massive change from standard spec

[rich318i]

did you do the VANOS reinstall right? did you use the VANOS tool ?

[frantic]

Yeah I had all the tools and was done properly. Spent 2 days doing it taking my time and using a good youtube tutorial on the removal and installation of the cams and vanos.

It seems to have gotten better the more I am driving it. Cold idle is abit rough though. I think my main issue is I'm still using the stock 320i twin pipe exhaust system on my touring with a cat in the middle which is probably blocked going by what I've read on other forums.

Is there much point getting a spare M52 DME with A M50 manifold + S52 cams tune or is M52B28 DME sufficient enough then?

[e30rapidic]

are you certain they are S52 cams?

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh ... M52-vs-S52

[rich318i]

im 100% sure they are S52 just by the marking's on the cam

[jimbom30cab]

Did you ever get this sorted?

[Hopchop]

I was told when I bought my e30 with m52 fitted that it had m3 cams, I definitely felt that extra pull at around 4500 rpm but after a while something changed and the car isn't running right now!! Changed mac sensor but still not right, its really annoying me!

[rich318i]

have you had it on a fault code reader?

Faulty crank or cam sensor

[e30rapidic]

vanos seals?

[rich318i]

start with the easy bits first check codes and delete them and if they come back go from there

[Hopchop]

crank sensor coming up as a fault, but car still running, strange

[Motorhole]

crank sensor coming up as a fault, but car still running, strange

Won't necessarily stop the car running - I know this from experience.

Remove crank sensor, then pull back rubber boot on the sensor to expose the wires and check the insulation. Insulation is prone to breaking up due to vibration and heat cycles, causing wires to touch - and intermittent errors/sh*te signal. The cam sensors do it too (seen it in more than one instance now) so check that while you're at it

[Hopchop]

crank sensor coming up as a fault, but car still running, strange

Won't necessarily stop the car running - I know this from experience.

Remove crank sensor, then pull back rubber boot on the sensor to expose the wires and check the insulation. Insulation is prone to breaking up due to vibration and heat cycles, causing wires to touch - and intermittent errors/sh*te signal. The cam sensors do it too (seen it in more than one instance now) so check that while you're at it

Cheers I'll try that!

[rich318i]

any news???

[frantic]

Forgot about this, after a couple weeks and a couple hundred kms the car came to life, I was probably just abit impatient and needed to drive a fair bit for the DME to adapt.

Have a new DME on the way with a tune suited to M50 manifold and S52 cams. Should be a blast.