M10 Carb to M42 conversion.

[E30-830]

I'm looking at buying a 318is so i can take the tired m10 out of mine and put the m42 in. I'm getting a complete car but it has very bad rust issues. Would there b any issues in doing the conversion?? Any advice of wat to do to the m42 while i have it out?? Or anything i can do with the preformance?? Wat is the standard BHP of the 1.8 m42 anyway???

Thanks for any help.

[DanThe]

You will need to swap the tank over, front and rear suspension should be changed also, there will be a couple of wiring issues but nothing too difficult

[robbo86]

136 BHP I think. DO IT. I love mine (except for the rough idle it suddenly developed)

[mt1104]

You'll need the engine, gearbox, prop, front struts / springs / dampers / callipers / vented discs, front anti roll bar, rear anti roll bar, rear trailing arms (if you want rear discs) / rear springs / rear dampers, fuel tank due to needing high pressure pump for the injection, engine loom, engine ECU.

Luckily though, if you have a complete, albeit rusty, car - you should have everything above so it'll just be a question of unbolting stuff from one car and bolting it to the other. I would suggest getting new bushes for whatever your taking off just as a preventative measure.

If the donor car is very rusty, the rot may have crept to the fuel tank though.

[E30-830]

Bad news The cars chassis number checks out as a 1990 318is but there is an m40 in it which i beleive is a 115bhp sohc. Someone must have changed the engine sometime in its life. Can i just change the head to a m42 one as the 2 are related?? Or did some 318is's come with the m40??

Need help, Thanks.

[odbod]

erm, unfortunately not, the M42 has a chain drive for the camshaft so it's time to find another engine, have you bought the car already? You'll probably need to find an engine, ECU and Loom, pther things are likely to be OK, unless the other IS bits have also been pillaged already, that's a real arse for you..

[E30-830]

erm, unfortunately not, the M42 has a chain drive for the camshaft so it's time to find another engine, have you bought the car already? You'll probably need to find an engine, ECU and Loom, pther things are likely to be OK, unless the other IS bits have also been pillaged already, that's a real arse for you..

I know i'm really disappionted. No i haven't bought it yet. I thought the m42 was belt driven for the timing?? Would the M40 ECU work with the M42?? Probably not.

[robbo86]

M42 is chain driven. Whoever put an m40 in an IS needs to be shot. M40 ecu will not work with m42 as the ECU plug is a different size.