bmw e30 engine change

yokhead

i was just wondering - i have bought a 318is and have the engine and interior of a 325is, e30 model.
when i change engine do i need to inform nct or just put it through on original tax book

also has anyone ever done this and is it sheer madness

Seth Brundle

Is the 318is an E30 also?
Not sure on gearbox differences either
It should be easy enough to swap over. You will need ECU, etc. also.

Gary ITR

I'm all for engine swaps but I wouldn't build something I could buy. But that's between you and your own wallet.

You will need to inform the Dept. of Transport and you will be issued with a new Log Book. Obviously yours is the old pink type?

B00MSTICK

My friend has a 320 E30 (engine died) so he's put a 325 E30 engine into it.

No idea how big the differance between a 318 and 320 is though!

high horse

You should find plenty of expertise on engine swaps on http://www.e30owners.com

I don't see why you would need the interior of the 325 sport as the only difference is the pattern on the cloth

Seth Brundle

B00MSTICK wrote: »

My friend has a 320 E30 (engine died) so he's put a 325 E30 engine into it.

The 320i had rear drums which I'd rather not have with 170bhp pushing the car!

B00MSTICK wrote: »

No idea how big the differance between a 318 and 320 is though!

The 318is is quite different from the 318i - different engine, gearbox, diff, rear disks, etc.

Healyc

kbannon wrote: »

The 318is is quite different from the 318i - different engine, gearbox, diff, rear disks, etc.

Yup, sure they call the E30 318is a baby M3 as it shares a similar engine set up :eek:

A lot of BMW heads prefer the E30 318is over the E30 325i sport

Seth Brundle

the 318is has less power (136bhp) but is lighter than its 2.5L big brother.
http://www.esatclear.ie/~bpurcell/

kbannon

kbannon wrote: »

The 320i had rear drums which I'd rather not have with 170bhp pushing the car!

The majority of stopping power comes from the front brakes (typically 70% I reckon), a good well maintained rear drum system is more than adequate. Perhaps on track days etc the rear discs would be preferred (the drums would fade quicker) but in everyday use I wouldn't imagine the difference to be of any effect.

Kirzzy_Boy

The 318is has the M10 (18 4S 1) engine. 4 Cylinders.
The 325 has the M20 (25 6E 1/2) engine. 6 Cylinders.

To convert, you need to consider the fact that the engine management system is different. Engine cooling and on the sports model, oil cooling systems are different. The front suspension is stronger (harder) on the 2.5 and rear brake systems are different. In some contries, a 325is limited edition was available with aluminium front pannels and heavier rear panels with M style suspension. This was the cross-over model from the E30 M3 to the E36 M3.

If you have the time and money, you could consider the 333. Only made in South Africa (210 in total). It had the M30 (B32) 197PS engine found in the E23 733i. It came with ventilated discs front and rear (Alpina) and Bilstein suspension.
To do this, you need the 325 as the base.

Unless you're an enthusiast with loads of money and loads of mechanical experience, don't try to re-build your car!
Buy what u need or wan't......

Seth Brundle

Kirzzy_Boy wrote: »

The 318is has the M10 (18 4S 1) engine. 4 Cylinders.
The 325 has the M20 (25 6E 1/2) engine. 6 Cylinders.

The early 318i (up to 87) had the M10 engine but later ones used the M40.
The 318is used the M42 engine!

Kirzzy_Boy

Sorry about typo!!
316is M42 B18 4 S1

Seth Brundle

316is?

Kirzzy_Boy

kbannon wrote: »

316is?

lol too early...... sorry!

Henry Ford III

RoverJames wrote: »

The majority of stopping power comes from the front brakes (typically 70% I reckon), a good well maintained rear drum system is more than adequate. Perhaps on track days etc the rear discs would be preferred (the drums would fade quicker) but in everyday use I wouldn't imagine the difference to be of any effect.

If a car had rear discs fitted as standard, it's safe to assume that they are needed.

If they weren't the cheaper drums would have been used.

kdevitt

Its a straightforward swap to put most BMW engines in an E30 - don't mind what anyone is saying about engine management, brakes, suspension - everything is generally interchangable from one E30 to another. How deep your pockets are is obviously an issue too though.

You'll obviously need to change springs at the very least to accomodate the heavier engine. The new engine should have the ecu you need, if not it'll be cheap, and swapping a rear drum setup to discs is cheap and easy.

www.e30zone.co.uk is a good resource worth checking out - they have a huge thread detailing almost everything you need to know about the swap.

Henry Ford III

Henry Ford III wrote: »

If a car had rear discs fitted as standard, it's safe to assume that they are needed.

If they weren't the cheaper drums would have been used.

That is completely and utterly an incorrect assumption to make, rear discs would be added (and reflected in the price) on many models as a keeping up with the competition effort. As I have said the fronts do about 70% of the stopping, the difference between rear discs and rear drums will not be noticed in everyday driving, only on a track would the quicker fade from drums over discs be noticeable.

In some model ranges the base model has drums, the luxury model (of same engine and power) has discs. Your assumption would suggest the luxury model requires discs on the back

Check e30owners.com and e30zone.co.uk

I'm a member of both and they have alot of info on swaps. e30owners has a lad called Dave-Msport who will be able to answer any question you throw at him.

As far as the swap goes, it's a fairly easy swap I think. As I say, you should check those sites before you do anything.


And let me know if you're breaking that 318is engine! got one myself.

bucks

As mentioned already check out http://www.e30owners.com

One of the members "dicko" has completed a lot of transplants and should be able to answer any questions you have.