M30B32

[EventuallyAyrton]

I have the 3.2 and was wondering what I would have to do to get about 250 bhp out of my engine. I know duke got about 250 whp out of his m30 but I want a streetable, daily driver with about 250 bhp. What would I have to do to get that without any forced induction?

[Kyle in NO]

How many different M30B32 threads do you need? Jesus.

Update one of the existing ones.

[Mike W.]

Ponder this, with 3453CCs, BMW only got 256HP out of the M5. With a 4 valve head, 6 butterflies and headers. You want the same out of a 2 valve 3216? Do the math.

[travisj]

.

[Amos830]

Turbo is the only financially viable option.

Getting that from an NA b32 would be VERY difficult.

Read ALL of this

High power M30

The best way I have found to get a lot of NORMALLY ASPIRATED power out of an M30 is to do the following.

There are many places and wishes from where one can start. People may have Alpina or Hartge motors to start with, or want to keep as much of the original head/block as possible to have a 'numbers matching' car.

The pathway to a high-power M30 depends on the end-goal. The 3.5 liter racing motors in the 70s produced nearly 400 bhp, but are anything but streetable. Whereas the last incarnation of the production M30 had 208 bhp (US) and was a very smooth operator in the 3600 lb E32s.

For the purposes of this article, we will divide the ‘horsepower goals’ into 4 divisions: 210-240, 240-260, 260-280, and 280+. 210-240 bhp is a reasonably easily achievable goal without a large outlay of cash.

A few options include the following:

Options for 210-240 bhp range:

Start with a euro B34 high compression motor or a B35 motor. Modifications include: Headers and full dual 2” exhaust, B35 intake manifold with port matching, larger throttle body, 19 lb-hr injectors, updated chip. Reasonable estimate of power is 230-240 bhp. Hartge and Alpina were able to get this type of power using Motronic and L-jet in the 80s, keeping the stock displacement. Other options include a MAF. Similar figures can be obtained from a M30 B35, albeit probably not quite as high due to lower compression ratio. 230 bhp is a reasonable estimate in terms of bolt-on modifications for a B34 HC or B35 motor. The best that a B34 low-compression motor can do with simply bolt-on modifications (chip, exhaust, intake, injectors) is perhaps about 200-210 bhp. The problem is that upgrading the cam will not benefit you due to the low compression.
Typical costs (estimated total: under $2000):
Header: $500 + additional fitment work downstream
B35 intake manifold: $200
Chip: $200 (new)
Injectors: $250 (new)
MAF: $600-1000 (new, est.)

Options for 240-260 bhp:

This range of power effectively requires head work, and preferably a bump in compression ratio. Ideally the compression ratio would be 9.5:1 or higher (the euro B34 already has 10:1, but the B35 has 9.0:1). Running a stock chip on either the Motronic 1.0 from the euro B34 or the Motronic 1.3 (recommending the 179 ECU) is probably reasonable if your compression ratio bump on the B35 is only to 9.5:1. Headwork ought to include the standard larger intake values (47mm) and preferably the exhaust valves (to 38mm). A camshaft is a must, preferably 284 degree Shrick or equivalent. Replacement of valvetrain components is always recommended. Porting and polishing the head is also recommended. At this point the B35 intake is recommended, although Alpina claimed 254 bhp using the holder style intake. Headers are a must, as are dual 2” exhaust all the way. MAF conversion is a good option, as are big-bore throttle body. Note, both Alpina and Hartge used >10:1 compression to get over 250 bhp. And Alpina used Motronic 1.1/1.3 on its later motors with 254-260 bhp.
Typical costs (estimated total: $5000-$7000):
Header: $500 + additional fitment work downstream
B35 intake manifold: $200
Chip: $200 (new)
Injectors: $250 (new)
MAF: $600-1000 (new, est.)
Camshaft: $400 (custom grind)
Head work: $2000-3000 (see Top End Performance website)
Pistons: $1000 (see JE Custom pistons)
Wiring harness and ECU: $400 (used, estimated)
Throttle body: $200 (service, based on Big Coupe Group list)

Options for 260-280 bhp:

On top of what was said above, now’s the time to consider a full B35 intake, 47/39mm valves, increased displacement, dual 2.25” exhaust and headers, big bore throttle bodies, 24 lb-hr injectors, and FI system updates/modifications that can include going to a newer Motronic, custom chips, MAFs, or other options. Over 10:1 compression is a must in these cases. Reworked combustion chamber shapes, a la Alpina, can also be considered in this case.
Typical costs (estimated total: $7500-$10,000+):
Header: $500 + additional fitment work downstream (more than $1000)
B35 intake manifold: $200
Chip: $200 (new)
Injectors: $250 (new)
MAF: $600-1000 (new, est.)
Camshaft: $400 (custom grind)
Head work: $3000-4000 (see Top End Performance website)
Pistons: $1000 (see JE Custom pistons)
Wiring harness and ECU: $400 (used, estimated)
Throttle body: $200 (service, based on Big Coupe Group list)
Tuning services: varies

Suggestions for 280 bhp+:

On top of the above: increased displacement and mild stroking, reworked combustion chambers, individual throttle bodies. At this point, 10.5:1 compression is probably required, as well as custom-tuned FI system. MAFs are highly recommended.
Typical costs (estimated total: $10,000+):
Boring motor: $400-600 (estimated)
ITBs: $600 for adapters, $500 per pair of ITBs, estimated $600-800 in additional components (fuel rail, plenum, etc)

‘Clean sheet’ option:

However, for the purposes of this whitepaper, we will assume to start off with an M30 B35 motor, and build a streetable, reliable, but high horsepower M30. Let’s take for example the E34 535i, or a late E24 635CSi. Concentrating on the block, there is not much you can do with stroking, but there is a lot you can do to bore the motor. There is the option of using a 3.8 S38B38 crank, or machining your own custom crank to stroke a motor. However, an M30 already develops boatloads of torque, so the better option in this case is to bore it to increase displacement and thereby concentrate on making more horsepower rather than torque. The options to boring are basically anything between 92 and 94.5mm (S38 B38 specs). It is known that the S38 B38 had some cylinder wall thickness issues, so maxing out at around 94mm bore is probably preferable. Of course you can use 93.4mm and keep a stock BMW dimension (e.g. S38 B36 specs). Therefore, Custom JE forged pistons that raise the compression to at least 10:1 and have a 94 mm bore. Raising compression is going to be a function of fuel use and head work. If you're using a B35 head and premium fuel, you can probably safely raise compression to around 10.5:1 (Alpina had these ratios in the mid-80s, but with a highly reworked combustion chamber.). If fuel quality is a question, or you don't want to be too aggressive, then 10.2:1 to 10.4:1 is a very reasonable compression ratio for these motors, especially if you are using a piano-top style piston profile as opposed to the heavily reworked Alpina style cylinder heads and pistons. However, the stock Motronic 1.3 will ping if you bump the compression by 1.5 points, therefore you will need to retard the timing that BMW built into the 1.3 with 9:1 compression.

Recommended Top End Performance can get JE Custom piston with Total Seal Rings which are far better than BMW's rings with just about any shape and compression ratio you want. They have blueprints and records and can do anything you want. Now, radius the con rods as that will increase strength. Of course I suggest using new con rods bushings and bearings. Custom, strengthened, and lightened con rods are available from Top End, should you go this route. Use the stock 86 mm stroke crank, but have it cross drilled and rifle bored, if you can. This will increase low end oil pressure and also the life of your rod end bearings which is a good thing because you will be making a lot of power. Now, you start to assemble the bottom end. Pistons, rods, crank. Then you get to the oil pump. You need to use an E28 oil pump because without it, you will not be able to bolt on the E28 oil pan which is necessary to clear the subframe in an E28 or E24 (that is if you're starting with a E34 or E32 engine). Now you have the bottom end built. I suggest using a lightened flywheel also from Top End Performance. 15lbs is light enough and an M5 clutch should do you. There have been people who’ve gone for 12 lb or lighter flywheels with success, albeit these are non-AC equipped cars. The later Motronics can probably handle the idle better too if you go for that light a flywheel.

Now that you have the bottom end together, it is time to work on the top end. Let me just say, that with the bore increase you will have a 3.58L motor. Also please don't forget it is important to use the E28 motor mounting arms so you can bolt the block to the subframe. I also suggest using 2 of the left side motor mounts from an M5 as they are stronger than the stock units (or the M535i mounts as those should be the same). Be sure you do not ‘He-Man’ torque them, as this will shear the rubber mounts. Speaking of torque specs, it is vitally important that one follows them! Do not under any circumstances over or under torque critical fasteners such as on a motor. Always follow the BMW torque specs.

As for the head, use a stock B35 head to start. It’s now time to invest in machine shop experience, and begin by skimming it to make sure it is flat. Port and polish it, and also do a three angle valve job – most engine builders who specialize in older BMWs and race motors can effectively do this service. Depending on what cam you are running you might want larger valves but I think that the 47 mm intake and 38 mm exhaust are just fine (although 47mm / 39mm will do you well too). Top End Performance again has loads of experience here and can make custom stainless steel valves for you. Anything larger than 47 / 39 will require custom valve seats and more headwork to get them to fit correctly. New guides, seats, etc. are a must. Then radius the (new) rockers which will give them added strength for the extra duration and lift of the cam. Now I suggest using Metric Mechanic progressive rate valve springs (Edit: the dual valve springs from MM are no longer available, and thus we'd recommend going with dual valves springs that Top End sources) and also their head oiling upgrade kit (which is a crimped oil sprayer bar to improve oiling a the cam). You can use titanium retainers if you like, depending on the RPM you’re expecting out of the motor this might be more or less beneficial. You can use pretty much any cam you want, but I suggest not going below a 280. Using a Shrick cam design (284 or 292) on a custom grind is preferable. Top End can provide these, as well as almost any other good engine shop with experience in BMW motors. An adjustable cam gear will let you advance and retard your cam for better performance or better economy. This might be particularly useful in final tuning.

For the head gasket, I believe you can use the early big six, with the 93.4mm bore gasket, but I would suggest getting a custom one with a solid metal ring in it so that you have less chance of blowing the gasket. These are again available at almost any good custom engine builder shop specializing in BMWs (e.g. Top End). MLS gaskets have also been recommended, but have a strict requirement for surface finish RA. Cometic have a good product that works well with older motors, particularly M30s.

On to the intake and exhaust... For the intake I would suggest starting with the E34 M30 B35 intake, and then port match it to the head. Extrude-hone will cost a pretty penny, but will give you the maximum flow possible out of the stock casting. As for the exhaust, custom headers are in order that have 1 1/2" ID primaries that go into dual 2" collectors at minimum. Custom track pipe to mate up with the collectors and I'd recommend an E28 M5 exhaust if possible. These exhaust dimensions are basically the minimum you can run...although it'd be preferable to run something slightly larger. A good tuning book (e.g., A. Graham Bell's "Four Stroke") should offer some insight into a custom exhooassed. You should also be able to use the E24 M30 b35 intake bracket to support the intake to the block.

There are two options for a individual throttle body system. The first is to attempt to retrofit the M5 intake system. This requires at a minimum fabricating adapters from the head to the M5 intake runners. It also requires investigating the choice of fuel rail, as the M88 or S38 rail and FPR will not clear the t-stat housing on the M30. Similarly, the TPS switch will have to clear the t-stat housing. To do this the adapters have to be angled so as to point the intake runners above/below the t-stat housing and rad hose. The other option is to get the Weber DCOE adapter brackets from Redline Weber (Redline Weber part # 99004 094). The castings aren’t that great, so porting and polishing them is a must. However, 40mm or 45mm Weber fuel injection ITBs can then be bolted onto these. Again, one of the flanges near the t-stat housing has to be shaved a bit to clear, and I have not verified if the TPS switch will clear the t-stat housing and rad hose, but this looks to be more a ‘bolt-in’ solution. Additionally you’ll need a custom intake plenum. http://www.jameng.com and http://www.twminduction.com are both good sources for the ITB components, as well as Top End Performance can order anything from Redline Weber.

Fuel system and engine management: Use either custom engine management (Megasquirt, etc.) or Motronic 1.3 out of the late '88 and '89 E24, along with the engine harness. Update the ECU to #179 (#150 is Motronic 1.1). This is because the Motronic unit will then mount in the same place as the one currently in the car, and Motronic 1.3 is adaptive enough to run this motor well. It is necessary to retard the timing a bit as the 1.3 was set by BMW with 9:1 compression, although this seems to be an issue (pinging that is) at lower rpm, high load conditions, for engines with ~9.8:1 compression or higher. I would then suggest a dyno day and a custom burnt chip. As for fuel system, I suggest running Mustang 24 lbs/hr injectors at minimum at 3.0 bar, but depending on your fuel requirements you may need to up that to 27 or 30 lb/hr. The Bosch Motronic 1.3 in limp-home (open loop) mode with the 179 ECU and 24 lb-hr injectors runs my (Chris’s) engine around 11.8-13.0:1 AFR, or very rich. Idle is right around 14-14.5:1, and off-idle there is no hesitation. And the 3000 - 3500 rpm range is butter smooth. Cam seems to ‘come on’ around 3700 rpm, although after 100 miles of break in I’ve not yet gotten past 4000 rpm, nor gotten past ½ throttle.

I would also suggest using a big bore throttle body because you will need as much air as possible. On this note, a Mass Air Flow Sensor conversion is in order as it will give the engine management more precise readings and also will be less of a restriction, in theory. There are and have been a number of options for MAF conversions for Motronic systems. However, it is important to note that a MAF will not in and of itself improve outright power, given similar flow conditions at wide open throttle vs an AFM. That isn't to say a well operating AFM isn't good as is - one has to remember that BMW used a AFM on the euro M5/M6 to great effect to get 286bhp. The E34 M5 3.6 increased power to 310 bhp, but included improvements to the head, increased displacement, a more complex intake resonance system, and better engine management system with O2 sensor feedback, all on top of going to a MAF. And the improvement was only 24 bhp. Alpina also got 260 bhp (DIN I believe, at the crank) out of their B10 3.5 liters using an AFM. The conclusion is that, in theory, a well operating MAF will provide better on/off throttle smoothness, and part throttle improvements. If you have a well operating AFM, unless one goes to standalone fuel injection system, it is not necessary to get a MAF. But in theory, a well operating MAF can provide some improvements over a AFM.

With regards to cone filters, their maintenance IS A MUST. Never leave a K&N or similar filter un-oiled. However, a stock air filter system works just as fine as well. Lots of work can be done here to 'dress up the engine bay' since a cone filter in and of itself will not do you much good in terms of power. Additionally, an oiled filter fitted too close to a MAF will ruin it in short order.

As for oiling system, I would try to run the euro E28 oil filter canister and housing because I would never run this motor without an oil cooler, which BMW's bolt on approach here will work just fine.

Rob and myself have built an engine very similar to the 'clean sheet' recommendations we have written above. These are a summary of the results as of October 2007:

Engine rebuilt with following specs:
• M30 B35 out of E24
• 10.45:1 custom JE forged pistons, total seal rings
• M90 head gasket
• Bored to 93.4mm (3535cc total)
• New con rod bushings, bearings, main bearings, etc; rods and pistons balanced to within 0.7 grams of each other
• 15 lb Top End Performance flywheel
• Larger, stainless steel valves (47mm / 39mm)
• Ported and polished intake and exhaust ports
• 3-angle valve job; new seats, new seals, etc.
• Metric Mechanic peened rocker arms
• 294 deg custom ground cam (Top End Performance, style 290MM)
• Dual valve springs, titanium valve retainers
• All new valvetrain components
• Hartge Headers (yet to be installed)
• Custom, dual 2.25” exhaust with high-flow catalytic converters (yet to be installed)
• Motronic 1.3, with custom burnt chip (Mark D’Sylva)

Future project tasks (as of October 2007):
• Custom tuning with Mark D’Sylva using EPROM emulator and Innovates DAQ, once engine is broken in
• Finish custom exhaust
• No full dyno sheets until engine is fully broken in! (A 3000-mile process)

Updates:

Dec 2007: Mark D'Sylva has burned an equivalent of an Alpina B10 3.5 chip for the motor and we have installed it to great effect. The fueling maps are spot on (as shown above). And we will be letting the motor run closed loop as soon as the data logging systems are in place. The response in the engine is very smooth and progressive so far up to the 4500 rpm break-in imposed rev limit (we only have 300 miles so far on the motor). The ignition timing is far more retarded than the stock chip, although we have gotten on the verge of pinging at 2000 rpm-3000 rpm in 4th and 5th gear at higher loads going up hills (not fuel ping, but timing ping, as you can tell the chip is trying to advance the timing under the load and conditions). Nonetheless the engine can be driven around on a 'normal' basis and the chip works very well. Idle is at 1000 rpm upon initial installation. More updates to follow after the 300 mile break-in service (valve adjustment, oil change, etc).

Jan 2008: The 300 mile break-in service was complete. Motor is now running closed loop (O2 sensor connected). The idle is a but lumpy, but better than before the valve adjustment, and not unexpected with the cam and lack of headers. Also the Evap valve is operating and I needed to close off the supply hose since I have no evap cannister on my car. Fueling is spot on. It's noticeable how the ECU is learning/adapting as I drive the car more.

Jun 2008: Installed the knock sensor (Knock Link) to monitor pinging. Pinging under load can be heard/measured in higher gears (3rd, 4th, 5th), when leaning on the throttle from 2000 rpm on. Basically I figure that at >75% or >80% throttle, in those conditions, the timing is too advanced. Fueling has been spot-on since O2 sensor has been connected.

Nov 2008: Innovates LM-2 has been installed and now I can collect data. Engine has 600 miles on it - yes, I know, but I've been far too busy with work since the summer. I did an acceleration test run through 3rd gear on the street, short shifting at 5000-5500 rpm. With a 3.73 diff, and OD gearbox, I hit 60 mph at about 4250 rpm in 3rd gear. During the test, I only accelerated to about 80% throttle, since I was on the verge of pinging in 3rd gear. 1st and 2nd were not full throttle, but hard to say exactly what percentage.

Dec 2008: Replaced spark plugs from W8LRC to W8DC at 600 miles. Old plugs seemed to be operating within temp range, but some cylinders had some carbon/ash deposits that had not burned off - combination of rich running and cold starting, I figure, from the lack of use/driving the car saw over the summer/fall of 2008. Have purchased a chip emulator and will test a few custom files that will have backed off the timing to see if I can get the pinging to stop under high load conditions in the upper gears. 700 miles on motor so far...500 miles to go until the 1200 mile service to be done in January.

Sep 2009: In the spring of 2009, while having the engine in for it's valve adjustment and oil change, it was noticed that the intake rear rocker shaft was misaligned. Further investigation revealed that the wrong shaft was installed, and the head had to be removed and reassembled. In addition, the MLS was leaking slightly from the front edge on the exhaust side. This was replaced with a stock BMW M90 head gasket (actually a thicker one, as I wanted to lower the compression from the 10.6:1 to 10.45:1 to help the pinging). Car was finished in June, and I drove it on a 500 mile trip in September to finish the break-in. Oil consumption was 1/2 quart, plus the addition of another 1 quart in the process to refill all the head crevices from the engine rebuild. More data was collected, and it is possible to hit full throttle in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in most cases. 4th and 5th still pings. AFM voltage indicates I'm getting near full flap open at 6200 rpm. I also replaced the spark plugs with the W7DCs, since the W8DCs indicated they were running too hot, and I needed to get a colder plug. That is unsurprising since Alpina ran the W7s in their B9s and B10s. Motor has 1450 miles on it now.

Written by Rob Anderson '01 (Edit: Chris Graff '06, ‘07, '08)

Some results on engine conversion

Based in large part on our discussion about engine building, I'm very pleased w/ the results of my b34-b35 combo.

Running the older Motronic I produced 206 hp and 219 ft lbs with the new motor. The old stock (w/ JimC) motor, on the same dyno 18-20 months earlier was 156/164 as I recall.

Torque comes on around 3400 and lasts thru peak HP at 6200. Shifting at peak drops me into the torque band and all's well.
Dyno done late '02

M30 Oil Cooler Information

The M5 and M535i have oil coolers, even the Euro 535i has an oil cooler, so why doesn't mine? Well it does now. I spent a lot of time looking into putting in a oil cooler. The one main problem I ran into was the fact that no aftermarket housing would bolt onto the block. This means that the oil filter housing has to be replaced with one from one of the previously mentioned cars, and M635csi and M6 and Euro 635csi(post '82). These are not very easy to come by and are very expensive from BMW.

I was able to find a used housing off of an M5 and then started at a cooler. I orignially purchased a Euro 635csi cooler and lines. This cooler fit in to the car, but the lines did not come close to fitting. I then looked into replacing the lines with ones from a US M5, but I found that the design of the M5 cooler is different than that of the Euro 635csi. I then looked into getting a cooler from an M5, but those aren't easy to find. So I found that a 524td has the same oil cooler as an M5!! But the coller lines are not the same. I looked into what lines to use. I thought that I might be able to use a Euro 535i or M535i line, but since I have the big US bumpers, they won't fit.

I then looked into what car has US bumpers, and an oil cooler. The only car is the US M5. Then with a quick check of part numbers, I found that the US M5 has diffferent lines than any other 5 series. I also was able to find an M5 that I was able to look at and found that behind the airdam the US valance was still fully intact. This gave me the confidence to purchase the expensive M5 oil cooler lines and install the cooler. The installation was fairly simple, but required the removal of the aux. cooling fan, and the front grills. The lines were the first things to go into the car, and require the bending of a small tab from the lower valance down. Once the lines were in, I placed the oil cooler in the car. I had to make custom brackets to hold the cooler, but once that was done, everything bolted together. I made sure to put oil into the cooler before I bolted everything together so that I didn't have a lack of oil pressure when I started the car. Now the car has a cooler and I see lower oil and water temperatures.

Written by Rob Anderson '01

M30 B35 and B34 Cylinder Head Differences

There were a few major difference between the early B34 engine (3430cc engine found on the E23, E24, and E28, between the dates of 1982 and 1988, depending on model) and the B35 engine (3430cc engine found on E24, E32, and E34 models between the dates of 1987 and 1993, depending on model). The following photos show the B34 and the B35 engine cylinder head and intake ports. The basic differences between the B34 and the B35 engine are as such:
B34 combustion chamber volume: 58 cubic centimeters
B35 combustion chamber volume: 65 cubic centimeters
B35 camshaft: 264 degree. Same as the B34 high compression (euro) engine.
B35 inlet valve is 47mm instead of the B34's 46mm.
Inlet port size is much larger on the B35, with better line of sight.

The photos show the difference in the combustion chamber volume and shape. There is more "scavenging"; or volume around the inlet and exhaust valves in the B35 head. Also the B35 head has smaller ledge/overlap at the edge of the head over the piston. Note the distance between the headgasket edge and the edge of the combustion chamber.

B34 Engine Picts:


B35 Engine Picts:



Comparisons

The pistons on the B34 engine are either an 8:1 low-compression piston, or a 10:1 high compression piston. The 8:1 pistons have a deep dish, and are cleary recognizeable. The 10:1 pistons have a dome, with a grand-piano-esque shape. These are shown below. The B35 engine has 9:1 compression pistons, where the shape of the dome is much better for combustion characteristics. The edges are pushed up, while the center of the piston remains lower. This allows the combustion chamber shape to be much more rounded, and thus with the differently shaped head allows for better combustion, squish, and swirl characteristics.

Piston Pictures:
M90 piston (M30-family); 3453cc engine (found on E12 M535i, early E24 635CSi)
2002 High compression pistons. Dome form similar to B34 high compression dome
M30 B34, high compression pistons in engine (1st engine bay photo)
M30 B34, high compression pistons in engine (2nd engine bay photo)
M30 B34, low compression pistons 1 (these are M106 turbo pistons, but shape and compression are similar)
M30 B34, low compression pistons 2 (these are M106 turbo pistons, but shape and compression are similar)
M30 B35 pistons, photo 1
M30 B35 pistons, photo 2
M30 B35 pistons, photo 3
M30 B35 pistons, photo 4

Thank you to Duke Samouce and Jim at Autobahn in San Diego for the pictures of the pistons. Thank you to Todd (TCD, Turbo Charging Dynamics) for allowing me to photograph the B35 and B34 heads.

Written by Christopher Graff '04

M30 Oil Pan Removal

The easiest way is to lift up the passenger side of the motor, off of the motor mount. I have the front of the car on ramps and then use a floor jack, raised up on wood under the oil pan, also using wood between the jack and the pan. Then, I lift the motor off of the passenger side mount by jacking up under the oil pan after the motor mount retaining bolts have been removed. Once I have gotten it up a good distance. I got mine so that the head was just touching the firewall. I then put a jack stand under the AC compressor bracket(make sure you put it under the side that does not need to be moved, or remove the part of the bracket that is in the way before starting the jacking). The I lower the motor onto this jack stand. Remember, it will take a little while for the motor to come off the mount because you are basically removing a lot of weight from the front of the car so the suspension will decompress. Once you have done this, then go about removing the oil pan bolts. Once you get all of them out, the pan will drop, but you won't be able to pull it out. You need to reach into the crack between the pan and the block and remove the oil pump from the block and most importantly the sprocket at the front. Once you have done this, the oil pump should drop into the pan. Then you should be able to remove it no problem and accomplish any work you need. To install it, it is the reverse of removal. Make sure you have the pump in the pan and put them up together, because they won't go in separately.
Written by Rob Anderson '01

S38 B38 conversion

Please Projects page.
The Ultimate Motor Swap
Written by Rob Anderson '10

M30 b35 Motor Conversion(Electrics)

Ok, even though this is from the E30 ETM, it should be the same. Let me know if any of the wire colors are not found or different, and I will try to dig up my E28 ETM. Please note that I am partially color blind so I have great difficulty telling the difference between Green and Brown. So some wires that might be Green I will call Brown and vise versa.

The connectors that need to be taken into account are C101 and C103. C101 is the 17 pin connector that plugs into the fuse box. C103 is the connector that plugs into the motor wiring harness under the dash on the passenger side. There are anywhere from 5-3 wires in C103. The wires on the side of the body are colored, BK(to instrument cluster(tach speed drive)), BR(Ground), WH/BK(to instrument cluster(fuel economy gauge drive)), GN/RD(not used(goes to one side of the OBC relay)), GN/YL(not used(goes to the other side of the OBC relay)). Now first lets concentrate on this plug. On the E28, BK goes to BK/BL, BR goes to BR, and WH/BK goes to WH. On an E30, the 2 wires that are not used in the E28 are used, which I believe are also used on the E34. These 2 wires are what cuts the ignition control when the CODE function of the OBC is used. If you are wanting to wire these in, they should connect to the one GN/RD wire. Basically, you cut the GN/RD wire and run one side down one of the unused wires and back to the other side of the GN/RD wire. In the E28, though the OBC relay should control the no start function by cutting power to the main relay, so that is why your car runs now, so I would just leave the 2 wires that aren't connected, unconnected.

Now onto the 17 pin plug on the side of the fuse box. C101. I believe that all of the connections for C101 and C103 in the E28 are contained in the E34 C101, so you will have to do some splicing up near the ECU to put in the other end of the E28 C103. The E28 plug has listed numbers I am going to refer to these number and the wire color that should come out of it on the E28 motor and what it does.
Pin 1, BU goes to alternator. Goes to alternator "charge indicator" light in instrument cluster.
Pin 2, BU/VI or BU/RD static oil level sender unit. Goes to static oil level light in the active check control unit.
Pin 4, BR/WH Coolant temp sensor driver wire. Runs to coolant temp gauge in instrument cluster.
Pin 6, GN/YL goes to the O2 sensor heater relay. Gets power from fuse 6 and in the fuse box is colored GN/WH.
Pin 7, GN/VI gets power from Pin 87 of Fuel Pump Relay and goes to fuse 1 in the fuse box.
Pin 8, BK/YL Starter trigger wire comes from the ignition key.
Pin 9, Not used
Pin 10, WH/BK To Diagnostic connector Pin 6. Said to be "not used".
Pin 12, GN Powers the coil from fuse 1 of fuse box
Pin 13, BU/WH Dynamic oil level sender unit. Goes to oil level light in active check control unit.
Pin 14, BR/GN Oil Pressure switch. Runs to oil pressure light in instrument cluster.
Pin 15, WH/BU Service indicator to Diagnostic connector.
Pin 16, GN Is the same as the GN wire in Pin 12 and is actually spliced together with the wire from Pin 12 at S127
Pin 17, GN/VI To Fuel pump relay through splice S128

The E34 uses a round style connector to plug into the fuse box. This has 20 pins so I will list what the wires in each of those do.
Pin 1, BU goes to the alternator. Comes from the Instrument Cluster "charge indicator" light. BU in the fuse box.
Pin 2, GN/YL comes from oil lever sensor. It is BU/BK in the fuse box and runs to the static oil level active check control unit, which is the same as the oil level light.
Pin 4, BR/VI comes from the coolant temp sender unit. It is BR/VI in the fuse box and goes to the Instrument cluster temp gauge.
Pin 5, BR/GN Oil pressure switch. Runs to instrument cluster oil pressure light.
Pin 6, GN/WH goes to the O2 sensor heater relay. Gets power from fuse 9 and in the fuse box is colored GN/YL.
Pin 7, GN comes from the ignition switch and goes to the Start Input, in the motronic unit and it also goes to Pin 15 on the coil. In the fuse box it is colored GN.
Pin 8, WH/BK comes from the motronic unit "present fuel rate output". Is YL/WH in fuse box and runs to Fuel Economy Gauge in the bottom of the tach.
Pin 9, BK goes to the ECU Engine speed output. This is BK in the fuse box. On the E28 this actually should be the connected in C103.
Pin 10, BU comes from the oil level sensor. It is VI/GN in the fuse box and goes to the active check control unit as the dynamic oil level light.
Pin 11, WH/GN comes from Pin 7 of the diagnostic connector. Is WH/BU in the fuse box and goes to the Service Indicator Processor.
Pin 12, GY comes from the ECU and is the trigger for the "Check Engine" light control. In the fuse box it is BR/BK. This wire is not used on the E28, since there is no check engine light.
Pin 13, GN/VI comes from Pin 87 of fuel pump relay. Is VI/RD in fuse box and runs to Fuse 11.
Pin 14, BK/WH comes from motronic unit "Speed Signal Input". Is BU/YL in fuse box and goes to the Speed Input of the Instrument Cluster.
Pin 15, BK/GN comes from Pin 30h on the coil. In the fuse box it is BK/GN and runs to the unloader relays.
Pin 16, WH/BK comes from Pin 6 of diagnostic connector and is used in the SRS system. In the fuse box it is WH/BK and is said to be not used.
Pin 18, BK/YL is the starter trigger and comes from in the car. It is also BK/YL in the fuse box. It also runs to Pin 11 of the diagnostic connector.
Pin 20, RD/YL comes from Pin 87 of the main relay. It is RD/YL and goes to power the ABS Hydraulic Unit.

I believe that the rest of the plugs aren't used.

I believe that Pin 14 is also not needed to have the car run properly.
I have yet to find out what propose it serves so I would say it doesn't need to be connected. And any of the E34 pins that I do not have connecting to a pin on the E28 harness means that it does not need to be connected, or there is no place for it to be connected.

Now here is a list of which wires need to go where.
C101 E34 to E28
Pin 1 Pin 1
Pin 2 Pin 2
Pin 4 Pin 4
Pin 6 Pin 6
Pin 13 Pin 7
Pin 18 Pin 8
Pin 16 Pin 10
Pin 7 Pin 12
Pin 10 Pin 13
Pin 5 Pin 14
Pin 11 Pin 15
Pin 7 Pin 16
Pin 13 Pin 17

C103
Pin 9 Pin 1 BK
Pin 8 Pin 3 WH/BK

I have spent now 7 hours on this, so I really hope it helps.

Written by Rob Anderson '01

Fuel System

Fuel Tank Replacement

To remove the tank, remove the fuel lines from the filler plate underneath the access in the floor of the trunk. Also remove the electrical connectors from the fuel pump and level sender. Open up the fuel filler door in the side of the car, remove the filler cap, and pull out the rubber piece that surrounds the filler neck. Now you can see 3 small lines hose clamped to 3 small metal and fragile looking pipes which are part of the tank. These 3 lines are difficult to remove. If you are replacing your tank, you don't have to be gentle about pulling them off. I think I ended up cutting the line off of one particularly stubborn pipe because it looked like there was enough line left over to reattach to the new tank.

If you haven't run the car until it is almost out of gas, I highly recommend draining most of the gas out of the tank. There is a drain plug on the right front lower corner of the tank which uses a crush washer to seal. I think it took a 5mm allen wrench to remove the plug. Try to keep the drained gas out of the nice cars. Save it for the Oldsmobuick and the lawnmower

DO I NEED TO REMIND ANYONE OF THE DANGERS OF AN OPEN DRAIN PAN FULL OF GASOLINE? HOW ABOUT THE EXPLOSION HAZARD OF A CLOSED METAL CONTAINER FULL OF GAS VAPOR?

Before loosening any bolts, put your flor jack under the tank to keep it from ventilating your skull. I believe there are three bolts holding the tank off the ground. One bolt may be partially abscured by the exhaust so you may have to loosen or remove hangars to get to it. I had to move my exhaust a couple inches to drop the tank. You may also have to remove the right side swaybar bracket. There was a bent metal clip under the swaybar bolt in my car which was blocking the tank. Remove the bolts and lower the tank. Installation is the reverse! This would be a good time to replace all those dried out fuel lines in the back half of the car.

I had a decent tank from a garage kept 528e which happened to be sitting in my driveway. Upon tremoval of the 528e tanks, I found a litle surface corrosion but nothing that caused great concern. The Maximillian price of $220US for a new tank is very good so I suggest buying a new tank instead of throwing a rusty disaster-waiting-to-happen into your car.
Written by Ed Walters '00
Team DFL

Charcoal Canister, How it Works

Do you know how the system works? What it does is take the gas vapor from when the gas heats up or is poured into the tank and then condenses it and inserts it into the intake. This makes for a wet manifold as well as non-metered air entering the intake. This system was a complete after-thought from BMW and all true Euro cars don't have it. The reason why is because the US EPA wanted to prevent the gas vapors from escaping to the atmosphere. What really they are doing is creating a situation where you are getting extra air and fuel vapor into the combustion. As you will know, gas vapor does not combust as easily as liquid, and in fact is very hard to combust, and is therefore put through the cat and out the tail pipe. This increase the emissions of the car and also robs power because of the wet manifold condition and the increase in un-metered air going into the motor.

After completely understand how this system works and what it does to the operation of the motor, you will see that it has no benifit and in fact the claim you made of having your premium evaporting should happen because of the way the system works in the European cars where the expansion tank is vented to the atomsphere. What expansion tank does in European car is that it acts as a collector for the gas vapor and then once the gas vapor converts back to liquid, it flows back into the tank. This is also shown by the placement of the expansion tank in the car. The expansion tank is placed higher than the main tank and is also far away from a hot exhaust. This allows the gas vapors to cool and therefore condense back into a liquid and flow back into the tank. Thw only reason why there is a line to the outside of the car is that in cases when you are filling up the car, you are inputing more gas than air can come out. This therefore allows for the pressure in the tank to be released and so you are able to fully fill the tank. I have had this happen on a 7-series where I was filling it up and the pump stopped, but the tank was not full. This was caused by the charcoal canister system and the fact that it doesn't allow pressure to be released from the main tank quickly in situations like filling the car. Also, the possitioning of the line port on the expansion tank that runs to the charcoal canister is also at the top of the tank. If you know about chemistry, the gas vapor will settle to the bottom of the tank because of the fact that it is heavier than the normal air. Therefore, the normal air will go out of the expansion tank, and the fuel vapor will stay in. Now you are correct in saying that when you fill the car it will smell like gas for a little bit, but you are incorrect in saying that you want positive pressure in the gas tank. While positive pressure will allow for the tranfer pump to work easier, you will not be able to fill the car fully after driving. Also the charcoal canister system does not keep positive pressure in the tank. If you have ever looked at the canister and how it works, it is open to the air on the underside. This allows for the prevention of a build-up of pressure in the tank, but it doesn't work very well.

In closing, the charcoal canister system was an after-thought by BMW to abide by the EPA laws. Personally, after reviewing how the system and the problems that it cause, such as rough idle, incorrect mixture, poor emissions and difficulty in filling, I see now reason to keep the system on the car unless it is required by the emissions laws in your state.
Written by Rob Anderson '01

Mustang Injector Info

Here are the part numbers and what they are rated at.
Stock E28 535: 19.82 lbs/hr @ 43.5psi (3bar)
Stock Mustang: 19 lbs/hr @ 38psi

The increase in flow rate is proportional to the square root of the increase in pressure. To convert the mustang flow rate to flow rate at BMW pressure:
STOCK(Sorry don't know the part number) 19 * (43.5/38)^1/2 = 20.33lbs/hr approx. 2.6% increase.
M9593A302 24 lbs/hr @ 38psi so 25.68 lbs/hr at 43.5psi approx. 29.566% increase.

Now it all depends on how much power you are going to be making. My thought is that if you will be getting close to 260, so you will want an injector that can handle that amount of power at 85% duty cycle. Since the stock injectors can handle 240 on lets say 100% duty cycle. So, a 19 lbs/hr injector from a Mustang which would be a 20.33 in our car, you will be able to put out 3% more power at the same duty cycle. So you will be able to put out somewhere close to 247hp. Now lets go to the 24 lbs/hr injector which is 25.68 lbs/hr in our cars. That gives you a 29.566% increase which means that it can support 311 bhp. Now you only want to be running at about 85% of that so, at 85% duty cycle you will be able to support about 264hp. If you find that the car is running too rich, then you can always lower the fuel pressure which is very easy. You just use a 528e fuel pressure regulator, which is 2.5 bar.
Written by Rob Anderson '01

Manual Transmission

Parts Need to Convert to M5 Clutch and Due a Complete Tranny Overhaul

Diagram # Part # Description Quantity Price (each) from Maximillian
11_0136 535i 11 14 1 250 073 Gasket Asbestos-free 1 $0.60
11_0136 535i 11 14 2 245 364 Shaft Seal. 1 $12.50
11_0327 535i 11 21 1 709 681 Grooved Ball Bearing 1 $4.00
11_0327 535i 11 22 1 717 840 Hex Bolt 8 $2.00
21_0017 M5 21 21 1 226 041 AT-Pressure Plate 1 $118.00
21_0017 M5 21 21 2 226 593 AT Clutch Disk 1 $160.00
21_0017 535i 21 51 1 204 229 Clutch Rel. Fork Lever 1 $9.00
21_0017 535i 21 51 1 223 366 Clutch Release Bearing 1 $32.00
21_0017 535i 11 22 1 744 338 Dowel Pin (not f/lightend flywheel) 3 $2.85
21_0017 535i 21 51 1 202 659 Ball Pin 1 $0.90
21_0017 535i 21 51 1 204 327 Retainer Spring 1 $1.30
21_0017 535i 07 11 9 919 939 Fillister Head 6 $0.15
21_0049 535i 21 52 1 156 000 Input Cylinder Clutch 1 $49.25
21_0049 535i 21 52 1 163 714 Hose X (1 meter) $8.00
21_0049 535i 21 52 1 153 512 Pressure Hose Assy. 1 $29.00
23_0571 535i 23 12 1 205 340 Shaft Seal 1 $3.89
23_0571 535i 23 12 1 282 394 Shaft Seal 1 $7.95
23_0571 535i 23 14 1 354 071 Backup Light Switch 1 $6.00
25_0226 535i 23 41 1 466 118 Rubber Washer 1 $0.50
25_0226 535i 23 41 1 466 134 Dowel Pin 1 $0.45
25_0073 535i 25 11 7 501 309 Gear Sel. Rod Joint 1 $8.00
21_0030 535i 21 52 1 116 300 Output Cylinder Clutch 1 $21.00
25_0073 535i 25 11 1 220 832 Bush Bearing 1 $5.50
25_0073 535i 25 11 1 221 849 Bearing Bolt 1 $3.80
25_0073 535i 25 11 1 221 243 O-ring 2 $0.45
25_0073 535i 25 11 1 434 194 Tension Bush 1 $0.45
23_0571 535i 23 14 1 354 071 Backup Light Switch 1 $6.00
26_0121 535i 26 11 1 209 168 Guibo 1 $42.00

Plus Red Thread lock, Gasket sealer, ATF, and MTL. It is up to you if you want to use a new guibo.

Written by Rob Anderson '00

My Opinion on short shift kits

This is my opinion from personal experience. I am sorry if I offend anyone. First, I have had Korman, UUC, and AutoSolutions. The Korman one was cool in the fact that I could adjust it, but that quickly went away as the shifter wore quickly. I then replaced it with the UUC Stage 2 (the Street Evo - there are 3 stages, from bottom to top is Street, Street EVO, and Competition EVO with ERK). I was much happier with it compaired to the Korman one, but found that it did not include all of the bushings to remove the slop on older linkages. These are the bushings found far forward in the shifter mechanism, near the tranny. You need to buy them separately, and if you don't know the PN's off hand, you need to find someone with a Parts CD to do the leg-work. I did like the spherical bearing in the mechanism, and I think that is a good idea. Unfortunately, the UUC shifter also wore out fairly quickly. It took me twice as long to wear it out as the Korman, but still, I needed to replace it.

The BMW shifter has a couple of points that make it wear. The first being that the shift rod, which holds the handle, is actually 2 pieces. This is the reason shifters wear out - because between the top portion of the shifter (where your shifter knob attaches to) and the bottom portion (where the pivot point and bearings are) is a rubber insulator (which you cannot really see unless you look at the shifter itself at certain angles). This is true for every shifter. It is there to reduce vibration up to your hand. The time it wears away is a function of quality of workmanship, tolerances, bushing design, and material. UUC uses a rubber bushing in there which is not sealed well, in my opinion, from the elements. It is done in a similar fashion to OE BMW. The AutoSolutions shifter is actually connected using Urethane and is sealed with silicon to prevent degredation by heat and other factors.

And this is why I then tried AutoSolutions - as I had seen a couple of people were starting to try them so I got myself one. The kit included every part you could ever think of to do the job. The build quality was also higher than the UUC because it uses different materials and a different assembly for the insulator between the top and bottom portions of the shifter. The only drawback that I found with the AutoSolutions shifter is it does not use the spherical bearings that the UUC ones use. As far as notchiness, the AutoSolution is perfect, not too notchy, but stiff enough to let you know you are in a gear. Like the UUC it keeps the shifter in the stock location, but reduces the throw. The throw is comprable to the UUC. I also prefer the way that AutoSolutions makes their shifters. They are custom made, while the UUC is similar to the OE BMW ones in that it looks like a modified BMW shifter.

Overall, I believe that the AutoSolutions shifter is worth the extra money because of the higher quality of the insulator between the two shiter pieces. The UUC is a good value, and it's spherical bearing on the lower pivot is a very good idea (on the EVO series), but it is a shifter for the value conscious. Also the cup removal tool that you are given with the UUC kit does not work. I ended up taking a screwdriver and knocking out the cup and then inserting the new one. The tool was completely useless, unless the shifter was out of the car.

In an ideal world, I'd use the AutoSolutions short shifter, with the UUC sealed cartridge bearing.
I hope this helps you with your decision.
Written by Rob Anderson '00

Bleeding Clutch

The best way I have found is to manually bleed the system. You will need a friend to help you. You are under the car with the bleeder screw, a tube and a bottle along with the correct wrench to loosen and tighten the bleeder screw. I suggest a box ended wrench. Put the box ended wrench on the bleeder screw. Then put on the tube. Put the other end of the tube in the bottle. Now, what you do is with the clutch pedal up, this is your friend, you loosen the screw. Then your friend pushes the pedal down and holds it to the floor. Then you tighten the screw and they pull the pedal up. Then you repeat until you have gotten quite a bit of fluid through. I usually go for at least an inch in the bottom of a Snapple bottle. Once you have done this, you will find that the pedal still is really soft. What I then do is pump the pedal. You pump it until it gets hard. Once hard, then drive the car. If you like it, then leave it. If you don't repeat the process. It usually takes me 1/2 to an hour to properly bleed a clutch manually, but remember I have done it a lot of times.
Written by Rob Anderson '01

What is a "Dual Mass" Flywheel and does it rattle?

What individual's call a "dual" mass flywheel, BMW calls a "twin" mass flywheel. There has been confusion caused by this because diesels and some modern BMWs use something called a "dual" mass flywheel. The modern dual mass flywheel is actually comprised of more than one part, but the dual mass flywheels found on a 528e or 325e are actually a single piece.


These flywheels just weigh twice as much as the standard flywheel. BMW used these special flywheel to try to smooth out the idle of these models. This is because the idle of the long stroke M20 2.7L motor was considered ruff, and so to smooth it out, the dual mass flywheel was used. Many people have said that these flywheels can cause rattles. This is simply not true. The rattles that most people complain about are actually coming from the throw out or release bearing. This is because the dual mass flywheel uses a completely different throw out bearing which is more prone to rattling. Also many people wonder if you can replace a dual mass flywheel with a single mass. The answer is yes, but you have to use the proper clutch parts. All of the clutch parts for the single mass flywheel are different than the dual mass, so you will need to do a complete clutch job if you want to change the flywheels.
Written by Rob Anderson '01

http://www.m535i.org/officers/ra/frame.html

[EventuallyAyrton]

[quote="Amos830"]Turbo is the only financially viable option.

Getting that from an NA b32 would be VERY difficult.

Read ALL of this

Jesus that's a lot. Thanks for the info, I'm now thinking of possibly taking the turbo route. I read that you don't have to reinforce the bottom end of these engines because they're so strong. What WOULD I have to do?

[Amos830]

Well you don't strike me as the type of person who's a real independent learner......

So I guess you're stuck with an Ireland Kit - http://www.iemotorsport.com/bmw/E28-E24 ... urbo1.html - & - http://www.iemotorsport.com/bmw/E28-E24 ... urbo2.html or a TCD kit - http://turbochargingdynamics.com/?wpsc_ ... tegory=m30 or a Cartech kit - http://www.cartech.net/bmwm30turbo.htm.

There is also an entire section of mye28 dedicating to warehousing answers about FI: http://www.mye28.com/viewforum.php?f=6

The E28 Turbo FAQ would be a particularly good read for you: http://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=50038

[a]

google is your friend. If there was a cheap easy way to do what you want, everybody would do it. There isn't. Sorreee