E36 with a Virus
I recently had the computer replaced on my 1994 318is. After getting it back from BMW the radio is not working, the heat is not working properly, the window rolls up and down a little bit by itself, and the interior light goes on and off by itself.
I have a little bit of heat coming out of the defrost vents, but have to keep the other vents closed off, because there is nothing but cold air blowing out. The button that changes the air flow from outside to inside will not work. Also, the button for the rear defrost and air conditioner don't work. BMW is saying that it's nothing they did, but it all worked properly before having the computer replaced. I really need some help as to what might have caused this and if it was their fault. PLEASE HELP!
Thank you,
Rachel Carnes
There's not much we can tell you that you don't already know, Rachel. You have to work this out with the dealership, or else pursue it legally, perhaps through your state consumer protection agency. It is unbelievable that they would deliver the car in this condition. With electronic cars come electronic problems, and this car certainly has some. However, from your description and given the sequence of events, the first thing I would check is battery voltage. When these cars suffer from a low voltage condition it's like an unstable event in Windows 98, but usually there is a drivability complaint as well, like poor running at start up. Also, battery voltage can drop pretty low if a new electronic control unit is programmed in the car without a battery charger being used at the same time. You might need a new battery. If you do, don't buy one from BMW -- BMW replacement batteries are overpriced and wear out quickly. Get an Interstate MTP-91 ( www.interstatebatteries.com), which has a provision for the battery vent tube on this car. Here is my advice: Call the dealership and speak with the service manager, not the service advisor. Be polite. Inform him of the sequence of events and tell him your car was delivered to you in horrible condition with problems it did not have previously, and that you think you have a right to expect that the problems be fixed. Tell him you spoke with a knowledgeable person who suspected the problem might be low battery voltage, and ask him to diagnose that and whatever else needs to be done to make the car right. Discuss with him in advance who will be responsible for what charges.
Best regards,
Mike Miller
5 Goes Into 3?
I have a 1987 3 Series. I was wondering if a 5 Series motor would fit into the 3 Series car?
Anonymous
Sure. With enough time, money, and skill, the versatile E30 chassis will swallow almost any BMW engine including the V8s. I've never seen a V12 in an E30, though. You should know a that the BMW 5 Series cars encompass five generations about ten engine types. So, when you ask if a 5 Series motor will fit in the 1987 3 Series car, that's a pretty broad question. It's relevant because there may or may not be other changes required in terms of the gearbox, driveshaft, and differential depending upon which 5 Series engine we're talking about. Often, suspension and brake upgrades are required, too, due to added weight and power.
Best regards,
Mike Miller
Engine Swaps Complicated, Expensive
I have a 1998 E36 328i coupe with a manual gearbox. I have brought a 2001 E46 M3 motor and box complete with pretty much everything. I have all sensors, computers, drive shafts etc. I will be putting the E46 M3 motor into my 328i. I have spent some time on forums looking for some answers without much luck. It looks as though this is a fairly new thing to do. I found a site called siastuning that had done the conversion and contacted them without reply. From what I gather so far the motor box will bolt in without any major dramas.
I recently sat down with the chaps at my local big BMW dealership and the thought of the conversion terrified them, not from the point of bolting it in but by making the systems talk to each other. They were trying to explain to me that the new E46's use a square wave Vs -- something different from the E36. Whilst I was trying to keep on top of the conversation it was all above me. They told me that when I get it running with the computers from the E46 none of this will communicate with my E36 systems, i.e., It will not talk to my ABS, my instrumentation...nothing.
I have two shops that are prepared to go ahead with the transplant but before I give the go ahead I want to make sure that I have as much covered off as possible. My fear is that the car will spend the next twelve months sitting in the corner of a shop whilst they scratch their heads and make excuses, which has happened to me before.
The standard thing I get told is to forget it and go with the E36 M3 motor. Fair call, however not an option. If I wanted this I would have just brought an M3. In Australia turbo's are frowned upon by insurance companies; this swap does not present me with the same problems.
Kind regards,
Richard
You won't have a problem bolting in the engine or the gearbox, but you will probably wind up needing an E36 M3 driveshaft for a six-speed gearbox E36 M3, meaning not U.S.-specification. With the electronics, the answer is...who knows. I've never been involved in such a swap, nor would I be involved willingly. I think you're going to spend a great deal of money making the E36 electronics work with the E46 engine ECU, and I think it will require the skills of a master BMW electronics technician. I further think no one but he will be able to diagnose and repair subsequent electronic malfunctions in this car. By the time you're done writing cheques, for a bit more, you might have the E46 M3 engine with the E46 M3 wrapped around it. The S54 engine block and cylinder head in the E46 M3 are not terribly different from the S52 engine block and cylinder head in the non-U.S.-specification E36 M3. The prime differences are electronic, intake and emission control-related. So, I'm thinking perhaps the expedient way out of this is to use E36 M3 intake, exhaust, and electronics for the S52 engine. However, once again, this will require the skills of that master BMW technician, and one intimately familiar with both cars.
Best regards,
Mike Miller
325iX: One Engine Only
I am gonna get a 1991 325ix. Can I put either the S38, M50 or S50 engine in that chassis with the stock gearbox? Also, what would it take to put lets say an S38 engine into an E30 M3 with the ix gearbox? Can you see what I'm trying to do? An AWD inline six E30.
Sorry to rain on your plans, KB, but the only engine that works in a 325iX is the M20 engine that came with the car. The reason is the front axle, which passes through the oil pan. Now, that's not to say you couldn't somehow engineer and fabricate a custom oil pan for one of the other engines given enough time, money, and access to master fabricators. However, I think it's safe to say the economics involved would be staggering. The 325iX gearbox is unique because of the AWD transfer case, and of the other engines only the M50 and S50 would bolt to a 325ix gearbox. In short, it's not a good plan. On the bright side, if you buy a 325ix you'll already have an AWD inline six E30. Forget about the S38 engine in front of the ix drivetrain --that's just not going to work. Can you transplant a 325ix drivetrain into an E30 M3? I don't see why you couldn't. The question would be, why would you want to? I mean, if you've already got a working 325ix, why transplant everything into another body?
Best regards,
Mike Miller
I am starting to work on a 1998 BMW 528i automatic which I found with 76,000 km. Not bad. I know this is a European-specification 528i, but I believe that it is a mechanical twin to its U.S.-specification counterpart. Either way, this car will basically be updated to an M Technic 5-series. Only factory mod: BMW 17-inch wheels.
My questions should be simple ones for you. 1. Is the differential in this car the same as a 3 Series of the same year. I am considering swapping the differential to a much more aggressive one. Which do you recommend? My average cruising speed on long runs is about 80 to 100 mph (basically 140 - 160 kmh). 2. Would you recommend removing the catalytic converter? With the rear M5 bumper I will get an aftermarket exhaust, but since we have no EPA control, I have no problems removing the "cat".
3. So what is the word on intakes? Thinking of the Autothority intake, is it worth it, or just get the drop-in one? Any other suggestions? Thanks.
Paul Days
Dominican Republic
1. The first step is to determine what differential ratio is in the car now. BMW plays around a lot with differential ratios on the automatic cars to make them accelerate for the U.S. market. If this is a US-specification car, it "most likely" has a 4.10 differential, however the ETK also shows a 3.46 differential in the slushbox column, with no notations or explanations. The European-specification E39 528i uses a 2.93 differential ratio up to 09/98 production and a 3.07 from 09/98-on, while a 3.46 ratio was optional. BMW production dates are noted on a sticker in the drivers door jamb. But bottom line, you're not going to know what ratio you have to begin with unless you get under the car and look at the differential ratio tag on one of the cover bolts. Hopefully it is still there. Now, which ratio to use depends on what you want the car to do, which was not clear from your e-mail. If you want to improve acceleration, then the ticket is the 4.10 ratio without question. The trade-offs are higher engine speeds at any given road speed, and a reduction in fuel economy. If you want to reduce your engine rpms at your long run cruising speeds, then one of the higher (numerically lower) ratios would be the choice. The trade-off there would be some more acceleration time. The differential part numbers are different, E39 5 Series versus E46 3 Series. This does not mean there is no interchangeability, but I've never tried it so I don't know for sure. Other BMWs, for example the E28 5 Series and the six-cylinder E30 3 Series and M3, can swap differentials if the cover and output flanges are also swapped. However, buying a diff for the car you have certainly removes all doubt. 2. There is no performance benefit to removing the catalytic converter by itself unless it is clogged, and the questions arises, "What would you replace it with?" The restriction in BMW exhaust systems is upstream from the catalytic converter, between it and the engine. So, if you wanted to replace the exhaust manifolds with headers bolted to the catalytic converter, I would say that would likely provide some performance benefit. The only headers I know of for this car are made by Supersprint, which are sold by various BMW shops and tuners in the U.S., many of whom advertise in European Car. 3. Beyond corporate puffery and specifically with respect to BMW engines, I don't see any benefit to the in-the-airbox oiled cotton gauze air filter. My feeling is they may afford an airflow improvement for cars equipped with air filters that are too small. But BMW air filters are huge. I have a hard time believing there are any restriction problems with the filters themselves. Now, the BMW airbox is a different question. I can certainly see restriction there.
With a BMW engine, if you were to go to a cold-air intake setup using a cone-type oiled cotton gauze filter filter, then that, combined with performance software, can yield a power increase. Will you notice it? That depends on the car and the driver. Modern BMWs are pretty well optimized right from the factory. Older models can benefit tremendously from a chip and intake program. And drivers? Some guys can bolt on 30 hp and not notice the difference. Other guys will trade their kids for another five ponies and be able to graph the difference.
Moreover, you need to understand the specialized maintenance required by an oiled cotton gauze filter. The element is oiled cotton gauze, not paper. When the filter is dirty, you or your technician will have to remove the filter, soak it with K&N Air Filter Cleaner (no substitutes), painstakingly wash the element with water (never ever use parts cleaning solvent on a K&N filter), wait for the element to air dry, re-oil the element just so -- not too much, not too little -- using K&N Air Filter Oil (no substitutes), wait for the oil to distribute itself throughout the cotton gauze element, and then reinstall it. This is not as big a deal as it may sound especially if you keep two filters and rotate them into service, but if you aren't going to perform this maintenance work yourself and your technician isn't interested or trustworthy enough to do it, then keep the stock BMW air filter. It works just fine.
There are also sporadic issues of mechanical problems because someone over-oiled an oiled cotton gauze filter element, and engine problems because someone under-oiled the element. We also get varying opinions on the filtration abilities of oiled cotton gauze air filters, with some tuners claiming that the regular stock paper filter does a better job of keeping dirt out of the engine.
4. I can see that you want to increase this car's power, and you should know that there are no dramatic increases to be had with bolt-on parts short of supercharging. And what you do get is going to be muted by the automatic transmission, which tends to keep the engine out of the rpm range where performance parts yield their incremental power increases.
Best regards,
Mike Miller