318ti Automatic to manual Conversion.

[first_bmw]

1996 318ti

How much work is this ?!? Is it worth it ?!?

Ever been done ?!?

thanks...

(p.s. I did search... no find)

-Me.

[J!m]

I suppose it is possible, but may be costly.

I would check for the un-used mounting points under the dash for the clutch pedal. Then compare the 'hump' under the console to that of a standard shift ti.

If it looks good, it should be a matter of scouring the books for correct part numbers and/or junk yard scrounging for mechanicl as well as trim parts.

Might be easier to find another car...

[1996 328ti]

Might be easier to find another car...
I agree. Sell it and find a ti with a stick.

[sikbrik]

The brake and clutch pedal are on the same carrier. Just swap out the auto pedal for this assembly. Locate the correct master and slave cylinders for the trans, find a trans, get the shift linkage and boot/trim and you're good to go. If you've got a good deal on an automatic car that you like, why get rid of it?
I'm researching this swap right now myself but don't give in to the idea that it can't be done. If you use a 6-cyl trans, you'll need to modify the guibo or flange on the driveshaft. Other than that, it's a bolt-in to any 318ti and it's probably just as easy as finding a good deal on a stick car. Plus, I'd imagine most of the auto cars lived easier lives than the manual cars anyway.
Just my $.02.

[bmw///m3///]

BAv auto has the entire kit. Ive looked into it and the retail is $1500 but if you buy through one of the guys on bimmerforums he said he could sell it to me for $1200 for everything needed for the swap. My only concern is that the auto trans is tied into the computer? So if were to swap, would the comp has to be refiqured too, or ?????

[sikbrik]

I'll have to verify this but I'm under the impression that there's a separate module that controls the transmission. The only electronic issue I can think of is if there are different speed sensors in the auto and manual. I doubt it, though. After winter when I can bring my old 2002 out of the garage to drive, I'll be doing the conversion. Hopefully there's some more info by then...

[ZeroG]

1996 318ti

How much work is this ?!? Is it worth it ?!?

Ever been done ?!?

thanks...

(p.s. I did search... no find)

-Me.
I had a buddy that just did an automatic to manual conversion. He is on the forum look him up "Boosted318IS" He bought a kit that was all incusive and then labor was like $600. I don't know how much the parts were you need to ask him. I saw it though, and when I drove the car you'd think it was stick the whole time.

-Chad

[96cali]

Brett Anderson at Koalamotorsports.com quoted me $5k to do the conversion-I was stunned and could not figure out how it could add to that much unless he was shipping a tranny from Germany in a gold crate. Good info Slikbrik/bmwM3 on the kits available.

[sikbrik]

There are a lot of people around that know a lot more than we give them credit for, I think. My local BMW yard quoted me just over $600 for the parts to do the conversion, including a good trans with a warranty.
Even if the swap took two days by a professional and I paid an independent German repair shop $70/hr, I'd still be into the swap for under $2000. If I took the car off the road for the weekend (or week if I got in over my head) I'm looking at well under $1000. I think a lot of people get caught up in the idea of having a tuner who's built a racer or a magazine car working on their car or sending them parts.
The guys who repair these things every day for a living are a great resource for mods, even if they don't approve of them for their personal cars. Don't overlook your back yard...

[sikbrik]

Just wanted to add that the $1200 price that bmw///m3/// was able to hook up for the parts doesn't seem bad at all since you're pretty much guaranteed anyone selling a kit isn't going to send you junk for fear of getting a bad rep.

Also thanks to ZeroG for the link to his friend.

Thanks for the props, 96cali. :joy: It's threads like this that will eventually get the info out there for people daring enough to try the "not so mainstream" stuff...even if none of us really have all the answers right now ;}

Sorry for getting off topic...just wanted to say thanks.

[DustenT]

Bimmerforum has a 10 page thread about doing the swap. There is a parts list available in the thread. Zionsville motorsports also sells a complete kit. I think it is about $1300 for e36's but an extra $200 or so for the TI (different length drive shaft, I think). I will also be attempting the swap this winter.

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=79886

Hope this helps!

[sikbrik]

Eurodepot just gave me a quote of $1295 and that's specifically for the ti and includes everything (including new parts where necessary...clutch, etc). My local yard is trying to source the parts from different places to save me money but that could take weeks...this kit could be here in days after I decide to order. They also mentioned that the M50/M52/S50/S52 will bolt right to the trans if there was an engine swap in the car's future in case any of you would be concerned about that.
Everything I've read says 10 hours is reasonable for a job like this so I'm thinking I could start Friday night and drive it to work on Monday morning. 20 hours seems like enough time for a DIYer. Just have to talk my wife into it...she keeps saying how perfect the car would be with a 5-spd and, working for a BMW dealer, we got it on trade for a STEAL so it's economically not a big deal to drop the $1300. But you know how people can be when their precious car is potentially out of commission for a few days!!! Hmmm...a weekend of worry or a lifetime of complaining about the automatic?!?! Maybe I should just take my chances! :twisted:

[sikbrik]

The "pros" all seem to have the same concensus: It won't be that hard, but you need to change the computer and harness to make it right (read: 50 state legal with no CEL) on an OBDII car. That also means reflashing to match your keyed ignition or swapping in that stuff from the donor car.
So add those to the list if anyone is thinking of this on a 1996 or newer car.

[carloselloconyc]

Hi guys, this is a real good thread, Im thinking about doing the same. I have a 96. It would help if you guys posted the web links so I can look this stuff up. Or if you can give me some phone numbers. Now when you talk about around $1500 for everything does that include the transmission itslef or are you just talking about the swap kit and labor. thanks

[DustenT]

The kit includes everything.

http://www.zionsvilleautosport.com/store/shop.mv?

[DustenT]

I don't think you need to change the computer out. The computer just won't see the transmission anymore. Check out the bimmerforum thread. The only issues on an OBD2 car are: cruise control, reverse light and clutch pedal sensor. Please post if you know otherwise.

[sikbrik]

From what I've seen on the other thread, the cruise control situation isn't altogether "fixed" but there is a "patch" to make it work. No biggie.
There is a lot of talk about OBDII cars setting an engine code which WILL happen if the engine computer no longer "sees" the automatic trans. There's at least 4 posts about the problem and I've verified it with the dealer. The car will run fine, just won't pass inspection in some places because of the CEL and associated tranny codes.

[carloselloconyc]

I checked out that zionzville link but it only has kits for 6 cylinder bmws where can I check out some stuff for the ti.

[sikbrik]

The six cylinder swap kit will work. You just need to let Zionsville know it's going into a ti. All the E36 trannies bolt to all the E36 engines.
www.bmrparts.com sells kits, too.
So does theeurodepot.com/

[s0ulz]

hello, i've found a 97' ti for a great price ($6300) but the only problem on it is that its auto transmission... i'm wondering if anyone has finished converting theirs to manual trans? if so, roughly how much would it cost for parts and labor? thanks.

[1996 328ti]

hello, i've found a 97' ti for a great price ($6300) but the only problem on it is that its auto transmission... i'm wondering if anyone has finished converting theirs to manual trans? if so, roughly how much would it cost for parts and labor? thanks.You are better off finding a ti with a manual.

[DustenT]

I haven't started my conversion yet, but the cost of my parts is well over $2k. But then again I got a LSD too. I bought as much new stuff as I could. I suppose you could probably do the swap for less then $1000 if you got used parts. The swap itself is pretty straight forward. If you have a manual tranny you end up dropping the tranny to replace the clutch, so it's all meant to come apart easily. The wiring and pedal/clutch setup is really easy too. Go for it if you can do it yourself. If you have a shop do it you will probably pay through the ass.

[sikbrik]

I have to agree, after all of my research, with 328ti...far better off finding one with a manual trans already. That's what I did...sold my auto and it's got a great home. Found a nice 5-spd Cali top. I mean, I'm glad I didn't sink $2500 into my auto ti since I'm ending up with a different car anyway. Even if you could do it for $1500, imagine how much nicer the car you buy would be if you spent $7500 - $8000 instead of $6000. Or you could just buy my '97 ti that's for sale in the "For Sale" forum ;}

[myavus318ti]

i've also been going back and forth with the idea of replacing my auto trans with a manual. I love my car, and I am only the second owner, and I know everything that has been replaced/fixed...etc. This weekend, I'm going to do a compression/leakdown test and see how good of a shape my engine is in, to determine if I should keep the engine and supercharge, or do a motor swap.

[myblueTI]

I think that getting a new Ti with a manual is the best idea because it would be a lot of time and effort into a project that really has no need for it. Just wait till you find a ti with a manual :2gun:

[DustenT]

It's not that much work to swap the transmission. Selling a car is a lot of work, finding a good car that isn't beat to hell is even harder. I did the tranny swap in under 20 hours. How much time would you have to put into selling your car and finding a new one, and how much is your time worth. I guess some people look at it differently...

[CirrusSR22]

In the process of researching this project, I created a parts (check)list. I thought it might be helpful to some of you. It's kind of a work in progress, so there maybe many errors.

http://www.geocities.com/threeiswee/swap.htm

[sikbrik]

I've got a nice set of pedals if anyone needs them. $25 plus shipping. Bought them for the conversion I had planned but then bought a 5-spd ti instead.

Also, check out my 5-spd ti for sale in PA listed under the "For Sale" section. Thanks!

[1995bmw318ti]

i have a 1995 318ti... eurodepot quoted me 1500 for everything cuz they dont have kits ready and theyd have to make one for me, and zionsville quoted me 1800, however it comes with absolutely everything. my uncle works for bmw and can do the swap so labors not a problem... anyone recommend which one i should get? im thinking about just buying the zionsville one cuz it seems like they were more educated about it. eurodepot said itd take a month to put together and zionsville could do it in a week. please let me know what you guys think. thanks- marc

[1995bmw318ti]

I checked out that zionzville link but it only has kits for 6 cylinder bmws where can I check out some stuff for the ti.



if you call them up and tell them what kind of car you have they will tell you if they have the kit. if not they will make one for you.

[Phamster]

Just buy a complete reck car, you'll save a lot of money. And plus you'll get a inline6 with it also if you haven't done the swap already. Got everything you need!

[318tiv8]

If you decide to i have a 5spd out of a 97ti with 117.000kms on it and everything to install(clutch flywheel shifter and slave) except for the pedals that i needed for the t-56 i put in place of the 5spd... Dont no where you are located but i will sell it all for 500$ + shipping

[Turboready]

Guys I would have thought many guys would have documented the use of a drive line from a 318i unless it would not work.

I have a buddy with a 95 318i m42 auto that I would like to convert to manual. I am researching the possibility of using the drive line from a 92 4 door 5 speed 318i.

So far it looks like everything will work except the drive shaft and diff. Did anyone try this swap? I think the drive shaft halves might be interchangeable. The ti is shorter than the 318i.

Please post info regarding this.

Thanks.

[tiFreak]

I think I remember hearing someone say they used a coupe or sedan driveshaft in their ti, can't remember who

[yoda]

Has anyone ever tried or is there any 6 speed tranny that would fit the ti?

Just curious.....it would be cool though:cool:

[tiFreak]

the euro spec M3's had a 6-spd, not sure if it will fit but I think all E36 trannies fit all E36 engines

[Phamster]

If you're upgrading to a getreg or zf tranny, get the get the drive with it. If you are getting a regular Ti tranny then i don't know about that. I know if you get a ZF tranny the drive shaft from it should work. My setup is the ZF tranny. I had to extended the shaft just a half inch to make the correct length.