M50 conversion into 318ti auto???
 

Morning guys.

I've got a customer wanting a 2.5 M50 engine fitted to his E36 compact 318ti...

My mechanic offered to change his setup to manual, but at a much higher cost... If i kept his std gearbox would i just need to get the correct chip for the 413 DME???


I'll have a look on ebay for a 413 (red label) 325 'auto' ecu... but any help/advice will be greatly appreciated.



Nick

What model year is the ti and donor car?

I assume (reading between the lines) the M50 car is a manaul?

My swap manual will help you A LOT, but if it is a 95 or earlier, it's reasonably straight forward...

right, the donor car will more than likely have come from a manual vehicle. the vehicle i want to fit the engine to is a 318ti 1998 M44 engine AUTO...

i just want to know whether it is possible to keep the auto tranny and run the 2.5 engine with his original gearbox (like i did with my 318ti M44 1997 manual vehicle).

To keep it "simple" you want an auto DME and transmission EGS with the wiring harness in tact, ideally from the same model year as the ti it is going into (and all modules from the same donor car to limit other problems). The engine itself doesn't matter much (other than mechanical bits such as flywheel etc. as you know).

This will make it virtually plug-n-play (although it NEVER goes that smoothly).

The DME is different as you know; however the wiring harness is also different between auto and manual cars to support the tranny connections and EGS module.

So you could get 'any' good engine, and then a harness, DME and EGS from a 'blown up' auto car and be on your way.

EDIT: Also, I am unsure if the M44 tranny is OK for the M50. PROBABLY, but I think the M50 ran a diffeent tranny (it WILL 'bolt up', but may not handle the extra torque??). I am not "up" on the auto parts so please excuse my ignorance on the subject, just speculation...

Driveshaft (propshaft) will have to change as well I'm sure

my M44 box and prop etc is just lovely.... the diff is crap, i'll admit - the ratio is awful...

i have got the correct gearbox for my car - i just couldn't be arsed fitting it when i done my conversion. mine was OBD2 and the M50 was OBD1 - i had a little headache getting it to crank and spark, so i just ripped out the immobiliser (as was the advice from a BMW breaker yard near my house) and took turns licking and twisting the wires until it started!

:)


i'll search for an auto ecu and complete harness


thanks again pal

I was not referring to the condition; but rather the length of the propshaft. When you go to an M50 from the M44, the tranny mount relocates and the propshaft is (technically) too long. It will probably work fine, but you should get the right one for best long-term durability.