'95 318ti auto to 325ti auto tranny question
 

Happy New Year Everyone,

I have a question for anyone that has a ’95 318ti auto and has swapped their M42 for an M50 (in order to keep it OBD I to OBD I), without performing a tranny swap to manual. Were you able to keep the GM 4L30-E transmission? I know it was used in E36’s until 1999, and can handle approx. 258 ft. lbs. of torque so it should be able to handle the additional power of the 6 cylinder non M engines.

I originally wanted to do an S50 swap with a manual conversion which would mean a bunch of other changes, but now after having to shell out for some major repairs, (tranny and engine) on my 330xi; I need a cheaper alternative to get the ‘95ti back on the road as a backup daily driver. I might do the tranny swap at a later date, when the finances get a bit better, 2015 was a taxing year between the house and 330xi. :smile:
I know Jim’s swap manual would probably cover this, but he’s not selling them at the moment because he’s busy. If I had originally thought about doing this as a stop gap, I would have asked his opinion when I emailed him about the manual.
Thanks,

After going through some old threads again, my question has been answered as the 4-speed auto is standard for all non-m E36s equipped with an automatic transmission. So it should be plug and play to replace the M42 with an M50 as long as I am able to source an engine with all the required accessories.

I will be doing a bit more research and would appreciate any pointers that anyone who has done the automatic M42 to M50 engine swap can give me. I'm trying to get as much info as possible, as I will not be performing the work myself and want to try and source everything needed up front.

I also wanted to know if anyone in the vicinity of Port St Lucie, FL knows of a shop that has performed any 6 cylinder swaps recently for a reasonable price.

Thanks,

yes it all fits, you will need a driveshaft and possibly different flange

Thanks for the response Hakentt,

Which drive shaft would be the best fit? I know that the auto 'ti driveshaft is 1306mm and the 325i drive shaft is shorter at 1275mm. I thought that because I would be using the 'ti transmission that I would be able to use the 'ti drive shaft.

You won't be able to use TI driveshaft

Not an answer exactly but the 6 cylinder engine/trans sits about 1"-1.5" back further in the chassis.

If you have seen the transmission support bracket with two sets of holes, this is why there are two sets of holes.

So if everything else is the same, the shift linkage and driveshaft are "shorter" on the 6 cylinder setups.

The 318ti driveshaft might seem like it will fit but you will wonder why the cooling fan keep breaking blades on the fan shroud...

Basically the driveshaft you need will be that much shorter than the one that came out...

Did everything work out? Not much info out there on swapping this tranny into TI
I'm sure its doable but is it difficult? Do you only need the drive shaft?

It has been a while but if I recall correctly, for the 6 cylinder swap, the front drive shaft section is all I needed. May just be some weird issue with this car but the entire drivetrain seems to be about 1/4" forward compared to my other E36.

This is just enough that the fan blades catch on the shroud (when braking hard or?) and jack up the shroud, fan and/or radiator.

It has happened twice and now, so just left the fan off but it gets hot in traffic so at some point I need to figure out what the issue is or add a thin electric fan kit in place of the belt driven fan.

I did this with my 96 318TI about three months ago. I used the original driveshaft from the 318 and swapped in an M52B28 from a 528i 97 model with the trans still attached. Major thing I learned was do not plug in or unplug the transmission computer with battery power to the car. Fried my first transmission computer and took about a month to figure it out. Otherwise, this is completely plug-and-play. No cutting anything except the exhaust. Also makes for the very best burn-out machine I have ever experienced. ��