M3 Brake Upgrade/Master Cylinder Issues
 

As many of you already know, I'm doing an M3 brake conversion along with my engine swap. Although most people who do the brake conversion often use the stock 318ti master cylinder & ABS pump, it is recommended to upgrade the master cylinder as well since the M3 calipers push more fluid through them. There's probably no problem with running the stock Ti master cylinder, perhaps slightly a little more strain on the unit itself??? Anyway, my 318ti is a '97 sport and my donor M3 is a '98 coupe. Since I have the complete donor, I figured I'd do a proper upgrade and include the master cylinder.

318ti(left) M3(right):
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/a...i/CIMG3427.jpg

318ti:
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/a...i/CIMG3428.jpg

M3:
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/a...i/CIMG3429.jpg

Here in lies the problem. The two units when installed on their appropriate ABS pumps are in fact interchangable. They bolt right up. However, I had hoped to install the M3's master cylinder/reservior onto my Ti's ABS pump. The first thing I noticed is that the Ti's master cylinder/reservior only has 2 lines going into it while the M3's has 4 lines.

318ti:
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/a...i/CIMG3434.jpg

M3:
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/a...i/CIMG3432.jpg

So this raises the question, is the M3 ABS pump plug and play with the Ti? Probably not, so I plan on swapping out the Ti's ABS controller as well. Upon closer investigation, looking at the connectlors on the two units shows that they both have the same number of wires and the pins are located in the exact same positions. However, I doubt that the Ti's controller will recognize the M3's ABS pump. Hopefully using the M3's ABS controller in conjunction with the M3's ABS pump will alleviate any problems that may occur as opposed to mixing and matching the two.

318ti connector:
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/a...i/CIMG3436.jpg

M3 connector:
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/a...i/CIMG3435.jpg

Overhead view of the two units:
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/a...i/CIMG3437.jpg

Besides upgrading the brakes/master cylinder/ABS pump & controller, I also plan on deleting the ASC. Which brings up the second problem. The ASC and ABS systems are linked together as they work hand in hand. So, I was thinking about removing the ASC valve downstream of the MAF(I already have a boot from a non-ASC equipped car). I also plan on removing the ASC actuator, ASC controller and the ASC relay altogether. I don't really care about an ASC light as I'll simply remove the bulb from the cluster. However, I do want my ABS to function properly and hopefully not display a fault code and/or light.

Any thoughts? Has anyone that has done the swap encountered similar issues? What was your solution? Thanks for your support guys, help me get this beast on the road!

Just in case anyone wants to do this upgrade, the pump(part#34512228226) is only $1579.25 at pelicanparts, the master cylinder(part#34312227466) is $499.75, reservior(part#34322228163) $170.50, and the ABS/ASC controller(part#34521164023) is only $963.25.

3212.75:eek:

what a bargain, you can get a whole M3 parts car for less than that :lol:

That's exactly where I was going next, If you plan on upgrading your brakes, you might as well do an engine swap as well:biggrin:

Should I polish my $500 master cylinder?:tongue:

so your retaining 318ti abs pump? I believe they are the same, did you cross ref the part numbers??

I need a pump ;)

I'm gonna try using the M3 ABS pump, master cylinder/reservior and ABS/ASC controller. The problem with mixing and matching the two setups is that the M3 master cylinder has 4 lines going to it while the 318ti master cylinder only has 2. And since I don't think the 318ti ABS/ASC controller will recognize the M3's pump, I'm gonna go ahead and swap that out as well. I did do a cross referrence and the M3's pump only comes on M3's while the 318ti's pump comes back to basically all e36's. They did offer different pumps for different years though, so you'ld have to make sure it's compatible with your model year. In my case, I'm not even certain that the M3 setup will work without displaying a fault code or ABS light. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that since I'm using all components off of the same car that it should work.

good luck jess. :biggrin:

Thanks Marv.

Hey, You installed M3 calipers on your ti, did you use the M3 master cylinder?

yup. sure did. everything was swapped over. i didnt do it myself since im not as mechanical as you or my uncle. but i did help out. we swapped the entire thing since we also did a transmission swap too. so yeah.... oh, i think i found a place with cross drilled rear rotors too.

So you're running the M3's master cylinder/reservior, ABS pump, and ABS/ASC controller? Does your car have an ABS light or any issues with braking? That's what I'm gonna do as long as you're not having any issues. LMK, it's been bugging me for a couple days now, lol.

umm that i know of yeah. i wasnt able to help out the entire time since i had to work. but all the ti stuff is on the shelves so i'm assuming yes. No ABS light but do have the ASC light on since the wiring is different than of the ti so i dont have it. no troubles braking.

Awesome man, that's exactly what i was hoping to hear. Thanks again bro!

for those looking for a swap w/o the master cyl and just the calipers .


they will bolt right up . so all you need is calipers and rotors?

you'll need the carriers too