Auto-to-Manual Question

[Micaoct]

Hey guys,
I have found a guy selling a M42 engine (1991) with manual transmission and he said he is willing to separate the transmission and sell it individually. It comes with everything required; clutch, pressure plate, flywheel, hard/soft lines, master and slave clutch cylinders, etc. I really want to switch my transmission to a manual and plan on doing it myself as a project this summer. I've read that most all e36 transmission will fit but I wanted to check if this is good, especially since it is a '91. Will the drive shaft/transmission fit okay and will I run into any issues? It would be ~$350 for the kit.

Thank you, I appreciate any responses,
Octavian

[Marv17]

No, you will need to switch out the drive shaft connecting from the tranny to the mid section out. Try and ask if the guy has that as well or else you will have to look for one to make it work.
Also, i'm not sure if this is possible 100%, but try to see if you can get your hands on a manual engine harness. Reason being is that i've heard and seen guys with auto's in the first place that switch to manual have issues with the ECU trying to locate the transmission which later does not allow them to pass smog.
best of luck.

[PrimeTimeSlime]

I am preparing to do the same swap. you'll need a new differential unless you dont mind super high revs and low top speed. I'm upgrading to LSD just for ****s

[Micaoct]

Awesome, I believe he still has the drive shaft as well so I will try to get that. If not I will look for another 318 at a junkyard with a drive shaft that I can use. If I manage to pick up the kit from him and all goes well I will look for a LSD too, should be a good upgrade from an open diff. I have until July 8th to gather all the parts and information I need, then the fun begins! Thanks for the responses!

I don't really want to mess with the engine harness at this point, I am still pretty new to this and in uncharted territory. I am in Portland for the summer and this is going to be my challenge for the summer. I will try to straighten the computer issues but if it fails I will just register the car back in North Dakota where I go to school because there is no smog check there.

[PrimeTimeSlime]

Originally Posted by Micaoct

Awesome, I believe he still has the drive shaft as well so I will try to get that. If not I will look for another 318 at a junkyard with a drive shaft that I can use. If I manage to pick up the kit from him and all goes well I will look for a LSD too, should be a good upgrade from an open diff. I have until July 8th to gather all the parts and information I need, then the fun begins! Thanks for the responses!

I don't really want to mess with the engine harness at this point, I am still pretty new to this and in uncharted territory. I am in Portland for the summer and this is going to be my challenge for the summer. I will try to straighten the computer issues but if it fails I will just register the car back in North Dakota where I go to school because there is no smog check there.

Yea, I have one more part to get and I'll be ready to begin. Make sure you get a diff from an e30 or a 318ti, NOT an e36, it wont fit. I came really close to making that $250 mistake. There is a really good writeup by CirrusSR22 that shows how to jumper the wires to get the reverse lights to work.

[Micaoct]

Thanks for the tip, I will keep that in mind when I am searching!

Also just to make sure before I pull the trigger, there won't be any issues with the fact that this transmission came off a M42 from 1991, which I am assuming came out of a E30, it will hook up with the M44 and fit in a 1997 Ti okay, besides the drive shaft?

And I wish you good luck on your swap PrimeTimeSlime! Hopefully we will join our manual Ti brethren soon!

[CirrusSR22]

If ND doesn't require smog testing, forget about any harness/computer work. I have a 96' (OBD II) that I swapped to a manual. There's no smog testing in MN either so I lust pulled the CEL bulb; problem solved. There's about 4 transmission related codes that will be thrown.

The above posts are correct. You will need the manual transmission driveshaft and differential. Also, don't forget the actual pedals. The pedal "carrier" is the same, you just need to clip-on the new narrow brake pedal as well as the clutch pedal. Feel free to PM with questions. Or better yet, ask here so everyone can see them. Good Luck!

Here's my swap: http://www.318ti.org/forum/showthread.php?t=25795

[Micaoct]

Thanks for the link that is going to come in really useful. I went ahead and bought the kit last night. It came with the driveshaft, and all the big pieces. I just need to pick up the clutch/brake pedal and clutch master and the soft/hard lines along with a LSD. No turning back now!

[Marv17]

you guys are sooo lucky that you don't have to worry about strict smog restrictions. i envy you sometimes. hahaha.
good luck with the swap.