Seeking - advice from the experts

[daves-ti]

Originally Posted by cooljess76

BTW Dave, unless the car is an M Z3 coupe or M Z3 roadster, it has a 2.8L M52. If it is an M, it'll have a 3.2L S52. The best way to tell is to look at the back of the engine. On the cylinder head, you'll see a VIN tag. If it starts with "WBA", it's not an M, therefore it's more than likely a 2.8L M52. If it starts with "WBS", it is an M, therefore it's a 3.2L S52. There's about a 50hp difference, so make sure you're getting what you're paying for. Also, the VIN on the back of the engine should be the same as the VIN on the car. If the guy claims a suspiciously low mileage, you may want to run a carfax just to make sure he's not ripping you off.

Thanks cooljess..! The company is local to me, they apparently did run a carfax on the engine as it came from an insurance auction.. And he did say it was definitely a 3.2 6cyl. out of a '98 Z3 / 35K miles. Looking online it looks like that's an x52 motor.

[Uber E30]

Do you happen to have the VIN?

[daves-ti]

Originally Posted by Uber E30

Do you happen to have the VIN?

I'm calling him now to find out just that.. Thanks..!

[Uber E30]

If you want to post it or PM it to me I will run an autocheck for you.

[cooljess76]

Originally Posted by daves-ti

Sounds like I need someone to take my car, fix it, and give it back to me with an invoice and full tank of gas. ha..!

I'm definitely not a mechanic (I'm a photographer) - I have NO clue what all those letters and codes and rings and transmitters and whatever else are that you guys are talking about..! haha..!

I'm a pretty handy and capable guy, but I know I can't pull an engine out of a car and re-install another one. I approached my mechanic today and he said "whoa, that's a big job, there's a lot that goes into swapping an engine like that. The cost will probably be double what you expect it to be after it's all over. ". Sounds like he's not interested, he now wants to sell me his '98 CLK430 with 140K. Don't think I'm going to go that route though considering a headlight bulb is $130 for that car.

Do any of you guys know a mechanic in the Boston / CT area who can do something like this..?

It's not as difficult as it seems. People get all freaked out about EWS and there's only 3 small components that have to be swapped. The first is the DME. This is also known as the ECU(engine control unit) and it's located in a compartment on the firewall behind the battery. You need to swap the DME anyway because it manages the engine. The DME had a code in it that has to match the two other components. The second component is called an EWS module. The EWS module is a small plastic box located behind the glove compartment. It unplugs easily and fits in the palm of your hand. And the last component is called a transponder chip. This is a small nugget about half the size of a dime located inside of the key. Take a utility knife or razor blade and pry the key open. It just unsnaps and you'll see the transponder chip held in place with a rubbery adhesive. Pop the transponder chip out and stick it in your original key. That's it! Those three things are coded together from the factory and must all three come from the same vehicle. Don't worry about those other two things. Forget about them. LEAVE THE ANTENNA RING AND EWS TRANSMITTER ALONE! Your old ones will work just fine. It's not confusing at all, but people always seem to make it out to be.

BTW, I think you might have missed my previous post as you were probably typing when I posted it. If so, go back and read it as it will help you identify which engine you're getting.

[cooljess76]

Originally Posted by daves-ti

Thanks cooljess..! The company is local to me, they apparently did run a carfax on the engine as it came from an insurance auction.. And he did say it was definitely a 3.2 6cyl. out of a '98 Z3 / 35K miles. Looking online it looks like that's an x52 motor.

There's no such thing as an x52. It's either an M52 or an S52 and there's a big difference between the two. An M52 is a 2.8L and an S52 is a 3.2L. It's not marked anywhere on the car or engine, so unless you know what to look for, there's no way to tell. That's why I said check the VIN sticker on the back of the cylinder head. Most people don't know schit about BMW's and they'll either make stuff up or tell you whatever you want to hear. ESPECIALLY people who are in the business of purchasing cars at auction. Are you just going to trust some guy and hand him 3 grand because he told you he ran a carfax? Take Alex up on his offer and PM him the VIN

[daves-ti]

Ok, just got off the phone with the guy (company) who has the engine.. It's a 3.2L / 6cyl out of a '98 Z3. He didn't have the s52 or m52 designation, but did give me the VIN - WBSCK9338WLC85907. He said it does come with the wiring harness still attached which is good news.

HOWEVER - He did say it will not fit my stock '96 318 transmission because the 3.2L motors only came with manual transmissions and my car is an automatic. He said I could modify my car to accept a manual trans, but of course that's more $$$$.

You guys agree..?

[daves-ti]

Originally Posted by cooljess76

There's no such thing as an x52. It's either an M52 or an S52 and there's a big difference between the two. An M52 is a 2.8L and an S52 is a 3.2L. It's not marked anywhere on the car or engine, so unless you know what to look for, there's no way to tell. That's why I said check the VIN sticker on the back of the cylinder head. Most people don't know schit about BMW's and they'll either make stuff up or tell you whatever you want to hear. Are you just going to trust some guy and hand him 3 grand because he told you he ran a carfax? Take Alex up on his offer and PM him the VIN

haha.. that was a typo, sorry cooljess..! I meant s52.

[Uber E30]

http://www.lincolndealer.com/CPO/Aut...7#full-history

[cooljess76]

Originally Posted by daves-ti

Ok, just got off the phone with the guy (company) who has the engine.. It's a 3.2L / 6cyl out of a '98 Z3. He didn't have the s52 or m52 designation, but did give me the VIN - WBSCK9338WLC85907. He said it does come with the wiring harness still attached which is good news.

HOWEVER - He did say it will not fit my stock '96 318 transmission because the 3.2L motors only came with manual transmissions and my car is an automatic. He said I could modify my car to accept a manual trans, but of course that's more $$$$.

You guys agree..?

Ok, that VIN is definitely an M coupe or roadster so yes, we're correct in it being an S52. However, the guy is still full of crap because ANY E36 ENGINE WILL BOLT UP TO ANY E36 TRANSMISSION. Furthermore, that's BS because plenty of M3's came with automatic transmissions. Not sure about Z3 M coupes and M roadsters, but it's the same engine that the M3's came with. If you want to keep your car automatic, you can use your old tranny, torque converter and flywheel. That's what I meant about non-BMW enthusiasts not knowing what they're talking about and making stuff up. You see it a lot on ebay, sellers telling people that certain parts are compatible and such.

[Uber E30]

Looks legit, do you mind me asking how much they are charging you? Just want to make sure you arent overpaying. Also if they are going to penny grab for stuff like harness/DME/EWS module dont bother with those they are for sale all day on BFC.

[daves-ti]

thanks guys.. good info.
they're asking 3499 and it includes the harness and I think he said a few other things - It's a company called nationwide - http://www.nationwidear.com/.

I'm sure about the not knowing the specifics, but your'e saying the stock trans will handle the 3.2 6cyl no problem as it's built for a 1.9 4cyl..?

[daves-ti]

I'm starting a photo shoot in a few minutes.. I'll be back later. Thanks again guys..!! HUGE help..!

[Uber E30]

Originally Posted by daves-ti

thanks guys.. good info.
they're asking 3499 and it includes the harness and I think he said a few other things - It's a company called nationwide - http://www.nationwidear.com/.

I'm sure about the not knowing the specifics, but your'e saying the stock trans will handle the 3.2 6cyl no problem as it's built for a 1.9 4cyl..?

Thats actually a pretty fair price for an s52 with only 35k. As far as the tranny goes I cant speak to it being able to hold the power, but it will definitely bolt right up.

[cooljess76]

3500 is really steep for just the motor and harness. The only reason it might be worth that much is if the mileage is legitimately 35k. Make sure you get the DME, key chip, and EWS module from that car. Tranny should hold fine, but you'll definitely want to upgrade to a medium case differential. See if you could get him to throw in the diff, it'll bolt up to the ti. Regular e36 diffs won't.