mender Posted April 14, 2017 Report Share Posted April 14, 2017 Okay, this is for my son, so forget that I have a Fiero. How much work is involved with swappng out the engine in a 2004 325ci for a same year 330i engine? Electronics, ecu, wiring, reflash, etc? He likes the fuel economy but wants more power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDChristianson Posted April 14, 2017 Report Share Posted April 14, 2017 you really asked how much work to do an LSx swap right? 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enginerd Posted April 14, 2017 Report Share Posted April 14, 2017 17 minutes ago, mender said: Okay, this is for my son, so forget that I have a Fiero. How much work is involved with swappng out the engine in a 2004 325ci for a same year 330i engine? Electronics, ecu, wiring, reflash, etc? He likes the fuel economy but wants more power. More work than selling the 325 and buying a 330... Less fun than selling the 325 and buying one of the newer turbocharged models... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron_e Posted April 14, 2017 Report Share Posted April 14, 2017 Just throw a turbo on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mender Posted April 14, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2017 It may get a turbo later as well ... So has someone tried this? Not plug and play from the sound of it despite same engine series and year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElectricGold Posted April 15, 2017 Report Share Posted April 15, 2017 BMW are like Lego's. Engine will drop right in, can use the same wiring harness but will need to get the ECU mapped for the 3.0. There are a number of threads on the process on sites like e46fanatics.com (not a fan of the forum generally though).. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mender Posted April 15, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2017 Yeah, found a thread on there. Some claims about using the 325 injectors, ECU and MAF to avoid a tune. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakks Posted April 16, 2017 Report Share Posted April 16, 2017 Auto or manual? Either way, throw a different diff in it. Even my street car(323ci) feels totally different with the 3.38 in it now instead of the 3.07. Gas mileage suffered about 2mpg street, but highway not so much. The higher revs aren't all that bad either. If it is an auto then find a 3.64. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wyatt Posted April 17, 2017 Report Share Posted April 17, 2017 If you want a big power and cheap (well for BMW) sell the e46 and get a e36 325i (m50) and slap a turbo on it. It's an iron block with a very nice rod ratio and being a 2.5 it has a smaller bore than the s50/52 which means more cylinder wall thickness. You're welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mender Posted April 23, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2017 Picked up a 2004 330i ZHP engine with 6 speed manual attached today ... to repeat a phrase, "and now it begins". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mender Posted April 23, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2017 (edited) Now the questions ... Looking to do a low pressure turbo and am wondering what hp level will result in hurt parts in these components: 1. 330i engine 2. ZF 6 speed manual transmission 3. Stock 325i diff and axles/flanges, etc. Edited April 23, 2017 by mender Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron_e Posted April 23, 2017 Report Share Posted April 23, 2017 1 hour ago, mender said: Now the questions ... Looking to do a low pressure turbo... Soooo, is the nitrous discussion next? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mender Posted April 24, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2017 (edited) Nope, nitrous requires refilling. I just figured that all these BMW guys must be onto something ... Edited April 24, 2017 by mender Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron_e Posted April 24, 2017 Report Share Posted April 24, 2017 48 minutes ago, mender said: Nope, nitrous requires refilling. So does the gas tank... and the difference is? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Technical Advisory Committee Chris Huggins Posted April 24, 2017 Technical Advisory Committee Report Share Posted April 24, 2017 I'm no expert on the m54 but I believe the head bolts are a very weak link. Would suggest upgrading to studs, mls gasket, etc before approaching boost. also, cooling systems on them are super cheesy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mender Posted April 24, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2017 (edited) 10 hours ago, Ron_e said: So does the gas tank... and the difference is? You can't use waste exhaust energy to harvest hydrocarbons from the atmosphere. Edited April 24, 2017 by mender Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBgotM Posted April 24, 2017 Report Share Posted April 24, 2017 Nick at Technique Tuning tuned my car, and is well known for his quality work and turbo kits. Perhaps you could get a little baseline info from his listing for a 2004 330i ZHP w/ manual trans... http://www.techniquetuning.com/e46zhpman.html 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandit Posted May 4, 2017 Report Share Posted May 4, 2017 On 4/24/2017 at 6:00 AM, Huggy said: I'm no expert on the m54 but I believe the head bolts are a very weak link. Would suggest upgrading to studs, mls gasket, etc before approaching boost. also, cooling systems on them are super cheesy. Replaced the entire cooling system on mine after reading the horror stories. Then sold the car. Ran a OBD II app on my phone to see the actual temps when driving it as the cooling system is so sketchy and prone to failure. Btw Most know, but modern cars don't show the real temp on the gauge. The BMW would vary 35 degrees or so and the needle never moved. My Avalanche sits resolutely on 210 when it's generally around 190. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enginerd Posted May 4, 2017 Report Share Posted May 4, 2017 52 minutes ago, Bandit said: The BMW would vary 35 degrees or so and the needle never moved. BMW seems to have this attitude about the information they send to the driver.... "hey, you don't need to know the actual temperature... you don't need to know if the car is 20 degrees hotter than it was yesterday... all you need to know is that it's still in the acceptable operation range, and if it is, the needle will stay about in the middle". My 2010 BMW takes it a step further. There is no water temp gauge! "Hey... driver... I know how hot I'm running... you don't need to know.... if engine starts overheating, I'll let you know". In fact, it's not possible to overheat that car. If water temp gets too high it opens the turbo wastegate, cuts power, and limits top speed. If temp keeps climbing after that, the engine shuts off. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandit Posted May 4, 2017 Report Share Posted May 4, 2017 You don't need to check your oil on the newer ones either. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBgotM Posted May 4, 2017 Report Share Posted May 4, 2017 14 hours ago, enginerd said: BMW seems to have this attitude about the information they send to the driver.... "hey, you don't need to know the actual temperature... you don't need to know if the car is 20 degrees hotter than it was yesterday... all you need to know is that it's still in the acceptable operation range, and if it is, the needle will stay about in the middle". My 2010 BMW takes it a step further. There is no water temp gauge! "Hey... driver... I know how hot I'm running... you don't need to know.... if engine starts overheating, I'll let you know". In fact, it's not possible to overheat that car. If water temp gets too high it opens the turbo wastegate, cuts power, and limits top speed. If temp keeps climbing after that, the engine shuts off. My '99 M Roadster came with 3 gauges in the center of the dash: Clock, Voltmeter, Oil Temp. I used to run the car hard in warm weather and had to be careful because the gauge didn't really move until you got about 240F. I used to get my oil well over 260F at the track. I wanted real information about the car, not so much a clock, so I made some changes... My car as it sits today (picture below) has: Water Temp, Oil Pressure, Oil Temp 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.thumb.jpg.4eaf366bd4289a6d17fae7b8077343a1.jpg)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.