E36 Tranny Swap

[gwumpkus]

am about to embark on this...so far, have sourced out a gearbox from an E30 M40 engine...and scouring for all associated parts...[thanks bob!]some qns for the gurus out there.- will the E30 gearbox fit ? i reckon that the bell housing will fit...though the E36 gearbox is a little different...- anyone done this before? and has a comprehensive list of items req'd? as far as i know:- gearbox- drive shaft- LSD- final drive- pedal assy- shifter assy........anything else i missed out pls? quite excited to embark on this.. appreciate any help gurus here can offer..cheers man!michael

 

[teejay]

kuskus,

can you specify the model you have E36 4 cy or 6 cy?

i'm not sure if the autogearbox ECU gives signal to the DME, if yes, then have to somehow bypass wirings, probably a ground cable or sub loop to somewhere esle


have you found the gearbox ?
which year or model is it from? or you can be more specific and jot the serial model number......240 XXX 220 XXX, 260,XXX etc

other items to source
-gearbox mounting
-gearbox mounting rubbers
-gearbox linkage

.................................................
-master clutch cylinder reservoir
-master clutch cylinder pipings
-slave clutch pump( shud be on gb, if not need 1)
-pippings from master clutch to slave
.................................................
these shud come complete with pedal assembly, if not have to get part by part

LSD = final drive, if you can find one LSD better still, make sure you are aware of your ratios too

 

[gwumpkus]

hi teejay,

mines a 4-pot E36 318i.. the gearbox is from an '89 E30 318i (Bob's!)..not sure of the exact serial no. though..will find out soon enough i hope..

up to'90, the gearboxes listed comes under TWO different serial nos though...confusing...

- 23001220986
- 23001222035 (according to the online ETK, this is the one thats available ...)

any idea about this pls?

the autotrans DOES send signals to the DME via a computer module EGS i believe..seems like i gotta tie that up somehow...

if anyone's got parts that might b helpful to this "project" do let me know.. also, any advice from the experts here is more than welcomed!!..i DIY a fair bit, but this is prob the biggest proj i've ever done...makes a top end overhaul look like a filter-change!!....hehheh..

 

[teejay]

bmw changes part numbers due to several reasons, but mostly its the same thing.....even if just one part different, the whole part number changes

only way is too look at the alpha numeric part stamp on the box itself

which year and model is your engine m40,m42?

to change the GB, you will need 4 jack stands, 2 pieces of 1.5 tonnes jack

suggest you change the oil before lifting it up, i'm not sure about E36 body rear differential box, but you'll need a complete set of tools, ratchet, box spanars, etc and strong hands to hold it in place and bolt everything up

my hats off to you as you really have the guts to pull this off.....

 

[fabianyee]

the gearbox can fit but the long shaft how???? gearbox mounting oso need to check...

and u got to check whether the ratio is compatible with ur final drive...
If ur final drive is 4.10 now then no problem...

FYI, the E30 manualbox Getrag 240 seem to be more durable then the one used on the E36 318i, I think it's codenamed Getrag 250..

 

[teejay]

other possible thing to check is if the older 240 box will fit into later e36 m40 engines, as there maybe angle issues

if angle is not 100% fit, then mountings,linkages and rubber bushes may have to be customised

 

[gwumpkus]

Originally posted by teejay@May 5 2005, 11:57 PM
bmw changes part numbers due to several reasons, but mostly its the same thing.....even if just one part different, the whole part number changes

only way is too look at the alpha numeric part stamp on the box itself

which year and model is your engine m40,m42?

to change the GB, you will need 4 jack stands, 2 pieces of 1.5 tonnes jack

suggest you change the oil before lifting it up, i'm not sure about E36 body rear differential box, but you'll need a complete set of tools, ratchet, box spanars, etc and strong hands to hold it in place and bolt everything up

my hats off to you as you really have the guts to pull this off.....

mine is the '92 M40 engine block...

this is admittedly a daunting proj...!hehhe.. its crazy man.. but i think once i get started on it..theres no backing out of it!!!..hahha..

i was also worreid about the drive shaft fitment ...dunno whther the E30 driveshaft will fit...no doubt some customisation is in order..

any ideas how to determin the final drive ratios on my car? i dun see any indication on the ETK etc leh..

thanx guys...its nice to know i'm "supported" here by your wealth of knowledge.. so in fact its YOUR project as well in a sense..

cheers!

michael

 

[Zoggee]

Originally posted by gwumpkus+May 5 2005, 09:34 PM-->QUOTE (gwumpkus @ May 5 2005, 09:34 PM)

 

[gwumpkus]

ok...found out that the '92 E36 M40 has a final drive of 4.44 for autotrans version. do u guys reckon that its ok to be retained? the manual version is 3.38 though...

fabian: u reckon 4.10 is the "ideal"?.. sounds rather tall gearing for a MANUAL car..4.XX..

sorry guys...this final drive thing is someting i've nevr quite gotten to grips with!!...hehheh..

Zoggee:..i know what u mean.... hehhe.. either way, i'm doing both the research and the "acquisition" of parts first before i get my (or my mech's!!)hands dirty...

alternatively... does anyone know a good workshp there that might be able to do this?..

excited man...

cheers!

 

[Zoggee]

Gwumpkus...aya..!!ur name very hard to type la.. :huh:

The rear diff ratio is okay...used 4.10..dun wurry :yes:

do you have the shifting parts ah...!!?? here is a picture for ur references..

 

[Zoggee]

 

[Zoggee]

attached is the Drive Shaft (Swivel Joint) for E36...not E30 ah..!!

Part no: 26 111 434 254

 

[Zoggee]

E36 M40B18i Drive shaft center bearing universal joint.

 

[fabianyee]

the 5th gear ratio for the E36 manual is 1.00 where as the E30 manual box is 0.81. but 4.44 would be great for acceleration....

 

[gwumpkus]

Originally posted by fabianyee@May 6 2005, 02:02 PM
the 5th gear ratio for the E36 manual is 1.00 where as the E30 manual box is 0.81. but 4.44 would be great for acceleration....

eh...ok..i confused a bit har..

chotto matte yo...

my auto box is 4 speed ....how will this affect the new manual tranny which is 5-spd har?.....does it eman that the final drive can be retained??.....yippee aye o!!...saves me the TROUBLE of finding another one man!!!!!!!...ahhahh..so all i need is a driveshaft!!!



thanx for the diagrams!!..from the TIS/ETK cd har?..
i have it also.....hehhe...must start digging deeper into it leow...

thanx again guys...

 

[gwumpkus]

Originally posted by Zoggee@May 6 2005, 01:51 PM
attached is the Drive Shaft (Swivel Joint) for E36...not E30 ah..!!

Part no: 26 111 434 254

this part...connects between the output flange of gearbox and the final drive is it?..i'm confused cos the exploded view of the universal joint doesnt seem to fit anywhere!!!..hahhha..

 

[Zoggee]

my advise la...just send it to ur mechanic to do the conversion.!! then you won't get confuse.

 

[teejay]

if you can get measurements of the E30 manual longshaft, and compare it with the E36 manual longhaft, then go for the E36

i believe the joints at the rear differential are different for both E30 and E36, thus not interchangeable

if you use the E30 longshaft, it has to be customised, else, you have to use a longer E36 shaft, measure and cut and join back

since i am not familiar with the E36 rear differential, i don't have confirmation if the E30 longshaft can be used

as you dig deeper, more things turn up, i didnt think of it at first......we'll help you dig more

 

[gwumpkus]

Originally posted by Zoggee@May 6 2005, 05:45 PM
my advise la...just send it to ur mechanic to do the conversion.!! then you won't get confuse.

zog-ster,

u're right lah brudder... but before i send it in, i also wanna be sure i know as much as possible!.... thats just *me* lah....hehhe.. i wanna be able to go thru at least the concepts, and the main steps in the whole process, jsut so that i can tell the mechs whatever they may need to know... either way, this can only be good for me!!..hahhah..

seems like its a job best left to a workshop...no doubts... so i'm concentrating on getting the parts first, and then knowing exactly what to do with them!!..

and u guys are really a great help man...i hope to finish the "project" and drive it proudly to one of your TT's man...

hehheh

 

[gwumpkus]

Originally posted by teejay@May 6 2005, 10:01 PM
if you can get measurements of the E30 manual longshaft, and compare it with the E36 manual longhaft, then go for the E36

i believe the joints at the rear differential are different for both E30 and E36, thus not interchangeable

if you use the E30 longshaft, it has to be customised, else, you have to use a longer E36 shaft, measure and cut and join back

since i am not familiar with the E36 rear differential, i don't have confirmation if the E30 longshaft can be used

as you dig deeper, more things turn up, i didnt think of it at first......we'll help you dig more

hmm..i thought so too..that eventually i'd have to start digging up info on the physical measurements!! hahha... looks like a trip the the yard..

first ..gotta find the part no's first.. hehheh..

i guess at this point of the discussion. hving more or less determnined that the gearbox will "mate" with the bell housing of the M40..

that the only variable is the drive shaft...and how it will mate to the Final drive.. after that..i guess its about how to fix the who she-bang into the car! (the kinda projects i get myself into!!!..hahhah..)

thanx u guys... i'll be asking many questions as we go along.. i beg ur patience..hahhh

cheers!!