Hi to all;

I know that it could be done because it happened in the past!! Putting a V8 in my E46 328ci!!
I have both E46 328 ci and 97 model E39 540i manual !! I am thinking of swapping the engine and gearbox from the E39 into the E46 and I have major questions if someone can help?

1- would the ecu from the e39 connect in my e46 ecu connector??
2- Do i need to take the power steering out from the E39 into the E46 since I the E39 power steering are smaller and the space is needed !! If so is it very complicated thing (power steering!!)

Thanks, and I know its complicated anyway , but I need experience people advice real experience people

hahahhaha, well first off u need to know that your 328i does not have a v6, in fact, no BMW does. Please learn a little more about engines before u go wanting to do an engine swap

hahahhaha, well first off u need to know that your 328i does not have a v6, in fact, no BMW does. Please learn a little more about engines before u go wanting to do an engine swap
sorry its a slip i meant the inline 6!! are you happy now??

If you want to change the 2.8i engine for the 4.0 ltr V8, you will need the V8 engine harness, ECU, Exhaust manifolds, rad, oil cooler (if fitted) G/box

Its a simple swap really, only need to change one wire and use the e39 steering wheel.

Its a simple swap really, only need to change one wire and use the e39 steering wheel.

Which wire are talking about? and is not difficult to swap the steering wheels??

Thanx man

I think you will find he is taking the mick !!!!

Which wire are talking about? and is not difficult to swap the steering wheels??

Thanx man

:rofl omg plz do not try and do this swap. You are going to have 2 ruined cars and an empty wallet

Hi to all;

I know that it could be done because it happened in the past!! Putting a V8 in my E46 328ci!!
I have both E46 328 ci and 97 model E39 540i manual !! I am thinking of swapping the engine and gearbox from the E39 into the E46 and I have major questions if someone can help?

1- would the ecu from the e39 connect in my e46 ecu connector??
2- Do i need to take the power steering out from the E39 into the E46 since I the E39 power steering are smaller and the space is needed !! If so is it very complicated thing (power steering!!)

Thanks, and I know its complicated anyway , but I need experience people advice real experience people

:confused
That was kinda hard to read, and it didn't help my headache any.

That was kinda hard to read, and it didn't help my headache any.[/quote]

Go away !! Learn how to read u retarded !!

its the black one with a yellow stripe under the dash coming out of your igntion...just cut it and put it to ground on the end that goes to the engine bay. Make sure you tape it up good as you dont want it to ground out.













?

its the black one with a yellow stripe under the dash coming out of your igntion...just cut it and put it to ground on the end that goes to the engine bay. Make sure you tape it up good as you dont want it to ground out.













?
Is that supposed to be ajoke!!!

Is that supposed to be ajoke!!!

No, he's dead serious.
Isn't it funny how easy these engine swaps can be?

And btw, wouldn't it be easy to just add the 2 cylinders to your V6, just some welding and grinding ;)

wow, just, wow at this entire thread...

No, he's dead serious.
Isn't it funny how easy these engine swaps can be?

And btw, wouldn't it be easy to just add the 2 cylinders to your V6, just some welding and grinding

Wow !! There R so many a$$ holes in here!!

it only worked the first time :shifty

yabyab, if i was you i wouldnt do that, theres much easier ways of getting the v8 power for less money and what sounds like frustration for you.

You're going to need clears for a project like this.

You're going to need clears for a project like this.
Didnt ger that (clears?)

You're going to need clears for a project like this.

:rofl omg

give the guy a break fellas.................he was looking for info. I suggest you search next time before posting questions like because it brings out the thread flamers as you can see.

Cut the guy a little slack--if his sig is right, he's posting from Oman.

To the OP: the first place I know of to do this is a German shop called Hartge. I'm sure there are several others, but I'm pretty new to BMW myself. Hartge installed the V8 from the M5 into an E46 3 coupe just after the E39 M5 was released, and made decent power.

That said, if you want to be really unique, you have a great relationship with a gifted BMW mechanic and an unlimited budget, this is the swap for you. If you can not answer yes to all of those questions, then I would consider alternatives like adding a super/turbocharger, or swapping in an S54 or an LSx. I think you'll get a lot more performance for your dollar. For the average driver, this swap would be a nightmare.

Just my two bits,

Tex

give the guy a break fellas.................he was looking for info. I suggest you search next time before posting questions like because it brings out the thread flamers as you can see.

Its ok man!! I dont give a shit about a$$ wholes !!

Cut the guy a little slack--if his sig is right, he's posting from Oman.

To the OP: the first place I know of to do this is a German shop called Hartge. I'm sure there are several others, but I'm pretty new to BMW myself. Hartge installed the V8 from the M5 into an E46 3 coupe just after the E39 M5 was released, and made decent power.

That said, if you want to be really unique, you have a great relationship with a gifted BMW mechanic and an unlimited budget, this is the swap for you. If you can not answer yes to all of those questions, then I would consider alternatives like adding a super/turbocharger, or swapping in an S54 or an LSx. I think you'll get a lot more performance for your dollar. For the average driver, this swap would be a nightmare.

Just my two bits,

Tex

This man speaks the truth.

But if you don't have a decent amount of experience with cars, especially BMWs, then you don't need to be doing a swap like this yourself. Like Tex said, your best bet would be to just go FI with what you have, or swap something alittle more common and worth the effort

I think I asked the question in the wrong place!! I thought this is a place were there are BMW enthusiast, not only that but experience mechanics should be in these kind of forums. To my surprise I think I ended up talking to bunch of youngsters who have BMWs!!

Why do you have such a furom called engine swapping????

Before I stated to think about this project I read that it's doable that why I wanted to do it!!Peolple come in here and tell me that Hartage did it so it's doable!! Not only hartage did it ,BMW it self did it , AC Schnitzer did it and there are others!!

It's not the matter of who did it in the past; it’s the matter if you know how it was done!!! So if you don’t have the experience please don’t drop in!! Because you are making the thread too long, and that’s about it!!!

I think I asked the question in the wrong place!! I thought this is a place were there are BMW enthusiast, not only that but experience mechanics should be in these kind of forums. To my surprise I think I ended up talking to bunch of youngsters who have BMWs!!

Why do you have such a furom called engine swapping????

Because here's quite a lot of projects going on.
Threads like "i'm going to swap V18 into new 1 series, do i have to change ignition key?" - are full bullshit and indicate the total lack of knowledge of the thread starter.


Before I stated to think about this project I read that it's doable that why I wanted to do it!!Peolple come in here and tell me that Hartage did it so it's doable!! Not only hartage did it ,BMW it self did it , AC Schnitzer did it and there are others!!

It's not the matter of who did it in the past; it’s the matter if you know how it was done!!! So if you don’t have the experience please don’t drop in!! Because you are making the thread too long, and that’s about it!!!

BMW never did it..

You know the sentence "learn from history?", read it couple of times and think it through ;)


And some info;

Biggest problems are brake booster / master cylinder, exhaus manifolds, engine supports. Is oilpan bulge at the fron in both cars? (if it's in the rear in E46, then you've to make one yourself) = more headache.

And btw, if you're not doing it yourself (and let a shop do it for you), you're true loser. Over and out.

Because here's quite a lot of projects going on.
Threads like "i'm going to swap V18 into new 1 series, do i have to change ignition key?" - are full bullshit and indicate the total lack of knowledge of the thread starter.



BMW never did it..

You know the sentence "learn from history?", read it couple of times and think it through


And some info;

Biggest problems are brake booster / master cylinder, exhaus manifolds, engine supports. Is oilpan bulge at the fron in both cars? (if it's in the rear in E46, then you've to make one yourself) = more headache.

And btw, if you're not doing it yourself (and let a shop do it for you), you're true loser. Over and out.

BMW did it you stupid!! go check the famous E46 GTR!!!! and dont tell me about oil pans thats too stupid !!

BMW did it you stupid!! go check the famous E46 GTR!!!! and dont tell me about oil pans thats too stupid !!

E46 GTR is a race car, and totally different than stock E46.. The engine is also totally different from what you're "planning".

That last sentence, at latest, proofs that you've no idea what you're talking about.

E46 GTR is a race car, and totally different than stock E46.. The engine is also totally different from what you're "planning".

That last sentence, at latest, proofs that you've no idea what you're talking about.

stupid

Dude, I highly doubt you know the difference between a spark plug and a shift knob. You have no idea about how difficult a swap (oh, and pointless) like this would be. Engines don't just work as long as you move over the ecu with them. Wiring must go through the whole chassis, fluid and oil lines must be relocated, and essential parts must be resourced, fabricated, or machined to fit that specific purpose. A company like Hartge could do it because that have literally some of the best BMW mechanics and ENGINEERS in the business, with MANY of them working on the same project. You just think you could do this swap in your back yard.

You are adamant about this project, yet show absolutely no knowledge of even basic concepts to start anything remotely as difficult, that's why we've made a joke out of it.

what a retarded. How old are you yabyab? youve got the typing ability of a 2 year old and the mindset of a 6 year old. the easiest part of an engine swap is putting the motor in the car and making it fit. Its all things that you can see and things that either work out or dont until you make them work. It takes a lot of signals from a lot of wires for a late model bmw to start. You can make just about any engine fit in any car if youve got the tools, but making it run...youd better buy a few good manuals and a book on auto electronics. I dunno if you cant type and make sense on a keyboard, but if you get angry and call people names on here, your probably going to get made fun of worse and get madder. people will pwn you and things you wont understand. I suggest not getting too upset and showing it as youll eventually get fed up...

what a retarded. How old are you yabyab? youve got the typing ability of a 2 year old and the mindset of a 6 year old. the easiest part of an engine swap is putting the motor in the car and making it fit. Its all things that you can see and things that either work out or dont until you make them work. It takes a lot of signals from a lot of wires for a late model bmw to start. You can make just about any engine fit in any car if youve got the tools, but making it run...youd better buy a few good manuals and a book on auto electronics. I dunno if you cant type and make sense on a keyboard, but if you get angry and call people names on here, your probably going to get made fun of worse and get madder. people will pwn you and things you wont understand. I suggest not getting too upset and showing it as youll eventually get fed up...

I enjoy teasing kids like u!! and i dont get fed up that easy from guys like u!!

BMW never did it..



E46 M3 GTR....so yes they did do it. There was a road going version because it hat to be homoligated.

OP this swap can be done, anything can be done with enough time and money. It tends to be a PITA to do swaps into newer cars because of the anti theft systems and more complex networking of control modules on cars. You can get any motor to run in any car, but getting all the systems and gauges to work can be a PITA. I know one guy spent a crapload of time and money yo swap an s54 into an e36. Also, the 540 motor has been swapped into the e36, it took the guy forever. The big tuning companies don't have as many issues because they are far from a backyard operation. I can see you needing to make engine mounts, custom exhaust, wiring, dealing with the brake booster, possibly changing to a different oil pan, driveshaft may neet ro be modified or one substituted, cooling system, etc.

Yabyab: I'm still not clear on your goals or your approach. Is this a project you're planning to do yourself, just for the challenge, or do you have a reliable BMW mechanic who is willing to take on the project for you? Are either of these cars your daily driver, or can you afford to keep them off the road for an extended period of time? Are you planning to put the engine from the 328 into the 540 when you're done, or is it just spare parts at that point? Is the finished E46 V8 to be a show car, a track car, a weekend toy...?

If these are just two cars in your fleet you don't drive much anymore, you could always just send them to Hartge or AC Schnitzer to have the work done. While you're at it see what else they can do for you. There's a guy in Turkey who's website looks really impressive, but I have no personal experience with him--you'd have to check him out yourself. http://www.da-motorsport.com/ I'm afraid that's as close as I can get to good BMW resources in Oman...

If you're looking to complete the project yourself on a limited budget, I would still suggest looking at other options. There are plenty of forced induction packages that are plug-and-play on your E46 and would be *much* less expensive and time consuming.

Take care,

Tex

LMAO at this thread. I'm gonna save this one.

I enjoy teasing kids like u!! and i dont get fed up that easy from guys like u!!

I am infact 16 years old.:shifty Keep the faith yabyab, if you want to do something; do it. Anything is possible with time and hard work. I am where i am because of knowing that. I hope you do this, and i hope it runs. Nothing would be cooler. Unless it was supercharged.;)

E46 M3 GTR....so yes they did do it. There was a road going version because it hat to be homoligated.

OP this swap can be done, anything can be done with enough time and money. It tends to be a PITA to do swaps into newer cars because of the anti theft systems and more complex networking of control modules on cars. You can get any motor to run in any car, but getting all the systems and gauges to work can be a PITA. I know one guy spent a crapload of time and money yo swap an s54 into an e36. Also, the 540 motor has been swapped into the e36, it took the guy forever. The big tuning companies don't have as many issues because they are far from a backyard operation. I can see you needing to make engine mounts, custom exhaust, wiring, dealing with the brake booster, possibly changing to a different oil pan, driveshaft may neet ro be modified or one substituted, cooling system, etc.

Thanx for dropping in with your opinion, I can afford to leave both cars for a long time iam not a mechanic but my friends are , the only thing is that they wanted as much information as i can get them to prepare themselves so i dont end up with 2 ruined cars as they say!!

Yabyab: I'm still not clear on your goals or your approach. Is this a project you're planning to do yourself, just for the challenge, or do you have a reliable BMW mechanic who is willing to take on the project for you? Are either of these cars your daily driver, or can you afford to keep them off the road for an extended period of time? Are you planning to put the engine from the 328 into the 540 when you're done, or is it just spare parts at that point? Is the finished E46 V8 to be a show car, a track car, a weekend toy...?

If these are just two cars in your fleet you don't drive much anymore, you could always just send them to Hartge or AC Schnitzer to have the work done. While you're at it see what else they can do for you. There's a guy in Turkey who's website looks really impressive, but I have no personal experience with him--you'd have to check him out yourself. afraid that's as close as I can get to good BMW resources in Oman...

If you're looking to complete the project yourself on a limited budget, I would still suggest looking at other options. There are plenty of forced induction packages that are plug-and-play on your E46 and would be *much* less expensive and time consuming.

Take care,

Tex
Thanx, for the opinion but i think i will still try to do it !!wish me luck!!

I am infact 16 years old. Keep the faith yabyab, if you want to do something; do it. Anything is possible with time and hard work. I am where i am because of knowing that. I hope you do this, and i hope it runs. Nothing would be cooler. Unless it was supercharged.

Thanx, and wish me luck!!

In that case, I wish you the best of luck. Happy wrenching, and be sure to take lots of pictures for us!

Take care,

Tex

In that case, I wish you the best of luck. Happy wrenching, and be sure to take lots of pictures for us!


Take care,

Tex

sure will do

so uh when is the most epic swap ever beginning?

When he gets the V6 out of it.

so uh when is the most epic swap ever beginning?
the plan to start end of the month, I am trying to get as much info as i can to make it any easy if we can!!

I think your best chance is praying to god and asking him to do the swap for you. If he doesn't do it you are out of luck and will have to settle for 2 working cars instead of 0. Bummer.

Why not just put the V4 from a 318 into it?:devillook

I think your best chance is praying to god and asking him to do the swap for you. If he doesn't do it you are out of luck and will have to settle for 2 working cars instead of 0. Bummer.

Go wash ur a$$

Go wash ur a$$
dude honestly... you're making it really easy for people to make fun of you and not give you a straight answer on how to do this swap. Which, btw, is going to be pretty much impossible for you based on your obvious lack of experience in motor swaps.

Just because Hartge did it doesn't mean some random Omanite with two cars can do it himeself in a weekend. They are amazing engineers that are capable of doing projects other companies can't even come close to completing.

dude honestly... you're making it really easy for people to make fun of you and not give you a straight answer on how to do this swap. Which, btw, is going to be pretty much impossible for you based on your obvious lack of experience in motor swaps.
yabyab will reply to this with "lick me where i poop"
either that or he will ask you if he can shampoo your hair.:D

dude honestly... you're making it really easy for people to make fun of you and not give you a straight answer on how to do this swap.

I told the others before I am not expecting answers from these kind of people!! To be honest I gave up in getting experts from this place!!
I already found some useful information from outside anyway!!

yabyab, keep us updated w/ pics! i'm a huge fan of the 540 motor also. mostly cuz of the sound; no stock 6 cyl can match that v8 roar

Which wire are talking about? and is not difficult to swap the steering wheels??

Thanx man Dude I changed the steering wheel on my E24 once. Not hard. Dont do this swap.

yabyab, keep us updated w/ pics! i'm a huge fan of the 540 motor also. mostly cuz of the sound; no stock 6 cyl can match that v8 roar
I like your spirit!! thanx man

Dude I changed the steering wheel on my E24 once. Not hard. Dont do this swap.


you started to scare me!! thanx anyway for the advice.

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=615864

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=615864

wow that was realy a boost!! your comment is the best till now!!

Man... First of all, you will need a huge drop, clears and a LTW flag... Do it, post some pics and then we will talk with you.




Srsly don't do it... It sucks, trust me I know what I'm talking about...

http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/7006/image718yi9.jpg

Just buy a turbo for your E46 and a supercharger for your 540, you will have two plug and play monsters for 1/5 of the price.

behindmatrix.com/e30/fotost/f01045/f01045.htm