E34 sway to an S52

tghtsqze · 05:45 PM

Is there someone who has done this swap successfully? I have a 95 525i E34 with a blown motor and interested in removing that engine and putting in an S52. I need to know the following, what is usable from the motor I have? my car is a manual 5spd. I looking for someone who is knowledgeable with this type of swap. I am a BMW mechanic, i have the tools just need some guidance. Is my DME usable, harness, intake and accessories. If you can help your efforts are extremely appreciated.

mda185 · 08-16-2010, 08:22 PM

I am doing this swap right now with my 95 525iT. The weak link in your swap may be the transmission if your 95 has a Getrag 5 speed. The S52 engine is used with a more robust ZF 310 or 320 5 speed manual box. The ZF is longer than the Getrag and will require a shorter driveshaft. The 89-92 E34 525i came with the ZF 310 box. I bought an S52 with ZF gearbox from Zionsville Autosport 2 years ago for $3250 and it has been sitting in storage because other things came up that were higher priority. I am finishing the swap this summer.

You will reuse the oil pan, intake manifold, fuel rail, wiring harness, ECU, dipstick, and some other misc parts I am forgetting right now. You will also need a chip for the ECU to properly run the engine. Turner Motorsport sells one and The Racers Edge also sells one. I did a lot of research before I tackled this and have saved useful posts from places like Bimmerforums. Send me an email message and I will respond with PDF files of all the info I found about the swap. mda185 at optonline dot net

mda185 · 08-17-2010, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mda185

I am doing this swap right now with my 95 525iT. The weak link in your swap may be the transmission if your 95 has a Getrag 5 speed. The S52 engine is used with a more robust ZF 310 or 320 5 speed manual box. The ZF is longer than the Getrag and will require a shorter driveshaft. The 89-92 E34 525i came with the ZF 310 box. I bought an S52 with ZF gearbox from Zionsville Autosport 2 years ago for $3250 and it has been sitting in storage because other things came up that were higher priority. I am finishing the swap this summer.

You will reuse the oil pan, intake manifold, fuel rail, wiring harness, ECU, dipstick, and some other misc parts I am forgetting right now. You will also need a chip for the ECU to properly run the engine. Turner Motorsport sells one and The Racers Edge also sells one. I did a lot of research before I tackled this and have saved useful posts from places like Bimmerforums. Send me an email message and I will respond with PDF files of all the info I found about the swap. mda185 at optonline dot net

I just checked my references and the ZF transmission is not longer but it does have a larger output shaft flange. Your driveshaft will still have to be modified to use the proper transmission.