New on here - tranny swap Q

[fassgti]

OK edited my post:

i just bought a 1987 auto tranny, and would like to know how interchangeable it is with my 89 535i tranny. i have the sport and manual modes on my 89 tranny, and don't know if the 87 is capable. they look the same, so i am thinking that they work the same. also where can i look for the tranny code?

[gale]

Not too hard, really not much more work than doing a clutch R&R. The biggest pain is swapping the pedal cluster. You can do the pedal cluster swap in advance while lining up the rest of the parts and still be able to drive it with the automatic & let the clutch pedal rest on the floor in the interim.

You might get by without having to swap diff's since yours should have a 3.91, but that's pretty extreme. A 3.64 or 3.73 would be better. You'll need to get a new driveshaft since the manual trans is about 6" shorter than the automatic & has a different front yoke. Everything is just about pure nuts & bolts without any butchering or customizing & you'll find the bolt holes & openings for the clutch hydraulics and shifter will already be in place in your chassis.

You can source most of the parts from a salvage yard such as www.eurodepot.com but DON'T use a dual-mass flywheel, a conventional e28 (or e12 or e9) flywheel is lighter & much cheaper.

Here's a summary I did a few years ago:

http://www.nmia.com/~dgnrg/page_41.htm

use www.realoem.com for part numbers & diagrams.

[fassgti]

Not too hard, really not much more work than doing a clutch R&R. The biggest pain is swapping the pedal cluster. You can do the pedal cluster swap in advance while lining up the rest of the parts and still be able to drive it with the automatic & let the clutch pedal rest on the floor in the interim.

You might get by without having to swap diff's since yours should have a 3.91, but that's pretty extreme. A 3.64 or 3.73 would be better. You'll need to get a new driveshaft since the manual trans is about 6" shorter than the automatic & has a different front yoke. Everything is just about pure nuts & bolts without any butchering or customizing & you'll find the bolt holes & openings for the clutch hydraulics and shifter will already be in place in your chassis.

You can source most of the parts from a salvage yard such as www.eurodepot.com but DON'T use a dual-mass flywheel, a conventional e28 (or e12 or e9) flywheel is lighter & much cheaper.

Here's a summary I did a few years ago:

http://www.nmia.com/~dgnrg/page_41.htm

use www.realoem.com for part numbers & diagrams.

sorry i forgot to mention, mines an automatic trans also. i have the sport and manual mode switch, and i just wanted to replace it with a transmission that doesn't have that.

[gale]

Oops, my bad. You mean you want to use an older e23 or e28 non-electronic 4hp22? Don't know the specifics such as maybe having to swap output flanges, but it should work ok. Might have to jumper the TCU or CCM pin to ground to get rid of the trans program error message that will display when the 4hp22eh cable is unplugged.

[fassgti]

well i was in L.A. the other week, and i saw an '89 525i being parted and as i have mine in the shop because of the transmission problem, (only gets reverse, no forward gears) i asked about the transmission and he said i could have it and other parts i inquired about for 300, which to me isn't a bad price, i asked if it had sport shift and he said no. is he wrong do all auto e34's have sport shift?

[gale]

well i was in L.A. the other week, and i saw an '89 525i being parted and as i have mine in the shop because of the transmission problem, (only gets reverse, no forward gears) i asked about the transmission and he said i could have it and other parts i inquired about for 300, which to me isn't a bad price, i asked if it had sport shift and he said no. is he wrong do all auto e34's have sport shift?

??? That's not gonna work. The 525i has the GM trans & won't mate to your m30 engine block. You might be better off sourcing a good used 4hp22 from Autobahn in San Diego, or other salvage outfit closer to LA. No forward gears could be simply the valve body but more likely there are other problems as well & could get expensive it you let a shop open it up. You could search the archives here or on Roadfly's e34 or e32 forum for a link to Kirt Koehler's phone number. He can steer you in the right direction up to and including a total rebuild and is quite reasonable cost-wise.

To answer your sport mode question, yes, I believe all e34 automatics whether it be a 525i, 535i, 530i, or 540i automatics all have the electro-hydraulic shift and have sport mode. Maybe someone else will weigh in if I'm wrong.

[ryan roopnarine]

m20 engined 525i's with the zf transmission, iirc, can come without the "sport shift". no m20 equipped car came with a gm transmission. i want to say that both the m20 and m30 cars had 4hp22, but that they differed in some way (such as one being 4hp22 and the other being 4hp22eh).

[fassgti]

gale:
About the whole L.A. thing, i live in texas and wouldn't be able to take my car over there to get it fixed, unless i towed it. I fly to L.A. every other week for work, and was thinking that if i could swap from a sport to a reg tranny i would buy it and have myself a good ole fashioned road trip via u-haul.
ryan_roopnarine:
how can i find out, or have the guy find out which transmission is in it? any specific 4hp22/eh characteristics?
would the non sport shift 4hp work on my car? or am i better off just getting a JY transmission, or a rebuild?

[gale]

In that case, if you're anywhere close to Austin, check with Rhett at:

http://www.terrysaytherauto.com/loose.parts.htm

They're a good salvage outfit & could probably install another trans for a reasonable price.

[ryan roopnarine]

ryan_roopnarine:
how can i find out, or have the guy find out which transmission is in it? any specific 4hp22/eh characteristics?
would the non sport shift 4hp work on my car? or am i better off just getting a JY transmission, or a rebuild?

i'm not sure how to determine that, as i don't own a m20 or m30 car, and might lead you in the wrong direction.