e36 4l30 transmission into e34 4l30?

[ryan roopnarine]

i'm at the end of my rope with my transmission, and am looking to put a used one from a junkyard in to save myself aggravation. i found a 1994 325i with a nice, clean cased (ie, no longstanding leaks) at a junkyard for 79 + core + torque converter for 20 if i want it. i am assuming that the computer would be different, but could my wire harness from my car work on it? i also know that the gear ratios inside the transmission were changed along the way (91-95) to better suit driver taste, but i can't afford the luxury of giving a $hiat at this point, i'll just adjust the speedometer down if that is the case. also, torque converter? output flange? i guess i'm making a pointed post at winfred's direction as he would most likely be the one to have done this (being that he works in a bmw yard and all). i'm going to do my reading on this, but if someone has first hand experience with it, i'd appreciate your insights. thanks.

[whiskychaser]

i'm at the end of my rope with my transmission, and am looking to put a used one from a junkyard in to save myself aggravation. i found a 1994 325i with a nice, clean cased (ie, no longstanding leaks) at a junkyard for 79 + core + torque converter for 20 if i want it. i am assuming that the computer would be different, but could my wire harness from my car work on it? i also know that the gear ratios inside the transmission were changed along the way (91-95) to better suit driver taste, but i can't afford the luxury of giving a $hiat at this point, i'll just adjust the speedometer down if that is the case. also, torque converter? output flange? i guess i'm making a pointed post at winfred's direction as he would most likely be the one to have done this (being that he works in a bmw yard and all). i'm going to do my reading on this, but if someone has first hand experience with it, i'd appreciate your insights. thanks.

I asked a techy at BM to specify which auto boxes fit which cars. He said there isnt a list I'm lucky in that I can identify which boxes are compatible with mine. This is my second change and I'm now running a box out of a 325i with no problems. I cant help with details for yours but the same principle should apply

[winfred]

it'll bolt right in with nothing but a output flange swap, as for making the computer happy i've never tried to make the wrong tranny work, pretty much the change over point is vanos and non vanos 325/525, same engine same tranny, it's been so long since i've seen one that someone tried the wrong unit in i can't remember how it acts, i do know on a 535 the early and late trannys are very unhappy when plugged into the wrong car

[ryan roopnarine]

it'll bolt right in with nothing but a output flange swap, as for making the computer happy i've never tried to make the wrong tranny work, pretty much the change over point is vanos and non vanos 325/525, same engine same tranny, it's been so long since i've seen one that someone tried the wrong unit in i can't remember how it acts, i do know on a 535 the early and late trannys are very unhappy when plugged into the wrong car

good to know

[ryan roopnarine]

ok guys, i called a local junkyard yesterday, and asked them if they had a transmission for a 92 525i. they told me no, but they did have a 93 unit, and could sell me the transmission and computer for 550. the suggestion was completely unprompted, and i'm sure that the hollander interchange dealy didn't tell them that that was was a functional combination. this is a general purpose junkyard staffed by mailbox heads and space cadets, so somebody must have gotten this combination to work for them to suggest it to me. is there anyone that has gotten a 93-up 4l30e to work on a 91 or 92 m50 regular engine? if not that...does anyone know if the pinout on the tranny computer will work between different computers? thanks.

[ryan roopnarine]

bump. representing the 504 area code

[whiskychaser]

ok guys, i called a local junkyard yesterday, and asked them if they had a transmission for a 92 525i. they told me no, but they did have a 93 unit, and could sell me the transmission and computer for 550. the suggestion was completely unprompted, and i'm sure that the hollander interchange dealy didn't tell them that that was was a functional combination. this is a general purpose junkyard staffed by mailbox heads and space cadets, so somebody must have gotten this combination to work for them to suggest it to me. is there anyone that has gotten a 93-up 4l30e to work on a 91 or 92 m50 regular engine? if not that...does anyone know if the pinout on the tranny computer will work between different computers? thanks.

I can tell you a 93 ZF box wont work on a 92 cos they changed it in Sep 92. It will fit and bolt up fine but the pins are different. My guess is if the pinout is the same it will be ok. I'm running a tranny out of a 1992 325i with my 525i ECU and it works fine. I've got an odd ball ECU thats supposed to be out of a 1992 325i. But I think its from a 4 speed - if I drop that in it runs like ****

[russiankid]

If the pin outs are different, can't you just get the pin outs for that specific transmission and switch the pins out on the harness so it reads correctly?

[ryan roopnarine]

I can tell you a 93 ZF box wont work on a 92 cos they changed it in Sep 92. It will fit and bolt up fine but the pins are different. My guess is if the pinout is the same it will be ok. I'm running a tranny out of a 1992 325i with my 525i ECU and it works fine. I've got an odd ball ECU thats supposed to be out of a 1992 325i. But I think its from a 4 speed - if I drop that in it runs like ****

in the us and canada, x25i cars came with a gm hydramatic transmission with 4 speeds, not a zf 5 speed like yours.

[ryan roopnarine]

If the pin outs are different, can't you just get the pin outs for that specific transmission and switch the pins out on the harness so it reads correctly?

everyone (other than this board) is making it sound that incompatibility between transmissions and transmission computers can be solved by substituting the right computer to the right tranny, without having to rewire everything.