S54 motor tranplanted into an E36

[MarkD]

Well can you guys guess what I've been doing for the past few days? Two cars have been converted to use the S54 in Toronto Canada.
(an E36 and a Z3)

Here are a few pictures of the E36, it still needs a bit of cosmetic work but it's completely driveable, and for now the rev limit is 8000 rpm.

http://www3.sympatico.ca/mdsylva/images/e36S54a.jpg

http://www3.sympatico.ca/mdsylva/images/e36S54b.jpg

http://www3.sympatico.ca/mdsylva/images/e36S54c.jpg

http://www3.sympatico.ca/mdsylva/images/e36S54d.jpg


Here is the webpage of the company that performed the software work to allow the DME to operate without ABS and the speed sensors normally required on the front wheels.

Apu's Software Emporium

MarkD

[Derek A.]

Those are great engines..until the rods come shooting out of the bottom of the block. Those motors require valve adjustments like the older M motors - interesting that BMW takes a step back in their engine development.

[Jon K]

There's a guy on E46fanatics.com doing an S54 transplant, SMG transplant, and E46 M3 rear end transplant into a 4 door E46 323i. It's cool to watch, yeah its faster, yeah no one has done it... but I can think of a lot of things people haven't done with $20,000 . Cool Mark, I am not sure I'd do an S54.... I'd rather have a S52B32 converted to OBDI, its almost the same horsepower!!!

[sweet///Motion]

Sent you an email. Hope to hear from you regarding this swap.

[kyleN20]

looks nice and clean, wanna sell it for like 4 grand?

[digitaldragon03]

Those are great engines..until the rods come shooting out of the bottom of the block. Those motors require valve adjustments like the older M motors - interesting that BMW takes a step back in their engine development

Its a 3.2 pumping out 343 hp. You think thats a step backwards?

[Brandon J]

Those are great engines..until the rods come shooting out of the bottom of the block. Those motors require valve adjustments like the older M motors - interesting that BMW takes a step back in their engine development.

Are you sure about the valve adjustments?

[jjw]

Yes, S54 engines require valve adjustments from time to time. BMW get rid of the sutomatic valve adjustment for S54 so the engine will have better response and high rpm. The ports are polished to maximize aire flow. It is a very fast responding engine. Love it.

[Brandon J]

Yes, S54 engines require valve adjustments from time to time. BMW get rid of the sutomatic valve adjustment for S54 so the engine will have better response and high rpm. The ports are polished to maximize aire flow. It is a very fast responding engine. Love it.

Yeah. Thats right. They needed to change in order to handle the higher rpms. As with BMWs ///M engines' multi-throttlebody the TBs need to be synched once in a long while. So every 100k or so. So thats also more maintenance. The individual throttle bodies really give it the quick response, try driving an S38 and you will know what I mean. Quick on and off. I don't feel so bad now with the maintenance on my S38. And the fact that the e46 M3s that I have seen on the highway can't pass me, I am liking the S38 and its "old" technology even more.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Brandon, how much extra work was it to put the S38 into your E34? I always thought that would be a sweet swap to do if my M60 goes south.

The S54 into the E36 is nice, but has anybody seen the guy on bimmerforums putting the S54 into his E30 M3? Now that would be a blast!