Contemplating swap s5d 310z (530i v8 5 speed) into 540iA

[juhateuvonnen]

I got my grabby hands on a 540iA with a dead auto. The front seal on the auto is blown, the reverse is slipping and the trans is on the way out. I searched high and low for s6s-560g (540i 6 speed) complete swap for E34, with no luck so far. I looked into buying a trans out of an E39, but if I buy all the small parts (trans support/crossmember, mounts, clutch kit, clutch hydraulics, shifter, etc) add up quickly to an amount that equals the cost of an E39 540i6.

A complete 5-speed swap from an E34 530i (m60b30) was offered to me, and the price makes it worth it. I have 2 reservations about this swap:

1. The trans has 206K on it. According to the seller it shifts fine, but it's probably worn.
2. The trans is rated for 310 newton-meters of torque (IIRC ZF uses metric units). M60b40 produces 400 newton-meters of torque.

I know that the members of this forum have done this swap before and it worked. The above two points make me wonder how long the tired old trans will last behind an engine that develops approximately 30% more torque than the transmission is rated for?

Another way to go would be to buy the swap, sell the trans, keep all the small parts, buy a 6 speed out of E39 with clutch and have a custom driveshaft built.

My questions on the latter is:
1. Can I use the manual trans crossmember from 5-speed ZF for 6-speed getrag?
2. Is it possible to rig the shifter from 5-speed to work for 6 speed using 540i shifter base and rod? Are there other inexpensive shifter options?

[me78569]

I am pretty sure that the E39 530 was only offered in a I6 and not a v8. I really doubt the tranny will bolt up. I would make %100 sure that the car somehow has a m60b30 and not a m54b30 in it.

[Hoolie]

1. The trans has 206K on it. According to the seller it shifts fine, but it's probably worn.
2. The trans is rated for 310 newton-meters of torque (IIRC ZF uses metric units). M60b40 produces 400 newton-meters of torque.

1. Can I use the manual trans crossmember from 5-speed ZF for 6-speed getrag?

2. Is it possible to rig the shifter from 5-speed to work for 6 speed using 540i shifter base and rod? Are there other inexpensive shifter options?

1a. I would not worry. If it hasn't been abused it should be just fine.. You do want to replade the linkage bushings and clutch duiring the installation.

2a. If you drive it with sense it should hold up just fine. ZF handles ridicilous amounts of HP and Tourqe in the turbo cars..

1b. Slap it on there. Worse comes to worse make it fit. Some brackets or new holes..

2b. The shifter base and rod are the same.. Double check on Realoem to be absolutely prosive tho.. the rod from the stick to the gearbox comes in different lenghts and such tho but.. Some forum search time should help you sorting out which one you want.. if the one that comes with the gearbox isn't working.

[juhateuvonnen]

I am pretty sure that the E39 530 was only offered in a I6 and not a v8. I really doubt the tranny will bolt up. I would make %100 sure that the car somehow has a m60b30 and not a m54b30 in it.

I am 100% sure that the car is M60B30. They did make these cars for a couple of years only in E34 body, 94 and 95 IIRC.

[Hoolie]

In Europe the E34 530 was avilable both with the samll M60B30 V8 and also M30B30 straight six. You could special order it right up to the end if i recall correctly..

In Europe 530 E30 has m52 and 535 and 540 E39 has the M62.. From -99 they got Vanos..

[juhateuvonnen]

1a. I would not worry. If it hasn't been abused it should be just fine.. You do want to replade the linkage bushings and clutch duiring the installation.

2a. If you drive it with sense it should hold up just fine. ZF handles ridicilous amounts of HP and Tourqe in the turbo cars..

If I wanted to "drive it with sense" I would look at something other than a 540i, may be a 525i or something along these lines j/k :lol

On a serious note, this was going to be a fun/project car, I was planning to use a chip to get some extra oomph. No plans for supercharger, if I were to go the serious horsepower route I'd just make it into a GMW by swapping an LS1/LS6 or a LS2/LS3. That's more work than I want to do at this time, I'm a lazy bum.




1b. Slap it on there. Worse comes to worse make it fit. Some brackets or new holes..

Is the crossmember aluminum or steel? I've moved coast to coast recently and left my CO2 bottle behind. I can probably get another one easily and get my MIG welder going quickly. I haven't welded aluminum in ages, not sure if I can do a decent job, steel should be fine. Worst case scenario I can always make a crossmember myself, it's not that hard, but it's extra work. Being a lazy bum, I prefer to avoid extra work if I can.



2b. The shifter base and rod are the same.. Double check on Realoem to be absolutely prosive tho.. the rod from the stick to the gearbox comes in different lenghts and such tho but.. Some forum search time should help you sorting out which one you want.. if the one that comes with the gearbox isn't working.
For some reason I was unable to find E34 on realoem, only E39 and up. I looked on Pelican parts and they show different part numbers for the shifters and parts. Given the difference in length of the 5-speed and 6-speed trans, I would not be surprised if the shifter base and rod were different length. I can buy the shifter base and rod, it's under 50 for both from dealer, but I am unsure if the parts are still available.

Do all BMW shifter rods plug into all bases? I remember reading that someone used the Z3 1.9 shifter rod for the swap.

[me78569]

In you orginal post you said it came from a e39 so I was confused, I am guessing it is a typo and the donor car is a e34 530? If that's the case then I wouldn't worry much if the price reflects the miles.

[juhateuvonnen]

In you orginal post you said it came from a e39 so I was confused, I am guessing it is a typo and the donor car is a e34 530? If that's the case then I wouldn't worry much if the price reflects the miles.

My bad, I messed up. The donor for the 5 speed trans is a E34 530i.

[Hoolie]

For E34 you have to check under Archive. . Production of E34 stoped in 1996 so they moved it from Current.

I suspect it's steel. Haven't welded in mine..

[juhateuvonnen]

For E34 you have to check under Archive. . Production of E34 stoped in 1996 so they moved it from Current.

I suspect it's steel. Haven't welded in mine..

Welded in :lol

I have welded together transmission crossmembers and engine mounts a few times, when doing engine swaps. Nowdays a lot of the brackets are available off the shelf, at least for common swaps. The welding skills are falling into disuse.

[Analog]

I've done a 5 speed swap in a 540i. Wait out for a 6 speed. You WILL regret it!

[Hoolie]

Welded in :lol

I have welded together transmission crossmembers and engine mounts a few times, when doing engine swaps. Nowdays a lot of the brackets are available off the shelf, at least for common swaps. The welding skills are falling into disuse.

Naaah.. They just get more advanced.. Here they are modifying Getrag cases to work with Volvo "Red" and "White" blocks..

Volvo stock cases is made from spun sugar..

[juhateuvonnen]

I've done a 5 speed swap in a 540i. Wait out for a 6 speed. You WILL regret it!

Do tell, what were the problems? Did you swap the diff along with the trans? what kind of RPMs were you running at highway speeds in 5th gear? I think the ratios are close, except the 5 speed is missing overdrive gear that the 6speed has.


Naaah.. They just get more advanced.. Here they are modifying Getrag cases to work with Volvo "Red" and "White" blocks..

Volvo stock cases is made from spun sugar..

Why would you pick Getrag for a volvo? Adapters for Mustang T5 to volvo bellhousing are readily available and cheap, it's a well known "tried and true" route. And T5s are available and relatively inexpensive.

[Analog]

Do tell, what were the problems? Did you swap the diff along with the trans? what kind of RPMs were you running at highway speeds in 5th gear? I think the ratios are close, except the 5 speed is missing overdrive gear that the 6speed has.


Well, I did the swap 3 or 4 years ago, so I can't remember every detail, but I can tell you what I remember!

I used everything I could from the donor car. Shifter linkage/flywheel/clutch/driveshaft.

Everything bolts up just fine. However, the 530i uses a medium case diff, while the 540i uses a large case. Therefore, a custom driveshaft must be made. I had the 540iA and 530iM driveshafts mated together at the cost of $200.

And yes, you will miss the extra gear! I used the original 2.81 from the automatic, and I still missed the extra gear.

Plus, the 2nd gear synchro started grinding under quick shifting. I'm not sure if this was the particular tranny I had, or if they just don't hold up.

If you have another car, and can wait, I'd strongly suggest the 6 speed.

[Hoolie]

Do tell, what were the problems? Did you swap the diff along with the trans? what kind of RPMs were you running at highway speeds in 5th gear? I think the ratios are close, except the 5 speed is missing overdrive gear that the 6speed has.



Why would you pick Getrag for a volvo? Adapters for Mustang T5 to volvo bellhousing are readily available and cheap, it's a well known "tried and true" route. And T5s are available and relatively inexpensive.

Mustang parts in Sweden? Don't think so.. Here BMW cases are redily available and cheap..

Also they want manuals.. T5 has a def slushbox smell to them?

[juhateuvonnen]

Mustang parts in Sweden? Don't think so.. Here BMW cases are redily available and cheap..

My mom lived in Malmo for a few years, before moving to Copenhagen where little brother lives. I am well aware of what you can get from a junkyard there. Due to high taxes on displacement and rather unpleasant winter weather, your odds of finding a manual transmission from a v8 bimmer are not very high. You can order one from Germany, but then you can also order stuff from the US. While shipping from the US will cost you more, the parts for something like a Mustang are a lot less expensive.




Also they want manuals.. T5 has a def slushbox smell to them?
Not sure what you are talking about. The T5 I was referring to is a 5-speed manual transmission, as used in V8 ford Mustangs.

[Hoolie]

Dude there's 530is all over the place. Get expensive when going 6 speed but not 5 speed.

But now we're getting really OT

[me78569]

530i /5 are some what hard to find actually. I looked for a 5 speed box for sometime without much luck. The price may be more, but the 6 speed is much easier to get a hold of at least when I was looking. And as stated before if you are starting with a 540 it is so much easier to swap the 6 speed since you don't have to deal with the rest of the driveline. If you have a complete donor car then I can see it being feasible.

[juhateuvonnen]

if anybody is selling a 6-speed swap for an E34 please PM or email juha_teuvonnen [at] yahoo [dot] com