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Thread: engine swap question

  1. #1
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    engine swap question

    Hey guys, my m42 engine is blown(i've got an e36 318is 92'), and im about to swap it to an m52b25. what should i do with my ews?
    Last edited by shogun; 09-01-2018 at 05:12 AM.

  2. #2
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    Moved to E36 forum
    Shogun tricks and tips for the E32 series are HERE!

  3. #3
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    Your car doesn't have ews, so you would just have to disable ews function in the dme running the m52.
    -Abel

    - E36 328is ~210-220whp: Lots of Mods.
    - 2000 Z3: Many Mods.
    - 2003 VW Jetta TDI Manual 47-50mpg
    - 1999 S52 Estoril M Coupe
    - 2014 328d Wagon, self-tuned, 270hp/430ft-lbs
    - 2019 M2 Competition, self-tuned, 504whp
    - 2016 Mini Cooper S

  4. #4
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    You can have the 328i DME flashed to disable the EWS.. Or you can buy another DME with a chip tune (200+ HP) and EWS-delete already installed. There are several sellers on Ebay. I have good experiences with the DME I bought. See my signature for the link. Then you can sell the old DME.. Or keep it as a spare, but then you'd still have to delete the EWS before you could use it.

    Another tip: If you still have to buy the exhaust, make sure you get the twin tip 328i exhaust. Is a plug&play upgrade.. The 323i M52B25 stock exhaust is actually a 320i exhaust.. Don't expect massive improvements (especially because the intake is what restricts the flow the most, hence the popularity of the M50B25 intake manifold upgrade), but it helps, and it sounds better.

    Also, if you haven't bought the engine yet: Best to go for the M52B28.. Weighs almost exactly the same (little more due to stronger crank), is exactly the same amount of work, and the difference in torque and HP is quite big. The 323i definitely is a fun car to drive (especially after the chip tune and some small upgrades), but the 328i will give you even more smiles :-) .
    Last edited by ed323i; 09-01-2018 at 12:48 PM.


    1997 E36 BMW 323i
    (European) 275k km (171k miles), with following small mods:

  5. #5
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    There is no way an m52b25 will make 200 hp on tune alone, even the 2.8 will have some difficulty with 200hp from just tune.

    I wouldn't trust ebay tunes for anything after seeing a lot of MS41 junk edits people call tunes. Been messing with MS41 for 4 years now, and a good tune takes time, research, and knowledge.



    But the rest is true.
    -Abel

    - E36 328is ~210-220whp: Lots of Mods.
    - 2000 Z3: Many Mods.
    - 2003 VW Jetta TDI Manual 47-50mpg
    - 1999 S52 Estoril M Coupe
    - 2014 328d Wagon, self-tuned, 270hp/430ft-lbs
    - 2019 M2 Competition, self-tuned, 504whp
    - 2016 Mini Cooper S

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by 328 Power 04 View Post
    There is no way an m52b25 will make 200 hp on tune alone, even the 2.8 will have some difficulty with 200hp from just tune.

    I wouldn't trust ebay tunes for anything after seeing a lot of MS41 junk edits people call tunes. Been messing with MS41 for 4 years now, and a good tune takes time, research, and knowledge.
    But the rest is true.
    You're right.. I seem to have been confused a bit while writing. Thought it was a 2.8, but later saw it was a 2.5 but didn't correct what I wrote before.
    For the 2.5 you would need a proper tune, and the M50 intake manifold, and probably the 328i exhaust to get near 200 crank HP.

    I have a very good experience with the tuned DME I bought. I've had virtually all my previous BMWs tuned and some ebay tunes were really bad (one of them had only WOT tuned, which indeed was faster, but the rest of the load and rpm range was horrible), and some were really good. I've also hand-tuned an E28 528i with (my own assembled) Megasquirt installation (8.2s acceleration went to 7.0s). The tuned DME in my signature feels really well tuned, all rpm's, all loads, definite HP and torque increases across the complete RPM range. So much, that, directly after installing the DME, when my wife sat next to me, she continuously asked me to depress the gas pedal a bit slower (until I finally adapted my driving style), because the low-end torque and acceleration would hurt her neck. Lots of hills here also, and I really noticed I didn't need to down-shift that much. So, yes, I agree, a proper tune takes quite some time, and there are plenty of poor tunes around. The M52B25 reacts very well to a good tune. From factory it's very much down-tuned. For example, an M50B25 tune (had an E34 525i before) also helps, and you can feel the difference, but the difference between a stock and tuned M52B25 is a lot bigger and very noticeable; it transforms the car, and performance moves halfway to stock 328i ballpark.
    Last edited by ed323i; 09-01-2018 at 07:56 PM.


    1997 E36 BMW 323i
    (European) 275k km (171k miles), with following small mods:

  7. #7
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    Do a 328i with ZF 5 speed and driveshaft and linkage. Cheap used if you shop well. A few mods and a tune and you can get near stock S52 power. M52 is best bang for buck upgrade.

  8. #8
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    Thank you guys for the answers!! Can someone send me an ebay link to a flashed chip please?

  9. #9
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    This is the one I have, and I'm very happy with it: https://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-Chip-Tu...6724209?_ul=GT . And it's really cheap.
    I decided to keep the rev limiter at stock 6500 rpm.. Don't feel like over-reving a 20 year old engine.


    1997 E36 BMW 323i
    (European) 275k km (171k miles), with following small mods:

  10. #10
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    That seller right there has PMed me many times here on this forum, to get my Conforti Shark tune from one of my cars for free, so he can resell it as 'his' tunes.
    Stolen work is not a sign of knowledgeable work. But conforti tunes are classically known to be good. Much has improved since he was the king though. He (Conforti) moved on to bigger things too.
    -Abel

    - E36 328is ~210-220whp: Lots of Mods.
    - 2000 Z3: Many Mods.
    - 2003 VW Jetta TDI Manual 47-50mpg
    - 1999 S52 Estoril M Coupe
    - 2014 328d Wagon, self-tuned, 270hp/430ft-lbs
    - 2019 M2 Competition, self-tuned, 504whp
    - 2016 Mini Cooper S

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by 328 Power 04 View Post
    That seller right there has PMed me many times here on this forum, to get my Conforti Shark tune from one of my cars for free, so he can resell it as 'his' tunes.
    Stolen work is not a sign of knowledgeable work. But conforti tunes are classically known to be good. Much has improved since he was the king though. He (Conforti) moved on to bigger things too.
    Can you confirm it's the seller "bmw-performance-ecu" on ebay who is doing this? If so, I will have to remove my recommendation. The product is definitely good, but if it's stolen goods and not a self-tune on the dyno, I have no choice than stopping to recommend it.
    Last edited by ed323i; 09-02-2018 at 03:51 PM.


    1997 E36 BMW 323i
    (European) 275k km (171k miles), with following small mods:

  12. #12
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    It was a user from Moldova, I will look for his threads and compare if names even match somewhat. He solicited quite a bit.
    -Abel

    - E36 328is ~210-220whp: Lots of Mods.
    - 2000 Z3: Many Mods.
    - 2003 VW Jetta TDI Manual 47-50mpg
    - 1999 S52 Estoril M Coupe
    - 2014 328d Wagon, self-tuned, 270hp/430ft-lbs
    - 2019 M2 Competition, self-tuned, 504whp
    - 2016 Mini Cooper S

  13. #13
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    And next to the fuse box int the round connector, should i rly need to cut the number 7 pin's wire?

  14. #14
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    I think if you have now EWS in the '92, then you won't have a number 7 pin in the round connector.
    If you do, you don't have to cut the wire. You can release the number 7 pin, fold the wire back into the harness and be ready. Always possible to reinstall the pin without any damage, if needed.

    If your car/chassis has EWS2 there are two options:
    * Order a DME with EWS removed, and disconnect pin 7 in the round connector
    * Get a DME with EWS still working, and just sync it to the EWS unit in your car.

    But your car, being a 1992 model, can't have EWS2 if I'm right.. So, just get a DME with the EWS deleted, and then it's just plug&play, like you're installing it in an E30.


    1997 E36 BMW 323i
    (European) 275k km (171k miles), with following small mods:

  15. #15
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    All right, ive got it now, i hope it will start, text you soon!

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