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Thread: Engine swap - M54 from a X5 to a 330ci

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Los Angeles, CA
    Posts
    14
    My Cars
    325is

    Engine swap - M54 from a X5 to a 330ci

    I just want to give a follow up of my car. Yes it is finally running after 3 mechanics play with it.

    First mechanic did the swap but he was a crook. He gave me the car badly running. Be ware of "Burbank Customs" near of the Burbank airport. They always put an ad on Craigslist in Los Angeles for "BMW engine swap for 500.00". Yes I know!!!

    Second mechanic told me that could be oil separator valve. But it wasn't. He was just guessing.

    Then I found out about this certified BMW mechanic on Lincoln blvd in Venice beach CA, Elite BMW service. And he fixed the car in 2 hours and updated the dme with latest software.

    The problem was the O2 sensors were swapped by the first mechanic. So the car would goes into a limbo and sputter.

    Anyway the swap is really easy to do because the engines are the same. The harness is not that complicated and the only obvious differences are: oil pan, headers and one coolant sensor.

    The car runs really good now. The new engine only had 30k miles on it, but I don't think I would do this again.
    Last edited by Coreu; 01-26-2011 at 02:47 AM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Chalfont, PA
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    209
    My Cars
    E46 323i
    Good work, congrats on the swap.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    monterey, ca.
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    14,486
    My Cars
    e21, e30 m3. e46 330ci
    whats wrong with the original engine.
    Tom D

    77 e21 - m42
    88 e30m3
    04 330 dinan3
    84 r1000rt
    02 r1150rs
    all of them gray
    14 f800gsa - red headed stepchild!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Los Angeles, CA
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    My Cars
    325is
    I bought the car last February running but 4 month later it started overheating. Someone did a bad headgasket job and patch it up stop leak on the radiator just to sell it.
    Two of the inserts on the block were damaged and the head was loose. So the cost started to snowball and the price for the X5 engine with 30k miles made more sense.
    Yes redo the inserts would make more sense but the lower mileage M54 looked as the best choice.
    Last edited by Coreu; 01-25-2011 at 05:31 PM.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
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    MA
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    2001 325Ci
    That's sick! Pics before and after?
    Now they dropping and yelling, it's a tad too late, Nate K and Rayzah Blade had to regulate.
    "A woman drove me to drink and I didn't even thank her." ~W.C. Fields
    Two tone leather boots, CF B&R emblems, Matte Black Grills, Smoked LED sidemarkers, CF interior layout, Suwoo highbeam bowls
    Rooted Droid2 running stock overclocked to 600 MHz

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Los Angeles, CA
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    14
    My Cars
    325is
    M54 Coffee table that is the new duty of engine until she finds a new home.
    You can see the inserts came off from the block.
    I will post more pictures but I have to log off.
    DSCN6073.jpg

    DSCN6075.jpg

    DSCN6077.jpg

    DSCN6078.jpg
    Last edited by Coreu; 01-25-2011 at 09:35 PM.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Williamsburg, VA USA
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    22,932
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    2004 ZHP 6MT
    Quote Originally Posted by NDubSki View Post
    That's sick! Pics before and after?
    Here dub...for Petes sake!! Jeesh!

    Before....


    After


    by Dane Wilson, on Flickr

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Los Angeles, CA
    Posts
    987
    My Cars
    2000 323Ci RIP, e34 525i
    Glad to hear the swap went alright in the end. Hope you never have to go through that kind of trouble again.

    The M54 table is epic btw.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    monterey, ca.
    Posts
    14,486
    My Cars
    e21, e30 m3. e46 330ci
    Quote Originally Posted by danewilson77 View Post

    Here dub...for Petes sake!! Jeesh! Before and After

    your right, the difference is amazing. thanks Dub.
    Last edited by Tom D; 01-25-2011 at 08:31 PM.
    Tom D

    77 e21 - m42
    88 e30m3
    04 330 dinan3
    84 r1000rt
    02 r1150rs
    all of them gray
    14 f800gsa - red headed stepchild!

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Los Angeles, CA
    Posts
    14
    My Cars
    325is
    Thanks guys,
    Few more pictures before the swap.
    You can see the heart from a falling soldier 2002 X5.
    The oil pan is obvious different and the headers are wider then the 330ci.
    Two more things are different: The dip stick and the engine mounts.
    DSCN5979.jpg

    DSCN6003.jpg
    Last edited by Coreu; 01-25-2011 at 10:01 PM.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Philadelphia, PA
    Posts
    5,660
    My Cars
    2005 M3 & 2004 330i
    This might be more difficult for people with 03/2003 and newer cars, since BMW switched to the MS45.1 ECU by then.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    MA
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    3,476
    My Cars
    2001 325Ci
    That's awesome! I didn't realize that X5 was so similar to the e46's.
    Now they dropping and yelling, it's a tad too late, Nate K and Rayzah Blade had to regulate.
    "A woman drove me to drink and I didn't even thank her." ~W.C. Fields
    Two tone leather boots, CF B&R emblems, Matte Black Grills, Smoked LED sidemarkers, CF interior layout, Suwoo highbeam bowls
    Rooted Droid2 running stock overclocked to 600 MHz

  13. #13
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Washington State
    Posts
    540
    My Cars
    2003 325xi
    Nice. Glad you found a proper tech that could update the DME and get you a pay-off after a nightmare. Who knew that motor could move over?
    Anything Made can be made Better

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Oct 2017
    Location
    Farmington Hills, MI, USA
    Posts
    1
    My Cars
    03 325xi (sold) 02 330ci
    Hi, sorry to bring an old post back from the dead. I値l be doing this exact swap. Blew my 2002 330ci痴 engine money shifting from 3rd to 2nd at 110 mph... does anyone have a definitive list of what parts I値l need? Right now I know I値l need to swap over the valve cover (to accommodate for coil packs) oil pan and pump and exhaust manifold, and the respective gaskets. Anything I知 missing? I値l also be reusing my oil filter housing, is replacing just the gasket okay?

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