E39 Touring 6speed Build

[karies]

Well i don't really post here that often, so i decided to make a build thread on the touring i just picked up.

This is my second 540it, the first one i bought last year for a great price but was rusty but made a decent daily. Couple months ago timing guides went, planned on fixing the guides and doing a 6speed swap in the process. Until i found my new touring sitting in a garage for the past 7 years. it has a blown transmission and needed a wash bad, so decided to sell the red touring and put the 6speed swap in the new touring.



my first E39 few months later: Dsp delete, M5 bumper, HR Front race springs, E38 Mpars, M5 2001+ headlights , Pioneer Double Din Navi,3k HID fogs, Facelifted Black grills , X5 Roof rack bars



The 6Speed Donor car: 1997 540i - blown Guides


And now the New Touring: 2001 540iT Aspen Silver on black , single owner, Dealer serviced, no reverse, gloss Shadow Trim, Style 32's, sport suspension



After 3 washes , and a complete interior Clean



Things i've already ordered:
UUC Selector rod
E60 short shifter
Maintaince parts
M5 bumper
Hartage Replica Lip
manual Pedal set
throw out bearing
Gaskets and seals for the Transmission

This will be my first Auto - Manual Swap as all my cars have all been manual but this isn't my first project.

[Shiftless]

Whoa. Love the build.

I just picked up a manual E39 touring in Aspen Silver after owning an automatic 2.8 touring for a couple years. Beggers can't be choosers for a manual wagon, so I'm not sure if it would have been my first color choice, but it's grown on me now I love it. The color is all over the place depending on the light: silver, purple, grey, beige, brown. Definitely a 90's color, but it's a 90's wagon, and I like the 90's.

Want to get Style 32's as well. Fit the color perfectly I think. My suspension will be done within the year and within a couple years want to supercharge.

[speed7]

Looks great! Aspen Silver is one of my favorite colors on these cars. Huge fan of the style 32 wheels too. They are a close second to the style 65's.. and mulled over which to get for a long long time.

[karies]

Whoa. Love the build.

I just picked up a manual E39 touring in Aspen Silver after owning an automatic 2.8 touring for a couple years. Beggers can't be choosers for a manual wagon, so I'm not sure if it would have been my first color choice, but it's grown on me now I love it. The color is all over the place depending on the light: silver, purple, grey, beige, brown. Definitely a 90's color, but it's a 90's wagon, and I like the 90's.

Want to get Style 32's as well. Fit the color perfectly I think. My suspension will be done within the year and within a couple years want to supercharge.

Thanks! yeah when i got the phone call he said purple.... so i was scared to take a look until i showed up. Its like my Red wagon i didnt like the color for awhile now im going to miss it lol

Looks great! Aspen Silver is one of my favorite colors on these cars. Huge fan of the style 32 wheels too. They are a close second to the style 65's.. and mulled over which to get for a long long time.

Each day i look at it i like the color more and more, the 32's are just a classic 90s wheel and one of my favorites.

[geargrinder]

Nice! Slip a bunch of stuff from your red car over too I assume is the plan (respray bumper, springs, wheels, etc.?)

You've read my coding wiring conversion checklist write-up yes?

You can re-use some of the pedal parts from the pre-face donor but not all. You have to decide which style of pedal switches to go with as well. The donor will have big old fashion physical switches but the facelift would normally have the hall-sensor style that clips to the clutch master.

At this point all the info is public w/ plenty of success stories so should be smooth sailing and you've got plenty of help around here between me and blackknight and redshift etc if you run into questions or issues just post it up...

[karies]

Nice! Slip a bunch of stuff from your red car over too I assume is the plan (respray bumper, springs, wheels, etc.?)

You've read my coding wiring conversion checklist write-up yes?

You can re-use some of the pedal parts from the pre-face donor but not all. You have to decide which style of pedal switches to go with as well. The donor will have big old fashion physical switches but the facelift would normally have the hall-sensor style that clips to the clutch master.

At this point all the info is public w/ plenty of success stories so should be smooth sailing and you've got plenty of help around here between me and blackknight and redshift etc if you run into questions or issues just post it up...

Thanks! im actually not pulling anything from the red car, i ordered a M bumper and for suspension i was thinking something with more adjustability.

I've read it atleast 10 times now hahah , im using the original pedal bracket off the new car as the 99 still have the revision for the old DBW gas pedal.
20160518_205757.jpg20160518_205803.jpg

Left is the new set-up, removed the Auto-brake lever installed the new face-lift Brake lever then swapped all clutch pedal assembly from the donor car. Now im just waiting on the new Clutch master and a new Return spring.

im just waiting on a few more items to arrive then i can slowly start swapping the transmission. if i have any issues i will post them

[karies]

no updates, just cleaned the transmission. put new bushings not he shifter Arm

But now i have a question I've been trying to search for the awnser but i can't find anything. i have a Post style pedal and clutch, now my parts car was a Pre is there a way i can use the Pre clutch sensor for the cruise control? as i will be not be using the starter lock option. Or will i need to buy the Post sensor and wiring just the one for the cruise control?

[blackknight530i]

The later switch does both start interlock and cruise cutout. It's super easy to wire in the start interlock since you just take the wire from the clutch switch module and go to pin 8 on the EWS. That's it and they're right next to each other. The cruise cutout and reverse switch wiring to the cluster are the only "new" wires that need to be run in the cabin. I repurpose the two steptronic shifter wires that went to the now gone EGS so I don't have to run new wires through the firewall. I then extend them from the shifter area to the cluster and pedal as required. I use the new style clutch master cylinder with the new type switch and get the adapter wire harness and modify it to work for me.

[karies]

The later switch does both start interlock and cruise cutout. It's super easy to wire in the start interlock since you just take the wire from the clutch switch module and go to pin 8 on the EWS. That's it and they're right next to each other. The cruise cutout and reverse switch wiring to the cluster are the only "new" wires that need to be run in the cabin. I repurpose the two steptronic shifter wires that went to the now gone EGS so I don't have to run new wires through the firewall. I then extend them from the shifter area to the cluster and pedal as required. I use the new style clutch master cylinder with the new type switch and get the adapter wire harness and modify it to work for me.

Thats what i was thinking of getting the newer sensor. but i was thinking of cutting some cost on the build anywhere i can. as i have the older style and the bracket but not sure if the way the ECU reads is different per sensor.

cause i don't need the start interlock, i never liked the option.

[blackknight530i]

The way the DME reads the signals is identical between old and new. The new switch is a replacement for the old one.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

[karies]

alright thats perfect. I will use the old style clutch switch. Thanks!!

[geargrinder]

cause i don't need the start interlock, i never liked the option.

thats a USA-are-too-stupid feature anyway. Rest of World didnt get it because they were trusted not to start the car in gear like idiots.

[blackknight530i]

thats a USA-are-too-stupid feature anyway. Rest of World didnt get it because they were trusted not to start the car in gear like idiots.

While that may be true, it's easy to hook up if you use the new switch module and it doesn't hurt to have it. The only thing I would miss by having it hooked up is that I typically leave the car out of gear with the parking brake engaged in my garage and occasionally, I like to be able to start the car from outside the car while diagnosing something. Other than that, I'm pretty much always pushing the clutch in to start the car out of habit, so I don't really see it being an issue. I've actually wired it up on my cars, but I've left the coding set to disable the start-interlock because I'm lazy .

[karies]

While that may be true, it's easy to hook up if you use the new switch module and it doesn't hurt to have it. The only thing I would miss by having it hooked up is that I typically leave the car out of gear with the parking brake engaged in my garage and occasionally, I like to be able to start the car from outside the car while diagnosing something. Other than that, I'm pretty much always pushing the clutch in to start the car out of habit, so I don't really see it being an issue. I've actually wired it up on my cars, but I've left the coding set to disable the start-interlock because I'm lazy .

thats one thing i didn't like when working on the car, having to hop in and out to start the car. lol plus non of my cars ever had the clutch start option.


mounted the Mpars, now time to wait for the dealer order and ECS order. a lot of the stuff are coming from Germany.

i was missing a lot of the clutch pedal hardware since nothing really was transferable from the Pre pedal.

[karies]

So decided i wanted a different look for this Touring found these wheels this morning. was nearly free

[karies]

sorry for the lack of progress been busy with work and school, but today finally got the chance to do the 6speed conversion on my wagon. Total time in and out was roughly 8 hours.

no coding but i was able to bypass the wiring on the transmission harness, i don't get any transmission fail errors and also used a PAsoft to change the cluster to manual.

all thats left is wiring in the clutch pedal sensor, reverse lights and also proper coding. but in the mean time the car drives great.

[geargrinder]

another conversion to add to the roll call list..! I think I'm missing more and more cars on that list now...

nice. if you haven't reflashed the DME there's no doubt it's not running optimally, and must be throwing a bunch of codes behind the scenes for not seeing the tranny computer - a few guys have hacked around coding on these conversions but if you prod and ask the right questions, their cars are never 'right' - but there's something to be said for at least being able to move it around and drive it.

[karies]

I'll be doing a reflash and tune at the same time, the cars been sitting for over 5 years so it's still on old gas , plugs , filter . it needs a good tune up. I'm just glad I was able to start it right up after a few jumper pins.

but yah the car feels nice with the 6speed. the weight loss is noticeable.

[Shiftless]

Dude! So rare for someone to say they're going to do this swap and it's not just talk.

You made it seems so easy...

[karies]

Dude! So rare for someone to say they're going to do this swap and it's not just talk.

You made it seems so easy...

Lol, Thanks man. The conversion is actually pretty easy.

well picked up some staggered 32's that need refinishing and ended selling me the spare aswell, so now i have 10 style32's Lol

[geargrinder]

Dude! So rare for someone to say they're going to do this swap and it's not just talk

Tell me about it. You wouldn't believe how many guys PM or email me about these swaps and then fizzle out.

[blackknight530i]

Tell me about it. You wouldn't believe how many guys PM or email me about these swaps and then fizzle out.

For sure, same here.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

[karies]

Tell me about it. You wouldn't believe how many guys PM or email me about these swaps and then fizzle out.

For sure, same here.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

Oh man, im sure alot of people probably opened my thread and was like Right..... another one lol

only issue i had was finding the time to do the swap. ill keep updating the thread.

up next is sound system, suspension, waiting for my M5 bumper.

[geargrinder]

Oh man, im sure alot of people probably opened my thread and was like Right..... another one lol .

Ha ha indeed but well done and welcome to the club of finishers!

Can I suggest a blower next? I promise you'll like it.

[dannyzabolotny]

Haha you can add me to the list of people that have thought about it and not done it. Though in my defense, the reason I didn't do a touring 6-speed swap is because I managed to find a real M5 for less than most facelift 540i wagons haha