2003 BMW 530I. What year engines and makes will interchange and work

[petes1997bmwz3]

I just bought a 2003 530i with a blown 3.0. What years make and model 3.0 will interchange? is this a straight forward swap and are there any challenges removing this engine

[blackknight530i]

I just bought a 2003 530i with a blown 3.0. What years make and model 3.0 will interchange? is this a straight forward swap and are there any challenges removing this engine

As long as you find an e39 530i engine, it will work fine. 2001-2003 were all the same. You could also use an e46 330i engine from 2001-2003.5, but you would need to swap over the wiring harness and oil pan from your current engine to use it. The same could be said for a 2000-2006 X5 3.0i. You might also be able to use a 2004-2005 e60 530i or 2003.5-2005 330i engine, but you would need the DME from it as well since I think it used a MS45.1 DME instead of the e39's MS43 DME. I think the O2 sensors on the MS45.1 are also different (wideband vs narrowband), so you would need those as well.

The e39 530i m54b30 would be an easy swap though. Keep your DME from the car and just pull the old engine and put the new one in, then connect everything up. If you use an earlier engine than 2003, you might need to swap the valve cover and coil packs from your current engine, or use the coil pack wiring harness from the donor engine and keep the older valve cover and coils. The 2003 models had pencil type coils that aren't bolted in, while the earlier ones used bolted in coil packs.

Good luck and if you have any questions, feel free to ask. I just did a 525it conversion to a 530it, so it's all still fresh.

[petes1997bmwz3]

Thanks for the reply but I'm a little confused on the BMW lingo... When you say E39 and E46 can you be more specific? If I'm understanding you correctly, an engine from a 2001 thru 2003 530I engine will be a direct swap.

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One more question, when I look at car-part.com, why does it say that a 2001 or 2002 wont work in a 2003? Is there something that needs to be swapped

[blackknight530i]

Thanks for the reply but I'm a little confused on the BMW lingo... When you say E39 and E46 can you be more specific? If I'm understanding you correctly, an engine from a 2001 thru 2003 530I engine will be a direct swap.

First of all, you are correct that 2001-2003 530i engines will be a direct swap. I will reiterate that if you get a 2001-2002 530i engine, you might need to swap your existing valve cover and coils to the 2001-2002 engine or use the coil wiring harness from the 2001-2002 engine (not really an issue as you can just keep it on the engine and plug it in).

E39 is the 1997-2003 5-series chassis code, while e46 is the 1999-2006 3-series chassis code. E53 is the 2000-2006 X5 chassis code. It's a way to refer to a specific set of model years that have the same generation of car. Make sense? BMW also uses a term called facelift, which refers to the second half of the generation's life cycle. There is a prefacelift E39 from 1997-2000 and a facelift E39 from 2001-2003. Most often it's a cosmetic change, but it is also usually a powertrain (engine) change as well. The engine doesn't always change between prefacelift and facelift though, depending on model, so that's why I don't say it's for sure. Again, this is all just useful information for you to have when getting into bimmers, but doesn't really apply to your original question, so to be safe, just try to find a 2003 530i engine and if you can't, look for a 2001-2002 530i engine and you'll be fine.

[thepeaklevel1]

I did a swap from a 2001 330i e46 to my 2001 e39 530i. I found a nice 71k 3.0
I had to use my original pan and oil pick up tube. Its not hard to put it in. But before you do, you should probably do some work to it while its out. Vavle cover gaskets, vanos seals, maybe starter, pullies belts, etc. Depending on what you're trying accomplish .

[blackknight530i]

I did a swap from a 2001 330i e46 to my 2001 e39 530i. I found a nice 71k 3.0
I had to use my original pan and oil pick up tube. Its not hard to put it in. But before you do, you should probably do some work to it while its out. Vavle cover gaskets, vanos seals, maybe starter, pullies belts, etc. Depending on what you're trying accomplish .

Normally on the v8s, I would agree with you, but most of that stuff can easily be done on the m54b30 with it in the car. I would however do things like the coolant pipes behind the thermostat and maybe the oil filter housing gasket.

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[thepeaklevel1]

[thepeaklevel1]

I had made a stand out of a dolly, it was easy to work on, i could even rotate it. U def dont have to but , man it shure helps

[thepeaklevel1]

But like blackknight said, all all these things can be done after you put the engine in and test it out if your trying to save money and those things could be done little by little as you go

[petes1997bmwz3]

Wow... Excellent response. Thanks for providing me the clarity I was looking for. I will hit you up when it comes to suspension issues LOL. Let me ask you this, what kind of longevity can you get out of a 530? For example, I have had an audi and VW Passat. They are not to difficult to work on but the repair parts are incredibly high priced. Is that the same for BMW?

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I really appreciate your answer. I found a couple of used engines but I'm surprised that they are averaging about a $1,000 for a 14 year old car

[blackknight530i]

Wow... Excellent response. Thanks for providing me the clarity I was looking for. I will hit you up when it comes to suspension issues LOL. Let me ask you this, what kind of longevity can you get out of a 530? For example, I have had an audi and VW Passat. They are not to difficult to work on but the repair parts are incredibly high priced. Is that the same for BMW?

I have about 210k on my M5b30 and it still purrs like a kitten. Runs so smooth and still performs like it did when I got it with 56k miles. I don't see it having any trouble for at least another 100-150k miles.

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[petes1997bmwz3]

Some say the 2001 BMW X5 3.0 engine will also work in a 2003 530I. Is there any way to confirm this?

[XAlt]

Some say the 2001 BMW X5 3.0 engine will also work in a 2003 530I. Is there any way to confirm this?

Swap out the pan, valve cover, wiring harness and coils and you're good to go.

Wow... Excellent response. Thanks for providing me the clarity I was looking for. I will hit you up when it comes to suspension issues LOL. Let me ask you this, what kind of longevity can you get out of a 530? For example, I have had an audi and VW Passat. They are not to difficult to work on but the repair parts are incredibly high priced. Is that the same for BMW?

I just happened to have a 1.8T clog its oil pickup with the plastic part of a dipstick tube that fell in (lol) and almost kill my bearings. The M54 isn't really stressed in day-to-day driving compared to the VWs of the same period, and as long as you don't overheat, you'll be good. Replace the CCV with a fresh unit, as prolonged driving will lead to gummed up rings (no real performance loss, just burning through oil faster)

[Alex1206]

I have about 210k on my M5b30 and it still purrs like a kitten. Runs so smooth and still performs like it did when I got it with 56k miles. I don't see it having any trouble for at least another 100-150k miles.

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First of all, you are correct that 2001-2003 530i engines will be a direct swap. I will reiterate that if you get a 2001-2002 530i engine, you might need to swap your existing valve cover and coils to the 2001-2002 engine or use the coil wiring harness from the 2001-2002 engine (not really an issue as you can just keep it on the engine and plug it in).

E39 is the 1997-2003 5-series chassis code, while e46 is the 1999-2006 3-series chassis code. E53 is the 2000-2006 X5 chassis code. It's a way to refer to a specific set of model years that have the same generation of car. Make sense? BMW also uses a term called facelift, which refers to the second half of the generation's life cycle. There is a prefacelift E39 from 1997-2000 and a facelift E39 from 2001-2003. Most often it's a cosmetic change, but it is also usually a powertrain (engine) change as well. The engine doesn't always change between prefacelift and facelift though, depending on model, so that's why I don't say it's for sure. Again, this is all just useful information for you to have when getting into bimmers, but doesn't really apply to your original question, so to be safe, just try to find a 2003 530i engine and if you can't, look for a 2001-2002 530i engine and you'll be fine.

So what is need to put a 530i into a 330ci e46

[blackknight530i]

So what is need to put a 530i into a 330ci e46

Swap oil pan from the e46 motor to the e39 motor and use the e46 wiring harness from the engine as the ebox is on the opposite side of the car.

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[djb2]

The parts swap-over is much easier than it sounds.

You'll want a new oil pan gasket anyway. Changing it is trivial with the engine out, and very painful in the car.

Swapping the electrical harness is a few minutes work with engine out. All of the connectors are quick-connect except for the starter. The only ones you can mix up are the oil pressure switch and the evap solenoid (the solenoid is the one with the hood).

[geargrinder]

I like that the orig post says "and makes". Peugot PRV V6's and Kia 2.0 I4's are drop-ins.

[effduration]

According to Wikipedia, M54 3.0 liter WAS used in the Weismann MF 30.. Good luck finding a cheap donor Weismann

[geargrinder]

Ha! Good point! Weismann - those are COOL! Too bad they went belly up.

[makenzie71]

Would the 330i ZHP be a consideration? Might be kind of neat to have a peppier E39 530i with a 6-speed.

[effduration]

Yes. It’s been done before. But the ZHP ( I have one) only adds 10 hp and while the 6-Speed Trans is appealing it requires a different hybrid (e39 /E60?) driveshaft and a custom trans mount. A bit more effort than a simple replacement.

[geargrinder]

Not to mention that the ZHP engines are gonna be $$$ to source over a plain Jane 530/330 M54. You can always throw some Schrick cams in the M54 and be actually a small step above and beyond the ZHP, although those ain't cheap either. You start spending too much money trying to perk up an M54 tho' and quickly it turns out you're trying to homebuild an S54, and still coming out behind.