Just bough 1994 325i. Considering a CF SC.

[BimmerModSC]

Just bought a 1994 325i. M50, only modifications are a CAI and exhaust. First BMW owned. Have been reading a lot on this forum, and I am leaning towards prepping for a CF SC. I was just curious what some suggestions would be towards proper preparation. I figured I would reach out and get some suggestions before a single thing is touched on this car.

Other changes prior owner made : lowered on coils, M3 staggered wheels (back end is wider than front end) , M3 brakes on front . Think that is about it.

[postsmart]

Whats your budget, power goals? What is the car used for? Now days i would feel bad investing FI kind of money in to 94 325. Those cars have next to no value now days(unfortunately).

[abradic]

Unless you drop an S52 in it to SC, you're probably better off with a turbo kit on a 2.5L motor. I know 328's can get good power with a SC, but the 2.5L will probably leave you wanting more with a CF kit.

[BimmerModSC]

Thanks for the responses. Will respond back in a little more detail tomorrow. Work in am, 11 pm here. I'll answer the best I can and see what you're thoughts are.

[BimmerModSC]

I'm looking to get up to around 300 whp. I've been doing some reading and a lot of people say turbo is great, but only if you plan on running it hard on the hwy. They were saying SC is good for evenly distributed gains across most rpm ranges.

I would love to build this into a track car but right now it is a daily driver also. Budget varies weekly but I'm doing little pieces each week. I'm starting to think turbo could be the better decision for a goal to develop towards.

Essentially the car will just be for fun, mixed with use as a daily driver. Would like to take it to shows etc as well. My main concern was making sure I did the required work on the engine prior to installing any performance parts / making any modifications to it. I know the basics but was looking for anyone that may have done work on an e36 m50 before that was practically stock and that may have some tips or issues they ran across in their build.

some issues I'm dealing with now are :

1. Smell of fuel in cabin. I found a loose clamp on the small hose (coming from the fuel rail) and tightened it... but now only smell fuel in cabin at high rpms. I'm thinking probably an o-ring issue on one of the injectors or a different hose has an issue in the fuel system. (Some of the hoses are in rough shape).

Any good old places to buy quality hosing for cheaper prices?

2. Poor power response in 2nd and 4th gears (even at higher rpms).

Any ideas on this ?

3. When shifter is engaged in reverse (top left position) and I engage the throttle , the sifter wants to jump out of reverse. I have to literally hold it in reverse to back up.

thoughs?

4. I am looking to buy an entirely new interior to include : all interior door panel inserts, new power window motors/regulators, front two seats and rear bench seat, roof upholstery and new sunroof assembly .

Any purchase these before from a place they would recommend ?

Yes I know I will be making some trips the a scrap yard / junk yard. ����

[BimmerModSC]

Uses for car at this point are just : daily driver / for fun.

budget : varies each week but generally 100$ a week. (I know tc/sc are 2500-10k if I'm doing it right) I will be saving for that when possible but right now I am just trying to make preparations to the engine for when that time arrives. Aka (fuel system , injectors, exhaust flow, cams, cooling system , chip, etc..)

after a a bit more research I believe I will be aiming for Turbocharging this engine.

issues I have currently :

1. Smell of fuel in the cabin.

I found a loose clamp on the hose co I get from the end of the fuel rail and I tightened it. Now i I just have a smell of fuel in the cabin when at high Rpms. I'm thinking one of the o-rings on an injector is in need of replacing or one of the hoses in the fuel system line is bad.

Any thoughts?

2. Not getting a good power response even at high rpms in 2nd and 4th gears.

thoughts/ideas?

3. Shifter has to be forcibly held in top left position (in reverse) while backing ... otherwise it will powerfully jump out of reverse.

Thoughts?

4. Looking to replace all interior door panel inserts, power window motors/regulators, ceiling upholstery, two front seats, and rear bench seat. Anyone have recommendations on where to purchase these for low costs?

yes, I know I'll be making multiple trips to junk yards / scrap yards.

[Butters Stoch]

325 with say a AA C38-81 will bring you to M3 S52 power. I did an install years ago and the car was trapping 95-99mph. Same exact kit on a M52 brought it to E46 m3 power and was trapping 109-110.

[BimmerModSC]

Would you recommend the stage 2 intercooled setup? What are your thoughts on the stage 2 / level 2 AA-c38-81 vs a possible turbo / twin turbo (if even possible ) scenario?

also I was wondering how long the blower would hold up with the car being used as a daily driver.

[pbonsalb]

For the money of an AA Stage 2, go turbo. You will get way more power and torque for the same money. Many of us here had centrifugals and gave up on them and went turbo.

[zx666r]

For the money of an AA Stage 2, go turbo. You will get way more power and torque for the same money. Many of us here had centrifugals and gave up on them and went turbo.

Heed this advice, OP. I have a centrifugal on my M50 right now, and I definitely want more power. Granted mine is an old BD-series powerdyne blower, but it's near maxed out at 255whp/240tq. Going turbo instead of S/C on the M50 will give you much more room to grow in the future if you decide to go that route.

[325isBoosted]

If you can find a good used complete kit they can be a nice bang for your buck in my opinion, I scored a rms stg1 kit on the forum years ago for 1100. It was a lot of fun for awhile on a m52, easy to install and reliable, but if buying new or putting together a custom setup i would go turbo.

[BimmerModSC]

Thank you guys for the advice. Sounds like turbo it is.

What are the most important things I should update/ upgrade / replace in preparation for the turbo, based on your guys experiences ?

[Butters Stoch]

Thank you guys for the advice. Sounds like turbo it is.

What are the most important things I should update/ upgrade / replace in preparation for the turbo, based on your guys experiences ?

Before you just jump on the turbo, take into consideration that a S/Cer can be installed on a weekend. With turbo, unless you buy a $7,000+ kit (that doesn't come with even close to everything you need) , you must be able to have the ability to weld, cut , fabricate , you will want to do the head gasket to lower compression. Plan on extensive amount of time the car is down.
Just want to put that out there.

Going turbo without lowering compression isn't even worth the time or money IMO.
Unless e85 of course. Even then, you should change the HG to cut ring or new at least.

[pbonsalb]

But the time adds up when you install the SC then remove it and then do the turbo. Easier to just install the turbo in the first place. Unless you get a great deal on a used sc kit and are sure that is all the power you want. Or its just all the power you can afford.

[BimmerModSC]

I'll be getting together with my mechanic over the next few days. Going to review all you guys have brought up. He was looking into a third option as well. Thanks to all for the input , very much appreciated!

ill be sure to post his thoughts as well.

[pbonsalb]

If the 3rd option is an engine swap that is certainly worth considering. S52, S54, LSx. Depends on your budget. Apart from the S52, they aren't cheap. If I was starting today I would consider an Lex. I would also consider selling the E36 and buying a faster car like an E46M3, 135i, 335i or even some non BMW cars.