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Thread: E90awd 6 speed swap?

  1. #1
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    E90awd 6 speed swap?

    I found a guy parting out 2 e90 xi manual cars. I have been searching for a 6 speed for a long time now. Will the e90 awd manual trans work without the tranfer case? As in can I just throw a flange on the end with a custom driveshaft and drive away? (Maybe a fabricated shift lever arm too).
    Nobody would recertify these machines after somebody screwed with them without any visibility into what they did.

    HONK! HONK! Clown car coming through!

    -Oakdizzle

  2. #2
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    I should still be able to leave the transfer case on without the front driveshaft and custom rear driveshaft custom mounts.
    Nobody would recertify these machines after somebody screwed with them without any visibility into what they did.

    HONK! HONK! Clown car coming through!

    -Oakdizzle

  3. #3
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    You might be the first to try. I am thinking about a GS6-53 swap but am not looking for extra complications so I am looking only at RWD trans. Even then, I have to deal with the clutch, linkage and driveshaft.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by spyderg0d View Post
    I found a guy parting out 2 e90 xi manual cars. I have been searching for a 6 speed for a long time now. Will the e90 awd manual trans work without the tranfer case? As in can I just throw a flange on the end with a custom driveshaft and drive away? (Maybe a fabricated shift lever arm too).
    I think you can make anything work if you try hard enough / have enough money.

    Our cars don't require an adaptor to bolt the bell housing up to the engine, but aside from that, you're looking at a lot of work / custom parts. Even if you have a crazy deal, it would still likely be cheaper to find a used E46 6 speed somewhere (salvage yard, not ebay) and go that route since it will require far less customization.

    I don't have any idea how the transfer case works, but I don't see how keeping the transfer case and just leaving the front output flange rotating would work in practice.

    -Josh: 1998 S54 E36 M3/4/6 with most of the easy stuff and most of the hard stuff. At least twice. 271k miles. 1994 E32 740il with nothing but some MPars. 93k miles.

  5. #5
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    There's a pretty recent thread with an awd e36 racecar they had to notch the frame on or something for e46 awd.

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk


  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by blckstrm View Post
    I think you can make anything work if you try hard enough / have enough money.

    Our cars don't require an adaptor to bolt the bell housing up to the engine, but aside from that, you're looking at a lot of work / custom parts. Even if you have a crazy deal, it would still likely be cheaper to find a used E46 6 speed somewhere (salvage yard, not ebay) and go that route since it will require far less customization.

    I don't have any idea how the transfer case works, but I don't see how keeping the transfer case and just leaving the front output flange rotating would work in practice.
    I found an e90 thread where they remove the front driveshaft and axles to convert to just rwd. They say it works.
    Nobody would recertify these machines after somebody screwed with them without any visibility into what they did.

    HONK! HONK! Clown car coming through!

    -Oakdizzle

  7. #7
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    But aside from that, the problem is finding manual e46 non electronic shift transmissions nevertheless 6 speed. And for a reasonable price at that.

    I was the creator of said post I believe about e36xi.
    Notching the frame in a convertible to suit awd I don't think would be safe. I was hoping i could just throw a flange on the output shaft and make a mount and driveshaft but that's not the case.
    Nobody would recertify these machines after somebody screwed with them without any visibility into what they did.

    HONK! HONK! Clown car coming through!

    -Oakdizzle

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by spyderg0d View Post
    I found an e90 thread where they remove the front driveshaft and axles to convert to just rwd. They say it works.
    It might work but I’d rather have a RWD trans since it would be more efficient. On my 535xit, the front shafts come out of the sides of the oil pan. I am not looking forward to doing the pan gasket.

  9. #9
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    If the e90 awd is like the e46, if all 4 wheels aren't attached they won't move (3 open difs), but with the t-case off it might be a different story.

    Gave away my BMWs, driving a VW and an Audi now.

  10. #10
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    Yea. I just have to keep looking for a rwd 6 spd. The output shaft of the awd trans doesn't mate to anything besides the transfer case. Also. The awd trans does not have mounting places. They hang from the engine and transfer case. I really don't like that it isn't a swappable part. I feel like BMW has started to modernize in bad ways. Boo.
    Nobody would recertify these machines after somebody screwed with them without any visibility into what they did.

    HONK! HONK! Clown car coming through!

    -Oakdizzle

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