E21: 1.8->2.0L crankshaft swap in a 83' 320i

[Bstarks7]

The 1983 car did run but did not have good compression on cylinder 3 due to the piston rings. I have swapped out the block with a block from a 1977 320i *crankshaft left inside. I know there are other threads on the subject of 2.0L swapping I have linked a couple of them below.
https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...10-1-8-to-2-0-
https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...swap-logistics

Suggestions for anyone about to do the swap
-Use 77' warm up regulator for the early model fuel control pressure spec
-Use 77' camshaft pulley for the double chain timing chain on the early model e21
-Buy A Fuel Pressure Gauge for CIS testing around $25 on eBay
-Find A CIS Bosch Manuel https://vdubfixer.com/wp-content/upl...-Injection.pdf

Adjustments needed to be made...
Air/Fuel adjustment https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Eu-Y_uXVJI&t=306s

Warm Up Regulator https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65-03E4UXWg

*to adjust base mixture jumper the fuel pump and turn 3mm Allen bolt CLOCKWISE until you hear the fuel injectors. It sounds like turning on a faucet then turn the bolt counter clockwise until you don't hear the injectors anymore https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRLorXbL1Us Is a link to what you should hear BE CAREFUL AS YOU WILL FLOOD THE ENGINE. Watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Eu-Y_uXVJI&t=306s for further adjustments as you will need more fuel for the 2.0L.

Parts I bought for the 1.8L to 2.0L swap
-Vacuum Lines + Boot ~$130
-Spark Plugs + Wires + Coil ~$100
-Fuel Filter ~$32
-Ignition Control Module ~$30

Now I still can't get the car to run for more than 30 seconds at a time usually after about 4-5 cranks (I've probably had it running <2 minutes total). At this point I have limited it down to either clogged fuel injectors dripping which no one wants to take out because of the plastic lines or a stuck piston/plunger in the fuel distributor which a rebuild kit is close to $100 on eBay. Despite my interest in the Jetronic System i'm open to different possible solutions such as all the components for turbo. I know the compression I have now is substantially lower at around 7:1 which is ideal for turbo. And I know that a lot of the parts I have purchased for this swap would be worthless if I do go with this solution but I'd rather spend $ for a better tuned car than spend more $ just to get this swap to somewhat work. Any suggestions or thought out solutions to my project are welcome and much appreciated. The car is my second e21 and can be a track only car as well. I live in the Bay Area if anyone knows anyone who can help me with this at the moment too. Thank you for reading.

[320iAman]

What is the Warm up Regulator cold and warm fuel pressure ? What is the fuel pump pressure at the fuel distributor ? What is the rest pressure of the Warm Up Regulator after 20 minutes ?

System Pressure should be 60-70 psi plus
Cold Control Pressure ~ 20 psi--use chart in very cold or very hot areas
Warm Control Pressure ~ 48-55 psi after 5 Minutes
Rest Pressure & Leakage Test-24 psi after 20 minutes

See FAQ's for details on CIS K Jetronic Tester. Here is a picture of my back up one still brand new. They cost ~ $100--this one I paid $50 for and tests all the above, the one in FAQ's the same-different seller package, I use the one in FAQ's--costs a little less as it does not have a hard plastic case-- soft plastic case like the one in the picture below-same fittings and test unit and hook up instructions.

s-l16090.jpg

Heres a link to adjust the Warm Up Regulator plus look in E21 FAQ's for other details.

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...tor-Adjustment


Randy

[epmedia]

Adjusting the base mixture by the instructions you listed, can sometimes not give great results first time. Make sure the engine is not getting flooded with fuel. If it seems flooded, lean the mix(CCW) in 1/16 or 1/8 turn increments on the 3mm screw. Keep record of the 3mm screw adjustments!(it's very sensitive). If the engine is Not getting flooded with fuel, then maybe the fuel mix needs to be enriched(CW).

Check for open vacuum ports under the intake manifold, etc.. After it's eventually running, the dynamic ignition timing needs to be set and then fine tune the fuel mix and idle speed. Also make sure the 'static' ignition timing is pretty close - it may need to be advanced a tiny bit to keep it running during first start-up.

* most important for now, is to ensure the engine is Not flooding with fuel.

[Bstarks7]

@320iAman and @epmedia Thank you guys for the quick replies! Very honored to be talking to you guys.

I'm waiting on a new fuel filter and hose as I also found some micro leaks in the hose coming off of the fuel filter to the fuel tank. It's the one in the picture from this forum post https://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=644872 I should have added the car sat without an engine since 2015 -open fuel lines from the engine bay...

Paying a shop $50 to do the fuel pressure tests sounds like an incredible idea. Especially since my tool kit is analog 1-100psi. Thanks for also posting the right pressure values for the different systems here. I've spent a lot of time reading about this swap and partly started this thread for future referencing when I may need it.

As for flooding the engine... I have drained 4-5 quarts of oil/gas that was badly contaminated. I'm not sure how much gas has gotten into the catalytic converter but i'm hoping a lot of it has evaporated in the past 10 days. I'll Lean out the mixture (CCW 1/4 turn -90 degrees) before installing the fuel filter and next start up.

I remember one of the times I got the engine running I needed to be statically advanced quite a bit I basically used the 'Z' mark on the fly wheel instead of the 'TDC' mark. This was about a month ago and have replaced a vacuum advance with one that actually moves when you suck on the line. I have since aligned it back at the 'TDC' but will take your advise into consideration if I still am having troubles.

Parts are expected to arrive on Friday but since the holidays are coming up I'm not going to be super duper mad if they get delayed until Monday.

Again thanks for the replies!

[epmedia]

For that high pressure fuel line on the 'fuel filter' you'll need some pieces for where it connects to the hard-line under the back seat. Browse this thread and afterwards- go to the post #96 as a possible source for the pieces.
(* assuming the new hose does not come with these pieces).
https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...k-on-hard-line

You should see this thread too, related to original 'cloth braided' hoses on the suction side of the external fuel pump.
https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...ueling-problem

[Bstarks7]

Thanks @epmedia for the info... Astonished you had to replace the fitting as well!

In my case I ended up getting just the hose 16121151474 from ecs (part #8)

https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...diagId=16_0151

Ended up coming in yesterday and I installed it yesterday. Old fitting was hard to start threading but I managed to not break it. I guess I got lucky since I can now see why epmedia bumped that post.

I then drained the tank and refueled. After some adjustments to the air fuel mixture and throttle body it I got it to start up real quick. Like my 78' has never started this quick in my 5 years of ownership of it for reference. Makes me want to rebuild it's engine now lol

Anyways I'm probably going to take 320iAman's advise and bring it into a shop after the holidays -hopefully it'll pass smog too.

Back to the swap:

I increased my idle approx. 90 degrees or 1/4 rotation clockwise. And i'm not to sure on how I got the air/fuel mixture but it's gotta be somewhere around 1-2 full rotations leaner than the 'base mixture' if you followed the directions I posted above. This was very sensitive like epmedia has stated in another thread and from my personal experience a 1/8 of a rotation will make a noticeable difference. I also have the o2 sensor unplugged at the moment because the engine runs a little finicky when the o2 sensor is plugged in. That's probably the next and last thing i'll end up replacing before I bring it into a shop. But maybe in the next couple days I can clean it and get the lambda control functioning properly.

Right now i'm still pretty shocked that this ended up working. Like 8.8:1 to 7:1 compression?!?! 80mm to 60mm air flow meter diameter decrease?!?! Everything in my right mind was telling me to stop wasting time with the k-jet system and go turbo it already. That's probably what i'll end up doing eventually if it becomes a track car but having a car (with a nice suspension setup) keeping miles off my early model is what I plan on doing for now.

I'll reply back with costs for the swap as well as my future intensions with the car after the holidays.

Thanks again for posting your advise 320iAman & epmedia!

Happy Holidays!!!

[epmedia]

You were able to re-use the old slip-ring (ferrule/sleeve) for that fuel pipe? That's odd because the slip-ring will normally get 'deformed' just enough during assembly (as designed) to never ever 'slip' off the pipe. I want to make sure you're satisfied with the installation of the new fuel hose...

You're welcome and Happy Holidays to you too!

[Bstarks7]

@epmedia I don't have any more leaks from that area (or any area of the car now) so I am satisfied with the overall outcome.

I have just been letting the car sit for the past month. I Drove it a little more than a mile with my dad following me when I did test it out. Brake/running lights don't work and neither does one of the headlights. I also drove it with only 3 lug nuts on one wheel when I did this too. I managed to fix the hub with a 12mm 1.5 thread pitch taper tap a few days ago. Shout out to Francisco Amaya for his youtube video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHqb9h4yxBE which helped me with this.

Why the swap is worth it in my opinion.

1. It works. You'll have a car that gets you from A to B.

Why the swap is not worth it in my opinion.

1. An engine swap maybe cheaper (m42, m50, m52, possibly even a s50 or s52)

2. The engine mounts need to be custom on the passenger side.

3. The air filter box. It will not fit in with the 2.0L block's oil dipstick position. I used a cold air intake instead...

4. Lower compression than a 2.0L head

5. Lower air flow rate from the intake system due to the late model throttle body

Some things to keep in mind when doing this swap.

1. The old model e21s have a double gear & double link timing chain. You will need a double gear for your cam if you want to have the double link timing chain.

2. The 77' model uses a different pilot bearing in the 2.0L crankshaft than the +78' models. Was redesigned by BMW probably because it makes installing the transmission way more difficult.

3. The firing order stays the same 1342 but the rotation is not (counter clockwise rotation for the distributor from the head's gear on the new models). The distributors are also not interchangeable because of this.

4. The warm up regulator pressures change from old to late models but looks easy to adjust as long as you have one from either model (they looked interchangeable to me and I used the one form the 77')

5. The air fuel mixture screw can apparently fall out of place. I think it's pretty difficult to have this happen but I disassembled my fuel distributor thinking the previous owner or a prior shop might have dropped the screw into the fuel distributor. Buy the tool to correctly adjust this. You'll need a 3mm hex key at least 7" long.

Anyone who has anymore questions about this swap can message me here on this thread or pm me!

[Bstarks7]

https://imgur.com/a/ZOI7nHZ