The Official Auto-to-Manual Transmission Swap Thread

[MaximumEffort]

So i looked all over these forum, and couldn't find the answer. So does the stater in a automatic e36 work on the manual trans? I know you have to swap flywheels but not sure on the starter. Trying to get all my parts together to do the swap. Thanks!!

[SH330CI]

So i looked all over these forum, and couldn't find the answer. So does the stater in a automatic e36 work on the manual trans? I know you have to swap flywheels but not sure on the starter. Trying to get all my parts together to do the swap. Thanks!!

Starter does not to be swapped.

[MaximumEffort]

Starter does not to be swapped.

Great thanks man


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[m3iser]

Anyone have a good source for full zf swap components that will ship. I found a BMW yard in Alabama that would sell the swap for 800 plus shipping. Fair deal? Also will be going in 95 M3

[MaximumEffort]

So need some help here I did the wiring like described on pg 40. Dash lights come on so i believe its not the dme ews1. I will say the vehicle was double locked until i could get new battery in. Well it didn't start. Spray starting fluid in would start, and run on fluid. So i took the front fuel rail line off hooked you jumper wire gas squirted out. no start with jumper wire running the fuel pump. Checked and seen a whole bunch fuses blown. Replaced those and still nothing. So I look online found e36-tech.com did what they said for wiring. brown/black wire hooked it to black/yellow wire ignition as explained in still nothing. i did notice when i crank over the tachometer doesn't move, so maybe cps? Any ideas would be appreciated.


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[MaximumEffort]

Anyone??


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[Ry328i]

Does anyone have a stock shifter arm they want to get rid? I have the shifter but i broke the arm when taking out the donor transmission from a car in a junkyard.

Anyways, I am doing an auto to manual swap on my 97 328i. Surprisingly, with encouragement that it can be done on jackstands, ive gotten the auto completely out the car!!

I'm trying to get the cooler lines out, i think im just going to cut them since they wont be needed, im having a hard time finding a way to snake them out.

[Ry328i]

I'm at the point of putting the transmission on. It seems to have met the spline because I can tell when I can't spin the output shaft in gear, but it has about an 1" and a half to go before being mated to the engine. I can't seem to get it to slide on all the way? Should I use a rubber mallet? Put some grease on the input shaft? Or something else is preventing it from going on? I try rocking and turning the transmission but it doesn't seem to want to slide all the way on..

[Mless5]

Would a driveshaft from 323is work? I would assume the answer would be yes and I've searched on line with little to no results. Just gathering parts for the swap in the m3.

Thanks.

[SH330CI]

Would a driveshaft from 323is work? I would assume the answer would be yes and I've searched on line with little to no results. Just gathering parts for the swap in the m3.

Thanks.

No

[Mless5]

No

Thanks.

Not even the front half of it?

Thanks.

[btemplarbond]

Will a 2000 328ic Manual Transmission fit a 1996 328i Auto?

[jaredmac11]

Ive tried searching here, but I just cant find a similar post. Im sure they are out there, but many images are broken.

I am swapping a 1995 318i M42 with an automatic ECU and harness in to my '78 320i. The E36 should be OBD1. I am also using an E30 Getrag manual transmission, to keep the car manual trans. Final build will be manual, merging the e36 harness to my e21 harness.

I have studied the e36 wiring harness and I believe the automatic plug has the following wires, the identifiers are from the Bentley manual:

Grn/Gry	Hot in Run & Start Fuse F28 5A
Brn/Wht	GR RNG SIG L4
Blu/Wht	GR RNG SIG L3
Brn/Blk	Electronic Immobiliser Control Module
Blu/Blk	GR RNG SIG L1
Grn/Wht	Hot in Run & Start Fuse F26 10A (also goes to a 'Program Switch'??)
Blu/Yel	Exterior Lights System

For the E21 Reverse switch:

Grn/Wht	Power from the fuse, to the tranny switch.
Blu/Wht	From the tranny switch to the back-up lights.

Could someone help me decipher the identifiers for the wiring for the e36? I need to get these to mate up, but I am uncertain how to do so without knowing what wire does which.

[Krohn27]

Hello all, I'm mid-swap on my 1995 BMW M3. It came with an automatic ZF tranny. My donor car that I got everything from was a 1996 328IS. I have all the parts, everything seems to be going smoothly, however I have a few questions that I'm having a hard time finding the answer to. Most people say that the reverse plug on their auto and manual are the same, but they need to wire it differently for the manual, which I understand. My problem is, my ZF auto trans coming out of the car only has one plug going into it, and it's the round spin-to-lock style connector with several pins. I'm not sure what to do in that situation for wiring.

Any help is appreciated, thanks!

My other question is, my car apparently came with a Dinan chip installed. Can I remove my auto eprom with the chip completely? Or is this not necessary for an OBD1 car. Will I have any issues with idle relating the car thinking its in park/drive/ etc?

EDIT EDIT*** I'm also finding conflicting information on the shifter locking solenoid. Do I snip this off and be done with it, or do I remove it from the auto shifter assembly and let it stay inside the car?

EDIT EDIT EDIT

****** I just finished the car. Wow, what can I say, it's an entirely different vehicle. It all went together pretty well, the wiring is extremely easy. My car is a 1995 M3, I used wires 5 and 7 from the auto plug in the center console, and routed them to a brake switch in place of the traditional clutch switch (only use the top two or bottom two wires on the switch). The car functions exactly as stock. Cruise works, clutch pedal depressed to engage cruise. If you have cruise control, it's such an easy step to take, just do it. Also, I left my auto Eprom in and didn't touch the ECU, no issues, idles fine, drives fine. I took the trans failure bulb out of the cluster. The answer to my shift lock solenoid is to just unplug it and toss it. For those that have issues routing the hard line, don't even attempt to snake it from the inside of the car outward. Look at a picture of the hardline (I'm going to attach it) then simply route it from below. It's not difficult to poke through, then go into the car and connect it. I suggest putting the master cylinder in the car and connecting the hardline to it, THEN proceed to put the clutch pedal-set in. If you have a new style starter (without the nuts on the backside), it is possible to get the trans off without taking the intake manifold off. You can snake your arm up the drivers side of the trans and feel the trans bolts that you are attempting to get to. I used a very long extension with another wobble extension on it (bought from harbor freight). I will say you should at least take the air intake off and it doesn't hurt to get a good look at the starter and really understand what exactly you are getting to. The bitch clip on top of the trans holding the shifter arm on was a pain, I think I used a small screwdriver, but you might as well get the funny shaped pick that people use at harbor freight if you are going there anyway.

I was able to complete this project entirely by myself, in my driveway, on jack stands. I'm not a huge guy, so the hardest part was getting the auto trans out, and the manual trans in. I borrowed a trans jack from a friend and that helped immensely. Lots of sliding under the car and back out, some packing blankets on the ground helped my back quite a bit. I can't speak for other combinations regarding a manual swap (like the gertrag trans, OBDII stuff). However if anyone out there has a 95 M3 and has any questions regarding this swap, they are more than welcome to contact me with questions and I can try to help.

HARDLINE.png

IMG_3667-1.jpg

[flyfishvt]

Thanks.

Not even the front half of it?

Thanks.

If you are installing a ZF 5 speed your only choice is the drive shaft from a 328 5 speed or a m3 5 speed.

[Magoo520]

So I found a zf tranny that was locked up for my manual swap figured out how to take it apart and fix it and get it back together but now I need this black cap on the back of the tranny that covers the bearings it's about 2in but I can't find it anywhere. Does anyone know where I can get one or what the name is so I can have better luck finding it online

[acgrossen]

I seriously need to tackle this someday. Once I am out of school and my DD isn't my E36 anymore. I'm tired of driving with such an abomination of a transmission.

[TurboSlovo]

I have a totaled 5 speed e46 and an auto e36. From what I gather, most of the mechanical stuff will be a bolt on ordeal. Flywheel, pilot bearing, trans etc. locl guy has some other odds and ends I'll be in need of so I am not too worried about that. What's just can't seem to figure out is if the e46 and e36 use the same pedalbox? Looking at pictures they look pretty damn similar and I don't want to waste money getting another pedalbox if I don't have to. Thanks in advance!


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[FiveOh]

Hi all,

Been skimming through the mass of information in this thread and have been learning lots. However I feel it best to double check some specifics as my situation has an extra step before the transmission swap. If these things have been covered specifically in this thread already please feel free to re-direct me.

I have a 1993 E36 318is M42 manual. I also have a 1993 E36 325i (coupe as well) auto. I plan to swap the M50 motor from my 325 into my 318. However I wish to keep it manual and not throw the auto transmission the M50 currently uses into the 318. I am of the understanding that I am able to use my M42's factory manual transmission with the M50. However I'm aware that it's a good idea to replace things like the flywheel and clutch kit etc. to an M50 rated setup.

I wish to confirm a) I can use the M42's factory manual transmission with the M50 with M50 clutch etc. and b) how much will I also need to swap out post-transmission? I'm aware obviously the driveshafts are different lengths both the auto M50 one and the manual M42 one, so I'll need to source specifically a manual M50 driveshaft. However how many other issues may arise from a four cylinder to six cylinder auto to manual in the 'one go' swap that may not be prevalant in standard six cylinder auto to manual swaps?

This is an interesting situation for me as I've not come across information detailing specifics about doing what's technically an engine transplant from four cylinder to six and basically having to swap out a transmission in the same go. Obviously the car the motor is going into is already setup as a manual so I'm hoping that should at least work in my favour.

Looking forward to insight and will be eternally grateful for any help people can give!

[Krohn27]

So it's not the most detailed DIY, but maybe it can help a few people out. I made a site just documenting my swap, it has large photos, and I'll be updating it with links that I used for the swap as well. Basically just another resource for people to reference! I'm sure it has typos, but it's a work in progress.

www.bmwe36life.com

[Smoothbimer]

Hi folks, I just bought a manual tranny with clutch from a 95 E36 vert to swap with the automatic tranny on my 94 vert. In this thread it mentions that the longer drive shaft in the manual tranny is required. I was unable to get the rear half of the donor's car and I wander if the rear half of the shaft is the same as the automatic, since both join at the center bearing. The salvage yard is 250 clicks away and I don't feel like going back unless I absolutely need to. Thanks for chiming in on this.

[javiwwweb]

Hey Smoothbimer. I wanted to chime in and let you know that the rear end is the same on all e36's (not sure about the ti) as long as you have the front end that matches the same transmission (getrag manual front end or ZF manual front end) you'll be fine. I am not one for shameless self promotion, but here's a link to my swap video where we discuss this exact topic.

https://youtu.be/M7LbgRIj84Y?t=5m9s

Good luck with your project!

[Smoothbimer]

Hey Smoothbimer. I wanted to chime in and let you know that the rear end is the same on all e36's (not sure about the ti) as long as you have the front end that matches the same transmission (getrag manual front end or ZF manual front end) you'll be fine. I am not one for shameless self promotion, but here's a link to my swap video where we discuss this exact topic. https://youtu.be/M7LbgRIj84Y?t=5m9sGood luck with your project!

Thanks! I don't need to take the 250 clicks hike again!!!

[Smoothbimer]

Hey Smoothbimer. I wanted to chime in and let you know that the rear end is the same on all e36's (not sure about the ti) as long as you have the front end that matches the same transmission (getrag manual front end or ZF manual front end) you'll be fine. I am not one for shameless self promotion, but here's a link to my swap video where we discuss this exact topic. https://youtu.be/M7LbgRIj84Y?t=5m9sGood luck with your project!

Hey Javi,
I watched your videos and learned a lot, thanks! I think I will use a stainless steel braided line instead of a hard line for the clutch slave cylinder, to spare myself from frustrations. I wanted to ask you if I can re-use my original starter or if the starter for the manual tranny is different. I also wander if I can just add the clutch pedal to my existing pedal bracket, which has a rod to acommodate a clutch pedal. I saw that today while replacing the brake switch.
Cheers
Fred

[javiwwweb]

Hey Fred, Thanks for checking the videos out. It was my intention to give back after lurking in the forums for so long, plus I have a lot of fun with my brother (Win/Win right?) Anyway, you can definitely use the same starter. I did on mine, I took the opportunity to have it rebuilt, since mine was still the original one. So you'll be good there. As far as the pedal go, from what I can tell, you could use the existing bracket, I checked with realoem and the main bracket is the same part number on the Auto as well as the manual. check out the diagrams at realoem:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...diagId=35_0454

I suggest inputting your car as a manual and then as a automatic, so you can cross-referrence the part numbers. Good luck! Please let me know if there's anything else that I can help with!

Javier