Diesel swap?

[Shadow86325e]

I've occasionally seen some m21b25 powered 524TD's for sale, usually are the cruddy automatics that were released here in the states in 1985

is it possible to convert an e30 to one of these diesels? would the 260 getrag transmission be the same? this is just out of curiosity.

With gas prices rising and biodiesel looking more and more promising, and seeing what some crazy germans have done with their diesel bimmers, it'd be interesting to have one.

would it still be street legal?

I also know that the wiring harness would have to be changed out as well as the cluster (would probably need to order one from overseas for a 324td) not to mention other things, like the fuel lines and pumps.

is it possible? is it worth it?

[banndit]

I've been thinking about a diesel E46 for the same reasons. It shouldn't be too hard to get everything you'd need shipped over from a German junkyard.
B

[Shadow86325e]

well my question is, can the North American 524TD engine be swapped into an e30 with the e30's transmission in place of the auto? (thinking eta transmission here..)

or would the diesel's sheer torque put an end to the getrag 260?

I know the getrag 260's are tough, but how tough?

just food for thought. Would be nice to see the 524td engine being put into a better situation, as the US ones were plagued with automatic transmissions that were gutless. (one of the reasons they didnt last too long here)

one of these would make for an interesting biodiesel project.

[jfrankE21]

Al Taylor used this combination for a bmw cca club race car. He ran biodiesel in it. Should come up with a google search

[slappala]

getrag 260 can take 600hp and 700Nm with good oil..

Why not use newer bmw diesels?

[flexer]

This could be intersting

[Storz]

Al Taylor used this combination for a bmw cca club race car. He ran biodiesel in it. Should come up with a google search

Awesome, I've been kicking around the exact same idea. I've met Al and he is lives near me, this might just work...

http://www.grmotorsports.com/backissues/biodiesel.php

[metale]

What year is that engine from?

According to wikipedia (I know...) that version of that engine only has 84hp and 112 lb-ft torque.

You could try to import an used M41 engine from Germay, I don't think it would be expensive, as there are LOTS of these engines still around. It's the engine I have in my car. Here are the specs: 90hp, 190nm torque (a tad above 140 lb-ft), and 4 cyl, which should make it lighter and easier to install.
Averages 47 mpg, probably better on a lighter E30 opposed to a 4 door E36, and it's a reliable, chain driven engine.

[2002maniac]

or would the diesel's sheer torque put an end to the getrag 260?

Sheer torque? Those motors are extremely gutless.

[SpunkyE30nOk]

If you were to do this swap I do hope that you give that motor some much needed help in the hp dept. On youtube there is a video of a guy dyno'ng and running his modded 524td...if i recall he went from the stnd 115hp to about 181hp. someone post up the video Im at work so the netnanny blocks all streaming media. a screaming e30 diesel is an intriguing idea. esp in the u.s where there aren't many bmw diesels running around.

[metale]

If you were to do this swap I do hope that you give that motor some much needed help in the hp dept.

On the M41, for instance, a chip is all you need for +30nm torque and 20hp. A diesel is extremly easy to tune these days, either via ECU or injection pump.

[metale]

Sheer torque? Those motors are extremely gutless.

How much torque does the M42 have?

[2002maniac]

How much torque does the M42 have?

it has sheer torque.

I would swap a diesel 4-banger into my car if I could get my hands on one.

[Brett Anderson]

well my question is, can the North American 524TD engine be swapped into an e30 with the e30's transmission in place of the auto? (thinking eta transmission here..)

or would the diesel's sheer torque put an end to the getrag 260?

Short answer is yes. One of our customers purchased Al Taylor's race engine and had it installed in an E30 318i. He started coming to us after the car was already put together. The stock transmission was used. It had a lot of gear rattle, similar to an M50 with a light flywheel. The pulses of the diesel played havoc on the input shaft, although I'm sure it would run like that for years.
He sold the car when we built him an M51 powered E36 318ti, see http://216.144.3.217/projects/325tds.htm for pictures. FWIW, I have a second M51 conversion waiting for a car, but it's an automatic.

Brett Anderson

[Brett Anderson]

I've been thinking about a diesel E46 for the same reasons. It shouldn't be too hard to get everything you'd need shipped over from a German junkyard.
B

Diesel drivetrains are very expensive. We paid about $10,000 to bring two old M51 conversions over. Shipping, duties, etc, were all pretty expensive on top of the fact that the engines are very sought after in Europe.
I was quoted about $18,000 for an M67 V8 diesel, for example.

Brett Anderson

[Brett Anderson]

What year is that engine from?

According to wikipedia (I know...) that version of that engine only has 84hp and 112 lb-ft torque.

Those numbers are for the normally aspirated M21 in the E30 324td. The turbo is something like 112hp and 150lb ft of torque.

Brett Anderson

[metale]

Those numbers are for the normally aspirated M21 in the E30 324td. The turbo is something like 112hp and 150lb ft of torque.

Still, heavier than the M41

[wanganstyle]

18K for a secondhand M67?
that must be the 4.4 and 542 lb-ft in the 05+ body 7 series. a M5/6 v10 powerplant is avail for less than 19K....

wow. incredulous. what car did it come in earliest? e38 7?

anyone know of a GDM front clip importer? i need to buy a wrecked m67 car to steal from

[TDE30]

Bumping an old thread because this idea has been in my head for months. I am unable to find much information on Al Taylor's swap, can anyone tell me what exactly was swapped? I assume the donor car was an E30?

Can anyone (Brett Anderson seems to know more about the diesel swap thing than most people) tell me what sort of numbers I am looking at for an M51 swap in my E30? This is kind of a long shot project that would likely take place post-college. I figure the motor would be an OBDI M51D25 from a 325tds (the intercooled motor,) would it work with the G260 or would I need to swap in a 250G? What kind of numbers can be expected with a chip and some larger injectors? Would an M50 make much more sense?

I'm trying to get an idea for this to get an idea if this is some crazy pipe dream or if it is tangible. Any help is appreciated.

[Shadow86325e]

I'd still do the swap myself but here in California they frown on diesel swaps into vehicles originally designated as gasoline. My Cousin's husband wanted to do it with his truck and the state said "Offroad only if you do so." If it hadn't been a longbed, I'd have told him to do it anyway and 4x4 the damn thing. He lives in the desert!

I'd do a getrag 260 manual swap into a 524td instead. The last 524td I saw was in the junkyard where some morons vandalized it (didnt necessarily get parts out of the inside, just smashed windows and pulled stuff out and all around the car and left it like that, seems like bimmers that park next to the GM truck section suffer that fate... otherwise I would have had them take it off the stands and give it to me.)


One day....

[E30Martini]

I've been thinking about this as well. I live in northern Vermont and would like to find an ix with a dead or dying motor and do a swap for a diesel with a WVO conversion. A quick search returned a company in the California neck of the woods called www.bavengines.com which sells used and rebuilt engines for what looks like most every US BMW. Including the 85-86 524td. The engine is wimpy, but the fuel cost savings/"wow I've got the only one" factors could make this project a wonderful work car.

[Fartbref25]

Hello

Currently running an e30 convertible with intercooled 524td motor, CS 4 speed. I ran the car in the GRM ultimate track car challenge, plan to drive the car on the street this year and do maybe 2 NASA 3 hour enduro's, car has full cage etc...


Al Taylor

[giuliettaevo]

My plan is to use the M51 E34 525 TDS engine with 143 bhp and 260Nm. This should fit rather easy since it's the same as the 24v swap. With a simple chip it should have about 170bhp.

I'm just about to call a guy who has a donorcar for sale. The price of that vehicle is decisive for the project....

[metale]

With a simple chip it should have about 170bhp.

175bhp and 340nm torque, to be more exact

[merajj]

I want a diesel soooo bad :[

I would love if we had the tds models available in the states. sadly i think it would probably be much cheaper to find a VW tdi than to do a swap :/