2004 325xi auto turbo project

Dude your my BMW hero. I've been waiting to see how it can get done. I don't know enough about turbo setups to do this kind of thing. I've only gotten through page 1. I have to go to work, but I'm subbed.

drove the thing tonight to the store to get some shrimp.

wastegate opens, and it's sits at like 3 psi or so... the very smallest spring that can go into a tial gate. this is from my old sentra setup.

i'll get all the bugs worked out in it at 3-ish psi, and then install boost controller into the management system for more boost.

still want to take over the transmission though.

also gonna go take more pictures of the snaky downpipe and tighten wastegate bolts, and drill the oilpan to add the return fitting. getting rid of the scavenge pump, one less thing to break.

Originally Posted by xixixi

Don't wanna go too far O/T.The 5spd I have should work providing the t cases are the same. If they are different, I have a T case. In fact I have the entire awd system from my car. He would still need a clutch flywheel etc. Great project, great thread! If you need and D/T parts let me know.

just for kicks... what would you want for the trans/transfercase ?

can it be assumed that the driveshafts should theoretically line up with the tcase ouputs ?

Thanks for the updates, How is tuning coming along other then wanting to take over the tranny?

Originally Posted by gurov

just for kicks... what would you want for the trans/transfercase ?

can it be assumed that the driveshafts should theoretically line up with the tcase ouputs ?

I can include both my shafts you got pm

Originally Posted by xixixi

I can include both my shafts you got pm

Not to get OT much here, were you able to fully go RWD from AWD. I haven't seen anything yet on your thread except endless debates.

well, this is pretty much the finished engine bay now. i'm going to try to get rid of the ls1 coilpacks and go back to stock COP units using a toyota camry 6 channel igniter here, but other than that, it should pretty much stay like this



i wasn't able to get rid of the scavenge pump, but since i put the underbody plastic back on, i'm a lot less worried about the pump getting messed up.

the added bonus of topmount is that there's nothing running below the subframe/snaking through the subframe:



2.5" downpipe mated to the stock exhaust via twin turbo supra Y pipe piece and vband.



downpipe routing, you can see the two vbands in the downpipe:



this is the piece that the flange/1st 90deg attaches to:


attaches to this piece up their-ish:





then to this piece:



and to the exhaust:



the wastegate and extension tube under the manifold



ic piping routing:



as far as tuning, it runs, starts, etc. just have to drive enough to get enough logs and analyze them to correct the fuel maps.

Originally Posted by wat3rbug

Not to get OT much here, were you able to fully go RWD from AWD. I haven't seen anything yet on your thread except endless debates.

It's just a matter of working through it. I keep hitting snags that are slowing me down but yes the car will be rwd. After you buy a parts car and a new tranny your kinda committed

Man that stuff looks sooo tight in there you must have spent hours welding rewelding just to get it all in there. amazing!

Originally Posted by xixixi

It's just a matter of working through it. I keep hitting snags that are slowing me down but yes the car will be rwd. After you buy a parts car and a new tranny your kinda committed

Man that stuff looks sooo tight in there you must have spent hours welding rewelding just to get it all in there. amazing!

the first two legs of the downpipe went very easy, i spent 4-5 hours on the piece that went between the o2 sensor bung and the rest of the exhaust. it would just not fit.

compared to a bottom mount turbo, there's WAAAAAAAY more room to work with. i'm really glad i went this way. there's less intercooler piping, less compressor inlet piping, the turbo is not sitting where it can get splashed.

i still have to figure something out with wastegate dump, for now it's just breathing at the manifold there.

but at this time i'm fairly satisfied with how the hardware turned out, and i should concentrate more on the tuning.

one last thing i want to really do is get rid of the e-throttle, cause my controller isn't all that accurate.

anybody know what older manifold i can put on the m54 ? m50 ? anything from the older S engines ?

Super job man, as for the manifold swap out there is a friend of mine that i will ask tonight when he comes on line. He has a supercharger but converted this M54 to either M50 or S50/S52 i am not sure. I know he used an adapter plate or something to make it work. Had no problems since. I'll try and see exactly what he done and post it up on here.

Originally Posted by ritos530i

Super job man, as for the manifold swap out there is a friend of mine that i will ask tonight when he comes on line. He has a supercharger but converted this M54 to either M50 or S50/S52 i am not sure. I know he used an adapter plate or something to make it work. Had no problems since. I'll try and see exactly what he done and post it up on here.

eh, i think i've got it covered now, found an m54 to m50 throttle body adapter plate for the m54 intake manifold.

i've got cable, pedal and throttle body sitting at home for the m50, so i'll be getting rid of the ethrottle stuff, should make it a bit easier to tune, this way i can run the engine at around 15-17 degrees advance at idle to get better vacuum, instead of having to retard timing to 4-5 degrees so it doesn't idle really high. should help out the off-throttle response slightly.

now for some tuning stuff:



fuel output setup set to ms3x. full sequential, timing defines end of squirt, and the firing order for use in injector trim (trim is per cylinder as they appear on the engine), fueling calculation is set to percent baro, which makes it so atmospheric pressure is always 100 kpa line (100% load)





general settings, sets up barometer input, and the smoothing factors for inputs as well as overrun (letting go of the gas will cut injectors on decel to improve gas mileage)
this screen also sets up the behavior of the ve tables, "incorporate afr" means that VE table is a calculated amount of fuel needed for a 14.7 afr, then the AFR target table is used to look up percentage VE needs to get skewed to arrive at the target afr, so to change the AFR, VE table does not have to be retuned




probably the most important screen here, defines the crank angle pickup as a dual wheel with missing tooth. main wheel is 60-2 with the tooth #1 at 325 degrees. this was a fairly difficult thing to figure out, as i had to make my own timing marks, but this is pretty accurate for my engine.


crank angle signal is being sent to the main board vr conditioner, rising edge trigger. my spark outputs are going high (inverted), this is for ls1 coilpacks or an external igniter. if you were going to try to drive stock COP units via 6 coil drivers, this would be changed, i believe. i had it working at one point, but it was easier to go with ls1 coils and a custom bracket/wires. also, dwell setup is there. running wasted spark to ms3x spark outputs. i'll prolly rewire it to full sequential ignition to let the coilpacks cool down more.



the revlimit setup, nothing much exciting here



non-linear MAT conversion table, this is set up on a stim to not do any correction for intake air temps to aid in tuning


afr safety that i will be using once the car is more tuned, lets the engine shut down/misfire if the AFR is out of range under conditions. there is also EGT safety system that will shut engine/add fuel if it detects over EGT conditions under boost.



idle control screen. this is setup for 3 wire mode that's the stock valve on the m54. i'm not using idle control now, but once i add mechanical throttle body, i will be tuning this



and the ignition table that i'm using. i'll be finetuning this based on j&s safeguard feedback.



the afr target table, somewhat rough, but works for now.

Cool. I don't know much of any of that yet. But definitely cool.

So have you drove the car since uploading these configurations and if so how does the car respond to base maps?
How did you determine Cool base rev limits?
Can you explain the MAT corrections a little more thanks.
Great progress

Originally Posted by ritos530i

So have you drove the car since uploading these configurations and if so how does the car respond to base maps?
How did you determine Cool base rev limits?
Can you explain the MAT corrections a little more thanks.
Great progress

the revlimit just stays at 6600, no magic there, it simply offers the option to have a llower revlimit to make it more foolproof in case someone else drives the car and doesn't let it warm up.

the mat correction just counterracts the base intake air density calculation as dictated by the ideal gas law. this way I can tune with fewer corrections and as I see airtemp related rich/lean condition, I can use that table to correct for that.

I've been driving the car with these settings fine. its only at 3.6 psi for now until I get the boost control solenoid installed and run another vacuum line to the wastegate for proper external gate control.

auto trans seems to be holding up now. it is in a mode where lockup is used a lot, giving it a more manual feel, but it is difficult to get the engine to rev high with the auto, which should be solved by the auto trans controller.

and thanks for this thread.

Originally Posted by gurov

the revlimit just stays at 6600, no magic there, it simply offers the option to have a llower revlimit to make it more foolproof in case someone else drives the car and doesn't let it warm up.

the mat correction just counterracts the base intake air density calculation as dictated by the ideal gas law. this way I can tune with fewer corrections and as I see airtemp related rich/lean condition, I can use that table to correct for that.

I've been driving the car with these settings fine. its only at 3.6 psi for now until I get the boost control solenoid installed and run another vacuum line to the wastegate for proper external gate control.

auto trans seems to be holding up now. it is in a mode where lockup is used a lot, giving it a more manual feel, but it is difficult to get the engine to rev high with the auto, which should be solved by the auto trans controller.

I'm willing to take a loss on my 5spd(xi) I'll throw my tranny away for $135+ shipping. All linkage will be included, however you will need a flywheel/clutch/ecu reprogram) The issues you are working out with your auto are WAY above my pay grade. Kick it around... If you have any failing D/T parts/issues. I have everything you need, even if you don't need them now keep it in mind!

Originally Posted by xixixi

I'm willing to take a loss on my 5spd(xi) I'll throw my tranny away for $135+ shipping. All linkage will be included, however you will need a flywheel/clutch/ecu reprogram) The issues you are working out with your auto are WAY above my pay grade. Kick it around... If you have any failing D/T parts/issues. I have everything you need, even if you don't need them now keep it in mind!

oooh, i'll actually go for that, if anything, it'll be there when i grenade the auto.

i do need some more drivetrain parts, front left driveshaft's boot has been broken for a couple thousand miles so far, front right is about to fail, the rubber there isn't doing too hot.

no issue with ecu reprogram, stock ecus are not controlling anything anymore other than body/gauge cluster/minor things.

i'll pm you.

Originally Posted by gurov

oooh, i'll actually go for that, if anything, it'll be there when i grenade the auto.

i do need some more drivetrain parts, front left driveshaft's boot has been broken for a couple thousand miles so far, front right is about to fail, the rubber there isn't doing too hot.

no issue with ecu reprogram, stock ecus are not controlling anything anymore other than body/gauge cluster/minor things.

i'll pm you.

Please start building my plug and play Standalone. I can even send you the DME if you need me to

Originally Posted by gurov

oooh, i'll actually go for that, if anything, it'll be there when i grenade the auto.

i do need some more drivetrain parts, front left driveshaft's boot has been broken for a couple thousand miles so far, front right is about to fail, the rubber there isn't doing too hot.

no issue with ecu reprogram, stock ecus are not controlling anything anymore other than body/gauge cluster/minor things.

i'll pm you.

My front axles have about 15k miles on them no torn boots rubber is still soft.