M54B30 ZHP engine swap into 323

Originally Posted by 330i ZHP

you have to remove the AC parts from the rad support and then the AC hoses will give you just enough flex to get out of the way and can be tied back on passenger side while you pull the motor.

have you pulled the engine/trans from your car yet?

thanx for the pix. that really helps me out a lot.

no, i haven't pull the engine off yet. this won't be until sometime in FEB since I am mainly working by myself and I am a very etremely slow worker (takes me an hour to change my oil when most people can do it in 15 to 30 mins).

ok...then, when you are ready - drop the engine and trans TOGETHER as one unit along with the front subframe - it is SSSSOOOOOOmuch easier than trying to remove the trans from the engine or trying to pull the combo out

you can do it like i did on the wagon and just loosen to the furthest point the bolts holding the subframe on - that will give you enough room to get the oil pan to clear

I repeat - if I do this again (and I am strongly considering swapping the two engines around in the cars...this will put the original engine and trans and stage 2+ back in the sedan...and the stage 3 engine would go in the wagon...since it is more modified at this point...)....so, if I do this again, I will simply drop the engine and trans on the front subframe/suspension

Originally Posted by 330i ZHP

for some reason I thought you were a teen

She sure looks like a teen

+1 on the engine swap method. By far the easiest way to do it. If I ever swap it again (and I might if I go for stage3) that's the way it'll go.

Originally Posted by smolck

Your oil pump nut being tight has no bearing on whether or not the car was driven hard. All ZHP engines have an upgraded nut with loctite from the factory and the whole "oil pump nut" issue is over stated on this forum. No, it is not. If you drive your M54B30 motor Bimmer real hard & let it "hang" for several seconds (5 plus seconds) above 6000 RPM, especially "chipped" motors that see 7000 RPM, it's just a matter of time before failure. Does it happen? Sure. Is it common? Not really. Disagree.

Since you have the engine out of the car it isn't a bad idea to weld it on or wire it on, but it is far from a NECESSITY on a street machine. I disagree.

BMW designed these engines to run at high rpm, even more so the ZHP. Again, disagree. Run it and be happy and without worry. No. Most people who over talk the oil pump nut issue have never even had it happen to them, I find that comical too. Well, it happened to me. Just because you don't read about this every week on this forum doesn't mean it's not happening to M54B30 owners who drive their Bimmers hard.

It goes like this,
Forum member "you better weld your oil pump nut on your car or it just falls off from driving really hard"
Me "really, so you've had it happen?"
Forum member "well yes"
Me "Wow that sucks, I shouldn't let my M54B30 motor hang at high RPM for very long."
Forum member "No, you shouldn't"
Me "thanks for the good advice"

On another subject, if you have $800 to blow on an unnecessary mod, then the ATI damper is a great part. Wow, I guess the 10 of us that bought those ATI SUPER DAMPERS in the GB are foolish. Not to mention the other 12 plus that beg for another GB to start back up. But I have friends who track their cars a LOT (like monthly, and have for years) and don't have them, and have never had an issue. Maybe so, but I can guarantee they're not all M54B30 motor cars. I torture my 2.5L M50 motor BMW race car (Sig.), but it has a completely different crank & block, so that design doesn't suffer the same fate as the M54B30.

As you might have guessed, I am one of the many people that have had motor failure due to high RPM oil pump failure. I made the costly mistake of letting my "chipped" motor see about 8 plus seconds at 6600-6800 RPM, what many "racers" consider the harmonic death zone for that motor.

So a welded on or wire tied OPN, plus a $800 ATI Super Damper is damn good insurance for the driver that really likes to push their Bimmer hard.



Good luck.

Originally Posted by Rob43

As you might have guessed, I am one of the many people that have had motor failure due to high RPM oil pump failure. I made the costly mistake of letting my "chipped" motor see about 8 plus seconds at 6600-6800 RPM, what many "racers" consider the harmonic death zone for that motor.

So a welded on or wire tied OPN, plus a $800 ATI Super Damper is damn good insurance for the driver that really likes to push their Bimmer hard.



Good luck.

i think Tim (owner/admin) suffered the threaded loose nut and his 330 engine had a total failure too. luckily BMW covered his car under warranty

Originally Posted by flashtwosix

i think Tim (owner/admin) suffered the threaded loose nut and his 330 engine had a total failure too. luckily BMW covered his car under warranty

Yeah , not ONE M54(and even some M52's) i've removed the oilpan on has had the nut loose, one even had the nut in the oilpan...

Just dont cheap out , get a vaio pump and be sure you wont ruin your engine later.

Not only will this happen, It's a royal pita to drop the pan. I got lucky saw the red light shut her down.. Hearing the lifters fill back up with oil and quite down, was the worst noise/feeling ever. clack clack clack clack silky smooth. I welded my nut on after that.

i am curious to see how the spot weld is holding up on the stage III motor

LTW flywheels are probably causing a lot of harmonic issues. I'd stay away from those.

In fact, I'm willing to bet just about everyone who had a OPN failure had a LTW flywheel..we should do a poll.

In for results, love to see how this will turn out.

I think it would be good start a new thread (or poll). This is good info but it will get lost in this build thread.

(my vote goes to Rob to do a short write up )

today's update: I spent the entire day cleaning the engine. First I use a air compressor to blow away as much debris as possible. I then plug each engine opening with a shop towel and then installed double sided tape to prevent water from getting into the engine. I then spray a can of engine degreaser and let it sat for 15 mins. I then use my pressure washer and washed the living **** out of the engine. I let the engine dry and came back and used a can of brake cleaner. I then pressure washed the engine again and then used compressed air to dried it off. I removed the tape and check each engine opening and sure enough no water managed to get into the engine.



Here is a picture of my cat watching me through the his cat door. Normally his liter box is in the garage but since I am trying to clear coat my floor I moved his liter box inside.



I removed the hydraulic tensioner and will used my old one since it is in better conditions.



Using an air compressor to blow away as much grime and debris from the engine as possible



stuffing in a shop towel in each engine opening to prevent water from getting in and use double sided tape as another layer of protection

Dont really need to cover the water pump and thermostat opening but wanted to play it safe. didn't want to get harsh chemicals into the coolant passage way



here is what it looks like when everything is covered.



Using a heat gun to ensure that the tape is fully adhered to the ports



spray some engine degreaser and let it sat for 15 minutes in order for it to work its magic

after soaking, I used a pressure washer to clean the engine



after drying I saw an imediate result. the engine is no longer oil/greasy. there are still grime left but that is what the brake cleaner is for



here is what the engine looks like after using brake cleaner. there is just a small difference in appearances

here is my cat spying on me. He is an indoor cat but he knows better not to go outside. There was plenty of times I left to go to work and forgot to close the garage door. I come back 8 hrs later and my cat is still home and did not run away.



after spraying the engine with compressed air again I decided to pull the engine into the messy garage and let it air dry.

Noticed my parking stripes. tomorrow the weather should be hot enough for me to clear coat my stripes but I need to clean and organized the messy garage first.

that is it folks for this week. Next weekend I will do the vanos seal and rattle and replace as much seals/gasket/orings as possible. It won't be until mid or late feburary until I can remove my original engine and drop the new one in.

ncie garage

Originally Posted by 330i ZHP

ncie garage

BTW...thanks to your ZHP Cams for sale thread ( http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=844130 ) I was able to verify that I do indeed have a ZHP engine. my cams share the same marking as yours thanks again

np

Pro tip,



If you want your pulleys to last you a long time without squeaking pop the rubber dustcap off with a pick and repack it with grease. Even if new.

Originally Posted by new//M3fan

Pro tip,



If you want your pulleys to last you a long time without squeaking pop the rubber dustcap off with a pick and repack it with grease. Even if new.

thanks. that pulley was making a strange noise when i was spinning it by hand