535ia engine swap

[Dash01]

Can an m30 engine with automatic transmission be removed and swapped without also removing the transmission?

Or, upon re-installation, must the tranny be refitted after the engine is in place?

How accessible are the 12 or so bolts holding the engine and transmission together, and how difficult are they to re-torque upon reassembly?

Bentley says to remove the exhaust and tranny, but I'm wondering if anyone with experience in engine swaps can suggest any more efficient methods.

[Dave M]

Not absolutely certain about the M30 (I know its posible with others), but I can't see why you wouldn't be able to remove the engine with tranny attached. You will likely need/want to remove the rad and anything else that might hinder its movement forward. You'll also need to be able to tilt the front of the engine upward with whatever hoist you're using. The front rad support can also be removed it you need more room (shoudn't need to), but at this point, you might want to consider the cost/benefit.

Regarding fitting the tranny afterward, except for the grunt labour involved in lining things up, the torx bolts are fairly simple to reach and torque. With my manual tranny, all I needed was a good collection of socket extensions. If you go this route, have a look at the condition of the bolts before you re-use them. New bolts make it a lot easier and less stressfull to get torqued.

Good luck

Dave

[Kalevera]

1) Yes, but IMHO, it's easier to just drop the transmission. I know plenty of guys who use a load leveler and/or remove parts of the front of the car. You could also drop the subframe, which is arguably the easiest method (and ONLY method on some cars).

3) You need a few long extensions and they'll be easy to reach. Invest in good torx bolt sockets.

You still need to remove the exhaust, regardless. The question is whether you remove the tranny.

[Dash01]

My garage workspace is limited.

I'm hoping to simply unbolt the engine from the tranny, exhaust pipes, and motor mounts, then scoot it forward and hoist it up and out of the car. This would presumably entail first removing the hood and radiator and disconnecting and setting aside the wiring harness. Replacement engine installed in reverse order.

But, there are a dozen or so bolts that attach the engine to the automatic tranny, plus proper alignment of torque converter, etc.. So, installing the new engine is surely more tricky than pulling the old one out.

Any further suggestions or insights from people who've actually done this would be much appreciated. I'm still in the imagineering mode, but suspect that Bentley is not necessarily always the most efficient way to go.

[George M]

You will want the weigh in of the likes of Winfred, Bill R. etc but I have to believe by far the easiest method is to pull the engine and trans together.
Then separate the trans from the engine out of the car and then reattach new engine to trans and reverse the process. This all can be done in a one or two car garage...you may have to push the car out temporarily but that is all.. Pulling just the engine with the trans in the car is much more tedious for the modest economy of trans mounts and linkage, and driveshaft connection. If your engine were fine and the transmission needed to come out this can be and has been done in a home garage as well of course by leaving the engine in the car.
Will see if others agree but that is how I would do it.
George

[Kalevera]

My garage workspace is limited.

I'm hoping to simply unbolt the engine from the tranny, exhaust pipes, and motor mounts, then scoot it forward and hoist it up and out of the car. This would presumably entail first removing the hood and radiator and disconnecting and setting aside the wiring harness. Replacement engine installed in reverse order.



OK, the back half of the transmission has to be lowered to gain access to the top bellhousing bolts. It's easier to leave the wiring harness on the engine and disconnect it where it meets the body.




But, there are a dozen or so bolts that attach the engine to the automatic tranny, plus proper alignment of torque converter, etc.. So, installing the new engine is surely more tricky than pulling the old one out.

Any further suggestions or insights from people who've actually done this would be much appreciated. I'm still in the imagineering mode, but suspect that Bentley is not necessarily always the most efficient way to go.


The most efficient method short of dropping the subframe, which is unnecessary on a 535 as it has one of the easiest engine/trans to remove, is to pull the trans from below, then lift the engine.

[Dave M]

My garage workspace is limited.

I'm hoping to simply unbolt the engine from the tranny, exhaust pipes, and motor mounts, then scoot it forward and hoist it up and out of the car. This would presumably entail first removing the hood and radiator and disconnecting and setting aside the wiring harness. Replacement engine installed in reverse order.

But, there are a dozen or so bolts that attach the engine to the automatic tranny, plus proper alignment of torque converter, etc.. So, installing the new engine is surely more tricky than pulling the old one out.

Any further suggestions or insights from people who've actually done this would be much appreciated. I'm still in the imagineering mode, but suspect that Bentley is not necessarily always the most efficient way to go.

Engine removal is not quite as simple as you envision. Simple, but not quite that simple :D

A few things you haven't accounted for are:

-Fluids. May seem a no-brainer, but do take some time and make things messy.

-Tehre are a few different sizes of torx to remove the tranny, if you have them, buy a good set as Whit said.

-Setting aside the wiring harness may involve removal of fuel injector clips (not suere on the M30). Also required will be 'pulling a few more hoses, throttle cables etc.

-Are you swapping intakes?

-Exhaust will hopefully go smoothly, but some clamps may provide resistance to your efforts. Same with exhaust manifold studs.

-If you don't have a lift, get some serious help for installing the tranny. I did it alone once and had soem sore abs from using my gut to push it into place while attempting to line up bolts.

-Of course, consider replacing exhaust pieces, guibo, center bearing, steering box (if sloppy) etc. while you're at it.

I don't mean to discourage, it is a fairly straightforward and rewarding job, but there amy be a few little things that catch you along the way.

Dave