4.0 + 6Spd Swap - What new parts are required?

[Panzer Captain]

Ok, so I've got a 530iT automatic. And, a complete running 540/6 rollover donor car. I'm sure you can tell what's about to take place here...

... what new parts should I put on, while I'm in the process?

Here's what I was thinking --- let me know if you think I'm missing anything:

- Engine mounts
- Tranny mounts
- Belts
- Fresh shifter parts

Obviously I will also be using a combination of the best parts from both cars to make one really good car.

[Antrieb]

Clutch, pressure plate, TO bearing
PCV plate and related parts
Guibo
Valve cover gaskets + check spark plugs. Coils should be fine.
Tranny flush
Diff fluid

Let me know if you need other help.

[pingu]

From what I've heard on this forum, the intake gaskets are notorious on the M60 for leaking and causing idle problems. Would be easier to do while you're doing everything else involved in the swap. Then again, where to draw the line?

[Panzer Captain]

From what I've heard on this forum, the intake gaskets are notorious on the M60 for leaking and causing idle problems. Would be easier to do while you're doing everything else involved in the swap. Then again, where to draw the line?

I have not yet had to replace these --- how time-consuming are they? Would it be easier with the motor out of the car? What's involved, basically?

[632 Regal]

while out of the car will save significant time, remember to do the front and back plate gaskets along with a new pcv plate.


I have not yet had to replace these --- how time-consuming are they? Would it be easier with the motor out of the car? What's involved, basically?

[MBXB]

If you're going to have the intake manifold off, you may as well check the injectors. You'll have them out anyway. Check all hoses and vac lines.

[Bin_jammin]

If you're going to have the intake manifold off, you may as well check the injectors. You'll have them out anyway. Check all hoses and vac lines.

And if you're going to take the manifolds off, you may as well change the headgaskets while you've got it out.

Actually, all joking aside, if it were me, I'd tear the motor down on a stand and throw a whole gasket set into it. I'd HATE to get the whole swap done and find out something stupid like a timing cover gasket or a rear main were leaking, and I could have changed it while it was out.

[Paul in NZ]

a lot of this makes sense,dunno about the headgaskets tho.....it would be a lot easier if the engine was on a stand.The m60 is hard on clutches so that is a must.

[Brandon J]

We did Scott's 525iT auto to a 535iT manual in one weekend with almost a dozen bimmer.info guys jumping in to do the work. Getting as many parts as you can is important for swaps. I had to purchase new parts to complete my S38 swap. Now what is nice is the fact that you are swapping in another V8 so some things will be easier.

The pedal assembly also needs to be swapped, manual tranny shifter consol and parts, if you are using the 540 diff, you need the rear subframe, perhaps half shafts too, get the brakes, new driveshaft center bearing, look for new wear parts like hoses, dog bones, plastic fasteners, various suspension pieces so it can handle the power, guibo, radiator holding clips that always break, different types of lock-tite, new exhaust bolts, washers and nuts, vacuum lines as they break easily too, new fuel hose to connect to the engine so it does not tear or leak later.

Don't forget all the wiring as reverse light switch might have a different pigtail. Save all the pigtails as you never know if one crushes and cracks or if there is a change. You can pop the wires out and swap in the unbroken or other connector. Just follow the wiring diagrams. Remove the auto tranny computer. The auto gear light in the gauge cluster might turn on and people just removed the bulb as the permanent fix. Remember to disconnect the battery before removing the cluster.

Replacing wear parts is always good and on the engine it is always easier to do so with it outside of the car. Don't forget to drop the pan and check any loose bolts, perhaps change valve gaskets at this time, rear main seal since it is accessible, manual tranny gaskets, and so forth.

The best way to do the swap is to have a laptop with the etk and tis in the same garage and have both cars next to each other. If you have to take parts before it is hauled away, get as many big expensive parts as you can. Mark the driveshaft with alignment lines so it goes in the same way it came out. Mark the hood too so you can realign it easily when putting it back.

My donor parts came from a rolled over vehicle and it is great to see others using these to keep them alive. GO HYBRID!

[Panzer Captain]

Awesome post, thanks!

How long will a clutch take, if the motor + tranny are out of the car?

[Brandon J]

If you are worried about how long the clutch will take, then this swap is too big for you. With the correct clutch alignment tool, it should take a few minutes to bolt to the engine and torqued correctly. You might need someone to hold the flywheel from spinning.

If you pursue, do a lot of homework. Study study study because you want to know the information when others are around to help. The last thing you would want is to have people who are helping you and time is wasted on researching instead of wrenching.

Of course, having a dozen e34 bimmer.info guys who know every bolt size and torque spec helps too.

Good Luck with your endeavor.


Awesome post, thanks!

How long will a clutch take, if the motor + tranny are out of the car?

[Panzer Captain]

If you are worried about how long the clutch will take, then this swap is too big for you. With the correct clutch alignment tool, it should take a few minutes to bolt to the engine and torqued correctly. You might need someone to hold the flywheel from spinning.

If you pursue, do a lot of homework. Study study study because you want to know the information when others are around to help. The last thing you would want is to have people who are helping you and time is wasted on researching instead of wrenching.

Of course, having a dozen e34 bimmer.info guys who know every bolt size and torque spec helps too.

Good Luck with your endeavor.

I love how so many people on the internet seem to know exactly what you NEED at all times.

I'm worried about how long it will take because I'm on a schedule --- a perfectly reasonable concern, thanks very much.

I have already begun pulling the 4.0 + 6spd --- it just happens to be dark now, so I'm inside enjoying a cup of coffee and doing some research --- is that alright with you? Or am I wasting time?

Anyone else have any -useful- info to share?

[Brandon J]

Hey, nah I did not mean it like that. We all could use help especially when it comes to this type of project. I don't know exactly what you need, but I do know that at this moment in time before the research you are not ready to attack it head on. It does take time and I did give you VERY good advice before hand. I also gave advice on how to prepare for getting help as far as extra hands go.

Here's the thing, I did give good advice. I am qualified to give you advice. I was at this board the day it was created and I have held the past 7 e34 meets. I've been involved in several swaps, hybrids, rebuilds, you name it. It is okay to know that a project is over your head because that means you are taking the necessary steps so it won't be. So, that you are prepared. Now that is great. Asking here is a good step, even if the realization is that you might need more research or more tools. Lastly, I did answer your question.



I love how so many people on the internet seem to know exactly what you NEED at all times.

I'm worried about how long it will take because I'm on a schedule --- a perfectly reasonable concern, thanks very much.

I have already begun pulling the 4.0 + 6spd --- it just happens to be dark now, so I'm inside enjoying a cup of coffee and doing some research --- is that alright with you? Or am I wasting time?

Anyone else have any -useful- info to share?

[Panzer Captain]

Hey, nah I did not mean it like that. We all could use help especially when it comes to this type of project. I don't know exactly what you need, but I do know that at this moment in time before the research you are not ready to attack it head on. It does take time and I did give you VERY good advice before hand. I also gave advice on how to prepare for getting help as far as extra hands go.

Here's the thing, I did give good advice. I am qualified to give you advice. I was at this board the day it was created and I have held the past 7 e34 meets. I've been involved in several swaps, hybrids, rebuilds, you name it. It is okay to know that a project is over your head because that means you are taking the necessary steps so it won't be. So, that you are prepared. Now that is great. Asking here is a good step, even if the realization is that you might need more research or more tools. Lastly, I did answer your question.

Fair enough - no worries. Thanks for the advice - the swarm of internet teeny boppers has been getting to me.

I'm disappointed that the headers have to come off to get the 4.0 out --- I was hoping to avoid taking the headers and the tranny off.

Any special tools required for the new clutch install / tranny removal?

[Brandon J]

Nothing special, just make sure you get a clutch alignment tool with the clutch kit. It is plastic and aligns everything perfectly. Use the right locktite if needed, check flywheel for excessive hot spots, look at the Bentley for which points to lube, have an extra hand to hold the flywheel when loosening or tightening bolts, a prybar may work here, do change the throwout bearing, pullout the tranny in a parallel fashion or you might ruin the pilot bearing, install parallel and don't force it in, change seals on the tranny and follow the books exactly or if not in the books, then remember exactly how something is removed so you can install in reverse.

2 heads are better than one an it helps from losing steam. Take pictures take pictures take pictures before removal of things. You don't lose anything. It always helps for that one time you need to find out how things go back or how the factory organized things. In a collision or roll over, some elctronics can go bad. The impact can make minute cracks in welds. So, when the time comes to start the car, do not count a bad ecu as a culprit.

When we did Scott's 535iT, we had a 4 post lift and it still was difficult to get the engine tranny in and out with a lift. The factory has lifts and cranes that can go much higher than what we can have. So, it is better to be safe and do it in pieces. Just remember that the engine is not stable until the tranny is bolted in, so when you lower the engine to the mounts, keep it bolted to the engine lift until the tranny is bolted in.

A project like this is very very very stressful and many people post just to post. It gets frustrating filtering the BS from the help. It is all worth it in the end. When you see someone at the light suprised how you just smoked them in a 12 year old station wagon.



Fair enough - no worries. Thanks for the advice - the swarm of internet teeny boppers has been getting to me.

I'm disappointed that the headers have to come off to get the 4.0 out --- I was hoping to avoid taking the headers and the tranny off.

Any special tools required for the new clutch install / tranny removal?

[yaofeng]

Fair enough - no worries. Thanks for the advice - the swarm of internet teeny boppers has been getting to me.

I'm disappointed that the headers have to come off to get the 4.0 out --- I was hoping to avoid taking the headers and the tranny off.

Any special tools required for the new clutch install / tranny removal?

Once the drive train is on the hook you'll find removing the exhaust headers very easy. There are eight 13 mm nuts on each side. I remove the headers with the drivetrain on its way out and install then on the way in.

The only special tool you'll need for the clutch is a long torx driver available from Autozone. Unlike traditional engines where the flywheel bolt holes on the block go through the block, the 540 V8 flywheel bolt holes end inside the crank. So the bolt holes are not a source of oil leak and you do not loctite the bolts. BMW specifically calls for oiling the bolts rather than loctiting them. You'll find this info in the BMW torque setting book.

[Antrieb]

Here, read up on my thread. Pretty much everything is covered there.

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=709376&highlight=540i+swap

[Elekta]

It is all worth it in the end. When you see someone at the light suprised how you just smoked them in a 12 year old station wagon.

Amen to that. I smoked a z4 this morning and didn't even spill my coffee in my left hand.

AJ, remember the punks are over at the forums, and the wrenches are over here. I would bow to Brandon, Winfred, Drew Zacarda, Mr Project, Scott H etc. Before you know it, you'll be able to tell a quaife from a queef, and know that Koala is in Ohio, not Australia ;)

I know so little about wrenching I had to get my 340hp oem and wait 8 months to get it at that. I will be shmoozing soon for a friend who I could trust to properly shim my lifters and tune my throttle bodies. I may have to drive out of state to find the right tuner....it's that serious to me to get it right when the time comes. I'm still trying to listen to my S38B38 to accurately describe the acceleration....

Drew is close to you in New Jersey and he would be a good vet to have on hand when it comes time to stab the 4.0 back into your future boxta killa.

It really is so much fun to be in 2nd at around 3500rpm's and the boxta dude with the techie scroff is looking over at you wondering why you are revving your slush box, and then you stomp it to 6500 huhs and he's 60 yards back from you...they almost always give up too.

Your sta-wag will soon be the slay wag....be sure to bow to the vets...these guys posted 1000's of posts before this board even went to this format...pics and smilies and ****