Any s54 e9s out there?

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lawdog1

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Does anyone know of any s54 e9s? I tried searching here and google but didn't come up with anything concrete.
 
Thanks for the replies. With all due respect to those that have attempted or accomplished greatness, there is more than one solution to any given problem. Threads like that can sometimes serve as undue discouragement for something in the realm of reasonably doable.

I am contemplating one, and was just curious to see if anyone knows of any out there.
 
I have a 2002 M Roadster and love the S54, so when I started my project I went looking for an E46 M3 to serve as a donor. After some investigation, I determined that the S54 swap was at least an order of magnitude harder than the S38 swap, so that's the way I went.

But I'd still love to see one.
 
I have a z4m and find the s54 to be such an awesome engine. While it is not the most powerful, it feels balanced and refined. I thought it would be a perfect compliment for the beauty of the e9.
 
lawdog1 said:
Thanks for the replies. With all due respect to those that have attempted or accomplished greatness, there is more than one solution to any given problem. Threads like that can sometimes serve as undue discouragement for something in the realm of reasonably doable.

I am contemplating one, and was just curious to see if anyone knows of any out there.
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There are reasons most BMW engine swaps are not S54s, aside from base engine cost. The engine requires integration of a variety of systems that simpler controllers leave alone, or requires a very good aftermarket ECU and some VANOS delete plates. Frankly, you would have similar difficulties swapping in anything newly implemented post~2002 or so. (like a N54, for example) As someone that works with Conti/Siemens ECUs on a daily basis from an OEM perspective, I can tell you that even with all the correct tools and documentation, they are a bear to work with.

You would have an easier time swapping in a euro S50 due to the simpler (and more self-contained) ECU systems, which would not have many downsides since the differences in performance between the euro S50 and S54 are much smaller than the US S50/S52 and euro S50. The problem there would be getting some parts, given how BMW has really clamped down on US/Euro part movement through legitimate channels.
 
I swapped an S54 into my E30 M3 and the options are getting easier. There are now several programmers here in the states that will delete the necessary stuff from the factory ECU for around $1000-1500. The wiring is pretty simple as there are only 5-8 wires that actually tie into the car's harness. I ran full vanos and drive by wire. My car even had a OBD2 port. The biggest issue I could see running it in an E9 would be the angle of the engine. It is fairly wide with the dual overhead cams and the extreme angle would make it difficult to fit. You would either have to use an E34 oil pan or modify the S54 pan to fit the subframe. I ran an E36 M3 transmission in the E30, but I don't know how it would fit in an E9.

With the ease of getting the factory S54 ECU tuned and the cheaper cost of the motor/components now, there really is no reason to go with the euro S50 anymore.
 
I put an s54 in my e12 racecar , this is probably as close to an e9 as one will get, as far as that swap is concerned

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/foru...run-of-the-mill-3-seris-build-S54-powered-e12

as Atlas mentioned the electronics will be a bit of an issue , but that is only part of the problems you will encounter , the s54 air box will hit the brake booster of the e9, and then the headers of the s54 will run right into the steering links , and that's ontop of the oilpan issue , and mounting setup, youll also need a different transmission , which requires a modded driveshaft. and lastly you need to modify the fuel system . If you do use an S54 , don't puss out and get rid of the electric throttles , , Install the electric pedal , part of what really makes the S54 is how the electric throttles works in conjuctoin with the vanos systems to make a unbeilable power curve. The s54 might not make as much peak power , but when all the systems are working together it will really scream! 8000 + RPM !

I am currently building an e9 racecar , and decided on an s38 powerplant which is a bit less work to install .

I think the S54 would real cool in an e9 , Frankly that would be a dream car of mine.
 
e30strube said:
I ran an E36 M3 transmission in the E30, but I don't know how it would fit in an E9.

With the ease of getting the factory S54 ECU tuned and the cheaper cost of the motor/components now, there really is no reason to go with the euro S50 anymore....
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Awesome! I have an e30 M3 shell I am contemplating what to do with. What's your opinion of the 5spd mated with the S54? What differential are you running and how do you like the gear setup? The 6spd getrag from the s54 is a little too long in physical length and chunky to fit in the e9. It could be made to fit with some work but it's not ideal so I think the better solution is using a different transmission. If there were a longer ratio 5spd than the 6spd, it would be ideal but I don't know of one.

I'm honestly not too afraid of the DME. I can do most of the programming myself. What I need to research more is how alpha-n is achieved.

bdigel said:
I put an s54 in my e12 racecar ....
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Yes, I have admired your vehicle many times over. You guys did a hell of a job on it. I will 100% do everything in my power to retain drive by wire. However, I do want to run alpha-n and modify the intake to avoid any booster fitment issues.

x_atlas0 said:
As someone that works with Conti/Siemens ECUs on a daily basis from an OEM perspective
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Sounds like a killer job! Great ECUs except when in the hands of the Ducati factory.
 
The 5 speed worked fine. I switched the diff to a 3.23 out of a Z3M car to change the gearing. The 6 speed simply offers an overdrive and I doubt you are going to be interested in gas mileage if you are doing the swap. The 5 is simpler, cheaper ($200-400 vs >$1k), lighter and easier to source.

I thought about attempting the swap in my Bavaria, but for the cheap price of a newer M30 (M30B35) and a bolt on turbo from TCD, you can get more HP with a way simpler install. You would need to upgrade the fuel system on any swap to FI, so that is a wash. But the fab work needed for the mounts, exhaust, pan, wiring...etc, it just didn't seem worth it to me.

It would be cool, but what would you gain.

I also ran alpha-n. I always had a flat spot in the tune around 2-3k rpm. The difficulty with alpha-n is getting a tune that is specific to your climate, mods, etc. It did simplify the wiring though. If you are thinking about it for the E30, I can help with any questions you may have.
 
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