Engine question?

Philippe db

Philippe db

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Hi guys,

Besides my wiper jets this is the second riddle on my Csi I'm trying to solve.

Which engine found its way in to the car? I know where the engine number is supposedly located but I'm just not able to see it.

Below a picture of the engine before it went in to the car and a picture of the 3.0/3.3 nomination on its left flank (viewed from behind the steering wheel).

Also below a picture of a boat engine I saw on display in BMW's Museum in Munich. Clearly visible the 3.0/3.3 nomination. If I remember correctly the production date of that engine was 1977.

So what I'm trying to find out is in which cars and when BMW installed these engines. Already send this question to the BMW museum as well but no reply.

Many thanks in advance.
 

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rsporsche said:
look on the block just above the starter ... drivers side rear
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip. I was always looking at the passenger side because that is where I found the engine number on my CS. I'll give it a try on Thursday when I visit the Csi in its winter storage.
 
Hi guys,

it took a little longer but I finally managed to locate the engine number, it reads:

40703550

Any idea to which BMW this engine ever belonged? I would have expected 7 digits in stead of 8.

 
Hi Guys,

Is there anything known in relation to the numbers used on official BMW "Austauschmotoren" (replacement engines). Could that be an explanation for the additional digit?
 
Big thanks Chris.

So only thing we need to find out is what date 550 refers to.

Anyway I can live with the knowledge that it is an official replacement engine build in te second half of the seventies.
 
Hi guys,

Little update.

I contacted BMW's archive and today received this reply

"According to our data base the engine number 40703550 belongs to an BMW 732i built in November 1984".

Do you guys think this is possible. Just wondering because of the D-jetronic installed on mine.

Also found this picture (left) of a 1984 , 732i engine. From where I'm sitting this looks completely different compared to te one in my Csi (right pic).
 

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I think BMW read only the first seven digits of this number, they used seven digit VINs all through the 80s, never eight, so that doesn't make any sense. Your block could be a 3.2, an earlier head will fit and the intakes can be interchanged as well. Can you read the casting date on your head, near cylinders 1/2 on driver's side?
 
Hi Phillip,

To be honest, I had the hardest time figuring out where the number was. Many people reference it, but I didn't realize that the number faces straight up. it is on the *horizontal flat part of the block, on the bell housing side of the starter. If the CSI motor is installed, you need to move some hoses around and peek down behind the last runner on the intake. I was also able to get a scotchbrite pad down in there to clean off the numbers.

It sounds like you have an M30B32 block. I had a great discussion with Don recently about the CSi piano top pistons. You can pick up an inspection cam for around $30. If you have a small one, you can sqeeze it through the spark plug hole and see the piston top. Mine barely fits, hence the fumbling in the first half of the vid of my 2800CS below. Once I do this on the CSI I can report back if you want to see what the piano tops look like from an inspection cam. You can clearly see that the pistons are flat in this video.

Click on Image to download video:
 
Hi Guys,

Markos, I found the number in the position you would expect it to be but its the 8 digit number I posted and that still doesn't make much sense.

Chris found several numbers but could the one you refer to be 1.277.958

Under the car on the block itself (passenger side) I also found 1.287.604

On the intake manifolds 1.256.568
 
Markos you mentioned the M30B32 block that also was an option I highlighted on the M30 engine overview I received from BMW when visiting the BMW museum last year.

However based upon that overview the M30B32 was only used in the CSL build between 1973 and 1975
 
Philippe db said:
Markos you mentioned the M30B32 block that also was an option I highlighted on the M30 engine overview I received from BMW when visiting the BMW museum last year.

However based upon that overview the M30B32 was only used in the CSL build between 1973 and 1975
Click to expand...

Do you have any documentation that indicates that the block is original? It is possible that when the original head cracked, they swapped the whole engine. Also, I learned that "dirty" euro B32's had piano tops also. So did the B34.
 
Philippe db said:
Markos you mentioned the M30B32 block that also was an option I highlighted on the M30 engine overview I received from BMW when visiting the BMW museum last year.

However based upon that overview the M30B32 was only used in the CSL build between 1973 and 1975
Click to expand...

The M30B32 is not the CSL motor, the B32 came later. The other numbers you found are casting numbers and aren't of any help.
 
Markos,

The 2800CS came with piano tops too, I see the edge of one in your video. Here is the crusty piston from our 2800 sedan.
 

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