Manual shift swap

[insane524td]

I have an 85 524td auto. my friend has a manual ZF tranny out of a 97 328i, pedals slave and everything. Would that bolt up to my engine??? what would i need??

[524tdAviator]

[insane524td]

Ok thanks I will have to stick with the auto till it blows. it seems to be holding up good. i will keep my eye out for the getrag. Ive owned this car for about 2 weeks now and blocked egr off wastegate and maxed the pump out. there a fun car. Its the second 524td ive had.

[524tdAviator]

[Frybrid 524td]

A Getrag 265 will work as well but you'll need the elusive M20 bell housing for it.

[insane524td]

Yea everything i own has been diesel. Im located in Montgomery NY.
I would also like to put a better turbo on the car, they have a t3 flange but it doesnt seem like theres any room for a bigger sized turbo

[Frybrid 524td]

You can fit larger turbos on the M21 but the HP gain bottle neck is the Bosch VP-20 injection pump. More air from a larger turbo isn't going to help you if you can't pump more fuel to match. A ball bearing turbo would at least let you minimize the turbo lag.

[insane524td]

Its the ve pump arent the vp electronic? i maxed out the pump and create lots of smoke so i would assume a bigger turbo will do good because it seems to fuel decent.

[Frybrid 524td]

The VE and VP-20 are iterations of the same pump. See the stickies.

[altus22]

You can put a higher A/R turbine housing and wheel on the same center section as well as being able to put a larger compressor wheel and housing on. The former will flow more gas, but will spool up more slowly, whereas the latter will flow more gas in addition to increasing efficiency at higher boost levels.

[insane524td]

How is the auto tranny in them? can they hold up to a decent amount of power? Mine seems to be good sofar.

[Frybrid 524td]

If you take care of it will regular fluid changes, the 4HP22 will have no problem.

[CoyoteStarfish]

Just.. don't ever free-rev the engine in neutral or park with the 4HP22. Burns it out. Myself, I found the standard swap to be very rewarding but it had a steep learning curve. There are a lot of small things not covered out there, despite the extensive documentation out there on the internet and this forum.

A variable geometry turbo will make this engine a lot more enjoyable but it is far from a bolt-on procedure. Remember that this car has no intercooler - which will even help with the factory turbochargers top-end power. Not so much acceleration, however. That is where the VGT would come in.

First thing is first, before you do ANYTHING regarding fuel quantity adjustments.. put a pyrometer and boost gauge on it. A exhaust manifold pressure gauge is helpful but not always necessary. The stock T3 turbo is good for about 150HP or so but the EGTs and exhaust pressures are way too high for this engine, so be careful. Excessive EGTs and EGPs are the main killers of these engines as they put a lot of stress on the already weak cylinder heads. That, and timing belts.

[insane524td]

That all sounds good. im looking for a good MLS head gasket now so i can run some more boost, and also a good radiator.

[insane524td]

I found an old E28 bodied bmw with a 5 speed, dont remember the model or year. I will have to check, but would this Manual be the 1 that i need for my 524td swap??

[mooseheadm5]

If you don't know the model or year, how can anyone tell you whether or not it will fit?

[Frybrid 524td]

[CoyoteStarfish]

[insane524td]

Ok perfect Thanks!

[insane524td]

Any1 interested i have my 86 524td for sale 2000$ runs great new timing belt. 223,000mile. also will have a 524td im parting out if you need something let me know

[524tdAviator]