Chipping a 1984 528e

E28 technical advice asked and given! Troubleshooting, modifications and more.
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jca
Posts: 232
Joined: Jan 02, 2017 3:08 PM
Location: Texas

Chipping a 1984 528e

Post by jca »

Most if not all 1984 eta models have a yellow label ECU (007). That ECU cannot be chipped because the stock chip is soldered into the circuit board. What I discovered is that any green label ECU (027), in 1985 and newer models can be chipped, and the green level ECU works fine in 1984 eta model BMW's, E30's as well as E28's. I had an extra green label ECU from my 325e, so I bought a Turner/Conforti chip on sale for $150. It comes from Turner with detailed instructions and a money back guarantee. Even in the case of my automatic 528e, the performance improvement is noticeable and certainly worth the money and time. The engine idles and runs smoother and acceleration is improved. When accelerating with a heavy foot the increased torque results in my 4HP22 automatic shifting at higher rpm. I also expect interstate cruising will be more relaxed. I don't remember the torque figures, but I have read claims of a 24 hp increase which would boost the eta's output to 145 hp. That feels about right on the road. Green label ECU's can be bought on ebay for $75 to $150. Cheers, John
Mike W.
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Location: California Whine Country

Re: Chipping a 1984 528e

Post by Mike W. »

Well documented, but not a bad update.

I'm glad your experience with Conforti chips is better than mine, but in my 535i I had no improvement, either butt dyno or stopwatch. Realistically the gains, if any, are going to be midrange, not peak in spite of claims. Now since that's where you spend most of your time driving, that's not that big a drawback, but to me the only difference was due to my wallet being $250 lighter.
duggi
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Re: Chipping a 1984 528e

Post by duggi »

I'm pretty sure Rod Paine had a similar take-away with the Conforti chip for the 528e, and 24 hp sounds right iirc. I also believe that Mike W. is correct in that the Conforti chip for the 535i is less well-received overall and provided very little, if any gains.
LeiseyJr
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Joined: Dec 22, 2013 10:11 PM
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Re: Chipping a 1984 528e

Post by LeiseyJr »

I thought the conforti in a 535i made the car much better for around town driving. The extra midrange was nice, I felt it was noticeable.
jca
Posts: 232
Joined: Jan 02, 2017 3:08 PM
Location: Texas

Re: Chipping a 1984 528e

Post by jca »

The M20 eta engines in 528e's may be anemic to the point that the chip makes a difference that most can feel. Doesn't sound like that is the case for the M30 engines in the 530's. What's the horse power and torque for an M30? We took our 528e on an interstate course over the weekend, and it seems like it took me less effort to keep up with fast Texas traffic which I think translated into less driver fatigue over the long trip.
duggi
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Re: Chipping a 1984 528e

Post by duggi »

jca wrote: Jan 09, 2021 7:16 PM The M20 eta engines in 528e's may be anemic to the point that the chip makes a difference that most can feel. Doesn't sound like that is the case for the M30 engines in the 530's. What's the horse power and torque for an M30? We took our 528e on an interstate course over the weekend, and it seems like it took me less effort to keep up with fast Texas traffic which I think translated into less driver fatigue over the long trip.
To be honest, my 528e never had problems keeping up with normal traffic until every engine across every manufacturer seemed to get turbos post 2012-ish. Now everyone leaves the lights light it's the f*ing drag strip and I feel bad treating my car so hard just to keep up.
jca
Posts: 232
Joined: Jan 02, 2017 3:08 PM
Location: Texas

Re: Chipping a 1984 528e

Post by jca »

I know what you mean.
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