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      04-02-2014, 01:56 PM   #1
Alex1122
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Z4 m3 swap

Hey guys, i need some advice. My 03 z4 has 250k miles on it already, it's running well still but i know it's not going to last. So i've been thinking to put an m3 motor in there and keep driving it. i love that car. The z4m came with the m3 motor in the same chassis so i dont expect it to give me too much trouble. i've done swaps on an STI and jeep YJ. the difference is the ECU. STI's ECU i replaced completely with a full access utec. and the jeep... well, it's a 94 yj. not that hard to deal with those electronics considering your typical flash light is just as complicated as that was. has anyone done a swap on a 2002+ bmw? what does it take to get that ecu play nice with the new motor and still keep all the nice electronics that are attached to the ecu?
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      04-02-2014, 03:20 PM   #2
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Why not just buy the z4m? Save on labor, but also get a younger car and upgraded suspension..
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      04-02-2014, 05:27 PM   #3
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Sounds like too much work for something the factory already offers. Just buy an 08 Z4M when your car dies. If you enjoy the tinkering then just upgrade whatever components you'd like, to get your mod bug fix.
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      04-02-2014, 10:25 PM   #4
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What about the ess ts3? If not go for an ls swap ... There are two forum members that I know of doing this
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      04-02-2014, 10:32 PM   #5
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Is your current engine showing signs if failure? Perhaps it will go another 100K?
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      04-17-2014, 03:32 PM   #6
Alex1122
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i got this car as a project car, but then went through sorta divorce and income i was counting on was gone, so it ended up being my daily driver. now my income is up enough to afford it as a project car, but now motor is to beat to be a project car, would take more work and money replacing seals and worn components than just buying a newer motor. and thats where m3 idea came in.
as much as that engine been beaten i also took care of it very well and it's still strong and prob will go another 100k. my goal wouldnt be just an m3 swap. it'd be forged heads, rods and a supercharger with possible water injection. suspension will be redone either way. I can build this as a complete project car for same price as i would get a used z4m. but have a better track car all around and no payments. plus projects like that keep me sober and out of trouble.

Last edited by Alex1122; 04-17-2014 at 04:13 PM..
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      04-17-2014, 03:33 PM   #7
Alex1122
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i say "sorta divorce" cause we werent married, lived together for 6 years, i bought a house counting on her income as well and then caught her cheating. so money were tight for a while.
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      04-17-2014, 04:01 PM   #8
Alex1122
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I wouldn't want an ls in there because i just dont like ls motors (just personal preference, i know that ls7 and ls9 are damn good motors, but i dont think they'll fit in there) and i love I6's and boxer motors. boxer wouldnt fit in there, engine bay too narrow. if i stick to bmw motor in the same year range i should be able to keep all the great things bmw spent so much money and time developing (thats a theory, reason why i asked here to see if anyone had any experience with it), instead of downgrading the motor to a 20+ year old design. And, most stock ls motors are pushing about same power as the 3.2L I6 from bmw, supercharged I6 can easily make more power than a naturally aspirated ls9 while keeping weight down and that soo damn good mid engine chassis.
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      04-17-2014, 04:16 PM   #9
Alex1122
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reason why i say m3 motor is because i have a feeling it'll be a lot easier to find than a motor out of a z4m. everyone had or has an m3, much fewer z4m's out there
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      05-21-2014, 11:01 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex1122 View Post
I wouldn't want an ls in there because i just dont like ls motors (just personal preference, i know that ls7 and ls9 are damn good motors, but i dont think they'll fit in there)
Yup, an LS7 won't even begin to fit in these things....




Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex1122 View Post
instead of downgrading the motor to a 20+ year old design. And, most stock ls motors are pushing about same power as the 3.2L I6 from bmw, supercharged I6 can easily make more power than a naturally aspirated ls9 while keeping weight down and that soo damn good mid engine chassis.
The LS9 is supercharged, so I'd sure hope a supercharged I6 would make more power than an LS9 with its supercharger removed. But make things even, a supercharged I6 won't come close to what either an LS9 or LS7 can push out.

You need to check your numbers. Stock 2013 M3 claims 414HP, while stock 2013 C6 (6.2L LS3) makes 430HP. BMW engines don't make torque for sh*t and you better have some cash to up the HP any ($6K+ just for a supercharger?). Even a junkyard 5.3 LS will put down 400-425RWHP (around 450HP) with a good cam and set of heads. 550RWHP LS7s and 650-750RWHP LS9s are not at all uncommon.

If you want to keep your car all BMW, a takeout M3 engine should be a relatively simple swap. Just don't try to justify the decision by claiming HP output.
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      05-22-2014, 08:22 PM   #11
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I'd go with an LS swap just because it's something different. It's been done before. But there's already z4m's out there with the S54. So I wouldn't see the point in swapping that in there.

Granted, I love my S54. But for a project swap, any other big engine would be cool to see.

What about an E60 V10?
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      05-23-2014, 08:16 AM   #12
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It's doable, and has been done.

http://www.supercars.net/PitLane?vie...D=1&tID=175743
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      05-23-2014, 08:20 AM   #13
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The E85/E86 S54 engine is not the same as the E46M3. The M3 uses a 'long block' S54 and the Z4M uses a 'shortblock' S54. Shortblocks are hard to find....
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      05-23-2014, 10:47 AM   #14
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Long block means it comes with the transmission. Short lock means it stops at the flywheel. The reason for the difference is the transmissions are different between the MZ4 and the M3, but an S54 sans transmission will bolt right up provided that you can source the ECU from an MZ4 because the M3 uses an older version of the ECU and the ECU to chassis interface may require a lot of work, while the MZ4 ECU will be plug and play.
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      05-23-2014, 10:55 AM   #15
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Short block means its the rotating assembly without a head, an assembled block. Long block refers to the block and head as a ready drop in assembly. Transmissions and accessories aren't included and are meant to be transferred over.
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      05-23-2014, 06:16 PM   #16
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Training held, thanks for the clarification.
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