e21 manual conversion

e21 manual conversion

To start viewing messages,I though it was a good enough resource to revive and post up here. I scrounged up what I could on this but will have to look for the original pics. I hope someone else finds this useful. Josh, you may want to fix the link in the FAQ thread and point it here, I happened to be looking around that thread today and noticed the broken link. E21 Automatic to manual transmission swap Written by: Jester323 (aka Jesse Nemec), November 30th, 2004 Donor vehicle: 1982 320i Receiving vehicle: 1983 320i Replacing the 5HP22 with the Getrag 245-5 Time to complete project: approximately 30 hrs, and 15 hrs of assistant time Note: take your time, I completed mine in 3 days over two weekends, plan accordingly. Introduction: This is a big task. No question about it. However, it?s not particularly difficult. It will take some good general understanding of your drive train, and good mechanical common sense. If at all possible, con one or two of your gear head buddies into helping. This is not a one person job. It could be give that you have a really nice shop with a lift and a hydraulic transmission jack. Day 1: So the car went up on stands Sunday around noon. First order of business was to unbolt the automatic transmission from the block, and the drive shaft from both ends. In order to pull the drive shaft free from the vehicle, I needed to unbolt the muffler from the center section of the exhaust to make enough room for it to come out. The next big hurdle is to figure out if you want to try to swap the pedal assembly or modify the existing one. The automatic pedal box can be modified by simply drilling 3 holes in it to accept the clutch master cylinder and bolting up the clutch pedal. But the down side to this is that the manual transmission pedal box has the two nuts welded to the firewall portion that hold on the clutch master cylinder.http://ethio3f.com/ehpea/userfiles/corps-wetlands-delineation-manual.xml

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This would mean that you would need to have a helper install the clutch master cylinder, or if you ever had to replace it in the future. The up side is that you wouldn't need to unbolt the pedal assembly from the firewall. The steering linkage and the steering shaft would have to come out as well in order to remove the pedal box, and that?s really the only challenging portion about swapping the pedal box. Here is a picture of the automatic pedal box on the left, and the manual pedal box on the right. Notice that the clutch pedal is mounted to the same shaft bolt as the brake pedal. Also note the hole that is visible directly behind the clutch pedal. This is where the clutch master cylinder penetrates the fire wall portion of the pedal box. It is almost impossible to see in this picture, but what prompted my decision to swap the boxes is due to the location of the bolt holes for the clutch master cylinder. One of the two holes is barely accessible and would add to the difficulty of mounting the clutch master cylinder, even with an assistant. If you have a welder at your disposal, then you could weld new nuts in place, but in order to do that correctly, then you would still need to pull the pedal box any way, and at that point, you might as well put the OEM 5-spd pedal box back in, unless you can?t find one. Day 2: Here is a view after I started pulling out the stock automatic pedal box. I figured that since I had all the parts to do it right, I might as well do it right. I really didn't like the idea of hoping that I got the holes drilled right and making a good seal on the fire wall for the clutch master cylinder. So, the first order of business was to remove the steering wheel, one 22mm nut, piece of cake. I then removed the lower column cover, three flathead screws. Unhooked each of the 5 wiring harness clips (they all fit back together with different connectors so you can't get 'em confused, but I labeled them anyway).http://www.energymebel.ru/userfiles/corpsman-manual-14295a.xml

I unbolted all of the 10mm screws that hold the pedal box to the fire wall. Then I loosened the clamp that holds the steering column in place. Then it was time for the engine bay side of things. I unbolted all 4 of the 13mm nuts that hold the brake booster to the pedal box and unbolted the two 13mm nuts that hold the brake booster to the bracket that holds it to the strut tower. Now all that I have left to do to remove the pedal box is to unbolt the engine bay side of the steering linkage and hammer the steering column free from the bracket that holds it up to the dash. I sprayed some penetrating lube on the bracket that the steering column bolts up to. The heads of the bolts have been sheared off. Don't even try to unbolt it, it's not gonna happen. The nuts on the other side are welded to the bracket. If you want to replace these, then the best you can hope for would be to drill them out and replace with new. But never fear, there is a way to remove it without doing this, Hans gave us a back door. The back door is actually a safety feature that allows the steering wheel and column to be pushed forward and absorb some energy from the driver in the event of a significant front end impact collision. The bracket will allow the steering column to be slid down towards the steering rack to slip free from the bracket. Keep in mind when you do this that the nut that you removed to take the steering wheel off should be put back on after the wheel is gone so as to protect the splines before you start hammering, or you will be needing a new steering column and a new set of keys and locks for the rest of the car, or another big headache that is just not needed. As I had everything else unbolted already, all I had left to pull the old one out was to unbolt the steering rack, the tie rod ends can (and should) be left in place. Once removed from the subframe, I removed the 13mm bolt from the upper end U-joint on the steering shaft.

It looks like you would be able to just loosen it, but just remove the bolt completely; it's a lot easier that way. Then slide the joint off the splined end of the steering column. Once it was free, then I went back inside and marked the position that the upper bracket was in with a sharpie and used a large mallet to tap the steering column free from the upper bracket. It actually slid out pretty easily. Then I simply removed the column from the vehicle. Make sure that all of the pedal retraction springs are disconnected, brake booster shaft is free from the pedal, accelerator pedal is free, and you are ready to pull the old box out. Of course the new box is all nicely cleaned, painted and looking good. The new Clutch master cylinder is mounted to it (a lot easier to bolt the master cylinder to the pedal box before you install the pedal box). The biggest trick to getting the new one installed is that there is a little metal tab welded to the outside pedal box that's only function as far as I can find, is to get in the way when one is trying to mount it up to the inside of the firewall. Just bend this tab up a bit and it will slide right on in. Make sure that you line the brake booster up and get all 4 of the bolts lined up. Once this was done, I hand snugged up nuts on the outside that holds the brake booster up to the pedal box, and then reinstalled the bolts that hold the brake booster on to the bracket that attaches it to the strut tower. Once these are bolted up, then you can bolt the pedal box to the firewall. Do it in that order or you won't get the brake booster bracket to line up with the bolt holes. Then I attached the brake pedal to the booster shaft, reattached the accelerator pedal, reattached the brake retraction spring and installed the new clutch pedal retraction spring. Then I reinstalled the steering column. Luckily the upper cover over the column is metal, and proved to be a good place to be able to tap it back into the bracket.

Otherwise I would have had to have a helper tap it in from the engine bay side while I held it up and aligned it on the upper bracket. Then I tightened up the lower collar clamp to keep it locked in place. Then the u-joints and the steering rack can be bolted back up. The next step I found out the hard way, which I took just a bit too soon. On the side of the brake fluid reseviour is a little bung that needs to be cut off. This is where the tube from the top of the brake master cylinder attaches to supply hydraulic fluid to the clutch system. Slide the end of the tube that has a cloth lined rubber hose on the end of it over the end of the now dripping bung on the reservoir. This portion of the system doesn't have any pressure in it, so clamps are likely not needed, just make sure it doesn't leak. The reason that this step was a bit too soon was because I didn't have the hydraulic line from the master cylinder to the slave cylinder installed yet, so the remaining fluid in my reservoir dripped out the port on the master cylinder. If I were to do it again, I wouldn't take this step until the tranny and hydraulic lines are installed, and I'm ready to bleed the system. Next order of business was to install the flywheel. This is fairly simple; however it is rather heavy to hold up over your head while lying on your back. There is a small thin steel sleeve that fits into one of the bolt holes. You will need to find the larger hole on the output flange from the engine and install the sleeve into that bolt hole and tap it in place. It should stick out about half way. Then locate the large hole on the flywheel and position it on the sleeve that is on the output flange. Tap the flywheel into place with a weighted soft mallet, or block of wood and hammer, it is hub centric and the fitment should be slightly snug. Make sure that it is seated all the way on the flange. Use a little high-temp lock-tight and tighten all of the bolts down.

I found that the easiest way to keep the flywheel from spinning was to put a phillips screw driver through one of the holes in the flywheel that the pressure plate bolts up to. CAUTION: Be very careful when mounting the flywheel. It is rather heavy, and has all of those teeth on it for the starter motor to engage, and if it slips off while you are taping it in place, it could really mangle your head, arm, or whatever it is that it falls on. Then I started to bolt the clutch and the pressure plate up and realized that I don't have a clutch alignment tool, so I will have to wait until tomorrow to complete any more on this project. Day 3: I started the day by going and picking up a clutch alignment tool and finished mounting the clutch and pressure plate. Hopefully when you sourced all of your parts you picked up all of the bolts that bolt the pressure plate to the flywheel. The automatic transmission never had these bolts, so you will need to get some. I clipped off the factory harness by the gear selector and disconnected the short harness that connects the automatic harness connector to the reverse lights connector.Now time to install the actual transmission. Don?t try to do this by yourself without a transmission jack. The hardest part of that is getting the upper starter bolt back in. To be honest, the best way we could figure out how to do this was to super glue the nut to a washer, then super glue that to your finger to hold it in place while the other person lays on the floor and reaches up around the bell housing to spin the bolt to thread it in place. Don?t worry; by now you will have enough grease on your fingers that it really won?t hurt very much when you rip your finger free from the super glue. The manual transmission also uses a slightly different cross member support bracket. Make sure that you pick up this cross member when you get the donor transmission.

They appear to be the same, but upon closer inspection, the manual transmission cross member mates to the large rubber bushing slightly lower that it does on the automatic. Then it was time to install the shifter box and linkage onto the back of the transmission, and don't forget to put the reverse light wires up through the hold for the shifter and connect it. Take note of the position of the shifter lever. There is a bend in it at the ball joint. The bend should ?point? towards the front of the car. If it is mounted backwards, then the shift knob will be positioned too close to the console, and it will be uncomfortable to get it into reverse, 1st, 3rd and 5th gears, as I found out the hard way. I would check this before you mount the drive shaft. It?s much easier to get to the C-clip in the linkage when the driveshaft is not installed. To install the driveshaft for the manual transmission, we needed to unbolt the down-pipes from the exhaust manifold to slide it into position. Bolt up the differential end first, then the flex disc at the back of the transmission, and then push it up to mount the center bearing. Then re-install the heat shroud. I replaced the fluid in the tranny with 1.47 QTs of Redline MTL, and filled the diff with 1 QT of Redline 75w90 gear oil. This contains an additive for the limited slip too. Then run the hydraulic line to the clutch master cylinder, bleed the line, hook up the speedometer cable, hook the exhaust back up, install the shifter boot plate and shifter knob. Then go through all of the bolts that you can think of and make sure that they are snug, and you are done. Again, I must state, take your time and be methodical about it. I was quite thankful that I did. The only things that I had to change once I completed the test drive was to re-adjust the alignment of the steering wheel, after disconnecting the steering U-joints, you can?t expect the steering wheel to be aligned up right, even if you made careful marks.

Other than that, everything is working brilliantly. And I attribute that to taking my time to do this job right. The following are some references in gear ratios that may help you determine the benefit to making this swap: The 1977-79 E21 320i uses the Getrag 242 (4-speed). The 1980-82 320i(s) uses the Getrag 245 (5-speed). The 1983 E21 320i(s) uses the same Getrag 240 (5-speed) as the 1984 E30 318i(s).It bolts up the same to the block, but mounts differently (the 83 tranny has only one mounting point) and more importantly, the 84 is about 1.5 inches shorter, due to the absence of the speedometer drive gear, the E30 having an electronic sending unit. So your driveshaft will be too short. While this may not be of the same critical importance if you're switching out an auto for a 5-speed, be aware that the 83 Getrag 240 must come out of an 83 if you're just replacing a 5-speed. Ask me how I know. They do have different part numbers. An expensive lesson for me. Follow its harness and you will find a relay (arrow points to it in picture). You will see two black wires with stripes coming from the back of the relay to some spade connectors. Unplug the two wires that came from the relay (each wire is circled in picture) and connect the remaining two black wires the relay wires were plugged into together (one comes from the ignition harness). There will be another spade connector coming from the relay to a plug just above it that needs to be unplugged too (somewhat inside the left circle in the picture). After this, you can remove the whole harness if you want to.Digital Point modules: Sphinx-based search. PITA of a job but well worth doing! I'd suggest watching ebay.Then i can have the overdrive as it was in the 5 speed. Without the the speedo-gear of course. I would presume the hydraulic one would be the way to go for the e21.The one nice thing about the EH is that you can select sport mode and it will shift higher.

But what I do on the hydraulic trannies sometimes, is adjust the kickdown cable to make it shift higher. The EH does work with the DME so you have to run motronic from an EH car, and have the tranny harness ect. also Can I leave the rear-end that's in the car now with the auto, or do I need to get the one out of the 82 with the 5-speed. The guy with the doner car and I are unsure if the gearing is higher with the auto's rear-end. -Dave. He currently has an e30 m10 getrag 240, but it doesn't have a speedo drive (like the e21 box's). He currently has an e30 m10 getrag 240, but it doesn't have a speedo drive (like the e21 box's). I have one (or maybe 2) that would be cheap as chips. The problem with them would be finding the right length propshaft It has the speedo cable, and it whines a little). I don't really want to sell it coz it would mean I have to stuff around getting a speedo to work in my car Also, how much would it take to get the manual off your hands. There's a couple of other issues like is it the narrow or wide bellhousing arrangement, and would a prop shaft suited to an e30 5 speed fit the e21 5 speed? It'll be far, far easier. Unless he's planning on running a lot of power?? The problem is that he doesn't want to go to a four speed, and e21 five speeds seem to be very hard to find. What makes this worse is the bellhousing bolts issue where two otherwise identical gearboxes have a different bolt pattern by one bolt and consequently won't fit on the engine. Likewise driveshafts are also hard to find. Any info pointing in the right direction would be great. Also, how much would it take to get the manual off your hands. There's a couple of other issues like is it the narrow or wide bellhousing arrangement, and would a prop shaft suited to an e30 5 speed fit the e21 5 speed? It is the same as the e30 318i but with a speedo drive. Based on my experience, it fits on an e30 M10 and on a 2002 M10 - I don't see why it wouldn't fit the e21 that it came from!

As I said, the box shifts well etc - the only issues are that it whines slightly and leaks a little from the speedo cable hole. I replaced the input and output seals. But give me the option of a 5 speed (sport maybe? ) and I'd probably take it. They know everything and anything when it comes to e21's, and you'll find write ups on changing dif's (to e30 and e12 5 series.I'm a bit rushed for study, otherwise I'd link you right there. All that's missing is crossmember and gear shift (I have the gear cradle etc too but it would need a new shift rod and gear lever as the ones I have are stuffed), plus something would need to be done with the driveshaft. I probably have the speedo cable too. Have spoken to him, and he said he'd rather have a speedoless 5speed than a 4speed where he has to mess with the driveshafts (he has already measured up and bought some new driveshafts to fit the e30box). Have spoken to him, and he said he'd rather have a speedoless 5speed than a 4speed where he has to mess with the driveshafts (he has already measured up and bought some new driveshafts to fit the e30box). My 5spd box is a straight swap size-wise to an E30 240 for an M10. The only difference between the E30 box and the E21 box is the end plate has a speedo drive. There is no way he can get a working speedo for less than that (unless he is a fabrication wizard). Paste as plain text instead Display as a link instead Clear editor Upload or insert images from URL. Standard equipment on most models was a 4 speed manual. Overdrive 5 speed was optional and became standard equipment on some top of the range models in later years (1981-1982). There was also an optional close ratio 5 speed gearbox with a dogleg pattern and a 1:1 (prise direct) 5th gear for more sporty characteristics. The 5 speed gearboxes can be distinguished from the 4 speeds easily as they have an extended housing at the rear. The ZF 3HP-22 auto box has 3 gears.

Because of the mechanical speedometer drive that is required for the E21, the choice is limited. First, the gearbox needs to be for the same engine type, i.e. M10 OR M20. On top of that it needs the mechanical speedometer drive as well. This means that only E12 M10 and M20 gearboxes can be used and sadly they’re just as rare as E21 five speed gearboxes. Since the 5 speed gearbox is longer, the propshaft is shorter and there are two different connections between box and shaft (3 lug and 4 lug). The steel plate holding the gear change mechanism and the connecting rod are also shorter as the shifter axle is closer to the driver now. So it is better to buy a box complete with propshaft and shifter mechanism. This gearbox cannot be recognized by its extension, it is in fact a few cm’s shorter than the regular 4-speed. Very pretty car, however, it is an automatic. I am still interested in the car due to its quality but I cannot live with an automatic. Ideally the cost for the parts and then if anyone knows, cost for labor. I am pretty handy so I may do the conversion myself but then again, may just let someone else do it so it would be nice to know. I know there is a lot of 'it depends' but just assume an average conversion with smart shopping for parts. Check there for the parts list. I guess then see what you can scrounge up if you are going to gather parts. Then whatever your local labor rates are unless you do it yourself. Prices really depend on what you can find and the shape it is in when you find it. Do a 'Fred Sanford' and you can likely come in way under that. But, I'm going the spendy route - Rebuilt, blasted and powedercoated pedal box assembly. New Hydraulics - Reservoir, Master, Slave and SS Clutch hose. New clutch kit, 'new' driveshaft - shortened, balanced, new U joint, new Guibo and center bearing. Got a low miles (66k mi.) 3-piece Getrag and am replacing all seals and pertinent bearings as well as new Synchros. New Auto speedo cable.

Will also rebuild the diff and replace motor mounts while I'm at it.I had the opportunity to drive a really nice one through some twisty back roads in California and was quite surprised as to how well it kept up with the stick shift 02s.all I did was hold it in second gear to keep it from upshifting, and then manually shifting to third when necessary--downshifting too. So.try it for awhile and see--you might like it. You're gonna have to swap driveshafts anyway, so go for the overdrive fifth gear--especially if you're gonna take some trips in the car. My 73 was an auto and it was the first thing I did. If I had another 02 at the time, I may have left it but was on a full forward course to mod it. The local BMW shop estimates if all parts are there, probably a 12-14 hour job at their regular rate. I want a manual for a couple of reasons - for the fact that I am thinking it will be faster and secondly I drive the occasional autocross, can't picture an automatic being too good for that. Give yourself a few months to overcome the purchase pain and then tackle it. Spend that time getting to know the car, looking for deals on the parts list items and squirreling away money for the eventual swap. This link is several years old and parts prices have gone up. If you can find Datsun 1600 syncro's, they fit perfectly in one of the older 4 speeds. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.Paste as plain text instead Display as a link instead Clear editor Upload or insert images from URL.You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. If your main goal is making your E30 fast, do not do a 2.5L swap. Trust me you will be disappointed. In my opinion the smallest engine you should put in your E30 is a 2.8L M52. The simplest and probably most economical engine to swap in is a 3.0L S50 engine out of a 95 M3 primarily because it already comes with most of the OBD I hardware you will need for the swap.

The only problem with 95 S50 motors is that they are becoming old and it is very hard to find one in a good low mileage condition for a reasonable price. You might want to consider an option of building a high compression 2.8L engine that will perform on par with a 3.0L and probably cost less. One good way of building a low budget high performance 2.8L is purchasing a 2.5L M50 engine out of a 525I (so you can get your oil pan) and stroking it. One trick of making it high compression is reusing the 2.5L pistons (only if in great condition with new rings) with 2.8L rods and 2.8L crank. The combination will give you a compression ratio of around 11.25:1 according to my estimates. With M3 cams (ether 3.0L or 3.2L) the engine dynos at around 240-250 crankshaft horsepower with stock injectors. Upgrading injectors will probably make even more power because the engine leans out and stops making power after 6200 rpm. One downside to this high compression is you have to use the best gas money can buy. Sometimes in hot weather the engine will ping even on a 91 gas so if 92 or higher octane gas is not available in your state you probably shouldn’t consider this option. Some people use a 325IX brake boosters but a 320I booster is cheaper and will allow you to use your stock master cylinder. One big drawback to an E21 brake booster is a noticible reduction in power assistance. To make a 320I brake booster work in your E30 you will need to cut the shaft off to the same length as your original E30 booster, grind it down to the same thickness and thread it with a 10X1.5mm dye. Be careful here, if you screw it up you will need to go out and get another booster, the shafts are not replaceable. Don’t forget to grind off some of the fins on the back of the intake manifold to clear the brake booster. Some people keep their E30 Getrag 260s but it requires fabricating a custom transmission mount and your shifter will be offset to the right by about 15-degrees.

My favorite transmission to use is S5D320Z out of a 95M3, 96-00 328 E36 and E46, 96-99 M3. The reason I like it best is probably because of the fact that you can use a 135mm guibo and they are rated for 320hp, which should give you plenty of room if you are planning on any future modifications. The S5D320Z transmission is definitely not the lightest but it is strong and reliable. You can use your stock 325 or 91 318I IS transmission mount with any E36 transmission. Don’t forget to use the E21 320I transmission mounts, they are stronger than e30 or E36 mounts. Weld two cups to the transmission mount to prevent the engine and transmission from moving around too much, this will prevent the fan from hitting the radiator during hard braking. The shifter arm has to be out of an E36 328 or M3 along with the aluminum arm that connects to the top of the transmission. Use the E30 center support mounted backwards on E36 drive shafts. Some people strip it completely but I take a long knife, put it parallel to the firewall and remove some of the foam. Do not get rid of the rubber drain on the passenger side of the firewall that drains the water from the wiper motor compartment or you will end up with water in your spark plug holes every time you wash the car. Bend the heater pipes towards the driver’s side of the car and down about an inch to clear the intake manifold. I prefer to install the engines completely stripped since it makes it easier to connect the heater hoses. It is a good idea to reinforce the sub frame if you are using a 3.2L motor. Sometimes the engine mounting points tear off the subrame from a lot of torque. Some people use E36 radiators but if you plan on using a mechanical fan, E30 radiator will give you more clearance. Speaking of clearance, it is very important to reinforce the transmission mounts or the first time you slam on your brakes the fan will distroy your radiator. The fan clutch has to be stock E30 with a 9-blade fan.

Do not use an 11-blade fan because it will give you less radiator to fan clearance. Don’t forget to upgrade the thermostat housing to the aluminum type. The lower radiator hose off the M50 motor will need to be cut down to fit E30. The upper hose you can get from any auto part store, just look for a long radiator hose with a 90-degree bend. The heater hoses connect the same way they were on your E30 originally. The long hose under the intake manifold goes to the top inlet and the short hose that connects to the cylinder head goes to the bottom inlet. Do not eliminate the bypass valves (recall items). You will also need to get the pickup tube with a gasket and the oil dipstick. BMW E36 dipstick can be modified to fit but it will not show you the correct oil level. Do not forget to safety wire the oil pump or at least loctite the sprocket nut. Drill a hole through the oil pump shaft and the bolt, insert a stainless steel wire through the hole and tie it up. Some people just weld the nut to the pump shaft. BMW M50 engines are known for the oil pump sprocket bolts coming loose.Don’t forget to flush out your system to get rid of all of the R12 oil. Use PAG oil only with your E36 compressor or it will not last very long. You will have to reuse your E30 differential output shafts with the 5 or 6 series differential. You can also get an M Coupe rear diff cover. The M Coupe cover will help to reduce the differential oil temperature and it look very cool. You can use the stock E36 cats out of a 92-95 325 or M3 but the right side pipe will need to be modified in order to clear the control arm bushing mount. In this case there is only about 5mm of clearance. You can cut a chunk out of the brace to make the O2 sensor fit and reinforce the brace by welding it to the transmission mount with a couple of pipes. Stock cast iron headers from 92-95 can be used. You will need to make some 5 mm spacers for the engine mounts to raise the engine so the pipes clear the sub frame.