Headway!!!

Yay!!! The BMW project is making some headway.  This simply is because of my weakness in spending money (or is that a strength?).  Well, a few days ago I was scoping out the craigslist adds like I have been for the past couple of months, and came across an add for a motor for a 1998 323i for $200.  So, I began some research on the motor, which brought up some interesting stuff…

The engine in my car is the M20B27.  It was a common engine that BMW put into their 325e and 525e cars.  In 1987 BMW also came out with the M20B25, which was from the same series of engine, but was .2 litre’s less and was also tuned differently to put out nearly 50 more horsepower than the M20B27.  1991 was the last year for the M20B25,  ending the era of the M20 motor.

Next came the M50 engine.  This series was offered as the M50B25, and the sport S50B30.  As you probably have guessed, the M50B25 displaced 2.5 litre’s, effectively pushing out 189 hp.  BMW’s M-Tech division also put out an S50B30 version of this motor with upgraded cams.  These engines were offered in the American market starting in 1992 and ending in 1995.  After this BMW made some refinements, as well as added some different gear to meet new emissions standards, and came out with the M52 series.

This is where my thinking that I knew everything about the history of these engines was traumatically smashed.  The M52 was offered as the M52B28 and the S52B32 from 1995 to 1998, or so I thought.  The M52B28 put out 190 hp as well as a huge amount of torque, all while being burdened by an OBDII emissions system.  What really changed my world was the fact that BMW offered another type of M52 engine, and I never knew it. This is known as the M52B25, the engine I have eventually purchased to put in my E30.   Although the previously mentioned M52 engines really only lasted until 1998, the M52B25 lived on until 2001 in the BMW 323i sedans, coupes, and convertibles. 

Shouldn’t the engine be 2.3 litre’s then?  I mean, if the car is a 323i then it should.  The 325i had a 2.5 litre, 328i had a 2.8 litre?   Normally this would be the case, and purists would certainly wish that BMW kept its car naming nomenclature, but the 323i offered in 1998 was the beginning of BMW naming their cars something different from what was under the hood.  This was simply BMW trying to create a larger gap between their 2.8 litre cars and their 2.5 litre cars.

So, I got the engine, and a lesson at the same time.  This particular engine I purchased was originally from a convertible 323i from 1998, and needs a new head gasket.  No biggy, as all OBDII emissions parts are going to be replaced with their OBDI equivalents, so the head gasket wont be a problem.  That is why the engine was listed at $200, which I offered $100, and we met in the middle at $150.  So I now have some work cut out for me.  Wanna help out Don? ;)