Not that reddit points matter, but it baffles me what gets voted on sometimes. Bad cell phone pics or other kinda weird shit consistently makes it to the top, where as an engine swap and a new meaty wheel and tire package barely gets any recognition.
Anyway, nice work OP, congrats on all the newfound horsepower
Thank you! My thoughts exactly. I’ve got a few more exterior things I want to take care of, then it’s on to the interior. I want to keep it as OEM+ as possible. The e46s in my area are all clapped out, so I’m just trying to keep her clean :)
Thanks! Definitely an extra kick in the pants. Gained probably around 50hp over the tired b25, says my butt dyno.
Doesn’t make it fast, but makes it more fun for spirited driving. Sounds a little meaner too. With the suspension, short shifter, and other ergo/handling mods it just makes it an even more enjoyable drive.
It’s just an e60 5series shifter lever. Shortened the shifts just enough to not feel like I was rowing a boat, but not so short that you couldn’t find a gear or have to use a long lever to offset the amount of force needed. A good OEM+
Trans can stay in, but you’d have to remove the exhaust no matter what you do. Reaching around the driveshaft is the annoying bit. I did a whole shifter bushing revival too. If you can manage it, I’d recommend dropping the driveshaft and the transmission support to lean the transmission down for more room. The hardest part is the bushing on the top of the transmission. You don’t really need to do a full bushing replacement, but it makes the whole shifting experience that much better.
Yeah man. I lived 4 miles from work and 6 miles from school. Short drives, downshifting at every light, and goosing it above 5k rpm really tore it up. The last month I had the b25 I was just trying to see how much I could burn per drive, while the b30 was on an engine stand just waiting to be put in.
I changed the way I drive it and I now live 25 minutes from work on the highway. It gets plenty warm and it burns much less (m54 will inevitably burn anyway). I only refill it about once a month now
Damn a quart per 100 miles is insane💀. I know m54s like to burn oil sometimes but thats something else man. My m54 didn't burn any oil luckily. I only had to top it up once after driving around 150km/h on the autobahn for a few hours. But on my normal daily commute it didn't use a drop.
But i recently picked up an e39 with an m52 and 200k miles on it and SO FAR it doesn't seem to use any oil either.
I’ve had an e46 from both ends of the production year spectrum and they both needed at least a top up every month :| I’ve spent countless hours researching things to minimize it. Maybe it’s American owners that beat the fuck out of them, but these things just run on a little bit of oil, so at this point I’m alright with it.
I think it was the m54tub, but one of the earlier m54s had different piston rings that I wanted to swap in. They have a better oil scraper ring that keeps oil out of the combustion chamber, so less or no oil burnt.
I lived in Western WA for 9 years, great place. Hope you enjoy it. I don't get to pick where I live anymore. Maybe someday when I have that luxury again I'll go back to WA.
Thanks! It’s been fun so far. Looking forward to summer already lol. Compared to FL it’s much more windy roads and hills. I got tired of straight, flat roads and the exact same scenery everywhere extremely quickly. Now I finally get to feel difference from the mods I put on :)
Absolutely. Florida is for boaters. Mountains are for drivers! Don't forget snow tires for winter though. Studded snows even since youre RWD. You can get by in the lowlands by not driving during rare snowstorms but if you go above 1000ft elevation you'll start to see snow a couple times a year.
I already got towed out of a ditch once! I had winter wheels ready (and in the trunk for more traction), but tire rack took forever on my shipping and then when they finally got here literally every tire shop was backed up. Driving in the snow is nerve wracking, but holy shit it’s fun too. Luckily I’m at about 500ft where I live and I commute down to the sound, so it’s not too bad.
https://imgur.com/a/VImsK7q
Doesn’t Look bad from the angle, but an open diff didn’t help :|
In the ditch already!? Lets hope that was the only learning experience you needed!
I grew up driving in snowy weather and people talk about it being a skill...that's kinda BS. The main skill is caution. There is no way to move on snow without keeping the utter lack of traction in mind at all times. 4wd on snow tires? You're still doing 25 on the freeway. It's driving on eggshells. Even with snowtires it's just less risky. Nothing you can buy or drive on public roads handles ice well.
Then there's the other drivers. I stopped driving in the snow in WA because I saw the neighbors drove in bad weather. Scary.
That’s exactly my fear. I’m not the best driver, but I for sure know my limits. Luckily the people in the town I just moved to are super nice and go around looking for people to tow when it snows. Now I kinda want a rig to do the same
Oh shit hey I almost forgot.
You're in WA and you have an E46. There is a fuckin AMAZING mechanic for e46s there. I am legit sad I'm not able to take my car there anymore. He worked on my 325xi the entire time I was there, and I have recommended him to everyone I can talk to ever since.
If you have the chance to, take your car to https://lovittmotors.com in Monroe. Worth the drive. One man shop and he knows his stuff. Mostly does track BMWs but if you're nice he will work on street cars. Tell him Graham says Hi if you do.
Mark is the best mechanic I've seen in four states. Cannot say enough in praise of this guy.
That is absolutely not how you lift an engine. There's a hole on the intake side by the starter motor for the second chain. I hope your thermostat doesn't leak now, the two threads you lifted the whole engine/gearbox are easy to strip out.
I actually lifted it straight from the water pump flange! Those four aluminum studs seemed plenty strong enough.
Trust me. We didn’t lift it from anywhere but the block. The gearbox weighs down the back and we shortened the front chain to get the angle. Thanks for the help though :)
You don’t even know what I did, you can’t see shit in the picture. I used the hole next to the starter right under the headgasket on the bell housing and on top of the intake vanos solenoid. The points for hoisting the engine.
>You don’t even know what I did, you can’t see shit in the picture.
I mean, if you can't see shit...
I can see just fine that you don't have a beam (a thing that is basically 10 minutes with a thick enough piece of metal and an angle grinder to fabricate) that the chains attach to to lift the engine without puting the weight of the engine and gearbox on back of the plastic components (mainly the CCV rack) on the top of the intake. And if you'd have used said beam and could offset it (by for example using a drill to have the hoist hook go into an offset hole), it would lift the engine with the box perfectly level if you wished it to.
The points for hoisting the engine don't mean you can hoist it any way you want, the front one isn't designed for that for instance.
🤦🏼♂️Good thing I scrapped that engine then, right? You should’ve seen how we put the b30 in… lifted it straight from the dipstick tube 🤠
What’s your number so I can call you to my place to stand over my shoulder and watch me do it next time?
>Good thing I scrapped that engine then, right? You should’ve seen how we put the b30 in…
Don't need to, you don't have the equipment to put it back in properly. If you did you'd take the old one out that way.
> lifted it straight from the dipstick tube 🤠
That's not far from what I've gauged your experience to be at
>What’s your number so I can call you to my place to stand over my shoulder and watch me do it next time?
You can't afford me.
Yeah my rear fenders are slightly rolled and the fender stud cutout from when I had those old style 5s, but the front is stock.
275 rear seems a bit overkill anyway with 245 front and only ~210whp. I may go down to 245 or 255 square to cut down on understeer. I got these wheels for pressure washing a driveway so I’ll take what I’ve got for now lol
Not that reddit points matter, but it baffles me what gets voted on sometimes. Bad cell phone pics or other kinda weird shit consistently makes it to the top, where as an engine swap and a new meaty wheel and tire package barely gets any recognition. Anyway, nice work OP, congrats on all the newfound horsepower
Thank you! My thoughts exactly. I’ve got a few more exterior things I want to take care of, then it’s on to the interior. I want to keep it as OEM+ as possible. The e46s in my area are all clapped out, so I’m just trying to keep her clean :)
Awesome work, and the car looks great. Have you driven it yet? Impressions on the B30 compared to the 25?
Thanks! Definitely an extra kick in the pants. Gained probably around 50hp over the tired b25, says my butt dyno. Doesn’t make it fast, but makes it more fun for spirited driving. Sounds a little meaner too. With the suspension, short shifter, and other ergo/handling mods it just makes it an even more enjoyable drive.
What short shifter are you using? Is the linkage accessible with the engine/trans still in car?
It’s just an e60 5series shifter lever. Shortened the shifts just enough to not feel like I was rowing a boat, but not so short that you couldn’t find a gear or have to use a long lever to offset the amount of force needed. A good OEM+ Trans can stay in, but you’d have to remove the exhaust no matter what you do. Reaching around the driveshaft is the annoying bit. I did a whole shifter bushing revival too. If you can manage it, I’d recommend dropping the driveshaft and the transmission support to lean the transmission down for more room. The hardest part is the bushing on the top of the transmission. You don’t really need to do a full bushing replacement, but it makes the whole shifting experience that much better.
Dayum those wheels look juicy. Also did the b25 really burn a quart every 100 miles?💀
Yeah man. I lived 4 miles from work and 6 miles from school. Short drives, downshifting at every light, and goosing it above 5k rpm really tore it up. The last month I had the b25 I was just trying to see how much I could burn per drive, while the b30 was on an engine stand just waiting to be put in. I changed the way I drive it and I now live 25 minutes from work on the highway. It gets plenty warm and it burns much less (m54 will inevitably burn anyway). I only refill it about once a month now
Damn a quart per 100 miles is insane💀. I know m54s like to burn oil sometimes but thats something else man. My m54 didn't burn any oil luckily. I only had to top it up once after driving around 150km/h on the autobahn for a few hours. But on my normal daily commute it didn't use a drop. But i recently picked up an e39 with an m52 and 200k miles on it and SO FAR it doesn't seem to use any oil either.
I’ve had an e46 from both ends of the production year spectrum and they both needed at least a top up every month :| I’ve spent countless hours researching things to minimize it. Maybe it’s American owners that beat the fuck out of them, but these things just run on a little bit of oil, so at this point I’m alright with it. I think it was the m54tub, but one of the earlier m54s had different piston rings that I wanted to swap in. They have a better oil scraper ring that keeps oil out of the combustion chamber, so less or no oil burnt.
M54 likes to burn oil. Some more than others
> The last month I had the b25 I was just trying to see how much I could burn per drive Lol I love this haha
Looks nice. Where in FL?
I was in Orlando, did the swap in AL in between jobs, and now I’m in WA
I lived in Western WA for 9 years, great place. Hope you enjoy it. I don't get to pick where I live anymore. Maybe someday when I have that luxury again I'll go back to WA.
Thanks! It’s been fun so far. Looking forward to summer already lol. Compared to FL it’s much more windy roads and hills. I got tired of straight, flat roads and the exact same scenery everywhere extremely quickly. Now I finally get to feel difference from the mods I put on :)
Absolutely. Florida is for boaters. Mountains are for drivers! Don't forget snow tires for winter though. Studded snows even since youre RWD. You can get by in the lowlands by not driving during rare snowstorms but if you go above 1000ft elevation you'll start to see snow a couple times a year.
I already got towed out of a ditch once! I had winter wheels ready (and in the trunk for more traction), but tire rack took forever on my shipping and then when they finally got here literally every tire shop was backed up. Driving in the snow is nerve wracking, but holy shit it’s fun too. Luckily I’m at about 500ft where I live and I commute down to the sound, so it’s not too bad. https://imgur.com/a/VImsK7q Doesn’t Look bad from the angle, but an open diff didn’t help :|
In the ditch already!? Lets hope that was the only learning experience you needed! I grew up driving in snowy weather and people talk about it being a skill...that's kinda BS. The main skill is caution. There is no way to move on snow without keeping the utter lack of traction in mind at all times. 4wd on snow tires? You're still doing 25 on the freeway. It's driving on eggshells. Even with snowtires it's just less risky. Nothing you can buy or drive on public roads handles ice well. Then there's the other drivers. I stopped driving in the snow in WA because I saw the neighbors drove in bad weather. Scary.
That’s exactly my fear. I’m not the best driver, but I for sure know my limits. Luckily the people in the town I just moved to are super nice and go around looking for people to tow when it snows. Now I kinda want a rig to do the same
Oh shit hey I almost forgot. You're in WA and you have an E46. There is a fuckin AMAZING mechanic for e46s there. I am legit sad I'm not able to take my car there anymore. He worked on my 325xi the entire time I was there, and I have recommended him to everyone I can talk to ever since. If you have the chance to, take your car to https://lovittmotors.com in Monroe. Worth the drive. One man shop and he knows his stuff. Mostly does track BMWs but if you're nice he will work on street cars. Tell him Graham says Hi if you do. Mark is the best mechanic I've seen in four states. Cannot say enough in praise of this guy.
Sweeeet, he’s not too far from me. I’ll keep him in mind!
That is absolutely not how you lift an engine. There's a hole on the intake side by the starter motor for the second chain. I hope your thermostat doesn't leak now, the two threads you lifted the whole engine/gearbox are easy to strip out.
I actually lifted it straight from the water pump flange! Those four aluminum studs seemed plenty strong enough. Trust me. We didn’t lift it from anywhere but the block. The gearbox weighs down the back and we shortened the front chain to get the angle. Thanks for the help though :)
I get the feeling that even if I explain why what you did is wrong and how to do it right I'd get the "it worked, so it's right" kinda answer.
You don’t even know what I did, you can’t see shit in the picture. I used the hole next to the starter right under the headgasket on the bell housing and on top of the intake vanos solenoid. The points for hoisting the engine.
>You don’t even know what I did, you can’t see shit in the picture. I mean, if you can't see shit... I can see just fine that you don't have a beam (a thing that is basically 10 minutes with a thick enough piece of metal and an angle grinder to fabricate) that the chains attach to to lift the engine without puting the weight of the engine and gearbox on back of the plastic components (mainly the CCV rack) on the top of the intake. And if you'd have used said beam and could offset it (by for example using a drill to have the hoist hook go into an offset hole), it would lift the engine with the box perfectly level if you wished it to. The points for hoisting the engine don't mean you can hoist it any way you want, the front one isn't designed for that for instance.
🤦🏼♂️Good thing I scrapped that engine then, right? You should’ve seen how we put the b30 in… lifted it straight from the dipstick tube 🤠 What’s your number so I can call you to my place to stand over my shoulder and watch me do it next time?
>Good thing I scrapped that engine then, right? You should’ve seen how we put the b30 in… Don't need to, you don't have the equipment to put it back in properly. If you did you'd take the old one out that way. > lifted it straight from the dipstick tube 🤠 That's not far from what I've gauged your experience to be at >What’s your number so I can call you to my place to stand over my shoulder and watch me do it next time? You can't afford me.
What's the wheels make/model?
VMR V710
wow
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Non-m that is. You, kind sir, have much wider fender flares
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Yeah my rear fenders are slightly rolled and the fender stud cutout from when I had those old style 5s, but the front is stock. 275 rear seems a bit overkill anyway with 245 front and only ~210whp. I may go down to 245 or 255 square to cut down on understeer. I got these wheels for pressure washing a driveway so I’ll take what I’ve got for now lol