Thread: Build Started
View Single Post
  #19  
Old 14th September 2010, 20:43
peterux's Avatar
peterux peterux is offline
Senior Member
Enthusiast
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 3,077
peterux is on a distinguished road
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by GlenSL View Post
I am looking to buy another donor car so I can get the age related plate, I need engine, gearbox, propshaft and driveshfts (it looks like the other guy took a hammer to the ones I have)

As for the ECU issues, I would really appriciate any feed back so I can tackle the issue early or I could always look at putting an after market one on such as Omex etc.

Thanks
Glen,
I will ditto the warnings about e46 based M52 engines.
The EWS/ECU and instrument cluster are fiendishly complicated. I think I eventually figured it all out after hours of study, but I have decided it wasn't worth the potentail unreliability in an open top sportscar. If you breakdown anywhere you will never get it going. If you get a double VANOS engine, its double trouble as the only aftemarket ECU I could find that is designed for these are DTAfast top of the range and this kit starts at about £1000 plus a couple of mapping sessions!!
Added to this you will need a pair of cats to pass the emisions.
Even the guys listed by Patrick above wouldn't help me as it wasn't fitted in a BMW car with all the dashboard intact.
I'm not saying it can't be done (and I nearly did it!) but you need to do some serious research and have some deep pockets.
Try to find a pre 1995 car with an M50 or M20 engine.........
....no EWS and lower emission standard to meet at the IVA.

If that hasn't put you off, then start by reading this....
http://www.unofficialbmw.com/images/BMW_EWS.pdf
(and that's the simple version!)


...peter
Reply With Quote