M42club.com - Home of the BMW E30/E36 318i/iS

DISCUSSION => Engine + Driveline => Topic started by: mad-machine on March 30, 2008, 08:22:21 PM

Title: putting an M42 in place of an M20
Post by: mad-machine on March 30, 2008, 08:22:21 PM

If I have a line on a decent 325i.. but the engine has 250,000 miles and is mostly dead, how hard do you think it would be to turn it into a 318is with the installation of an M42 and some aftermarket fuelinjection?

Title: putting an M42 in place of an M20
Post by: Artem on March 30, 2008, 10:13:01 PM

If you have done it before (aftermarket FI) its a piece of cake - your getrag 265 bolts up to the motor, you would need custom mounts, or you can grab a getrag 240 tranny from a 318 and run that with stock 318is mounts on the car (I will have a spare one soon). I am 100% sure YOUR 265 trans will be able to use everything else (the driveshaft, etc), not sure on the 240 - it might be shorter.

Title: putting an M42 in place of an M20
Post by: ChItalian1027 on April 03, 2008, 09:55:42 PM

i think the 265 will work.

Title: putting an M42 in place of an M20
Post by: martin347 on April 04, 2008, 01:20:20 AM

I have done this. The best way, is to use the gearbox from an e36. These box's had a 1:1 fifth, therefore you won't need to mess with the diff, as most m20 cars had quite high diffs. The m42 bolts straight up to it and sits on all the original mounts. Theres also no problem with the prop, although you need the front half from an e30 318is.
I had a load of myther with the 20pin plug when I fitted mine. For some reason the ABS pin, no 20 IIRC was neg on the m20 and live on the m42. I melted two looms before I worked out what was going on!!

Title: putting an M42 in place of an M20
Post by: charlesmarseille on March 07, 2009, 07:46:58 PM

so an m42 fits on a m20b25 trans?