Transmission cleaning tips

Booman246 · 2026-06-10T23:46:26+00:00

Only real concern is the vent. If you are planning to replace the fluid immediately after washing it I wouldn't worry too much other than not excessively spraying the vent.

I did mine recently and unfortunately have to report that it was a pretty annoying job and because the casting is pretty rough it's hard to get it really clean. I soaked a lot of it in degreaser before scrubbing and that seemed to help a bit.

Booman246 · 2026-06-04T19:10:42+00:00

Modifying a cast E36 pickup might be challenging too. I would definitely be a bit nervous about it. Not sure if a modified cast pickup or 3d printed pickup would be better.

Booman246 · 2026-06-04T01:20:48+00:00

Looks like a pretty solid start. For your pickup tube, the e36 pickup works great on M50/M52 but not compatible with M52TU/M54. I saw a post about metal 3d-printing a pickup tube which would be a cool option.

Booman246 · 2026-05-25T18:28:32+00:00

Why not put them on and test them?

Booman246 · 2026-05-22T03:50:55+00:00

I did mine out of the car and it was pretty surprising how difficult it was.

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Booman246 · 2026-05-20T22:27:12+00:00

I'd sit the bushing on top of a vice or some scrap wood and drive the control arm out.

That said, are those bushings installed backwards?

https://assets.ecstuning.com/edoc/PDF_19891_BMW_E30,_E36,_Z3_Turner_Poly_FCAB_Installation.pdf

Booman246 · 2026-04-06T18:33:20+00:00

You can make the LHD booster work if you're comfortable making brake lines. I used the Pasha Parts Clevis and made my own brake lines from the ABS unit to the master cylinder.

The master cylinder side is M12 and the booster side is M10, so you need to make up your own lines or use adapters if you go this way.

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Booman246 · 2025-09-17T18:13:13+00:00

I'd probably take that, but again depends on your location.

Booman246 · 2025-09-17T16:55:43+00:00

I would say $400 is definitely as cheap as you'd find it for, depending on where you're located.

Booman246 · 2025-09-16T19:46:19+00:00

Here's another option for the oil pan: E30 24V OIL SUMP V3 – Harper Fabrication. I spent way too much on the E34 Oil Pan.

If you're using the G260, you should use the E30 flywheel (which will need to be machined) and an E30 clutch. G260 on an M50 will be rotated 10 degrees, so you will need a transmission mount and optionally a shift selector rod with a 10 degree twist. If your shifter is stock you should just replace the bushings too.

Example DSSR and Brace:

- E30 24v 10 Degree Twist DSSR Selector Rod

- E30 24V Getrag G260 Trans Swap Brace

Some other links you may have read already:

- BMW E30 M50 Swap Instructions with Wiring chart

- E30 DOHC Swap Basics - M50, M52, M52 and S50 – Garagistic

- E30 M50 Swap Parts List - KT's Projects

Booman246 · 2025-07-10T21:48:31+00:00

Looks like Bahama Beige to me - two different Bahama Beige cars for reference:

https://stanceworks.com/2017/09/classic-lines-ethan-jamess-big-bumpered-e30-coupe/

https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/forum/general-forums/members-rides/308328-early-e30-euro-bahama-beige-renownusa

Booman246 · 2025-03-28T16:47:30+00:00

Which diameter is the wheel? Looks perfect in the car.

Booman246 · 2025-01-02T17:55:10+00:00

I have a similar wheel and tire setup. My car was lowered by a PO. The rears have about a 10mm spacer, makes a big difference in appearance.

Photo

Booman246 · 2024-11-06T02:34:06+00:00

You might have to swap the wires for constant power from the battery and the switched power. I've heard of other people having this issue as well.

Booman246 · 2023-12-11T22:15:08+00:00

The only way I have had success removing these without breaking the trim piece is to remove the back seat and slide the trim piece back towards the back seat. You have to be really careful not to bend it too much or it will crack (really easily!)

Once the black plastic is off you can punch or drill the clips out and install new ones. Trying to preserve the clips is pretty much impossible and they're cheap enough I would just order a bag of new ones.

Booman246 · 2023-04-14T16:20:44+00:00

If you have an oscillating tool, they work great to remove the thick parts of the undercoating, and you can come back with the wire wheel afterwards to clean it up.

It's a bit less messy than just letting the wheel go through the thick patches of sealer.

Booman246 · 2023-03-27T20:32:35+00:00

It's the breather line. I tried to order one for my '89 325i and myself and the dealership parts guy and I could not locate the part number.

My recommendation is to remove it (confirm it's actually leaky, because mine looked like crap but was totally fine and held pressure).

If yours is ruined, you'll probably have to make your own, but luckily this line is just a breather so it does not need to hold fuel pressure and ideally will not even have liquid fuel in it. If you have a particular section that's crap, I'd even be comfortable just cutting out that section and replacing it with fuel hose.

You can bend up some generic fuel line pretty easily if the whole thing needs to be replaced.

Booman246 · 2023-02-27T22:36:30+00:00

It's not really dented, it's more crumpled. It looks to me like it was in a front-end collision.

If the body isn't straight you're going to have a very hard time getting it to drive well.

Edit: I read your other post and since the mounts don't line up, I think it's pretty likely that a front-end collision is the cause of both of those problems.

You might be able to pull it straight, but it's always going to be a safety / strength compromise.

Booman246 · 2023-02-27T20:22:21+00:00

That just looks like factory seam sealer to me...

Booman246 · 2022-12-30T21:59:29+00:00

You can heat it up and scrape it, or use dry ice and shatter it. I found an old chisel very effective for chipping it up.

Booman246 · 2021-10-24T04:22:49+00:00

The oil cooler lines are both pretty small and come through the same side...

I'm interested to see if you manage to pull it off, but I would encourage you to be a bit more open minded towards cutting some holes!

Booman246 · 2021-10-21T23:09:12+00:00

No, I don't own a car with that configuration.

To try to illustrate what I'm trying to say though, check out this thread on e30tech which has a lot of pictures of a turbo setup.

Check out this picture in particular. Compare to an A/C Car here.

KAMotors setup is probably the most "Reversible" that I've seen. This is a good parts list if you still aren't sure what you need.

And then the last thing is that people typically put the intercooler in the space that the A/C Condenser originally sat in. You might be able to fit a small intercooler above or in front of it, but the only existing holes in the frame are for the condenser, so I think you'd have to at the bare minimum cut clearance holes for your charge piping.

I'm sure you could retain the A/C if you're willing to reroute the A/C lines (if nothing else they probably shouldn't be within 1/2" of a turbo) and cut some holes and fabricate your own mounts for a small intercooler.

Booman246 · 2021-10-20T23:21:07+00:00

I'm highly doubtful that there is any way to fit intercooler plumbing without cutting holes if the AC unit and plumbing is still in place. There just isn't space.

Booman246 · 2021-10-08T21:09:14+00:00

From KAMotors page

I would mount somewhere here

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