who's is this... what is this?

[robsanab]

This picture is from sislane's earlier post of V@V pictures... the car in the first few shots.

What conversion is this? Can anyone give me any details? I want my future FI to look like this... I like how everything fits! Doesn't look like a standard 318i motor... manifold and parts look different... or is it? Maybe it's a mish-mash of stuff. I see a coil so it must have distributor that I can't see.

[bluedevils]

That is Lawrence' s car, from NY. It is a 76 2002 with 318i (1985) Bosch L-jetronic EFI injection parts. Power windows, electric fan, cruse control, A/C, etc etc. It is as if it was built by BMW in 21st century. Attention to details is 100%. Great car.

[robsanab]

great... thank you... I'm trying to educate myself what to look for. You think that radiator is from the 85 as well?

I thought it might be but the runners look different than what I've seen before... are there different intake manifolds to look for? Although the M10 318i was just a couple years wasn't it? You think that radiator is from the 85 as well?

[bluedevils]

1984-1985 318i. The runners are the same for both years, also used in late e21 (1983) cars. It is a single piece manifold, commonly used in 2002 Megasquirt (MS) EFI conversion because of it ease of being a single piece unit. Common upgrades include 325i (E30) throttle body for more torque. Lawrence used all the original 318i parts (no 325i parts) in his car. I have a 84/85 318i set up also in my 74 tii and I couldn't be more happier. Don't feel like I need a MS system. To make it work perfectly, you need to use an oxygen censor, barometric pressure censor (MAP), and outside air temperature censor which are usually ignored during a conversion. As common with used products, make sure that AFM (air flow meter box) is operating properly (doesn't stick), idle air control unit is working (they are shot 90% of the time, along with its little green computer) and wiring harness is good.

The intake manifold, water bypass pipe, fuel rail, air flow meter and computer w/ wiring (and other parts) can be had for around 300-400 bucks if you look deep enough. Check E30 sites, or junk yards for a 381i car, you can buy the whole car for about the same. 5-speed transmission is slightly different than the 320s/E21 5-speeds but it can be made to fit to a 2002 w/o major drama (some had mechanical speedo, some electronic ones).

[Scott Sislane]

great... thank you... I'm trying to educate myself what to look for. You think that radiator is from the 85 as well?

I think he told me the radiator was that for a 320i. It's a common replacement for better cooling.

Also, an in-tank fuel pump, which I think is a 318 pump. Not sure though.

Scott

[josh72ooh2]

bluedevils... you are using the 318 throttle body instead of the 325.

why do people go with the 325? more power/fuel? I'd imagine the 318 is enough and also would help out the MPG.

i am starting to collect parts for the conversion and i am truly on the fence if i should megasquirt or not and which throttle body ( i have a 318 TB already).

Also there seems to be variations on which injectors to use as well.

i am a novice when it comes to engine work so I am looking for simple, and reliable....

and i don't have a PC to run a megasquirt... only Macs in my house.

-josh

[bluedevils]

I am using 325i throttle body. It makes it a little difficult to adopt mainly because of the air hoses, you need to use a combination of 318i and 325i hoses around the intake manifold. You also need an adopter plate from 2002again to fit it onto the manifold. But I had no negative effects of using 325i throttle body, it makes tons of low end torque with no apparent side effects in terms of MPG, I get 30. The 318i TB will make things easy to install and fit. So use what you have. My car also has a 292 cam so it is not as smooth as a regular tii, but it flies. I also use an idler control unit from a 320s for cold starts (from E21, temperature controlled, not electronic, works great ), I ditched the 318 unit (and its little green computer) since they were shot.

[robsanab]

I'm in the same boat as you Josh... same goal... don't necessarily want MS or anything even remotely complicated, just looking for reliability and efficiency along with cold starting/driving improvements with a pretty much stock engine.

Bluedevil, I've been reading all the FI posts that come along, as well as articles like Mike Kubani's in the FAQ, and just this post has sort of put it all together for me... thanks for your tutorial... FI for dummies.

[Harv]

The amount of engineering that has gone into this e21's M-10 is just staggering!

http://77e21.info/index.html

John

[bluedevils]

I am sure MS guys will disagree but I just don't see any real benefit of using MS or other aftermarket EFI systems unless you are adding a turbo or racing the car where you can fine tune the system for specif track conditions. If you are not interested in making shit loads of power but a reliable daily driver with a performance close to that of a tii, go for L-jetronic system. Fits nicely and very reliable. It is a German engineered system after all. I will never race my car(s) and won't go 15 miles over the posted speed limits, so it works for me. It also makes it easy to diagnose problems by a BMW mechanic, since they won't touch a MS or other aftermarket system, you will be on your won.

[bluedevils]

The amount of engineering that has gone into this e21's M-10 is just staggering!

John

That is a very nice car indeed. I am proud to say (and brag about a little) that I refurbished his OE Repa seat belts two years ago, Steve was one of my first customers.

[Harv]

Having followed his adventure in EFI by reading his web page and then actually getting to look over his car was a real treat. I felt like I should have been taking notes and then paying him for EFI tutoring. His S14 cranked and Ireland 306 degree camed M-10 idled like a new Camry.

John

[02again]

As a item of interest. The tii throttle body diameter and the 325i throttle body are withing 1mm of each other.

[TobyB]

Yarp, that's a 320 rad, no doubt...

t

[dlmrun2002]

Laurence"s set up is a 84 not 85. Some very minor differences. I have the 85 set up. Idle control valve does not have adjustment screw as the 84 does. Also the fuel pump I use (and Laurence) is a late model e30 (88 up) and it drops right into the tank with accurate float meter. L jet not very tun able but I have made some changes to the system to work with a 2.0 litre and running a 73 motor and head I can hang with tii's.

hth

Doug M NY country.