[blksab65]

Well I did it again... After selling my Grey e46 touring earlier this year I've been browsing around looking for another wagon. I was looking for a e91 RWD touring in any exterior color or another RWD e46 touring in White or Red.. No exceptions.

When I saw this posted I jumped on it. Overall it's in good shape. All original paint (though the paint is pealing in a few places..), no accidents, California car it's entire life with zero rust. Honestly I can't recall ever seeing a red RWD touring being posted for sale locally and I've been browsing wagons for years now.

Funny enough the seller works as a technician at my old job - BMW Dealership in the Bay Area. That simple fact definitely helped me get the car since I wasn't the first caller!

 

[blksab65]

The next day I decided to drive the car to my work and give it a good inspection.. To my surprise it really doesn't need much at all. This is probably the first used BMW I've ever purchased that has Zero oil leaks, seriously. The radiator is still original, the ignition coil's are still original.. but the rest of the cooling system was definitely serviced along with gaskets to fix various oil leaks the car has probably had over the past 20 years.

I gave the Alcantara steering wheel a good wash.. Here's the before and after photos..

And my curiosity inspection, finding all the coils still original (which is unbelievable to me lol)

 

[blksab65]

Well.. obviously a S54 conversion is the plan like I did to the last one.. But I don't have a donor car so only time will tell. For the meantime I'll be doing a 5 speed manual conversion, in fact I start tomorrow. Yes, I've only owned this car for 4 Days. Lets get this thing done 😃.

I still have a full M54 5 speed swap in my backyard left over from my 2001 325i touring (everything had to be removed from the car when I did the S54 swap on that wagon).

I think others would agree the biggest pain in the ass doing manual swaps are the pedals/ hydraulics.. So at least when I do a S54 conversion the pedals and everything under the dash will be sorted and ready for a S54 w/ Manual Transmission.

 

[blksab65]

So that’ll make three of us in the east bay? Hell yeah.
What’d you do for a muffler for the last one, and are you going to do the same for this one?

2001 325i Wagon in Steel Grey - Now With S54 Swap..

Update on oil consumption! The car made it 1,300 miles before needing a quart of oil. Made a small difference replacing the entire CCV system and fixing all the oil leaks. are you going to try the 02 pilot mod?, since replacing the CCV didn't really help with oil consumption

www.e46fanatics.com

I know you've seen the thread but I'll just link it lol. Wait you have a Red touring as well or your just mentioning 3x S54 swaps in the area?
On my old touring I ended up going with a ZHP muffler, so full M3 exhaust up until the muffler section. Sounded great.

 

[blksab65]

That wagon looks familiar, was it listed on here in Classifieds?
Found it!

FOR SALE: 2002 325i Touring Sport

2002 BMW 325iT WBAEN33452PC10398 192,364 miles Cold weather package. HK sound system. Owned for 4 years. During ownership I have replaced both intake air boots. Water pump, thermostat, upper and lower radiator hoses with temp sensor. Front and rear brake pads and rotors, Lower control arm...

www.e46fanatics.com

Damn! That's crazy! I had no clue, I figured it was only listed on CL. He had about 5 callers when I went to see it. Regardless it's in my driveway now 😃.

 

[blksab65]

Alright so today I got a good amount of progress done! I was busy the entire afternoon getting the car smog'd, registered in my name, and other random things around the house. Finally at 4.30PM I got the car on jackstands and dug into the transmission removal. Here's the progress pics from today, I packed up around 7pm to relax since the sun went down.

Tomorrow I plan to get up early, around 7am and really dig into the swap. I hope to get the pedals fully installed, hydraulics, and possibly even the manual transmission installed. Next weekend will be the wiring and coding, unless I get more done then expected tomorrow- then I'll start the wiring.

When I was working at the dealership, one of the service writers gifted me this transmission jack. It's definitely gotten it's fair share of use over the years.

I somehow got my grandfather on board for the manual swap, but you can still see him looking at the part's thinking "He's only had this car since Tuesday, and today's Saturday. Why the hell did he pull a transmission from a perfectly running car!" LOL

I almost lost him this year so I try to spend as much time as I can with the grandparents, he turns 90 in two weeks.

Brand new piolt bearing because, the car never had one lol. Automatic!

 

[blksab65]

Congrats on the latest acquisition and welcome back to the touring life!

Thanks!!!

 

[blksab65]

Lot's of work done today.. I'm at the final 90-95% of the 5 speed conversion! It should be running and driving by next weekend, I probably could have finished if I rushed myself but the swap needs to be done perfect.. So I've been taking my time with things. Plus it still need's coding.

Last night I logged into my BMW AIR account (wiring diagrams, repair instructions, SIB's) and started looking up wiring diagrams. It seems everyone who does a manual swap runs two individual wires from the reverse switch to a random chassis ground, and to the reverse relay in the E-BOX.

It looks so damn "half ass" IMO so I came up with a plan, re use the existing Automatic transmission harness connecor wires (which are no longer being used) and create a reverse light harness from that. The wires from the Automatic transmission plug lead directly into your E-BOX, 1 inch away from the reverse relay. Why has no one ever done this? It's crazy to me that people will run multiple feet of wire and drill holes into your Ebox when un-used wires are already existent.. Plus you get to use Original BMW wiring, not aftermarket wires..

Anyways, the day consisted of..
-Clutch installed
-Transmission installed
-Driveshaft installed
-Shift linkage fully re built, and installed
-Pedals under the dash installed
-Hydraulics to clutch pedal installed
-New clutch master/ slave cylinder
-Reverse harness



Here was my study session last night..

I have a pretty good "collection" of parts in the garage from doing this crap too long. I found a brand new 5 Speed ZHP shift knob, stock e46 shift linkage, and good used ZHP shift boot/ parking brake boots on the shelf which are perfect for this wagon.

Your actually not just adding the clutch pedal for the swap there's a few other minor items. The gas pedal is different (manual transmission doesnt have that "click" when you press the pedal down full throttle, to downshift your car).

Also the plastic under panel is cut out for the clutch pedal. They have different part numbers but I suppose you could cut/ modify your automatic panel to accept a clutch pedal if your in a pinch.

Remove the factory plug, install the new rubber grommet, and last but not least- install the white clip that holds the hydraulic line securely against the fire wall.

There are 3 connectors under the console that no longer will be used. They all originally connected into the automatic shift indicator but since this car is now a manual transmission, the connectors were taped off with Tesa tape and tucked away against the harness to make everything neat.

I also removed this stupid thing which proved to be a mistake, now the key gets stuck in the ignition. Turns out manual transmission cars have a different ignition lock assembly. I'll have to fool around with it next weekend.

 

[blksab65]

I found the perfect plug to fill in the hole no longer being used. The e46 M3 I removed the pedals and hydraulics from (being used on this wagon) must have not had the plug, or I would have taken it?

The plug needed was the same size as my SACHS clutch grease cap, so I brought it along for reference lol

I filled in these now un-used holes with some tar stuff, to reduce road noise in the cabin..

Here you can see the reverse harness connector I used. Originally the harness had the connector I'm holding on the left, now it has the correct manual transmission reverse plug. The wires lead right into the E-BOX, and the wires you see with blue tape in the pictures are the two wires I need to connect directly to the blue reverse light relay.. Only 1 inch away? Easy.

Looks factory!!

The transmission mounts, guibo, ect. are all brand new but some rain water got on them.. So they look a bit "dirty" in the pics.

Shift linkage rebuilt with a new plastic retaining clip, rubber bushing, yellow washers, and carrier bushing. Make sure the arrow face's towards the front of the car on the rubber transmission tunnel grommet! Common mistake I've seen.

[

 

[blksab65]

Looks good, but I might suggest you put a BMW pilot bearing in it. The aftermarket ones always seem to be slightly undersized in OD and thus they don't fit tightly and can come out. And in the case of the car pictured below it came out, seized to the input shaft and grenaded itself.

Well I read this one a bit too late.. Wonder what brand that bearing was in your photos, BMW normally use's FAJ. or INA? I put in a INA bearing, in FAJ packaging.

PS: Had to spell it FAJ because if you spell it correctly, with a "G" e46fanatics blocks the text for "bad language".. 😃

 

[blksab65]

Also, you are using an M3 clutch switch. If you want the correct black one I'll send you one in exchange for your brown/orange one.

Damn George, your good. ETK shows 2 part numbers for the M3 clutch switch so figured I could use it with the swap. Your right though, the car will start but cruse control wont function properly if you use the M3 switch- in a 325i.

I don't really see why this is the case, especially since the M3 master cylinder is identical part number to the 325i. I haven't had a chance to look at the wiring diagram differences but still- that wouldn't explain why the switch is different.

 

[blksab65]

See these posts for additional MT swap info. Please let me know if they help you, are missing any info, or need tweaks. Always looking for feedback to improve them.

I was checking out those post's earlier, the reverse relay info you posted definitely helped- I had trouble finding the wiring diagram haha.

Everything looks spot on in that thread, thanks for posting it. I verified everything using the wiring diagrams on AIR and all the information you posted is correct.

The only thing I did different from most was re using the existing transmission harness and "converted" it into a reverse harness.


PS..

I plan to ground the clutch switch here, under the gauge cluster. This is where a factory manual transmission clutch switch is supposed to be grounded at.

 

[blksab65]

Congrats - great looking car, somehow red suits the touring chassis well. Oh and zero surprise to see it assume "the position" on the fourth day of ownership. That driveway has seen a fair amount of serious project work over the years. I can't wait to follow along as this unfolds.

Lol seriously Matt, this driveway has seen it all! It's unbelievable how fast time flys with all the projects...

Glad to hear your doing well! 😃

great stuff here..

Do you have the hall switch that snaps into your new master cylinder? This is for wiring cruise control and the clutch safety switch… on my e39 Man-swap I used the surplus auto trans wiring to wire to/from the E-box.

what are doing for a rear differential? using the auto diff?

Yup I have the hall effect style clutch switch, I think the really early model e46's used two separate mechanical switches or something weird. Did you do the swap on a e39 wagon?

Also for the rear diff.. I'm going to leave it in the car. It's weird BMW did this but the e46 touring's and convertibles (325 models) with manual transmission's came with a 3.46 gear ratio.. the same exact gear ratio automatic transmission car's came with.

Awesome thread, you're making some really fast progress. I saw your post on facebook when you got the car, and I can't believe you're almost done with getting the manual in there.

Thanks! Your build thread was one of the main reason's I purchased a red touring to be honest. Sadly I have clear coat pealing in a few spots, but it's still red!

 

[blksab65]

Ok so today after work I got some progress done..

Turns out, the autologic scan tool has a "conversion" built into it that allows you to code the entire car to manual transmission.. by the click of a single button. Literally took 4min to code the entire car.

No more gauge cluster "transmission malfunction" indicator, no check engine light or codes, worked excellent. The car still has factory software installed as well, no nonsense.

Honestly I think this is the easiest way. I don't own a windows laptop and 90% of shops own a autologic. To anyone doing this in the future.. Looks like any repair shop can code your car, that owns a autologic scan tool.

 

[blksab65]

Damn I have a ton of people I should reply to.. Thanks everyone for all the positive feedback!

Funny you posted a link to that line @vtwagon, because I ordered it for my touring last Monday lol. Though it's been 9 days now and it still hasn't shipped.. I emailed them asking to cancel the order. I really wanted to try it out but the fact is I can get a stock one the same day from the dealership and if it's going to take another week shipping to send it to me..


So to update everyone, I got everything back together on the car including the wiring over the weekend.


On top of all this.. I purchased a new project on Saturday.. Yet another e30. Sadly it appears the cylinder head or head gasket at a minimum failed because of the milky oil. I plan to pull the engine sometime in the next few weeks. It was listed on CL as a "part out" 4 months ago, the guy finally responded to my email.. I plan to save it, would be stupid to part out such an original e30.

 

[blksab65]

The wiring took a longggg time to complete on the wagon. I did things the "right way" and you'll see what I mean in the pics.

Last week at work I searched around the shop for used BMW wiring harness's, wires's ect. I finally found a nice harness and took it home. I looked up the wiring diagrams on BMW AIR and wrote down all the wire colors from the diagrams, ect.

For example, a factory 5 speed car use's a Blue/Brown wire from Pin # 2 on the clutch switch, to Pin # 23 on the X6004 connector at the Engine DME. I think you can guess the wire color I used.. Lol. Finding a good harness at work helped out a lot because now all the wire colors under the dash are correct per wiring diagram..



I even took things a step further, and ran ALL the wires inside the existing harness's in the car. The factory body harness is taped around in multiple loops but with patience you can easily add wires inside the harness, without modifying anything. A lot of guys will use butt splices from Home Depot, all the same wire colors.. but just take the extra hour of work do it right.. Take pride in your work!

I purchased the clutch switch, and clutch switch harness brand new from BMW. (Thank you George for the trade offer though!! 😃)

And the harness I found at work..

Here's a pic of the Blue/Brown wire I gave as a random example earlier, it goes from the clutch switch to the DME. It's already inside the E-Box at this point and almost at the DME. You can see how I added it inside the existing body harness that BMW taped together.

The first thing I did was wire the reverse light wiring. I spliced into the reverse relay like everyone does but did things a bit differently and crimped on a quick disconnect connector. This way my modified reverse harness (you saw in the pic's earlier on Page 2) can easily be "disconnected" at any time because it now has a quick disconnect electrical connector.

The final repair.

 

[blksab65]

Next came the clutch switch wiring. The Blue/Brown wire was the biggest pain in the ass because of the length. All the other wires you need to add for the 5 speed swap can be done under the dash

It's final resting place.. Inside the connector at the DME like BMW would have done it..

This pic show's pretty well the process of adding the wires inside the harness. It's not really "hard" but just requires a tone of patience.

The clutch switch get's it's power from fuse #9... Which coincidentally the brake switch also gets it's power from (along with a ton of other things).

I decided to best way to get power would be splicing power from the existing wire. I crimped and shrink wrapped it water tight using the "e90 blower motor recall" heat shrink's BMW would give us a few years back..

And the final repair.. All that work for this little harness you see here. 😃

I also purchased a brand new door sill from the dealership since the original one was damaged.

 

[blksab65]

New door sills on the way for mine, as well. The e46 ones sure don't pop off like the e90 ones, do they?

Man the clips that hold the door sills in are no joke.. stronger then the actual door sill!


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[blksab65]

Well… Looks like the last piece of the puzzle came in the mail today. I just got home from work 6.15pm.. time to crawl under the car and bleed the clutch for the first test drive!


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[blksab65]

As someone planning to go through this in the near future, I appreciate your attention to detail and documentation. Just to be clear, that chase bay line is a complete master to slave live, deleting the hardline you installed on page 1? If so that is very tempting for the price.

Yup, the chase bay hose is designed to completely delete all the hardlines, including the line's under the carpet that I installed.. However, you'll see how I used it bellow.. Worked great! 😃