http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=659314&highlight=neil1138+manual

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=523290

http://e46fanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=790149&highlight=manual+swap


5 speed around 1k, 6 speed around 1500 since the transmission is hard to find and expensive

 

What about sources for the parts/transmission

 

Where should i get those?

 

google is your friend. I looked into this before i bought my 330. was originally looking at a automatic but it was more efficient to go with a manual to begin with. Google, ebay, bavauto, all good places to start. Dont forget to look it all up on realoem.com

 

I did the manual swap on my '02 325Ci last year. I got the transmission swap kit on ebay from Quarry Motors in Florida. Paid $625 plus $80 shipping to CA. It included everything needed to convert the car to manual (trans, driveshaft, pedals, clutch, flywheel, footwell trim, dme wiring harness, shifter including the linkage, etc.). The transmission was from a 330 (ZF S5D 320Z), so I also had to replace the diff since the 330 propeller shaft has a different bolt pattern and will not mate to the 325 diff. I got a 330 3.38 diff from Quarry Motors as well, it was $150 and they shipped it together with the swap kit.

I then bought a new LuK clutch and flywheel off Amazon (they had the best price) and the rest of the parts I bought from Tisher (new shifter bushings, rear main seal, new master and slave cylinders, etc).

Good luck with your project. It was a bit costly but totally worth it. It's like driving a whole different car

 

I just spent about $2900 swapping a 6-speed (along with driveshaft, rear diff, new flywheel/clutch) into my 330Ci... is a 325 really that much less??

 

I bought a complete 5 spd transmission from Laurens Auto Salvage in this area for 350 shipped. Works perfectly with a 6 month warranty. Good deals can be had.

 

Also, whats the purpose of realoem.com?

 

To look up parts and part numbers.


I did the swap and do not advise it to someone on a tight budget. After you calculate all your costs add at least 30% and if you can afford that you should be fine.

You can do it cheap by finding someone parting out a car but you still need a lot of new parts that add up quickly. There are a lot of parts you can't reuse and others you shouldn't because you don't want to go back fixing thing every six months.

 

If i were to get a complete set, what are some parts that i would need to buy new. Any bushings and stuff like that? Also im seeing some talk about a 3.46 diff? Whats the deal with that?

 

You will need manual transmission bushings. You also need to replace the bolts holding the transmission to the engine. The drive shaft bolts are also one time use. The bushings and other parts in the shift linkage should also be new. The clutch and flywheel can't be reused. (unless you have the special tools to reset the pressure plate it's cheaper to buy new)


Some parts should be new too, but don't NEED to be. The e46 is getting up there in years and you have no real way of knowing if a part is original or not. I recommend getting new master and slave cylinders, clutch lines, etc.

I also recommend getting new electrical parts. I used a clutch switch module I got used and it stopped working after a couple weeks. I spent hours jammed under the dash checking wires and rewiring thinking it was a bad connection. In the end I bought a new clutch switch module plugged it in and the car started.


There are a lot of parts and I can't think of all of them. Read through the DIY guides on here. You should pretty much buy all hardware, plastic/rubber parts, and parts that can leak new though.


Edit: I think the 325i has a 3.46. The only issue with diff/drive shaft is if you're mixing and matching between 330 and other non-m e46s. (I have a 330 though so maybe someone else knows more)

 

Thank you for the informational response, Im no expert but i feel like the clutch and flywheel can be reused, can i get someone else opinion on that?

 

Don't take this the wrong way, but I am not sure you're ready to tackle this large of a project being so new to the E46. It is one of the most difficult projects there is on these cars. It is also quite expensive to do it right by replacing lots of small dealer-only parts. And after all the difficult work is done, there is coding the DME.

Give it some serious consideration and tons of thorough planning before diving in.

 

The coding it the only thing i have no idea to do, im a quick learner and im confident that i can handle the swapping of all the parts, i am new to e46's but im very knowledgeable when it comes to them

 

Best of luck then!

 

Yeah they can be. I reused my flywheel but replaced my clutch with a non self adjusting one from Advance Auto

 

The biggest thing im concerned with so far is getting all the parts together that i need and making sure there good, like the linkages and bushings and stuff

 

All of the parts are in the links I provided. Get everything new (except trans, driveshaft, clutch/brake pedal assembly). I had everything needed ordered from ECStuning pretty much. Get new transmission fluid (I used BMW MTF2), new exhaust gaskets (OEM), clutch switches, transmission mounts, shifter bushings, etc you name it. If you get a 6 speed take my word and make sure you get this part (it took a long time to obtain one and delayed the projector a week) part number 25117523847

 

I saw one auto-to-manual swap thread where he made a detailed list of parts. He listed each part by name, part number, source, etc., and it was complete. Have you searched around for threads like this? I'm sure you'll find the one I mentioned.

Edit: This is the thread I mentioned.
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=659314

You should definitely read those links posted by SolidJake. He has done the swap.

 

I have searched alot but have found one that was very descriptive about the parts needed

 

I just got the parts to do my car, care to share your experience?

 

Make print outs from real oem, they will help you a ton. Make sure you have the right tools, and dry area, and atleast a week to work. When doing the pedals, take the whole bracket off, install the pedals on an workbench, then reinstall the bracket. The clutch line going from under the car was kinda difficult to fish up to the pedals but you'll get it, just pull back the carpet. And transmission removal would have probably been difficult, but i had a very skilled mechanic help me so we got it in and out in like 30-45 min

 

I have not coded my car yet, and we did have a lift, but if you can jack the car up high enough, it would probably be easier to use jacks, this way you can climb in and out of the car without having to lower it all the time. The drive shaft was a little difficult to get out of the diff, can't remember exactly how we did it, but we used a prying action, you'll get it eventually

 

I bought the valeo single mass flywheel conversion kit.

 

Anyone in the ATLANTA area able to finish electrical/DME work on manual conversion? All the mechanical is done. ccharaf1@gmail.com
Thanks!