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E46 F30_330d ZF 8HP70Z Gearbox Conversion Project

35K views 57 replies 10 participants last post by  t651 
#1 · (Edited)
After about 1.5 year with the DCT Project, I decided to switch platforms. DCT is out along with the transmission wiring and the controller. Reasons many but not part of this thread.

In its place, we're installing a ZF 8HP70z automatic transmission from the F30 330d series. A very capable, 8-speed transmission, that can handle loads of torque, that will be paired with a different control unit this time from TurboLamik. I will emfasize on the electronics modifications on this thread as well, along with the mechanical bits.

For this conversion, I will be using the following:

1. Adapter plate to allow this gearbox to bolt to the M54 block, as the starter is lower/left side instead of upper/right (sort of mirrored)
2. Custom or OEM mix'n'match driveshaft
3. Custom or OEM gearbox crossmember
4. Turbolamik TCU with MS43 canbus integration & individual drive mode programs
5. N57 Flexplate (my crankshaft is 6-bolt pattern so got to slightly modify it to use this one)
6. N57N torque converter (comes with the gearbox thankfully)
7. F82 M4 Joystick
8. E46 M3 paddles
9. Custom IKE integrated OLED display for gearbox info
10. Wiring harness ordered with the TCU, made to measure
11. Genuine BMW oil pan with service kit
12. Setrab 25-row oil cooler
13. Davies, Craig 12" cooler fan with thermostat
14. Custom PCB board for 8HP Mechatronics modification
15. Oil Seals & Gaskets
16. Motul ATF for 8HP

At the moment I am waiting delivery of the gearbox. Once received and verified non-damaged, I will go ahead with the rest of the parts.

Gearbox:
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Crank on my engine:
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#5 ·
Ordered a bunch of stuff:
1. All o-rings and seals
2. Oil pan with filter and new bolts

Old oil pan out, getting ready to remove the mechatronics unit. The tank above is oil pressure accumulator from what I read, to store presurized oil for cars with start/stop feature.
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#7 ·
#9 ·
Marking with blue, the max cutting depth (1.4mm)
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Here it is...
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Using a knife to cut all connections
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After cleanup - left that pcb in place as it's glued
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Test fit of the new PCB, that will allow the aftermarket gearbox controller to... control this gearbox:
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Next steps: Soldering / Epoxy-Sealing / Reinstall
 
#16 ·
Wiring Weekend
TCU mounting position once clutch departs
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Connected:
+12v straight from battery positive with 20A fuse
Ignition switched from below steering wheel (used as signal only)
Handbrake signal
Canbus signal from the twisted pair going to the instrument cluster
Reverse signal
Aux fan signal
Screen & Program selector
Tucked the wiring loom for the gearbox around the shifter area till the installation day
 
#17 ·
Flexplate, from N57N (converted to 6-bolt pattern for my unique crank)
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Adapter plate:
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Some "trimming" needed
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Comparing stock e46 bellhousing pattern with the adapter plate
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The E46 starter teeth seem to mesh fine
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Run out of grinding disks, so expect to finish in a day
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#19 ·
The 8HP45, but it is not fully supported by the tuner. It will be supported I believe within 2022 but I preferred a proven solution now, which is the 8HP70. I'd rather modify it to physically fit and not to worry about tuning instead of the opposite. I am not doing the same mistake again - especially with tuning.

Also, George Hill (Hill Performance Bimmers), Austin TX is working on the above (8HP45/70 + Turbolamik TCU) if you're looking for a more localized support. Iniciar sesión en Facebook
 
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#23 ·
Progress:
0 errors in TunerPro - thankfully no weird custom utilities for this.
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Installation so far is straightforward. We reused the prototype DCT gearbox mount (that's why it's shaped oddly) and driveshaft. Shop chose to use genuine BMW gearbox bolts rather than the supplied allen bolts. Reason being, they require shorter sockets (see reaching top/starter bolts etc) and less likely to strip.

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Oil cooling also sorted, using an HPR adaptor, AN10 fittings, 185F Improved Racing thermostat and a 25-Row Setrab Pro-line Series 9 Cooler
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#27 ·
Given the last week of driving it, it seems that the only thing that can go wrong is pure hardware failure. I am so impressed that I'm actually considering buying another unit for backup. Same as I keep an extra ECU in the car with EWS off and up to date with the current tune. Yesterday we recoded with the help of @sda2 the ASC unit via ncsexpert to set it to automatic instead of manual. Afterwards we enabled the canbus output from the TCU unit which seems to successfully emulate an OEM TCU controller. No traction control issues, cruise control works, it appears as the car came like this from factory. Car is for weekends more as I have another car for daily commutes. However there are days that i use it daily regardless. Too fun to leave it only for 2 days a week :D
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