1976 530i motor into an 83 528E

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canada karl
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Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2009 3:50 pm

1976 530i motor into an 83 528E

Post by canada karl »

Would the M30 block fit. I'm still trying to find a use for my 530i engine with 5spd from my wrecked car. (the 5 speed that I put in the wrecked 530i was from a 528E) Is this doable as I know of a 528E with an unknown motor problem that is going for cheap?
1976 530i. BMW 59 Triumph TR3A(rolling resto). 67 Triumph TR4A(salvageable). 86 900S Winter car
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Mike W.
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Location: Sonoma County

Re: 1976 530i motor into an 83 528E

Post by Mike W. »

Yes, but... You would need to use everything from the radiator thru the diff in an eta car. The diff will not interchange with an E12 diff, nor the radiator and I'm not sure about the driveshaft. You may be fond of the engine, but really, the most value is in the 5 speed tranny.
Mike W.



1980 528i, 3.5 euro, 5 speed conversion
1981 528i, 3.6, Recaros and more. Project
1998 328is, quick and efficient, but not satisfying
2000 528iit, Vacation mobile/wife's grocery getter
canada karl
Posts: 1058
Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2009 3:50 pm

Re: 1976 530i motor into an 83 528E

Post by canada karl »

Yah it's probably not a practical idea. I might buy the 528e anyway. It has the 5spd with a shift kit. The story behind it is it has been sitting for 2 years because of a no start condition. Other than that it is in pretty decent shape. I googled 528e no start and read about a guy who replaced many engine components trying to track down a no start problem? Turns out two spark plugs were fouled and the fuel filter needed replacing and it fired right up. Of course the no start could also be any number of other issues but you never know? Maybe the gas tank just needs to be flushed? Not familiar with the eta cars but I may get more info on another forum. What are the 5 spd gearboxes worth?
1976 530i. BMW 59 Triumph TR3A(rolling resto). 67 Triumph TR4A(salvageable). 86 900S Winter car
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Mike W.
Posts: 2782
Joined: Wed Aug 30, 2006 12:12 am
Location: Sonoma County

Re: 1976 530i motor into an 83 528E

Post by Mike W. »

Mye28.com is the go to E28 site. I'm very active there too.

No start could be a bunch of different things, generally not expensive as long as the timing belt hasn't broken. eta's are slow, but torquey and the 5 speed helps. Wouldn't be a bad pickup at all especially as E28 prices are escalating.

A 5 speed G265/6 tranny value. Last I knew, and I don't really keep up, they were in the $1K+ range. Assuming yours has a speedo drive it would be worth a bit more. Reportedly it's the E9 guys who are really driving the prices up.
Mike W.



1980 528i, 3.5 euro, 5 speed conversion
1981 528i, 3.6, Recaros and more. Project
1998 328is, quick and efficient, but not satisfying
2000 528iit, Vacation mobile/wife's grocery getter
canada karl
Posts: 1058
Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2009 3:50 pm

Re: 1976 530i motor into an 83 528E

Post by canada karl »

That's good to know. The owner of the 528e says the belt was changed so that's a good sign. If I remember correctly when I had a shop install the 5 speed in the 530i they took the speedo gear out of the 4 speed to use. Does that sound right to you?
1976 530i. BMW 59 Triumph TR3A(rolling resto). 67 Triumph TR4A(salvageable). 86 900S Winter car
User avatar
Mike W.
Posts: 2782
Joined: Wed Aug 30, 2006 12:12 am
Location: Sonoma County

Re: 1976 530i motor into an 83 528E

Post by Mike W. »

canada karl wrote: Fri Aug 05, 2022 12:01 pm If I remember correctly when I had a shop install the 5 speed in the 530i they took the speedo gear out of the 4 speed to use. Does that sound right to you?
Yes it does. The parts are the same.
Mike W.



1980 528i, 3.5 euro, 5 speed conversion
1981 528i, 3.6, Recaros and more. Project
1998 328is, quick and efficient, but not satisfying
2000 528iit, Vacation mobile/wife's grocery getter
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