BMW 335D engine

Man of Honour
Joined
17 Oct 2002
Posts
159,596
Depends on the year.

330d up to the E90 LCI was an M57, various revisions. Post LCI it got the new N57.

335d was always M57.
 
Man of Honour
Joined
17 Oct 2002
Posts
159,596
Well for a start it depends on the age of the Z3. The ones with M52 engines (ie, most) have a throttle cable and a different engine management system IIRC. The later M54 engined cars moved to drive-by-wire. Therefore two similar generation engines are a more straightforward swap as you don't need to go for a full conversion electronics wise.

The majority of Z3's are M52 engined, only the facelifted models made in the last 2 years of Z3 production or so had M54's (2.2 or 3.0).

In theory something like the 260-280bhp Alpina 3.2 or 3.3 engine will not be too much of a problem to fit into an older Z3, provided you can find one. They don't fit easily into the newer ones for the above mentioned reason.

Then you've got the issue that the Z3 was never available with a diesel engine and the 335d engine was only available with an automatic transmission of the type never fitted to the Z3. So you'd need a complete transmission swap as well. The newer autoboxes (It's a ZF 6HP26) are not cheap and neither is the 335d engine itself. So, even if you did manage to get around the issues the cost of the gearbox/engine will be thousands and thousands of pounds.

And then of course you have the point that the Z3 is a small roadster and the M57 is a big diesel engine designed for and intended for heavier, bigger saloon cars. It's just not a good match. You don't want that sort of power delivery in a convertible sports car. Any economy benefits are massively, massively cancelled out by the sheer enormity of the task at hand at associated costs anyway so you end up with a diesel powered Z3 for... what purpose? To annoy people with meaningless flywheel torque figures? Can you imagine an automatic diesel small roadster? I can sort of - only sort of - get the appeal in a 635d cab because it's a big cruiser. The Z3 is anything but. Infact it's a pretty crap cruiser.

You might as well just buy a Z3 3.0i or a Z3M. Both have ideally suited engines to the type of car it is already and by virtue of its light weight, both deliver quite sterling performance. If you do want to do an engine swap I'd look into the Alpina sixes perhaps.
 
Soldato
Joined
2 Mar 2004
Posts
11,910
Location
SE England
Integrating a modern diesel into anything other than its original home is not a task to be undertaken lightly. They are phenomenally dependant on the original vehicle's electrical and communications systems, so transplanting one and having it run correctly will require complex and costly aftermarket management.
 
Soldato
OP
Joined
21 Oct 2004
Posts
6,146
Location
Los Angeles
Thanks mate, there's some valid points in there that make sense. Didn't realise the 335D only came in an autobox. Did the 330D come with a manual box?

As for this:
BoringFox said:
a diesel powered Z3 for... what purpose? To annoy people with meaningless flywheel torque figures?

Zzzzzzz...
 
Soldato
OP
Joined
21 Oct 2004
Posts
6,146
Location
Los Angeles
Integrating a modern diesel into anything other than its original home is not a task to be undertaken lightly. They are phenomenally dependant on the original vehicle's electrical and communications systems, so transplanting one and having it run correctly will require complex and costly aftermarket management.

Oh yes, it's not something that I think will drop straight in and at this current stage I'm at the daydream level. Just asking a few questions to broaden my understanding.
 
Man of Honour
Joined
17 Oct 2002
Posts
159,596
Thanks mate, there's some valid points in there that make sense. Didn't realise the 335D only came in an autobox. Did the 330D come with a manual box?

Yes, it did.

As for this:


Zzzzzzz...

So I take the time to answer your queries in quite good detail and half your reply is calling me boring because I dared question what, on the face of it is, a pretty illogical desire? Nice.

I cannot think of a single thing putting a 330d engine (Now we've ruled the 335d out due to box) in a Z3 would do better than, say, fitting an ESS Supercharger to a Z3 3.0i (Giving you 330ish bhp). It's an unrefined sports car - it's all about the sort of driving that, generally speaking, a petrol engine is just better at. Let alone a supercharged 330bhp one.

I get the whole project idea - but undertake a project with a decent ending. Sure it'll be unique but it'll be unique because... well.. who wants a diesel Z3? Having driven thousands of miles in an M57 engined 530d with a manual box pretty much the only area it excelled over the petrol equivilent was the sort of wafty driving nobody would want to use a Z3 for (Economy doesnt count as this is such a big money project that any fuel economy benefits are surely irrelevent). It was a great engine - I'm not a diesel hater I just beleive that they are overhyped - but it was a great engine for wafting about in a big saloon...
 
Last edited:
Soldato
OP
Joined
21 Oct 2004
Posts
6,146
Location
Los Angeles
He's got a point, you don't seem to have one?

Lobbing a massive diesel engine into a Z3 seems like a stupid (and expensive) idea.

Diesel engines don't belong in sports cars.

Both valid opinions, but not ones I agree with nor ones I want to challenge.

If a project ever does come to fruition then I'll be happy to discuss what we're doing and the goals etc. But at the moment I'm just daydreaming as I said before, so no point in getting involved with Fox's usual chat.
 
Man of Honour
Joined
17 Oct 2002
Posts
159,596
What does a Z3 with a 3.0d engine transplant do that an ESS Supercharged Z3 3.0i or a Z3M won't do better?

I've done the courtesy of providing you with exactly what you asked. We can at least have a discussion about an, on the face of it, interesting subject thats a nice break from 'Spec me a Focus'.
 
Caporegime
Joined
11 Mar 2005
Posts
32,197
Location
Leafy Cheshire
Z3 wasn't exactly a very good car, so poor starting point, then you add a diesel engine into the mix which was never fitted to that range or cars and won't drop in without a serious fight.

THEN even if you get it working the outcome is a Diesel Z3, I’m failing to see the point.
 
Back
Top Bottom