E36 engine advice
Discussion
Looking to buy a 6 cylinder E36, my preference would be the 328i but I am struggling to find a decent one at a price I am willing to pay for a car that age (3.5k max). I am starting to consider the 323 or 325 instead but I am struggling to find good information on the differences in power. I understand they are both down on power but can this be rectified with a bigger inlet manifold and remap? Are the 323 and 325 effectively the same engine?
Also the 323 and 325 are a non aluminium block compared to the 328i being aluminium?
Hopefully someone can help me, struggling to find decent information on this.
Also the 323 and 325 are a non aluminium block compared to the 328i being aluminium?
Hopefully someone can help me, struggling to find decent information on this.
Hi. From what I remember, the 323i is 170bhp, the 325i is 192bhp and the 328i is 193bhp.
The 323i is a 2.5l engine just like the 325i with the main differences being the smaller inlet manifold shared by the 328i and 320i and an exhaust borrowed from the 320. Changing the inlet manifold for a 325i item and the exhaust for a 328i item plus a remap will put you at 190+ bhp.
The 323i and 328i block are of the m52 family of engines. So the blocks are aluminium in comparison to the 325i which is of m50 family and made from iron.
Hope this helps.
The 323i is a 2.5l engine just like the 325i with the main differences being the smaller inlet manifold shared by the 328i and 320i and an exhaust borrowed from the 320. Changing the inlet manifold for a 325i item and the exhaust for a 328i item plus a remap will put you at 190+ bhp.
The 323i and 328i block are of the m52 family of engines. So the blocks are aluminium in comparison to the 325i which is of m50 family and made from iron.
Hope this helps.
Using RON 98/99 boosts the performance too, and the engine loves it, much smoother and better fuel consumption. I had the E36 323i - cracking engine, sold it at 145k. Aluminium, nikasil bores, and no issues. (US had issues with their sulphur content fuels). 245Nm torque and 170 ps on 95 RON. It had 5 gears, drop to idle in 5th and it will pull away at about 15mph and 600 rpm with absolutely no vibration at all, so smooth (not much acceleration, granted, but the smoothness is astounding). I would have kept it, but after 19 years the dreaded iron-worm got too much for the bodywork.
SidewaysSi said:
I have a 328 and have spend about £3k on it. Will be getting an M50, BBTB, remap and induction. Should take it to comfortably over 200bhp. Would be good if it can get to 230 ish but will see.
The car cost you 3k? What kind of spec/condition did you get for that if you don't mind me asking? The prices seem all over the place, from 1.5k drifters to 8 grand sport models. I just want something clean and orginal but it's proving difficult.SidewaysSi said:
I have a 328 and have spend about £3k on it. Will be getting an M50, BBTB, remap and induction. Should take it to comfortably over 200bhp. Would be good if it can get to 230 ish but will see.
Mine was 328 with M50/BBTB/Dave F/silicone inlet/map/Full M3 exhaust & made 239, 241 with a differently mapped ECU after I sold it. Having had a 325 and a 328 I'd say go for the 328, which is much torquier at lower revs than the 325, which can feel gutless at less than 4000rpm although it's a nicer-sounding engine than the 2.8. Not many 325s left now anyway. Buy a mid-'98 onwards 328 with the steel linered cylinder block - my nikasil-engined car needed a replacement engine when I bought it last year after 33k miles....
The 325 inlet manifold needs fairly extensive modifying to fit the M52 engine in the 328, a user called 'alpina327' on the E36coupe.com forum can do this, so it can be a fairly pricy mod, especially if you also go for matching oversized throttle body. Ideally you also then need a remap to get the best from the swap. I'm not sure the mod is good value unless you consistently rev the engine beyond around 5000rpm where the small-bore M52 manifold starts to choke the engine.
The 325 inlet manifold needs fairly extensive modifying to fit the M52 engine in the 328, a user called 'alpina327' on the E36coupe.com forum can do this, so it can be a fairly pricy mod, especially if you also go for matching oversized throttle body. Ideally you also then need a remap to get the best from the swap. I'm not sure the mod is good value unless you consistently rev the engine beyond around 5000rpm where the small-bore M52 manifold starts to choke the engine.
After owning an E36 323i and driving a mate's E46 328i I'd definitely get the 328i.
IMHO the 323i felt gutless and boring TBH! Sure, it did shift but it was a bit 'meh'. For those die hards wondering, mine was a manual as well. Even a friend commented on that when he looked at & drove my new purchase ( a W124 250D). That's with his car being an E89 Z4 30sDrive!
IMHO the 323i felt gutless and boring TBH! Sure, it did shift but it was a bit 'meh'. For those die hards wondering, mine was a manual as well. Even a friend commented on that when he looked at & drove my new purchase ( a W124 250D). That's with his car being an E89 Z4 30sDrive!
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