The Replacement Engine

The Z3 has a terrible flaw.  The aluminum engine block can be badly damaged if overheated.  To top it off, in America the aluminum engine model M52B28 is rare.  I found engines on the internet but they were expensive and far away.  Plus, with a used engine, how would I ever know whether it had overheated before.

I knew BMW sedans had similar engines and after research discovered that exact same engine, M52B28 was made in cast iron.  These engines were easily available and only weighed 50 pounds more.  I got on the BMW forums to see if anyone had done this kind of swap.  I saw vague answers that the swap had been done.  Members of the forums stated, "it should just bolt in".

So I found a suitable motor at a nearby junkyard.  It was out of a 1998 BMW 528i and had 140,000 miles on it.  The price was cheap.  They guaranteed it would run with a 60 day warranty.  I decided to go for it and rented a U-Haul truck.



A co worker lent me his engine hoist and I went to Harbor Freight and got a $30 engine stand.  Now the fun begins.






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