M44 Engine project

[machine monkey]

This all sounds very interesting and good luck to you.
I have a single mass semi track orientated clutch and light weight aluminum fly wheel waiting to go in mine.
With the electric steering what are you planing to go with? Something from a z4? If you are be careful and try and get the parts from a facelift car. As pre face lift cars can suffer from a sticky steering issue. My understanding its due to bushes binding in places once they get above a certain temp. It can probably be fixed. But i am going the other way back to hydraulic for feel and to get rid of the sticking problem.

Once i get around to changing mine over your welcome to have the bits. It will be the motor and rack only as i will be using the steering shaft. It might help work things out?

 

[Dino D]

I like the idea of this. A free revving 4 pot can be great fun.

My 2p worth is that I'd be wary of the electric steering - steering feel is supposed to be good on the 4 pots so I would not want to lose that as for me a big part of the Z is the way it feels and goes around corners. Numbness on a Z3 can be very confidence sapping even at moderate pace on a twisty uneven road. I couldn't drive a standard one now after getting suspension sorted. I can't imagine what a 'modern' rack would feel like in a Z3. Maybe it makes it better, not sure.

How about a shortened final drive to give you more pick-up and keep that revvy engine in its power band.
Not sure of the options for a 4 pot but in any case you'll want an LSD eventually. I believe the 2.2 Torsten LSD diff has a slightly shorter final drive than the 2.8/3.0 which helps it feel perkier than the output suggests.
Of course you'd need a wide body rear end then but that's just bolt on rear wings, side sills and bumper.

The 2.8 steering rack is faster than an M rack and popular mod but not sure if the 1.9 already has the same fast rack - if not could be an idea.

 

[Stevo7682]

Im not wanting to be the grim reaper on this thread but bear in mind if this is going to be a road car still has to through an mot.

 

[GazHyde]

If done correctly - and from my discussions with Andy it will be - then it shouldn't present issues for an mot. If anything with a rebuilt engine and new exhaust it may well be easier to MOT emissions wise.

 

[machine monkey]

As said above I would think very carefully about the electric steering idea. I am changing mine not just because of the sticky steering but also the numb feeling it has.

 

[littlefeller]

i think the electric steering is simply a motor driven pump rather than engine driven. the idea is to get rid of the ancillarys that the engine has to work at, so a motor driven power steering pump should feel the same.
the only concern i would have is what if it failed on a twisty road

 

[windym]

Hi guys, the idea is to use the electrical side of the engine to run a pump that will power the steering. Thus taking the spent HP the original system uses, this project will be about a lot of small gains as well as some substantial ones.

I will be going with this idea http://www.enginebasics.com/Advanced Engine Tuning/Electronic Power Steering.html

Also been talking to the engine tuner and he has suggested I use the M42 head as it will flow a lot better than the M44. Still undecided but just got of the tube with a blinding headache, so will leave all that till the Anadin has kicked in.

Andy

 

[machine monkey]

Ah ok I was thinking you where thinking of using the garbage z4 type arrangement!

 

[littlefeller]

ok aided by some wine i have come up with the ideal flywheel, what you need is a hollow flywheel with weights mounted on a electrically driven screw thread at 90 degree intervals inside the flywheel, then as the motor spins up the threads can draw the weights inwards allowing the motor to rev more easily. this way you get the best of both worlds, right that is it, dragons den here i come

 

[littlefeller]

on a more serious note would any more pony's be available by using itb's?

 

[machine monkey]

I am no exspert but I have heard it's a marginal gain from Itbs! But they look amazing and I would love a set of s54 itbs on my m54.

 

[ppavuk]

I think the transplant of m54b30 would be much easier way to make an fast z3, and cheaper too! 230 hp just out of the box, and almost all you need is an engine, ECU and a wiring loom. In theory you can get even further looking to modern turbocharged engines from latest z4, but they are more expensive. Just thinking about effort/result. Seems to me there is plenty of fine BMW engines you could fit to z3. In any case little m44 is just an little 4 pot, even direct swap to 2.8 will give more than any m44 tuning. Imho, money and effort spent on relatively old and backward m44 just not worth it. Imho, of course!

 

[windym]

I think the transplant of m54b30 would be much easier way to make an fast z3, and cheaper too! 230 hp just out of the box, and almost all you need is an engine, ECU and a wiring loom. In theory you can get even further looking to modern turbocharged engines from latest z4, but they are more expensive. Just thinking about effort/result. Seems to me there is plenty of fine BMW engines you could fit to z3. In any case little m44 is just an little 4 pot, even direct swap to 2.8 will give more than any m44 tuning. Imho, money and effort spent on relatively old and backward m44 just not worth it. Imho, of course!

Plus diff, clocks, suspension, brakes, the list goes on. So after finding a donor car with low milage and swapping and disposing of the unwanted bits, I would only have a 1.9 converted to a 2.8.

Andy

 

[littlefeller]

Plus diff, clocks, suspension, brakes, the list goes on. So after finding a donor car with low milage and swapping and disposing of the unwanted bits, I would only have a 1.9 converted to a 2.8.

Andy

you may as well of fixed the donor, i think this m44 project is great, be interesting to see what you can free up, most Honda vtec engines will make over 100bhp per lt, so with different cams 190bhp should be easily attainable (though you will need to rev it into the unknown), but even without daft bhp a free reving m44 will be a fun project.

 

[ppavuk]

Plus diff, clocks, suspension, brakes, the list goes on. So after finding a donor car with low milage and swapping and disposing of the unwanted bits, I would only have a 1.9 converted to a 2.8.

Andy

Well, if you make your m44 200hp+ you would need brakes, diff, etc... too

 

[Bubz]

I've been following this as I have the m44 engine. I also was wondering about the effect of 200 plus gg's on the standard 1.9 drivetrain, from gearbox through to drive shafts, if the power gets that far , reliably, it then has to be stopped. Some improvements will surely have to be made ? But I applaud your vision and I'm sure you have thought it through , so I will be following this with interest ,, Good on ya for having a go.

 

[windym]

I've been following this as I have the m44 engine. I also was wondering about the effect of 200 plus gg's on the standard 1.9 drivetrain, from gearbox through to drive shafts, if the power gets that far , reliably, it then has to be stopped. Some improvements will surely have to be made ? But I applaud your vision and I'm sure you have thought it through , so I will be following this with interest ,, Good on ya for having a go.

There are a few Z,s running 240+ HP, so I don't envisage any problems. The upgrades already made and being made to mine will future proof any foreseeable problems.

Andy

 

[t-tony]

If done correctly - and from my discussions with Andy it will be - then it shouldn't present issues for an mot. If anything with a rebuilt engine and new exhaust it may well be easier to MOT emissions wise.

From an emissions point of view, if the vehicle doesn't have it's original engine and the tester can't prove what it is (year, model, engine size.), it has to be tested at "default" under "data can't be found" on the test equipment. So it makes things slightly more relaxed.

Tony.

 

[windym]

Hi, thanks @t-tony for that info may well come in handy, just talking to a chap in the states selling a custom turbo header/manifold and Garrett T4 turbo for the M44. Apart from the time gap with messaging he is not so keen on posting but will see what happens, at the moment I am trying to work out if it will fit the Z3 and if the 318ti engine compartment are the same.

Looking at the work he has carried out and the dyno his car is putting out 263 HP, with 15/18 lbs of boost. He says he has been running this for 18 odd months with no real problems, my thought would be to use less boost and aim for the 230/240 HP mark.

I may well use his build as a reference.

Andy

 

[Antm72]

Member Tommy Bates may give you info on turbo charging he was making his own manifolds etc at some point.He runs a six pot but I'm sure he may be able to point you in the right direction?