My M50 manifold install day (56k grab a Snickers)

PrivateDonut · Mon, Jul-27-2009, 02:54:14 PM

Morning all

I spent all of Saturday (11 am - 11pm) working in the M50 mani - HUGE thanks to Eric for writing up such a thorough and detailed install guide WITH PICTURES! Those were amazing when it came time to assemble everything back together. I did it with a couple friends (who aren't E36 guys), but who were both majorly helpful and without whom I wouldn't have been able to pull it off in one day.

All in all, I think it went very smoothly. This was the most technically demanding install I have ever done on a car, but thankfully nothing went horribly wrong. We did have fits trying to get that 7th nut on the stud (just like everyone else). We ended up pulling all the injectors to spread the fuel rail apart from its wiring harness, and using a small 1/4" socket driver we were able to get that damn 7th nut in place and tightened. When putting the injectors back in afterward, we found it to be a total pain in the ass to put all the little clips back in, especially those of the wiring harness, and especially those of the 6th injector - they really make it impossible to work in that area. On the upside, I was very pleased to find that all bolts, except those nuts holding the manifold to the head, were 10 mm, so we did not waste time hunting for sockets and swapping them around.

On to the pics:

Before - took pics of the engine bay and all of the components I could see relating to the IM:

Found these guys chillin in the yard twitching their noses at me as I was taking my before pics.

During the teardown: S52 mani is out

Everything was meticulously labeled:

Comparison shot of the two manifolds:

Obligatory hairy arm shot while modifying the mounting bracket

My friend doing his thing

...and goofing off

Everything in place and ready for the test fit

While test fitting:

It fits:

After everything was back in and put back together

Like I said, everything was carefully labeled

(That's still taped on there, btw)

At the end, when it came time to bleed the fuel rail, we took off the screw cap on the front, thinking that was the bleed valve. Little did we know that the bleed valve was actually inside of that little space inside the screw. I spent 10 minutes turning the key on/off trying to bleed the fuel rail, with myf riend standing there with a catch container. Eventually I got out of the car, suspecting there was more to this - so he grabbed a screwdriver and poked the valve we discovered inside of the screw and got blasted with ~.10 or more liter of fuel (sorry, no pics). Luckily I was spared.

Then came the moment of truth - starting the car for the first time. It started on the first attempt! We celebrated a moment of triumph, cleaned up the garage, then took it out for a drive cycle. I didn't have a scan tool to check the tests afterward, but I picked one up from "GEt in the Zone" Auto Zone on Sunday and ran the test - everything checked out OK.

So ...on to the review.

Prior to the Manifold, I could always feel a definite peak between 3500 and 5500, with a definite drop off after that. Going up to redline, the car would make more noise but wouldn't move much faster.

After the new manifold went in, I can feel that the "peak" that was previously there has been smoothed out - instead of that midrange "push", there is now a smooth pull all the way to redline with NO drop-off like there was before. Definitely worth it, and probably the best bang-for buck engine mod you can do for this car. I think with Eric's instruction guide and install kit anyone can pull this off, even if they have never done it before.

Unfortunately, this marks the limit of what I can do for reasonable money on this car - no more performance can be had without spending large sums that I can't currently justify. At the same time, I think I now have the car in its ideal form as I see it. Next up is a full detail in the next couple weeks...will poast pics when that happens

Thanks for reading!

ANT'S M3 · Mon, Jul-27-2009, 03:05:34 PM

Great review and m50 mani ftw

Cheeze · Mon, Jul-27-2009, 03:13:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrivateDonut

Unfortunately, this marks the limit of what I can do for reasonable money on this car - no more performance can be had without spending large sums that I can't currently justify. At the same time, I think I now have the car in its ideal form as I see it.

Time to start modding the driver then, get to a track day! Nice write up, love the m50 manifold mod.

spiraleyes · Mon, Jul-27-2009, 04:13:49 PM

Good write up. I love having the M50 kit on my car - definite improvement at the top.

PrivateDonut · Mon, Jul-27-2009, 04:28:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phil97m3Blue

Time to start modding the driver then, get to a track day! Nice write up, love the m50 manifold mod.

Yea definitely on the list. Unfortunately not much going on around here - last time there was an AutoX my sway bar was hanging by one bushing so I wasn't about to go to that. Looking to a couple mroe before the summer is out.

Cheeze · Mon, Jul-27-2009, 04:43:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrivateDonut

Yea definitely on the list. Unfortunately not much going on around here - last time there was an AutoX my sway bar was hanging by one bushing so I wasn't about to go to that. Looking to a couple mroe before the summer is out.

Auto-x are great but you don't know what you're missing till you get it on an open track.

They are not that expensive (for your first time), check with your local BMWCCA Chapter. Either way have fun!

Diesel///M3 · Mon, Jul-27-2009, 05:13:18 PM

Nice work! BTW, did you get a new tune since the install? Much recommended.

Anubis · Mon, Jul-27-2009, 05:52:54 PM

Nice work. I'm not quite ready to do the M50 swap (not sure I want to power mod the car at all), but I'm glad to hear that Eric's kit worked well for you.

PrivateDonut · Mon, Jul-27-2009, 05:59:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diesel///M3

Nice work! BTW, did you get a new tune since the install? Much recommended.

Thanks...Already running Conforti software, which I think works pretty well with this setup.

Anubis -

This is a pretty demanding DIY unless you're a heavily seasoned veteran or a mechanic (I am neither), but Eric's kit and instructions make it manageable. Wouldn't have been able to do it otherwise.

Griffon252 · Mon, Jul-27-2009, 06:18:00 PM

Awesome write-up man. Took my buddy and me about 5 hours to do it in the FL heat last summer haha. Didn't really mark the wires and so I drove around with a CEL. Turns out just had two wires backwards which did not affect anything at all really, just had a code. Great mod for the money, and Eric is really helpful if you ever have to call him!

Mon, Jul-27-2009, 02:54:14 PM	#1
PrivateDonut Kheera chor Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 692 Reputation: 0 Location: Indianapolis	My M50 manifold install day (56k grab a Snickers) Morning all I spent all of Saturday (11 am - 11pm) working in the M50 mani - HUGE thanks to Eric for writing up such a thorough and detailed install guide WITH PICTURES! Those were amazing when it came time to assemble everything back together. I did it with a couple friends (who aren't E36 guys), but who were both majorly helpful and without whom I wouldn't have been able to pull it off in one day. All in all, I think it went very smoothly. This was the most technically demanding install I have ever done on a car, but thankfully nothing went horribly wrong. We did have fits trying to get that 7th nut on the stud (just like everyone else). We ended up pulling all the injectors to spread the fuel rail apart from its wiring harness, and using a small 1/4" socket driver we were able to get that damn 7th nut in place and tightened. When putting the injectors back in afterward, we found it to be a total pain in the ass to put all the little clips back in, especially those of the wiring harness, and especially those of the 6th injector - they really make it impossible to work in that area. On the upside, I was very pleased to find that all bolts, except those nuts holding the manifold to the head, were 10 mm, so we did not waste time hunting for sockets and swapping them around. On to the pics: Before - took pics of the engine bay and all of the components I could see relating to the IM: Found these guys chillin in the yard twitching their noses at me as I was taking my before pics. During the teardown: S52 mani is out Everything was meticulously labeled: Comparison shot of the two manifolds: Obligatory hairy arm shot while modifying the mounting bracket My friend doing his thing ...and goofing off Everything in place and ready for the test fit While test fitting: It fits: After everything was back in and put back together Like I said, everything was carefully labeled (That's still taped on there, btw) At the end, when it came time to bleed the fuel rail, we took off the screw cap on the front, thinking that was the bleed valve. Little did we know that the bleed valve was actually inside of that little space inside the screw. I spent 10 minutes turning the key on/off trying to bleed the fuel rail, with myf riend standing there with a catch container. Eventually I got out of the car, suspecting there was more to this - so he grabbed a screwdriver and poked the valve we discovered inside of the screw and got blasted with ~.10 or more liter of fuel (sorry, no pics). Luckily I was spared. Then came the moment of truth - starting the car for the first time. It started on the first attempt! We celebrated a moment of triumph, cleaned up the garage, then took it out for a drive cycle. I didn't have a scan tool to check the tests afterward, but I picked one up from "GEt in the Zone" Auto Zone on Sunday and ran the test - everything checked out OK. So ...on to the review. Prior to the Manifold, I could always feel a definite peak between 3500 and 5500, with a definite drop off after that. Going up to redline, the car would make more noise but wouldn't move much faster. After the new manifold went in, I can feel that the "peak" that was previously there has been smoothed out - instead of that midrange "push", there is now a smooth pull all the way to redline with NO drop-off like there was before. Definitely worth it, and probably the best bang-for buck engine mod you can do for this car. I think with Eric's instruction guide and install kit anyone can pull this off, even if they have never done it before. Unfortunately, this marks the limit of what I can do for reasonable money on this car - no more performance can be had without spending large sums that I can't currently justify. At the same time, I think I now have the car in its ideal form as I see it. Next up is a full detail in the next couple weeks...will poast pics when that happens Thanks for reading! Last edited by PrivateDonut; Mon, Jul-27-2009 at 02:59:21 PM.

Mon, Jul-27-2009, 05:13:18 PM	#7
Diesel///M3 Oh no you d'nt! Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 837 Reputation: 0 Location: Buffalo, NY	Nice work! BTW, did you get a new tune since the install? Much recommended. __________________ "Its not who we are underneath, but what we do that defines us." -Jay Upgrades: AA Gen III, AA track pipe, AA tune, H&R Sports, blown Bilsteins, TMS aluminum RSMs, UUC tranny mounts(red), UUC sways, TMS RTABs, M50, CAI, 10mm front spacers, X-brace, Brembo/Hawk, SS brake lines, ltw flywheel/JB clutch, CDV delete, Alpine HU Coming soon: Powerflex subframe bushings, RE RSMs, UUC RTABS, Koni's, AA diff support bracket, new diff mounts, AA 3.5" CAI, Euro 3.5" HFM, Bimmerworld 3.5'-3" elbow, UUC SSK/DSSR, 140a alternator, 6000K HID heads and fogs...

Mon, Jul-27-2009, 05:52:54 PM	#8
Anubis Dr. Awesomesauce Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 7,713 Reputation: 0 Location: Boston	Nice work. I'm not quite ready to do the M50 swap (not sure I want to power mod the car at all), but I'm glad to hear that Eric's kit worked well for you. __________________ -Jeff 1999 Estoril Blue/Dove Grey M3 Coupé HID Lighting FAQ, Power rear vent windows, Bosch headlights (output), Euro cluster, Euro 3-spoke steering wheel, Autodim/HomeLink mirror, Headlight aim control, Underhood lamp

Mon, Jul-27-2009, 06:18:00 PM	#10
Griffon252 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Age: 27 Posts: 417 Reputation: 0 Location: NOVA-Dulles	Awesome write-up man. Took my buddy and me about 5 hours to do it in the FL heat last summer haha. Didn't really mark the wires and so I drove around with a CEL. Turns out just had two wires backwards which did not affect anything at all really, just had a code. Great mod for the money, and Eric is really helpful if you ever have to call him! __________________ R.I.P daily GC coilovers front, koni/eibach rears, Powerflex RTAB/LCABs, HKS exhaust, front sway bar, GC RSMs, Vorshlag reinforcement plates, Depo Gen IVs 6000k, 8000k fogs, dinan tranny chip, AC Schnitzer rims, matte black grills, m50 mani, CAI, ss brake lines, X-brace

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Mon, Jul-27-2009, 04:13:49 PM	#4
spiraleyes Registered User Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 241 Reputation: 0 Location: Salt Lake	Good write up. I love having the M50 kit on my car - definite improvement at the top.