Putting a 3.0 diesel in a Z

O

oli445

Senior member
Ok, I know I'm going to get torn apart for this but if theres a 5% chance I can keep my Z then it's worth it!

I used to have an E46 320D and found the economy brilliant! Then I got a bit bored when I wanted a 'proper' drive and bought the Z. Problem is, I do about 15K a year and should still have he 320d but I love my Z.

I am likely to sell my Z when the sun comes out next year and buy a 320CD Convertable but having had new engines put in my previous cars I got to thinking, would dropping a 3.0 diesel in my Z be fairly straight forward?

As I said, not interested in weather I should do or not, just weather it should be simple enough in theory or weather I should just give in

Thanks
 
I don't see any problem with being able to do it if you get a 330d donor car. Given the 3 series uses the same engines petrol / diesel I don't imagine there would be too many differences. Maybe some custom brackets for items needed with a diesel. I don't know if the engine mounts are in the same place. But as with any project of this nature you can expect to do some custom work.

If you are interested in doing as a project then enjoy :)

However if you aim is to save money you need to be sure of how much its going to cost. Once you add up all the costs involved in a swap / higher insurance cost etc you may find that you need to drive a long long way before you start to save any money.

( trying hard not to not to comment on putting a diesel in a Z4 :P )
 
Hmm. Diesel in a Z4? Wrong.

Would be interesting though, and likely to be quick. Loads of torque.

Cost will prob be prohibitive


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
you might need to change the gearbox aswell as i expect the original gearbox may not be able to handle the torque? would be alot of work id imagine but would be pretty rapid!
 
If it physically ever fits engine bay, trans tunnel, you'd need the gearbox and same diff ratios as the diesel given the totally different speeds the 2 engines operate at. Customs mounts, prop, etc etc.

As posted above the cost will outweighs any fuel saving.

Would be pretty fast though. My 3.0 diesel jag hits 60 in 5.7 so in half the weight car it would really shift.
 
As a project this would be pretty cool... My mums 330d certainly feels faster then my car in everyday driving.

But yeah would have some serious costs.... And possible insurance problems.

Bet getting a cheapo hatchback diesel.
 
LPG conversion is the way to go. 69p per litre makes it far cheaper than diesel for long journeys.
 
a minor detail, but the filler would also need to be changed, a diesel nozzle is bigger than a petrol nozle
 
You'd probably also need to look at the diff ratio, fuel tank \ pump \ filter \ lines, electronics and probably lots of other bits, your car would be off the road for quite some time, you'd need to advise DVLA \ insurance etc. You'd end up with something that would be pretty unique and possibly quite gutsy, but if you ever wanted to sell it it'd have a very limited market and a probably lower value.

As a money saving exercise it is not without its pitfalls, but as an engineering challenge it would be very interesting to follow progress.
 
35d engine would be good ! Think with the cost would be a non starter. Get yourself a 330d convertable.
 
I once looked at doing something similar
it is a tricky one.

I think the LPG suggestion is the wiser course.
 
Running both an oil burner & a six pot 3.0, have to say one of the reasons for the Zed is nothing quite sounds like it.

Feel u would end up disappointed as part of its soul would b gone
 
LPG would be the simpler, quicker and cheaper way to go but you will loose a fair bit of bootspace.

It won't change your engine note either so will sound a lot better than diesel.

That said if you do go for a diesel engine you will have a pretty unique Z!
 
Only bringing it up because its not been mentioned yet .......

If fuel costs are the only issues - then consider the 2.0 lt 4 cylinder car as a straight swap. I had the 2.0 lt Msport which was brilliant. Its a full on Z .... only down on power, but it still shifts.

Fuel consumption was 40 to 50 mpg.

There would be no "project costs" .... insurance is minimal etc etc etc
 
It's only a matter of time before BMW fit the E89 with a diesel engine: they're missing out on a large part of the market by not offering one. A large proportion of folk who buy cars like the Z4 need an element of reasonable running costs and the likes of Audi/Merc etc all have diesels in their Coupes.

The cost would be mad if you tried to fit one into the E85/86 though.
 
teamemmenracing said:
Only bringing it up because its not been mentioned yet .......

If fuel costs are the only issues - then consider the 2.0 lt 4 cylinder car as a straight swap. I had the 2.0 lt Msport which was brilliant. Its a full on Z .... only down on power, but it still shifts.

Fuel consumption was 40 to 50 mpg.

There would be no "project costs" .... insurance is minimal etc etc etc
Click to expand...

that is very sensible advice....

If you go down the conversion route remember to fit 330d brakes ... if it is pre 06.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom