M43 to m44 swap

JAMZILLA321

JAMZILLA321

Regular Member
British Zeds
Joined
Mar 17, 2023
Points
21
Location
Manchester, wythenshawe
Yes I know small gains and there’s no point of doing the swap blah blah blah, Im aware, but if anyone has advice on doing this swap let me know, I’m almost done taking the m44 out of my parts car and putting it into the one with the m43, I was wondering if I have to change the EWS system from the old car (which only has one key so I’m reluctant to do) to the one I’m putting the engine in, as I have the parts car I will have the ecu and the loom I’m just a bit stumped by all the wiring and computers and stuff
 
Small gains? 118hp to 140hp isn't such a 'small gain'. It's almost a 20% increase. Not to be sniffed at considering the m44 engine is just sat there waiting to be used.

But. Sorry. I can't answer your original question. I know nothing about all the engine control systems. Just wanted to comment about the swap before the 6 cylinder guys come tell you otherwise.
 
If the m43 is newer than the m44

Im afraid it will be a full swap ews and engine loom .
As various sensors etc are different.
You will possibly need to deal with exhaust and associated wiring as m43 is a euro 3 engine has two lambda sensors pre and post cat
M44 is a euro 2 engine so only post cat lambda ( which will operate differently from the 2 lambda set up)
Then you also have mot time
M43 is a lot cleaner engine with better cats
M44 dont run as clean and notorious for failing emissions test with only genuine cats having any long-term durability.
You will need to change or modify your radiator fan cowling if you cannot keep the electric fan set up you currently have if you need to use the m44 loom as you will need to refit the viscous fan.
You will need to possibly separate the abs loom out of engine loom as your m44 may have the earlier style abs pump the m43 will definitely have the later one.
They may be other minor differences in cooling hoses and bits and bobs this is all i can think of of the top of my head without going out and looking at the m43 and m44 in my driveway.
But it is all doable .

The m43 is a smooth enough engine but yes its 118 bhp can feel a bit lacklustre at times .
My m43 Dakar is sorned at the moment
I was looking at the possibly turbo charging route gives the m43 extra 50 bhp and far better upper rev response.
Stephen.
 
Stevo7682 said:
If the m43 is newer than the m44

Im afraid it will be a full swap ews and engine loom .
As various sensors etc are different.
You will possibly need to deal with exhaust and associated wiring as m43 is a euro 3 engine has two lambda sensors pre and post cat
M44 is a euro 2 engine so only post cat lambda ( which will operate differently from the 2 lambda set up)
Then you also have mot time
M43 is a lot cleaner engine with better cats
M44 dont run as clean and notorious for failing emissions test with only genuine cats having any long-term durability.
You will need to change or modify your radiator fan cowling if you cannot keep the electric fan set up you currently have if you need to use the m44 loom as you will need to refit the viscous fan.
You will need to possibly separate the abs loom out of engine loom as your m44 may have the earlier style abs pump the m43 will definitely have the later one.
They may be other minor differences in cooling hoses and bits and bobs this is all i can think of of the top of my head without going out and looking at the m43 and m44 in my driveway.
But it is all doable .

The m43 is a smooth enough engine but yes its 118 bhp can feel a bit lacklustre at times .
My m43 Dakar is sorned at the moment
I was looking at the possibly turbo charging route gives the m43 extra 50 bhp and far better upper rev response.
Stephen.
Click to expand...
They are both 1999 but the m44 parts car is a pre facelift, do you mean to say I can’t use the m44’s ecu and plug it into my current EWS? My plan is to use the engine loom and ecu from the m44 and plug it into the m43 car, I am not worried about emissions but having only one post cat sensor on the m44 shouldn’t be a problem as I’m using the engine wiring from the m44 anyway and as for the fan i will not try to fit the m43 fan to the m44 if that’s what you mean (I didn’t even know my m43 had an electric fan) sorry if my inexpertise shows, and with the abs pump and cooling hoses being different shouldn’t matter because I am not planning on using the m43 cooling system? Does this mean I have to swap abs pump aswell?
 
Apologies on being so clueless hahah I’m just hellbent on this engine swap mostly because of the fact I want to learn how to engine swap, gain some mechanical knowledge and maybe a few extra horsies
 
My advice is to just give it go and shout for help if something doesn’t work. Can’t think many people have tried this, so take loads of photos and post them up so we can see how you are getting on. 👍😁
 
JAMZILLA321 said:
Apologies on being so clueless hahah I’m just hellbent on this engine swap mostly because of the fact I want to learn how to engine swap, gain some mechanical knowledge and maybe a few extra horsies
Click to expand...
From what i remember of the people who tried it/completed it, you need the whole injection loom, pretty sure you need the ews, isn't it coded to the ecu?
There should be Youtube vids, it was popular into e36.
Why not swap the best bits of the M43 car onto the M44 one? I can tell you from experience insurance companies increasingly don't like engine swapped cars. With DVLA it depends on who looks over the form whether they want more info. If you get someone pedantic, or who hasn't read their own guidelines, you can get a letter asking for receipts for the engine.
 
IainP said:
From what i remember of the people who tried it/completed it, you need the whole injection loom, pretty sure you need the ews, isn't it coded to the ecu?
There should be Youtube vids, it was popular into e36.
Why not swap the best bits of the M43 car onto the M44 one? I can tell you from experience insurance companies increasingly don't like engine swapped cars. With DVLA it depends on who looks over the form whether they want more info. If you get someone pedantic, or who hasn't read their own guidelines, you can get a letter asking for receipts for the engine.
Click to expand...
Oh no the m43 car has to stay intact as its a sentimental thing, I’ve decided I’m gonna rip the engine out put it in the m43 car and plug things in and fiddle about till it runs, with no method or plan
 
JAMZILLA321 said:
Oh no the m43 car has to stay intact as its a sentimental thing, I’ve decided I’m gonna rip the engine out put it in the m43 car and plug things in and fiddle about till it runs, with no method or plan
Click to expand...

Good on you, I hope to tackle a similar project in the near future, swapping my m44 for a 6 cylinder - also having never tackled an engine swap before, (and until a year ago had never even changed a spark plug 😂 )

Good luck!
 
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