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1997 m3 sedan with s54 swap

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  • 3staxontheradio
    replied
    Karbonius intake came on friday and I got a good scan of it before doing any install
    Attached Files

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  • heinzboehmer
    replied
    Originally posted by 3staxontheradio View Post
    Anyone have a pic of what it looks like before/after?
    Nothing fancy, just some flexible vacuum tubing.

    Click image for larger version

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  • 3staxontheradio
    replied
    CSL box shipped early and I get it tomorrow instead of 4 weeks from now. That's a fun surprise. Ordering through Stephen Bean at Touge Factory has been great. I think I have everything now except the air shutoff valve so I guess I'll modifying the stock one. Anyone have a pic of what it looks like before/after? I want to get this thing installed ASAP but we are short on extra daily drivers right now and I need it up and running for a few school pickups a week. I was planning to do the conversion over winter break along with wire harness cleanup but maybe I'll have to do a quicker weekend install sooner than that.

    Also my workstation decided to shit itself this week so that has really screwed up progress on scanning anything. I THINK I have it fixed, if not I have to start throwing parts at it starting with a motherboard.
    Last edited by 3staxontheradio; 11-06-2025, 12:33 PM.

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  • ZiMMie
    replied
    Originally posted by 3staxontheradio View Post
    Ordering a karbonius box tomorrow - Getting everything else sorted out


    I'm doing a Kassel map sensor setup
    Mss54hp comes from nextelbuddy next week
    I have pre facelift throttle body boots and am getting some worm clamps because I plan to have the box off a lot

    Air filters: ECS has the OEM filter for $229 (ouch) so I guess I'm doing that.
    The rest of the odds and ends are easy enough to track down.

    The dipstick in an S54 swap E36: anything different there with an E46 as far as bending and moving it around?
    Maybe this will help you.

    11 years ago, I fabricated my own bracket and air rail. If you want to keep the MAP sensor in its original (OE) location, it’s not difficult.

    You can scan the MAP sensor to get the exact mounting points (I just measured it when I did mine), then have the mounting plate CNC-machined or make it by hand.

    Open up the air rail to the diameter of the MAP sensor and weld the bracket directly onto the rail. It took me less than an hour. Just be careful not to place it too close to the PCV valve position it a bit farther toward the firewall. Otherwise, you’ll have to route the PCV hose over the MAP sensor.

    For the dipstick bracket, I used a simple two-piece steel bracket bent at 90 degrees and bolted together, then secured it using the strut tower bolt. Very straightforward. Unfortunately, this is the only photo I have.

    As for injectors, just get new ones. I have a post somewhere that lists all the flow rates for the ones that fit.

    Click image for larger version

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  • Slideways
    replied
    Originally posted by 3staxontheradio View Post
    very general s54 question but is anyone on stock or mild cams pushing the injector duty cycle towards the max? We are all on e10 these days and stoich is about 14.1 vs 14.7.
    280/272 stock injector seems to be fine

    288/280 starts to get maxed out

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  • 3staxontheradio
    replied
    very general s54 question but is anyone on stock or mild cams pushing the injector duty cycle towards the max? We are all on e10 these days and stoich is about 14.1 vs 14.7.

    Leave a comment:


  • 3staxontheradio
    replied
    I think I have everything ordered for the CSL box > I did the Covid19 map sensor.

    I still need to find a CSL Air shutoff valve. ECS has them shipping in March. FCP has it for $300.

    I still have a ton of x6004 pins and wiring from when I wired the canbus cluster.

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  • heinzboehmer
    replied
    Originally posted by 3staxontheradio View Post
    I had wondered how the CSL tunes manage a decent map signal with such a small air volume but I hadn't thought the sensor placement would have that big on an impact.
    Bry5on knows the details of how it was impacting the tune since he was doing the actual tuning. I was really just collecting data for him.

    But yeah, moving from Kassel to CSL air rail solved a few part throttle driveability issues that my car had.

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  • George Hill
    replied
    Sensor in the brake booster vacuum line just works. Cheap, easy to install and wire (especially with on the E46, but should be for you too get it into the wiring loom as well).

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  • 3staxontheradio
    replied
    I had wondered how the CSL tunes manage a decent map signal with such a small air volume but I hadn't thought the sensor placement would have that big on an impact.

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  • heinzboehmer
    replied
    I would skip the Kassel MAP setup and do either OE CSL air rail or the brake booster hose adapter.

    Had the Kassel kit on mine and it was causing some funkiness with the tune. Sensor is so close to the throttle bodies that it sees pressure pulses with every crank revolution instead of a smoothed reading.

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  • 3staxontheradio
    replied
    Ordering a karbonius box tomorrow - Getting everything else sorted out


    I'm doing a Kassel map sensor setup
    Mss54hp comes from nextelbuddy next week
    I have pre facelift throttle body boots and am getting some worm clamps because I plan to have the box off a lot

    Air filters: ECS has the OEM filter for $229 (ouch) so I guess I'm doing that.
    The rest of the odds and ends are easy enough to track down.

    The dipstick in an S54 swap E36: anything different there with an E46 as far as bending and moving it around?

    Leave a comment:


  • 3staxontheradio
    replied
    Originally posted by ZiMMie View Post
    You should also consider integrating the snorkel located behind the headlights into your CSL snorkel design. You don’t need Euro headlights for this, as the opening and factory snorkel are present on all E36 models both US and Euro versions. There’s plenty of fresh air available in that area since BMW uses it to feed the airbox. The stock snorkel is identical across all E36 models, except for the Euro M3, which has an additional small pipe that routes air to the brake duct. In my opinion, combining this setup with your design would give you the best results.

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    I'll take a look at that. It looks reasonably big like that might be a simpler alternative air path.

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  • 3staxontheradio
    replied
    I'm finally trying to get a CSL box in my car. I bought a MSS54 HP with a CSL map tune already loaded. Slightly scared to order something from Europe that expensive with a lead time that long (karbonius says 12 week, haimus up to 8 weeks)because anything could happen with tariffs between now and then.

    Im good with either a karbonius or haimus box. Pros and cons of both. I might just try and wait for one to show up for sale used since that could be quicker and sidestep tarriff issues. If anyone is planning to sell one DM me.
    Last edited by 3staxontheradio; 10-31-2025, 06:25 AM.

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  • ZiMMie
    replied
    You should also consider integrating the snorkel located behind the headlights into your CSL snorkel design. You don’t need Euro headlights for this, as the opening and factory snorkel are present on all E36 models both US and Euro versions. There’s plenty of fresh air available in that area since BMW uses it to feed the airbox. The stock snorkel is identical across all E36 models, except for the Euro M3, which has an additional small pipe that routes air to the brake duct. In my opinion, combining this setup with your design would give you the best results.

    Click image for larger version

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    Click image for larger version

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    Leave a comment:

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