P38 2.5DSE - BMW 325TDS, engine swap?

Hi,
I've been searching on here and other sites to see if I could get an answer to the following question (but to no avail);

Can I fit a BMW 325TDS engine into my P38 DSE?

I bought a 96 P38 DSE last week with 177k on the clock. It needs a few bits and pieces doing to it but I thought it worth what I paid. I drove it back from Ilford to Stockport (just south of Manchester) and it drove very nicely. The wife has been driving it the past week, no worries and then Saturday morning she went out, started it and left it to defrost but when I went out about 5 or 10 minutes later I noticed that there was quite a major diesel leak.
Now I've worked on plenty of Land Rovers before and have had a 4.6HSE P38 before so decided I should be able to sort this out. Over the weekend I striped all the inlet manifold and plastics away so I could get to the injection pump and fuel lines. It looked like the pump was leaking where the top half bolts down to the lower half. So, I first tried just tweaking the four bolts down a bit, built it back up, started it, still leaking all over the show! So, strip it all back again and I thought, I have nothing to lose by taking the top half of the pump off , or so I thought!
I striped it off, cleaned where the seal fitted and added some instant gasket as I'd been told by Land Ranger that there are no servicable parts available for the pump (he agreed with me that there was nothing to lose as they only offered an exchange pump at £675 plus the vat (£805!)). So, a bit of instant gasket on both sides of the rubber sealing gasket that goes between the two halves of the pump and put it back together. Built it back up and tries to start it.
It fired up, reved to about 2.5k and died, did it twice more and now it won;t start, period, so I don;' know if the leak is fixed or not?!?
So, I'm seriously unimpressed with the cost of recon pumps and have had a nosy on E-bay for them, finding one at the moment. Then I thought, what about getting a 325 tds and either using the whole engine or at least the pump and selling the rest of the car for parts or even just weighing it in for scrap.
However, although I know that the P38, 325 and 525 and Omega by Vauxhall have the same BMW M51 2.5 diesel 6 cylinder engine, are they tuned differently, meaning I can't interchange the whole engine or just the pump? Can I fit the whole engine from a BMW 325 tds using all the ancillaries from the P38 so using just the block? Are there any other differences?
Any help would be appreciated!
Thanks,
Andy B.

i believe u can use the engines but u have to use the p38 fuel pump which wont help u an i believe u have to change sump as well

The fuel injector pump is different, or the electronics on the top are by all accounts otherwise I think the turbo location might be different but thats just a case of swapping bits over.
There is a thread on here about swapping the electronics from a P38 FIP to a 525 FIP.

I don't suppose you know the thread title do you Datatek? Oh, and thanks to you and Craig for replying almost immediately!
Unless anyone has a good condition FIP for sale that is!
Cheers,
Andy B.

Sorry no, use the green "Search" button at the top of the page, NOT the Google search. It was not long ago.

I posted some pics and stuff I learned when I had the same problem as you.
http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f10/fixed-my-diesel-fuel-injection-pump-126745.html

The seals in the FIP are available from Bosch diesel agents, AND you have to position the top half in just the right position.

I used the Google search and found a thread from here where you replied, Datatek, talking about swapping a 525 td engine into the P38. On it you mention as you did here about problems with the FIP. You say about swapping the electronics over from the top of the RR FIP onto the BMW FIP. Can you tell me, are the electronics underneith the very top cover of the FIP?
Thanks again,
Andy B.

B16FUN said:

I used the Google search and found a thread from here where you replied, Datatek, talking about swapping a 525 td engine into the P38. On it you mention as you did here about problems with the FIP. You say about swapping the electronics over from the top of the RR FIP onto the BMW FIP. Can you tell me, are the electronics underneith the very top cover of the FIP?
Thanks again,
Andy B.

Click to expand...

Sorry I have no idea, I was only repeating what I read on another thread

yes, if your FIP is in 3 layers, there's electronics accessible under under the top layer.

No problems, thanks for your help Datatek.
Jonbill, you've just put a smile on my face for the first time this weekend!!!
That is exactly the problem I have and is exactly what I did! How much did the seal cost and did you have to give a pump/part number to the bosch specialist to get that part or do you possibly have the part number itself?
Oh and raise: of the highest order for your link!
Thanks,
Andy B

as I noted in the link, it was others on here that shared their knowledge.

I bought the seal from FastLine group in Northampton.
I think it was £2.11.
I had to give them the FIP part number - there are 3 variants:0460406993 xxxx994 xxxx995 I think, and they emailed me a PDF of the parts catalogue for it.

It should be marked on the side of the pump,but I never found it on mine. so I guessed 994 (wrongly, but luckily the seal I needed to replace is same on 993 which I reckon I have)

btw my engine is out of a 325td, so you might have to have a google around for which model the p38 comes with.

the PDF they sent me is on my work computer - I'll have a look for it tomorrow.

Hi Jonbill,
Thanks for that. It seems like Boshe built the VP37 pump for numerous vehicles because having googled the pump it appears to have been used as a four cylinder variant by Audi/VW. Mine matches exactly what your pictures show so as it is just this seal that I intend to replace I'll probably go with the same seal set.
Interesting to know that you have the same engine as I was planning on using (albeit that I've been looking at a 325 tds). Other than the electrics on the top of the FIP did you come across anything that caused a headache in the exchange of the engines?
Cheers,
Andy B

I didn't do the engine transplant - I bought it like it. also mines in a classic, so quite a bit different from a p38.
Sorry - I don't think I can be any help on how that transplant!

Seals ordered from Northampton Diesel, £12.78 including VAT and P+P! So, fingers crossed!!!!!
Andy B.

yes i have put an engine from a bmw 525 tds into my p38 front pullys are different flywheel is different. sump and oil feed pipe from the oil pump are different injector pump is the same but you might have to change the electronic top which is timed but not difficult to time your own exhaust manifold and turbo will do and your own inlet manifold will do

Sean is a dab hand at the engine swaps now!!

Swapped one for me before Christmas, but we won't be doing it again in a hurry.

BTW Sean, that P38 is now in Relihans. Oil cooler was gone but I got the key and ignition barrel though!

Ok, so a little while since I first posted this but I have since bought a 1994 E36 325tds as when I changed the seals in my pump I also found that my injector pump shaft had shattered into 3 pieces so absolutely fubarred. So I'm changing the whole engine.
I have a question though for anyone who has done this swap, once I've changed the front pulley (crank), the torque convertor (both Rangie and BMW are autos), inlet manifold, exhaust manifold and turbo and the sump is there anything else?
Also, in the BMW there appears to be what I presume to be a vacume pump fitted at the front of the camshaft cover but the Range Rover doesn;t have it. Do I just unbolt it and fit a blanking plate or do I just blank off the output on the vacume pump?
Any direction would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Andy B.

inside the sump you must change the oil pipe going to the oil pump. you will probally be able to use the blanking plate off the rangie on the bmw engine also if your engines have different inlet manifolds (one plastic and one metal) you cant use a plastic manifold on an engine that had a metal one or other way around as the bolt holes in the engine heads are different. the injector pump electrics are different the pump is the same just change the tops . I think thats about it if i think of anything else i will let you know .

Heya Andy.
Not directly related to your project, but if you get a chance, can you compare the vibration dampers from the RR and the BMW and check if they are exactly the same ?
I'm asking because I've seen two different part numbers, one for the BMW/Omega and another for the Rangies.

the pump fitted to yours is part number ending in 994 fitted to all p38 and vauxhall omegas any different numbers will not work the electronics are different.
there are 2 types of m51 engines to keep it simple which are large hole and small hole engines what i mean by this is the injection pump mounting hole is a different sizes the rangie and omega are large hole and bmw cars can be either, one engine which is defo small pump is pump number ending in 993.
as you need the pump you need to check the pump number ends in 994.
just a note what you have done by removing the top of the pump is destroy the calibration of the pump you could send your pump to a specialist to have the seal renewed and calibrated not expensive should cost less than £150.