E34 M20 camshaft in E21 323i?

[David Mc]

I have a spare M20 engine for my E21 323i sitting in my shed and had a quick look at it to see whether I would refurb it for a spare or strip it for parts. Long and short of it is that the engine looks OK but the camshaft is definitely shot (bad wear on about 3 lobes, probably as the result of poor lubrication). I can pick up a used E34 camshaft (from a 1989 M20 525i) and was wondering whether this will actually fit and secondly, how it rates performance-wise against the original 323i camshaft. Although I have a full spec list for the 323i cam, can't locate full specs for the 525i cam. The stock 525i M20 is rated with a slightly higher output than the stock E21 323i, but was this primarily due to camshaft or head/induction/ignition system changes?

[olemaxi]

Yes it fits just remember to use the old cam gear. There are two different types of timing belt.
And be sure that the oil pipe to lobs are not clogged.
http://www.e30tech.com/forum/showthread.php?t=108802

[David Mc]

Great info, thanks!