M42club.com - Home of the BMW E30/E36 318i/iS
DISCUSSION => Engine + Driveline => Topic started by: bflan2001 on September 03, 2011, 10:32:34 PM
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I have an M42 with 192k and unknown maintenance history. It was pulled from a junkyard car that was involved in a front end collision, it still ran after the accident but that's all I know. It does have some leaks so I'm ordering a complete gasket kit and I want to know if there's anything I should be replacing while I have this motor out of the car.
Or even better, do carfax reports ever have detailed infomation about the work done to cars?
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Get a compression or leakdown test, of course. See if you can measure crank endplay too.
I'd be sure to replace the rear main seal, both oil pan seals (make sure the upper pan bolts are tight too). The oil housing is easier to get at while it's out of the car too.
Carfax won't tell you anything but severe insurance events and ownership transfers.
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thanks for the info dave..i'll be doing a compression and leakdown test myself as soon as i can borrow the tools. i've never measured crank endplay before, do i need any special tools for that?
also, is there a reason motor mounts are so expensive? i'm seeing 80-100 each which seems crazy when m10 and m20 motor mounts are only 10-15
edit: this is the gasket kit i'm ordering, it looks like it comes with everything you mentioned
http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=1021026
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thanks for the info dave..i'll be doing a compression and leakdown test myself as soon as i can borrow the tools. i've never measured crank endplay before, do i need any special tools for that?
also, is there a reason motor mounts are so expensive? i'm seeing 80-100 each which seems crazy when m10 and m20 motor mounts are only 10-15
edit: this is the gasket kit i'm ordering, it looks like it comes with everything you mentioned
http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=1021026
M42 motor mounts are hydraulic (liquid filled), hence the cost. You can always go with e28, 535 mounts at a fraction of the cost, however expect an increase of nvh.
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+1 - the M42 mounts are much more refined. I'd go for the e28 mounts myself, but the four-cylinder is harsher than the sixes are.
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If you want a sportier feel go with polyurethane mounts but if not check pelicanparts.com. I saw someone say they were like 28.00 a piece or so there.
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silence over on r3vlimited has poly mounts for the m42. I'm running them and at first the NVH is pretty harsh, but once they break in it feels nice and sporty. I daily drive with them in.
BUT...if I had to do it all over again, I'd probably consider the e28 mounts. Those should have been standard. The hydraulic mounts really rob the car of its character IMO.
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i ordered some cheap hydraulic mounts from rockauto. they were only 22 bucks a piece so i don't expect them to last long. i'll replace them with urethane when they fail and see if i like that better. my guess is i'll probably end up liking the hydraulic mounts more.