Messages

1

For Sale / K&N Air Filter

« on: December 30, 2010, 06:20:06 PM »

I no longer have my 91 318is, but do have a new in never opened box K&N air filter. It is a drop in replacement for the stock filter and the part number is 33-2059

$30 plus shipping firm
or
$25 firm if you pick it up at my house (I'm in Virginia and I hate shipping stuff.)

Thanks.

2

For Sale / 91 318is for sale in Virginia

« on: May 30, 2010, 05:11:35 PM »

SOLD

I am selling my 91 318is, which is located in Williamsburg, Virginia. It is a clean, rust free car that has been well maintained but now needs engine work.

$950

The link below goes to my more detailed Craigslist post that also includes photos:

http://norfolk.craigslist.org/cto/1766866900.html

3

Engine + Driveline / A/C belt, PS belt broke, now engine is NOISY

« on: May 07, 2010, 05:13:51 PM »

On Wednesday, I was driving home from work and  my A/C belt snapped and also took out my power steering belt. The alternator belt is still fine.

About a mile after that the engine started getting noisy. It sounds like really bad lifter noise or perhaps the timing chaing tensioner.

I don't know how the broken belts could be related to this, but if it somehow is, please let me know.

I ordered new belts, but they won't arrive until next week so I'm driving around as-is at the moment.

Any insights into the engine noise -- or how the belts braking could have caused said noise -- are greatly appreciated.

Also, if it's the tensioner, do I need to stop driving the car now or am I okay to go about another 200 miles like this?

4

Suspension / Post your suspension setup

« on: December 18, 2009, 10:02:52 PM »

stock e30 m3 springs, bilstein sports, new front strut mounts, e46 rear shock mounts, new control arms with e30 m3 offset LCABs. ... and a lot of snow.

5

General Topics / Snow Bound

« on: December 18, 2009, 09:59:43 PM »

Post your m42-powered snow mobile:). Here's mine. ...

6

General Topics / 318is purchase--HIGH mileage car!

« on: November 20, 2009, 09:35:39 PM »

Asking price is $2600, I think I can get it for $2500, or maybe $2400.  He is real stiff about the price.

I drove it and wound it up good, and it seemed to run just fine.  Owner did change the timing chain tensioner(not the chain itself) recently, so no noise from there.

For that price -- taking the mileage into consideration -- the car should be very nice. Straight body, never in a major accident, nearly perfect interior. Shouldn't need any major work. It should still have the front spoiler and the factory basketweave wheels with the center caps still intact. The steering and suspesion should be nice and tight. I'd be annoyed with any rust at that price, but I live in an area with a pretty mild climate, so severe rust is rare on cars less than 20 years old.

7

General Topics / My mechanic says my m42 is not worth fixing at 160k miles

« on: October 09, 2009, 08:19:37 PM »

A ~$1500 car is simply not worth putting $1500 in repairs into.  

You could buy something like a Subie STi if you'd like reliable & fast, but they're hell to work on (and not as much fun somehow).

I disagree. It's always cheaper to fix what you have. Any $1500 car is going to need some work. But a $1500 car has already depreciated is cheaper to insure, cheaper to pay taxes on, and you're not likely to pay interest on it as it will already be paid off.

In addition to being hell to work on, that STi will set you back more than 30-large and a lot more than that when you factor in interest on your payment, insurance, taxes and the rapid depreciation you will experience.

I will never own a new car -- but I hope many, many others will. Just take good care of it for me; I'll want it when it's 10-12 years old and worthless.

8

Electrical / So before I buy a new blower motor. ...

« on: September 19, 2009, 05:47:46 PM »

About nine months ago my blower motor was working fine, then it only worked on setting No. 4. It was this way for about 4 months. Then it wouldn't work at all.

I'm going to need to get the car inspected by the end of the month, so I replaced the blower motor resistor today hoping it would solve my problem. It didn't.

So do I need a new blower motor? It never made any funny noises or gave me any sign it was bad.

Also, within the past month or so, I've been going through power window fuses (no.17, 30 amp) every 3-5 days or so. Could this be related to my blower motor problem?

9

Engine management / markd 93

« on: July 26, 2009, 09:23:08 PM »

I have had the Mark D 93 Octane chip for about a year now. I can't compare it to anything other than the stock chip. But the Mark D chip has made the car run noticeably more smoothly across the rev band. And it raises the rev limit -- pulling strongly to ~7200 rpm.

In other words, it's not just an improvement for all-out performance, but also for day-in, day-out drivability in traffic. It was a worthwhile change.

10

Suspension / need help with rubing plzzz!! im so sad!

« on: July 02, 2009, 05:19:41 PM »

To me, the rubbing sounds very excessive given your set up. This isn't the best example, but my old 318ti had 17x8 wheels shod with 215/45/17s, H&R Race Springs and Bilstein sports. It never rubbed. It's also not the best comparison because the tires were a bit more narrow and the aspect ratio was also different. And the ti's rear suspension is completely different. But it just seems odd that you would have such excessive rubbing issues with 225/45/17s. That size shouldn't be too far off the mark for an e36 with your suspension set-up.

What kind of Bilsteins did you use? Have you checked the part numbers for the springs and the shocks to make sure you weren't accidentally sent an incorrect set? Is it rubbing both front and rear? Was anything you purchased a used part?

A temporary measure may be to reinstall the stock springs until you can properly diagnose the problem.

11

General Topics / Post Your Current Problems

« on: June 28, 2009, 09:45:12 PM »

Let's see. ...

Blower motor doesn't blow; consequently can't use A/C
No glove box
Cracked dash under dash cover
Tiny rip in DS seat
Defroster doesn't work
Busted antenna prevents radio from working properly
Steering is tight, but lacks feedback; prolly  needs new control arms
Slow power steering leak
Odometer only lived to see 130k miles
I replaced the differential with a medium case LSD and now I'm getting very slightly noticeable noise-- probably from DS center bearing
The brakes aren't quite right and I don't know what's wrong. They take too much effort. But no fluid loss, no sinking pedal. And no uneven pad wear, even though I suspect a bad caliper
I had condensation in the oil this winter and last. But nothing now.

12

General Topics / Worth the purchase?

« on: June 27, 2009, 12:42:12 PM »

The m42 -- especially the stuff in the top end -- is more finnicky in terms of durability than most of BMW's six cylinder engines. Take that into consideration, especially with a car that is quickly approaching 200k miles.

You can get a dash cover for about $100 and a glovebox at the junkyard or on a forum like this one for little $$.

Sounds like the suspension -- at least the front end -- is going to need at minimum new struts and control arms. But what used BMW doesn't need new control arms?

Because the car sounds like it has a good body (any rust or accident history?), I think it's worth $1k. But it also sounds like you'll be spending some time and money to make it a good driver.

13

Suspension / Bilstein heavy duty shocks

« on: May 09, 2009, 10:38:30 AM »

The HDs should work great for stock springs. If you don't want to lower much, you may consider installing some stock e30 m3 springs at the same time. They will lower the car about 3/4" all around, but still allow for plenty of suspension travel as well as plenty of clearance for the oil pan from the pavement.

You should be able to find a used set of e30 m3 springs on s14.net or elsewhere about about $100.

I have Bil. Sports with the e30 m3 springs and am happy with it for what it is -- a nice, subtle handling improvement with very little compromise. The HDs should work just as well for this application--maybe even better. If I had a more generous budget, I would have gone with Konis. They're better--and adjustable, although the Bilsteins are great too.

14

Interior / Bavauto dash cover

« on: May 08, 2009, 09:51:55 PM »

I installed a Bav Auto dash cover about four months ago. They're okay -- but they don't work miracles. You can tell it's a cover. The fit is not perfect. If you have only a few minor cracks, don't go this route -- just live with it or if you're really anal, replace the dash. If your dash is like mine -- with several lengthy, pronounced cracks -- the dash cover is a quick, easy, cheap improvement.

15

General Topics / Committed to 91 318is; need thoughts

« on: May 08, 2009, 09:45:48 PM »

Let us know how the CV boot replacement goes. I for one probably would have it done by a shop b/c I think you will need to remove the hub nut, which has loads of torque on it. Kind of rare for CV boots to tear on these cars. Even with the now uber old 2002s (I owned 3 of them), I never had a torn CV boot.