Messages

1

Engine + Driveline / My Car's Exhaust Stinks

« on: April 13, 2008, 10:08:32 AM »

This can be caused by a high sulphur content in the petrol you're using. I think the sulphur is oxidised in the catalytic converter, creating the smell.

Maybe if you switch to a low sulphur petrol it'll eliminate the smell. (Although I know if I asked for low sulphur petrol in my local garage, I'd get some very strange looks...)

High sulphur petrol caused a lot of problems in England during the late '90s where the sulphur damaged the cylinder bores of 6-cylinder 5-series. Our M42 engines aren't affected thankfully!

2

General Topics / 318 "heated" parts questions >>

« on: April 09, 2008, 12:34:36 PM »

As hoevesruperd says, there's no way to tell from the VIN alone, but if you go to a BMW main dealer with your VIN they should be able to contact BMW HQ in Munich and get your original specification. I found out the original spec on my 1990 iS that way.

As far as checking the hardware yourself, I guess heated seats and nozzles are easy enough to figure out, and by popping the glass out of the housing should tell you about the mirrors. Locks, I'm not too sure how to check them, but I guess if you have heated nozzles and mirrors it's a safe bet the locks are heated too (?)

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General Topics / 318 "heated" parts questions >>

« on: April 09, 2008, 05:22:09 AM »

@ swiss318is, I'm fairly sure the "winter pack" was available as an option in Europe, definitely available in UK and Ireland at the very least. I suppose it would be more common in colder countries, maybe thats why I haven't seen too many cars around here with it fitted

@ ak96ss, I think you're right, if the mirrors are heated, they're "hot" while the ignition is on, instead of switching on with the rear window demister. though being switchable seems a better idea to me

@ Gooch, as far as I know, if the mirror glass has an electrical connector on it, then it has a heating element in it. If there is a corresponding connector in the mirror housing, the car should have the heated mirror option installed.

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General Topics / 318 "heated" parts questions >>

« on: April 08, 2008, 05:12:27 PM »

Amazingly, all the items you mentioned could be specified as heated from the factory. The door mirrors, driver and passenger door locks, and windscreen washer nozzle heating were all part of a "winter pack", but I think that option is rare on cars in Europe, I guess it was an expensive factory option.

I've heard that the later (90, 91, 92) E30s have the full electrical loom installed regardless of options selected, so retrofitting the heated mirrors, nozzles and door locks isn't too tricky. Thats also why the wiring for the door tweeters is there whether the premium sound system was installed or not.

Don't know much about the heated seats, though there were definitely an option, I see hoevesruperd is lucky enough to have them though!

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Member Profiles / neilofla

« on: February 27, 2008, 06:22:05 AM »

MikeK - good eyes! no more pics of the 320i, I might take a trip over to that dealer again for more pics though. It was fairly nice, mtec2 spoiler / skirts, tec1 steering wheel, grey cloth sports seats, could't see how many miles on it, but it looked very fresh - time warp stuff. Number plate says it's a 1988 model.

hoevesruperd -  yeah, them fellas from the west are well able for the drinking - they have hollow legs...

I was surprised myself to see those cars at a main dealer, most BMW dealers I've been to don't really seem interested in cars (let alone older cars), just interested in making a sale and talking a lot of nonsense - but I suppose thats their job!

In that showroom I had asked a salesperson was it OK for me to look at the older bmws (they're not in the main part of the showroom) and she looked at me as if I was mad. I had just walked past a new m3,  a facelifted X5, various 5 series... all to look at a 30 year old car! I may have embarrassed my girlfriend when I took a quick look under the rear of the M1, she scuttled away from me very quickly!

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Member Profiles / neilofla

« on: February 26, 2008, 04:24:23 PM »

Hi All,

I'm from Ireland where e30s are getting quite popular. I've always wanted an e30, in particular a 318is, so when I saw a clean one in black, I had to buy it as they're rare enough here. probably not the smartest thing to do seeing as I'm in my final year in college as now all I want to do is go out and fix all the niggly things like rubber seals and vacuum hoses etc. when I should be studying!

Its a 1990 DiamondSchwartz 318is, 125k miles, running fairly smooth, but does need a new rear+centre muffler and vacuum hoses / manifold gaskets.
So far all I've had to do is the thermostat and coolant, but changed the engine oil, sparks, air filter, diff oil, brake fluid  - more for my own peace of mind I suppose.

This site is very helpful for how-to and procedures, though it is a bit strange to see that some genuine parts can be cheaper to import from the US than to buy here in Dublin - do I blame Irish BMW dealers or thank the exchange rates?!

Anyway here it is,

excuse the dodgy pics, a camera phone is the best I can do for now...












I was driving past a BMW dealer in Dublin and saw this machine in the showroom, had to take a pic or two. There was an e30 320i anniversary model and a couple of very nice 2002s, as well as a bright yellow 850i in the same showroom, all part of the dealer's personal collection.





There was a great smell of petrol and oil from the rear quarter window/vents on the M1, couldn't get interior pics as the car was locked, but it looked fantastic. The perfect blend of pointy Italian '70s design and German reliability - plus THAT engine!

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Engine + Driveline / Cooling system; thermostat, pump, fan-clutch

« on: December 31, 2007, 11:56:54 AM »

Hi a.12912,

This is my first post on this site, so maybe wait till more reply to your questions, but here's my 2 cents worth...

I bought my e30 318is a few months ago and noticed temp gauge only just got out of the blue zone in normal driving , but temp would creep up to half in traffic, and would nudge past half way in really heavy city traffic (giving me the sweats...)

I changed the thermostat for Wahler 88 deg (the old one was 88 deg too, but was sticking open) and flushed the coolant and now it's like a new car, gets up to temp quickly and stays rock solid just below half on the gauge, doesn't budge at 70mph on the motorway or in really heavy traffic.

The fan clutch seems in good order on my car so I'm not much help there, though yours sounds busted, but I'd wager a new 88 stat and fresh coolant would go a long way to solving your problem, btw, the old coolant flushed out of my engine looked clean too, but mustn't have been doing its job if it got past halfway on the gauge before flushing, and now it seems welded to just before half on the gauge

Seems to me your (now broken) water pump may have been on way out anyway if it took a bit of revving to really get the coolant circulating (?) and au300 does seem cheeky for a new one, but BMA Parts in the US have a Meyle one for US$70 (au85 I think), could prob be shipped to Oz for not much more, I have heard Meyle are pretty good, dunno if they're OEM though.

In fact, BMA prices are good enough (and genuine BMW prices cheeky enough) to make me consider shipping over some stuff from there to Ireland, GSF and Halfords here are beyond useless, and I'm far from a pro when it comes to repairs

best of luck anyway
--Neil