Messages

1

General Topics / Re: New owner

« on: November 02, 2024, 02:32:52 PM »

Welcome to the club! If you're familiar with the '02, the E30 will present no challenges. I'd be tempted to 'scan' it for codes with the stomp test, check the subframe & suspension bushings, ball joints, etc.

The E30 does have some vulnerability to rust, but hopefully the car didn't spend time in a well-salted area of the country.

There's plenty of room for upgrades too, and most are the same you'd do with the '02. My favorites were a power sunroof and cruise control, but the sky is the limit.

2

Engine + Driveline / Re: Endemic starting chain noise

« on: August 06, 2024, 01:54:42 AM »

I'd guess (and hope) you just have a few stuck lifters, based on that video. The early M42 was pretty infamous for that, in fact it continues to be a BMW problem, I replaced a bunch in my N52! I'd be tempted to try a slightly thinner oil to see if that helped with the problem. Mike.bmw notes a similar problem in this thread. Either Shell Rotella T6 5w40 or Liqui Moly Lifter Additive might have done the trick. I've used Rotella T6 myself and will certainly vouch for its quality. Liqui (Lubro) Moly makes all sorts of wonderful stuff as well.

I'm not sure what your build date is, and I don't want to make you worry, but the early M42 motors also have some known problems with the cam idler pulley bearing. Usually the bearing will fail, but in severe cases the mounting boss can be torn off the inner cam chain housing case.Here's a good example of that failed idler bearing from bmwman91. The later M42 (and M44) were upgraded by BMW with a deflection rail to solve the problem. Check out this build thread at GRM. I think that was around late '92 build dates? If you have the early E30 motor, I'd check that bearing & idler gear immediately, with an endoscopic camera or likewise.

3

Engine + Driveline / Re: Strange part in carter

« on: July 02, 2023, 08:15:52 AM »

I'm not sure that's part of the motor. Looks like tooling, perhaps part of a hex key socket? I'd guess it fell into the sump after some work was performed.

4

Off-topic discussion / Re: New Topic

« on: January 30, 2023, 08:59:48 AM »

Welcome to the Club!

5

Member Profiles / Re: DesktopDave

« on: November 25, 2022, 05:14:05 PM »

This poor car really needs a ton of work.

I've been working on the driver's door. PO changed the driver's window actuator, but the door open switch was also worn out. On the coupes, front windows will drop a few mm whenever the door is open to preserve the door seals. The E36 door latch strike pin contains the sensor switch, and it commonly wears out. One of the symptoms is that the window will randomly drop while you're taking corners. While it's a funny problem to have, it's really annoying.

I've found out that the newer E34 shared the same strike pin, and I just happened to have a spare E34 in the driveway! Sadly, this particular 1990 E34 was too early. It shares door strike pins with the E32 7-series. Despite that, the early E34 strike pin is almost exactly the same. Same wiring connector, same bolt patters, same seal, same washer plate. Sadly, the otherwise identical E34 part is slightly too deep to work. I used it anyway, just left the door hanging out. Ordered a few used ones off eBay, just swapped them in. It finally works as designed!

6

Engine + Driveline / Re: Help Car wont start unless cps sensor removed.

« on: November 12, 2022, 09:12:53 PM »

I moved the topic, you should get a little more visibility here.

Test the sensor resistance between pins 1&2. You should see about 640 ohms. I'd also test the other pairs, you should see very high resistance between them. If the CPS doesn't send a signal to the DME, the fuel pumps are shut off as a safety measure. I'd think that's what's happening in your case.

7

Off-topic discussion / MOVED: Help Car wont start unless cps sensor removed.

« on: November 12, 2022, 09:10:23 PM »

This topic has been moved to Engine + Driveline.

http://www.m42club.com/forum/index.php?topic=20462.0

8

Member Profiles / Re: DesktopDave

« on: November 12, 2022, 08:59:45 PM »

Wow, it's been two years since I've updated this!

I'm not sure where my other post went, perhaps it'll reappear? I've gotten myself back into a 4-cyl BMW! This one is a '97 318iS, Montreal Blue over gray Clover fabric. Happily, it's also a 5-speed, and the end of the M44, at least in the coupes. Seems oddly appropriate...this one is like the omega to my previous alpha; my Brilliant Red '91 318i was the first year of the M42.

Today's fun was the driver's door latch & switch. The door lights would randomly come on whenever driving with spirit. I happened to have an E34 parts car in the driveway (not the one from above, and not the one after that. The new one). The door striker pins are identical between the E34 & later E36 apparently. I had a heck of a time keeping the backing plate near enough to thread it back in! A longer ~6" bolt from some other BMW was the key to my success. The E36 uses a learning process to set the window stop limits, so I cranked it down all the way, held for ten seconds, then cranked it up all the way, held for ten seconds. Now it's fixed. I also adjusted a really sloppy accelerator cable and checked some of the fluids.

I really love the feeling of a new project car. Clearly it's addictive. Enough motivation for me to work outside on a cold, wet, rainy day...just to fix a car. Freude am Reparieren.

9

Swaps, Turbos, Buildups / Re: Help with 1995 318is m42 into 1991 318i with a m42b18

« on: October 04, 2022, 08:20:44 PM »

Post some pics, if you can. Sounds like a fun project!

You might run into some problems with that swap, but I figured you've already solved most of them.

I'm a little rusty on the details. I'd think you have several problems to solve:
Getting the engine into the car requires the two-piece front-sump oil pan. I believe that pan requires an oil dipstick that wants to be where the serpentine drive setup lives. That'd necessitate a conversion to the v-belt accessories if so. I had hoped to run the early manifold with the later accessories, but I sold the car before I got to it.

I think the DISA manifold is too tall, so the older two-piece plain runner unit would be best. You'd likely also need the rest of the AFM intake snorkel to suit.

I'd expect you have the M42 version of the G240. The dual-mass M42 flywheel setup is a little hefty and IMHO overpriced. You can get away with the M20 G260 clutch, but it'll need some slight modifications, a compatible starter and perhaps a replacement TOB.

There's some little bracketry that doesn't exist on the six-cyl E30 you'll want to add as well, like a coil pack bracket. Going with the COP setup would solve that.

10

General Topics / Re: Help with overheating

« on: May 05, 2022, 09:16:30 AM »

I've had trouble with the aux fanstat wiring connector, but you've already checked that out. I've also had problems with both the aux fan wiring in the fuse box. My thought is that the contacts overheat and slightly melt the supporting plastic, then you get a weak connection inside the fuse box. IIRC low speed is relay K1/fuse 3, high speed is relay K6/fuse 18. Wiggle the fuses, jump the relay socket to see if the wiring is OK.

I'd also double-check the thermostat bleed passage. The M42 doesn't have a bleeder hole in the thermostat, it's cast into the housing. Some have cut the paper gasket in order to open up the bleeder passage, others have drilled a small hole to eliminate that air pocket.

Is your water pump the newer model? The early plastic bladed unit impeller could fracture.

I'd also strongly recommend a pressure test. I had some similar problems on my E30, and it ended up being multiple pressure leaks. I found leaks in the heater core, and o-ring seals in the expansion tank. Oddly, the infamous cracking expansion tank was in excellent shape. Once I got all that done, the car held temperature perfectly. I only ran the engine-driven fan in the summer, removed it for the other three seasons. The car really didn't need a fan at all.

I've also found that mixing a little more water into the coolant really helped with bleeding. I run a 66:33 ratio of water to coolant with a splash of surfactant (RedLine WaterWetter or the like).

11

Engine management / Re: E36 M42 cut wiring - help needed

« on: November 22, 2021, 05:46:59 AM »

Sounds like you have your work cut out for you! Pun only half-intended.

The E36 did have a unitized plug for the coil pack. I don't have any pics (or much of anything else helpful) but I figured I'd comment to keep this thread up at the top.

I'm pretty sure you don't need the ETM (you seem very competent with a DMM), but here's a link to Miller Performance's BMW archive just in case.

I'm not sure this applies to your car specifically, but BMW's typical wiring colors are brown for chassis grounds. Various black wires with strips of many colors are used for control circuits and "floating" grounds.

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Swaps, Turbos, Buildups / Re: M47 Crankshaft

« on: July 28, 2021, 02:05:36 PM »

I've never done this, so I'll wait for others to chime in, but there are differences. I believe the late model M47N(?) cranks won't work. It seemed to me that these were primarily the M47 motors installed in Range Rovers. They had a shorter snout due to a relocated oil pump.

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For Sale / Re: Feeler: FS '91 318is w/ M42 Stroker etc..

« on: December 07, 2020, 04:40:14 PM »

Free bump to an excellent seller! Buy his motor!

14

Member Profiles / Re: DesktopDave

« on: November 13, 2020, 10:12:48 AM »

I was going to post this rant on a member's problem thread, but that's not right. I'll leave it here instead.

This is just my opinion, but I have always felt that BMW's obsession with integrated pressure tanks in an unusually high-pressure cooling system is a major mistake. It's an especially toxic recipe when you add poorly-designed rubber seals and questionable materials engineering. The payout is higher efficiency and slightly better performance, but the cost comes entirely out of customer's wallets. BMW has misled customers for years, and it has seriously stained their reputation.

It's not like American or Asian competition uses different materials...radiators are supplied by the same companies, designed exactly the same way, and yet somehow these cars are paragons of durability. How many times have you heard Lexus owners complain about a cracked head? How many Hyundai owners say you should overhaul the ENTIRE COOLING SYSTEM every 80k miles since it's a "service item"?

15

Engine + Driveline / Re: E36 M42 Overheating,Everything changed PLEASE HELP

« on: November 13, 2020, 10:04:19 AM »

How was the heater core causing the temperature to creep? Was it leaking profusely and draining out of the car without you noticing? I have not heard of that particular failure mode before!

It wasn't a big leak, but in combination with the radiator leaks it was enough. The only symptom I noted was a whiff of coolant every once in a while, and only when the heater was on. The heater core had popped a gasket in the end tank. I was surprised that it totally cured the problem, but I'd already spent an awful lot of time going through everything else.

The big problem with BMW cooling systems appear to be a low tolerance for pressure leaks, especially due to their faulty integrated pressure bottle design. My E30 already had BMW's fix for the heater core - that little supplemental bypass thermostat was spliced into the heater core supply hose.