Messages

1

For Sale / Freshly Rebuilt e30 M42 CYlinder Head in Boston. $400

« on: November 12, 2013, 10:14:48 PM »

Just had this M42 head rebuilt. Came out of a '91 e30 318is, but it turns out I will not be using it. Your gain! Rebuilt by the venerable Arlington Automotive Machine in Arlington, MA. It supposedly had 85,000 miles on it when I bought it and had it rebuilt. Price is $400. I'm willing to ship it, just be aware that you will pay actual shipping costs, which will likely be pretty high. Here is what you get:

All new seals, guides, reground valve seats

2 valves were replaced due to pitting on the stem. (the head had been stored in a garage for a few years and got some water on those valves) All other valves were in great shape. There is light pitting on the face of 1 other valve as shown in the photo, but the machinist recommended using it as it is minor enough to where it will not effect anything.

Springs were re-used as they were still in great shape.

Pressure tested with perfect results

Head was resurfaced. Still lots of meat left on this head should it need resurfacing again in the future.

I have the cams, cam gears, cam trays, lifters, and cam bearing caps, but I would recommend using yours, as these sat in that damp garage for a while. The lifters, cam trays, and cam gears seem fine, but a few cam lobes were rusty. I'll throw everything in for free if you buy the head.

This is a great deal on an excellently rebuilt head from on the best machinists in new england. The cost of this work is much, much higher than my asking price. Don't ask me how much, it will just make me cry.

2

For Sale / M20 JB Racing Aluminum flywheel & Clutch

« on: August 25, 2012, 06:48:42 PM »

Flywheel Sold!

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For Sale / M20 JB Racing Aluminum flywheel & Clutch

« on: August 23, 2012, 01:18:27 PM »

bumpitty bumpitty

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For Sale / M20 JB Racing Aluminum flywheel & Clutch

« on: August 17, 2012, 06:21:07 PM »

pm is best way to get a hold of me. I was going to swap these into my m42, but opted to sell the car instead. I'm in Boston if you'd prefer to pick up.

Flywheel SOLD!!




Also, we have a low mileage Sachs m20 clutch disc and pressure plate in excellent used condition. lots and lots of meat on the disc, and the pressure plate looks awesome. specific mileage unknown as it was picked up at a local breaker. let's say $60 plus shipping

5

For Sale / 318is racecar

« on: September 22, 2011, 10:38:28 PM »

nice. dave rebello built the engine in my 240z. 320hp out of an unstroked 2.8l Z engine that will rev to 8800rpm. it just screams. No finer engine builder in the world. Very excited to hear he's done an m42. might have to pay him another visit. nice 318is

6

Engine + Driveline / LARGE oil leak

« on: June 07, 2011, 11:07:39 AM »

do not retorque or even just tighten a head bolt! you could very easily end up warping the head or possibly breaking the head gasket. that, and the head gaskets are not prone to leaking oil. there are lots of potential leaking gaskets in the area you have described. I would remove the upper timing case cover first. the gasket between the upper and lower timing case covers is very prone to leaking, and when it does leak, it doesn't hold back. I would order a new gasket and use an excellent silicone gasket compound on it. then retorque all timing case cover bolts to the proper spec, and ensure that the gasket hasn't been pinched anywhere as it is easy to do with that gasket. my recommendation for gasket compound is toyota's. you can get it at a toyota dealership. just ask for their gasket compound. the stuff is the best. if the profile gasket were leaking, you would have water mixing in with your oil. check the dipstick and oil filler cap for a mayonnaise-type goop. that would indicate water mixing with oil.

7

Engine + Driveline / redline water wetter

« on: May 21, 2011, 10:57:34 AM »

water wetter is fantastic. i've been using it for years. i've found that on avg the water temp will be about 5 degrees F cooler and more stable with the water wetter. it's great. and if you lie in a non freezing climate, then the 66% water and 33% coolant is an excellent choice

8

Suspension / Advice: Front Upper Strut Tower Bearing

« on: May 18, 2011, 09:01:32 PM »

one way to test them is to raise the front of the car, pull the wheel off, disconnect the tie rod from the strut assembly and see how freely you can then turn the strut assembly. it should turn very freely.

9

Suspension / Clunking noises after front suspension redo

« on: May 18, 2011, 08:59:25 PM »

does it clunk when you turn, or when you're going in a straight line? if it happens while you're turning, then in my experience it is the upper strut mount bearings or the spring did not seat properly on its upper perch. if it happens when you're going in a straight line, then bushings, ball joints, or a bad shock. make sure the collar nut holding the strut to its casing is tight.

10

Suspension / Wheel Bearing Question??

« on: May 18, 2011, 08:53:33 PM »

there is a toothed ring that is an integral part of the wheel bearing assembly. it cannot be removed. but i also know that some e30's did not come with abs from the factory. so they may have received wheel bearing assemblies without the toothed abs ring. i imagine it would have to be a different part number all together.

11

Engine + Driveline / plastic coolant pipe

« on: May 12, 2011, 11:34:49 PM »

it's been a while since i've been in that region of the engine bay, but as i recall, you can leave the lower intake manifold attached and access the plastic hose. that will save you from having to disconnect the injectors as well. on my car, i deleted the throttle body heater plate, so i could just leave the throttle body attached to the upper intake manifold and pull the two off as one. if you still have the heater plate, you will probably have to pull the throttle body from the upper manifold first, as disconnecting the heater plate hoses is tricky at best otherwise. it's not difficult to do though. disconnect vacuum lines to the throttle body, disconnect intake boot, disconnect throttle cable, and then there are 4 10mm nuts holding the throttle body to the manifold. you will probably need a deep 10mm socket and a long ratchet extension to get them. be careful when pulling the throttle body as there is a thin, fragile aluminum gasket between it and the manifold. you can re-use it as long as you don't damage it when pulling the TB

you should also get a replacement gasket that goes between the upper and lower intake manifolds, as when you pull the upper, that gasket will more than likely not be reusable and will give you issues if you don't replace it.

12

Engine + Driveline / Power mods for the M42

« on: May 12, 2011, 12:12:02 AM »

 Now, if you were to change to an aluminum flywheel which is single mass, and you don't change the clutch plate then you have no element in the driveline to do that job of absorbing vibration.  I think this is why some that have done a conversion to aluminum flywheel (to flywheels made to fit M42) suffer additional noise, especially during idle, at least that's my theory.

well said. and i agree. the aluminum one i was considering was one for an m20. so then i can upgrade to that clutch as well. i couldn't agree with you more though. when the right aluminum flywheel is paired with the right clutch, it is a beautiful thing.

13

Suspension / Advice: Front Upper Strut Tower Bearing

« on: May 11, 2011, 12:49:56 PM »

realoem.com is a fantastic resource for BMW schematics and diagrams. all factory diagrams can be found there. it will surely have those for the e36.

I agree with replacing the front strut bearings. When I did mine, I opted to just clean and re-grease them. worked okay for a good few months, but soon enough they just needed replacing

14

Engine + Driveline / Power mods for the M42

« on: May 11, 2011, 11:31:38 AM »

Nice clean engine bay, good work!  The M20 flywheel swap is a good mod and the upgrade to the M20 clutch is a nice improvement too.  If you go this route, using an M20 steel flywheel, have it lightened as much as you can, like down to 11 or 12 lbs.  Mine is 13 lbs (stock flywheel from older 323i).  I would go lighter if I was doing it over again, perhaps a 9lb aluminum one.  

Are you running a limited slip diff?  That's a good mod if you don't have one.

wow i didn't realize the steel flywheels were so light. i was looking to the 9lb aluminum ones, but at $450, i've been hesitant, and it'd be the most expensive part I've put on the car to date.  think I'll go with a steel one and have it lightened as much as possible. it does have a limited slip diff, and i agree, it's an excellent upgrade. makes a world of difference when you start pushing the car in corners

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Engine + Driveline / Power mods for the M42

« on: May 10, 2011, 04:57:08 PM »

Will you need to upgarde the fuel pump to do this :confused: also from what engine 2ltr ect

don't need to upgrade the fuel pump, because the injectors operate at very nearly the same psi. the injectors are plug and play and do make a difference. nothing earth shattering but it is noticeable. the injectors are from the 5.0 mustang. i got mine for a '90 mustang GT with the 5.0L V8.

I have been absolutely satisfied with the power upgrades on my 91 318is. it is remarkably quick and a lot of fun. Personally i think the M42 is very underrated

i have done the following:
mustang injectors
advanced the intake cam timing by 6 degrees (big improvement in top end)
done a custom high flow cold air intake filter setup
Coil over pug conversion (excellent upgrade)
swapped in a slim electric cooling fan and ditched the heavy factory fan
dinan chip (a bit disappointed. will swap for a markD 93)
custom free flowing exhaust (big improvement, fantastic sound)
cleaned up all the vacuum lines, and made sure no breather lines feed back into the intake. (no more oil and hot air getting sucked back into the intake)
AC delete
Power steering delete
ABS delete
stripped the interior
lightweight front racing seats

One of the most important things you can do is just sort the controls. suspension should be tight and aligned, firm up the brake pedal, make sure the throttle linkage is free, clean the throttle body and manifold. Then your power upgrades will be all the more noticeable

the car's an absolute kick in the pants. i've gone for lightweight and instant response. on windy roads, very, very few cars can hang with it. will still do an aluminum m20 flywheel swap