Messages

1

Engine + Driveline / Progressive Loss of Power - Died

« on: February 01, 2011, 08:15:31 PM »

Thanks for all of the great information guys.

The car will idle roughly for quite a while, occasionally dropping to a low RPM and then catching itself right before it dies, but will die quickly when I attempt to add load.

I don't think the rattle is coming from the cat, only because I just had a new cat-back system welded on in December.  Could it have gone bad that quickly? It was a generic cat and not a BMW unit...

I should be back to town on Sunday, and it the weather will cooperate I'll have a little time to give it a closer look. I'll try to pick up a multimeter as I head over there to check a few things.

Keep some suggestions coming! I'll cram as many checks as I can into the time I'll have!

2

Engine + Driveline / Progressive Loss of Power - Died

« on: January 31, 2011, 12:01:04 AM »

Thanks for the input, B318M42W. The fuel filter is a possibility, although I did change it about 500-1000 miles ago along with the plugs, wires, and air filter.

Just to clarify, I'm not sure if I'm spelling it correctly, but when I say "tinny" I mean that it has the sound of light or thin metal clanking (a short "i"), not that it is small. It actually was easily detectable this evening. Sorry for the confusion.

3

Engine + Driveline / Progressive Loss of Power - Died

« on: January 30, 2011, 11:12:58 PM »

Thanks so much for chiming in so quickly, Dave.  I got to spend a minute on the car late tonight.  

After doing a stomp test, I get code 1222 which from what I'm reading indicates an overly rich/lean condition for more than 10 seconds.  So my fear of valve damage doesn't seem to be ruled out as I was hoping, just yet.

I'm also able to hear the fuel pump kick on when I turn the key.  I attempted to start the car, and it has a hard time idling. The tinny rattle is present at idle, and seems to speed up when the engine is lightly revved.

After it ran for a bit, I put the car in reverse to see if I could move it further back in the parking lot out of everyone's way. It wouldn't back out of the spot without dying, so I left it off and just pushed it back in.

Any ideas? Anything I can rule out easily? I'm kind of nauseated thinking about the damage I may be facing.

4

Engine + Driveline / Progressive Loss of Power - Died

« on: January 29, 2011, 08:50:36 PM »

Alright guys, I think my car has taken a crap.

I was driving down the interstate last weekend to work when I noticed on a slight grade that my '91 318is was having difficulty holding speed. I had to give it more and more throttle just to stay with traffic.

Within a mile or so, the power had dropped so much that I could barely hold 55 with the car nearly floored. The next exit at this point was mine, so I decided to limp to the office.  After I got there I popped the hood and took a brief look around. And didn't see any leaks or notice any coolant in the oil.

The car was idling a little rough, but nothing terrible at this point. After the car sat for a minute, I restarted it to circle the parking lot. It felt normal through 1st and 2nd gear but then got much worse, losing the ability to even do 10mph in first gear and died all together. I noted a tinny rattle in the last few moments before the car died.

I was meeting coworkers to head out of town and didn't have any more time to look around and haven't gotten back to it yet. At this point my fear is that i've got a slew of bent valves.  Any other possibilities? Anything I should look for when I get back to the car?

Please put my mind at ease and tell me its something simple/cheap. Fuel pump maybe?

5

For Sale / 1991 318is full PARTOUT- m44, springs,mtec

« on: January 07, 2011, 08:27:21 PM »

Really old thread, but worth a try...

Sunroof headliner still available?

6

For Sale / e30 sedan part-out

« on: December 31, 2010, 07:20:34 PM »

I'm still searching for a tan sunroof headliner, if ya'll have one in good shape.

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Interior / Sunroof Headliner

« on: December 11, 2010, 09:41:04 PM »

That sounds like the way to do it, Dave!  Unfortunately, as an apartment dweller I can't have a parts car. However, I am definitely going to be keeping an eye on the part-out threads for a new liner.

Thanks again!

8

Interior / Sunroof Headliner

« on: December 09, 2010, 11:20:34 PM »

Thanks for the info, Dave.  I do, indeed, have the tan liner.  

Do you usually just purchase them used, or have you found a place with some in stock?

9

Engine + Driveline / Strange Driveline Noise

« on: December 09, 2010, 11:01:13 PM »

Thanks for all of the great tips, guys. Being new to e30s, it is super nice to have knowledgeable people so willing to help.

I was finally able to get the car on ramps and crawl under it this afternoon.  After removing the heat shield, it was immediately apparent that the center support bearing is completely shot; there isn't a single ball left in the bearing.

Tomorrow, I will be ordering a new CSB and a guibo (the current one isn't shot, but it certainly isn't in great shape either.)  Is there anything else I should go ahead and order and/or fix while I do these two items?  

Unfortunately it looks like i may have to drop the brand new exhaust that was just welded on a week or two ago in order to get the drive shaft out, so I'm hoping I can talk the exhaust man in to letting me use his lift to do the entire job.  This isn't the best time of year to be laying on concrete.

10

Interior / Sunroof Headliner

« on: December 08, 2010, 01:30:58 AM »

Hey everyone,

I have been searching for a while now for a new sunroof headliner, as the one in my 1991 318is has a gaping hole right in the center.  It appears that the one for my car has been discontinued, though.

Does anyone know if one from another car that might still be in production will fit? or any other possible solutions? Should an upholstery shop be able to just recover it, closely matching the rest of the headliner?

Thanks,
Kurt

11

Engine + Driveline / Strange Driveline Noise

« on: November 24, 2010, 11:45:45 PM »

Thanks a lot Dave and Andy.  I really appreciate your input, as well as the photos.

While I am home for the holiday this weekend, I will try to sneak in some garage time and get the car lifted so that I can check to see how the parking break holds and get a better look at that exhaust.

When the sound is at it's most severe, I can feel the thump through my seat. It's starting to really concern me.

I'll report back with what I find.

12

Engine + Driveline / Strange Driveline Noise

« on: November 22, 2010, 05:49:19 PM »

Hey Guys & Gals,

I'm a long-time lurker, but new member to M42 Club.  I recently purchased my first e30 and love the car. It's a 1991 318is, mostly stock but a little rough around the edges.

I am working on bringing the car back to great condition, a little bit at a time.

My question involves an odd noise coming from under the car.  The best way I can describe the sound is to say that it sounds like an amplified version of a baseball card in the spokes of a bicycle wheel and seems to come from somewhere between my shifter and the passenger seat.

The sound is not constant, but rather begins to rattle when I have taken a hard/fast right turn, after I brake firmly, or when reversing. The speed of the sound seems to be positively correlated to my forward speed and occurs whether I am in gear or not.

The exhaust was completely shot when I got the car, and the CAT rattled like crazy when I hit it with my hand. The only local BMW mechanic I could find told me that he thought that was the cause of the sound. Today, I took the car to a local muffler shop and had a new cat, resonator, and muffler welded on.

As I left the shop the car seemed to be fixed, but after taking it out for a drive the sound started to occur again under the same circumstances as before. However, it is now harder to make it happen and it doesn't continue to do it for as long as it did before having the exhaust put on.

So it seems that the new exhaust has helped the situation, but not cured it. It honestly sounds like something ticking against my driveshaft, but when the car was on the lift today I took a good look under it and couldn't see anything hitting it.
Any ideas as to what it could be?

Kurt