Messages

1

Electrical / Instrument Cluster bulb replacement

« on: December 03, 2012, 02:52:34 AM »

I read all the info,everyone says you have to pull the cluster to preplace
a 3w bulb.
I laid on my back under the dash,after removing the knee pad federal
bumper underneath,and went up there on the tachometer side and snagged
the bulb with a seven mm end wrench,twisted it and out it popped.
I plugged in a regular interior bulb,1.5 or 3 watt,I forget,and popped it
back in with a long set of needle nose pliers,to start,and gave it the
slightest twist,then reached up while sitting in the drivers seat and
gave it the last forty five degrees needed to lock it in. How nice.
Save yourself oodles of time.  The other,speedo side,that looks doable
from underneath,too. I was too pooped to try it. One of those 2AM ideas...

2

How-To's / Make this an every two yr look see.

« on: November 25, 2012, 03:14:32 PM »

Ive read through the seven pages and its so clear to me that this is a major
design foul up. Its so simply attended to that it needs saying,If you have an M42 with the split pan,you MUST check the bolts. Its far less trouble than it
sounds. When I first read this,I literally ran down to my garage and turned on the radio and just settled in for a grime filled afternoon.
It wasnt close to a hassle.
Its easy,takes little time and it gives you peace of mind you cant buy.
The awful part is that probably ten percent of owners even know about it.
I was like most folks,I discovered it by accident while looking for something else,entirely. What a relief....
I did  NOT remove the pickup tube,just gently removed,cleaned and loctited the two bolts,plus a bit. They let you know what they need.
NO need to buy new bolts,these are super good quality fasteners.
I even swabbed out the threads in the block,to make sure the loctite was
going to work well.
And,guilty,I did NOT buy a new gasket for the pan. VW waterpump RTV.

3

How-To's / Engine failure due to pan gasket shift/bolt loss (e30 only)

« on: November 25, 2012, 12:35:06 PM »

GREAT thread. I came on board here about a yr ago,read about this deal,went directly to the garage to my 150K 91 318i,found two bolts doing their very best to recreate the womb in the oil pickup.  Two more were finger tight and came out easily by hand. The two left were weak,but snug. I did the 20 percent tighter deal,loctite,very careful and deliberate with the torque,felt fine. SO GLAD I read this. Man,what a scare. I also cleaned and loctited the oil pickup tube bolts,two of em.  What a design. Looks so very pretty on paper. Anyway,Im going to drop that pan next summer and check it all,agian.
DO NOT be afraid to do this. Its simple,takes no time at all,really. You cant foul it up if you just follow the instructions,herein. So important to do. Well done,everyone.

4

Engine + Driveline / The Little Motor That Keeps Breaking Part 2 (3? 4? 5?) - Long Story

« on: April 06, 2012, 12:12:30 PM »

I have an identical piece with 150K on it. All original.
If that kind of trouble was happening,Id swap for either
a boneyard motor with under 100K or the fresh one for
the fresh one money. Its honestly two decent choices,
just depending on your interrest in keeping the car.
E30s are the bigget bargain going in this part of the
world,people dont seem to know how durable they are.
If youre fine with gambling,go cheap and feel that wonderful
bulge of three grand in your pocket,just live with the results.
Its just nuts to plop any more into a quarter of a million
mile motor.
My sedan was from your neck of the woods,and is back east,
now. Still rust free,so you can drive that thing for a while.
Good fortune.

5

Engine + Driveline / Denso Iridium plug failure

« on: April 05, 2012, 10:05:41 PM »

I had heard of Denso spark plugs that shed their iridium center
elctrode.
I had that happen with a Denso IK20.
I swapped to NGKs,two heat ranges colder.
Good color,gapped down to .028,the car loves
them and the performance and mileage are great.
Thank goodness it appears that the electrode
pooped itself into the exhaust or hopefully retired
to a quiet and safe corner for the duration.
1991 318i,150K bone stock.

6

M42 Buyer's Guide / Opinions Please on this 91 318is

« on: April 02, 2012, 11:47:31 PM »

I bought a 91 318i,four door.  The car is an all around jewel,but it was driven
by an adult who was a maniac for regular maintenance done by a german
mechanic.  It was in superb shape,had 108K on it when I bought it and
I paid twice what it was worth.  Five yrs later,its the best used car I ever
bought.
I found several tips on this site that saved me TONS of hassle.
I bought mine because it was a RUST FREE western car. I suggest the same.
Ive had NO sheetmetal issues,just mechanical maintenance and repair.
WONDERFUL car.

7

Engine + Driveline / Thermostat etc

« on: October 10, 2011, 12:16:35 AM »

I bought my E30 318i five yrs back,FIRST thing I did was get rid
of the thermostat.  The housing is touchy as can be about leaking,
so its just a matter of clean surfaces.
I replaced it with the OEM one which is available from several good
online parts houses.

I used the Permatex brown/black snot they use in FAA shops.
Its disgusting,stinks,sticks to your skin for days,and works without
fail.
Its available in those little fat bottles with a built in brush,I just forget
the specific name. Geez,and Ive used it for twenty yrs.
The great thing about these motors is how well they respond to
responsible and careful work.  I am always amazed at how well
designed they are,how durable.  
Just listen to particular warnings about the flaws they all have and
tend to them.
Use the highest quality parts and BMW antifreeze.
Oh,and GET a Bentley manual.

8

How-To's / Holy Cow!

« on: August 25, 2011, 03:53:36 PM »

Thank you,everyone.
I found this site,read up,like a good Libra.
Sure as poop,I pulled the pan this afternoon.
91 318i,140K,bone stock,run hard,serviced very
well,as I am a mechanic by trade.
One bolt in the pan.
THREE of remaining five are finger loose,or tight,
depending on your attitude.
Two center ones,tight as a drum.
The one dropped bolt was trying very hard to
chew thru the soft steel cone of the scavange pipe.
Good thing it was stuck under it.
Pick up bolts were undertorqued,so I did em all.
11NM with a tiny bit more twisted into the wrench.
I felt the tight ones,they were at that level of tight.
So,I duplicated it as well as I could.
So relieved.  I really did not want to look into it,for
I knew the possiblility existed of parts and chunks
laying there,as well.
Spotless,otherwise.
CIA analyst owned it from new,so I was lucky a
persnickity type had it serviced very well.
Thank you ,everyone.
Steve Wilson
Kuztown,Pennsyltucky

P.S.  I used the old gasket. I know everyone frowns on this,
but the surfaces were perfect and the gasket was clean.
I used the VW waterpump sealant. I have found this stuff,
dealer sourced,works superbly on everything I have used it on.
Put the thinnest coat possible,perfect seal.
Man,what a relief.