My '91 318i daily driver

[Vorpal]

I just picked up this Bavarian beauty this weekend, to serve as my daily driver.




She needs some lovin' here and there, but overall a pretty good score I think. I've always wanted a red E30, and I've owned an early Z3 before so I appreciate the M42/M44 goodness (though I think mine may need a little attention... doesn't seem as willing to rev as the Z3 did).

*EDIT* Dang, sorry about the thread title! I just read that after I posted...

[EN318isPDX]

Slick start! Nice car to start with man. Did you do that paint?

[Vorpal]

Thanks! No, the black "paint" was on there already. It's really a rubberized coating, like bedliner. Not sure if I like or not yet. Part of me really wants to paint the airdam red to match the rest of the car.

[Vorpal]

I popped the valve cover tonight to check out the condition of the timing gears, and just to have a gander at the general appearance of the top end. I'm getting a ticking sound that seems to be associated with the lifters based on what I've read on this site.

Odometer on the car says 166k, but it doesn't work so who knows how many miles this car has on it. No service records, so I have no idea when anything was done last.

Cam gears appear to be quite healthy.





Cam lobes look pretty good too.





Based on these pics, would everyone agree that I'd be safe going ahead with a tensioner replacement and switching to a heavier weight engine oil (like 15w50 or something similar... it's about to be summer here in Texas!!!)?

Thanks in advance.

-Winston

[Vorpal]

...I appreciate the M42/M44 goodness (though I think mine may need a little attention... doesn't seem as willing to rev as the Z3 did).

One other thing... while removing the valve cover, I noticed that the vent hose from the cover to the intake tube wasn't attached very well at the spot where it connects to the 'T' under the intake manifold. Also, it was a bit cracked on the ends and was being held together with gaffer's tape and a zip tie. I "re-repaired" the end of the hose as a temporary fix while I order a new one, and plugged it tightly onto the hose barb T. After taking the car around the block for a test, it seemed to be a lot more responsive. Maybe this was causing the sluggish response?

[EN318isPDX]

One other thing... while removing the valve cover, I noticed that the vent hose from the cover to the intake tube wasn't attached very well at the spot where it connects to the 'T' under the intake manifold. Also, it was a bit cracked on the ends and was being held together with gaffer's tape and a zip tie. I "re-repaired" the end of the hose as a temporary fix while I order a new one, and plugged it tightly onto the hose barb T. After taking the car around the block for a test, it seemed to be a lot more responsive. Maybe this was causing the sluggish response?

The Vacuum hoses that attach to the AFM boot are the ones that could cause "slugging".

[Vorpal]

I checked my upper oil pan bolts last night and I was actually surprised to see ALL bolts still in place! Still, I removed the three bolts around the oil pickup tube and Loctite'ed them and retorqued them, then retorqued (without Loctite) the remaining bolts. I probably should have removed and Loctite'ed all of the bolts, but it was very late and I was bone tired and just wanted to finish. Plus I figured that if the bolts have stayed in for 166k+ miles, they would probably be fine.

Also replaced the valve cover breather hose and the hood strut. Next in line:

-troubleshoot #10 fuse issue
-timing chain tensioner
-spark plugs
-accessory belts
-new (used alternator)
-driver's door hinge/stopper thing
-new (used) struts/shocks all around
-E36 steering rack retrofit
-New FL control arms w/offset bushings
-Alignment
-cosmetics

[Choking Hazard]

Being water cooled, this car really can use the same oil year around.  Whenever I have tried anything heavier than 10w-30, my cam chain got noisey.

[rhogg]

I agree 10-30W is good year round.  I had no problems last winter.

[enildeR]

You'll need theh 10-30 if your day/night temp vary greatly. I tend to put SAE30 (not 10-30, i.e. multigrade) in my truck during the summer. Multigrade oils will breakdown faster. That's one of the reasons why they started making synthetic oils.

If your night time temps never go below 70, you can put SAE30 in without worry.

I've put 20-40 (20-45?) in before, and it helped with some of the lifter noise. Going back to 10-30, the noise is more noticable with the hood open.

I always put Castrol in when I do my changes. Don't put in any of that "old engine" oil shit that is recommended for higher milage engines. You'll likely develop some leaks after a while. They have additives that make your seals swell a bit.

My engine has 240k+ miles with no rebuild, and I'm still using regular oil.

My recommendation for spark plugs would be Denso Iridiums. Denso's are the only things I'll use.