Author Topic: Why do people give the M42 engine a hard time? (Read 15963 times)

fiftytakedowns · « **Reply #15 on:** May 14, 2009, 07:36:10 PM »

m42 77 hp/l
therefor a 2.5 liter m42 would have 194.4 hp. woohoo.

DesktopDave · « **Reply #16 on:** May 14, 2009, 08:15:26 PM »

I made mine slower with a 3.73 rear end. Actually makes it faster to 60 because I don't have to fight into 3rd gear. One really nice thing about the shorter ratio is that 3rd gear lasts forever. I still find excuses to drive it, it's more fun than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.

Here's a few other reasons I love the E30/M42:

1. I can hardly fit in the car; but that's not a problem...it's so comfortable with the Recaros that it's more like "wearing" than driving. If only Recaro made shoes...
2. The balance of this little car is outstanding. The M20 in this car gives more power but it pushes too much weight over the front axle. While the M42 shakes a bit more, the steering is so precise and easy. I also have an M20 525i, it's like a boat in comparison. If you think it, the car just follows through.
3. Repairs are easy. Good thing too, as it seems the whole car is falling apart!
4. It's red. I never thought that'd make much of a difference.
5. Soon it'll be a classic car. That's right...we're not old, we're a "classic." With the original tape deck (Queen's Greatest Hits) I can re-live the 80's one more time...that's priceless.
6. This board is great. Good suggestions, great knowledge, friendly banter.

xwill112x · « **Reply #17 on:** May 15, 2009, 09:01:57 AM »

Quote from: DesktopDave;71897

I made mine slower with a 3.73 rear end. Actually makes it faster to 60 because I don't have to fight into 3rd gear. One really nice thing about the shorter ratio is that 3rd gear lasts forever.

i can get 60 mph in 2nd gear? and i'm running a medium cased 4.10LSD. DINAN allows me to do that.

naika · « **Reply #18 on:** May 15, 2009, 10:46:39 AM »

Well, I went to the annual meet here in France (e30passion forum)
I have a chip (custom made by an engine management engineer), COP, and a perfect compression

on my M42.
The truth is I was pushing a 323i with auto tranny, Blew up my buddy's 320i completely emptied with a S4.10 (an dI had my 16x9 borbets on the car.
Torque wise, I was right next to my buddy's 325i until we reached 3rd gear, etc...
We drove 1,000 miles and we were a bunch of e30s, 49 cars at the meet exactly.
Everybody with no exception was impressed with the torque and feel in the car.

So, all this to say, I think they are jealous that a little 1.8 16v, 4-banger engine can stand up against many M20s

I don't even want to think about the time I'll have my turbo installed.

BTW, I reached 220km/h at 6,500RPM (limiter at 7,100) and the car was still going.

All that with a pretty nice gas mileage considering we were averaging 100MPH during the trip

ScHpAnKy · « **Reply #19 on:** May 18, 2009, 01:07:31 PM »

Because it's a 4-pot and not the 6cyl that people are used to in BMW's. But I, for one, have way more fun in my M42 than I did in my 232hp RX-8!

2761377 · « **Reply #20 on:** May 30, 2009, 01:48:54 PM »

Quote from: Pac_Man;69599

I�m no expert on tuning but due to the fact that the M3 shares the same engine as do some touring cars which push 300+ horse power it must be a very capable and tuneable engine.

just for the record, the 4 cylinder in the e30 m3, called s14, is an m10 based engine with little or nothing in common with the m40/42/44 line. sorry.

robert w.

sijef · « **Reply #21 on:** May 31, 2009, 06:07:40 PM »

I have three BMWs.
One is a fire breathing e34 540i that puts down something like 330 hp at the wheels and handles like an M5.
The car I have the most fun with is the e30 318is. It is far better balanced, gets way better gas milage, much easier, cheaper and simpler to mod and work on and is easily a far better bang for the buck. It has a "usable" amount of hp and torque for blasting around anywhere, (even track days) not just stoplight to stoplight tuner posing. It has always been reliable, constantly is a source of joy, and it is a daily driver to boot ... going totally unnoticed by the local cops, speeding around is a freebie. It's simply a great car and BMW will never again build a car so amazingly perfect (sad indeed).
If I want to blow smoke up some corvette ass then out comes the 540, but believe me, those moments are few and far between even when I'm deliberately fishing to kick some unsuspecting butts.
BUT ... PLEASE YOU GUYS ... stop drawing attention to how excellent these cars are, willya! I want these all for myself and the few other chosen M42 true believers ONLY! I do not want to share these with dopes!
Let them elitist snobs have their visions of six and eight cylinder bliss!
At the end of the day, they'll still come home empty.

colin86325 · « **Reply #22 on:** May 31, 2009, 09:08:46 PM »

The M20 is the easiest E30 engine to service--it's durable and reliable like a tractor. Kudos to BMW for making it easy to maintain a quality car.

RidingSimple · « **Reply #23 on:** June 01, 2009, 01:48:48 AM »

I have owned (4) M42 cars (2 91 318is models, and 2 95 318 models, E36).
The M42 is painfully reliable and insanely robust.

My first BMW when I was 20 was the 95 318is. I drove it like a typical 20 yr old and would *sit* at redline of 7000+ for a good amount of time before shifting to the next gear...just to beat on er a bit. (had the Conforti chip to help that high revvin capability!)

Overall, they are just awesome little motors. And I currently have the best iteration, 4.10LSD, E30 body, MarkD chip, 2500lbs. Car flat out moves nicely.

AcSchnitzer318is · « **Reply #24 on:** June 03, 2009, 11:45:23 AM »

Quote from: colin86325;72710

The M20 is the easiest E30 engine to service--it's durable and reliable like a tractor. Kudos to BMW for making it easy to maintain a quality car.

Disagree... M20 was much harder to work on, and uses a timing belt. I let mine destroy itself so I could swap it out. Now I'm putting in a m52 aluminum engine so it "feels" more balanced, like my m42. Oh and so it has a timing chain, like any self respecting engine would.

I have a much easier time working on my m42. Intake can be off in 5 mins, whereas the m20 takes at least 30.

curly_and_burly · « **Reply #25 on:** August 18, 2009, 09:39:25 AM »

holy fuck some of yous have nice yokes!!! naika that black bm is sex

3bvert · « **Reply #26 on:** August 18, 2009, 02:30:50 PM »

loe my m42
simple, plenty of power for country life
well balanced car

PumpItUp · « **Reply #27 on:** August 19, 2009, 10:13:54 PM »

Quote from: Pac_Man;69599

Why is it people seem to give the M42 engine such a hard time when in reality its a great little engine 140bhp in a small car like an E30 still puts a smile on your face.

because people are idiots
because people believe what others tell them instead of thinking for themselves
because people form opinions before getting nearly enough info (i.e. trying the car)
because men in the usa are homophobic. god forbid someone will think of them as gay or a hippie because they drive a perfect, small, sensible, 50/50 honest engineering kind of car rather than a front heavy "yaa, look at my huge dick" bucket

what's funny is, okay. 318 is girlie, so you get a camaro or something. fine. but a 325 :p are you serious!?

funny how a 4 cylinder is suddenly enough when its a 320is, 323 or m3 :rolleyes: or 2002. which i had. btw, those grandpas doing s13 swaps, what a waste of money. donate it to charity or something!! shove an m42 in there, fly machine because the '02 is very light, and unsafe compared to e30s, the m42 is not only more powerful but 100x smoother (than the mechanical injection, i'm not even talking about the carbureted 2002)

P. Kennedy · « **Reply #28 on:** August 19, 2009, 10:34:47 PM »

^ Some valid points.

I recall in my autocrossing days (late '80s - early '90s) with a 1985 CRX Si, the "smaller displacement" guys used to hang out together. We always figured the mega horsepower cars were for guys to make up for their lack of linear inches.

naika · « **Reply #29 on:** August 20, 2009, 10:54:03 AM »

Quote from: curly_and_burly;77027

holy fuck some of yous have nice yokes!!! naika that black bm is sex

Thanks man, tons and tons of work into it.... but I sold it 2 weeks ago since I moved back to France

I know it made another e30 owner happy, it's in VA now.
I'm working on the 318is, but doing different things, big brakes, turbo, another direction I guess

Author Topic: Why do people give the M42 engine a hard time? (Read 15963 times)

fiftytakedowns

Why do people give the M42 engine a hard time?

DesktopDave

Why do people give the M42 engine a hard time?

xwill112x

Why do people give the M42 engine a hard time?

naika

Why do people give the M42 engine a hard time?

ScHpAnKy

Why do people give the M42 engine a hard time?

2761377

s14 heritage

sijef

M42 vs the rest

colin86325

Why do people give the M42 engine a hard time?

RidingSimple

Why do people give the M42 engine a hard time?

AcSchnitzer318is

Why do people give the M42 engine a hard time?

curly_and_burly

Why do people give the M42 engine a hard time?

3bvert

Why do people give the M42 engine a hard time?

PumpItUp

Why do people give the M42 engine a hard time?

P. Kennedy

Why do people give the M42 engine a hard time?

naika

Why do people give the M42 engine a hard time?