New 318 Sedan...problems!

[Surfevo]

Hello all,

I just got my first E30. It was purchased as a beater/DD to keep the miles of my Evo. It is a 1991 318 Sedan Alpine with 220k. Clean CA only car with a few minor bumps and bruises. Everything works, all windows, power locks, a/c, stereo, and full cluster. It does need smog as it failed before. Purchased for the right price $900.







Now here are a few problems I am unsure of:

Hose leading to nothing:




Valve cover bolt that screws into nothing and can be pulled out by hand. Also has some light grey oil like substance on it, any ideas?:






Otherwise it has some minor problems to address:

Steering Rack it shot
Ball joints worn out
Minor oil leak, like 3-6 drops overnight
Front shocks are toast
Shift knob/boot/ebrake need replacements

I do know that at one point the motor was rebuild. I also have a problem with cold idling that goes away when warm. I unplugged the Cat plug today so hopefully the idle issue goes away when I can drive it tomorrow.

Any ideas on the other problems guys?

[Surfevo]

Oh I forgot to add the car has a problem with the tires:





Got it love it four different brands, two rears are the same size 195/65/14. The two fronts are 205/60/14 and 195/60/14. Anyone have a cheap set of matching tire with tread left for cheap? Or used wheels/tires?

[1991 E30 M42]

By the looks of it, you need to replace some hoses, I see that the heater hose is rigged as well as the crank case vent and the hose from the purge solenoid to the TB. Where does that hose in the top picture come from?

[Surfevo]

It is connected to the t joint. One end of the t goes into the firewall near the brake booster and one goes to that odd fitting and one goes toward the ICV but I can not see where it connects up.

[DesktopDave]

Price is right...car looks clean.  Good deal so far.  I'd figure the oil is from the front main seal or the timing chain covers.  Could be the oil tower too.  I'd check over the cam chain carefully, drop the lower oil pan to see what's in there, check the upper pan bolts.

Did you do the stomp test for any codes?  Let us know what you find...

The cold idle problem might be a loose wire or bad coolant temp sensor.  Could be the ICV too.  Hopefully the PO didn't just meter unfiltered air until the engine idled properly.

Looks like a little oil/water mix on the head cover bolts.  Did you pull the head cover yet?

[Surfevo]

So I fixed the idle issue by unplugging the cat plug behind the motor. Idles smooth now when cold. Does any body know about the ball joints? I am I better off replacing them or do I need to do the whole control arm?

I have not pulled the head cover. If i do that do I have to replace the gasket?
Also where is the fuel filter and how hard is it to replace?

To Do List:
oil/air/fuel filters
change oil/trans/diff/brake fluid
ball joints/control arms?
shocks
tires
steering rack

[DesktopDave]

Replace the whole arm.  BMA sells them for less than $100/each complete.  You'll need new lower control arm bushings pressed in too most likely.  LCABs are cheap, $30.  You can even buy the offset M3 version for better turn-in.

The head has a rubber gasket, most likely you won't have to replace it.  Fuel filter is bolted into a carrier just in front of the driver's rear wheel.  Beware of cracking hose, new BMW OE 8x13mm high pressure hose is a great idea, the stuff lasts forever.  Dealers usually stock it, maybe $7/foot.  You won't need much for the whole system, I'd guess 3' at most.  The fuel hoses off the tank aren't fun to replace though.

Steering is a problem.  Rebuilt racks are expensive & prone to leaking.  I'm tempted to swap an e36 rack instead.  Does anyone know if an e46 rack works?

[Surfevo]

I guess what I am asking is do I have to replace them? They are steel and should stand some abuse. I know I can buy new bushings including the offset M3 piece for a lot cheaper than replacing the whole control arm.

As far as steering I was going to look for a used Z3 rack 2.7 lock to lock FTW!