Post Your Current Problems

[e30Andym42]

For those of you who have problems with your M42, I, for one, am interested in knowing

I will gladly start it off.

- Random high idle (usually hovers around 1300, has been known to idle sometimes at the RPM I shift at)
- Strange noise upon really cold startup (could be loose belt, I hope...)
- Need to install ATE Powerslots and Hawk HPS street pads for rear
- Now broken odometer at 103,xxx
- Steering wheel shakes rarely for no apparent reason
- I put the steering wheel on a bit crooked after I replaced the flasher relay
- My car leaks oil from God knows where, possibly out of the back of the timing case
- I have 3 foglights, 2 have broken lenses, the third has some broken plastic on the support bracket
- My car has trouble starting in the morning
- Alarm system disabled by idiot P/O who thought that would help reduce battery drain while off the road.  Next time disconnect the battery.
- Rear bumper doesn't quite line up correctly
- Rear spoiler cracked all over
- Dashboard cracked all over (Vegas car ftl...)

And I love it.  It is still perfect.

[Jimmy Lewis]

Haha great thread.

Well to start off, my car is a total pos.

-high miles, 200K+ (broken odo)
-original timing components, waiting to grenade
-running condition is good, but isn't perfect
-eats a little oil, maybe 1/2 quart every oil change-ish
-makes a shit ton of chain noise around 2500rpm
-makes a shit ton of chain noise all the damn time, cruising speed = 2500rpm
-my pos autozone special fuel pump sounds like a turbo spooling up at idle
-it likes to break itself a lot
-suspension is shot, bushings are shot
-interior is dirty as hell, stained carpet
-driver's isn't broken but is torn, passenger seat is perfect but is broken
-dash only has a few traces of cracking
-front end is fuxored, bumper is 10 different shades of pink
-valence is bent all to hell
-no fogs, and no fog delete panels
-clear coat on the hood is peeling
-nice dent in the lip of my driver fender
-a few weaves on the car have seen better days, while others are like new

There is probably more, but who knows.

[xwill112x]

left side needs body work
cracked dash
clunck in the rear end when shifting
odo broke
seats torn
front bumper doesnt line up
lower front valence is brozit, my car is sterlingsilber
seat doesnt slide back and forth, that broke sometime today
painted faded
coolant dissapears...not in oil..no leaks...??
burns a little oil
needs a new clutch
and new coils
weather selas have shrunk
obc broke
no ac
rattling exhaust

[bmw327]

It's dirty
Power steering moans for a moment upon really cold startup (<20 deg F)
Muffler has a loose baffle - only rattles sometimes
PS highbeam cracked but working
PS foglight cracked and bulb out (AGAIN!)
2 small bullseye cracks in windshield (which is original, I think)
Rust in the rear valence.
Alternator bearing noisy when cold.
Power antenna inop.
Brake fluid due for changing

Not a terrible to-do list for an 18 year old car...

[Cloud]

I wouldn't bother reading through this. There's a lot.

- front bodykit valance hanging off
- most of OBC arrangement missing/damaged
- worn front brake discs
- worn front and rear brake pads
- worn rear tyres
- radiator on its way out
- all the hoses in the engine bay are perished
- radio aerial/antenna missing
- power steering and fan belt need replacing
- oil change required
- tap tap tap tap, valve timing needs adjusting
- ABS doesn't always work
- 8mpg, possibly overfueling
- earth strap needs replacing
- spark plugs could do with replacing
- unidentified power drain means battery discharges overnight
- alarm works sometimes, but I can't rely on it
- rear boot lock seized unlocked (can't...)
- passenger side door lock seized due to break-in (...lock...)
- no key for drivers side door lock (...car)
- wiper arms, blades and motor needs replacing
- power steering pump needs repair or replacement
- convertible top roof seals need replacing
- windows "overbite" the soft top, need adjusting
- all electric windows are slow and sometimes don't work at all
- tear in soft-top cloth
- chrome trim around windows is coming away
- rust under door mirrors mounts
- passenger side electric door mirror doesn't move
- indicators don't self-cancel
- engine bay lid release lever-cable broken (can't open lid)
- rust along sills under bodykit
- rear arches completely missing due to rust
- rust in floor pans
- rust along front edge of engine bay lid
- rust in exhuast midsection
- convertible roof "horseshoe" lid wont open (can't put roof down)
- seatbelts don't retract onto the reels
- gear lever gaiter worn out
- synchromesh gone in 2nd gear
- differential is worn out and needs repair or replacement
- radio speakers are wired up sideways (front-rear instead of left-right)
- engine bay lid gas strut broken
- boot lid gas strut broken
- rust around rear light clusters
- cabin heater assembly broken
- handbrake is ineffective
- ignition lock barrel is so worn it hardly takes the key
- front seats have rusted away from the floor on the front bolts
- alloy wheel centre caps rusted/missing

I give up, there's too much!
I'll write a list of what actually works instead.

- steering rack is excellent.
- suspension is good enough to highlight the woeful chassis flex

that's it.

[ck_carnut]

Hi all. I'm new here, and stumbled on this forum after dropping off the Roadfly E30 forum a while back. I have a '91 318is that was my wife's DD from 2002 (when we bought it) up to this past November, when we bought a new WRX for her. Now, it's my new project.:cool:

So, since you asked, here's what is wrong with it(so far)

250k+ miles
-rust in the hood (bubbling around the roundel)
-bent front valence
-tweaked LF fender
-rust in the gas cap
-rust in the rear fender wells
-rust on the sunroof sheetmetal
-corrosion in the battery box in the trunk
-driver's door lock has the typical E30 wear (doesn't work)
-needs carpet
-rear wheel bearings are noisy
-cracked exhaust header
-won't pass emissions (seems to require a new catalytic converter every 2 years to pass. Probably related to the cracked header)
-need a helicoil on #3 spark plug hole
-according to the dealer (back at 113K when it was replaced), needs 1 water pump bolt replaced (stuck in head/block?) and another is starting to strip... But it's held together since then.
-Timing chain tensioner was done at 153K, probably due again?
-Clutch is almost gone
-shift bushings too.
-OBC backlight
-bouncy temp/fuel gauge needles
-needs at least 1 foglight (I forget which side)
-and tires, too.
-it's got "shake and brake", where the front end shimmies during braking. Probably needs tie rods.

That's all I can remember now. I'm sure I'll find more as I start disassembling!

-=Chris

[xwill112x]

-it's got "shake and brake", where the front end shimmies during braking. Probably needs tie rods.

probably just needs the brakes re-surfaced.

easy fix

[ck_carnut]

probably just needs the brakes re-surfaced.

easy fix

Ah, but I don't feel it through the pedal, that's the weird bit. Warped rotors you can usually feel in the pedal, right?:confused:

I agree, it won't hurt to check 'em. Probably one of the easier things I need to do on the car!:p

[xwill112x]

usually from my experience, warped rotors shake everything when you apply the brakes, thats probably what it is imo.

[gearheadE30]

Dang, you guys have quite the lists

Here's mine:
-peeling clearcoat
-cracked paint on the valences and spoiler
-loud exhaust (getting fixed this weekend)
-upper oil pan leaks (fixing this weekend)
-needs a new CSB and tranny output seal (have parts but not time)
-front brakes need to be replaces (again, I have all the parts, just no time)

[B318M42W]

i think my list is quite long!

-rust in the gas cap
-rust in the rear fender wells
-rust on the sunroof sheetmetal
-corrosion in the battery box in the trunk
-driver's door lock doesn't work
- needs fuel tank
- timing chain rattle at mid revs
- needs front tires
- faded paint
- fan clutch is a goner
- needs rear chocks
- needs a few helicoils in the valve cover bolts and lower oil pan
- maybe CSB 's tired
- handbrake works but not really well
- shifter boot is ripped
- need new shift knob
- diff has a small play
- alienated OBC
- through out bearing is worn
- left rear door is not electricaly hooked up
- right rear window has a short
- raspy exaust
- empty cat
- emblems are probably 1000 years old
- ac doesn't work
-water pump moans
- found chain sleeves in the oil...
 
pretty much what needs to be done on my E30... until now...

[strad]

needs a timing case rebuild; no noise though, and no pieces in the pan
needs new shocks and struts
needs new catback
probably could use new bushings in rear suspension.
shifter needs to be rebuilt; just a little lateral slop.  
edit: damn, thought of something else: a new heater core.  Not a serious issue, but I smell coolant from time to time.  
I've already put a large amount of work into the car, which is why the list is short!

[Petebee]

- Front wheel bearing clicks on pass side
- Tranny seals at rear need replacement (have parts and new guibo)
- Clutch replacement eventually (only 130K on original now)
- Small patch of rust in rear fender under battery
- Repair stone chips and get a good professional polishing
- Heater core or heater valve is leaky (smell coolant when heater is on)

But...have completed basically all other maintenance (suspension, all bushings including the #$%^&%&*&^%$ subframe bushings, rear muffler, timing components, w/pump, tstat) and the car is a blast. Drives like new!

[Danny707]

Needs moar powar!

[papercutout]

Mine is a bit of a SHED, but still...

According to todays MOT fail certificate I need:

a working horn

my offside headlamp adjusting and a replacement dipped beam bulb in nearside

both front ARB attachement's tightening

to find a clip for and untwist my nearside rear brake hose (what a LOAD of bollocks, I'm NEVER using this MOT station again)

a quieter exhaust (ok, fair enough!)

to lower the exhaust so it doesn't touch the fuel tank

4 new springs, thanks to me chopping mine. (erm, unless they're DAMAGED or they DISLOCATE there's nothing wrong with them, so mine're fine)

to replace the nearside rear tyre as it has a lump in

new offside front lower sus arm ball joing

apparently the welding we did isn't adequate (tbh, its half done, but without lifting the carpet (AGAINST THE REGULATIONS!) he wouldn't know that!)

1 piece of welding I did at 10pm at night redoing (it's a temp bodge, but he was being a cock)

a new offside steering rack gaiter

replacement offside front tyre



Also, due to these 'problem's' he didn't do any breaking tests, therefore I don't know whether the car will pass those, and he didn't check the emissions, so I can't make sure thats ok atm.


I am positively fuming with the company atm! if only you all lived round here, I'd ask you all to yell abuse and never use them!