https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/ en Tue, 09 Jun 2026 11:48:05 GMT vBulletin 60 https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/images/misc/R3V.jpg https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/ https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/forum/general-forums/general-discussion/10162263-chasing-ac-issues-need-advice-early-model-original-ac-system Sun, 07 Jun 2026 02:28:46 GMT
When I bought the car a few years ago the the pressures were good and AC worked great for about the first year... Eventually fuses started popping and I started losing blower motor speeds. Left it go for the past few years while the car was getting repainted and catching up on replacing old parts. Now I have the car ready for the road again and with summer coming up wanted to get it running again.

Yesterday I started with pulling the blower motor resistor and giving a repair by cleaning the metal strip that breaks the circuit. Checked the blower motor while I was in there and all seemed good and looks like its been replaced at some point in its lifetime. Put it back together and had my fan speeds back and working great! But still no AC light from the switch and the compressor clutch not engaged. After some more digging and ripping the dash apart I found the AC Slider PCB Shorted and the connector burnt to it. Removed the PCB completely and jumped the wires together and what do you know nice cold AC!

Not without its problems though... With AC max cold and blower motor on in any setting the fuse would only last for roughly 10 minutes. Did some talking with a friend and he hinted that the system could be freezing up and causing a the fuse to pop. Figured it was worth testing so popped a new fuse in and ran the AC at about a quarter turn off max and was perfect for about an hour of driving before I noticed that I wasn't blowing cold air anymore, but my AC switch light stayed on! So I figured maybe after a few years of no operation pressures may have dropped so just to verify that it wasn't anything else I went to jump the low pressure switch and still got nothing, process of elimination went to just the high pressure sensor and found the connector shorted, plastic was melted together so I had to cut it out and wire in new connectors, tested a jumper on both pressure sensors and still no clutch engagement... but my AC light is still on! I would assume this means I'm chasing a short between the AC Switch and the High Pressure Sensor (or possibly my AC clutch causing the short) and while looking at wiring diagrams for my car I did see a Evaporator Temperature Sensor and I'm hoping this is my culprit (And not a random shorted wire that will be impossible to find). I wont be able to look into it more until Wednesday so just wanted to post this here to get some more outside opinions or advice. So please pitch in! I'll give most things a shot.

Quick little note I need to test voltages yet and will have to see if I can find my multi-meter.
I also need to get my hands on a 12 volt battery to test the compressor clutch for operation.

Thanks for reading any advice would be appreciated!]]> General Discussion ViviVR_7 https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/forum/general-forums/general-discussion/10162263-chasing-ac-issues-need-advice-early-model-original-ac-system https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/forum/general-forums/general-discussion/10162006-hello-from-philly-–-looking-for-my-first-e30 Wed, 03 Jun 2026 16:16:00 GMT
I'm hoping to acquire my first E30 within the next year and looking forward to learning from this community as I start my search.

Also - I joined the R3V Facebook group as well. What would you say are the main differences between that group and this one? Would it be frowned upon to post a question in both places?

So, hello - happy to be here!]]> General Discussion pseudodennis https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/forum/general-forums/general-discussion/10162006-hello-from-philly-–-looking-for-my-first-e30 https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/forum/general-forums/members-rides/10161892-my-first-e30 Mon, 01 Jun 2026 21:20:30 GMT Longtime BMW guy with a 2001 e39 Touring and a 1973 2002 also.

The M3

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]]> Members Rides jp5Touring https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/forum/general-forums/members-rides/10161892-my-first-e30 https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/forum/general-forums/general-discussion/10161724-e30-axle-shaft-oem-oes-or-rebuild Fri, 29 May 2026 00:59:34 GMT Bimmerheads, It appears GKN axles have become unavailable or if available, is way overpriced. Only option on new axles is China made ones not considered OEM or finding a place that can rebuild mine. For the life of me I have not found a shop in Northern California that rebuilds CV axle shops; several in SoCal and know of one vendor who only sources using original BMW shafts to rebuild. What have your experience been with the China produced ones; Trakmotive, GSP, etc. My “is” is stock with exception to the suspension and minor engine upgrades (S50 rods and JB aluminum flywheel); I don’t track it but occasionally auto cross and spirited driving. Any feedback would be appreciated.
It appears GKN axles have become unavailable or if available, is way overpriced. Only option on new axles is China made ones not considered OEM or finding a place that can rebuild mine.

For the life of me I have not found a shop in Northern California that rebuilds CV axle shops; several in SoCal and know of one vendor who only sources using original BMW shafts to rebuild.

What have your experience been with the China produced ones; Trakmotive, GSP, etc. My “is” is stock with exception to the suspension and minor engine upgrades (S50 rods and JB aluminum flywheel); I don’t track it but occasionally auto cross and spirited driving.

Any feedback would be appreciated.]]> General Discussion Maddog https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/forum/general-forums/general-discussion/10161724-e30-axle-shaft-oem-oes-or-rebuild https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/forum/general-forums/general-discussion/10161642-classic-car-insurance Wed, 27 May 2026 03:13:59 GMT General Discussion zaq123 https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/forum/general-forums/general-discussion/10161642-classic-car-insurance https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/forum/general-forums/general-discussion/10161419-tc-baur-listed-in-co-not-affiliated-29-999 Sat, 23 May 2026 01:00:54 GMT Saw this looking at old trucks. 84 TC Baur with what appears to be an S52 in Colorado… https://www.victorymotorsofcolorado.com/inventory/1984-bmw-e30-/1025076 Pretty unique piece…anyone familiar with that car?
https://www.victorymotorsofcolorado....w-e30-/1025076

Pretty unique piece…anyone familiar with that car? ]]> General Discussion mmoyer11 https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/forum/general-forums/general-discussion/10161419-tc-baur-listed-in-co-not-affiliated-29-999 https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/forum/general-forums/members-rides/10161398-matthew-s-forever-e30-meet-penny-my-86-325es Fri, 22 May 2026 22:55:24 GMT
First I want to show you my new E30. For me it was always going to be an early model. Thats what the E30 is to me diving board bumpers and all. If I had to make a list of my "Dream Spec" E30 it would be as follows:

Non-negotiables

Coupe Early Model
Must be ES or 87 IS from Factory ( I really wanted a true ES )
Manual from Factory
No Bronzitbeig
Not modded past point of no return (OEM+)
No engine swaps

First Pic I took of Penny right after the test drive.


I am not sure where to start and there is a lot for me I want to say. I really do feel that things find you in life sometimes and if you had told me at the start of 2026 I would own an E30 2 weeks before I turned 31 I would have laughed. Kinda cool IMO that I bought this E30 when I was 30. Everyone knows how obsessed I am with these old BMW's and any E30, E28, E34 etc that any of my family spots they send me a photo. My sister was in Amsterdam and she sent me this photo of a clean E30 Touring.


I took a deep sigh...... I really miss having an E30. I never would have sold my previous E30 "Anne" and even looking at photos makes me so nostalgic. But once I graduated I got a job over an hour away and refused to drive her into the ground. So I walked away and picked up a Volvo C30 6 speed! it was cool but it was not a BMW. I finally have "adult money" now and a garage! So the gears started to turn in my mind. I think it might be time for another money pit.... I mean old BMW.

Here is Anne at the vintage 2016. I have no idea what happened to her after I sold her and its quite a.... touchy subject. I am very proud of how I kept her clean and on the road. Learned a lot and I dailyed an E30 for 5 years straight snow and all. She will always be my first E30. I wish I would have taken some of the cool parts (euro grills, clock, mtech 1 wheel, radio etc) off her before I sold her!



So I get the text from my sister and open up Google and literally type in "BMW E30 for Sale" and this little GEM popped up. Lets talk about the important stuff. I know we all love the options list.

The Facts: Taken from https://www.mdecoder.com/ (if you know a better one let me know)

VIN	REDACTED
Prod. Date	1986-02-25
Service History
Type	325e
Series	E30 (E30 Series)
Body Type	Coupe
Steering	Left Hand Drive
Engine	M20
Displacement	2.7
Power	121hp
Drive	rwd
Colour	Schwarz 086
Upholstery	Schwarz 0203
Check mileage

Editions and packages

S704	M Sports suspension
S708	M Sports steering wheel leather

Comfort and interior equipment

S401	Lift-up-and-slide-back sunroof, electric
S410	Window lifts, electric, front
S481	Sports seat

Multimedia

S675	Rear passenger compartment audio system

Driver assistance and lightning

S530	Air conditioning
S540	Cruise control
S551	On-board computer II with remote control

Wheels and drive

S209	Differential lock 25% LETS GOOOOO
S210	Dynamic stability control
S286	BMW light alloy wheel BMW styling

Environment and safety

S300	Emergency spare wheel
S325	Rear spoiler
S841	Dummy-SALAPA

Other equipment

S086

black

Perfect a factory manual all original ES with ONE OWNER and ZERO Accidents. Completely untouched. This thing is a freaking time capsule. A local dealership called Bob Evans Classics had it in PA. It was an hour away from me. I mean literally the FIRST E30 I look at is my dream spec. I had to have it. So I drove down and gave it a test drive. Here are some photos from the listing and ones I took the day I looked at her. Needless to say I offered on the spot and negotiated in a set of 15' IX Basket Weaves! (Next post has more photos reached the limit)

]]> Members Rides Matt341 https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/forum/general-forums/members-rides/10161398-matthew-s-forever-e30-meet-penny-my-86-325es https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/forum/general-forums/track-autox/10161156-s50-oil-pressure-crank-scraper-windage-tray Sat, 16 May 2026 16:50:00 GMT
Results are pretty good. I have annotated the "before" data log with roughly where on the track it is. I think the cliff notes are:
1. Oil pressure is higher through all corners and no longer really drops under 20psi.
2. Some areas like the turn in to 1 (turn in happens around 100mph or so and is gentle) I used to temporarily drop to 20psi. There is now no oil pressure drop.
3. Turn 2-4 I'd drop between 20-30psi but now stay over 40.
4. Turn 5 I had a large oil pressure drop on turn in down to 20psi. This one was concerning because I am on throttle and high RPM. That is now totally gone.
5. Turn 6 oil pressure has gone from mid 20's to mid 30's.
6. Still get a pressure drop off throttle going into 8. This is a big downhill into a very sharp turn. But staying over 20psi.
7. Pressure on back side of the track generally better. Pressure stays over 20psi.
8. Overall there is a lot less noise in the data. Likely less air in the oil. The before graph has a lot of very erratic lines when the engine doesn't have perfect pressure and the lines are overall much smoother now.

Worth noting for completeness that the before was using 20w50 conventional and the after is using 15w50 synthetic. But oil temps have not gone over 230 on either and the conventional was used for 4 track days (graph is probably from track day #2 or #3) so I think the oil was totally fine. Car has 7.5qts of oil in both cases (1qt overfill).

I still might put in a more hardcore baffled pan at some point but I feel a lot better about these numbers and the overall stability of the oil pressure. It seems like the primary thing causing big drops at this point is hard braking zones temporarily spiking pressure and hard turn in. Both of these I am off throttle and pressure recovers fast. These modifications completely solved oil pressures drops in some places and are generally resulting in higher pressure across the board through big turns etc.

On the graph the GP RPM Limit 1 is an oil-pressure based safety. When it activates and goes up 3 vertical axis that means it is triggered because oil pressure got too low but isn't actively cutting the engine. After 1 second it will start cutting engine power and goes up to the 4th line (I forget if it starts pulling timing or what, too lazy to look). You can see a lot of places where it starts arming itself in the first graph and it starts cutting power in a few places. On the second graph is still arms itself a couple times (pressure just barely dips under 20psi for a split second) but is armed for much less time and never cuts power.


]]> s50joe https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/forum/general-forums/track-autox/10161156-s50-oil-pressure-crank-scraper-windage-tray