Noob problem: Wierd Idle

[MyDirtyE30]

So long story short. I blew my head gasket a while back when I bought the car from the PO which ran like sheet. Turns out the head had a huge pit in it from the coolant. I get a new used head from a R3v user. Take it to a machine shop and had it rebuilt. replaced all belts...Hoses and thermostat housing...everything besides the wires and cap, which will be the next thing on my to do list. Ok...so lets get to the point. I got the car back from my mechanic, and now it sounds like it's running on cam's. It has that cam idle. Pull's insanely hard like wayy better than before. I destroyed 2 e46's and a modified SI the other day, but still i'm having doubts, because i asked the previous owner of the head if he did a cam upgrade and he said it was German imported, and he was the second owner and never touched it. So i'm guessing my best bet it to take off the Valve cover and give it a look?

[603Racing]

Check the casting numbers on the head... not sure what head the euro motor used or if it was even different.

[MyDirtyE30]

It was a 885 head.

[Sykohtic]

It was a 885 head.

The 885 was the same head used on all M20B25 motors. A properly done head is gonna flow better and sound louder/better than one that's screwed up as bad as yours used to be; and its remotely possible he might have slightly shaved the head or something, which would up your compression (end result being essentially the same as if you had done like a really slight stroker kit: increased compression meaning more torque in the mid range and some extra ponies in the mid and upper range.

All potential hidden modifications, if your head was screwed up that bad before you did the work, you probably never felt the car pull at full potential to begin with, so it only feels like you're pulling harder than stock because you weren't running at full stock spec. Blowing a head gasket and screwing your head doesn't happen overnight, its a long term development 9/10 times, so you probably never experienced the car with all the power it was supposed to have. With those head issues you described, I'd be surprised if you were running any better than 145-150 horsepower at the flywheel as compared to the factory rated 170-ish before you did your head work.

Next, are you manual or auto? A properly functioning 325i/is manual could potentially put away a couple auto e46 coupes (below an M3 or 330i) or even put up a good fight with up to a manual 325i e46, mostly because weight. And it doesn't take much to put away an auto SI coupe or a auto 4 door SI when you're driving a manual 325is (I made a auto 4 door question his manhood with an auto Dodge Neon). A coupe manual SI, especially one thats modified, is gonna crush you if he's actually racing and knows his shifter from his fog lights, even if you were cammed up. Those things make nearly 200 hp stock, though they make far less torque than our I6 does, if he's got real mods though, he could pretty easily gain 10 torques and 15 hp off some quality exhaust and intake upgrades, especially if he has a light performance chip as well. With that stuff, plus he basically weighs the same amount an E30 does, there's no possible way youd beat a manual SI coupe with even a cammed M20 with minor head work that just won't be making more than 180-185ish tops with the best performance cams if it isnt tuned and built with exhaust and intake upgrades... I'm not calling you out or anything, but I'm just being realistic. You probably raced a lightly modded auto SI, which is a potentially attainable victory before you start getting above about 65-70 mph, which is 1/4 mile territory anyway.

I don't mean to burst your bubble, but I think IF you have any mods you didnt know about, they're nothing crazy. Best way to know is to have someone with experience look at the top end of the engine with the head off, and see if he notes any differences in the head, cam, pistons, etc. Hope I helped :)

Edit: you said the car was euro-imported... is it listed as a 325 or a 323? Because if you unknowingly put a 325 head on a 323 bottom, you might have made some sort of stroker lol like putting a 325 head on a eta block. And I have NO idea how much power you could be making IF that is the very rare case.

[Sykohtic]

Check the casting numbers on the head... not sure what head the euro motor used or if it was even different.

The euro motor was, in cases of the 323i, quite different from the US motor (325i), but I don't think it would be producing any more power than the 325. From what I've read, the 325i was basically a progression of the 323i. Had a lot of upgrades over the 323i, and I think the main thing with the 323i was you could get it with a lot of good options in Europe, but it retained a lower price for that economy, though most of those options are now coveted by us here in the states, and ironically at a premium price (i.e. eurobumpers, the special stitched seats, etc.).

[MyDirtyE30]

The 885 was the same head used on all M20B25 motors. A properly done head is gonna flow better and sound louder/better than one that's screwed up as bad as yours used to be; and its remotely possible he might have slightly shaved the head or something, which would up your compression (end result being essentially the same as if you had done like a really slight stroker kit: increased compression meaning more torque in the mid range and some extra ponies in the mid and upper range.

All potential hidden modifications, if your head was screwed up that bad before you did the work, you probably never felt the car pull at full potential to begin with, so it only feels like you're pulling harder than stock because you weren't running at full stock spec. Blowing a head gasket and screwing your head doesn't happen overnight, its a long term development 9/10 times, so you probably never experienced the car with all the power it was supposed to have. With those head issues you described, I'd be surprised if you were running any better than 145-150 horsepower at the flywheel as compared to the factory rated 170-ish before you did your head work.

Next, are you manual or auto? A properly functioning 325i/is manual could potentially put away a couple auto e46 coupes (below an M3 or 330i) or even put up a good fight with up to a manual 325i e46, mostly because weight. And it doesn't take much to put away an auto SI coupe or a auto 4 door SI when you're driving a manual 325is (I made a auto 4 door question his manhood with an auto Dodge Neon). A coupe manual SI, especially one thats modified, is gonna crush you if he's actually racing and knows his shifter from his fog lights, even if you were cammed up. Those things make nearly 200 hp stock, though they make far less torque than our I6 does, if he's got real mods though, he could pretty easily gain 10 torques and 15 hp off some quality exhaust and intake upgrades, especially if he has a light performance chip as well. With that stuff, plus he basically weighs the same amount an E30 does, there's no possible way youd beat a manual SI coupe with even a cammed M20 with minor head work that just won't be making more than 180-185ish tops with the best performance cams if it isnt tuned and built with exhaust and intake upgrades... I'm not calling you out or anything, but I'm just being realistic. You probably raced a lightly modded auto SI, which is a potentially attainable victory before you start getting above about 65-70 mph, which is 1/4 mile territory anyway.

I don't mean to burst your bubble, but I think IF you have any mods you didnt know about, they're nothing crazy. Best way to know is to have someone with experience look at the top end of the engine with the head off, and see if he notes any differences in the head, cam, pistons, etc. Hope I helped :)

Edit: you said the car was euro-imported... is it listed as a 325 or a 323? Because if you unknowingly put a 325 head on a 323 bottom, you might have made some sort of stroker lol like putting a 325 head on a eta block. And I have NO idea how much power you could be making IF that is the very rare case.

No man, Thanx for the full on detail reply. He claims he pulled it from his 1991 325i. It was a 885 block not a 731 cast number, but yea I had the head he shipped me rebuilt. So either i screwed up on my end, or somethings weird is going on. When i put everything back together. I switched out the fuel pump, Tried to start the car and noticed i wasn't getting fuel to the injectors. Switched the old fuel pump back, and it started again. I don't think it would be a cylinder. Did a test on them all straight number across...One cylinder was lower about 130 out of 150.