Old school m30b28

[SpecM]

no, its no going into an e30

I maybe be buying an '79 528i soon, and I want the m30 guru's opinion on the old 2.8. I know about the cam oiler issues, and the 2.8 didn't have the earlier 3.0's thermal reactor-induced head crack issues.

details: L-Jet injection, 4-speed, under 100k, no rust, needs paint and a clutch

[euroshark]

The 2.8 is very sturdy. Like you said, it shouldn't have head issues if it wasn't fitted with the reactors, and the 2.8s also have the advantage of a lot of space between bores so head gaskets tend to last just about forever. The oil spray bar can be easily modified with a bench vise or even vise grips. you flatten out the middle inch or so - but not completely - so that you get better pressure at the holes that generally lack pressure. They issued an updated banjo bolt part number that is supposed to resist backing out, but a little loctite never hurts. Under 100k miles is a lucky find! I wouldn't be wary at all of that engine.

It's obviously not the most powerful M30 in the lineup, but they actually do pretty well in the E12. L-Jet sometimes feels more responsive than Motronic too, they have a very different feel than the mid '80s US spec B34 powered cars.

When you get the car pretty you can swap in a euro 3.5 or a B35 pretty easily!

[SpecM]

thanks, I was hopeing you'd reply ;)

it sounds like you would crimp the oil bar using the method you described... I donno... was the bigger issue the pressure or the bolt backing out of the head?

I already want to put a b35/five-speed out of an e34 in it!

pics, PM'd to be by the owner. Hope he doesn't mind ;-)

[euroshark]

I would definitely crimp the bar, maybe just slightly at first since if you go too far getting the bolts back in will be difficult. You are effectively shortening the bar ever so slightly when you crimp it. I think the banjo bolts backing out is usually a more pressing issue since when they back out the bar essentially loses pressure, so that would be the first priority for me.

A B35 and a 5 speed would make that thing a lot of fun! Get some pre-5/1982 635CSi brakes for it too! Big 4 piston calipers up front and twin piston rears with vented rotors. I've got a set of front calipers if you want 'em. The color looks great, think you will go with that on the respray? It's fairly rare from what I have seen and looks really nice when it's shiny.

[SpecM]

from what I understand, these e12s have 4-pot brakes already

you'll be sick if I told you waht I'm paying for it hehehe

[euroshark]

You may be right, the fronts probably are the 4 piston calipers since it's an M30 car. The rears will have solid rotors though.

I don't even wanna know what you are paying, I'm sure I'll be jealous!! Keep us posted on the progress. Are you gonna join firstfives.org or mye28.com?

[SpecM]

Are you gonna join firstfives.org or mye28.com?

eh, just gonna lurk for now

[JuanPabloBongto]

Dixie livery YEAH!! coming or going?

[euroshark]

lol. What?

[SpecM]

Dixie livery YEAH!! coming or going?

I get the Dixie ref

but the rest...

[euroshark]

Sure, oldschool BMW Dixie, right? Haha, I still don't get it. What's going on?!

[SpecM]

Sure, oldschool BMW Dixie, right? Haha, I still don't get it. What's going on?!

Dukes of Hazard, I think. I have to PM this guy back about meeting me, we live 8 hours apart!

I'm worried about how reliable the injection settup is on these, too.
And the diff mount likes to break too, looks like

[JuanPabloBongto]

What I mean is: are you painting it on, or taking it off?



sexy.

[euroshark]

I'm worried about how reliable the injection settup is on these, too.
And the diff mount likes to break too, looks like

It's just as reliable as the Motronic system from what I have seen in the 3 L-Jet cars I have owned as well as my dad's Euro 3.5 converted '79 633CSi that he has daily driven for the past 6 years (~20k miles per year too!). The diff mounts can break if you really abuse them regularly, but my dad hasn't needed to change one in 6 years so I can only assume that they aren't too prone to breaking with regular use and the occasional spirited blast.

[euroshark]

Also, for what it's worth, swapping a Motronic B34 or B35 into the E12 is a breeze. Even if you just wanted to upgrade fuel injection systems, you can convert the L-Jet M30 to Motronic fairly easily. There's also a fix for the diff mount if it becomes a problem. I'll try to find the .pdf on bigcoupe, it's a blueprint of an adaptor plate that allows you to use the later E28 M535i diff mount!