New 318is Owner

[red2.4srt]

That substance is mayo/pudding ... It's a mixture of oil and coolant but it also can be caused by condensation under the valve cover (had this issue with my e39). I would first check to make sure there's no leak in the head gasket. Do you notice any white smoke when it runs or any coolant leaking from below the manifold? Also now that you've changed oil check the dipstick to see if any milky oil is there again after running. If there's not chances are its just moisture due to too many short trips. Go ahead and check under the valve cover too since you're doing that anyway.

It doesn't smoke at all, so i'm guessing it would be condensation from short trips. The oil wasn't milky at all, actually quite the opposite, very dark when I drained it. Only drove it 2 miles and threw the cover on it without checking the oil when I got home, i'll run it back into the shop tmw night and check it then. Should be a good measuring stick with brand new oil. I'll have my pops helping on Thursday night, should be able to knock some more out with some decent efficiency.

Sidebar: Taking the front bumper off by yourself is trickier than I imagined. Good thing for shorty ladders and rolling carts!

Not good

Por que?

Which part?

[Boris3]

Funny my lower oil pan had the same crack and weld repair when I bought mine. It was weeping so I just replaced the lower pan.

From the pictures on your front sway bar it looks like you are missing the bracket that goes over the bushing. Is it like this on both sides of the sway bar or just the one? Bracket looks like this. Bolts in on one end and hooks into the slot on the other
http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E30-318...y_Bar/ES51014/

[Gerta]

OP - the bushing you took a picture of is for the swaybar ... it should have a collar on that bushing bolted up to bracket.

Are you familiar with RealOEM? If not, you can go to Realoem.com and type in the last 7 of the VIN to look up parts specific to your year and model.

Also, for parts I always recommend either Blunttech.com (steve) or Guten Parts (Levent) who are active on the R3V forum. Guten is located in NJ .. so your neck of the woods.

Gerta

[red2.4srt]

Funny my lower oil pan had the same crack and weld repair when I bought mine. It was weeping so I just replaced the lower pan.

From the pictures on your front sway bar it looks like you are missing the bracket that goes over the bushing. Is it like this on both sides of the sway bar or just the one? Bracket looks like this. Bolts in on one end and hooks into the slot on the other
http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E30-318...y_Bar/ES51014/

Yes, both sides have nothing holding them to the subframe. Makes sense now I know where the rattling was coming from. PO also took the pulley and belt off for the power steering, but it's still plumbed for power steering. Any ill effects from running a PS rack without PS? Pump isn't spinning so no harm there. I ordered some parts to refurb an M Tech I wheel from Pelican Parts and they were great. I'll have to check out ECS now! Thanks!

OP - the bushing you took a picture of is for the swaybar ... it should have a collar on that bushing bolted up to bracket.

Are you familiar with RealOEM? If not, you can go to Realoem.com and type in the last 7 of the VIN to look up parts specific to your year and model.

Also, for parts I always recommend either Blunttech.com (steve) or Guten Parts (Levent) who are active on the R3V forum. Guten is located in NJ .. so your neck of the woods.

Gerta

Thanks for the heads up on where to go, headed there now. I figured that wasn't right, everything i've seen with previous cars were never like that lol. Thanks again!

[Gerta]

Yes, both sides have nothing holding them to the subframe. Makes sense now I know where the rattling was coming from. PO also took the pulley and belt off for the power steering, but it's still plumbed for power steering. Any ill effects from running a PS rack without PS? Pump isn't spinning so no harm there. I ordered some parts to refurb an M Tech I wheel from Pelican Parts and they were great. I'll have to check out ECS now! Thanks!



Thanks for the heads up on where to go, headed there now. I figured that wasn't right, everything i've seen with previous cars were never like that lol. Thanks again!

It could be that the power steering is unhooked due to a leaking rack. You will know if the Rack is leaking which is common on these cars from the boots.
If the reservoir is bad then the lines will be covered with caked on ATF.

[red2.4srt]

It could be that the power steering is unhooked due to a leaking rack. You will know if the Rack is leaking which is common on these cars from the boots.
If the reservoir is bad then the lines will be covered with caked on ATF.

Ahhhh, now it all makes sense... The boots were covered as well as the oil pan and the top of the skid plate with just absolutely filthy ATF dirt.

[bmwman91]

Is it just me, or does this look like a BIG crack in the frame rail? Hopefully I am wrong.


Regarding the engine, the noise in your video definitely sounds like it could be a worn timing chain system. As posted already, pull the valve cover and take a look around in there. Chances are that at the very least, the tensioner piston needs to be replaced (part 17 in the next link). Honestly, if you are excited to wrench on this thing and want to really know what is up with it, pull the timing case covers. The upper one is easy enough (does require draining the coolant). The lower cover is a pain if you don't have a good way to lock the crank since that big bolt on the main pulley is spec'ed at 244ft-lbs. Getting it off is actually pretty easy, but putting it back is a real chore without a locking tool. Anyway, if this is not your DD vehicle, consider yanking the front end apart and replacing most or all of the timing related stuff. At this point, my recommendation to ANY M42 owner looking at a timing rebuild is to pick up a late model M42 timing case. Those eliminated the deflector sprocket and replaced it with a plastic guide rail. That stupid deflector sprocket is an increasingly frequent cause of engine failure because it breaks off of the timing case. In my opinion, this is one of the top two reliability issues with this engine.
(part 11 is the sprocket that bolts to the timing case, and it either has its bearings blow-out or it snaps off of the timing case entirely)
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...67&hg=11&fg=25

The other issue is in the oil pan. If you drop the lower pan, you will see the bolts up inside of the front of the upper pan that hold the upper pan to the bottom of the timing case. It is very common for these to fall out, and then the gasket around the oil sump inlet implodes, letting the oil pump suck air. Drop that lower pan and make sure that all of those bolts are tight and have red thread locker.

While you are at it, consider dropping the upper pan as well. There is a plunger and spring setup in the bottom of the timing case that functions as an oil pressure regulator. The original design was prone to failure and updated parts were issued in the mid 1990's. You should probably just assume that your engine has the old parts in it.
(parts 5, 6, 7, 8)
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...04&hg=11&fg=30

The final big flaw in the E30 M42 is the crank thrust bearing. It is only half of a shell and it wears out, allowing some pretty bad axial crank end play. Under no circumstances should you start the car with the clutch pedal pressed down. When the clutch pedal is down, the pressure plate ends up putting a few hundred pounds of axial load onto the crank, which loads that hald shell thrust bearing. At a start, there is zero oil pressure. You get the idea. Leave the pedal alone while starting. I believe that you can put in a full double-shell thrust bearing pair if you are ever rebuilding the bottom end. Someone else on here might know what modifications are needed, if any.

Beyond all of the issues I listed, it is a fun car and the M42 will let you drive the hell out of it all day long, assuming you are religious about maintenance and address the issues that I listed. As far as mods, if you ever decide to look into them, the ONLY ones worth a damn are a proper chip and a lightweight flywheel. Aside from those items, there are no bolt-ons that make any real difference. I have owned and driven M42 cars for 15 years, and believe me I have tried every mod under the sun at some point. I learned my lesson about not wasting money on bolt-ons the hard way lol. Chip & flywheel, that's it. As for the chips, either get a Jim Conforti one or a MarkD one. There are a zillion out there, but those 2 are the only reputable ones I know of.

[maxmonster]

The final big flaw in the E30 M42 is the crank thrust bearing. It is only half of a shell and it wears out, allowing some pretty bad axial crank end play. Under no circumstances should you start the car with the clutch pedal pressed down. When the clutch pedal is down, the pressure plate ends up putting a few hundred pounds of axial load onto the crank, which loads that hald shell thrust bearing. At a start, there is zero oil pressure. You get the idea. Leave the pedal alone while starting. I believe that you can put in a full double-shell thrust bearing pair if you are ever rebuilding the bottom end. Someone else on here might know what modifications are needed, if any.

You mean to tell me that I can't start my car with the clutch depressed?

[Gerta]

He's not saying you "can't" ... he's saying you shouldn't. He knows quite a bit about M42 cars, so it is worth considering.

[red2.4srt]

Is it just me, or does this look like a BIG crack in the frame rail? Hopefully I am wrong.

I'm definitely going to look into that, I noticed it when looking at the picture on my ipad and thought the same thing. I'm thinking it could be a high spot on the undercoating but it's a very straight line for it to be undercoating. If it is cracked, I can fall back on my Structural Welding background to remedy it. Thankfully it's one thing I don't feel in over my head on haha.

Regarding the engine, the noise in your video definitely sounds like it could be a worn timing chain system. As posted already, pull the valve cover and take a look around in there. Chances are that at the very least, the tensioner piston needs to be replaced (part 17 in the next link). Honestly, if you are excited to wrench on this thing and want to really know what is up with it, pull the timing case covers. The upper one is easy enough (does require draining the coolant). The lower cover is a pain if you don't have a good way to lock the crank since that big bolt on the main pulley is spec'ed at 244ft-lbs. Getting it off is actually pretty easy, but putting it back is a real chore without a locking tool. Anyway, if this is not your DD vehicle, consider yanking the front end apart and replacing most or all of the timing related stuff. At this point, my recommendation to ANY M42 owner looking at a timing rebuild is to pick up a late model M42 timing case. Those eliminated the deflector sprocket and replaced it with a plastic guide rail. That stupid deflector sprocket is an increasingly frequent cause of engine failure because it breaks off of the timing case. In my opinion, this is one of the top two reliability issues with this engine.
(part 11 is the sprocket that bolts to the timing case, and it either has its bearings blow-out or it snaps off of the timing case entirely)
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...67&hg=11&fg=25

The other issue is in the oil pan. If you drop the lower pan, you will see the bolts up inside of the front of the upper pan that hold the upper pan to the bottom of the timing case. It is very common for these to fall out, and then the gasket around the oil sump inlet implodes, letting the oil pump suck air. Drop that lower pan and make sure that all of those bolts are tight and have red thread locker.

While you are at it, consider dropping the upper pan as well. There is a plunger and spring setup in the bottom of the timing case that functions as an oil pressure regulator. The original design was prone to failure and updated parts were issued in the mid 1990's. You should probably just assume that your engine has the old parts in it.
(parts 5, 6, 7, 8)
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...04&hg=11&fg=30

The final big flaw in the E30 M42 is the crank thrust bearing. It is only half of a shell and it wears out, allowing some pretty bad axial crank end play. Under no circumstances should you start the car with the clutch pedal pressed down. When the clutch pedal is down, the pressure plate ends up putting a few hundred pounds of axial load onto the crank, which loads that hald shell thrust bearing. At a start, there is zero oil pressure. You get the idea. Leave the pedal alone while starting. I believe that you can put in a full double-shell thrust bearing pair if you are ever rebuilding the bottom end. Someone else on here might know what modifications are needed, if any.

Beyond all of the issues I listed, it is a fun car and the M42 will let you drive the hell out of it all day long, assuming you are religious about maintenance and address the issues that I listed. As far as mods, if you ever decide to look into them, the ONLY ones worth a damn are a proper chip and a lightweight flywheel. Aside from those items, there are no bolt-ons that make any real difference. I have owned and driven M42 cars for 15 years, and believe me I have tried every mod under the sun at some point. I learned my lesson about not wasting money on bolt-ons the hard way lol. Chip & flywheel, that's it. As for the chips, either get a Jim Conforti one or a MarkD one. There are a zillion out there, but those 2 are the only reputable ones I know of.

I couldn't thank you enough for such a thorough and comprehensive writeup, this is exactly what i've been looking for. I ordered the brackets for the sway bar from Blunt today along with 2 oil filter kits to get the proper filter in. I'm going to look at ordering all the parts you've listed and when I can get the car into a garage for an extended period of time, I plan to tear into it. Unfortunately my biggest issue is not having a garage to tear it down and let it set overnight, the garage I use is occupied during the weekdays. Should I be concerned driving the car in it's current state and is there potential to further damage anything on it? It's not my DD and I have nowhere further than 15-20 (one way) miles i'd even go with it, if I were to take it out.

I'm still learning a lot about this car, finding stuff that's done to it, be it properly or halfassed, so i'm working to get it to a good spot to just be driven and enjoyed.

Thanks again, i'll most likely be referencing your post quite a bit in the near future.

Also, the PO gave me a Rubbermaid tub full of spare parts along with a completely rebuilt spare cylinder head. I'm pretty sure in going through the parts bin, I have at least one of the timing guides and I know I have a spare timing chain. Is there anyway to tell the wear on the guides and whether they should be replaced or not?

You guys are lifesavers. :up:

[roguetoaster]

You may be okay driving it, but if you can you should leave it until you are ready to repair.

As to the guides, it'll be fairly obvious which components are worn once you look at it, replace as you feel necessary. If you take the VC off I almost always assume that when I see badly worn cam gears (which are cheap enough to be replaced) it indicates poor upkeep, a need for a tensioner, and probably a total timing overhaul. Be sure the chain you have is new before using it, chains aren't much of an issue in M42s BTW.

If you need used parts for some reason you might try Bimmer Buddies in Middletown, they're a good resource.

[bmwman91]

As far as which parts to replace, if you want to go 100% then basically everything in here needs replacing:
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...67&hg=11&fg=25

Obviously if you swap in the later M42 timing case you will need to refer to this (E36 318iS with 10/1994 build date):
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...70&hg=11&fg=25
You may need the gaskets and stuff that are specific to this too.

While you are doing the timing case rebuild, you might as well replace the thermostat (the M42 uses the 88°C one) and water pump since they have to come out anyway.

If ANY of the guide rails have grooves worn into them, or if they have a metal body/backing, then they need to go because they are the old original ones. There was an update at some point and the newer ones are all black plastic. If you do have to replace the long guide on the driver's side, make SURE to get a 45mm M6 bolt. The original guide used a 40mm bolt, and the updated one needs a 45mm one. If you try to use the old 40mm one with it, the vibration and fatigue from the chain will just strip it right out of the head. It might just strip anyway, so I recommend having an M6 helicoil kit handy. If you look at part 9 in both links above you will see what I mean. God knows that the valve cover bolt holes will probably all need helicoils, so it's good to have one of those kits around lol. Here's my how-to for that:

http://bmw.e30tuner.com/articles_vchc.php

It is actually pretty simple to get the current correct parts. If you are at Pelican Parts (for example), their system just forwards you to the current part if you search an old superseded part number.

[red2.4srt]

You may be okay driving it, but if you can you should leave it until you are ready to repair.

As to the guides, it'll be fairly obvious which components are worn once you look at it, replace as you feel necessary. If you take the VC off I almost always assume that when I see badly worn cam gears (which are cheap enough to be replaced) it indicates poor upkeep, a need for a tensioner, and probably a total timing overhaul. Be sure the chain you have is new before using it, chains aren't much of an issue in M42s BTW.

If you need used parts for some reason you might try Bimmer Buddies in Middletown, they're a good resource.

I've heard about Bimmer Buddies and I think Dave Curci is part of them, correct? I used to hangout with him wayyyy back when I first got my Neon SRT. I'm going to start by ordering the tensioner piston and when I get the cover off, i'll check the gears and guides. Again, the PO said the guides were done along with the chain, but that remains to be seen.

As far as which parts to replace, if you want to go 100% then basically everything in here needs replacing:
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...67&hg=11&fg=25

Obviously if you swap in the later M42 timing case you will need to refer to this (E36 318iS with 10/1994 build date):
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...70&hg=11&fg=25
You may need the gaskets and stuff that are specific to this too.

While you are doing the timing case rebuild, you might as well replace the thermostat (the M42 uses the 88°C one) and water pump since they have to come out anyway.

If ANY of the guide rails have grooves worn into them, or if they have a metal body/backing, then they need to go because they are the old original ones. There was an update at some point and the newer ones are all black plastic. If you do have to replace the long guide on the driver's side, make SURE to get a 45mm M6 bolt. The original guide used a 40mm bolt, and the updated one needs a 45mm one. If you try to use the old 40mm one with it, the vibration and fatigue from the chain will just strip it right out of the head. It might just strip anyway, so I recommend having an M6 helicoil kit handy. If you look at part 9 in both links above you will see what I mean. God knows that the valve cover bolt holes will probably all need helicoils, so it's good to have one of those kits around lol. Here's my how-to for that:

http://bmw.e30tuner.com/articles_vchc.php

It is actually pretty simple to get the current correct parts. If you are at Pelican Parts (for example), their system just forwards you to the current part if you search an old superseded part number.

That's good to know before I go to take the valve cover off, I was thinking of doing it the other night and I have no helicoils as of now. I'm going to get enough of those to cover all of the valve cover bolts now.

I was curious, does the deflection rail only mount on the lower bolt hole and the upper is kept in place by the chain/outside tension rail? If not, i'm guessing the block has the corresponding holes for the mounting points? If i'm doing this, i'd much prefer to improve it like you said and not have to worry about it for some time.

Thanks for the how to as well, this isn't looking nearly as intensive as I once thought it was going to be!

[bmwman91]

I assume you mean the deflection rail on the later M42s that replaced the sprocket? If so, then you need the newer timing case since it cannot bolt to the older E30 version. It is held by 2 bolts.

[red2.4srt]

I assume you mean the deflection rail on the later M42s that replaced the sprocket? If so, then you need the newer timing case since it cannot bolt to the older E30 version. It is held by 2 bolts.

Ah, should've known that. You think it's worth changing the case and is it any more challenging since you already pretty much have everything out of the way already?