Round 1...HUGE improvement!

[metalsoul]

So when I got my 1990 325i it ran well but it shifted like sludge, steering was heavy, and there was some clatter coming from the LSD. So for round 1 I did some minor maintenance, and good thing too, as would be expected, everything I drained from this car was black or dark grey and dirty!

Here's what I did for round 1:

1. Oil change with MOBIL 1, 15w50 (PO was using Shell Rotella 15w40, not bad but not my preferance)
2. Trans flush and refill with REDLINE MTL
3. LSD flush and refill with REDLINE 75w90 gear oil
4. Power steering flush and installed new resorvoir, filled with ATF.

Now it shifts like butter, steers smoothly and the engine idles slightly quieter than previously, a huge improvement.

I just got my parts for round 2 which will include:

1. New brakes and rotors all around and new fluid
2. New front and rear endlinks and sway bar bushings
3. New wheels so I can take these blasted snow tires off!
4. New spark plugs and possible wires

[wodcutr]

Does your lsd still make noise?

[jlevie]

Rotella T 15w40 is better for this engine than most any modern oil (synthetic or dyno) because it has a higher ZDDP conrtent. Another excellent oil is Valvoline VR1 20w50, again because of ZDDP content. The bearings and such on an M20B25 last longer with the higher ZDDP content oils that were prevalent "back in the day" but have been removed from current oils because the zinc can damage catalytic converters on modern cars.

[SpecM]

^ that is true, but if the OP used the Mobile 15w50 marked "race proven", then it too has a very high level of ZDDP. It is not API certified like most "new" oils.

[87-325ic]

castrol gtx 20w50


Also consider a cap and rotor. and a coolant flush.
And dont forget your timing belt!

[metalsoul]

No noise from the LSD anymore.

As for oil, the Rotella doesn't have as high of a ZDDP content as it used to but most users aren't aware of that fact and think it still contains as high of a content as it used to, I prefer Mobil 1 in all of my vehicles. My father raced in various classes for so many years that he used everything under the sun in his lifetime in both his performance cars and DD's, and Mobil 1 is what I stick with.

Yes, actually just today my coolent light came on and it's a little low, so I figured rather than jsut top it off I'd do a flush, but good call on cap and rotor.

[idanity]

remember the timing belt and water pump. as 87 325i states

And dont forget your timing belt!

its a big deal, but its the most necessary item (and Achilles heel) on an e30

m20's are interference engines, and if that timing belt snaps (lifespan is 4years/ 40,000 miles) your valves will kill the pistons.

if ya need help, theres tons of info here or on pelican on how to do it,
once you do it, your car should be as reliable as any.

recently, i drove a 2003 330ci, and it is a tin can/ dog.
my little e30 is much more solid, and easily faster.
i feel bad for the person who is making payments on it, when they should've just bought an e30, invested 2k into it, and be done.


well.
congratulations on the e30, and welcome to a great forum.

[metalsoul]

Thanks idanity, and I agree about comparing an e30 to modern bimmers, or modern cars period! They are solid machines, exemplifying the epitomy of German engineering at its best.

The timing belt was last done at 94k, but seeing as I'm approaching 130k it's about time to do it again.

As for the achilles heel, are you referring to the brakes? If so that's on tap for this week, I just received my shipment of brake rotors and pads all around, and new sensors.

[Adrian_Visser]

Thanks idanity, and I agree about comparing an e30 to modern bimmers, or modern cars period! They are solid machines, exemplifying the epitomy of German engineering at its best.

The timing belt was last done at 94k, but seeing as I'm approaching 130k it's about time to do it again.

As for the achilles heel, are you referring to the brakes? If so that's on tap for this week, I just received my shipment of brake rotors and pads all around, and new sensors.

The timing belt is the achilles heel.

[87-325ic]

timing belt before anything else. especially if you know it wasnt done in the last four years.

Pistons Kill Valves, and possibly hurt themselves doing so.

[txtorquemade]

All up on the timing belt wagon. Do it... or regret not doing it.

[dinanm3atl]

Agreed on the Castrol GTX20W-50. M20 loves this oil.

[metalsoul]

I inspected the timing belt which was done less than 3 years ago, and I will probably put it on my list of things to do come summer just to be safe.

[dnova89]

Agreed on the Castrol GTX20W-50. M20 loves this oil.

I use this too. I havn't done any research or anything though on Castrol specifically, but I have on oil in general, I just didn't want to put synthetic gold in my old leaky oil-burning engine. I never really pay much attention to oil, I just pick something, stay with it, and change it at the correct interval. I don't think the actual oil matters that much as long as you use the correct weight, deciding whether or not synthetic would be good, and go with a reputable brand, it's more about just changing it when it's supposed to be changed that really makes the difference. It doesn't matter how expensive your oil is, once it starts breaking down, efficiency goes down with it. That's what make synthetic oils so much better, they have much higher resistance to heat so the molecular strands of oil don't break down as fast. Each strand is also identical to the next since it is man-made, making it easier for engine parts to move around because they don't have to go against randomly-sized strands found in nature's dino-oil. With that benefit comes with the disadvantage of synthetic oils being able to slip past seals and rings to leak out of the engine much faster than dino-oil. Also, magnetic drain plugs are your friend, they saved my transmission. :)

[metalsoul]

+1 for magnetic plugs!