Common e30 replacements

[Redfox]

Hi all, I was wondering if someone could give me a list of common e30 problems you may run into at the 200k mark, or what parts need to be replaced around then?

I understand the timing belt, water pump, fuel pump, fuel filter, and brake rotor are things that need to be replaced. But are there any "hole in the wall" areas that don't seem too important, but can cause major problems?

So far I have had/ am going to replace asap:
Fuel Pump
Brake Rotor
Timing Belt
Water pump
fuel filter
oil change
spark plugs
wires
muffler

And a side note..
A friend of mine and I were working on replacing the bulbs in the shifter and other parts of the car that needed new bulbs.. Well wires got cut, and now the dash, shifter, ac lights, etc don't light up at all. The blinkers also make a loud "buzzer" sound, sorta like on a game show and the dude gets a question wrong. Anyone know how to fix this or what this may be? I gotta take the car down to get inspected since my 10 days are almost up, and obviously it won't pass with this shit going on. The lights that DO work are the OBC lights, and the check engine light which is now blinking.. and the lights on the bars all under the gauges. But all the other lights don't work. Were wires fried or a fuse blown?

Thanks for taking the time to read.

[browntown]

dist cap / rotor, thermostat, valve cover gasket if leaking, air filter

[jasonsnoddy]

crank position sensor is a good one

[GDA]

Voltage regulator/new brushes
Alternator bushings
Injector o-rings
Fuel lines coming up near firewall (minimize any chance of fire due to sweating/cracks)

[urbancynic]

Clutch master/slave may or may not go out around that time.

[Redfox]

Thank you for your help gentlemen. These are exactly the responses I was looking for.

If anyone has anything else that should/needs to be replaced let me know.
And if anyone can help answer the question about the wires and electric problem I'm having, that'd be great.

Thanks!

[LJ851]

Ball joints, All rubber parts in the suspension front and rear, wheel bearings. As for your other problem, reconnect the wires you cut and you should be good.

[Redfox]

Ball joints, All rubber parts in the suspension front and rear, wheel bearings. As for your other problem, reconnect the wires you cut and you should be good.

Already done, same problems as before. I'm just hoping and praying I don't have to replace an entire electrical system in the car.. I don't think I will have to though.. My head unit works fine.

[lolcantturn]

I'd say since you're replacing all those things, might as well do the headgasket too. Get it done once and get it done right. That way you'll never have to deal with it when you least expect to. It'll teach you a nice lesson in how simple it is to disassemble your motor as well. And if you own an 88+ E30, rewire, if it looks to be in bad condition, your C191 connector (fuel injector harness), so your car will be running at 6cylinders all the time!

[LJ851]

Already done, same problems as before. I'm just hoping and praying I don't have to replace an entire electrical system in the car.. I don't think I will have to though.. My head unit works fine.

Did you check all your fuses? If those are good, what are the turn signals doing when turn them on and the odd noise happens? Was everything working correctly before the wires were cut?

[worangejuice]

Ive done most of the same/basice things you've done, I have a 'gas fume' leak when the tank is full and a slow oil leak, and coolant leak. Anybody tended to these problems on this checklist?
Oh yeah, you may have to change the 'brake sensor' switch. Mine comes and goes, but just a reason for getting pulled over.

[Redfox]

Did you check all your fuses? If those are good, what are the turn signals doing when turn them on and the odd noise happens? Was everything working correctly before the wires were cut?

Fuses were checked and everything was fine. The turn signals both make the buzzer sound when moved up and down. Everything was working perfectly fine before the wires were cut, just needed bulb replacements. We were trying to move the lighter bulb to the shifter because that bulb was working while the other one wasnt, and I'm not a smoker so I could care less if the lighter had light or not. But when it got cut the gauge lights went off, the blinkers made a loud buzzing noise when used, and the shifter (cig lighter) bulb went out too. The wires were put back together a few days ago and it didn't fix anything. I'm afraid to take it to a shop because I have a feeling they're gonna basically say "lolurfucked 500 to fix" and I've only got so much money left to work with so I can finish this thing in time for gfest and wundewagons car show in june.

[Vince30]

I assume when you replaced the muffler you did the muffler bearings also. Its probably also about time to do a blinker fluid flush, that might be your turn signal problem as well. Your welcome.

[rThor432]

Main + fuel pump relays.

[dmoyers]

Odometer gears