has your e30 pleased you in every way???

[dustyperez]

so im just lookin for opinions and discussion not really any technical advice

I got my first e30 with an m20 back in march blown engine and all. well i rebuilt the thing and of course ran into my share of problems as to be expected. well its all done now and while i love the car and think it performs well there are things i just dont like and i expected different/better since it is a BMW after all:hitler:

im not a big fan of the icv and flappy airbox thing. seems the idle is hard to keep smooth and constant. especially after pushing in the clutch and coming to a stop.

i had a custom exhaust bent up, had the original dual exhaust ran into a single 2.5 right at the transmission. but i used a cat and dynomax vt muffler. i have had it checked for leaks but this thing is just loud and i dont mean just out the back. you can hear the thing run all along the exhaust if that makes sense. like the noise is coming thru the pipes. i am used to american cars where maybe you hear the engine some and perfectly quiet till you get to the tailpipe. i realize the m20 is a noisy engine and that not the noises i mean.

i spent a lot of money on this rebuild and planned on doin a mild turbo after i got it all ironed out. i want a turbo car really bad but on the same note i am debating a ls swap now. i just wanted it to be quiet and sound all luxury while the noise comes out the back. is this just a pipe dream with an m20 or this car in general? has anyone achieved this?

[nando]

there's nothing wrong with the ICV. millions of cars use the same basic design. if it doesn't hold an idle you've got an issue somewhere.

the AFM gets a lot of crap but if everything is in proper working order it works just fine. the throttle response should not be bad, if it is really bad you've got vac leaks.

if your exhaust is loud there's likely a leak, also you probably used a much smaller/lighter muffler and no resonator. if your engine is otherwise stock you're best off with the stock cat section and maybe a catback for sound, there's not much difference between stock and a single 2.5" pipe anyway.

[Cephas]

It's still a BMW, but it's not on par with today's "luxury" standards.

Personally, I love the fact that I can hear the sewing machine under my hood. I also agree that it sounds like you have some sort of exhaust leak of it's that loud all over.

[dustyperez]

it holds an idle just fine, between 700-800 i suppose. only time it dips low is when i come to a stop and push the clutch in but pulls back up quick. but my engine sounds lumpy like an american motor with a big cam. throttle response is great and car runs awesome just stating some beefs is all.

and the car was in the exhaust shop yesterday checked for leaks. like i said its just a universal cat and a dynomax vt muffler.

[dustyperez]

its not the engine sound that bothers me and i guess its not like a 78 pinto with no exhaust loud but its louder that i thought it would be

[dustyperez]

and i dont know anyone else with an e30, if anyone has a walk around sound clip stock or non stock id love to hear it. post it here or text me a sound file 419-953-0547

[Dirty325ix]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4urrnsnXfI&feature=relmfu

this is the sound of my m20 almost a year ago bone stock with stock muffler and all. i was worried about the ticking sound so i made this video. this car drove me accross the country 2 times and i never had a single problem

and it also gives me z jays

[Lof8]

My e30 gives me hummers.

[dustyperez]

i guess i should note i do have "street" version poly revshift motor mounts and uuc trans mounts. im sure this doesnt help any for my luxury feel ;)

[jlevie]

It would be a help to know if this a ETA, SuperETA, or i/is...

[dustyperez]

its an 89 325 is

[jlevie]

its an 89 325 is

An 89 should have a later DME than a 153, which was known to have a dipping idle problem. But check to see what DME is actually in the car.

Assuming a 173 or later, check the electrical operation of the idle switch in the TPS and verify that the switch closes when the throttle stop arm is 1mm of the stop screw and clean the ICV with carb cleaner until the vane moves freely. If the O2 sensor has 100k on it, or is of unknown age, replace it. Then have a shop run a smoke test on the intake. Even a very small intake leak can cause a dipping idle problem.