Decisions, decisions on a 1991 318is - new to me and needing some help

[Wareagle32789]

If this is the direction you've elected to go, first focus on getting the stock internals of the engine working as they should. - any specific suggestions for this?

I visited Metric Mechanic, and see that they are big on changing the flywheel. I have to get a new clutch anyway, would this be a good investment?

[82eye]

Yes, this too. EV conversions aren’t going to be within reach for many of us until maybe 5-15 years from now. Unless it’s strictly a short distance city car; in that case you can probably get away with a small battery and a low-power motor for not much money

there are companies putting kits together now. i've no idea what they are like. most guys are starting with a totaled even complete tesla, that can't be cheap at all.

[Dj Buttchug]

Did OP answer the question about how long the car was driven with a broken oil pan? Possibly engine isnt ruined and local shop is smoking crack? Based on OPs screenname pic it looks like you parked and still had alot of oil in the engine. Im betting the engine is not damaged from lack of oil...


Also LOL at EV alternative. Why tf would anyone want to do this to an e30.... w/e

[ZeKahr]

If this is the direction you've elected to go, first focus on getting the stock internals of the engine working as they should. - any specific suggestions for this?

I visited Metric Mechanic, and see that they are big on changing the flywheel. I have to get a new clutch anyway, would this be a good investment?

Can’t really offer specific suggestions regarding the rebuild process if that’s what you’re asking. Someone who’s rebuilt an M42 should be able to consult on this.

Lightweight flywheel is only a good investment if you’re okay with the car being easier to stall out when starting from a stop (the stock flywheel is heavy to make the car hard to stall out) as a trade-off for the performance gains.

there are companies putting kits together now. i've no idea what they are like. most guys are starting with a totaled even complete tesla, that can't be cheap at all.

Most of those kits I've seen are either for Minis or RR cars like air-cooled Porsches or Volkswagens.

The Tesla stuff is overkill and ridiculously expensive IMO. The drive unit, controller, mounting hardware, etc without batteries totals out to $10k alone. Skudak sells the individual parts for an E30, but no kit. I think he said a conversion was $40k if I remember correctly.

A much more affordable setup is totaled Nissan Leaf batteries paired with a forklift DC motor and a 48-72V 500-650 amp DC controller (you could probably get all of that for around or under $5k). This guy did a conversion on a Geo Metro for only $1000, but he used lead-acid batteries and it's slow as hell (like dog-slow). Although, I think he drives the car in 3rd gear from a video I saw a while back, so that might be why.

[Panici]

It's personal preference, but I LOVE lightweight flywheels.

Can be more challenging to drive, you have to be more precise.
Throttle blips on downshifts are so much more satisfying, and banging heel-toe downshifts is glorious.

[82eye]

It's personal preference, but I LOVE lightweight flywheels.

Can be more challenging to drive, you have to be more precise.
Throttle blips on downshifts are so much more satisfying, and banging heel-toe downshifts is glorious.

i'm going with one for my build

[Wareagle32789]

I don't think that the internals are messed up, the car was shut down before oil had all come out; the shop replaced the lower oil pan, but said that after that was replaced and the car was cranked up, there was oil leaking from around the timing chain/oil pump cover. Much of his cost was going to be in pulling the engine out for access to this, which then set off an avalance of "extras:" water pump, new engine mounts, etc, etc. I was involved in a "negotiaion" with my friends at Ctiy Hall to see how much of this damage they would pay for. 8 weeks later, it boiled down to 2 choices: they would "total" the car out and pay me $3750 (blue book value the claim), or let me keep the car and pay me $2700. I owe the shop $1700 for the work already done, so now I'm picking up a car with a substantial oil leak and going to tackle the work myself. Good news is that I have access to a lift and an engine hoist, so I can get it out and have a few bucks for parts. The transmission that 's in there has a wonky situation shifting to/from 4th gear (bad synchro?) but the car came with a spare Getrag 5-speed that the previous owner was going to swap in but never did. This will give me a chance to replace the bad trans with the "good" one, at which time I will install a new clutch, so that's why the flywheel swap caught my attention. I can also get to the front of the engine easier to address the rest of the oil leak, put in a new water pump and get that back together. Should I change the timing change at this point as well whicle I have that area open? Seems like a good idea...

[Wareagle32789]

"timing chain" not "timing change" LOL

[e30vert]

If you are already pulling the engine down to the point where you basically have ready access then by all means change the timing belt. Make sure the engine is aligned with the top dead center mark and dont move or rotate it after that until the new belt is installed. You dont want to be off a tooth or two when reinstalling the belt.

[Dj Buttchug]

Timing chain work is easily done without removing the engine. Remove hood and radiator. This allows plenty of room to work.

If you are already pulling the engine down to the point where you basically have ready access then by all means change the timing belt. Make sure the engine is aligned with the top dead center mark and dont move or rotate it after that until the new belt is installed. You dont want to be off a tooth or two when reinstalling the belt.

M42s have a timing chain not a timing belt. Also fwiw op these engines are very easy to time.

[E30Kills]

This describes an M42 on track perfectly.



At last check, yes, the timing guides and the crank damper seem to be a real problem to procure.

Is there something wrong with these guides? https://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E36-31...g/Guide_Rails/

Luckily, I've stocked up on M42 parts - notably the camshaft gears/sprockets. Got 2 extra sets in my storage unit!

[uturn]

Is there something wrong with these guides? https://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E36-31...g/Guide_Rails/

Other than the cost? The long one will need the longer screw to mount it. This set is for the updated timing housing without idle sprocket. And the tensioner guide is not listed.

[Shadye30]

Keep it a 4cylinder....

Kswap it...

[ZeKahr]

Also LOL at EV alternative. Why tf would anyone want to do this to an e30.... w/e

Because you like the E30’s body style and hate working with stinky engine and transmission fluids. Skudak, who does EV conversions on E30s, shared that sentiment with me.

[varg]

M42s leak, a lot. There are a lot of places to leak. Valve cover gasket when the rubber washers on the bolts harden, profile gasket, timing case, oil filter housing, oil pan gaskets. The hardest one to fix is the profile gasket since it's a head-off job. M42s are easy to work on, but if you intend on tracking the car it's not a good idea to keep an M42, see below. People are big on changing the M42's flywheel because it's a big dual mass chunk, and the stock M42 with that flywheel does not rev like people expect a 4 cylinder to, it's kind of sluggish honestly. The single mass flywheels are lighter and improve the car's responsiveness but also highlight how course the M42 is, it's a noisy engine and the lighter single mass flywheel increases the vibration felt. Any old car is a losing prospect financially if you don't do the work yourself, so the financial aspect of this all points to that.

hasn't availability of m42 parts gotten crappy ? i know fcp can't supply the whole timing chain kit anymore and i've seen threads where folk have had trouble getting the guides.

Yes. The crank dampers are a particular problem. I recently sold mine that I still had laying around to a guy I know, they apparently fail if you rev it out a lot and are extremely hard to find. A stock 318is seems like a great trackable car what with the lightness and lack of power, but the M42's lack of timing parts support is the end of that imo. You cannot sustain high revs safely if you can't refresh the timing parts and you cannot rely on a 30 year old crank damper that is a known failure point. Kind of a shame. An aluminum 24V swap is the only 24V swap I'd consider in a 318, everything else is heavier than even an M20. Keeping it a 4cylinder a K swap is the swap to do. Sounds like it may be outside of OP's realm of possibility if a cracked oil pan resulted in a trip to a shop.

Also, Sebring is hard on cars, it has a terrible surface and plenty of high speed. All of the suspension, bushings and brakes will have to be in flawless condition or it's pointless to take the car there and forget about extra power unless you also are going to make up for it with extra brake and cooling capacity. The rough and unforgiving track and the heat will find the weak points.