Did I make a mistake?

[Fidhle007]

You could buy a 1series and it will be more reliable and you wouldn't have to pull the motor anytime soon and it's fun to drive and pretty. It is a rite of passage to work on an E30, that's the exchange you take when you buy one. You buy a beautiful E30, you are expected to be able to work on them. I know a lot of people just pay others because they have no time but seriously, if it's taken you THIS long I'm sure spending ONE hour a day on your car you would have gotten it done at 1/16th of the price.

Just because you're 17 and can't afford to have something done right by someone who knows what the fuck they're doing doesn't mean the rest of us have to live that way. That's great that you like to work on your own car, props to you. I can't stand working on my own car but I do anyway because I'm better at it then anyone else around here. There is no rite of passage, there is no right or wrong. There's a car and the person who owns it and the relationship between the size of their paycheck and the cost of the repairs required. I'm guessing yours is weighted fairly heavily on the repairs side of things...

To the OP: $2000 to swap an IX engine is really not that bad. I charge at LEAST that to swap to an M/S5X motor and an IX, while requiring less custom work, is very time-consuming due to the front driveline and overall awkward bulk of the powertrain. If you were in the northeast I'd be happy to have you tow it up the the shop and we could give you a quote but that would be a bit of a stretch for AAA! Good luck and keep us posted!

PS: Don't worry about the kids making a mess of your thread, they're just mad because their parents took away their Wii Tennis...

[jlevie]

$2k to change an engine, even on an IX? That is at most an 8 hour job be someone that knows what they are doing. I can an i/is/ic engine on jackstands by myself in about 6 hours and I've changed in 4 hours with a lift. The front wheel drive adds a bit of work, but not all that much. Shop around some more.

[e30forlife]

Almost could fly somebody out and fly them back for the job hahah.

Hopefully someone in my area will step up and help.

[rThor432]

I skimmed the thread, but I'll offer help if you want me to come down to Greenville. If you have jackstands and can rent an engine hoist I can provide tools and give a hand.

[Holland]

lolcanturn is saying that e30's have common issues and you cannot own one and not expect them to arise. so by anticipating problems to come up, you should have basic knowledge and an eaguer attitude to adress those issues. if i paid people to fix every problem i find on my cars i would be better off buying a new car, but i enjoy fixing things, and that is part of the fun of having an e30.

but hey, im the kind of guy who buys a 700 dollar beater knowing i can turn it into a high HP DD

I'm sure the OP is more than willing to do smaller jobs, but I don't think he has to buy a new car because he is afraid to tackle a rather large task by himself.

[Fidhle007]

$2k to change an engine, even on an IX? That is at most an 8 hour job be someone that knows what they are doing. I can an i/is/ic engine on jackstands by myself in about 6 hours and I've changed in 4 hours with a lift. The front wheel drive adds a bit of work, but not all that much. Shop around some more.

The nature of the IX motor means the tranny, trans case and a decent portion of the front suspension need to come out. While you're there it would be dumb not to do the clutch as it would add an extra what, 20 minutes? Plus there's always something that will break or not come apart... My shop charges $75 an hour so yes, we might come in closer to $1200-1600, especially if we knew the customer was on a budget but still, we'd warn of the $2k potential. As a privateer if you forget to put something in or torque something you get a clunk and something falls out. As a retail operation I have to double and triple check that things are NEVER going to break as a result of something I did because at that point, I have the entire company on my shoulders and the last thing I want is a pissed off boss... That's what you're paying for at a shop, the peace of mind that the job was done carefully and correctly the first time by someone who knows how it's supposed to work.

After that, I have to say I agree with you in some ways, I wouldn't bother spending that much. It CAN be done cheaper and shopping around is a good option but it's still not going to be cheap... :-)

[MattBimmer]

E304life I skimmed through and didn't see anyone suggesting Markert Motor Werks.
Its based just outside of Atlanta Georgia and I would think they would charge less than other shops. Don't quote me on it. http://www.markertmotorworks.com/

[smooth]

yeah we don't really know what 2K means. it could be 1700 it could be 2100. we don't know what it entails. it could be one engine R&R or it could be two engines R&R'ed (didn't he say he bought a second car for a good motor?).

I also don't know many mechanics that will sell a bare R&R over the phone. Maybe a buddy I've been going to for a bit but cold calling a retail mechanic is going to get a quote with I certainly hope adding in refreshed seals and gaskets and all sorts of bits and bops that shade tree wrenching can ignore, half-ass, or source on the cheap as the owner sees fit.

the point is while 2000 isn't cheap it's not astronomical. engine R&R's aren't cheap for any vehicle and a german import is going to fall on the high end of the scale...and an exotic version of the german import (which an iX is) is going to be even more expensive.

In terms of the OP's "heads"
First of all, you only have one head per motor. I don't think you should clean it up at all because I don't know if you are aware what a head is. Anyway, here's a shot of my head with the valve cover off:


The valve cover is the smurf blue looking thing in this picture:


You just take the 8 nuts off that thing and there's a couple more attaching it to what we call the intake manifold (the big silver thing in the middle of that picture). You can take that off and put it back on without any issues. Just make sure nothing falls down inside it.

Take a picture and post it here for us to see. That will tell us if any rocker arms are broken but it's not enough to know the state of the head. But if they're broken we can tell you right off the bat that the head is toast and have a good idea the beginning of the damage.

But don't go cleaning anything because we'll be able to see everything we need to see without you cleaning (and the level of grime is indicative of some things too so it's best to let us see that anyway)

[Kershaw]

if you attempt this yourself or with a buddy, it's going to be easier to disconnect the driveshaft and drop the whole front subframe from the bottom. in an ix.

[cabriodster87]

Charles, post those pics tomorrow. Thanks, Steve

EDIT: Wipe the cylinder walls and piston surfaces clean enough for pics. ( rags and maybe a can of degreaser )

Looks kind of like this from above passenger fender looking down> I[:o:o:o:o:o:o:]} Then (in neutral) see if you can rotate the crankshaft clockwise using a 22mm deep socket wrench on the big bolt head in the center of the large bottom pulley (some call it a harmonic balancer).

If it moves you should see the 6 pistons travel up and down in the bores (stop and clean inside again). Send report....

Here is a link that has some pics (study this for later)
http://www.pelicanparts.com/bmw/tech...iming-Belt.htm

[KirkerBezerker]

It looks to me like E30s are DEFINITELY not the car for you. Why do you have one?

Lolcantswap

[e30forlife]

I appreciate all comments. Even had a phone call from a board member!

Tomorrow I am going to take a picture of what I got. The block is still in the car as the head is sitting in the garage. Hopefully this will help. I did mention I have another 325ix motor that is in good condition.

Is there anything else I should take photo of or anything else?

Please keep the ideas coming. If your local and can help please shoot a private message. Anything help is much appreciated.

[smooth]

if the head is off the block then take a picture of the tops of the pistons and take a picture of the head from the top like I showed in my picture and the other side where the valves are. I still don't think you need to clean it yet, though, not for us to just take a peek at what is going on for starters.

[e30forlife]

Ok will take photos as it sits. Look for photos tomorrow please and giver your thoughts on what I got.

Thanks again!

[F34R]

buy my plane ticket, feed me and I will install it for you.