New here, quick e30 decoding question

[MasteroftheRoad]

Hows it going everyone, I'm going to be taking a 2 hour trip on thursday to hopefully pick up what im told is a 325i. However in my random parts searching ive pulled up a few sites that dont show a 325i for 86.
So basically I'm worrying that the guy is trying to pull one over on me and sell me a 325e. Either way ill probably end up buying a car, I've been lurking on the boards for a while and dreaming about an e30 for months.

What i want to know is where i can look on to car for either a engine identification tag or on the block for a casting number (other than the rear badges). Course id say the tach should be a dead giveaway. What about checking for what rear diff is in the car? And was there a 325i in 1986? Obviously the car is pre facelift.
Ive read the faq about what to look for when purchasing these cars, but what kind of maintenance should i be thinking of doing to this car if its got 180k on it. Im basically planning on a timing belt, water pump and other general tune up parts, but what about suspension wise?




This is the only picture i have saw of the car. I see something hanging off the rear bumper and the sunroof looks like its jammed up, Any comments on that?

What do you think the car is worth? the guy also said the drivers seat was redone and theres no cracks in the dash.

Thanks for any info. Sorry to right a book
Mark

[rThor432]

That is a 325es-- 2.7l engine with the low redline, low hp, high torque. You can tell by the airdam, which doesn't have the center cutouts for the oil cooler (which the 2.7l cars did not have..).

Cheers.

[long tall eta]

no i in 86

[long tall eta]

That is a 325es-- 2.7l engine with the low redline, low hp, high torque. You can tell by the airdam, which doesn't have the center cutouts for the oil cooler (which the 2.7l cars did not have..).

Cheers.

no 2.7i in 86. the seta came in 88. might be swapped but if it's an 86, it's an e, 2.7. 121 hp w/ 180 lbs of tourque

[rThor432]

no 2.7i in 86. the seta came in 88. might be swapped but if it's an 86, it's an e, 2.7. 121 hp w/ 180 lbs of tourque

I didn't say there was a 2.7i-- because there never was. The mark you might be mistaking for an 'i' is a lower case 'L', for liters.

What about checking for what rear diff is in the car?

There is a metal tag about 2.5" long on the right side of the diff that identifies the ratio. Starts with an "S" and has one stamped on the diff case if it is a limited slip. The first 3 digits will be the ratio. This one will read '2.93'.

[MasteroftheRoad]

ok, I kinda figured the car just said 325 on the back (my friend had one that had no e or i with 2.7 motor) And the guy is probably just an idiot that figures since its a bmw its a 325i.

Maybe i can use this as power to negotiate on the price

[e30Hungry]

Depends how much you're going to pay for it. Unless your going to getting get a really good deal, its not worth driving two hours for an eta. I have nothing against etas, i have one and i absolutely love her, but if i were to drive 2 hours for an e30, it better be one damn good e30 or a damn good price..

[MasteroftheRoad]

I'm not that upset about it being an e, I'm buying it for a DD/toy.

You've also got to understand that I'm in West Virginia, You have to drive a few hours to find anything worth a shit.

What do you think the car is worth?

[Zasz]

You can still make the car a lot of fun by making it a real 2.7 with head, pistons, injectors, ecu, and manifold from an i. It'll have e torque and i top end. Loooong gears.

[rThor432]

I'm not that upset about it being an e, I'm buying it for a DD/toy.

Good for you, seriously. For what it's worth, I love eta engines. I might be the only one on this forum, but I genuinely enjoy driving them. I daily drove my eta for 3 years with the stock engine. The torque is nice and they never wear out.. Plenty of power for me and averaged 35mpg (great for a college commuter, helped the budget). The only reason I ever swapped in the S52 was because we had one sitting at the shop that was ordered for a customer that decided to go with a different engine option for his car. If it hadn't been right there, I'd still be driving the car with a bone stock engine.

[MasteroftheRoad]

yeah. ive been reading up about that, the only thing that irks me about that swap is the piston deal. i feel like if im at the point of that i might as well rebuild and refresh the whole motor.

[MasteroftheRoad]

I'm sure i could find out more about this if i searched, but what about keeping a stock bottom end, just swapping the head and boosting it? Isnt the problem with just swapping the head low compression? Decking the head or block help?

I'm new to m20s, throw me an ls1 or lt1 and I can go on for a while. If noone wants to answer me some links would be greatly appreciated.

[Vivek]

Hows it going everyone, I'm going to be taking a 2 hour trip on thursday to hopefully pick up what im told is a 325i. However in my random parts searching ive pulled up a few sites that dont show a 325i for 86.
So basically I'm worrying that the guy is trying to pull one over on me and sell me a 325e. Either way ill probably end up buying a car, I've been lurking on the boards for a while and dreaming about an e30 for months.

What i want to know is where i can look on to car for either a engine identification tag or on the block for a casting number (other than the rear badges). Course id say the tach should be a dead giveaway. What about checking for what rear diff is in the car? And was there a 325i in 1986? Obviously the car is pre facelift.
Ive read the faq about what to look for when purchasing these cars, but what kind of maintenance should i be thinking of doing to this car if its got 180k on it. Im basically planning on a timing belt, water pump and other general tune up parts, but what about suspension wise?




This is the only picture i have saw of the car. I see something hanging off the rear bumper and the sunroof looks like its jammed up, Any comments on that?

What do you think the car is worth? the guy also said the drivers seat was redone and theres no cracks in the dash.

Thanks for any info. Sorry to right a book
Mark

That's bad. All bad. Never, ever go in with that mindset. You'll end up doing something you regret. How much is the car priced at? How many miles, condition, etc? We need all that info to guess a price. Don't go there thinking "oh, I can knock off a grand saying that it's an e not an i". What if he says no? You'll probably buy it anyways because of the bolded text, and end up wasting a thousand dollars.

Oh, and for the diff tag, you probably won't find it at first, but it's probably there. It'll be black/brown and covered in grime. Bring something to clean it off. It'll likely need more than just rubbing (WD-40 worked perfectly for me).

[CrusherCurtis]

Just look at the motor, the manifold will look wider.

[MasteroftheRoad]

Im not completely banking on him knocking money off. Its got 180k, allegedly no rust, allegedly a decent interior.

The guy wants 1k for the car, i havent saw it, And the guy obviously has no clue what it is.

Ive got other toys, its not gonna be my only one, even if it was an i itd still be the slowest car i own. I'd almost rather it be an e for the fuel mileage because my other cars are all heavy and have 8 cylinders.

I'm not some teenage punk that just wants an e30, ive worked on my share of bmws, no e30s honestly, but ive got a few frequent bmw customers that i deal with a good bit. If the car is a hooptie i have no problem telling the guy to shove it.