E30 reliability

[Stanley Rockafella]

if the e30 is so bad electrically, I invite you to own a Volvo from the same time period.

I was astounded at it's fantastic electrical system when I got my first one

[socalife]

LOL, shout out to all those members that said learn from your mistakes and make good threads. As far as i can see, this one has been successful and my questions have been answered. I hope flyboy and all those other guys who had their flame suits on, on my old thread (which is history) see my progress :D

[dnguyen1963]

if the e30 is so bad electrically, I invite you to own a Volvo from the same time period.

I was astounded at it's fantastic electrical system when I got my first one

It's not that bad, just annoying as hell considering how solid the engine is.

[Sykohtic]

it's not that bad, just annoying as hell considering how solid the engine is.

+1

[nando]

I imagine a lot of E30s have been hacked into with random stereos/alarms over the years

everything electrical on my E30 still works as it did in October 1990 when it rolled off the assembly line..

[abrokenframe]

It's not that bad, just annoying as hell considering how solid the engine is.

All mid to early 80's wire harnesses deteriorate and must be replaced. Good thing they are tinker toys.

And how about the 240's taillights and sound system??? Garbage! I had to buy 5 original cassette decks to pull apart and build one semi working one. That's why you buy the base model with manual windows and shit.

Besides that, I love them.

Ryan

[TurboJake]

You want to know car with wiring nightmares? Look into British Leyland cars.

/argument

Also, I'm with Nando... The electrical systems are still top notch and function perfect. Way better than my pathfinder which is full of electrical whatthefuckery.

[e34john]

I got my car of Craigslist from some girl in PB. You should know how this will turn out. And yes there is always something wrong with it. You probably should have changed all sensors and seals when you did your swap.

But back to the point. My car was never perfect for long, I've always had to do something to it, but you know what whenever something went wrong, I replaced it with the right part. Lemforder, Bosch, Ate Etc. and I havent had to change those parts again. Eventually I will have it all in working order, I mean there are only so many replaceable parts on this thing.

And the car is amazing, dash looks and feels nice, it isn't a rattle trap. Kids whose parents purchased them a base model Civic are impressed by the power windows and power heated mirrors.

So yes, you will reach that point. My e34 has a 170k m50, we've owned the car since new and besides oil changes I haven't had to do anything except water pumps, but that was back when they had the plastic impellers.

[dnguyen1963]

I imagine a lot of E30s have been hacked into with random stereos/alarms over the years

everything electrical on my E30 still works as it did in October 1990 when it rolled off the assembly line..

Mine is complete stock, but it still has some electrical problems. Two of the most common ones are the brake and the brake lining lights. As for the brake light, I know all my lights are working so I just ignore it. The brake lining lights I do not care much for because I know the pads are still good so I ignore it too.

[Dozyproductions]

You should provide context. PB, Pacific Beach, in san diego is where the side walks are coated with the herpes and the marine layer is replaced with a pungy bromosphere.

I never had a problem with my e30's electrical or odo's gears, had to replace all the decaying rubber as expected and the m20 was peppy nearing 180K!

[flyboyx]

i have to give you kudos kid. this thread is incrementally better than your raspy exhaust posting.

i don't know you or the work you do, but i am thinking this problem might be related to how the work was done? did you replace all the gaskets, seals and other consumables around the engine or did you just take it out of the e36 and drop it in the e30?

[socalife]

Well the condition of my engine was basically new and still have no problems. All the parts i installed for the swap were all the good brand names and i have no problems with my engine. Besides a little vanos tick, i have suspension problems that i took to get fixed 3 times and the clunking noise wont go away on the front right. I have transmission problems, like a horrible rattle on a cold start. I have a clunk when ever i step on the gas from low rpm. The good news though is that im taking the car tomorrow to instal a 3.45 lsd, and he promised he would fix the suspension clunk and look at the transmission for me. Not to mention i suspect a lot of rust on my car... If you take off the floor mats you could see some orange on the carpet. I hope that doesnt mean my floor boards are crap. Also i have some minimul battery tray rust just a few spots.

[quikveedb2]

You should probably evaluate the body's condition more thoroughly if you suspect rust. If it was me I'd do that before going nuts installing more parts and paying someone to problem solve a drive-train and suspension attached to a chassis that might not be worth the effort.

[totheredline]

Sucks for you guys. I bought my 270,000mi ETA for $800. Swapped suspension and brakes over from my totaled 318is, did a valve adjustment and changed the oil. I've put 2,000 miles on it and it runs like a top. No issues whatsoever... and trust me, I've been trying to kill that engine. Oh btw, the interior is pristine and the AC works lol

[socalife]

Well, the good news is that the 3.45 lsd is amazing. Other then that my mechanic promised that my transmission would be replaced free of cost or the seller that he bought it from would pay for the transmission parts. He also said the same thing about the suspension clunk, that he would replace the shock absorber for me. Hopefully after those two fix's i wont have anymore problems. Btw, does anyone know why i dont get the buffeting noise from the rev limiter. Instead its just a study high rpm