What would you consider a major fault with the E30's

[Red_liner740]

Most cars have them, that one negative thing that they are known to everyone.

VW TDI's of late 90's early 2000s are known for their timing belts snapping.
240sx's are known for strut tower and subframe rot
Chrysler is known for, well, pretty much everything.

I brought this topic up because my daily driver, a 2008 Grand Cherokee diesel just sprang a fuel tank leak and apparently its a well known issue. They used a steel tank and put it inside a steel armor craddle that basically acts like a large cup, holding salt, sand and dirt in a nice cocoon around the tank. I mean, if you were designing a vessel to corrode metal i cant think of a better way to do it.

Dealer wasnts $2K for the tank and nationally they are two thousand units back ordered. So now only do they ram a dick up your ass due to bad design, they also use no lube.

a 6 year old vehicle, 150k on the clock and the fuel tank looks like this



Anyways

What would you say is E30's known "shtick"??

[UlrichFennec]

Either oil leaks or rear subframe bushings shitting out.

[BobombETA]

Rear shock mounts breaking.
Shifter slop.
Battery tray rust.

Then all the problems remedied by installing e36 components:

Slow steering rack
Timing belts breaking
Periodic valve adjustment
4 lug

Overall, no major faults like DSM and Chrysler crank walk, Dodge truck rust, Tacoma frame rust, Subaru head gaskets, VR6 timing chain guides breaking, etc...

[Vincent Brick]

Shifter slop.

That. I am unaware of a modern ('80s-up) manual trans car with a worse shifter than 80s-90s BMWs. I have worked at two BMW performance shops and have lot driven A LOT of modded E30s/E36s/E39s/etc. and only a small handful had shifters that didn't feel like shit. I was so dissapointed when I spent the money and time rebuilding my E30 shifter just have it feel almost as bad as it did previously, I'd get a short shifter but I don't feel it will help the slop and may even make it feel more vague. I don't like having a car I can't powershift.

[DrJosh]

I'd say the shifter assembly. Aside from that, I can't think of anything.

[slammin.e28]

M20.

Hands down the biggest fault for North American cars.

M40 for everyone else....followed closely by the M20.

[BobombETA]

M20.

Hands down the biggest fault for North American cars.

M40 for everyone else....followed closely by the M20.

Quick, someone post that Mobil 1 video with the million mile M20 ;)

[rturbo 930]

That. I am unaware of a modern ('80s-up) manual trans car with a worse shifter than 80s-90s BMWs. I have worked at two BMW performance shops and have lot driven A LOT of modded E30s/E36s/E39s/etc. and only a small handful had shifters that didn't feel like shit. I was so dissapointed when I spent the money and time rebuilding my E30 shifter just have it feel almost as bad as it did previously, I'd get a short shifter but I don't feel it will help the slop and may even make it feel more vague. I don't like having a car I can't powershift.

What's wrong with your shifter? I did the bushings and whatnot, and I think it's decent. Not amazing, but pretty good and definitely a hell of a lot better than it was. Although it seems to shift much smoother with the car off, but I think my trans may just be due for a rebuild (~270k miles).


Anyway, for me, shifter bushings and odo gears. I know it's kind of a small detail, but I've never had a car where the odo just dies on you. That's one of those things that just shouldn't be a problem.

[UlrichFennec]

M20.

Hands down the biggest fault for North American cars.

M40 for everyone else....followed closely by the M20.

I never really understood the hate for the M20. I'm actually pretty curious as to why it's so bad. I hear more shittalk towards the M40 than I do the M20.

[TYBG]

Shifter slop for sure. Some of them feel like a stick In water. fishin for a gear to engange. My 325es isn't that bad but most of the e30s Ive driven have been rather disappointing in that regard.

[101]

The use of steel for brake lines and fuel lines instead of an alloy.

The design of the "bitch tube" on the M20 engine that requires massive effort to change the 50 cent rubber O-rings on it.

[mr2peak]

Convertible top motor
Rear shock mounts
Shifter bushings

Nothing else really fails prematurely

[Das Delfin]

Rear shock mounts for sure. Battery tray rust is preventable with the stock catcher tube/reservoir. odo gears?

My old Saab 9000 involved removal of the transmission/engine to change the slave cylinder. The e30 was done in an hour in 35 degree weather. This car has been remarkably easy to work with. Still, I wish this car had reverse lights mounted to the front of the car that projected along the sides for seeing at night when in reverse... that shit was bananas

[Vincent Brick]

What's wrong with your shifter?

I replaced all the bushings, two of them are the Garagistic delrin pieces, all the yellow washers are as tight as can be, and even with a shift lever that a PO cut down slightly I still have at least an inch diameter of slop while in any gear. I have been told the only way to get it any better is to get a rebuilt transmission, that DSSRs offer only minimal improvement if any. I had a couple of different AWESOME shifters in the Neons I owned prior so I was quite spoiled, and I at least felt measurable improvement when I had to rebuild the shifter in my AE86. I'm a bit of a "shifter guy" so the E30 shifter has just been extra disappointing for me, the lack of shift knob options hasn't helped either.

[Hooffenstein HD]

I'm a bit of a "shifter guy" so the E30 shifter has just been extra disappointing for me, the lack of shift knob options hasn't helped either.

Floor mounted shifter and solid engine/trans mounts will solve your issues.