Misfortune abounds!
Ever had a time where you thought everything was working against you?
Car related at least- I have...
My original e30 was purchased a while back as "itjust needs a head"... Nope - not even close... Ended up parting out what I had to recoupe my losses.
My second project was a M52 swap into a Delhpin 87IS, that was going well, until the shipping company decided to lose $2000 in parts, electronics, and supplies I needed to finish the install... I got my insurance out of that one and parted that car out due to low morale...
So recently got back into the game when I bought another 325IS, for a STEAL. Apparently the saying "you cant get something for nothing" rings true, as I knew when buying it that it had some kind of cooling system gremlin. We traced it to a head gasket leak.
Easy enough I say... So I go out and buy almost $1000 worth of preventative maintenance items and upgrades- fuel/air filters, rubber hoses, rad hoses, timing belt, water pump, thermostat, head bolts, fuel regulator, steering boots, oil and lube changes for eng/trans/diff, and a new 284 Schrick cam to top it off with while the head was off... I planned to do everything this weekend with a buddy so I could start driving it this week...
So we started Friday night on getting it torn down.. All goes well (aside from the apparent previous shade tree mechanic presence) until hmm, Hex bolts on an IS head? And then it happens- 2.7ETA is what I read on the head as I pull it off. I look closer and we also notice the Eta pistons! WTF Holy crap I bought a Bastard E30! I drop to my knees, cry, and shake my fists at the sky... (not really but almost - just for thematics).
This is all very odd, as I had been driving it pretty hard after purchase, redlining at ~6500 frequently and seemed to pull hard all the way up there. There were no clues as to the engine being an eta during purchase inspection or thereafter... The PO (who seemed not to know the difference between a spark plug and an air filter) only put 20k miles on it since purchase from original owner... The engine compartment was all IS, chassis is true IS, etc... It even is running the IS intake/wiring harness, and IS computer... Its not even a Super Eta... Wow.
So we conclude that the original owner blew the engine and had some bonehead shadetree somebody install a new longblock...The wrong longblock...
We wonder how this combimation has even survived 20,000+ miles without grenading, or how it even works in the first place... Whats interesting is that the numbers appear to originate from a very early eta engine. I guess its a testament to BMW's engineering ability.
So anyway, Now I'm stuck, broke, with parts I cant use on this engine, and forced to use public transpo for another month until I sort this out.
Its ok, I think this may be my chance to build a fresh engine, maybe a stroker, and replace the clutch/throwout bearing (which were pretty bad), and do my drivetrain maintenance.
I dont think I'll part this one out. I'm exploring options, but currently from previous projects, I have everything for a stroker but pistons and a trip to the machine shop, therefore that may be the way I end up going...
Thanks for being a good audience! Commiserate or laugh if you like!
Cliff Notes: I cant catch a break and just found out my newly purchased 87 325IS is equipped with ETA power...
Car related at least- I have...
My original e30 was purchased a while back as "itjust needs a head"... Nope - not even close... Ended up parting out what I had to recoupe my losses.
My second project was a M52 swap into a Delhpin 87IS, that was going well, until the shipping company decided to lose $2000 in parts, electronics, and supplies I needed to finish the install... I got my insurance out of that one and parted that car out due to low morale...
So recently got back into the game when I bought another 325IS, for a STEAL. Apparently the saying "you cant get something for nothing" rings true, as I knew when buying it that it had some kind of cooling system gremlin. We traced it to a head gasket leak.
Easy enough I say... So I go out and buy almost $1000 worth of preventative maintenance items and upgrades- fuel/air filters, rubber hoses, rad hoses, timing belt, water pump, thermostat, head bolts, fuel regulator, steering boots, oil and lube changes for eng/trans/diff, and a new 284 Schrick cam to top it off with while the head was off... I planned to do everything this weekend with a buddy so I could start driving it this week...
So we started Friday night on getting it torn down.. All goes well (aside from the apparent previous shade tree mechanic presence) until hmm, Hex bolts on an IS head? And then it happens- 2.7ETA is what I read on the head as I pull it off. I look closer and we also notice the Eta pistons! WTF Holy crap I bought a Bastard E30! I drop to my knees, cry, and shake my fists at the sky... (not really but almost - just for thematics).
This is all very odd, as I had been driving it pretty hard after purchase, redlining at ~6500 frequently and seemed to pull hard all the way up there. There were no clues as to the engine being an eta during purchase inspection or thereafter... The PO (who seemed not to know the difference between a spark plug and an air filter) only put 20k miles on it since purchase from original owner... The engine compartment was all IS, chassis is true IS, etc... It even is running the IS intake/wiring harness, and IS computer... Its not even a Super Eta... Wow.
So we conclude that the original owner blew the engine and had some bonehead shadetree somebody install a new longblock...The wrong longblock...
We wonder how this combimation has even survived 20,000+ miles without grenading, or how it even works in the first place... Whats interesting is that the numbers appear to originate from a very early eta engine. I guess its a testament to BMW's engineering ability.
So anyway, Now I'm stuck, broke, with parts I cant use on this engine, and forced to use public transpo for another month until I sort this out.
Its ok, I think this may be my chance to build a fresh engine, maybe a stroker, and replace the clutch/throwout bearing (which were pretty bad), and do my drivetrain maintenance.
I dont think I'll part this one out. I'm exploring options, but currently from previous projects, I have everything for a stroker but pistons and a trip to the machine shop, therefore that may be the way I end up going...
Thanks for being a good audience! Commiserate or laugh if you like!
Cliff Notes: I cant catch a break and just found out my newly purchased 87 325IS is equipped with ETA power...
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