It Runs It Runs!!!!

[ZinRot325i]

Today I started the car for the first time!
After one failed crank ...It started RIGHT UP!
This is the first time this engine has been started in almost 3 years and the first time after the rebuild....and it runs REALLY smoothly.

The original tranny in the chassis was an auto, so I guess it qualifies as a 5-speed swap too.

Only minor glitches are that the instrumeng cluster gauges and OBC aren't working yet....and I've got a minor oil leak where the oil cooler adapter mounts to the block...but I figure I can take care of those tomorrow!

[JPL]

congrats. why the 3 year nap?

[ZinRot325i]

The head I'm using only has about 55,000 miles on it,
The whole engine was originally taken out of a 1991 325i and put in my friends 86 325e. This was in 2000. In '03 or '04 (I forget) He took the engine out to do an M50 swap...so this engine basically sat at his parents house until I got ahold of it. We threw out the bottom end and used the untouched head, used a spare eta bottom end that was lying around (crashed auto 528e w/maybe 102k miles....probably hadn't been driven since 2000).

We had the bottom end rebuilt with 'I' pistons and had the head rebuilt and did a little extra work for more free flow of gasses. So it's a 2.7L stroker setup.

[ZinRot325i]

Update: Fuse 21 was blown. Now all I've got to do is fix that little oil leak and I can throw my suspension in and get rolling.

[Axxe]

I just started my new car earlier tonight. Lucky for me, I had an electronic wizard with me (NickP) and he wired everything up to work flawlessly. '91 318is with '87 M20B25.

[ibavarian]

Congrats, just in time for a sunday night ride to no where..

[ZinRot325i]

Update #2!

Isolated the oil leak, I need new gaskets for the bolt that runs thru the oil-filter adapter and the adapter itself.

Tach stopped working...AGAIN, but I can't isolate it to a fuse this time so I'll have to poke around some.

Meanwhile, I put the straight non/cooler adapter from the 528e on with the filter so I could get the engine warmed up and bleed the cooling system. The temp gauge stayed slightly below half, the exhaust was clean, and there was no appreciable air in the system.

OT: Looking on REALOEM I saw that there was apparantly an adapter kit made for the cartridge setup like they had on the e36....anyone know where/how I can get my hands on one of these?

The spinon filter seems cheap.

[blueapplesoda]

Hmm that cartridge setup sounds interesting.

[nefarious7907]

actually the BMW spin on oil filters are probably one of the best filters, and they arent priced too bad like 5 bucks a pop.

I know the cartridges are supposed to last some 15k miles but I wouldnt advise it.

[MikeE30325i]

Congrats!

[vivalegreg]

hell yea, good to see another e30 back to life!!!

[ZinRot325i]

It still needs tags and it needs to be inspected.
All in good time.

I don't want the cartridge filter for the mileage, I want it for convienience. I hate where they located the oil filter.

[MikeE30325i]

yeah i still have to getmine registered and get it to pass emissions. glad i have my SE-R!