about to buy an e30, engine sounds like a sewing machine?

[peller]

Hey guys and gals,
I'm new here and hopefully about to buy my first car, an 89 325i. Everything seems mechanically sound about it, except the engine sounds kinda like a sewing machine. How bad/fixable is that? The owner doesn't have any maintence records (grr) so I was gonna play it safe and change the timing belt and adjust the valves, or should i just stay clear?
Thanks for the advice! :p
peller

[Dave]

typical M20 sound is kind of like a sewing machine.

[Mike325]

Hey, welcome. That sounds like the valves to me. If it is a good price I would go for it. Valves need to be adjusted every 20K miles? or so.

[WlknGenius]

I always thought the sewing machine sound was the injectors. It's the clearly defined ticks.

I suppose we are all exposed to a wide variety of sewing machines.

And to the OP, that is normal. If the motor is actually as quiet as a sewing machine, then you've got yourself an unusually quiet m20.

[Mastrcruse]

I have this sound too and I thought it was normal. Are we supposed to have our m20's adjusted?

[325iCabrio]

Hey, welcome. That sounds like the valves to me. If it is a good price I would go for it. Valves need to be adjusted every 20K miles? or so.

I just had my valves adjusted and it still sounds like a sewing machine.

[StereoInstaller1]

Sewing machine. Wow. That is nice.

Mine sounds like a Pinãta full of ball bearings being rhythmically beaten by tiny Mexicans.

Plus, the alternator sounds like a tiny choo-choo train on crack.

Sewing machine would be so nice.

210,000 miles on 3 valve adjustments FTW! I am hoping the PO now owns a Honda.

Luke

[mikeedler]

it is prob. worn out valve springs. they are what make the most noise.

[Erick]

^ Then they must be worn from factory because my car's always been like that lol

[Axxe]

Injectors make the most noise.

[mikeedler]

until you have owned a euro 320i you think the injectors are the loudest. It took 2 days to break a rocker arm.

[n12frost]

its just the injectors the e30 is very noisy i took a long screw driver and pushed it up to the injectors and listned to it. was clearly the injectors. althought a timing belt water pump and a valve adjustment would be nice to do anyways.

[Jand3rson]

its just the injectors the e30 is very noisy i took a long screw driver and pushed it up to the injectors and listned to it. was clearly the injectors. althought a timing belt water pump and a valve adjustment would be nice to do anyways.

Injector noise is a part of it, but the valves on an M20, adjusted or not, are still pretty noisy. Comes with having only 2 per cylinder.

[T.Dot_E30]

Injector noise is a part of it, but the valves on an M20, adjusted or not, are still pretty noisy. Comes with having only 2 per cylinder.

No, having two valves per cylinder has nothing to do with it. It's the design of the head/vavle train.

[Fanzotti]

This may help...

Somewhere on one of the the bmw forums theres a thread about engine ticking. The short of it is theres a additive, cd2? I think. I'll look and post the links here later. You add it to your oil and it will quiet them down for like 2000 miles? You can also add auto trans fluid. Read the articles for the procedures: Put in at oil change Vs. before draining etc. Theres also people against using these products so dont blame me if something goes wrong, in other words read the Posts.

As far as far as the timing belt goes you should defintately change it if you are unsure of it's condition Vs. We're picking parts off your car at Sal's junk yard. Do the water pump while your at it and maybe the front seals if there leaking oil, replace gaskets. Adjust valves and new plugs are a cheap mod.