looking at a 633csi...

[gearheadE30]

Well, I went up to look at the car and it really wasn't too pretty. The paint was bad, one of the sunroof drains had clogged and rusted throught eh passenger side c-pillar. The sunroof leaked so the interior had water damage. The car wouldn't start, obviously, but I didn't really bother trying. It had had the windows tinted, and teh tint was peeling off. The driver's door wouldn't shut for whatever reason, and the toolkit was missing all of teh tools.

On the plus side, it was a 5-speed, there was no chassis rust, it had one of the early variants of the 13-button OBC, and it had a period-correct aftermarket stereo. Most interesting were the seats, which were e24 recaros (!!) not just e24 sport seats. In the end, thhough, I just don't have the time or money right now to get the car back the condition that I would want it to be in.

If anone else is interested, the car is in Sarasota, FL, and the car is listed in the sarasota craigslist. It would be worth more in parts than anything else, and it only had 120k miles on it.

[TDE30]

Eh, thanks for the correction.

I wasn't aware that the M90's were used in euro E23's and E24's, pretty cool.

[euroshark]

The E24 633CSi and E23 733i both used the M30 B32 (CR of 9.3:1 and 177 bhp.)

This is only going to be the case on carbureted and L-Jet models which should run to approximately mid 1981 in the E24 and E23, despite the widely accepted changeover being June of 1982. After they went to Motronic all of the US spec B32s and B34s were 8:1 compression. There was another M30 designation which is quite rare in the US called the "M90" which was derived from the M49 block used in the CSLs and later the M88/3 which had slightly different dimensions than the M30B34.

They had a larger bore and shorter stroke and I would consider them to be THE most desirable M30 variety (93.355mm bore and 84mm stroke vs 92mm and 86mm). These engines were found in European spec E12 M535is, 635CSis, and 735is. I guess the point I was getting at is the M90 had 9.3:1 compression as well, but again, after the M90 was phased out in 6/82 all M30 3.2 and 3.4 liter engines had 8:1 compression in the US.

[TDE30]

TDE30, I didn't know they had a higher compression. M30b33s are generally around 176 hp, correct? The M30b35 is rated at 182 or thereabouts if I remember correctly.

Despite their name, the E28 535is, early E24 635CSi's, and early E23 735i/L's all used the M30 B34 (which had a CR of 8.0:1 and made 184 bhp.) The E24 633CSi and E23 733i both used the M30 B32 (CR of 9.3:1 and 177 bhp.) Late 635CSi's, late E23 735i/L's, E34 535i, and E32 735i/L all used the M30 B35. The B35 was offered as a euro (read: high compression motor) for some of certain E23's and E24's, but the US only got it officially with the E32's and E34's. It had a higher compression ratio as well, something like 10.0:1 and 208-218 bhp.

Edit: Yeah, what the guy above me said. :D

[euroshark]

Sorry guys, that's not quite correct. The US spec M30B32 had 8:1 compression just like the US spec M30B34. Early B32s up to the end of 1983 or so had a hotter cam (272 degrees instead of 260) and a lighter flywheel. They were rated 1hp less than the B34 and about 20ft/lbs less torque, so depending on the literature you are looking at 181hp and 195ft/lbs vs 182hp and 215ft/lbs (some sources say 184hp for the B32 and 185hp for the B34). You might have seen 176hp for the 3.0 liter found in Bavarias, E12 530is, and the 630CS. The euro M30B32 was rated at 199-201hp and had 10:1 compression.

The M30B35 was rated at 208hp (or 211hp, again, depending on the source) and about 230-232ft/lbs. There were no US or euro spec B35s, they were "international".

That said, I'd still be totally willing to use it in an M30 powered E30. You can get M10 pistons from IE in varying compressions and they will fit the B32 blocks since they had an 89mm bore vs the B34s 92mm bore. The M10 and M30 mostly use the same valvetrain, bottom end bearings, etc because they are essentially variants of each other.

[gearheadE30]

Yeah, so definitely bring fresh gas, an empty container to drain gas into, jumper cables, a spark plug so you can test for spark, either a noid light or a multimeter to check for voltage and signal at the injector rail, and an extra crank position sensor just in case it has gone bad just sitting there.

I wish I was at home, because I would have access to all of those parts. ATM, all I will be able to get is gas, gas can, seafoam, and a multimeter. My tools are whatever is in the trunk of the car (it does have a complete toolkit ;) ).

TDE30, I didn't know they had a higher compression. M30b33s are generally around 176 hp, correct? The M30b35 is rated at 182 or thereabouts if I remember correctly.

[TDE30]

A lot of guys prefer the M30 B32 (found in the 633CSi and 733i) to the M30 B34 (used in E28 535i, E24 635CSi, etc.) because of the higher CR.

[Optimator]

Yeah, so definitely bring fresh gas, an empty container to drain gas into, jumper cables, a spark plug so you can test for spark, either a noid light or a multimeter to check for voltage and signal at the injector rail, and an extra crank position sensor just in case it has gone bad just sitting there.

[euroshark]

You can listen to the injectors by touching the tip of a long screwdriver to the injector itself and holding the handle to your ear while someone cranks it over.

[Optimator]

Likely the injectors are also stuck from sitting so long. Stuck injectors can sometimes be freed by tapping on them.

[gearheadE30]

Not yet. I havn't actually seen the car yet; I'm going up to take a look later on tomorrow. My issue is that the car is only $600, but I have to get it back to Indiana somehow.

[eric (^__^)]

did you check the fender wells for rust?

[gearheadE30]

The car already has a new battery, so I'm good to go there. Also, doesn't the fuel pump normally run when the key is turned on? It should circulate gas, so I don't think I'd need to jump anything.

All said and done, back to my house, the car would be around $1200. If I can't get it to run, it will be too expensive to ship it. being a broke high school kid sucks...

[euroshark]

Pump the bad gas into an old gas can and dispose of it afterwards. If it made a cross country drive and got parked, I'd bet that fresh gas and a good charge on the battery (or a jump) should get her going. Try not to pump 100% of the fuel out since you rick clogging the strainer, the pump, and or the main filter with any debris on the bottom of the tank. If it's a 5 speed with sport seats and a Tech 1 wheel it sounds like a nice place to start! I've owned quite a few E28s and E24s so if you have any questions feel free to PM.

[gearheadE30]

I was thinking that it was bad fuel as well after doing some research. Unfortunately, my e30 isn't around so I can't check that.

For the fuel pump idea, that sounds good, but where would it pump the gas to?

I only have about two days to decide. The car is dirt cheap, I just don't know how to get it home. It is a 5-speed with sport seats and Mtech I wheel. The seats are cracked, but the rest of the interior is fine. Mechanically it is sound, but we can't get it to start. If I figure that out, I will definitely buy it and drive it home. It has very little rust except some where one of the sunroof drains clogged. Comes with some extra parts as well, and it is Bronzit...

BTW the grounds are fine. The current owner checked that out. The car also ran great when it was put away; well enough to make a cross-country trip to its current resting place. The current owner has also owned another e24 and an e28, so he knows a thing or two about the cars.