Snagged One!

[Blake B]

I've been searching for awhile for an e30 to play around with and build. Not my first project car but first BMW. She's a little rough around the edges but runs strong.. I'll be bringing her back to glory after spending a little time in the FAQ sections. The sun roof is jammed and leaks (kind of scared of whats waiting for me there. And I need all new weather stripping before i get to any of the real fun stuff.

This will be my learning/test bed. I'll be learning to weld and do body work with this car so it'll be good time, some alcohol required. Wish Me Luck

More Pics!!





-Currently looking for some parts
-- IS lip
--Euro Grills
--Tail Lights (mine are cracked)
--Fog lights
--Interior roof lights (side dome lights?)

[BECKSTER]

Sweet find , 325i or 318i ?

[Blake B]

Sweet find , 325i or 318i ?

325is

Any tips and/or pointers as to getting the sun roof open, I'll take them, ha! I can hear the motor turn on and crank but it seems to be jammed or stuck shut

[FreedomM3]

Nice find! She just need some love. I'm looking to sell my foglights...hmm..offer?

[goskidmark]

325is

Any tips and/or pointers as to getting the sun roof open, I'll take them, ha! I can hear the motor turn on and crank but it seems to be jammed or stuck shut

There are three Torx bolts on each side to remove the whole panel without goofing anything up. Here's the website with good pictures. http://bmwe30love.blogspot.com/2011/...g-sunroof.html

[DesktopDave]

Welcome! Always happy to see another E30 get adopted. They're lovely cars. We'll need more pics though.

I've had a bunch of problems with sunroofs, but they're pretty simple. You might have to remove the cover and use the hex key 'crank' to open the roof manually. If it's not in the toolkit (yeah, I know, they're all missing like in every other E30) I think it's a 3mm. It goes in the center shaft of the large gear.

Once you get the roof about halfway open, you can gently pull the lower cover off the front lip of the roof panel. Slide that back & put the roof forward again. The torx screws are easy to get at if you have a flex-shaft screwdriver. Be careful taking them out, the brass inserts tend to spin in the plastic slider rails.

[Blake B]

I really appreciate the feedback. I've been lurking on here for about 6mos and figured that standing on the shoulders of the giants would allow me to get this car where I'd want it to be fairly quick.

As for more pictures. I need to figure out how to re-size them as their too large to attach and I hate photobucket.

[Blake B]

pics added to the first post!

[Blake B]

Slowly saving for trim and other parts. I now have a massive oil leak It appears to be coming from the front cover. I noticed it Thursday, just a few drops in the driveway. This morning it was a constant drip after dropping my son off. :-x so she sits until this weekend.


I did get some sticker action going however to hold me over

[ahrensNW]

Oil leaks are nooo fun.

[UlrichFennec]

M20s just leak. It's their thing, at least if they have some miles on them. Most of the time it's the valve cover gasket or the oil pan gasket. Could be camshaft seals or rocker plugs. Who knows?

It's generally not a big deal unless you're fuckin' dumping oil all over your driveway or losing a quart really quickly. Just top it off. Changing your viscosity might help and getting all your seals and gaskets checked and replaced will make a big difference. Mine leaks a drop, but I'm replacing all the gaskets I can on Thursday, so we'll see what happens.

Welcome to the party.

[Blake B]

I haven't gotten back out there to investigate but it looks like it's leaking from the head in the front. I can handle a little leakage but this is like a trail leaving as I back out of the driveway leak.

It doesn't leak when its off and not running. I was told the motor was rebuilt recently and it runs strong. The plugs look new, the the motor is (was?) fairly clean. I wonder if they cheaped out on the gaskets.

Regardless, after I look again in the morning it'll be time to make a decision, if it is the head-- do i want to rebuild? Find a 2.7l seta? Go m30? possibly go 32v?!?! I'm currently researching and deciding what I want out of the car.

[Cephas]

I haven't gotten back out there to investigate but it looks like it's leaking from the head in the front. I can handle a little leakage but this is like a trail leaving as I back out of the driveway leak.

Camshaft front seal or rocker plugs. Let's hope it's the rocker plugs as they're very simple. Camshaft seal will require a timing belt job to freshen it up.

[TimKninja]

oil pressure switchs can go and cause major leaks as well.

[Blake B]

oil pressure switchs can go and cause major leaks as well.

DING DING! You were right. in combination with the front of the valve cover leaking, the OPS was loose. I tightened it back up and we're leak free. send me an address and I'll send you cookies or donuts of your choice (seriously).

Since she runs like a top, I'm starting to work on her appearance a bit. Ordered new bumper trim and fog lenses "IS" lip and euro grills. Also i'll be sanding the battery tray and painting it to stop any further rust.

anyone know where i can get new headliner? I'll be tackling the sunroof soon.

and of course, complementary pictures






And the squirrel that greats me everyday after work.