Mike's Alpine White 1991 318is

[iXBeater]

Those look great!!

Getting ready to order a wool set for my E30 as well (which is what I have in my E24). I'm debating the contrast approach vs. just-black - this is helpful for that too :)

[mike.bmw]

After a positive experience ordering Coco Mats for my 1998 M3, I realized my 1991 318is needed some love. For over eight years, I've had floor mats that matched the seats, door cards, and carpet, and I've been drowning in a sea of tan/natur.

I wanted to add some contrast to the interior, so I ordered a set of front and rear "Classic" Coco Mats in Black/Taupe. Taupe is a close match to the vinyl and carpet, while the black goes well with plastic trim and the dash.

The interior is now totally transformed! Why didn't I do this years ago?!? I really can't express how happy I am with how this turned out.

The ordering process was great, just like last time. They sent me a couple of samples in the mail and followed up to see which I liked better. After finalizing my order, within two weeks the mats were made and delivered. The E30 didn't need pattern/fitment verification as they've done enough of these to ensure a perfect fit.

And with that, my prep for the Vintage is complete! Well, I still need to recover the driver's seat as the bolster is cracking. 😂

20240328-DSC_3566 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

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[mike.bmw]

There's not going to be a Cherry Blossom Run this year, but that didn't mean I couldn't take a Friday afternoon to enjoy a drive into Washington DC in my E30.

20240315-DSC_1785 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

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And for those following my E36 M3 thread... Yes, I went into Washington DC twice, a couple days apart, to enjoy the Cherry Blossom trees and take photos. :-)

[mike.bmw]

My 1991 318is was due for a brake fluid flush, so yesterday I knocked that out. That makes two days in a row as I had bled the brakes on my 1998 M3 with fresh fluid the day before.

No hiccups with the 318is. I had replaced the brake lines a few years ago. Motul 5.1 fluid.

After that was done, I thoroughly cleaned the interiors on all three cars. The F31 really needed it!

20240229-PXL_20240229_162308886 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

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[iXBeater]

Wow - fantastic on all counts!

I'm getting ready to take a big trip bringing my E30 back to North Carolina - wonder if I should write something up...?

[mike.bmw]

BMW Classic CCA's The Ultimate Classic Magazine

Last November I wrote about taking my kids on an E30 adventure to Skyline Drive and Luray Caverns. I wrote something about our road trip (shocker) and submitted it to BMW Classic CCA's The Ultimate Classic Magazine. I received it in the mail a couple of weeks ago and I'm THRILLED to have taken the cover shot and have my article included in the latest issue.

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[mike.bmw]

Getting Screwed

I've been trying to chase down what I thought was a vacuum leak for ages. Replacing the failed fan clutch did help with some idle wonkiness, but on/off throttle transitions were still subpar. I miseed the peppy M42 that I used to know. Where had it gone?

While rooting around the engine bay a few weeks ago, not wanting to take the intake manifold apart for the fourth time during my eight years of ownership (technically eight years as of next month), I found the throttle body stop screw was loose and the throttle butterfly arm was hitting the housing. How it managed to back itself out with a stop screw is beyond me. I've never attempted to adjust it before.

I went to work fixing this by tightening the screw until the idle started to increase, then I backed it off a bit. Now the M42 is peppy once again! I mean, WOW! It pulls through the rev range, it doesn't bog down between shifts. It feels like the engine I used to know.

Why was it running suboptimally before? I'm assuming that the throttle position sensor was giving bad readings once the arm went past where it was supposed to. This may have caused issues with the ICV as well. I'm not really sure, but I know that the car is running really well right now.

PXL_20240201_171339227 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

And, of course, more photos.

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[mike.bmw]

The same result, the newspaper will still stop a brand new fan clutch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDuGsDUiXQw

Confirmed! 😂

Thankfully the old one was bad (regardless of the test) and things are back to normal with the new one installed.

[roguetoaster]

The same result, the newspaper will still stop a brand new fan clutch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDuGsDUiXQw

Yep.

[monty23psk]

I may not be following. What are you expecting to see?

The same result, the newspaper will still stop a brand new fan clutch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDuGsDUiXQw

[mike.bmw]

Do the same test on the new fan clutch under the same temperature conditions, the result may be surprising.

I may not be following. What are you expecting to see?

[roguetoaster]

Do the same test on the new fan clutch under the same temperature conditions, the result may be surprising.

[mike.bmw]

Fan Clutch Replacement

I've been seeing some oddness with my coolant temps lately. It would run a bit cooler than it was supposed to. Not thermotstat-stuck-open levels of cool---been there, done that, have the coolant-soaked t-shirt---but a few hairs under 12:00 on the coolant temp gauge, moreso when engine braking to a stop.

Given that I replaced everything in the cooling system eight years ago aside from the fan clutch, I decided to do the "newspaper test." The clutch fan failed the test, so I clicked and bought.

The new Behr fan clutch arrived today. Fifteen minutes later it was installed. The engine is quieter (because the fan isn't engaged all the time) and the rpm dip when returning to idle is mysteriously gone. Would a bad fan clutch affect that as well?

Photos!

20231213-PXL_20231213_174424927 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

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[mike.bmw]

Skyline Drive / Luray Caverns

Last month my kids had a couple of days off from school, so I decided to take them on a little adventure. I wrote up a story for BMW Classic CCA's The Ultimate Classic magazine, but here are the cliff notes: We took the long way to Luray Caverns via Skyline Drive. There were beautiful views. My kids and I had a blast. The E30 performed flawlessly for a full day of driving adventures.

20231107-DSC_7623 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

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[mike.bmw]

Wow, thanks so much for putting this together. I haven't had a chance to look through the entire thread, but I'm leaning towards an E30 for my next car, and what you've done is what I'm thinking about. Do you use yours as a daily driver? That's what I'd be using mine for, and I'm curious how your experience has been. Also, what kind of shape was it in when you purchased it? (And if that info is in the thread somewhere, just let me know, and I'll hunt it down)
Thanks; great looking car!

For a while, I did drive it most days. Definitely go through the thread from the beginning, or take a look at the table of contents in the first post. Mechanically, this car needed a lot in the beginning.