Mike's Alpine White 1991 318is

[mike.bmw]

Yesterday I attended the 42nd Deutsche Marque Concours event with my E30. This will be the fifth time I've taken my E30 in 10 years of ownership. I keep the car pretty clean all the time, but I did address some things in the engine bay and in the trunk. After a quick wipe down it was ready! I am pleased to report we took second place in the 1980s class. With beautiful weather, catching up with friends, and seeing so many amazing cars, it was a great day.

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[mike.bmw]

I didn't end up going to The Vintage this year. I had a few "life" things come up and it just wasn't in the cards. A few days before I was scheduled to drive to NC, I did have to address a few E30 issues.

First, the power steering return line was leaking at the reservoir. I noticed the line wasn't in great shape when I replaced the reservoir as the aftermarket worm clamp had destroyed it, but I thought this was something that could wait until after the trip. It wasn't. I drained the reservoir again, cut an inch off the line so there was a clean end, got a proper BMW hose clamp, reattached it, and refilled the reservoir.

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I had recently changed my E36 M3's fuel filter and was shocked that the date stamped on it was from 2000. I knew I had changed my E30's' fuel filter ~3 years ago, but I had another on the shelf and figured it was a quick and easy job, so why not? It took about 10 minutes. Now both cars are on the same interval. While I was doing this, I also noticed the "new" gas cap was leaking vapor, so I reinstalled the old one and no more leaks.

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The last item was to readdress the tire balance. The front end was shaking above 55mph, and if I was going to drive 500 miles later that week, I wanted properly balanced tires. I took the wheels and tires to a local trusted shop and they determined one of the front wheels was out of balance and corrected it.

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After a few days of E30 prep for the road trip, I had to bail. Bummer. Hopefully next year!

[udubfl]

Didn’t realize the 10 year thread either! Awesome for you to keep up with updates. Appreciate the pics and vids.

[mmoyer11]

I cant believe I’ve never seen this thread. So rad. Hope you’re well!!

[mike.bmw]

Still looks as good as ever. How many miles on it now? It'd have to be getting up there, and I love it for that

Thanks! It has nearly 168,000 miles on it now. Once I get back from The Vintage it'll probably have 170K.

I haven't been driving it as much the past few years because my 261,000-mile E36 M3 has been more of a project than I anticipated, putting me in a seemingly endless fix, test, and drive cycle. But now that I've replaced almost everything on the E36, it's time to give the 318is more attention.

This month actually marks 10 years since I bought the 318is in Altanta, GA and drove it 650 miles home to Virginia. It feels like a lifetime ago and just yesterday at the same time.

[econti]

Still looks as good as ever. How many miles on it now? It'd have to be getting up there, and I love it for that

[mike.bmw]

Vintage Prep! In April I'll be driving 500 miles to Maggie Valley, NC for The Vintage. I finished up the remaining maintenance that I wanted to have done before the trip.

New tires:

Video: https://youtube.com/shorts/VmkNeZqxS...-oKJ_YZrLamRm3

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Coolant flush:

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In January I changed the oil, I flushed the power steering in February, and I did the gear box, rear diff, and brake fluid last year, so I should be good to go!

[mike.bmw]

It has been a minute! Not much new, aside from an oil change and discovering a leaking power steering rack.

The rack leak isn't bad. It's not even dripping on the ground. There's just some signs of seepage on the driver's side bellows. Stock reman units are out of stock everywhere, which leaves me with the alternative of installing a Z3 rack (the same one I have in my E36 M3). However, there are some complications with airbag-equipped E30s, so it's not a direct swap.

In the short term, I've flushed the power steering system, installed a new reservoir, and added some Liqui Moly Stop Leak to see if that clears things up.

I plan to take this car to the Vintage this year, so I'll be driving it more once the snow clears and making sure everything is good for the 1,500-mile round trip.

Here's a video of the power steering flush: https://youtube.com/shorts/JSFZ5Z_Uu...JIn8GUyFseFlwd

And some random driveway photos during winter:

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[mike.bmw]

After an embarrassing amount of time passing, I have finally fixed my parking brake issue. The right rear side would stick when I parked on a hill, requiring me to rock the car back and forth to hear it "pop" and unstick. I thought I had fixed this a few months ago by adjusting the parking brake cables, but after a week or so the issue came back.

This time I took everything apart to inspect the parking brake mechanism. It was gummed up with tons of old brake dust, so I used brake cleaner and a brush to give everything a thorough cleaning. Problem solved, and the car rolls without any resistance when the parking brake is disengaged!

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[mike.bmw]

Bye bye old and crumbling hood insulation! FCP Euro to the rescue with fresh OEM goodness!

Removing the old stuff, and all the baked on adhesive underneath was a messy and time consuming process, but well worth it.

Short video: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOWpF...UyNTI1aDNmOA==

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[mike.bmw]

Ah, I see. Misunderstood. Out of curiosity, does your pressure line have the coil bend in it as well?

I didn't see a coil bend like the one in the diagram in my PS lines. Hope this helps!

[MaCheFai]

Ah, I see. Misunderstood. Out of curiosity, does your pressure line have the coil bend in it as well?

[mike.bmw]

Hey mike.bmw I have a '91 318 convertible and just had a power steering leak spring up on my high pressure hose. In looking for a replacement part, I noticed that my high pressure line looks like the one from the e36, see #5 here: https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...diagId=32_0650

Saw you mention a rebuild kit for the e36, was curious to learn more! Can't find this pressure line with a coil looking thing at the back anywhere online, and I'm beached at the moment. In Falls Church, VA and will trade beer for a lead on a pressure hose.

What I mentioned was the E36 power steering pump rebuild kit, which appears to be the same kit that would be used for the E30 power steering pump.

I haven't looked into the availability or compatibility of the power steering lines, but if they are NLA, you might be able to take your current lines to a shop that has tooling to make high pressure automotive hoses to have them remade.

[MaCheFai]

The 318is power steering pump uses the same rebuild kit as my E36 M3's pump, so I am intimately familiar with the internals. If the pump was bad, I'd expect the rotor/vanes to be seized/destroyed, or the pump to be leaking, and either way making a ton of noise. But it's not making any noise.

Hey mike.bmw I have a '91 318 convertible and just had a power steering leak spring up on my high pressure hose. In looking for a replacement part, I noticed that my high pressure line looks like the one from the e36, see #5 here: https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...diagId=32_0650

Saw you mention a rebuild kit for the e36, was curious to learn more! Can't find this pressure line with a coil looking thing at the back anywhere online, and I'm beached at the moment. In Falls Church, VA and will trade beer for a lead on a pressure hose.

[D.Martijn]

It's sometimes the little things that make a big difference!

Great write up as always Mike! :)