Mike's Alpine White 1991 318is

[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

PXL_20260303_174703941 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

PXL_20260303_200432377_exported_18991 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

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PXL_20260303_200954794_exported_2894 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

Coolant flush:

PXL_20260306_171229878.RAW-02.ORIGINAL by mike.bevels, on Flickr

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PXL_20260305_201805337.RAW-02.ORIGINAL by mike.bevels, on Flickr

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:

20260202-DSC_3246 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20260202-DSC_3287 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20260202-DSC_3257 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

[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!

PXL_20250919_193234748~2 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

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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==

20250824-DSC_4242 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

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20250824-DSC_4317 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

[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! :)

[mike.bmw]

The original "elephant trunk" was so brittle that when I touched it, it completely fell apart. This is used as a drain for the cowl area and can clog over time.

I ordered a new one and installation was a breeze. I cleaned up the mounting area, sprayed some silicone on the part, and it popped right on.

PXL_20250626_201546165~2 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

PXL_20250626_200610792~2 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

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[Tzantushka]

Nice updates and good to see the E30 is getting some love. Now the weather is getting better = more E30 time!

[mike.bmw]

Well, I think there's actually nothing wrong with my E30's power steering. I've been so hyper-focused on my E36 M3, I just simply forgot that the E30's steering is a bit heavier in comparison, especially with my 350mm Momo steering wheel installed. I'll probably flush the system for good measure, but it's totally fine.

[mike.bmw]

After having a shop replace the steering rack and hoses in my M3 (because I was lazy) and subsequently having to rebuild the pump (see my M3 thread), my E30 was feeling left out. I drove it for the first time in over a week today, and the power steering wasn't working whatsoever.

The fluid level is fine. The belt is new(ish) and tensioned properly. The pump spins silently. There are no visible leaks in the rack or the hoses.

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.

Could this be an issue with the steering rack? Even if there are no visible leaks? Or perhaps a hose is clogged?

Any input/insight is appreciated! I'd rather not start replacing/rebuilding things until I've pinpointed the culprit.