Bronzit E30's have it tough.
They're usually the more abused, cursed E30's that no one wants because some people find it to be an ugly color or because they're mostly cursed.
I love bronzit on my E30.
However, I hate the car. But I also love it.
It's a very bittersweet relationship.
For introduction, I just turned 17 and this is my first car. On a scale of mechanical experience, 1 being cleaning a car, 10 being some nut in a village in Germany that just rebuilds 16 speed truck transmissions all day, I'm probably a 4 or a 5. Before my E30, i've changed out spark plugs, cat converters, ignition coils, pretty basic stuff.
Boy was I in for a surprise.
I bought my E30 in Brooklyn from a kid that was slightly more retarded than me for even thinking of owning a car, let alone a BMW.
I paid $900 for an early 88' IS. It was lowered on Eibach springs and has an exhaust that makes noise and stuff. It was a geogia car so it wasn't sunfaded but it also wasn't rusted. So I was happy. Unfortunately like the majority of us who buy our first cars, we get overjoyed and don't really realize a few things.
The car was hoodless. He drove me around the block in Brooklyn, and everything was swell. Nothing seemed out of order.
The interior was absolute shit though.
It looked ok from the outside
So I drove back to Jersey and got it insured and registered, and now back to Brooklyn we go.
Plates are put on, "Oh yeah I'm finally getting this baby home,"
We drove about 6 blocks until I realize there is quite a bit of smoke coming out of the hood (we mocked a hood on). "Dad, check if the car is overheating." "Oh shit!"
There is a sign in front of us that says "Belt Parkway"
This car will not make it to Jersey. We parked right before the belt parkway, right on the intersection that it takes you.
We checked what's going on. Coolant levels? There is no coolant. I run to the store and get some water, actually like 5 gallons of it. Fill it up, bleed the system. It's still overheating. Checked the dipstick for oil...the dipstick was as dry as can ever be. There is absolutely no oil in the engine. I run to walgreens and get 6 quarts of Mobil 1. Now lets check if its overheating. It still is.
We drive back to Jersey because our efforts are fruitless. We return the next day with a UHaul transporter and a Ford F250. This car's getting to Jersey. Unfortunately, the transporter was way too wide for the rush hour of the Belt Parkway, so we're going to go through Manhattan. I'm not sure why because that was way fucking worse.
So we get it to Jersey and leave it in my house. I post my first thread on r3v technical about my overheating problem.
Deep in my head I was thinking it was the headgasket, but that's the last thing I want to even hear. After all, the hardest thing I've done is change out freakin ignition coils... I don't know shit about taking a motor apart.
I contacted a couple of places asking for prices...some of the prices were 1/2 of what I paid for the E30. Word spread around my town and I got tips, help, and tools from people.
Fuck it what's the worse that can happen?
This is the worse that can happen. My head is fucked beyond machinable repair.
But it was definately my headgasket...
Yum antifreeze in my cylinder head!
Eh whatever, I'll take a chance. Put new gaskets everywhere, torqued down to spec, started it up...it's not looking good. Horrid white smoke coming out the exhaust and my dipstick is still chocolate looking. Oh god, how am I going to sell this car now......
I put in water, bled the system while the engine was still cold. "Ok, it's not heating up on idle, let me drive it around..."
Drive it around...feels like shit. I go WOT, thinking in my head this is the first and last time I'll ever go WOT in this car.
Much power. Much life. Didn't even go past blue on the temp gauge.
No more white smoke in the exhaust, no more coolant spewing out my exhaust, no more chocolate oil.
Fuck yeah.
And so she finally drove further than a couple of feet before overheating...
Got a new hood, gave her a wash. Shit, bronzit actually does look good, mine was just dirty.
But now I'm having a misfiring problem that is probably correlated to my broken cam gear piece that's messing with my ignition rotor. Hopefully I'll have that sorted by tomorrow.
So why am I presenting you guys with this boring ass thread?
I don't know.
I'm trying to keep it as motivation to keep going, so maybe I can look back when my car takes a shitter and actually have the motivation to keep going.
I started out with quite a surplus of money, but now I'm on the low triple digits which is worrying me. I hope the problems are minor.
But the worrying goes away when I drive my E30. It's really like no other car I've driven before.. although I hate getting asked at the gas pumps "Diesel correct?" (Because my car sounds like a diesel), I still get compliments and stares as I'm driving by. And it's not even that. It is a go kart. It's so fun to drive, so agile, so I hope that keeps me going.
Thanks for the read, I'll try to get an update tomorrow. I'm finished up the interior tonight but I didn't take pics.
They're usually the more abused, cursed E30's that no one wants because some people find it to be an ugly color or because they're mostly cursed.
I love bronzit on my E30.
However, I hate the car. But I also love it.
It's a very bittersweet relationship.
For introduction, I just turned 17 and this is my first car. On a scale of mechanical experience, 1 being cleaning a car, 10 being some nut in a village in Germany that just rebuilds 16 speed truck transmissions all day, I'm probably a 4 or a 5. Before my E30, i've changed out spark plugs, cat converters, ignition coils, pretty basic stuff.
Boy was I in for a surprise.
I bought my E30 in Brooklyn from a kid that was slightly more retarded than me for even thinking of owning a car, let alone a BMW.
I paid $900 for an early 88' IS. It was lowered on Eibach springs and has an exhaust that makes noise and stuff. It was a geogia car so it wasn't sunfaded but it also wasn't rusted. So I was happy. Unfortunately like the majority of us who buy our first cars, we get overjoyed and don't really realize a few things.
The car was hoodless. He drove me around the block in Brooklyn, and everything was swell. Nothing seemed out of order.
The interior was absolute shit though.
It looked ok from the outside
So I drove back to Jersey and got it insured and registered, and now back to Brooklyn we go.
Plates are put on, "Oh yeah I'm finally getting this baby home,"
We drove about 6 blocks until I realize there is quite a bit of smoke coming out of the hood (we mocked a hood on). "Dad, check if the car is overheating." "Oh shit!"
There is a sign in front of us that says "Belt Parkway"
This car will not make it to Jersey. We parked right before the belt parkway, right on the intersection that it takes you.
We checked what's going on. Coolant levels? There is no coolant. I run to the store and get some water, actually like 5 gallons of it. Fill it up, bleed the system. It's still overheating. Checked the dipstick for oil...the dipstick was as dry as can ever be. There is absolutely no oil in the engine. I run to walgreens and get 6 quarts of Mobil 1. Now lets check if its overheating. It still is.
We drive back to Jersey because our efforts are fruitless. We return the next day with a UHaul transporter and a Ford F250. This car's getting to Jersey. Unfortunately, the transporter was way too wide for the rush hour of the Belt Parkway, so we're going to go through Manhattan. I'm not sure why because that was way fucking worse.
So we get it to Jersey and leave it in my house. I post my first thread on r3v technical about my overheating problem.
Deep in my head I was thinking it was the headgasket, but that's the last thing I want to even hear. After all, the hardest thing I've done is change out freakin ignition coils... I don't know shit about taking a motor apart.
I contacted a couple of places asking for prices...some of the prices were 1/2 of what I paid for the E30. Word spread around my town and I got tips, help, and tools from people.
Fuck it what's the worse that can happen?
This is the worse that can happen. My head is fucked beyond machinable repair.
But it was definately my headgasket...
Yum antifreeze in my cylinder head!
Eh whatever, I'll take a chance. Put new gaskets everywhere, torqued down to spec, started it up...it's not looking good. Horrid white smoke coming out the exhaust and my dipstick is still chocolate looking. Oh god, how am I going to sell this car now......
I put in water, bled the system while the engine was still cold. "Ok, it's not heating up on idle, let me drive it around..."
Drive it around...feels like shit. I go WOT, thinking in my head this is the first and last time I'll ever go WOT in this car.
Much power. Much life. Didn't even go past blue on the temp gauge.
No more white smoke in the exhaust, no more coolant spewing out my exhaust, no more chocolate oil.
Fuck yeah.
And so she finally drove further than a couple of feet before overheating...
Got a new hood, gave her a wash. Shit, bronzit actually does look good, mine was just dirty.
But now I'm having a misfiring problem that is probably correlated to my broken cam gear piece that's messing with my ignition rotor. Hopefully I'll have that sorted by tomorrow.
So why am I presenting you guys with this boring ass thread?
I don't know.
I'm trying to keep it as motivation to keep going, so maybe I can look back when my car takes a shitter and actually have the motivation to keep going.
I started out with quite a surplus of money, but now I'm on the low triple digits which is worrying me. I hope the problems are minor.
But the worrying goes away when I drive my E30. It's really like no other car I've driven before.. although I hate getting asked at the gas pumps "Diesel correct?" (Because my car sounds like a diesel), I still get compliments and stares as I'm driving by. And it's not even that. It is a go kart. It's so fun to drive, so agile, so I hope that keeps me going.
Thanks for the read, I'll try to get an update tomorrow. I'm finished up the interior tonight but I didn't take pics.
talk about scary!
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