Dont even know where to begin type of e30

[Yayrea]

Hello Rev,

So i finally bought in last October/November and decided to get myself my "project car," and what a project shes been.. Im no mechanic but ive done basic maintenance on my e90 like oil changes, belt replacements, brakes and rotors, etc.. But ive always had a sweet spot for the e30 coupes. I finally came across a definite project but i think i was just so excited to own one i couldnt pass up the opportunity to buy. Not having a lot of money i wasnt looking to buy an e30 that ran, i wanted the challenge of the rebuild. So i found a 1985 BMW 325e on Craigslist here in Sacramento, i really didnt want the aluminum bumpers but whatever, a little bumper tuck helps a lot, but figured ill get the older model e30 some years down the line. I went and looked at a few farther away from me that would have been ideal, but then the cost of towing was gonna hurt my pocket. The guy wanted $500 i think, he called me a few days after i looked at it and really wanted to get rid of it, which now i understand why. I told him id take it off him for $200. Deal, had pink slip and keys i was good. Found another guy on craigslist who would tow it across town for $50. $250 for my dream project car, i was sold. I mostly looked for rust and any frame damage. As any car 30 years old, there was minor rust but nothing serious. But i didnt look too in depth into most of the junk laying around. All the interior was stripped, which was fine, i planned on having it stripped regardless, he beat me to it. But all the interior was included except the rear seat.

P.S. - Pictures will come on next post off the phone. Youll all enjoy the hunk of metal i bought.

Heres just a small list of things ive done since i purchased the car.

There was no alternator when i finally got it home, purchased an alternator..
Did a full AC delete and heater core delete.
Replaced new spark plug wires, spark plugs, and ignition coil.
Oil change
Lots of body work. hammering and bonding dents out and sanding the whole car down slowly but surely(the most time consuming part of this project).
I just replaced all the fuses.

among other things i cant remember off the top of my head.

When i bought it i asked the guy if he had any idea why it didnt run just so i didnt go back over the same steps he did already. He said it just wasnt getting any spark. So i examined the spark plug wires and igition coil, the tip that plugs into the ignition coil had broke off in the coil... (obvious i needed a new set of wires) and i just purchased the coil as well just because. I have not tested for spark since i replaced all that, kinda just assumed it would have it now (but i do need to test it).

I felt like i never heard the fuel pump coming on so i now assumed it was a fuel issue. After jumping the battery today from my other vehicle, i jumped the relay from 30 to 87 and i could hear it turn on back there. once i turned my vehicle off i could get the click at the relay when jumping but then the fuel pump wasnt turning on.. (maybe there wasnt enough juice once i turned my other car off)??

New to dealing with a DMM but i keep hopping from youtube video on testing relays back to other videos on how to use the DMM. Resistance on the relay from 86 - 86 was at like 103. I need to test the voltage from a power source but have yet to do that. So maybe im truley not gettin spark still..

But then again once you see the rats nest of wires in the car, youll laugh. not to mention the numerous things unplugged and missing in the engine bay. And with things missing and me not being the one to pull it, half the time i dont know whats missing. Not sure where the different little electronic boxes are supposed to be plugged in. Guaranteed thats another issue.

But stay tuned for a laundry list of issues and questions. I hope you guys will ride with me to getting the M20 running again so i can prep it for a swap one day. Any help is appreciated. And criticism is accepted, gotta learn some how.

I have also ran into the problem just recently, actually the last time i was working on it and tryin to get it to turn over, the key will not turn at all. It wont even turn into the 1st accessory setting. The steering wheel is locked as well. Ive read a lot about people being able to turn it 1 click but i cant even get it to turn 1 time. Its totally locked. I think previously it locked my key in too, but i was able to pull it out today. Still would not turn and the wheel still locked.

Sorry about the mess inside the car, i have to put all the parts back in and out everytime i work otherwise the wife starts complaining about car parts all over the garage. Happy wife is a happy life right..

Thanks and enjoy.

[Yayrea]

Pic set 1

[Yayrea]

Pic #2

[robby41]

wow! you sure got your hands full!

[Jshbrwr]

Where did you get what you know about body work? I’m trying to wrap my head around how one would go about fixing dozens of little dents and irregularities like I have with my e30...I guess bondo is proven to work but then the painting...it’s a bit intimidating

[Bimmer_Baron]

I had an 85 325e just like yours, and my buddy currently has an 87 325e. We both ran into no start issues where sometimes the car would not start at all, sometimes it would start fine and run fine, and sometimes it will start but cut out / run like garbage later on.

There's a small wire with a female connector that connects to a male spade connector coming out of the starter. Both of our female connectors were corroded, and after snipping them and crimping on new female connectors, both of our cars ran perfect afterwards. This small wire is the solenoid signal to the ignition switch, without this you'll have no spark. When you figure out your key issue and if all else fails to try to get the car to turn over, check this connector.

[Yayrea]

Look what I found at the plug to the DME. It was covered in tape until now. Let’s hope I can get that fixed. Question on that green white though..

Is there 2 sets of wire I see in that strand? Looks like that’s why he used the black wires..

I finally found the plugs to the OBC Relay box after a day of searching. Let’s hope she starts here soon.. the electrical is a mess and I’m by no means a electrician but I can definitely handle a soldering iron.

Makes sense why I could never hear my fuel pump kick on when I was turning it over previously. But if I jumped it at the Relay it would kick on. Didn’t know the OBC was a must have.

[Yayrea]

Where did you get what you know about body work? I’m trying to wrap my head around how one would go about fixing dozens of little dents and irregularities like I have with my e30...I guess bondo is proven to work but then the painting...it’s a bit intimidating

I actually knew nothing about body work goin into this. But it was productive work at low cost compared to mechanical. I had a buddy who took a couple classes at the junior college for auto body work. He had the basic tools from harbor freight. He came and knocked a few dents out one night, I was hesitant cause it looked worse with all the little hammer marks. But that bondo is magic. Sand it down, re-bondo if needed and sand again. It’s just very time consuming but the car is now completely dent free. Just needs to be finished sanded and then painted one day.. just gotta Be patient. Just have to get it as close as you can to normal then bondo will do the rest

[Jshbrwr]

That’s good info man. Thanks!

My E30 has pretty much every panel knocked up and/or rusty. I’d love for it to look dent-free like it was 30+ years ago

[Yayrea]

I had an 85 325e just like yours, and my buddy currently has an 87 325e. We both ran into no start issues where sometimes the car would not start at all, sometimes it would start fine and run fine, and sometimes it will start but cut out / run like garbage later on.

There's a small wire with a female connector that connects to a male spade connector coming out of the starter. Both of our female connectors were corroded, and after snipping them and crimping on new female connectors, both of our cars ran perfect afterwards. This small wire is the solenoid signal to the ignition switch, without this you'll have no spark. When you figure out your key issue and if all else fails to try to get the car to turn over, check this connector.

Fixed the key issue, pulled a spark plug and put it against the manifold to test for spark, of course no spark. Will be looking for this next. Thanks for your input.

[Yayrea]

Yay more electrical fun... I would love to meet the kid again that had this car... Relay tested bad but didn’t realize the mess he made until I pulled the relay..

[midnytegsedan]

Atleast your starting to get that wiring under control. What a nightmare!! Looking forward to seeing how this turns out.

[Yayrea]

Decided to stop dicking around with the m20 and pulled it this past Saturday. First time ever doing something like this and it took me around 5 hours or so to do from start to finish. Although I had my radiator removed already and deleted my AC previously which saved me some time and gave me extra room to work with. I’m going to finish sanding the rest of the car and begin cleaning up this engine bay over this week.

My biggest problem now is what to put in my coupe...
I was completely sold on a s54 swap for about a year now.. and then last week I started researching and testing the waters of a m62 or the s62. That raw v8 sound from the s62 is so addicting. I’ve read lots of pros and cons on the s62 with most people suggesting m62 if you decide to go FI or the s62 if you want NA. Pricing of course is pretty steep on the s62 and can’t seem to find many complete m62 unless I buy a doner and part it out.

I previously had looked into a Ls1 or even possibly a LS7 but I’d love government keep it in the family and stay German engineering. But the past few days I’ve been leaning towards the LS series because it seems a lot lighter on the wallet.. Got a couple months of subframe reinforcements and all chassis reinforcement along with shoppin for new axels and a different LSD.

Any input would be great. Here’s some pictures of the pull..

[TheWipprSnappr]

Just some advice on posting: If you link your pics from a photo sharing website it will make your thread a lot easier and more enjoyable to follow. Here's a thread on how to link via flickr: https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/sho...d.php?t=405411

[Yayrea]

Just some advice on posting: If you link your pics from a photo sharing website it will make your thread a lot easier and more enjoyable to follow. Here's a thread on how to link via flickr: https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/sho...d.php?t=405411

Lol you just changed the game. Im gonna delete this thread and repost it fresh via this method. I was curious why other peoples pictures were blown up on their builds. Makes it more enjoyable scrolling and seeing the pictures.