My First BMW - 1986 325es

[Conki]

Hi all!

An old dream came true about one week ago when I acquired a beautiful 23 year-old e30.
I have read lots about bimmers on this forum, and finally I can say I am also a proud owner of one.

I, being a college student, have not much extra money to spend, but when I saw her I had to let all my savings go.

It ran nicely, but now I realized it has some issues. The interior needs a lot of work, including fixing the broken doorhandles, fasten the panels that move around, replace (or temporarily cover) the front seats, etc. I don't know what I'll do with the dashboard that is cracked in like 6 places or so... The manual transmission needs new bushings, because it feels like it's in neutral even when it's in gear.
They broke into the car not a long ago, so the driver's side window is chipped, the tint vynl is coming off, and the aluminum trim around the window is badly deformed. The body has only minor dents, there is no rust, and the original paint is in perfect condition in the engine bay and all around the body, other than the clear-coat peeling on the trunk.
Mechanically, the ICV went out (revving from 800-2300 rpm every 3 seconds when it idles), I don't know if it needs to be cleaned or replaced, because the fuses are all good. Also, I can only start it with a jumper cable, but when it runs, it runs nice and does not die, so the engine itself feels like it's in good condition, the battery might be old.
The car does not have a catalytic converter, so I doubt it would pass the smog test right now, so a new cat is on the list of stuff to be acquired in the near future.

The mileage is unknown, the odometer stopped at 236,448. However, I found a receipt in the car about a timing belt replacement in 2007, then the car had 214,000 miles, so it shouldn't be much more than 240,000 now.
According to the previous owner, the car had the head replaced 4 years ago, new valves and everything. It runs nice and smooth now, so I'm not worried.

Now about the bad part:
I don't have any money right now, so I have to wait until I get a job. Being an international student, I am only allowed to work on campus, so it might take a while for me to find a job that also can work with my schedule.
As soon as I'll have some income, I will fix her up, first taking care of the problems, then treating her with some goodies.
I was never really into the looks of a car, I'm more like a performance and enjoyability kind of guy, but I'd really like to see some late '80s plastic bumpers on her. And a nice skirt of course.

Here are some pictures that the previous owner took when I bought the car

[Conki]

Idle Problem

Update: I took out the ICV, and it works just fine when tested on 12V. Checked the resistance also, and thats fine as well.

Now I'm wondering if maybe my ICM fried. That would explain the drain on the battery also, but to check it I need a metric wrench set that I do not have at the moment.

Right now she is just sitting in front of my apartment, so I have to satisfy my e30-thirst with visual experience only, but hopefully in the not so distant future she's gonna be healthy as a horse again.

[oldskool3]

Nice score! It looks really clean. Good luck getting some money aside to do the maintenance work.

OT but I was in Budapest this summer. It's an absolutely gorgeous city and one of my few favourites in Europe!

[Conki]

I'm happy to hear you liked Budapest, I grew up there and I miss it tons.

I'm desperately looking for a job right now, I can't stand not having money I can spend on her. I still had some money put aside after I bought her, but I was a victim of a fraud and lost all there was left... Trying to get back on my feet tho, I'm quite optimistic:)

Any advice from anybody about is welcomed here, I'm a Noobie, remember:)

[wagonizzle]

1. A Bentley E30 Service Manual will save you thousands if you own the car for more than a couple years. The best ~$40 you can spend. It makes troubleshooting and parts replacement a snap, even if you haven't worked on cars much before.

2. I don't know what the neighborhood is like where you go to school, but perhaps you could deliver pizza to supplement your on-campus job. A lot of independent shops (NOT Pizza Hut, Domino's) will pay you cash and no one has to be the wiser about your secret job. Plus, you get to spend more time in the e30!

3. Read all that you can on here and always check here first when you need a part or some help. This is a great community for support. I know I couldn't afford to own my car if I had to pay someone else to wrench on it.

The car looks like a decent starting point. Congrats on the purchase and good luck!

[Conki]

Thanks for the advices!

I already learned a lot here, and one of my first purchases was the Bentley Manual, it should arrive any time!

Until I get my idle fixed, I don't really want to drive her around, but when she'll be running nicely, I'd be happy to have a job where all I have to do is sit in my little bimmer and enjoy the drive.
Thanks, I'll try to find something like that.

[Conki]

OK, I've been wrestling with the erratic idle problem, but I don't seem to get anywhere.
I read all threads about this that I found, and I bought the Bentley manual, but no real progress yet.

Here is where I am:

I checked all electrical connections around the engine, everything is tight. I took out the ICV, the resistance is correct, when applied 12V it operates as desired.
I also took out the ICM, and by visual inspection I didn't find any burns or signs of a short.

I didn't check for vacuum leak with carb cleaner yet, only by looking at the hoses, but a vacuum leak would cause a different kind of idle anyway, based on what I've read so far.

I was going to replace the O2 sensor, but when I realized how much it costs, I had to postpone the purchase. Today I am going to test the sensor tho, and we'll see if anything is wrong with it.

Any other ideas?
I am starting to get frustrated...

[wagonizzle]

Please describe your idle problem in more detail... what does it sound like?

[Conki]

Please describe your idle problem in more detail... what does it sound like?

Here it is:

When I turn the engine on, it 'idles' at 2500 rpm for 5 seconds, then with a circa 0.5 Hz frequency it fluctuates between 1000 and 3000 rpm.

It sounds like:
Weeeeeeeeeee, aaa....
Weeeeeeeeeee, aaa....
Weeeeeeeeeee, aaa....

Haha I hope this helps:)

[wagonizzle]

Unplug the ICV when it is running and see if it stops oscillating. Is the check engine light on? It could be a coolant temp sensor. Also, your TPS may be out of adjustment... mine used to do that but only from about 600-900 RPM. The TPS wasn't sending a signal out to the ECU at 0% throttle, so it had to guess. I simply had to adjust it on the pivoting mount until it showed continuity for both closed and full throttle positions.

[Conki]

Thx, I'll look into that.
When I unplug the ICV, nothing changes, the oscillation continues.
The CEL is on, but it was on before the car started doing this, so there might be other problems too. Do you know how to read the engine codes? It's an 86 325es, and the 5 gas pedal depressing thing doesn't seem to work.

Edit: The Check Panel light was blinking, not the CEL.

[lukem23]

reminds me of my first bmw, a red 1986 325es. good luck

[Quadrajet]

Perhaps you have the same problem I did.
When the idle fluctuates is the vacuum gauge/fuel use gauge swinging back and forth?

My problem was that my idle speed stabiliser relay wasn't getting power and therefore the ICM wasn't working. IIRC correctly it was fuse #9 that was blown, sorry I know I wrote a note about it in my manual but can't find it.
If that's not the problem,a temporary fix is to use a penny with a hole dilled in it, it will allow the idle to stay at a certain rpm depending on the size of the hole. Only problem is it won't compensate for amp draw when you use the headlights or heater blower etc.

[Conki]

Perhaps you have the same problem I did.
When the idle fluctuates is the vacuum gauge/fuel use gauge swinging back and forth?

My problem was that my idle speed stabiliser relay wasn't getting power and therefore the ICM wasn't working. IIRC correctly it was fuse #9 that was blown, sorry I know I wrote a note about it in my manual but can't find it.
If that's not the problem,a temporary fix is to use a penny with a hole dilled in it, it will allow the idle to stay at a certain rpm depending on the size of the hole. Only problem is it won't compensate for amp draw when you use the headlights or heater blower etc.

And where would you put the penny?
Vacuum gauge? Should I connect a vaacum gauge or is that jargon for a gauge on the instrument cluster?
You are talking to someone with mechanical retardation here:)
Thx for trying to help out tho.

[Quadrajet]

No prob. The gauge I speak of is on the bottom of the Tachometer.
As for the penny, remove the hose at the inlet side of the ICV and insert it there and reclamp. I ran like that for a couple days till somebody clued me into the relay and fuse.
I would check the fuse first though.