325e intake manifold on 325i ??

[Greentip]

Hello all,
So I bought an E30 as a fun project for my son and I. I always thought that the M3 was a cool car when I was a teenager, but even though I’m in a good spot in life, there price point is too much for me right now. Anyway I bought a 87’ E30 325i but when I started to tinker with it I noticed an issue.
My car says 325i, my title says 325i, my VIN comes back as a 325i on https://www.mdecoder.com and https://www.realoem.com/bmw but my intake manifold looks like it’s from a 325e.
So my question is how can I tell what I really have? Could a past owner put on a 325e intake manifold or rigged the volume airflow sensor incorrectly?
Any insight would be greatly appreciated, I’m scouring the internet and YouTube, but I haven’t seen anything addressing this. I have attached some photos for reference
Thank you
-J

[Greentip]

325e intake manifold on 325i ??

forgot to attach pics...

[Greentip]

325e intake manifold on 325i ??

forgot to attach pics

[efficient]

what year is it?
where does your rpm redline at?

[Greentip]

its an 87.
when i hit the gas it goes to 5500 then cuts out for a second and drops down

[Tisoc]

It looks like it was swapped to an e engine at some point, valve cover is also from an early eta

[Greentip]

i feel though iv been robbed. I regret not taking it into a shop that would have spotted the difference

[zaq123]

i feel though iv been robbed. I regret not taking it into a shop that would have spotted the difference

Depends on the shop. If some bmw show that works on these, possible.


This does suck, I know the feeling. Probably the timing belt broke and it was cheaper for someone to do the swap and put the car back on the road. Look at the bright side, there isn't much power difference between all original 325i or 325e after 30 years of hard labor. Maybe pick yourself m20b25 and built it the way you want?


Back on topic:
There is only one 100% way to find what you are looking for:
get a flashlight, a rag with some degreaser on it and start looking.
Included link will help you to id your engine ----> http://www.jaypix.com/files/engine.pdf

[Greentip]

I much appreciate all of your help in this matter. iv got some parts (master/slave cylinder) coming in, in a day or two, so ill prop up the car and check it out like you said.

If it does turn out to be an "e" than i sapose a engine swap would be a better option than spending money on an engine with little potential?

again, thanks!

[e30sh]

Have you run the VIN decoder? Being an 87, it could have been an e or an i.

If it was an i, someone did a lot of work to convert to e Motronic. Odds are, it was an e since birth.

[Greentip]

not sure what a VIN decoder is (?)
I plan on jacking it up and finding the code like the post above suggested the next day or two.
i do remember it having the dual exhaust like an I would have

-J

[TobyB]

What number is cast into the side of the head?

3 relatively large digits, intake side, lower, towards the back. Really hard to see.

(www.realeom.com can decode your vin)

Pop the valve cover and count cam bearings.

Plan 2.7 stroker motor...

t

[e30sh]

Is it a 2 door? Does it have a power sunroof? I think only the 2 door iS had the power roof in 87. All the base 2 doors had the manual crank roof and the Eta engine.

It does have a cold start valve. That means it has Motronic 1.0 which was only used on the e cars in 1987.

VIN Decoder https://www.mdecoder.com/