Mike's Alpine White 1991 318is

[itskingsteelo]

dam this car is clean asf.

[phreshkid]

Super jealous of this 318iS. I should buy one.

[mike.bmw]

dam this car is clean asf.

Thanks!

Super jealous of this 318iS. I should buy one.

Yeah. You should. Maybe in about 6 months or so. :)

[mike.bmw]

Spoiler Alert

I picked up my new rear spoiler and front lip today from the shop. I used Automotive Quality Solutions in Ashburn, VA. They had great reviews online and I got a good feeling when I communicated with them on the phone and via email. Excellent prices as well. I wasn't prompted or paid to say nice things about them. I simply had a good experience and wanted to share.

I'll install the front lip soon. Perhaps this weekend if I can find some time.

As I had already cleaned under the original rear spoiler last week, installation of the new rear spoiler was a breeze. Here are a few photos pre and post installation. I used new OEM foam washers and plastic nuts to install the new spoiler.

Parts pile:





Old and new:





Installed:









A/C and Recirc Switch

Turns out I didn't fix my A/C and Recirc Switch as well as I would have liked. I ordered a new one. It came. The nice thing is that both buttons light up (only the recirc light worked on my old one).

[squidmaster]

Very nice touches. Car looks like it's almost brand new now!

[mike.bmw]

Lip Service / Botox

Turns out I had some spare time this evening so I installed the new front lip.

The original lip was held on with 1 OEM clip and 9 zip ties. It was quite banged up. I considered (and also prefer) getting a black "is" front lip. I think it would visually balance well with the rest of the lower black paint on the rockers and rear valence. In the end I wanted to keep it as original as possible so I had the lip painted by the same shop that painted the rear spoiler a couple posts above, Automotive Quality Solutions.

Installation took me about 30 minutes from start to finish. The only tools I used:
- A pair of snips to remove the zip ties.
- A hammer and punch to remove/install the lip brackets.
- Some cleaning solution to clean up the front valence.



Zip ties (now removed):



Old and new:





New lip mounts in place:



Installed:



Yes, the new paint is whiter/cleaner than the original paint on the valence. I knew that going into this. Still, I am pleased how it turned out. The fresh paint does match the rest of the car well. I am especially pleased with how tight and evenly the new lip mounts to the front valence (due to the new OEM clips).

[econti]

OEM parts make all the difference my man
Stunning example

[mike.bmw]

Very nice touches. Car looks like it's almost brand new now!

Thanks! It'll be a never ending work in progress, but I'm happy with the progress!

OEM parts make all the difference my man
Stunning example

Thanks!

The temps were above freezing this morning so I headed out to cars and coffee. Pretty good turnout for winter. I snapped a photo in early daylight with the new lip and spoiler:

[DocV]

Thanks for posting all of this, it's quite an enjoyable read, and the disassembly photos (especially intake/mess under) are super helpful. I am going through my 318is now, a bit of a stalled project, but reading others' dedication to their cars makes me want to go work on mine. Congrats on the son on the way. My two critters love riding in the back of mine.

[mike.bmw]

Thanks for posting all of this, it's quite an enjoyable read, and the disassembly photos (especially intake/mess under) are super helpful. I am going through my 318is now, a bit of a stalled project, but reading others' dedication to their cars makes me want to go work on mine. Congrats on the son on the way. My two critters love riding in the back of mine.

My pleasure! I wish I had started the thread upon purchasing the car as there were a lot more things to post (steering rack replacement, steering guibo, interior removal and cleaning, all the fluids, various trim pieces, exhaust hangers/brackets, and much more). I enjoy going back through and looking at the fixes and photos.

I was kicking myself for a few months after buying the car because it needed a lot more than I was expecting. I was a little too excited when traveling a few states away to look at the car so I overlooked some things I shouldn't have. I could've paid less for the car, but at the end of the day I got what I was aiming for: a clean-body e30 needing some mechanical work that would be a project.

Ultimately I decided to start the thread to motivate myself to keep working on the car. And as I said, I do enjoy going back through the posts on occasion to see how things have progressed over time.

[thatblacke30]

One of the cleanest E30s on the forum.

[mike.bmw]

Timing Chain Tensioner Part 1

I've been hearing some rattling during cold starts. It started last week. It clears up after a few minutes and doesn't return until the engine is cold from sitting overnight. After a bit of stethoscope listening and M42/M44 research, I believe this is being caused by a failing/failed timing chain tensioner.

I ordered a new BMW "M44 updated" tensioner and washer yesterday for $75 shipped. There are cheaper options (Febi, etc), but apparently I like needlessly wasting money so I got the BMW parts. These should arrive later this week.

Timing Chain tensioner: 11311743187
Timing Chain tensioner washer: 07119963355

mike.bmw, why are you posting this now? Well because I wanted some input on how to install the tensioner of course. It's a simple 10 minute job, but there seems to be differing opinions on whether to install the new tensioner compressed or decompressed/extended (uncompresed?).

Compressed method: http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/i...er_Replacement

Decompressed/Extended method:

http://www.m42club.com/forum/index.php?topic=2925.0

My concern with the compressed method are that the timing chain may skip a tooth as the tensioner fills with oil and extends. The thought of jacking up timing components makes me lose sleep at night.

My concern with the decompressed/extended method is that it will be difficult to thread the tensioner cap (people have had issues doing this). The thought of cross threading aluminum timing covers makes me lose sleep at night.

I'm leaning toward installing it decompressed/extended.

Thoughts?

[fresh_TD]

It's supposed to be installed compressed. The slack from the chain will decompress it immediately once you start the car. You sound paranoid about a simple job;-)

[Eric Giles]

Thoughts?

You won't hurt anything installing it compressed. Believe me, your timing chain rattle couldn't be anywhere as bad as what mine was...in fact, a friend of mine that owns a euro repair shop immediately told me to shut it off when he heard my motor run. He was certain I would need to replace all of my timing components. I took a chance with just trying a new tensioner and that fixed it.

I also researched whether to install it compressed or decompressed...especially considering how bad my rattle was. I went ahead and installed it compressed...upon startup I had maybe 1-2 seconds of very loud rattle, then the tensioner released. No more rattle after that, and it has been fine since.

BTW, I installed the less expensive Febi...

[mike.bmw]

It's supposed to be installed compressed. The slack from the chain will decompress it immediately once you start the car. You sound paranoid about a simple job;-)

"Paranoid" pretty much sums up every time I work on the car. :D

You won't hurt anything installing it compressed. Believe me, your timing chain rattle couldn't be anywhere as bad as what mine was...in fact, a friend of mine that owns a euro repair shop immediately told me to shut it off when he heard my motor run. He was certain I would need to replace all of my timing components. I took a chance with just trying a new tensioner and that fixed it.

I also researched whether to install it compressed or decompressed...especially considering how bad my rattle was. I went ahead and installed it compressed...upon startup I had maybe 1-2 seconds of very loud rattle, then the tensioner released. No more rattle after that, and it has been fine since.

BTW, I installed the less expensive Febi...

Compressed it shall be. Thanks, gents!