My First BMW

[DespicableMe]

Bought my first BMW last Friday. I've owned about 15 or so Honda's prior to this car. So it's kind of a new world to me. Definitely excited to get started on this car though.
It's a 1996 328is. Car has some issues. Both o2 sensors are bad, and the Crankshaft Position Sensor needs to be replaced. Bought the replacement sensor, looking to get that installed hopefully this week. Also, it shows Check Coolant Level on the Check Screen, as well as Brake Light Circuit. Coolant levels are all fine. Possibly another bad sensor? Not really sure what the Brake Light Circuit means, maybe a taillight wire or connector?

Being new to the BMW community, if anyone can direct me to "BMW specific parts" sites, that would be great. I'm quite familiar with ClubRSX and CLubCivic websites. Any site like those would be great.


Things I'm looking to do to the car are: (1) Lower it properly. Car seems to have cheap lowering springs on it at the moment. Tons of body roll, and creaking. Not a bad ride (comfort-wise), but I'd definitely like to get a descent set of coilovers on there this spring. Any brand suggestions? (2) I'd like to get a good headers/catback combo on the car. Something subtle looking but deep sounding. Not too loud. Again, Suggestions?

Only issue I have with the car is 5th gear. Cruising at 65 at 4k RPM's feels weird. I've been fighting the urge to throw it in 6th gear. Feels like it should have one. :(
Any 6 speed trans that are swappable into this platform?

I know I'll get a bunch of "tl;dr". Sorry. Hope I didn't come off as too much of a noob. :redspot

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff7/King_Wade/d9255bf4.jpg

Only pic I have for now. Car has M3 OEM front bumper, rear bumper and diffuser, spoiler, Power Mirrors (Driver side wires are reversed, but functional lol), 17" staggered M3 rims, and E46 front power seats.

[pizzaman09]

Welcome to the forum! :wave

There are lots of great websites to get parts:
oembimmerparts.com
pelicanparts.com
bavauto.com
and the list goes on but those are the ones I am familiar with.

I am not an e36 expert so I can't really help with your issues but someone will probably be along and point you in the correct direction.

I have to admit that has to be the worst looking headlight mod I have seen in a while. Good luck on cleaning up the car!

[NJohc]

The e46 6 speed is swappable, but I don't know the specifics. I know how you feel though. I came from mustangs that cruise 2k or below on the highway. In my opinion a car should not be over half of its usable rev range while your simply trying to cruise and get decent fuel mileage.

Turner motorsports sells a good set of shorty headers that bolt to the stock mid pipe. One of the quietest catbacks that I know of is the Active Autowerke Gen. III. Bilstein makes a great set of coilovers if your looking for quality, but they're a bit pricey. A set of bilstein sports/H&R race with a good set of anti-roll bars would take you beyond M3 handling capabilities.

The car looks great minus the headlight treatment going on! lol. Cooling systems are a major weak point on all e36's. BMW didn't start using a metal impeller water pump until '97. If you don't have any history on it being replaced in recent history, I'd suggest you read up on that. That's the only common thing that would leave you stranded on these cars. Bushings make a world of difference as far as clunks/vibrations go as well. If you havent read up on that all yet there are hundreds of great threads with all the info you'd want on those things.

have fun with it! It's a great looking car!

[DespicableMe]

The headlights didn't really bother me until you both said something. Now I can't stop looking at them. lol Not sure what direction I would want to go with them though. Maybe angel eyes and a retrofit. I honestly don't know what's available for these cars aftermarket-wise, but I would prefer something OEM looking. Maybe just removing the "double-brow" would help.

The E46 trans would be an awesome option! I'll have to look into that. Kind of excited now. My previous car was an RSX-s and I loved the motor/trans combo. One of the best I've ever driven.

Thanks for the info on the sites and parts. :thumbup:

[fuz9]

The most common misconception is that the wheels you have are "M3" wheels. They are style 68 Motorsport from an E46 330i Sport package. Actual M3 wheels that are appropriate for your car would be the M Contour or the Double Spoke II(which I don't really like).

The reaching for another gear thing I totally get, I just put Scorpion exhaust on my M Coupe(same engine as you, an S52) and cruising at highway speeds feels like I need another gear. Fuel economy is still somewhere around 20 but it just doesn't feel right. If it bugs you enough maybe consider a differential swap, much cheaper than a tranny

Nicely modded E36, welcome to the club!

[ECSTuning]

Welcome to bfc! Sounds like you picked up a pretty nice little e36.

For coilovers I'm a fan of adjustable damping, FK has the Konigsport Coilovers which use Koni shocks that are pretty rock solid, there is always the increasingly popular ST coilovers which are basically KW V1s made from galvanized steel instead of stainless steal. You can check out those along with a few other options for your car HERE (http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E36-328is-M52_2.8l/Suspension/Coilovers/?salesrep=JRiggsbee&utm_source=bimmerforums&utm_medium=forum&utm_content=JRiggsbee&utm_campaign=postreply).

For the exhaust system I'm currently running a Magnaflow set up similar to the one found HERE (http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E36-328is-M52_2.8l/Exhaust/Cat_Back/ES1893136/?salesrep=JRiggsbee&utm_source=bimmerforums&utm_medium=forum&utm_content=JRiggsbee&utm_campaign=postreply) paired with a homebrewed set of headers on my S50 powered E36, the sound is fairly loud without being obnoxious.


http://c1552172.r72.cf0.rackcdn.com/64454_x300.jpghttp://c1552172.r72.cf0.rackcdn.com/160204_x300.jpg (http://www.ecstuning.com/?salesrep=JRiggsbee&utm_source=bimmerforums&utm_medium=forum&utm_content=JRiggsbee&utm_campaign=postreply)

[HunterGietz]

That thing is hot!

[328isawesome]

I had two e36's and the low coolant turned out to be a hose that fed out of the radiator on the top right. A little silicone and clamp did the trick, also bleeding the coolant might be a good idea. I also had to replace the O2 sensors but cleaning them might actually make them work properly. My car had 212K miles. Hope I somewhat helped. And welcome to the forum!

[DespicableMe]

Thanks for all the sites and tips. I'll definitely try cleaning the o2's before I splurge and replace both of them.

Picked up a Crank Position Sensor and I'm hoping to have that installed sometime next weak. Pretty easy R&R from the looks of it.

I was looking into E46 transmissions, and I found them ranging from $1500-$2500. Not too bad I suppose. I'll get the rest of the stuff sorted out though, before I go that route.

I'll be sure to keep you guys updated, the feedback has been great. Thanks. :thumbup:

[islandbimmer]

hey great looking car nice M3 upgardes already installed, not sure about the e46 look on the lights. geta set of Depos (real glass) with some nice angel eyes. Another upgrade you may want to look at is swad you intake manifold from am M50 more volume than yours M52 engine.

[328isawesome]

Oh boy, e46 transmission prices. Don't scare me! My e46 threw the transmission light the other day and I haven't had time to check it out yet... torque is pretty much gone though. If I were you I'd stick with the e36 transmission, they're much more reliable than on the e46. My first e36 had 250K on the original one when I sold it and still shifted like new.

[DespicableMe]

Removing the Eyebrows and polishing the Headlights out tomorrow, and swapping the bulbs out for some HID's.

Also Picked up a stock AM/Fm Cassette and Shift Knob.

Looking to pick up some coilovers in the next week or so. The current stance is horrible.


I'll definitely look into te Depo lights and M50 manifold. Kind of stalling on the transmission swap for now. A bit pricey, and the stock trans is working fine. Aside from the short ratios.