Looking at 91 318is has problems though..

[Tragik]

Well I want looked at a 318is tonight. The exterior is a little rough. It has some rust behind the driver side wheel well. The paint is pretty faded (may buff out)and it appears to have rock chips all over it. The front valance is also all pitted up from I guess rocks. The fog lights aren't there anymore. The spoiler is cracked as well. The interior however is in pretty decent shape. It has tan leather, and the drivers seat has a small tear in it. The dash has a crack as well, but most e30's I have seen have this. The motor looks really clean. The timing chain was just changed out in it. The one and only owner can't recall about the profile gasket, but it has 160,000 miles on it so I will assume it has been done. He said he took it into BMW at 80,000 miles and it BMW certified or something like that. Also said they did something with the head once and that it what I am assuming was probably the profile gasket. So onto the problem. When you turn the key absolutely nothing happens. No lights, no power to anything, and of course it won't turn over. The owner said he may have hooked up the battery backwards when he put a new one in awhile back. Of course its hooked up right now. So how bad could things be? What sort of things could have been blown by this? I would think there would be a main fuse of some sort that would blow to protect when things like this happen. If so where would I find this? Any other places you guys would check as well? I am looking at picking this thing up for around 1400-1500, but thought I might offer 1000 to take it as is. Not sure if I want to do that though without hearing it run. I believe the motor was well taken care of though as the owner is also the co-owner of a garage/tire shop. Plus the motor really does look good, and shows no sign of leaks whatsoever. What do you experts think?

[e30matt]

You should seriously shop around.

318is' didn't come with leather... could it be an M3 or cabrio interior swap? The best you could get was leatherette (vinyl).

[Zoso]

I have to say I like my vinyl... it still looks good even after 13 years. I'll let you know if I change my mind how I like it after the summer :)

[///m42 sport]

If your looking for a fixer upper, then 1K is a pretty good deal. Electronics might be messed up b/c of the battery. thats $$$

[Tragik]

Talked to him again last night. They didn't hook the battery up backwards. They were doing something else with some wiring, stereo stuff or something hell I don't know. Anyway they had gotten a short or something and it was just draining the battery all the way down is all. It's suppossed to be fixed today, and I am going to drive it in about 3 hours. It does have vinyl not leather sorry bout that. I really think this should be a nice upgrade from my 85 318i daily beater. We'll see how it drives though.

[Tragik]

O.K. I went and drove it. Here's the rundown. They tell me the problem was just that the battery had a dead cell in it. The car has been sitting for 10 months so I guess thats possible. They put the battery in while I was there. The first couple attempts at a start it wouldn't idle. I am only guessing, but I would assume that is the computer trying to relearn. About the 3rd or 4th try I just gave it a little gas for about 15 seconds, and it found it's idle no problem. It idled really good too, something I cannot say about my 85 318i. Anyway next thing I noticed was the ABS light was on. Now I will say this car needs some brakes for sure. Could that have something to do with it? That's my thoughts, but I'll let you guys tell me. The check engine light had come as well. From what? Hell I dunno. What I can say is, the engine ran extremely smooth all the way to redline. It has quite a bit of pep. Tons more than the M10 engine. Clutch fell really nice. Transmission shifted real smooth. I let it get to temp, and no overheating issues. The inspection light, and the last red light on dash (SI lights?) was one as well. A/C blew cold, windows worked, sunroof opened, rear defrost worked. OBC was not working, and the radio was in theft mode due to the battery. They said they have the code though. Well what do you guys think? Any ideas on the ABS or check engine off the top of your head? Again I'm not really spending a whole lot of money on this thing, so I do expect some maintenance to be inhereted with it. So how about some thoughts, opinions, or questions.

[uberpanzer]

Well, the check engine could be a bunch of things. But mainly check for loose caps (oil or fuel usually). If you can get it checked out by another mechanic it would be a good idea. There could be something really wrong with it and THAT is why it was sitting for so long. The ABS light could be a brake fluid level thing. But first check to make sure it is there, and all the fuses/relays for it are good.

As for the dash lights, if the SI has been brought down to the Inspection level and not reset, it and the red light will stay on. If you do buy this car, change the oil quick. It might not have been done in a while. Then get the lights reset. You should be fine with those then.

OBC might not be hooked up. Most 318iS' came with the basic clock/date/temp display thingy. If it has a full OBC it might be a swapped in piece with no harness to run it. I've heard the harness from a M3 works, but check Fred's Strictly Eta site for details (he spells it all out).

I say get it if you are comfy with the small problems. I love my M42 powered car, and yes it DOES have lots more power than the M10. Putting my e21 (two year older version of your '85 318i) up against the e30 is not even fair. It is a much more modern car.

[///m42 sport]

Sitting for 10 months? I would put a fuel injector cleaner and change the oil before you start it up again b/c the gas is probably gummy.

ABS light, I would check the fluid level, change the sensor, rotors, pads and see if that helps.

318iS don't have OBCs

[Tragik]

Well, I pick it up today. I figure for 1500.00 bucks why not. Your right it wasn't OBC it was just the temp/date thing. My bad. Basically the car sat for 10 months because the owner had tore up some nylon something or others on the timing chain. He had the chain replaced, and everything else that goes with it. In the meantime though had a bought a new BMW, and so it's just been sitting. It didn't even have a "For Sale" sign on it. I just noticed it on my way to work everyday. Finally stopped in and asked about it, and well here I am. I think it will be a nice upgrade from what I have with a little TLC. I'm sure I will have a lot more questions after I get it. Thanks for all the help.

Oh, as far as checking the caps (oil, fuel). I could see around the oil filler cap it looks to be leaking. Maybe that will do the trick. We'll see though. First up is an oil change, and fuel injector cleaner. Then I'm ordering new brakes, and rotors all the way around. Also figure it can't hurt to change the fuel filter, and also I will get a new oil fill cap. :buttrock

[///m42 sport]

nice, post pics when your done. the clock is supposed to act weird, just tapp it real hard and it'll act normal.

don't get cross drilled rotors. Also while your at it I would get some SS brake lines. and super ATE blue fluid. just a thought though.