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Thread: new E21 owner on the boards

  1. #1
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    new E21 owner on the boards

    hey guys, whats up

    i am new to the world of the e21, i just bought the car yesterday, been loving every second of it thus far

    a little story on it . . . its an '81 320i with 110k miles . . . original owner totally restored it back in '94 and the car looks brand new sitting in my driveway (pics to come by the end of the week)

    anyways . . . ive a couple of things to ask for those of u on the e21 board

    first off, where can i find all the best literature on the e21 . . . any great sources u guys go to for general info besides this board? also where do u guys go to find aftermarket stuff . . . like a nice set of wheels, maybe some performance mods (although i know actual gain will be minimal)

    also important, i believe the car has a coolant-leak near the radiator . . . is this a widespread epidemic common to the e21 or is my case just a freak occurence . . . anyways i am going to have to go under the car and check it out tomorrow . . .

    TIA for any and all advice

  2. #2
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    Welcome aboard...:
    Bavarian Auto and BMP Design for some good mods

  3. #3
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    blitzed, did u have any coolant leaks ever, or do u know anyone who has?

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    Nope never have its not really a common thing amongst e21's, do the inspection, check for cracked hoses, loose clamps, check the flange of the radiator that connects to the hoses

  5. #5
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    nah, coolant leaks aren't a common problem w/ e21's.
    it's either a loose/cracked hose......or there's a crack in the plastic radiator tanks.
    also, do u have a tube connected to the overflow port on the radiator? cuz if the coolant system exceeds the pressure the rad cap is rated at (i believe stock is 11psi.....can't remember for sure), hot coolant will come out of that overflow port (located on the filler neck, just below the rad cap).

    also checkout racetep.com for aftermarket stuff

    welcome.....first mod i recommend is lowering springs (eibach or H&R) & shocks (bilstein's or koni's) get rid of that e21 body roll

  6. #6
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    Welcome aboard, good so see the e21 group grow!

    E21 LEGION


    Crypto success: http://brief.watchersfrontline.com/SHV

  7. #7
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    along with the coolant leak dont be supprised that the temp guage will run hotter than you expect. well over half.
    ebay hosts tons of cool treasures for our cars.
    good luck and dont forget to search for your question for a thread before posting up a new one!
    we are all glad to help and welcome! (i cant wait to see pics

  8. #8
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    thanks for the warm welcoming guys . . . i really feel like this forum is a pretty tight-knit group

    anyways i just got the title and plates transferred over today, and pics will be soon to come . . . give it a few days cuz i dont have a digi-cam and kodak asks like four days to do digital processing :

    right now i am guessing the coolant leak is coming from a cracked hose and have still yet to inspect . . . btw, thanks again for all the info so far

  9. #9
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    btw, do any of u guys have access to an e21 320i owners manual? i am wondering what octane of gas to put in this beast . . . the guy i bought the car from (BMW service tech) said it ran shitty on 87 . . . today i put in some 89 and it felt fine

  10. #10
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    my car likes 89 too.....i was forced to use 87 a couple months ago (dam fuel shortage in az!), and maybe barely noticed the engine didn't run quite as smooth (but there was no knocking, even when it was +100 degrees outside).
    i used to put in 91, but it didn't differ from 89 performance wise.....but i might mess around w/ my timing to see if i can get a little more oomph outta the m10 on 89 or 91.

  11. #11
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    I have the original manual, back from 1982. I got lucky and my car came with all the manuals, booklets and repair bills. only thing they did to this car besides oil changes and tune ups was a brake caliper change. Pretty good for a 20 year old car huh?

    You can also check pages for the 2002, they use the same motor and have more parts: www.2002parts.com www.bmw2002faq.com www.my2002tii.com partsbmw.com
    e30 325i, the mighty 4 door granma mobile....Gone
    e39 528i, 4 door sports tank

  12. #12
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    i use 91, because here at price club where i fill up its wither 91 or 87.
    i have a haynes manual and the original 82 owners manual if neede i can get some info out of it for you

  13. #13
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    the guy i bought the car from said the engine was a 1.8L displacement . . . yonkers are u sure the 2002 shares the same engine with the e21 320i? i was under the impression that the 2002 had a 2L displacement . . .

    well, another possibility is that the service tech was talking out of his ass (as most of them do )

  14. #14
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    m10 came in 1.8 & 2.0 (& 1.5) liters.....all the engines are pretty much the same.
    the main difference between the 2.0 & 1.8 m10's were the stroke, shape of the pistons (1.8 have dome pistons vs the 2.0's flat pistons), and a slightly different head design (1.8's flow a little bit better)......but most parts between the engines are swapable (that's why for internal engine mods, u wanna checkout what places have in store for 2002 engines)

  15. #15
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    As Jbob said, parts are interhangeable between both models. the intake manifolds are different, one has the injectors in the head (the 1.8) and the other in a stub manifold. The earlier intake manifold flows better (looks like a Tii)and has better throtle response.
    The 1.8 likes to rev, has a very short stroke, and low compression pistons. You can find 9.5 pistons on ebay or Bavauto. The stock is like 8.1-1...
    If you don't have inspections you can build a 2002/320 motor, the 2 liter with the 1.8 head, headers, a weber 36/36 on the 2002 intake (dual webers are fun, but thirsty) advance the timing, a 284 cam (or 292/304 if you want to race)

    Our cars, the e21 with mechanical injection don't get along with radical mods, you can upgrade to the e30 electronic injection or backdate to carbs.

    Or with big bucks get this:
    Attached Images Attached Images
    e30 325i, the mighty 4 door granma mobile....Gone
    e39 528i, 4 door sports tank

  16. #16
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    thats some pretty interesting stuff guys

    however, i dont really want to crack open the engine unless necessary . . . there is about 110k on the stock engine right now and its still running strong . . . anyone wanna take a shot in the dark to see how long it lasts?

    btw, did any of the e21s/2002s come with an oil temp gauge? im kind of anal about properly warming-up before opening up but i cant get anything off of just a coolant temp gauge . . .

  17. #17
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    Not that I know of except maybe those mythical Alpina models. Pretty sure they were just about euro only. You could always add your own, shouldn't be too hard. Get an A-Pillar gauge goin an get some intrest from the rice burners

    Welcome to the forums. My shot in the dark as to how long your engine will last, another 100k without a rebuild if you change the oil ect. like you should. I think there's a guy up in canada with 350k+ without a rebuild. I've only got 82k on mine so far. Mere 2k since I've goten it. Had to do alot of work to make it safe, and more to make it reliable again. She's been a sitter most of her life.

    Don't worry too much, just keep the shifts under say 3.5k after you start it up for the first few miles. If you wanna get funky look into stealing the cluster off an e46 m3 and adapting it to your e21 :p I can almost certainly say it won't work without 5k worth of parts and a lot of time lol.
    1982 320i - 86xxx miles and not moving for now.
    Sound : Sony Cassette + 10 disk changer, Pioneer speakers, 10'' Boss sub x 2 --- Suspesion : H&R lowering springs, Bilstien Sport shocks all around.
    1995 Mitsubishi Mighty Max - 84,xxx miles
    Broken A/C, but proving to be damn reliable. Sound : 2 Boston Acustic Speakers, 8'' Punch Sub, 350 watt Kenwood amp, Pioneer CD player. Best 3 speaker system I've ever heard.

    One thing at a time, the m42 comes next.

  18. #18
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    Check out BMP Design for the guages and the pods, they have single or 3 cluster style along with the guage and the oil sender. This is my setup
    Attached Images Attached Images

  19. #19
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    i have 203k on mine with no rebuild.. they last forever

    my interior:
    Attached Images Attached Images

  20. #20
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    blitzed, who makes the shift knob u are rocking?

  21. #21
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    Its from BMP its a GP-2 part #121819 $59.95, it is etched with laser and has the 5-Speed pattern, so unless you have a 5speed you may want another. They have another nice one called the GP-1 same slyle but the top has the MOMO 6-bolt pattern!

    PS since you are new to the e21 go to www.bavauto.com www.bmpd.com and maybe even www.motorworks.com at each site you can order a free catologe

  22. #22
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    hmm. no comments on my Momo Jet carbon fiber wheel.. that picture does it no justice.. its a sick steering wheel!

  23. #23
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    thanks for the info, blitzed . . . yeah i have the 5-speed 320i and am currently very happy with the leather ///M shift knob the previous owner installed . . . just kinda curious about other peoples shiz i guess . . .

    lol FastE21, im sorry if i may have offended u . . . aftermarket steering wheels are too rich for my blood . . . to each their own, my own (as in next possible mods besides the ssk on order) is a nice sport suspension setup . . .

    i gotta hand it to u on both accounts though, im sure it is a very nice steering wheel, and u are right, the pictures didnt really make me think twice about it being a nice aftermarket peice

  24. #24
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    The wheel is pretty tight I have to say. It's funny to watch Matt in a parking lot tho

    I know I'm going to get a different stearing wheel down the line, and I mgiht go for the momo, and look into getting some fake NOS buttons on it good for 20hp each you know
    1982 320i - 86xxx miles and not moving for now.
    Sound : Sony Cassette + 10 disk changer, Pioneer speakers, 10'' Boss sub x 2 --- Suspesion : H&R lowering springs, Bilstien Sport shocks all around.
    1995 Mitsubishi Mighty Max - 84,xxx miles
    Broken A/C, but proving to be damn reliable. Sound : 2 Boston Acustic Speakers, 8'' Punch Sub, 350 watt Kenwood amp, Pioneer CD player. Best 3 speaker system I've ever heard.

    One thing at a time, the m42 comes next.

  25. #25
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    no offense was taken.. im just cocky and forward because i am very proud of my car.
    Beta -- see me in a parking lot how?? that wheel makes it easier!
    its a killer wheel, but definatley you should get suspension and then you will notice a bigger difference with a smaller wheel combined with the suspension.
    this picture does it a little more justice..
    Attached Images Attached Images

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