Turn signal failure...odometer rollback? any input helpful

[bilstein325i]

hey guys... im a current e36 owner and looking for a car for my gf right now...i went to look at what i thought was a 525i but when i got there it turned out to be a 90 325i...car was in good shape...completely solid other than a little rot on the driver fender....theres a turn signal light issue tho...all the parking lights work as well as the headlights, tailights and brake lights...the signals in the cluster do not work either....a previous owner tried installing a stereo system in it and im wondering if that might have something to do with it...all fuses are good and it is not throwing any cel codes

also the odometer says 110xxx miles...can these be rolled back easily and if so how could i tell if it has been rolled back?

they want $1000 for the car but it also needs front shocks, an exhaust system, tires, and i think a valve cover gasket...do you guys think this is a fair price considering the work it needs and not being road worthy?

sorry if these are reoccuring questions i did some searching and was not really succesfull

any help is appreciated

[strad]

Run a carfax or equivalent for the odometer.

Shocks are an easy diy job, but if you went to a shop they'd probably try to rape you. VCG is easy, and should be combined with the rocker shaft plugs (4 of them) and a valve adjustment.

The exhaust system is probably around 7-800 in parts (front half plus rear half), and it's a pretty easy diy job unless you break some fasteners, particularly the ones up on the manifolds. I managed to do that on my 535 and I had to take the manifolds off and down to the machinist to get the broken studs out.

Price could be pretty fair if the car is in excellent condition besides the work it needs.

edit: if you don't have any info on timing belt and water pump, consider them due for replacement immediately. That's about 100 in parts.

[bilstein325i]

thanks for the info man...i actually have a 92 e36 in my backyard that my brother totalled last summer...one of my buddy's who is also an enthusiast told me i could swap all my suspension components right into it converting it to 5 lug is that accurate information? and i am also considering swapping the m50 into it...

what really concerns me is the signal lights not working at all...could this just be something simple like a relay? i checked the fuses and all look good...or could i be looking at a short somewhere?

again any info or suggestions are highly appreciated

thanks

[Mrmaddbrad]

I wouldn't be to concerned about the odometer being rolled back, Probably highly unlikely. Buuutt... If the signals aren't working. The PO may have taken out the gauge cluster and clicked it back and in the process shorted out the signals.

Thats a total completely out of the water guess, but better than nothing :P

[grantorino62]

Odometer gears break on these cars at approx that mileage. Drive the car to verify the odometer works first. The turn signal relay is located under the steering wheel behind the black plastic cover surrounding the steering column. Did you press the 4 way emergency flasher button just above the radio to confirm it works? Doing that should illuminate both green arrows in the cluster and flash all four outside bulbs to verify failed or good bulbs and sockets.

[richardodn]

No the E36 parts do not swap over. E36 M parts in the front and E36 Ti in the back. See extradrei.com for more info.

[bilstein325i]

Odometer gears break on these cars at approx that mileage. Drive the car to verify the odometer works first. The turn signal relay is located under the steering wheel behind the black plastic cover surrounding the steering column. Did you press the 4 way emergency flasher button just above the radio to confirm it works? Doing that should illuminate both green arrows in the cluster and flash all four outside bulbs to verify failed or good bulbs and sockets.

no i did not check that didnt see the button i guess i thought it was one of the ones on the center console by the shifter but they were worn so didnt know what exactly each were for...well one for the window circuit but i thought the other was the 4 ways...im going to try and make another trip to look at it and negotiate price

thanks for the info richard this will def come into play when talking price