Just got a '90 325i!

[amarino]

E21 guy here. Just just got myself a 2 owner black 1990 E30 325i with about 215,000 miles. First owner was an old lady that drove from LA to Vegas back and forth. Second owner is a friend of mine that drove the car once a week for a while and then let it sit for a bit. All we needed to do to get her running was new heater hose in the back of the engine into the firewall and new battery. Otherwise she has been running great. On Saturday night after we got her running I went to Hoover Dam and it was great. Sunday middle of the day in Vegas we went up to Mt. Charleston and purred right along just fine with the temp gauge staying at 1/4. Then last night I drove her home from Vegas to LA area and I set the cruise control at 75mph and did the 230ish miles no complaints.

Nothing real special about the car. The AC was converted to R-134a but it needs to be checked out as it does not work now. Other than that the other mod would the the E30 Sport seats (at first I thought they were RECAROs) that have been redone in Alpina style.

There are some little things here and there that need replacing, mostly plastic bits that have been worn over the years. I plan to keep this car as a DD and make it as new looking as possible. No reason to mess with something so nice and unmolested.

I also got a set of OEM 14" BBS wheels that I want to have redone and mount. I have some loaner wheels/tires for now just to get me home. Now for some pics!

[richardodn]

Welcome. You're moving up in the world.

Other than that the other mod would the the E30 RECAROs that have been redone in Alpina style.

Those are just BMW sport seats. E30 Recaro seats were not sold in North America.

[strad]

Cool. Welcome from a fellow las vegan.

[amarino]

Well I guess this would be a good place to keep track of what I've done with the car so far.

So right after buying it, I got a Sport steering wheel, Ellipsoids, K&N filter for the stock box, and got tires for the 14" wheels and had those mounted. Also got the basic brake kit from Ireland Engineering (http://www.iemotorsport.com/bmw/E30-...0brakekit.html) but only ended up changing the rears as the fronts seemed fine, but now the Brake Lining light is on so I should probably change those as well.





First thing to go was the guibo/CSB



And of course I've already cracked the oil pan once. (stock/blown suspension) Got it replaced with a another one from the pick-a-part as well as some RevShift poly engine mounts as one broke during removal.



Then I had noticed a bearing noise from the transmission, so I planned to eventually drop that and check it out as well as replace the rear engine seal as that seemed to be leaking. Also check the clutch and replace that as well.
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...-bearing-noise


As of two weeks ago swapped out my 3.73 open for a 2.93 LSD which I replaced all the seals on and cleaned up. Much nicer diff for daily driving on the freeway, which I do a lot commuting to/from school.

Then this week noticed vibrations coming from the rear end. Thought it was the diff mount as for some reason I didn't change it when swapping in the diff. But after getting under the car and having my dad take a look, it was the rear driveshaft u joint that had tons of play. So last night while I was in class my dad went ahead and took out the driveshaft and when I got there we dropped the trans. Holy crap the upper trans bolts are hard to get off with the firewall and padding in the way.

So it seems like it wasn't the rear engine seal that was leaking but the valve cover gasket and then seeping down. Also the inside of the bellhousing was a mess. Plan on getting all new seals for trans and engine, clutch kit, poly mounts for trans and diff, and having the driveshaft rebuilt at IE as they're local for me and it seems like a good price: http://www.iemotorsport.com/bmw/E30-...riveshaft.html


Here a list from memory of things that still need to be taken care of:

• I have a CEL only when at idle for a few seconds. Goes away when blip the throttle. Error code 1222. (Plan on doing the plugs/dist. cap and rotor/valve adjustment and new gasket)
• Fuel level sensor always reads full but the empty light still works.
• Fog lights do not work and one of the lens is broken.
• Rear speakers don't work.
• 6 button OBC screen acts weird, find and swap in a 13 button one.
• Parking brake sticks sometimes.
• Muffler is starting to rust.
• I'm sure there is more that I can't remember.

[Chick]

Don't neglect the timing belt, water pump, etc. Be a shame to do the upgrades and lose the engine.

[Davis318]

Are the wheels in the first pics Volk racing? I kinda like them, not the gold part. Maybe lowered might have looked nice.

[thebigkick]

Nice pics. Keep them coming!

[amarino]

Don't neglect the timing belt, water pump, etc. Be a shame to do the upgrades and lose the engine.

Previous owner is a friend of mine and he changed it about 2k miles before I got the car. Since then I've put 8k miles on it so I should be good for a while. But I do still plan to change it sooner than the recommended 50-60k miles and at the same time do the plugs/cap/rotor/water pump/etc.

Are the wheels in the first pics Volk racing? I kinda like them, not the gold part. Maybe lowered might have looked nice.

Yes I believe they were Volk te37. I was just borrowing them until I could get tires mounted on the stock wheels. I agree they may have looked better with a different color but I'm a much bigger fan of the BBS basketweave. But they were nice wheels and super light.


So last Wednesday afternoon at about 3:30pm I ordered a clutch kit from Pelican Parts with free shipping, it was delivered the very next day on Thursday. Also ordered Bilstein HD's from BavAuto as they were cheaper, RevShift poly trans mount to match the engine mounts, and I picked up a poly diff mount from Ireland Engineering. The trans mount and shocks should be getting here this week. Last Thursday I dropped the driveshaft off at Ireland Engineering to be rebuilt. They told me it would take about a week and the invoice said $275, which is less than the website advertised $325. This week I'm going to work on cleaning everything up, changing all the seals, and hopefully reinstall the transmission before the driveshaft is ready.

[amarino]

So Ireland Engineering didn't have the driveshaft by today, I was told early to middle next week. So today I went ahead with my dad and we got the all the seals changed and the trans re-installed. We broke out the BMW Authorized tool to keep the output shaft from spinning when undoing the nut. We made that when changing the rear trans seal on the E21 and it came in handy again.








And here is my favorite box so far... (Bilstein HDs)



So all that is left is re-install the driveshaft, after I get it back and finish putting the underside of the car back together. Then change out the shocks and enjoy the new ride.

[BimmermeScotty]

Welcome. You're moving up in the world.

Those are just BMW sport seats. E30 Recaro seats were not sold in North America.

What is the difference between them. Is it just a brand?

[dohcdoh]

That fte box looks familiar, like I just opened one yesterday. Progress is looking good, I see homemade tools which I approve of. Keep us updated on how you like the mounts, I've been eyeing new motor/trans mounts myself.

[Heatmakerz]

Homemade tools always receive a stamp of approval. Good progress thus far.

[alpinE30weiss]

Looks kinda my mine

image-361491379.jpg

Trades are always welcomed if anyone likes Volk wheels

[dohcdoh]

I got two sets of bottlecaps you can pick the least shitty looking set out of for a trade.


hahahaha

[alpinE30weiss]

How are the tires?

[amarino]

Good news and bad news.

Good news first. Got the driveshaft back from Ireland Engineering and installed everything last night. Went for a little drive and it was great.


Now the bad news. Afterwards, looked under the car and there was transmission fluid leaking from the front of the trans where it meets the engine. I plan to pull that little cover off but I don't think that will give me a better view of anything. I did replace the input shaft seal on the trans, as it came part of the kit. That would be the only think that I could think would be leaking. I guess I'll need to pull everything again.

[amarino]

Great news! Took the trans back out AGAIN. Seems like every time you do it, you get better and faster at it.

So it seems like I pushed the seal all the way back into the input shaft cover and I didn't properly seal that little front cover where the seal goes. Nor did I realize that there was old silicon gasket residue left over. So this time I made sure to properly scrape and clean everything off, then instead of pushing the seal all the way in, just put it on the edge and then let it get pressed into place when reinstalling the cover. Then my dad put on a silicon gasket and tightened it back up.


Also only had enough time and energy to replace the rear shocks, as they are more accessible. The top mounts were trash on both sides and luckily my local foreign auto parts store had 2 in stock.

Old Mounts:


New Mount:


Ohh pretty.


The old shocks had no rebound left. I would compress them all the way and they just stayed there. Also it feels much more planted and tighter in the rear now. I plan on doing the front shocks this weekend, just ran out of time yesterday.

- - - Updated - - -

That fte box looks familiar, like I just opened one yesterday. Progress is looking good, I see homemade tools which I approve of. Keep us updated on how you like the mounts, I've been eyeing new motor/trans mounts myself.

About the mounts...So far I have the RevShift Blue Engine and Transmission mounts. I have not swapped the diff mount yet for the Ireland Engineering diff mount that I have. I am noticing a vibration in neutral if I rev up or if I put it in first and am just taking off. Then through most of the rev range after that its gone, but again shows up after 5k RPM. I didn't notice when I took the car out for a drive Tuesday after putting it all back together. But this time the only difference would be the Bilstein HD in the rear and old blown shocks in the front. Maybe that would cause the issue? I guess I know for sure after I swap out the front shocks this weekend, so we'll see.

[dohcdoh]

How are the tires?

Brand new, just put them on last week.

[theonetruetom]

You're going to have vibrations at certain points in the rev range, with poly mounts. I wouldn't run those on a non-racing or at least tracking occasionally car. For a DD, rubber is fine, it helps dampen vibrations.

[amarino]

Changed out the front struts today. Had to get a deep 19mm socket to get the nut off the top and a gland nut tool to unscrew/screw in the shock from my local Napa. I can say that having the right tools made it much easier.
http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/Ca...983_0006398878


Oh man the ride is so much nicer compared to riding on springs all around. Went for a little mountain drive and the car handled much better than in the past.

You're going to have vibrations at certain points in the rev range, with poly mounts. I wouldn't run those on a non-racing or at least tracking occasionally car. For a DD, rubber is fine, it helps dampen vibrations.

Hmm if I would have known that, I may have skipped on the mounts for the transmission. I never really noticed a difference when I put in the poly engine mounts. They're not terrible vibrations, just noticeable, especially when taking off from a light or stop sign. Something I guess I'll live with for now, but if I ever need to do anything down there again, I may switch them out.

Keep us updated on how you like the mounts, I've been eyeing new motor/trans mounts myself.

See above. If I were to do it again for a daily driver, I would skip on the poly mounts.

Whats next? Going to track down the source of a power steering leak and fix my A/C before summer really kicks in here in Cali.

Also, I got one of these for the stock head unit, love it!

[dohcdoh]

Hopefully your leak is as simple as a hose. The rack is a little more expensive.

I feel you on the ac, I just got a belt and dug up some r12 just in case the system is needing a charge. If it's leaking a bunch(I'm not sure yet because it hasn't had a belt on it since I got it) I'll pull it apart an convert to r134. California is too hot to not have ac.

[Jeffnhiscars]

Ive never seen anyone use beach chair fabric in an e30 (or any other car for that matter :-)

Good work freshening her up

[VARick]

Smart move getting new rims. Now get seat covers.

[amarino]

So ever since I replaced the front shocks and took out the struts (and the wheel speed sensors), the Anti-Lock light has come on occasionally while driving. It turns on with the ignition ON like it should and then turns off when I start the car, but sometimes while driving, the Anit-Lock light comes on. I've tried disconnecting the front two sensors but the issue still happens. I haven't looked into it much yet, but I'll need to soon.

On to the AC. I got one of the R134a recharge kits from Autozone that plugs into the low pressure side with the pressure gauge and proceeded to fill up the system. It recharged just fine and was blowing cold which was great. Throughout having the AC on with the car running, I was doing the soapy water trick to look for leaks and it seemed to be fine. So I turn off the car to disconnect everything and I notice on the pressure gauge on the refill kit that the pressure jumped up and almost doubled with the car off. I want to say that it went from ~40psi with the AC system on and charging to ~80psi with the car off. These aren't exact as I don't have the gauge in front of me. When I disconnected the charging hose, I heard a hissing and it seemed to be leaking from the valve in the charging port. Some soapy water onto the valve did make bubbles. What I didn't do was spray soapy water anywhere else while the AC was off to see if it was leaking from the higher pressure. I need to troubleshoot a bit more.

[amarino]

Time for a picture heavy A/C update.

So I got some R134a refrigerant with UV dye and a cheap UV light to see it.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EDF9OKK/
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004S6JFWQ/

I just fillied it up a bit and ran the A/C until it stopped blowing cold. Then searched everywhere looking top down for the leak in the engine bay. Only after I decided to look under the car did I see the leak. It seemed like it was the shaft seal that was leaking:


After some research, I had a Denso 10P15E Compressor. The sticker on the back identifies it.


Some Googling around and I found these helpful videos. Taking apart the compressor is pretty straightforward and easy if you pay attention and are careful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD5lLC5v6PE (Taking apart part 1. Not exact compressor as shaft seal and hose inlets is different, but the case is the same)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MangGmPZc6g (Putting back together ^)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh-KIjAqh-A#t=280 (Replacing the 2 piece front loading seal, which is what I had)

http://centuryautoair.com/mcart/inde...D=IT69&code=13 (Shaft Seal Kit)
http://centuryautoair.com/mcart/inde...D=IT72&code=13 (Case Seal Kit)
http://centuryautoair.com/mcart/inde...=IT157&code=13 (Just in case, because I did need some)

My low pressure hose was also really really hard to take off, turns out it was threaded on wrong, so I was able to grab another of the entire hose and assembly from the pick-a-part for cheap. The threaded part comes off with a 6mm allen wrench, same as the compressor case. You need to take them both off to reseal the compressor case and change the 2 seals there.




Here are some pictures of the compressor in different states of disassembly.




After refilling with oil, pulling vacuum, and recharging the system, the A/C was blowing cold and even lasted overnight without leaking out. But... today when driving around and testing it out, it was working great until I stated to smell a burning rubber smell. So I turned off the A/C and waited a bit then turned it back on. I heard a screeching noise, but not like a belt screeching noise, and the A/C stopped blowing cold. So I get under the car to take a look and it seems like the front part of the clutch that connects to the shaft had burned/melted/broke off from the magneting part that grabs onto the pulley.




I don't know if I put the belt on too tight or something else broke/overheated. The compressor didn't seize because I was able to turn the shaft freely.
I did get all new belts because this is what all of mine looked like:


Now I'm looking for that front cover. If anyone has one of the front A/C clutch parts laying around, let me know.