First e46 in the garage as of tonight

[87porsche930]

Long time e36 M3 fan. Have owned 4 over the past 10 years and still have a black and white 99s. For years now i have been 50/50 on buying an e46 M3. The ITB S54 i think is just an all around amazing setup and after researching the SMG trans and how its actually a manual trans and clutch setup with a hydraulic unit that shifts for you from the click of a button. All along i thought the smg was an auto with that triptronic BS which never interested me but i was wrong.

So tonight i picked up a 2002 Imola red on red leather SMG with 140k miles for 8000.00. Never any performance mods. Tons of maintenance records since new. Never any accidents just a few imperfections on front and rear bumpers. 20 miles drive home the car seemed to run great!!!! Asking myself why i did not buy an e46 long ago.

This car looks rides and sounds very solid. Based on what i have shared do you all think i got a fair deal ?

Anything major on the 02s i need to lookout for?

The only change im interested in making is an afe intake elbow and bmc drop in filter.

Yesterday i drove the car on the hwy at about 80 mph for 2 hours and after 60 miles i noticed 1 hiccup, from my past experience it felt like a slight miss you get from an ignition coil on a single cylinder, the next 60 miles i did not feel it again.

[dworthy]

Welcome to the family!

Yeah, the E-36 tends to have a more classic look, but you won't have to worry about the bad door panels. The A pillar covers will like to come loose down at the bottom, and the headliners won't sag either. But I have noticed that the bearing on the S-54 normally don't get much past 150k, so I would have an oil analysis done to see how much copper is in the oil.

Did the records show the passenger airbag has been replaced? There is an active recall still open on that as well as the driver's side airbag.

[87porsche930]

I have noticed the doors seem they will stay in better shape. I see the headliner is more durable and that the a pillars are a little loose at the bottoms. Nothing to worry about. Now the 150k bearing life. Are we talking connecting rod bearings ? Main bearings ? Also can you explain the correct way to go about oil analysis, as in is it best to take a sample of oil on more of the used side or the newer side ?

[dworthy]

I am talking about the crank bearing, where the pistons connect to the crank.

Also you should look up these guys about the oil analysis: www.blackstone-labs.com
Normally you should take the oil as it is getting changed, for when it is worn you will see more rather than just oil that has been driven on for 1k miles.
Every oil change I send a sample in to see where it is at, and as of the last one prior to storage, it is looking good for 92k miles.

[Benocehcap]

Well,
This what I have experienced with my ///M3. You need to adjust the valves very 30k. Then my throttle sensor or my throttles gone bad. Making my ELM light to come on. Rear springs were broken. FSU that controls ur vents are a problem even when u get a FSU from BMW itself. Cuz the upgraded version will not mate with the cars female socket, cuz it's a tab larger. Causing the vents to come on and off. See my thread for more details.
But!!
I love every sec of it.


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[87porsche930]

When i was asking about the bearings i just meant is it the con rod bearings or the mains. Mains being the bearings that hold crank to block and con rod bearings which hold pistons to crank. I would like to find some time to adjust the valves and get a new set of plugs in there for sure.

[dworthy]

You could have all of them done, but that would be a bit of overkill in my book.

Valve adjustments are not to hard, if you have the basic hand tools to do so like a feeler gauge. The kit does have a initial cost, but check with a local shop to see how much they charge and it maybe cheaper to buy the kit and spend the hour doing so.

[87porsche930]

Been driving the car and noticed in cold weather when starting in the morning the yellow oil light comes on for a few secs and then goes off, i have read that with heavy 10-60 oil and cold temp its easy for the level sensor to stick for a sec. Just make sure to check level with the stick. No noises whatsoever in the suspension so i doubt the springs are broken. I think after i put some miles on it i will send the oil out for analysis.

[dworthy]

Well you are correct as that is typical on these cars. I haven't yet to replace the level sensor in the M-3, but I have replaced the one in the wagon several years ago.

If the temps are below 40 degree F, I would let the car sit for a minute or two before taking off. That gives the oil time to heat up a little bit before you put pressure on it. I like to keep the RPM's below 3k while it is in the blue, and yeah it's nice that the yellow band ticks off as it get warmer, I am just crazy like that.

[87porsche930]

I have been taking that same precaution. Good to know.