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Thread: New member, first e36

  1. #1
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    New member, first e36

    So I bought a 96' 328i with 69k miles (according to the dash and records but I'm afraid to learn otherwise) off a used car lot for a cheap but fun commuter. It was recently repainted, a "value" job but it shows pretty well in pictures. I tend to keep vehicles for a long time and my long commute racks up miles quickly but I wanted something I wouldn't mind working on with decent parts availability. The car was on ebay and some of you may have seen it, I purchased it locally from the dealer and the sale was a comedy of errors. The seller put it through state safety inspection and during the process, the hood flew up and smashed the windshield while the inspector was testing it. Fortunately for me, the hood had a couple of scratches in it prior to the incident so now it has a different hood with fresh paint. Then the steering rack was an issue and finally the power steering pump was replaced as well. Right about the time I was convinced I had been scammed out of a deposit, the car was finally ready for pick up and it is now my daily driver.

    I'm working through a short list of bugs and I'm sure there will be more to come but so far I think it will work out.
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  2. #2
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    This weekend I plan to replace the right trailing arm bushing as well as the oil filter housing gasket. It also needs a new windshield washer motor and coolant level sensor which are in the mail. There is an srs issue to sort out and some noise in the front suspension but in the mean time I am racking up miles on it.

  3. #3
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    I would replace both bushings as a pair.

    Also, just figured I'd mention I have the RTAB bushing tool and an SRS scanner I'll rent out. PM me if you're interested.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nanniepoo View Post
    I would replace both bushings as a pair.
    I should have just ordered two but was(still am) in the phase of doing the bare minimum into the thing until I'm more convinced I haven't dragged home a doped horse if that makes any sense.

  5. #5
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    I get it, but you should still get an alignment after replacing your RTAB. And if you're getting an alignment, might as well drop the extra ~$20 instead of having to replace it next year and get another alignment. Just my $0.02.

  6. #6
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    You're right, doesn't make sense to spend alignment $ twice. I'll shade tree align it for now and find a shop that can do a good job once I finish going through the front end and the driver side trailing arm bushing. The only shops I've ever used are just tire places that claim to do a full four wheel alignment but really just set the toe-in. I ended up redoing the alignment on my trailblazer after the shop claimed there was no way to adjust the camber. I do have a level garage, turntables and a castor/camber gauge.
    Last edited by gdavid; 06-02-2017 at 03:55 PM.

  7. #7
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    Mark the RTAB plates, the holes are slotted to allow for toe adjustment. I check the toe with a tape measure and also use a long straightedge on each side to make sure it is evenly distributed on both sides.
    '94 325i Sedan, Arctic Gray: UUC LTW FW, EVO 3 and DSSR, +.020 Maxsil pistons, ASC delete, Eibach shocks/springs, 16" contour reps 238k
    '93 325is Coupe, Schwarz, work beater 299k
    '89 325i Vert, Alpine White: 5spd swapped. Sold
    '04 Toyota Sienna XLE Limited AWD, In progress swapping to M50/G250, http://www.wibimmers.com/board/index...nna-25i-build/
    '05 Volvo V70 R, 6mt, mostly stock, kid hauler 200k Sold
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  8. #8
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    Car looks nice! I dig how clean/stock it looks. Classic. Enjoy!
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  9. #9
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    Thanks for the tips, I wouldn't have bought this thing if not for the wealth of knowledge shared on forums like this.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by gdavid View Post
    You're right, doesn't make sense to spend alignment $ twice. I'll shade tree align it for now and find a shop that can do a good job once I finish going through the front end and the driver side trailing arm bushing. The only shops I've ever used are just tire places that claim to do a full four wheel alignment but really just set the toe-in. I ended up redoing the alignment on my trailblazer after the shop claimed there was no way to adjust the camber. I do have a level garage, turntables and a castor/camber gauge.
    The local good year tire quoted me $180 for a three year unlimited alignment plan after I told him I would need at least two more possibly three more alignments.
    Last edited by FiberFast; 06-04-2017 at 01:40 PM.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by FiberFast View Post

    The local good year tire quoted me $180 for a three year unlimited alignment plan after I told him I would need at least two more possibly three more alignments.
    Firestone has a $200 lifetime option as well
    Caprica Junkie

  12. #12
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    Got the RTAB changed along with my coolant level sensor and winshield washer pump. I marked the cassette position but it was almost like the alignment had been set with the broken bushing, it wasn't torn but the rubber was intact and separated from the metal allowing the front of the trailing arm to rotate inboard as the wheel pushed the car ahead. Anyway I ended up toed out at the marked position and pulled the rear to the right such that it crabbed down the road with the steering wheel cocked to compensate. After matching the toe to the left side relative to the front wheels it feels great. I have some general groaning from the front as I come to a complete stop and as I take off again, subtle but my next task after the oil housing gasket.
    Last edited by gdavid; 06-04-2017 at 08:42 PM.

  13. #13
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    Nice car. Welcome aboard.

  14. #14
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    Looks like fun! The engine in the 328 is an absolute gem, it makes some of the best sounds I have heard come from an engine on down shifts.
    Welcome to the e36 world.
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  15. #15
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    So a few more days with the car and I'm continuing to learn more. One major realization was what the ASC light is for, pretty boneheaded of me but I wasn't familiar with the symbol and though it had something to do with the check control. It is coming on after the car has been running a while so it seems like a bad electrical connection somewhere. I have seen the DIY fix for the brake pedal travel sensor and will dig into that if it isn't just a bad connection elsewhere. I'm beginning to suspect my head gasket is leaking, I haven't seen any white smoke or milky oil but I do seem to be loosing a bit of coolant and don't see any external leaks. It could just be working some air out of the system (I changed the coolant level sensor, it was bad) but I don't want to live in denial. The engine temps have been rock steady. There is a lot of carbon buildup inside of the valve cover and my skepticism about the car's mileage or at least this engine's mileage is growing. I'm not intimidated by a head gasket job but I am nervous about what else I may find as I tear into it and how long it will take. If the coolant use remains pretty steady, I may pick up a spare engine that I can take my time going through and switch it out over a weekend. I kept my old commuter in anticipation of the 21 year old e36 requiring some down time but I have grown to hate driving the old (actually newer) car so much I want to keep it to an absolute minimum.
    I have some rust hiding under the rocker panel covers, on the driver side, it is rusted through just forward of the wheel where it as creased up by something and there is some rust peaking out above the cover on the passenger side. I don't think I want to mess around with patches, a complete replacement on both sides may be less work in the end, I've replaced rockers, front & rear clips before and think I will bite the bullet and be done with it. I still haven't inspected my front suspension, it is noisy when it is hot out or after a long drive in the afternoon. I think it could be anything from sway bar hardware, strut mounts, control arm bushings, subframe bushings or all of the above.
    Yeah, so like I said, I expected a couple of bugs to pop up.

  16. #16
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    You sound like every other e36 owner I have ever heard. My solution was to find a low mile engine and swap it, now I have my old m50 sitting and waiting for an overhaul. I recommend this route as it's easier to do things right when you are not in a rush to get the car back together, and with m52's to be had for $200-$500 there is no reason for an engine bay nightmare.
    Last edited by FiberFast; 06-07-2017 at 12:27 PM.

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by FiberFast View Post
    You sound like every other e36 owner I have ever heard. My solution was to find a low mile engine and swap it, now I have my old m50 sitting and waiting for an overhaul. I recommend this route as it's easier to do things right when you are not in a rush to get the car back together, and with m52's to be had for $200-$500 there is no reason for an engine bay nightmare.
    Yes, this makes alot of sense. I am shopping now.

  18. #18
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    Just a heads up as you may not be familiar. It is usually not just a head gasket, cracked heads are typical, inspect very carefully around the exhaust valve seats to the cooling ports. You could do a leakdown test or a hydrocarbon test on the coolant to help figure it out rather than making assumptions. When buying these cars stay far away from anything that mentions recent work on the cooling system in any way. Usually trying to solve an overheating problem due to a cracked head.
    '94 325i Sedan, Arctic Gray: UUC LTW FW, EVO 3 and DSSR, +.020 Maxsil pistons, ASC delete, Eibach shocks/springs, 16" contour reps 238k
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    '89 325i Vert, Alpine White: 5spd swapped. Sold
    '04 Toyota Sienna XLE Limited AWD, In progress swapping to M50/G250, http://www.wibimmers.com/board/index...nna-25i-build/
    '05 Volvo V70 R, 6mt, mostly stock, kid hauler 200k Sold
    '85 Toyota LandCruiser: Lifted, gas hog. 205k

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by gdavid View Post
    So I bought a 96' 328i with 69k miles (according to the dash and records but I'm afraid to learn otherwise) off a used car lot for a cheap but fun commuter. It was recently repainted, a "value" job but it shows pretty well in pictures. I tend to keep vehicles for a long time and my long commute racks up miles quickly but I wanted something I wouldn't mind working on with decent parts availability. The car was on ebay and some of you may have seen it, I purchased it locally from the dealer and the sale was a comedy of errors. The seller put it through state safety inspection and during the process, the hood flew up and smashed the windshield while the inspector was testing it. Fortunately for me, the hood had a couple of scratches in it prior to the incident so now it has a different hood with fresh paint. Then the steering rack was an issue and finally the power steering pump was replaced as well. Right about the time I was convinced I had been scammed out of a deposit, the car was finally ready for pick up and it is now my daily driver.

    I'm working through a short list of bugs and I'm sure there will be more to come but so far I think it will work out.


    Congrats on the new ride! I'm attaching a link to our site's DIY tech articles on the E36 platform - I think you'll find it helpful when doing any maintenance or repairs. Please let us know if you have any questions!

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  20. #20
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    I changed the filter housing gasket today and it probably was fine. The vanos line is leaking and I wish I had ordered one but it is on the way now. On a positive note, it was tough to get the oil filter cap off and would have been much tougher with the housing in place. The filter itself looked terrible, it was dirty as hell and trying to collapse, don't know the last time it was changed. The oil itself wasn't bad, no coolant and I am less convinced that the head gasket is bad. My coolant level has been stable for 300 miles. On an odd note, I don't have an idler pulley or bracket for it. I have the stock mechanical tensioner (no hydraulic upgrade) but someone decided to leave the idler off at some point. The pulley itself is readily available but if anyone has a spare bracket for it, I would love to buy it. I am still planning to buy a spare engine but this m52 may last for a while. I really want to swap it out and be able to go through it without a rush. Again, I really appreciate the advice thus far.

  21. #21
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    make sure the oil filter housing gasket does not leak, I had quite a hassle with mine earlier this year, finally what solved it is putting a thin bed of red rtv around the edges, perfect, been doing fine since, also the oil filter cap oring, somethimes is not oval as it should be and instead square and thus results in leakage, as it happened to me.

    But yea, address it all, see where it goes, these are nice motors and do last a long time if taken care of well.
    "So we've come to the conclusion that BMW just has parts laying around they decide to throw on cars for no reason."

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  22. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by MisterM52 View Post
    make sure the oil filter housing gasket does not leak, I had quite a hassle with mine earlier this year, finally what solved it is putting a thin bed of red rtv around the edges, perfect, been doing fine since, also the oil filter cap oring, somethimes is not oval as it should be and instead square and thus results in leakage, as it happened to me.

    But yea, address it all, see where it goes, these are nice motors and do last a long time if taken care of well.
    ?

    The post right before yours says he just changed the OFH gasket.

    Cap o-ring should be changed with every filter change and should really never be a problem.

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by MisterM52 View Post
    make sure the oil filter housing gasket does not leak, I had quite a hassle with mine earlier this year, finally what solved it is putting a thin bed of red rtv around the edges, perfect, been doing fine since, also the oil filter cap oring, somethimes is not oval as it should be and instead square and thus results in leakage, as it happened to me.

    But yea, address it all, see where it goes, these are nice motors and do last a long time if taken care of well.
    It would be really disappointing if the OFH gasket leaks after replacing it because it probably wasn't leaking to begin with. After getting it pulled off, I believe it was all coming from the vanos line (I think BMW calls the hose a "pipe" for some goofy reason) which is unfortunate because I didn't have a replacement on hand.

    Is the idler pulley (not the tensioner pulley) secured with the upper bolt of the alternator? I don't recall any extra length to do so, but I'm not too sure of my memory and it may have the wrong bolt in it. Mine idler is missing and I can't tell from pictures if I am missing a bracket or not. I know that idler does come with a bit of a casting connected to it but can't tell from pictures if that is what attaches to the oil filter housing or if there is something else I am missing. Mine has the mechanical, spring loaded tensioner (not the hydraulic one line for the A/C belt) which I do believe makes a difference.

  24. #24
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  25. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by gdavid View Post

    It would be really disappointing if the OFH gasket leaks after replacing it because it probably wasn't leaking to begin with. After getting it pulled off, I believe it was all coming from the vanos line (I think BMW calls the hose a "pipe" for some goofy reason) which is unfortunate because I didn't have a replacement on hand.

    Is the idler pulley (not the tensioner pulley) secured with the upper bolt of the alternator? I don't recall any extra length to do so, but I'm not too sure of my memory and it may have the wrong bolt in it. Mine idler is missing and I can't tell from pictures if I am missing a bracket or not. I know that idler does come with a bit of a casting connected to it but can't tell from pictures if that is what attaches to the oil filter housing or if there is something else I am missing. Mine has the mechanical, spring loaded tensioner (not the hydraulic one line for the A/C belt) which I do believe makes a difference.
    Some M52s have an idler, some do not. Mine doesn't which was quite a surprise coming from an M50

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