E36 318i - think it's dead.

[HOTPIG175]

Hi people, and thanks for letting me join your forum.

I bought the above vehicle, knowing it was mechanically neglected, and kinda did it to stop our office girl getting her new car repossessed by the EVIL finance company, because she couldn't make the payment. The terms of the finance are simply cruel.

However, the car is generally straight, and was road legal until recently, and while the engine was rattly, it went ok, and the auto was smooth. No overheating, and new differential fitted 3 months ago.

What's weird is that I agreed her brother could remove the stereo and speakers, and he seems to have tucked a bunch of uninsulated and, (probably not now), down behind the dash, and in behind the rear seat.

Yep, it was as sick as a dog when I collected it, but it was running. 80 km/h max.

My friend was following me, and said there was no smoke from the exhaust or under the car, but when I hit the indicator to pull over to let highway traffic past, it died, and had to go home on a transporter. $$$$$ Grrrrr!!!

So, I'll go through the wiring and insulate every possible live wire that potentially could cause a short, and replace any necessary fuses.

Jumper leads an a massive booster pack will not get the thing to even turn over, so I guess the engine is toast. I can live with that.

My question is, which other engines would slot straight in,. e.g 1.6, 2.0, 2.5 litre, etc., or am I stuck with the 1.8?

I can get a good one from a tidy car that's been rear-ended, with a reasonable mileage, and at a fair price.

Or do I tear the thing to bits and bolt the body onto a rusted-out Jeep cherokee so we can tow the boat a couple of miles in slightly more luxury?

Seriously, though, it's the engine compatibility issue that concerns me, and are the things OBD2 diagnostic compatible?

Ant sensible and competent advice will be greatly appreciated.

Cheers from NZ.

Andy

[02Pilot]

Slow down. Basics first. Since the problem seems to be electrical, you need to make sure that system is sound before anything else. Check the battery, check the grounds. Check the fuses. Get that stuff straight.

Now, if you let someone who doesn't know how electricity works remove electrical components from the vehicle, well, that's not a good idea. Don't do that. But what's done is done, so you'll need to go through it methodically and make sure nothing's shorting. Hopefully he at least removed the connectors rather than just cutting wires. As an extra precaution, pull the fuses for the radio and any other systems he mangled - it's not like they need power.

The car should be readable with OBD2 or a BMW diagnostic computer. The former won't tell you much, and I don't know about how much info BMW's systems offered at that time, but chances are it's a lot more than a generic reader.

[HOTPIG175]

Oh yeah, for sure.

I would have preferred to remove the stereo myself, as, yep, as you suggest, he just snipped everything off, or maybe even chewed through the wiring, and the is a lot of uninsulated copper dangling about.

I'll download a wiring diagram from somewhere, as the handbook and fuse markings are all in Japanese, since this car is an import. But, yes, I have a meter, so will make sure only the essentials are live.

Once I tidy all that up, can you tell me what's the recommended method for safely jump/boost starting these things?

Like, having the battery 3 metres away from the engine is not, I believe, gonna do much to get the power to where I need it most, i.e. at the very sick engine.

I guess I could track the main battery feed cables back to the engine bay and try to jump from there.

Unfortunately, the transporter guy probably didn't realise that the battery is in the trunk, so I have a car at the bottom of a steep driveway that I cannot jump off another vehicle, because there is no access for jumper leads.

And, also, I fear that whether it's OBD2 or BMW diagnostics - my Kiwi ingenuity tells me the engine is a garden ornament.

Thanks for your quick response and sensible suggestions.

Much appreciated.

Andy

[HOTPIG175]

And, sorry, I see that al the info I put in my last post has vanished at to all the handbooks and fuse diagrams being in Japanese, as that's where the car was imported from.

So iI will systematically go through, if I can't download an English, (and hopefully compatible), version.

In the unhappy event that the system's ECU is kaput, is there a carburettor version of this engine, or can I simply convert an injected engine to twin Dell'Ortos or Webers?

Thanks again for your help.

Andy

[02Pilot]

I love dual carbs as much as the next old lunatic, but converting that motor is not going to be an easy task.

Before you go full retro madness, there should be a positive post on or near the engine and a negative post on the inner fender somewhere. Booster box on those will get you power.

EDIT: Go here for a full service manual: https://www.newtis.info/

[bmwdirtracer]

Welcome to the forum.

Andy, you're getting seriously carried away. You're talking about replacing the engine, or converting it to twin toilets, when you really have no idea what's wrong with the car. You don't really know whether or not the stereo removal is what caused your issue: in fact, that's pretty unlikely, because the car started and ran for a while, afterwards.

I'd personally start by checking whether there's proper fuel pressure at the engine.....let's see....3 bar (about 43 psi). You need a fuel pressure gauge. That's a hunch, but it's where I'd start.

There's a jump start terminal underhood. I have never worked on a RHD E36, so I'm not sure where it is; just look for the big, battery cable sized wires. One goes to the battery, the other goes to the starter and alternator, and these meet at the jump start point.

Here are wiring diagrams for the U.S. version, which should be almost exactly the same:
http://wedophones.com/BMWManualsLead.htm

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EDIT: We overlapped, my friend 02Pilot. I'll send you all the carbureted cars I stumble across. Make mine injected.

[ross1]

Yep, putting the cart before the horse here for sure.
If an engine were damaged in such a way to prevent it from even turning you'd have noticed when it failed.
Get this wreck to start and offload it to some starry eyed dreamer.
Can't help but wonder if the gratitude of your "office girl" wasn't a motivator here.

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I love dual carbs as much as the next old lunatic,

Currently struggling a bit with an old Holley teapot carb myself.

[HOTPIG175]

Wow!

Hey, thanks so much for that!

Will advise the outcome.

Stuck doing paperwork for the Government right now, so maybe tomorrow>

Cheers, Andy

[HOTPIG175]

Yeah, I get your drift.

If you'd read my original post, why yes I DID notice it failing, but it died when I put the indicator switch on to pull over for it;s last rites.

Sorry to burst your bubble about the office girl thing you seem to have going on, but the answer is no. That's kinda buggered your fantasy.

Always love it when people try to read something uncool into simply helping somebody out.

Hope YOU don't need help sometime.

Empathy. Look it up.

Thanks to all who came back with constructive answers and suggestions.

Andy

[HOTPIG175]

Hi,

Thanks for your detailed response.

The thing has seized. Can't turn it with a wrench, even after removing starter motor.

Hey, it was a punt, which I took a chance on, and if it's a total loss, (which I doubt, cos the body is wicked straight), then so be it.

It was kinda security for a loan which I never expect to get repaid.

I'll just get the paperwork done so it doesn't go off-register, and concentrate on my other business for now.

So thanks again, and I'll update asap.

Cheers, Andy

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Truly grateful for your response and assistance.

Thanks, Andy

[HOTPIG175]

Final question, because have got to head out on a call...

Thought I might have asked this before, but my questions seem to be disappearing randomly...

Will a 1.6, 2.0 or 2.3 fit in easily? Might have certification issues if I go up in capacity, but what's the limit for a straight swap? Pain-wise, I mean.

Cheers, Andy

[HOTPIG175]

Thanks Chris

[ross1]

Yeah, I get your drift.

If you'd read my original post, why yes I DID notice it failing, but it died when I put the indicator switch on to pull over for it;s last rites.

Sorry to burst your bubble about the office girl thing you seem to have going on, but the answer is no. That's kinda buggered your fantasy.

Always love it when people try to read something uncool into simply helping somebody out.

Hope YOU don't need help sometime.

Empathy. Look it up.

Thanks to all who came back with constructive answers and suggestions.

Andy

No fantasies,sir. Just seemed a spectacularly poor purchase.
Good luck

[HOTPIG175]

Ok,

And you're right. Bad buy!

Gonna pull the wheels off, and scrap the remainder, which is sad, as it's a tidy car.

However, as I'm self-employed, there is no hope in hell that I can save this thing, as in NZ, there is a quaint custom of getting people to work for you, and then not paying them.

Clutch is going in the Laser, so I'll just nurse it along while the debt collectors get half of what's owing to me.