325iX Questions

[BMWBurnout875]

I know this question probably gets asked a bit on here and I have done some research prior to making this post. I am looking at a 89 325ix auto tomorrow morning and was hoping to get some last minute advice on what to look for on this car. It has 220k miles with a few service records. I know i want to do the Viscous coupling test and to check shock towers and the body and underside for rust ect.....but what specific iX stuff do I need to be on the lookout for? I know brake sand suspension are specific to the iX but anything else? I have been out of the BMW world for about 5 year now after I sold my e46 and I am really looking to get into a 325iX. Thanks in advance for any help!

[spdracrm3]

I know this question probably gets asked a bit on here and I have done some research prior to making this post. I am looking at a 89 325ix auto tomorrow morning and was hoping to get some last minute advice on what to look for on this car. It has 220k miles with a few service records. I know i want to do the Viscous coupling test and to check shock towers and the body and underside for rust ect.....but what specific iX stuff do I need to be on the lookout for? I know brake sand suspension are specific to the iX but anything else? I have been out of the BMW world for about 5 year now after I sold my e46 and I am really looking to get into a 325iX. Thanks in advance for any help!

Also look for torn boots on front axles and axles that pop on hard turns
Look for stripped splines on front driveshaft, or loose tcase chain causing poping on accel.(look at fluid condition in tcase)
Oh and look for rust everywhere

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[BMWBurnout875]

Also look for torn boots on front axles and axles that pop on hard turns
Look for stripped splines on front driveshaft, or loose tcase chain causing poping on accel.(look at fluid condition in tcase)
Oh and look for rust everywhere

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Will definitely do that, also he said the sunroof doesnt work is that a common problem or an easy fix? if not its not a big deal, also mentioned that the gas gauge is "bouncy" whatever that means.

[spdracrm3]

Depends if manual roof could be broken handle stripped gear or misaligned cables. Add bad switch relay or motor for electric roof some are easy to fix cables and tracks can be tedious
Gas gauge on my 225k is starting to become erratic (sensors are no longer available,assume e85 fuel is affecting them) I'm starting to just go by odo a fill at 300 miles.

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[HurtCobain]

325ixs are cool parts can be a pain in the ass to find I just tried ordering transmission cooling hoses for it and received the wrong item a lot of parts numbers for the ix will say one thing and will match up perfectly online on “realoem” and then you try to install it and it doesn’t fit I had that happen to me a lot do yourself a service run away from the headache get anything but a ix.


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[BMWBurnout875]

Thank you all for the replies. I have decided to purchase the car I looked at. The body/paint and interior were a solid 8/10 the drivetrain was also a 8-9/10 but the motor has a rough idle but the whole cooling system was replaced. I decided to buy it and fix the idle issues. Im so happy to be back in a BMW again!

[superj]

sweet!!

[T81Houston]

check the strut housings as well. Both of mine were done for. Not cheap to replace.

[BMWBurnout875]

check the strut housings as well. Both of mine were done for. Not cheap to replace.

yes I just got the cra up on stands the other day and noticed that there are quite a few bushing that need to be replaced. The strut housings arent too bad but first I must track down this rough idle issue im having.

[BMWBurnout875]

Depends if manual roof could be broken handle stripped gear or misaligned cables. Add bad switch relay or motor for electric roof some are easy to fix cables and tracks can be tedious
Gas gauge on my 225k is starting to become erratic (sensors are no longer available,assume e85 fuel is affecting them) I'm starting to just go by odo a fill at 300 miles.

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Just doing some research on the gas guage issue and im finding that the fuel sending unit next to the fuel pump sends the guage the level of fuel left in tank. So this could be the problem? They do make these still so I thought it was worth mentioning.

[spdracrm3]

Might be two sensors as well ,one on each side of saddle tank

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[T81Houston]

My strut housings didn’t look to bad but upon closer inspection they were completely rotted out on top. No threads left at all, it was all rust holding the caps on.

I ended up replacing the intake tube on mine. Cleared the idle up some since it was dry rotted. I’m currently tearing down to do timing belt, tensioner and water pump. Already have the plugs, wires and cap replaced.

Beat of luck!

[BMWBurnout875]

My strut housings didn’t look to bad but upon closer inspection they were completely rotted out on top. No threads left at all, it was all rust holding the caps on.

I ended up replacing the intake tube on mine. Cleared the idle up some since it was dry rotted. I’m currently tearing down to do timing belt, tensioner and water pump. Already have the plugs, wires and cap replaced. Beat of luck!

Im basically doing the same thing to clear up a rough idle. I have a completely new thread to keep track of my progress. I have a bunch of gaskets and o rings being delivered today so i will update my post if anything im doing fixes the problem.