Recently bought 2001 325 ci

[325Ci405]

Milage upon purchase was 130K

I fell in love with this Car the moment I drove it. It was purchased from a retired real estate agent who kept perfect service records, maintained it, and kept it in a garage. Car is almost flawless, drive like a new car, but at 130K miles I know there are things that need to be replaced.

So far I have replaced the CCV (cold weather), which afterwards for about 500 miles I was consuming a lot of Oil. That stopped and now I am using about the normal amount (half quart per 500-750 miles.) I AM using/losing about a cap or two of Coolant per day driving with the AC on and covering about 2-400 miles. When I first bought the car it used no coolant, but this is the 4th morning In a row where I had to add a little coolant. As far as I can tell it's not being burned (no smoke), and every day for only a minute, using at a light I will briefly smell coolant in the AC, but it's immidiately goes away and no smoke is visible at the back of the car. I was wondering if anyone else has this same issue.


Also, I have no check engine lights on, Car runs and shifts fine, but where is the low end power on this thing? I'm thinking of a throttle body spacer, performance chip, but after I replace the fuel filter and plugs. Taking off aggressively I get a pedel of mush and 2-3 seconds to (almost) launch. I have to tried to reset throttle position sensor, to no effect. Otherwise this car runs like like a champ, it's just hard to believe to believe this car has no low end power.


Some other things I am about to replace include: VANOS, Idler Pulley, belts, hoses, vac lines....performing preventive maintenance


Anything I'm missing or maybe something I could be overlooking in regards to low end power/acceleration?

[Muzz258]

Your low end power problem could be the VANOS seals needing replacement?

The car should not be using coolant. I normally run my BMW's at the lower level. Are you over filling the header tank?

[MarcoZandrini]

The first step in diagnosing a problem is to scan the engine computer (DME in BMWspeak) and the automatic transmission computer (EGS) for codes. The engine check light is on only when an emissions related code is present. Do not overfill the expansion tank. With the engine stone cold the rod in the expansion tank should be at the minimum level, not the max level. What’s the maintenance history of the cooling system? The cooling system is the Achilles heel of the E46. It’s made of quality plastic, but it’s plastic nonetheless.

Has the fuel pump been replaced? They are good for about 5000 hours so mileage isn’t the best indicator of when to replace it. If/when you replace the pump the only brand you want to buy is Siemens/VDO. An aftermarket pump will fail in short order. The fuel filter needs to be changed when the pump is changed as the filter gascthe fuel pressure regulator. The only brabdscti buy are Mahle and Keyser. Both supply filters to BMW.

What’s the maintenance history of the automatic transmission? The fluid and filter should be changed at 60k miles. Be advised that BMW sourced automatic transmissions from GM of France and ZF of Germany. They are different transmissions the GM transmission uses Dexron3 fluid. The ZF transmission uses a more exotic fluid. How to tell which transmission is in the car? The fluid pan of the GM transmission has smooth sides. The ZF fluid pan is ribbed.

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[jclausen]

I'm mean it's a 325 like my 525, it does not have a ton of power not like a 330 engine,

[325Ci405]

Thank you for the advice, all. I've been working a lot so I haven't been able to login.

I have all service records and from what I can tell I will need to replace VANOS seals, Fuel pump, water pump, service transmission, and replace the belts and the rest of the hoses.

I found out why I was loosing coolant; upper radiator hose was cracked. Replaced last week and zero coolant lost since. When I got the car the first thing I did was replace the CCV due to smoking.

Lack of low end power aside, this car drives like new and is nearly flawless. The above mentioned items to be replaced are preventive maintenance that I suspect is overdue... No mention of in service records.


As far as cooling system, my temp gauge stays halfway...never wavers, but seems a little high. Is this typical of this car or is this a good indicator of needing to replace the water pump/thermostat?


It's a beautiful car, fun to drive and affordable enough to own if one does their in mechanical work... I'm in love.


Thanks again all

[Liquidity]

Meh, overfilling the cooling system won’t harm anything, it will just piss out the extra coolant through the cap. It’s so hard to get these things to bleed properly and get the level just right that I stopped bothering years ago. Just fill it right up until it comes out of the bleeder screw, put the cap back on and let it piss out the extra when it warms up.