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I'm actually pretty new to Euros, BMW's and E36's. I know a fairly decent amount of basic mechanics but I'm looking to purchase a '95 318ti. I have 19 tabs open on certain things I think I may want to do like an AT to MT swap, window fixes, key fob programming, maintenance reminder reset, etc...
I've scoured the forum and found a link in a sticky to a pre-purchase inspection/common issues, however the link is no longer active.
Anybody have advice on what to look for? As far as I'm aware, window regulators seem to be a pretty common issue, which this vehicle does have an issue with. Engine mechanical issues? Electrical gremlins? (LOL), steering/susp?
TIA!
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Well these cars are old now so getting under it to check for rust is going to be the main issue. Especially the four jack points. Good luck in your search!
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https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/w...232741744.html
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I'm actually looking at this car tomorrow and the seller has agreed for me to take it for a test drive and to my dealership where I could lift it on a hoist to have a better idea what's going on underneath. Rust is definitely on my radar and the pinch welds are definitely going to be one of the first things I'll look at when I see it in person.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Mnbm...54998278015573
That's the one I'm looking at
Last edited by ImBroke; 11-20-2020 at 10:57 PM.
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I would offer $2800 and find as many faults as you can and be like that's a solid offer. Ideally you would do a compression check to be sure it hasn't overheated.
Referring to the 325i in the previous post.
Last edited by Eric93se; 11-20-2020 at 11:02 PM.
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You will have more fun with the 6 cylinder, plus its low mileage.
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I was considering the sedan but call me blind I love the look of the ti. I have a reliable newer daily so I'm basically looking for a clean ti maybe do a 6cyl MT swap into it. Basically turn it into a project car but knowing typical German quirks, I might be a bit over my head but always down for a challenge!Originally Posted by Eric93se
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I can appreciate your affection for the ti, just make sure the body is in great shape.
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Just noticed the Facebook ad and saw the bumper that has to be a replacement. I hope you checked the front crush supports and the rest of the front end carefully.
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The nose of the hood looks like it has damage, so it looks like this car sustained a front end collision. I don't have fb so I could only see the thumbnail images. So you bought it?
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I did buy it, yes. I took it back to my dealership and lifted it up in the air before I purchased it. The front end didn't appear to have sustained any major impact. The front bumper was replaced, albeit a bit rough. Crash beam appears to be intact.
Here is a list of what I've found so far with inspecting it: Right front lower ball joint loose (replace both), left front outer tie rod end loose (replace both), alternator and water pump drive belts worn, a/c condenser has definitely seen better days, both front and rear washer lines not getting fluid to nozzles, oil pan gasket seep, valve cover gasket seep, rack and pinion leaking plus worn boots, both rear axle boots rotted, right front window completely disconnected from motor, right front connected but goes off track, brake lines rusted/worn, both front door panel loose/broken, left front fender at bottom badly rusted ate into the frame a bit, pcv hose duct taped, thermostat partially stuck open, hood and hatch struts collapsed, spare tire tool kit missing, front and rear brake pads worn, all bushings worn (appears original), front and rear struts worn, intermittent SRS fault, headliner sagging, sunroof interior slide stuck in headliner causing sunroof to bind when open (vents just fine).
Edit: definitely glad to have been able to negotiate the purchase price of the vehicle considering all the mechanical and rust repairs that will need to take place
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Just realize the dealer likes to overdramatize things so they can bleed you dry. I hope you will be able to wrench on your car and tackle those jobs one by one. The oil pan gasket is usually a misdiagnosis.
Have fun with it!
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Oh, no I work at a Mazda dealer. I wouldn't pay for a dealership to do a pre-purchase inspection on a car I *might* buy when I can just look at it with my town eyes haha. I brought it into my shop and lifted it up and inspected it myself. I'm fairly mechanically inclined. The drain plug is definitely leaking and the whole oil pan is greasy however above the oil pan appears to be dry which makes me think it's the gasket. One thing I will need a BMW dealer to do (thankfully I have connections) is to cut and program a secondary key as a spare. I should be able to program a new keyless transmitter with the DIY instructions I've found on this great forum.
Thank you!
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Why would you buy a car with a transmission you do not want so much that Job 1 is to replace it? Expand your search area to find a manual transmission equipped car. You will spend as much replacing the trans as you will spend to buy the car in the first place. Personally, I have to wonder about the attraction to the small engine, too. Do yourself a favor and just get a 6-cylinder.
Key fob programming on a '95? That's not even a thing. The '95 uses a simple, very simple, system that says if the car is locked from the outside by using the key, it cannot be started until the key is used to open it. There's no "handshake" function to the key, where the car and the key communicate with each other to be sure that the key has not been jimmied. Am I missing something here?
My E36 'vert had one broken nylon glide on the window -- driver side door -- and my E36 sedan had no window issues at all. Both of my kids each had an E46 that suffered broken window regulators, but the E36 is a pretty reliable assembly. The E46 has a cable that jumps the pulley, but the E36 uses a scissor action to raise the window. The E36 is not as problematic as the E46.
And, you are getting a 30 year old car, well 26 so far, that if it lives in Minnesota where you are, it will be fully encrusted in rust. Go to Florida or California to get a car that's clean, or get one that's not so old.
Last edited by JDStrickland; 11-22-2020 at 02:09 PM.
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Finding a ti in general is hard to come by around here. Yet alone a manual. Honestly it was attractive enough for me to warrant spending under a grand for it. I went through some major changes in life a month ago so getting myself a project car that I will change and modify to my tastes gives me something to do in my off time so I'm not staying at home sulking about what happened. I already have a reliable daily and because time is on my side, money eventually won't even be a factor. On the topic of the engine size, I'm not looking to get massive amounts of power out of it. Maybe a supercharger kit, though I haven't done much research into it. All in all though I like the Compact because of the looks. All the other factors are secondary, though would be nice to have. Such as an LSD and a manual.
I did do Facebook Marketplace searches, Craigslist, eBay Motors searches with the maximum radius search in the Twin Cities, New York, Richmond VA, Miami, Atlanta, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle. I did find ones that did have a manual with an LSD, however upon arrival I'd be forced to quarantine for two weeks and I don't have that kind of time to quarantine there and quarantine upon my return back home.
I didn't know that about the immobilizer system in regards to the car not starting if the key isn't inserted into the door to unlock. What I'm most curious about is the siren that is directly behind the passenger headlamp assembly. Maybe it has a factory alarm? Would be cool to enable it. Right now I'm still in the early stages of research to see what I can or cannot do, how things work, etc.. That's why I'm on this forum is to learn about the vehicle.
Thankfully the door panels are very loose/broken so accessing behind the panel to figure out what's wrong shouldn't be too much of a worry. Remove panel, diagnose problem and fix/replace.
According to the Carfax report I got on the VIN, it was originally sold and titled in Florida where it lived most of its life up until the early 10's where it was sold to it's 2nd owner here in Minnesota. Overall though for it being a 25-26 year old vehicle spending about half its life here in Minnesota I was expecting much more rust besides the right front fender/chassis and brake lines.
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Okay, wait. If the car is locked by the key, it will not start until unlocked with the key, and the doors will not open unless they are unlocked with the key. If you park at the mall and somebody blows a window with a brick, they cannot simply operate the door handle to open the door. So, they climb in through the window and jimmy the ignition lock, the car will not start. This is a feature of the vehicle security, not the coding or lack thereof of the key.
With an aftermarket security system, there's no telling what you will find. Factory fitment is that the car is difficult to steal because the doors will not open from the inside if they are locked from the outside, and the immobilizer will not allow the car to start if it things the car is still locked. There is also a Crash Module that turns the car off in the event of a crash, this module also turns the radio off, and the emergency flashers and interior lights on. Having said that, this is what happens in the other variants of the E36, the ti is a special car that is de-featured in ways I do not know. With an aftermarket security system, you can have to bouncers at the night club with competing interests in keeping the wrong people out -- one might be interested in big boobs and one likes a fat butt. If the right person comes along, it hard to say if she can get past the security system or not, or if security will buy her first two rounds of drinks.
Gaining access to the glides on the window regulator might require removal of the door ding guards on the outside of the door. There are clippy things, at least two different sizes that you will need to get from the dealership, or perhaps a body shop, if you take the door ding strips off. You should bookmark www.fcpeuro.com, among others. FCPEuro might carry the clippy things that hold the door panels and door ding strips on. They have the glides for the window regulators.
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Ah welcome to hatchback ownership, it can be a lovely experience. I've owned mine for a little over 12 years and it's been a journey to say the least.
In your case since you're a tech it's pretty straight forward, nothing too crazy. Get a bentley manual so it will at least save checking threads for incorrect torque values. The rear suspension is based on the e30s semi trailing arm and doesn't have any adjustment unless you weld in adjustable brackets.
Depending on the car it'll most likely need a full suspension, cooling, rubber lines refresh. This can be done for not the most money or all the money depending on brands you go with. Personally I shop mainly FCP with some rock Auto and RM Euro/Eeuroparts thrown in. I'd go rubber bushings unless you want a racecar vs urethane. Since you're at a shop you should have the presses available for rubber bushing install.
Manual swap shouldn't be too hard.
IMO, an SC M42 would be very cool and get similar power vs a 6cyl. The days of cheap good M50/52 are rare now. I'm swapped and if I could do it over I'd just get some ITBs and call it a day. But I also did to learn. These cars are peppy swapped but not fast, even compared to modern entry level cars.
Feel free to PM me with any questions.
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I'm quickly figuring out that there's a lot more wrong than meets the eye, however I'm stuck with the purchase and I'm committed to making this a true project. Front and rear suspension needs a complete refresh, you're right. I've got a popping noise whenever the chassis is twisting (low speed at an angle) coming from the right rear. Definitely need a new thermostat, among other things.
Thinking about naming this vehicle "Moneypit" because it's a true money pit so far haha. Maybe I'll get vanity plates that say "MNEYPIT"
I was able to secure a digital copy of the Bentley manual online, so that was a nice find. So far I've ordered parts from both FCPEuro and ECS Tuning during their sale. Front lower arms, bushings, links, hood catch release handle, front hood struts, rear hatch struts, thermostat and coolant, PCV hose, new plugs, both drive belts, valve cover gasket.
Once I'm done with my holiday shopping, I'll order new front and rear struts and springs, a subframe reinforcement kit, cooling lines, radiator, washer fluid lines (this will be a b!tch for the rear), rear axles (can't seem to find aftermarket and apparently they're a grand through BMW with my employee discount), and a complete fluid change. Just get it all done at the same time on my day off.
She drives like a true hoopty, but I'm hoping with the upcoming work that she'll drive like a million bucks.... compared to how she drives now haha.
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Glad to hear you've got a fun project. I'm sure your co workers will help out too if needed. Rebuild the rear axles, or find a decent used set. Mine are original (yes behind s52) and not leaking yet. I've got new E30 6cyl GKN's laying around for when they tear. As you know, just replace the whole cooling system for a piece of mind.
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