318iS
The History
One of the last models of the E30 range to be added was the 318iS - a 2 door saloon. The 318iS was fitted with the M42 engine, the most up-date-engine fitted to any E30. It came with Sports Suspension (including rear Anti Roll Bars - ARBS), Sports Seats front vented discs; rear solid discs, de-chromed trim, M-tech steering wheel, leather gear knob and gaiter, front and rear spoilers and BMW sport seats. The 318iS did NOT come with a limited slip differential as standard but was a small case differential with a 4.10 ratio. It started out life to beat the sports models that Volkswagon and other leading car manufacturers were producing (such as the golf GTI. Bmw set out to produce a sports BMW which would match/ beat the performance of the likes of the GTI with a 1800cc BMW. At this moment in time, the only E30 BMW capable of out-performing the GTI was the 325i. The M42 16V DOHC engine was developed which produced 136BHP and was one of the most technologically advanced engine for its time and is also one of the most fuel economic E30's achieving around the 33MPG with mixed driving . There were rumours that the 318iS actually out-performed BMWs own 325i, so they restricted the power so the sales of the more expensive 325i wasn't effected. But still with 126BHP/tonne, it still gives the 323i a good run for its money.
In total, 41,234 318iS's were made which means that out of the full 2.2 million E30's, 1.86% of them were 318iS's. In 2001 the DVLA only had 1687 318iS's registered in the UK, the number has since thought to of fallen to around 900.
Common Problems
The Profile Gasket
The most common problem with the 318iS was the profile gasket failing on the engine. The chemicals in the coolant would deteriorate the gasket until it failed. The repair for this job is extensive (cylinder head, radiator, thermo-fan, crank pulleys and the front timing chain covers are just a few components that had to be removed). The gasket would normally fail around the 50,000 miles mark and wasn't always covered under the warrenty.
Gasket(x1): 111 217 215 46
Bolt set(x1): 111 217 219 39
Valve cover (x1): 111 217 218 76
Valve cover (x1): 111 217 214 76
Valve cover (x3): 111 217 214 75
Gasket (x1): 111 412 478 49
Gasket (x1): 111 412 478 37
o-ring (x1): 121 417 272 20
seal ring (x1): 071 199 633 55
Gasket (x1):116 117 344 90
Gasket (x1):116 1173 468 4
o-ring (x1):115 3172 121 8
Gasket (x1):115 3172 117 2
antifreeze (x1): 821 414 677 04
Throttle-b (x2): 135 412 474 00
Gasket (x1): 183 017 119 69
Nut (x4): 183 017 377 74
Gasket set (x1): 111 417 219 19
The Timing Chain Tensioner
The symptoms of a wearing tensioner is a rattling noise coming from the front of the engine which can easily be heard in the car from around 2000-3500rpm. It is a simple and relatively cheap fix, simply take the old one out and insert the new one. However, you can also re-fit an M44 tensioner. It is recommended that you change the tensior as soon as possible when the sytpoms begin to occur; a worn tensioner will cause the timing chains to stretch resulting in in new cam chain sprockets, timing chains, guides and various gaskets and can cost in the region of £550 (including labour from a specialist).
Timing Chain tensioner part (x1): 113 117 431 87
Timing Chain tensioner washer part(x1): 071 199 633 55
Tapping/ticking noise
When most people hear a ticking engine they instantly believe that the tappets are worn. This is not always the case, sometimes it can be a crack in the exhaust manifold. Normally the ticking will go away once the car has been driven for a while, so people believe tht the oil has reached operating temperature and cured the tapping problem. However, it could be a small hole in the exhaust manifold that is sealed when the manifold gets hot (ie expanding metal covering the hole up!). This is most common on cylinder one.
Common upgrades
Most people instantly buy an open cone induction kit for their car. however they are not good for the engine, as they tend to take in alot of hot air into the engine from inside the engine bay. The best air filters tend to be a performance panel filter (e.g. K +N panel filter) or a different form of enclosed air filter (e.g. BMC carbon fibre induction kit). Most people will say that the original BMW air filters are the best - and they are very good and normally better than the open cone filters.
Another upgrade is to buy a chip for the ECU. Installing a chip can induce the engine into producing up to 12 extra BHP. It is achieved by giving the car a different fuel pattern to run on (in simple terms) which increases the rev limiter, increase the low end torque and makes the car pull better over the full rev range.
A less common modification though is a supercharger conversion. Possibly the most famous supercharged 318iS on the E30 zone is Appletree's iS with Eaton m45 supercharger
Available Body Colours (Paint Colour Codes):
Available Interior Trim Colours:
Useful websites
**Part numbers were correct at time of typing, some may have been superceeded my a newer part. You use this information at your own risk - contact your local dealer to double check quantities/part numbers**
