E30 Zone

Thanks for the feedback guys. I had thought about the polyurethane as the car will get little use and supposedly this would reduce the longevity of rubber bushes, and the polyurethane are also supposed to be easier to fit. But I had my doubts about their harshness over rubber. I'll stick with OEM.

All the suspension bushes on my iS need a refresh and I was thinking of a full set of polyurethane bushes such as Polyflex or Superflex. The car will just be for occasional road use, so would the polyurethane bushes be much harsher than the OEM ones? Which is the best brand to purchase, I have come ...

Thats what I was planning to do, I'm going to link the wires between the common terminals, thats why I plan on getting the empty ISO connector blocks and the terminals that I can crimp myself. Should work out OK. If I remember, I'll post a couple of pics.

Yes, the Pioneer system has common -ve for the speakers, but I'm going to fit the ISO connectors, so if I have to replace the unit with a more modern one in the future, I won't have the hassle of re-wiring again, just plug and play.

Thanks for the info, I'm going to try to get the ISO connectors I saw on eBay in the new year, if I can find the link again!

I originally wired my unit in with crimped connectors also, but am planning to wire in using ISO connectors. Think you can get the empty male and female connector blocks along with the associated spade connectors on eBay so you can crimp directly to the car and stereo wiring rather than using ISO co...

Yes, my Pioneer stereo has this cage also, but at the back of the cage there is no connector to connect it to the car's wiring. Is there any connectors at the back of the cage on your system?

I fitted an original Pioneer radio casette unit(the removable unit with the handle on the front) in my iS to replace the sh*t aftermarket clarion unit that was there, but hooked it up using crimped connectors as there is no connector socket(such as an ISO connector) at the back of the unit, just wir...

Can anyone recommend an suitable aerosol paint for the standard E30 boot spoiler? I'm looking to paint it a satin black, but am looking for a flexible paint that won't crack over time.

Are original BMW fire extinguishers including bracket still available from the main dealer for the E30?

anyone?

Thanks Daf318is.

Does anyone know if any dents at the ends of the rack will mean leaks?

How do people usually push down the edges of the lock tabs? Is there a special tool for this to avoid damage?

Thanks guys. Guess you need to remove the inlet manifold to get proper access? Can you check that the blue temp sensor is working correctly by checking resistance across the terminals? I have have a cold start problem that I haven't had the chance to get near and plan to look into it soon. Cold idle...

I was looking on the internet for information on the blue temp sensor and ICV for the M42 engine on an E30 but can't find it. Can anyone tell me the locations of these on the M42?

Thanks,
Kevin

This is a very difficult piece to remove and you will most likely damage it on removal as it is very delicate. It is held on by a series of clips and the best place to start removal is from the bottom gently prising upwards. Use a small timber wedge to help prise the trim off.

What do you mean by 'totally knackered'? Is the joint between the inner and outer arch damaged / broken away?

Don't be disappointed about it not being an original iS, but look on it as a bonus having a 318i with an M42 fitted!

How stupid of me to forget about the suspension and brakes, iS had MTEC sports suspension and brake discs all round. MTEC suspension has 51mm front struts, with front and rear anti-roll bars, and the front brake discs are vented. An iS sits about 15-20mm lower than standard E30 suspension.

An original iS will should have the following as standard: - M42 engine (16v) - front iS lip spoiler, shadowline trim, colour coordinated bumpers and rear boot spoiler - Three spoke MTec steering wheel and leather gear knob - Anthracite headlining Most came with sports seats and 14"/15" BBS alloys I...

Be careful using petrol or strong solvents when removing tar. They will remove the tar a treat but may damage the paintwork. I use Autoglym tar remover and it works fine. Give the car a good wash and polish afterwards.

If you are seeing the temp rise is when stationary it could be the fan clutch that is gone. Easy to replace, but better to buy an original from the dealers.

Could be the petrol pump that is on the way out.

Depending on the state of the original paint, you could get away with giving the original paint a good rub down so that you have a good key for the new paint, or if there is surface rust on the wings you would be better to rub down to bare metal, treat the rust and give it a good coat of etch primer...

I got a used power steering rack as a spare but noticed that there were leaks at both ends when I removed the rubber boots. When removing the old track rods I noticed some small dents near the end of the steering rack rod at one end where it looked that whoever replaced the track rod before used a h...

Have you checked that the front wishbone bushes were installed the right way? The numpty that installed wishbones on my car put them in the wrong way and the symptoms were similar to yours, steering feeling lighter and 'floaty'. Once I got them replaced with a set installed correctly, problem solved.

Hirshman and Beru aerials have the three wires, permenant live, earth and switched live. Unless the aerial body is earthing through the retaining strip to the bodywork(have never seen this) then the three wires should be there.

You need to check the BMW paint code in the engine bay to get the correct match, should be on one of the strut towers. Even with the code, you won't get an exact colour match if you are getting paint mixed unless you bring in something they can check the colour match off, e.g petrol flap. BMW supply...

It's a good idea to get a bag of the original fasteners from BMW also as the original ones will be pretty rusty at this stage. Give the plastic fasteners holding the plastic liner in place (see 8 above) a good squirt of Wd40 and let soak for a while as they have a habit of breaking off with age.

Brian, you beat me to it by seconds

The E30 has a mechanical fan, it is designed not to run all the time by using a clutch which grips and causes the fan to rotate when temperature rises. Main problem with mechanical fan is that the clutch leaks and stops working as it should, resulting in engine temp rising in hot conditions, e.g. wh...

Do you get the noise when you are turning in the same direction all the time? I had a problem where there was a scraping/grinding noise from the front when I turned left. Turned out it was one of the front bearings.

Switches can be opened to clean the tracks inside but be careful that the springs don't decide to take off when you open the switch. In my case, the tracks were worn so the only thing to do was replace the switch. You should also treat the window frame rubbers and the tracks that hold the glass in p...

I should have qualified my comment by saying '... but not the frame without risk of damaging the roof skin.' If you are extremely careful it could be done but any slips and your roof skin is junk. And welding over the roof panel area is tricky to get done right without buckling the roof.

There are wiring diagrams available for the E30 in the Haynes Manual and the Bentley Manual. The Bentley is a much better manual than the Haynes and the circuit diagrams are easier to follow. It's a worthwhile investment.

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Re: Superflex vs Polyflex vs OEM supsension bushes for 318is

Superflex vs Polyflex vs OEM supsension bushes for 318is

Re: Anyone have an original Pioneer head unit in their E30?

Re: Anyone have an original Pioneer head unit in their E30?

Re: Anyone have an original Pioneer head unit in their E30?

Re: Anyone have an original Pioneer head unit in their E30?

Re: Anyone have an original Pioneer head unit in their E30?

Anyone have an original Pioneer head unit in their E30?

Rubber boot spoiler paint question

Original BMW fire extinguisher

Re: Damage to ends of steering rack rod - for scrap?

Re: Damage to ends of steering rack rod - for scrap?

Re: Damage to ends of steering rack rod - for scrap?

Re: Where is blue temp sensor and ICV on M42 engine?

Where is blue temp sensor and ICV on M42 engine?

Re: shadowline trim

Re: need help urgently for rear wheel arches

Re: Help identifying my new motor!? IS or not IS?

Re: Help identifying my new motor!? IS or not IS?

Re: Help identifying my new motor!? IS or not IS?

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Re: Flushing the radiator

Re: car juddering whilst driving every now and then

Re: Removing Paint

Damage to ends of steering rack rod - for scrap?

Re: Stearing feels very floaty

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Re: touch up paint

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Re: is my fan engine driven

Re: is my fan engine driven

Re: Less money mo' problems

Re: passenger window

Re: Is the sunroof welded in?

Re: anyone have wiring diagrams for HU harness, lighter, win