E30 Zone

My 1984 323i is running nicely, but the engine oil light has come on and stays on. There is plenty of oil and the car is running fine . The oil and filter were changed about 4 months ago. I can see no evidence of an oil leak or a damaged head gasket. My next step will be to replace the sender. Anyth...

What is involved in fitting the motronic set up you mentioned?

Most times my 1984 323i starts immediately, but lately it’s a bit odd. It will either burst straight into life or just turn over but not catch. The battery is good and the starter motor kicks the engine around with plenty of torque, but the engine doesn’t start. Then if I leave it for a minute or tw...

My 323i has been running well apart from a recent occasional problem. Sometimes when I decelerate the engine just dies. Normally it drops down to a stable idle as I stop, but twice in the past two weeks it has just died. If I leave it for a few minutes it will restart. Any ideas what might be happen...

Thanks Blanca. I climbed into my home made inspection pit this morning and used a white paint pen to label the marks on the damper. I followed your instructions and now it is all good. I also fine tuned the idle with the idle screw. Also fixing two vacuum leaks helped. Thanks again.

Which of these is the idle mark?

Ok I lined it all up as per the video. It ran ok till it got to operating temperature. Then the idle dropped down to an unhappy 300rpm and after sitting there for a while died. I think I have the dizzy pointing to TDC not idle. Is there a special mark on the damper for idle? TDC is the line between ...

Thanks. As a matter of interest, what does the Z on the vibration damper refer to?

I intend to try the following. Put the car in neutral and turn the crank with a big spanner till the crank markings line up at TDC. Then loosen the dizzy and turn it till the arm points to the mark inside the dizzy. Am I on the right track?

Great video, but how do I see the crank and cam pulley markings now the pulley cover, fan etc are back on?

Ok so I had the timing all lined up after the timing belt change. The auto electrician then adjusted it and it is running very flat with poor acceleration . With the timing belt cover back on, how do I see the marks on the pulleys to line them up again? It is an early 323i E30, with the dizzy on the...

Interesting about the cam belt change. I did mine a few months back and set everything to TDC. Is the timing meant to be slightly advanced or retarded?

Got it thanks

Do I still need to put my pics in photo bucket before posting them?

My 323i (1984) runs great, but when the revs get to 4,000 rpm it starts to choke. Any suggestions about what is up?

Sorted. Water had got into where the distributor lead plugs into the coil. I have no idea how. The car hasn’t been out in the rain for over 2 years. The water caused corrosion of the metal end of the lead. I took the coil out and cleaned the crud out of the top on the input with circuit cleaner, san...

I seem to be getting a weak spark when I go to start up. Sometimes the car will fire up, other times not. I’ve checked the battery and fuel supply and both are good. Checking the spark showed it was weak at the spark plug. Any suggestions? Coil? It is a 1984 323i with the earlier fuel injection. Is ...

As I chase why fuse 21 keeps blowing, I found some missing components. First the glove box has wiring for a light, but no light. Does anyone know where the light should go and how it is activated? The boot has a switch for a light with a wire running away from it into the loom, but nothing else. I a...

Once it is all at TDC do I then have to run the motor and change the dizzy to get 19 degrees ahead of TDC. ?

Yes Tineca you are correct. On the older 323i the timing goes dodgy when you do the cam belt change. With more WD40 and a small rubber mallet I got the distributor out. I lifted it completely out and turned the whole dizzy and put it back in. I am now able to set the rotor arm to TDC. Once this is a...

I don’t know where I originally heard the term negative thread. Maybe at school in Scotland in the 1970s? Perhaps over here in Australia as an adult? Maybe it just flew into my head one day? It’s just the term I use. Perhaps I need to get out more?

Yep loosened the clamp. I soaked it in WD40 and eventually got it to move, but it doesn’t rotate far enough to get to the TDC notch on the distributor. There does not seem to be enough adjustment in it. Any suggestions?

I need to set the timing on my early e30 323i. It has the distributor on the top of the engine, as opposed to most m20s which have the distributor on the front. The distributor does not want to turn in it’s housing. Any ideas for getting it to move? Also what degrees should the timing be set at on t...

I have changed the timing belt and other odds and ends. At reassembly how tight does the fan have to be screwed on? It is negative thread, but will it tighten more as the engine spins?

Mine is not a foot sock it is a mobile phone sock. It’s been on for years and never caught fire. They used to have specific reservoir socks for motor bikes. Don’t know if you can buy them anymore. My old reservoir cap had a slight crack. The sock caught any dribbles. Yep valve cover is painted. Any ...

I put these heat shields in about 5 years ago to replace the old smog style single heat shield. They have disintegrated. Anyone know why? Is it worth replacing them with another pair or will they go the same way?
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I need to replace the heater return hose. I can see where the front end connects near the thermostat. Where does the other end connect to the heater? Is it a dashboard out job?

Yeah 40NM sounds a bit much for a fragile looking bit of kit. Thanks. I’ll go 30NM

I have read a few different statements about what to torque the oil sensor/sensor/switch up to. It is an m20 motor. I cannot find it in my Haynes manual either. Any suggestions?

My E30 323i has the analogue L jetronic fuel System. Is there a thread or guide somewhere that shows which vacuum hoses are essential and where they go? I am trying to get mine running smoothly. Over the last 36 years some of the vacuum hoses have been replaced by heater hose. Other hoses are cracke...

It is an 1984 323i. So m20 23

B18D2A82-F33B-4EED-9C29-E6C4B00E9E60.jpeg I found this unattached to the rest of the engine. it was hanging unattached under the intake. It had two old cracked pipes attached. Is this an old type of ICV? Where is it meant to bolt to the engine? I can see it has two holes for bolting it somewhere. I...

I am changing the rocker cover gasket and have decided to replace the 4 u shaped plugs at the same time as I think one might be leaking. Do I just push the new ones in place, or should I seal them in with some form of gasket seal?

Thanks guys.
Any tricks to removing the seal itself?

Search found 742 matches

Oil warning light on for no apparent reason

Re: Occasional non-starter

Occasional non-starter

Odd loss of idle

Re: How to see the timing marks

Re: How to see the timing marks

Re: How to see the timing marks

Re: How to see the timing marks

Re: How to see the timing marks

Re: How to see the timing marks

How to see the timing marks

Re: Choking at 4,000rpm

Re: Choking at 4,000rpm

Re: Choking at 4,000rpm

Re: Choking at 4,000rpm

Choking at 4,000rpm

Re: Weak spark

Weak spark

Where should this go?

Re: Sticking distributor and timing.

Re: Sticking distributor and timing.

Re: M20 fan torque

Re: Sticking distributor and timing.

Sticking distributor and timing.

M20 fan torque

Re: Disintegrated heat shield

Disintegrated heat shield

M20 heater return hose connection point

Re: Oil sender switch torque

Oil sender switch torque

L Jetronic hose delete

Re: Old type of ICV?

Old type of ICV?

Rocker cover end plugs

Re: When to remove cam pulley