m40 engines are they any good

[wayneE30]

or are they prone to breaking down

[Adam318i]

hmmm, well depends how well the one you get has been looked after.

i.e, milage, oil changes etc.

On the whole (touch wood) ive had my 1.8 M40 for about 1 year 5months and have not had one problem with it, its at 92K

For me being 19 and insurance/petrol not cheap it was the largest i could realisticly buy at the time.

It does everything i want it to, not bad on fuel and is quite quick when booting it. Obviously you 6 pot boys are gona laugh , but we all have to start somewhere

I've heard people say they can sound like a bag of nails, so if i where you i'd try and here the enging running first. That is if your putting it in your car.

Adam

[Andy325i]

good for about 200bhp if you have Ԛ£5k to spend lol.

They do suffer with cam related problems

But have to say that I couldn't destroy it for love nor nor money when I had my 318i lol

I had well over 200k miles on mine and about 40k of that was being ranted hehe

Andy

[wayneE30]

all good so far then the one ijust bought has done over 150k its not noisy at all its in need of a good service. what sort of top speed do you get out of them???

[Adam318i]

Ive never hit the limiter in 5th as i dont live near any big motoways and dont want to get caught, have done 105mph and a A road on the way home once tho from work at 2:30 in the morning and felt like it could do a bit more.

[Andy325i]

Indicated 130mph is possible with a 3.64 lsd (325i) (long driveway again!!!)

[smithy318i]

Nothing wrong with my M40.
No tappy noises and still in good working order (despite thrashing it everywhere i go)

Top speed.... Erm, the book says 117 mph but it goes faster than that!.... Cough

[wayneE30]

Ive never hit the limiter in 5th as i dont live near any big motoways and dont want to get caught, have done 105mph and a A road on the way home once tho from work at 2:30 in the morning and felt like it could do a bit more.

mmm my 316 did that it took a slight hill and alot of fuel but it did. 105 seems a bit slow

[Adam318i]

Whys that?

It was 2:30 in the morning on damp long twisty roads so didnt really want to go any faster.

[wayneE30]

117 130mph if it does that its gonna be the fastest car i have ever owned

[wayneE30]

Whys that?

It was 2:30 in the morning on damp long twisty roads so didnt really want to go any faster.

sorry i thought you were saying that 105mph was the top speed of a m40 318i

[SwirlyE30]

TBH the top speed of an M40 aint an issue. Unless you can get there in a matter of seconds you aint gonna be abel to use it most of the times. Ive hit 135 at about 5/5.5k on the way to gaydon with a 3:91 diff in my IS. But it took my about 8 years to get there.


Unless youve got a Bugatti Veyron and can get to 190 in 16 seconds then who cares lol!!

[wayneE30]

i would


so they can be pretty fast


the reason im asking if they are any good is im thinking of getting this 318i through an mot and then selling it but if its any good i think im gonna keep it

[e30symphony]

i got 125mph out of my '88 318i m40 and there was another bit in it but i siad their was no point because a skyline past me doing about 140-150mph and it felt like i was standing there

[AndyTouring]

Swirly's right, top speed is not an issue unless you just want to brag about it at the bar.

Top speed of a 316 M40 is around 115mph but it'll take an age to clear the last 20mph & your eardrums will have burst before then. A 318 will be only slightly faster but will get there more easily. With 150k on the engine it will be well down on power too. Not worn out, just tired.

Acceleration is far more important (and braking even more so).

By all means try & prove your cars top speed but it's a fairly pointless exercise.

[hoshy]

Top speed I got is 129 but as everybody is saying... it takes hours to get there.

rough break down:

0 - 60: reasonable for a 1.8i

60 -100: a bit slow but good enough for fast motorway work

100 - 120: a struggle

120 - 129: you'll only bother once.

Reliability is awesome if mine is anything to go by. I bought it with very limited service history on 105k in Feb she's now coming up on 118k. Since I've bought it I ragged the shit out of it everyday... including a 1200mile redline bonanza to LeMans and back which included extended periods of boucing of the limiter in first and second (sideways) culminating in the boiling and escape of the coolant. I topped her up and got her juices flowing again (she'd emptied herself ) and she was perfect once more. I do oil change every 5k or so though... as if I think that'll make her last

Only problem was in the first month or so the heater pipe split on me, which is common I've heard. All in all a great engine. Not the best I'm sure but still very good.

[hoshy]

Oh, slightly off topic but I'll mention is anyway. m40 engine cars didn't come with rear anti roll bar but fit one for the money it's a great upgrade!

[Adam318i]

Yup they are, put one on mine a couple of weeks ago, mine had a front one on to.

Adam

[wayneE30]

Top speed I got is 129 but as everybody is saying... it takes hours to get there.

rough break down:

0 - 60: reasonable for a 1.8i

60 -100: a bit slow but good enough for fast motorway work

100 - 120: a struggle

120 - 129: you'll only bother once.

Reliability is awesome if mine is anything to go by. I bought it with very limited service history on 105k in Feb she's now coming up on 118k. Since I've bought it I ragged the shit out of it everyday... including a 1200mile redline bonanza to LeMans and back which included extended periods of boucing of the limiter in first and second (sideways) culminating in the boiling and escape of the coolant. I topped her up and got her juices flowing again (she'd emptied herself ) and she was perfect once more. I do oil change every 5k or so though... as if I think that'll make her last

Only problem was in the first month or so the heater pipe split on me, which is common I've heard. All in all a great engine. Not the best I'm sure but still very good.

you did all that and you rag it every day are you serious? this is sounding like the right kind of car for me

[wayneE30]

Oh, slightly off topic but I'll mention is anyway. m40 engine cars didn't come with rear anti roll bar but fit one for the money it's a great upgrade!

this is a slim chance but would my 316 have them if so would they fit??

[Adam318i]

No dont think your 316 will have them, i bought on off a zoner for Ԛ£10, so there cheap as chips to pick up.

Only 4 bolts bolting them onto the rear trailing arms and some where under the car above the diff.

And your done

[wayneE30]

No dont think your 316 will have them, i bought on off a zoner for Ԛ£10, so there cheap as chips to pick up.

Only 4 bolts bolting them onto the rear trailing arms and some where under the car above the diff.

And your done

how do they improve the car?? is it so you can throw them in to corners faster??

[hoshy]

it links the trailing arms so they wont stray to far from one another which keeps body roll down and helps the back end to be more predictable because you get more feedback.

[wayneE30]

again i know but i was watching an episode of wheeler dealers and on the one withe the 325i touring there was a guy who had on his a thing i think was called a short shifter has any body heard of this and if so what is it and can you get one for any e30??

[320Touring]

again i know but i was watching an episode of wheeler dealers and on the one withe the 325i touring there was a guy who had on his a thing i think was called a short shifter has any body heard of this and if so what is it and can you get one for any e30??

there is an article in the tech section (under articles at the top of the page )

that outines how to fit a shortshift from a z3/z4

as for the m40 engine-the m10 boys nock it, the m20 boys say its 2pots short, but i reckon as a reliable fairly frugal,decently powerful 4pot, it is the dogs danglies. Good for moon miles and still run even when cams are away to the promised land.

Not prone to the head troubles of the m20 or m42 either

[Zayyan]

as for the m40 engine-the m10 boys nock it, the m20 boys say its 2pots short, but i reckon as a reliable fairly frugal,decently powerful 4pot, it is the dogs danglies. Good for moon miles and still run even when cams are away to the promised land.

Not prone to the head troubles of the m20 or m42 either

That's what I was gonna say - a great all-rounder

[320Touring]

as for the m40 engine-the m10 boys nock it, the m20 boys say its 2pots short, but i reckon as a reliable fairly frugal,decently powerful 4pot, it is the dogs danglies. Good for moon miles and still run even when cams are away to the promised land.

Not prone to the head troubles of the m20 or m42 either

That's what I was gonna say - a great all-rounder

can pay me later

[wayneE30]

sounds good then lads

short shift sounds good also but looks hard to do

[Jos]

I find the 1.8 m40 has a nice kick at 4k, handy on the motorway as 80 or so is just on 4k and you can get nice lift from it if you feel the need to break the speedlimit by that little bit more

I don't have any issues with the m40 in mine, apart from the fact that the rear crankshaft oil seal seems to be knackered, and I ain't changin it..

[wayneE30]

it appears that what i was told abou these engines aint true i think if this one sails through the mot after ive done the repairs i know it needs i think im gonna keep it for a couple of months

[Gwynleym10]

Just don't even think about modding it! Its worthless!
Actually m40s like most BMW 4 cyclinder engines seam to be very realiable. But its impposible to tell if they are more/less reliable than m10s as m10s are a hell of a lot older!
Parts for them are quite a bit more expensive than m10s though.

I think they may be a little lighter than m10s, they are certainly more compact.



Wayne, if you are breaking your 316, can you send me some pics of your bonnet and front wings, and tell me about any rust/blemishes Thanks
roberts_gwyn@hotmail.com

[jonbuoy]

My M40 fcuking flies!
I have modded mine and it's made a good difference!

4:10 open diff

0-60: 8-9ish secs

60-100: 20ish secs

100-128: 30ish secs

Viper 2 Extreme chip & re-map
Fse Pressure Boost Valve
Full Stainless Exhaust
K&N Panel filter with drilled holes on left hand side of Air box
Short Shift (Pattern part)
Sparco strut brace
325i Front Brake Conversion

Not sure what BHP it's kicking out but who care's! It's bloody good fun!!