E30 Zone

Well my love affair with the E30 was short and sweet. After just 1 week of ownership a valve failed and trashed the engine.

Anyone got any suggestions of what to do with an '86 325i with full MOT but in need of some serious engine work? All answers on a postcard.....

Get a new engine? Make sure you hear it running and swap one for the other. A decent b25 should be about £300 complete, but you obviously won't need all the ancillaries.

- Ripe for an M50.
- Offer it on here for a reshell shell.

Morat wrote:A decent b25 should be about £300 complete, but you obviously won't need all the ancillaries.

He's from the West Midlands, it'll be about £180.

Will that be a "Sport Engine"?

Morat wrote:Will that be a "Sport Engine"?

Nah, all the genuine M-tech Motorsport engines will be £500.


All one lady owner and never been ragged as well. The fact that the genuine Motorsport car it came from was smashed to bits in a horrible accident, that was just bad luck. The engine runs fine.

tehheeee.

But yes, the m50 idea is a great idea.

Agreed, an engine swap would be good, however I have neither the time, money or space to do it. Do you think I should offer it in the for sale section and if so what would it be worth? The bodywook is sound, as it's just gone through the MOT but it looks rough, three arches have been primered after having work done before I got it and the dark blue paintwork is very dull generally.

Don't even have any pictures of it yet as I've had it such a short time.

If it's a really clean shell, you could be looking at £1000 or more.

At the end of the day it's a clean car minus £200 worth of engine. People on here will know that, and see the opportunity; a tidy M50 conversion for £1200 or so. Not bad at all.

What next for you though? Another E30?

have you got the head off the engine to see if its as bad as you think it is yet

Take the head off (ask in tech help if you don't know how) and get some pictures of the tops of the cylinders and the underneath of the head.
The bad news is that any serious head/piston work will probably cost more in parts than an engine swap, since an engine swap is only a few hundred for the parts and a day or two in labour (like for like swap).

If you can't afford to fix it, get some pictures up of the bodywork and someone might take if off your hands for an engine swap project, but the work to the arches will have to be good quality.

m30 it.

zaust wrote:m30 it.

I'm starting to see the M30 as less of an engine, and more of a sex object.

Cloud wrote:

zaust wrote:m30 it.

I'm starting to see the M30 as less of an engine, and more of a sex object.

What made you think that?

Cloud wrote:

zaust wrote:m30 it.

I'm starting to see the M30 as less of an engine, and more of a sex object.

yerr baby, M30 is way better than a slow m50

Jeez, that's a pity - what an unlucky start to E30 ownership

What was the mileage? Hope you can get it sorted soon...

Looks beautiful. So does the M20, but not as beautiful. We're spoiled as BMW people. If you had a Lexus or a Saab, you'd see a wider perspective of how nice BMW engines are just to look at. I'm thinking about getting an M10 just as an ornament, it's an icon, a legend even. But the M30 is the best looking. Best sounding also, and I love the way it serves up power, especially in the Alpina B6. I can't really decribe it, it's like a furious energy, perhaps like a tin of iron hornets being shaken, it's so alive. Effervescent, and aggressive, yet it's so controlled and it sings.

I'm getting poetic about a lump of iron.

Cloud wrote:If it's a really clean shell, you could be looking at £1000 or more.

prices must be really dear down your way.. ive seen E30s with full years mot and still running struggling to make that kind of cash lately

Cloud wrote:Looks beautiful. So does the M20, but not as beautiful. We're spoiled as BMW people. If you had a Lexus or a Saab, you'd see a wider perspective of how nice BMW engines are just to look at. I'm thinking about getting an M10 just as an ornament, it's an icon, a legend even. But the M30 is the best looking. Best sounding also, and I love the way it serves up power, especially in the Alpina B6. I can't really decribe it, it's like a furious energy, perhaps like a tin of iron hornets being shaken, it's so alive. Effervescent, and aggressive, yet it's so controlled and it sings.

I'm getting poetic about a lump of iron.

Good description

jbh wrote:

Cloud wrote:If it's a really clean shell, you could be looking at £1000 or more.

prices must be really dear down your way.. ive seen E30s with full years mot and still running struggling to make that kind of cash lately

You have no idea.

It's ridiculous down here. My mum was looking at a Mercedes Benz S Class for £3000. I found one on Auto Trader, in same condition but better spec, (from a dealer, with warranty, etc) for £1400. "Oh but that one's miles away" she says. Dumb bint. I went 150+ miles for my last E30, and it was well worth it, I got a beast of a deal.

Cloud wrote:
You have no idea.

It's ridiculous down here. My mum was looking at a Mercedes Benz S Class for £3000. I found one on Auto Trader, in same condition but better spec, (from a dealer, with warranty, etc) for £1400. "Oh but that one's miles away" she says. Dumb bint. I went 150+ miles for my last E30, and it was well worth it, I got a beast of a deal.

If that was the case here i would defo be traveling to get my cars... I Paid £150 for my sport with 5 month mot and a knackered engine up here.. don't get me wrong she is needing the rear arches fixed out and a bit on the battery tray repaired and was needing decounciled but at the price i snapped the boys hand off. there was a 325i tourer for sale locally full years mot with 6 months tax was a tidy car full leather boy had it for sale for £1100 and couldn't move it he ended out letting it go for £700.. it was begging for a manual box but even at that kind of money you would have thought it would have been snapped up. there was a manual one recently as well again tidy looking tourer boy sold it for £600 as he couldn't get it away.. my only wish was the misses would let me start buying and selling again but she gets pissed off with all the cars at the house

Devon is a great place to find a bargain as its generally full of inter-breeding muppets who have no idea

eko wrote:Devon is a great place to find a bargain as its generally full of inter-breeding muppets who have no idea

Why do I get the impression that that was pointed at me?

eko wrote:Devon is a great place to find a bargain as its generally full of inter-breeding muppets who have no idea

my orf . How very true

Cloud wrote:

eko wrote:Devon is a great place to find a bargain as its generally full of inter-breeding muppets who have no idea

Why do I get the impression that that was pointed at me?

Easy tiger,not aimed at you

This happened to me,
ill get pics!

take the rocker cover off, are you sure it hasnt just snapped a rocker? Common on m20's.

I know that Tony - I was just emphasising my agreement with with you. There's definitely a strong degree of muppet-ness amongst the indigenous community, which I'm unfortunately witness to on an all too regular basis.

Erm just demonstrated my own muppet-ness by not reading prapper-loik

Denny, where abouts are you based? Your sig says you have a 2.5 engine for sale. I could be tempted by that, would it be a straight swap?

There you go!

this droped at 5K accelerating hard!










You need to get the head off to inspect it!
or sack it and replace the engine!

like me after a friday night, pist 'n' broke.!

Zimmer325 wrote:Denny, where abouts are you based? Your sig says you have a 2.5 engine for sale. I could be tempted by that, would it be a straight swap?

His location is Denny!

Presumably, according to Multimap:
Denny, Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland, FK6 5

I've half a mind to sort out getting the head off and making a more informed decision. I'll try the rocker cover first and see whats what.

There was plenty of black smoke out the exhaust so I'm not expecting any miracles.

Did you lose coolant?

just noticed your from the west mids,where?

Zimmer325 wrote:The bodywook is sound, as it's just gone through the MOT

this is a good start,how do you know you have dropped a valve?

Hi Lee.

I'm in Solihull, near Birmingham Airport. Don't think I lost any coolant but have to admit I haven't checked.

Hi Cracker

I'm guessing at a dropped valve due to the bag of spanners sound from the top end and the smoke coming out of the exhaust, a definate sign of oil ingress into the combustion chamber I assume?