325i Convertible Project

[Qasimahmed]

Hello all.

So finally got my E30 yesterday and have been looking around it today. It's a 325i with 117k miles on the clock. It has been sitting for the past 10 years and I'm trying to bring it back to life. Its glacier blue and will remain that colour, I have a genuine MTech 1 kit that will also be going on. In terms of rust, there are two little sections in each arch but clean apart from that.

Currently I'm seeing a couple of possible issues, the main one being an immobiliser. I'm changing all the fluids tomorrow, oil, oil filter, fuel filter, draining the fuel and a new battery. I'm going to try to get that done for tomorrow and start it.

I'm guessing if it doesn't crank, the immobiliser is stopping it, the ignition switch had been taken off the barrel as I think someone may have been trying to get it started before.

[martauto]

Hi mate welcome to the zone and PLEASE check the cam belt first before you do any thing, in fact I would change it before you turn the key.

Mart.

[Qasimahmed]

Hi Mart.
Thank you very much, there is a sticker for a cam belt change in 2004 at 100k Miles, I've read about the interval being every 60K miles but nothing about time. So it's been 16 years and 17k miles since the last change. What do you guys think?

I tried turning the engine today and turns a quarter before getting stuck, there's a sound of something scraping, possibly a valve getting stuck. My uncle who is a mechanic is coming round on Monday to take a look. Hopefully nothing too serious.

Got the oil drained and it was a bit gloopy, flushed it out and now it's mainly clear, changed the fuel filter and drained the fuel tank.
The oil filter is on there tight so will be getting one of those straps with the ratchet attachment on it as I can't use the oil filter adapters as there isn't much space.
Ive left the spark plugs out till the mechanic has a look.

Thanks
Qasim

[BenHar]

Cambelt is 40k or 2 years.

I would not even try and start it without changing the belt first.

Ben

[Qasimahmed]

Ok thanks for that, I'll get it changed. So I marked the crank pulley and saw it does around a half turn before getting stuck. It seems to be a valve. Tomorrow I'll get the rocker cover off and take a look.

Thanks

[Brianmoooore]

I would not even try and start it without changing the belt first.

DEFINITELY! Take the rocker cover off so that you can see if a valve is stuck open.
Identify the TDC mark on the crank. Pistons are at the top of the bores (and in danger of contact with valves) at 0 degrees, 120 degrees and 240 degrees of the crank past TDC, so turn the crank to 60 degrees, 180 degrees or 300 degrees (which ever one you can get to without jamming up) past TDC, and remove the old cam belt. With the crank in this position, all six pistons are half way down the bore, and you can turn the camshaft pulley by hand without any danger of bending a valve.

[Qasimahmed]

Ok so rocker cover off and there was some condensation, my uncle came and using a welding rod in the spark plug holes found 3 pistons not moving. So WD-40 in the spark plug holes to soak and I'll keep on turning it back and forth by hand.
What other magical potions have you guys used for getting pistons unstuck,

[BenHar]

Diesel.

Ben

[Qasimahmed]

So I've got the car running, it won't idle, it'll cut out if there's no throttle. It does stay on with a little touch of the throttle. I've found a connector hanging down and can't seem to find where it plugs into. It's on the air intake side of a m20b25, it shares a sheath with the connector for the ICV and I think the other connector goes to the throttle body.
Also the rev counter doesn't work, temperature gauge moves and so does the fuel gauge.
Again this is all very new to me so sorry if I'm asking the wrong questions

Edit: so I've been reading up and vacuum leaks can cause a rough idle, so should I change them, it's been 10 years since it last ran. What diameter do I need?

[Brianmoooore]

The ECU needs a little time to learn the idle settings, so quite normal for the engine to stall at idle after recommissioning.
Spare connector is for a solenoid valve which is part of a closed circuit fuel tank vent system that you don't have.
The instrument cluster has two batteries inside it. Depending on the version you have, they are either non rechargeable, in which case, after 10 years without the main battery attached, will be dead, or, if they are the rechargeable type, they will have exceeded their design life by now, but may recover some charge now that a battery is connected again.
When they fail, the rev.counter is often the first thing to stop working.
What is the service interval display (red, yellow and green LEDs in the centre bottom of the cluster) showing?

[Qasimahmed]

The yellow LED is showing. Thanks

Edit: the check light is also flashing. The oil and coolant lights are lit on the check panel. Oil is at the right level and coolant is full and circulating.

[Brianmoooore]

Will the SI LEDs reset?
Oil level sensor can get gunged up inside. Responds to soaking in petrol and draining a few times.
Coolant level sensors fail when coolant gets into the central plastic stem and eats through the fine wires to the reed switch. The wiring also often breaks just where it goes into the plug. Pull off the plug and short the pins together with a piece of wire. This should stop the coolant warning coming on, and confirm where the fault is.

[Qasimahmed]

Am I right in saying to reset the lights you need to connect pin 7 to ground. Does that or the oil or coolant lights affect the idle? Still needs some gas to keep it running or should I be looking for vaccum leaks

[Brianmoooore]

There's no interaction between different systems on an E30, unlike modern cars, where we once found that the engine's refusal to rev. was caused by a duff bake light bulb!
Pin 7 of the diagnostic socket to ground for seven seconds to reset SI lights. The exact details will be in the wiki somewhere.
It can take a few miles of driving for the idle to sort itself out, but vacuum leaks will also affect it, as will anything else that is wrong and affecting idle.
The big convoluted air hose is prone to hidden cracks, and there's a small blanked off port under the throttle boy, very close to the throttle position switch, whose rubber cap deteriorates and falls off. Check that the TPS idle switch is working as well.

[Qasimahmed]

So I got the idle issue sorted, I cleaned out the ICV and it now idles. I didn't change the timing belt before I started it because my uncle was saying what's the point of changing the belt if it doesn't run. So I started taking it apart yesterday to get the timing belt done, I'm doing the water pump, thermostat and radiator at the same time.

So as I was draining the coolant, it was coming out a light brown colour and I thought it may be a headgasket issue. However after pulling off the transmission lines, I think it's just the radiator that's failed and mixed the ATF and water together along with the rust to give that colour. The transmission lines had white fluid in them so I'll need to flush the transmission after the timing belt is done.

The main issue at the moment is that the spring and pin that pushes the timing belt tensioner is missing, the last person who did it never replaced it, it's on order and should be here by Tuesday and then it can all go back together.

I'm actually surprised at how straight forward a timing belt change is on these engines.

The other thing that I've done is replace the grounding wire that goes to the alternator, the original was shredded to pieces. The alternator tensioning bolt and gear snapped so I had to heat it up a bit with a torch and wiggle that out. I have a replacement from BMW but I'm still waiting on the tensioner pin and spring to continue.

Thanks

[Brianmoooore]

Most alternators aren't rubber mounted, so don't need an earthing wire, but, assuming yours is one that does, that wire you've made up looks severely undersized. The wire you're replacing was also a made up replacement, and has failed precisely because it is undersized.
The tensioner spring is only used to set the belt tension when installing a belt, and from that point onwards does nothing, and doesn't need to be there. The reason it's missing is likely to be that the water pump has been replaced - one end of the spring and pin sit into a recess on the pump, and it's very difficult to get the pump into place, keep the gasket located, and start the bolts in their holes, with the spring pushing it sideways.
That coolant doesn't look pretty at all, but if is an unusual failure of the transmission heat exchanger in the radiator, it may all clean up OK. You'll need to do a few changes of the auto box fluid to clean it out though.
Whether you knew if it ran or not, I still wouldn't have fired that up without a cam belt change. They're cheap enough, especially when compared to the cost of the damage a failed belt would do. You shouldn't retension an old, used belt, but there's no problem refitting one that's only an hour or so old.

[Qasimahmed]

Right ok that's good to know about the spring. It has been ordered so I will install it when it comes.
The alternator isn't rubber mounted, the alternator sits on a metal bracket and bolted straight through. The only reason I put the earthing cable on is because the old one had perished. So if there is no need for it, I wonder why they felt the need to put it on.

Thanks a lot Brian

Edit: so I've just had a read here and there, so if you have grounding issues, people add the grounding cable to resolve them. I've read online 6AWG will do. I think I'll need to clean all the grounding locations around the engine bay.

[Brianmoooore]

Edit: so I've just had a read here and there, so if you have grounding issues, people add the grounding cable to resolve them. I've read online 6AWG will do. I think I'll need to clean all the grounding locations around the engine bay.

Absolutely no point in adding a parallel cable if the engine is assembled properly, and by using a cable as small as that, there's a danger of fire if at any time there was a problem with the alloy to iron joint between the alternator bracket and block. Much better to have the charge warning light come on and tell you there's a problem, than bypass it with what I suspect is a bodge emanating from the USA. They have some strange ideas over there, like changing engine oil every 3000 miles.
The only additional earthing required on an E30 (added by BMW on later models) is a copper braid connecting the bonnet to the body, across the bonnet hinge, to help with radio interference.

[Qasimahmed]

Hello again

So I changed the timing belt, waterpump and radiator. Got it up to temp, the needle was on 12 and flushed the coolant a few times but still quite a lot of oil in it. Got some mayo on the oil cap and on the coolant cap. So I'm guessing the head needs pulling, possibly cracked or headgasket.

I've got a headgasket tester which I'm gonna try now and I'll let you know what happens

[Qasimahmed]

So I ran it for a while longer, the white on the oil cap cleared, I finished the coolant once more, I think it might be clearing up. The headgasket testing fluid didn't change colour so I'll keep on flushing it and seeing what happens

[Brianmoooore]

It takes months for all the sludge to come out of the cooling system. It tends to collect in the header tank.
Make sure the small tube from the header tank to the top of the radiator stays clear.
IF there still is a problem, it's more likely to be a crack in the head than a gasket failure. Take the cam cover off, and, with the cooling system up to temperature and pressure, look carefully, directly under the camshaft, especially near the back for beads of water emerging from the crack.

[Qasimahmed]

I'm going to keep an eye on it and make sure it's not overheating and carry or with the flushes. I'm going to drain the trans fluid tomorrow and refill that and then move it, get it on the lift and take a good look around.

By the way, I removed the extra ground for the alternator and so far so good. No lights regarding the battery.
The oil light went off on the check panel, I did connect the two pins on the coolant sensor together but that light still remains. So I guess I should have a look at the wiring.

There are quite a few things that I am noticing such as the window switches in the middle are illuminated regardless of the position of the light switch (the headlights and brake lights are off the car, I don't know if that makes a difference).
Some of the window switches don't work but I have read that is a common issue.
There is also an aftermarket immobiliser which has been bypassed, however the indicators flash when the battery is connected and the car is running. I will be removing it at some point so that's gonna be a fun job.


One more thing, how do I know if I have an updated coolant cap, the previous owner bypassed the heater matrix as I'm guessing it was leaking. I read it could be caused by a coolant cap which was replaced under warranty. How do I know if it has been changed?

Thanks

[Qasimahmed]

So I drained the transmission fluid and it came out white, I changed it but haven't got it up to temp to flush it yet. I'll do it when the weather is a bit better here, there some bits on the boot that are bare metal so I don't want them getting wet.

The car's running a little poorly, when it first starts it sounds as if it cuts out and then it catches itself and start running. It's sounds as if it's idling high and then low. I've cleaned the idle control valve again but no difference. It'll attach a video of it running. You can also hear the valve clicking so I think it'll need valve adjustment right?

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Mf4CAtPZsDGcZMy47

[Brianmoooore]

Engine sounds like a diesel in the clip, as do all engines when played through laptop speakers, but I think I can hear it hunting a little. Hunting is caused by a fuel mixture that is too lean, and, since the engine is designed to run lean at idle, it only takes minor air leaks to push it into hunting.
Check the big convoluted air pipe, the joints in the ICV pipework, the ports on the throttle body to the servo, and the small rubber cap on an unused port, under the throttle body, close to the TPS.
Or it might just be injectors in need of a service.
Also, the ECU might still not have fully learnt the idle settings.
You're going to need several changes of transmission oil to have any hope of saving that gearbox. A considerable amount of oil remains inside the torque converter after you've drained it, so all you can do is gradually dilute it, unless you remove the gearbox and drain the torque converter manually.
There's a good chance that the valve clearances need adjusting, but that's the least of your worries at the moment.
I take it that the faulty radiator has been replaced.

[Qasimahmed]

Hiya Brian

Yeah radiator has been replaced and I will keep on diluting the transmission fluid untill it comes out a nice red colour. I have been reading another post on hunting and came across a step by step list by BenHar which did start with vacuum leaks. So that's the first thing tomorrow, and then onto flushing the transmission.

[Qasimahmed]

Hiya,

So the battery died while I was running the car on the lift, I managed 0.7 miles before it died. So I had the alternator rebuilt and now it's charging properly, 13.7V at idle.

Haven't flushed the transmission yet, it's still red on the dipstick but I'll need to get it nice and warm before flushing it, I'm actually thinking of waiting until I get the car on the road.

Just wanted to know when the convertible was facelifted. I have a 1990 G reg, but it came with metal bumpers and pre facelift lights. I have a genuine Mtech 1 kit, I was looking at going the Mtech 2 route but i just read on conversion on the wiki and it does seem like quite a bit of trimming to get the plastic bumpers to fit.

[Brianmoooore]

Mechanicals of the ragtop were updated at the same time as the rest of the range, but the bodyshell and bits waited until October '90.

[Qasimahmed]

So I've just been starting it up every now and then, I'm going to be doing the valve adjustment and removing the injectors soon to be tested and cleaned. Just wondering if the valve cover gasket and the intake manifold gaskets need to be changed every time they are taken off?

The other thing is realoem says that you need one center one and 4 of the single gaskets, is that right?

https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showpa ... Id=11_0858

Edit: I forgot to add that while chasing the hunting issue, I checked to see if the AFM was on the factory setting, it was about half a turn our from fully tightened. It says 17.2 above the screw, so I pulled it out 3 and a half turns. It had no real effect on the idle and the idle didn't change as I was setting it. If I disconnect my AFM, the car will struggle and cut off

[Qasimahmed]

So this is how the car sits now, it's running and driving now. I've pulled it out a few times, had a look underneath and it is dirty but very little rust, a few spots on each sills about the size of a 20p coin, and another on the fuel tank. The car is still hunting when warm, it runs fine when cold.
Not really had much time to troubleshoot, but ICV is buzzing and seems to be working.

Right now I'm trying to get some prices for bodywork and paint. Classic legends in Northampton were mentioned and I'm in the process of getting a quote from them.

[Qasimahmed]

It has been a while, I have been starting up the car every now and then, hopefully I plan to remove the intake manifold, injectors and exhaust manifold. I plan to change the gaskets and get the injectors tested and rebuilt. And to give the intake manifold and rocker cover a little bit of paint. And while I'm there, get the valves adjusted.

So a lot planned for the next week or two, hopefully it should go smoothly. Then onto welding and bodywork.

[Qasimahmed]

So what was meant to be a two day job turned into a two week job,and it's still not 100% finished. Three of the exhaust manifold studs were snapped by someone previously trying to change the gasket. I had to get it drilled and it still needs to be tapped.

I changed all the intake gaskets over, changed the oil return tube seals, got all the injectors tested and refurbed. Replaced the intake boot, breather hose and air filter. I got it running again but didn't run it for too long as it sounds quite bad without the exhaust manifold.

While everything was off, I checked the valve clearances and they were fine, I steam cleaned as much of the gunk off the block although there's still a lot on it. Not really much you can do unless you pull the engine and gearbox but I'm not planning on that.

So right now I'm waiting for the holes to be tapped and then put the manifold back on and get it running for a while to see if the hunting has resolved itself.

[Brianmoooore]

Check the exhaust manifold face for straightness before refitting it as they can warp and break the end studs.
You can get a good idea of whether it's OK by trial fitting the manifold without the gasket, nipping up a couple of nuts hand tight, then checking that all six faces are making contact with the head.

[Qasimahmed]

Hi

I fitted the exhaust manifold back on with new gaskets. It's no longer leaking and looks a lot better than before. It still is hunting, I need to do a smoke test at some point. I'm getting someone to come and look at the car to give a quote for paint and bodywork. Hopefully we'll get it into paint in the next few months.
I've sorted out some wheels. Once it's drivable and roadworthy I will get to refreshing all the suspension parts. Right now there's no issues with the suspension except it's all quite old. I'm hoping to fit a bilstein b12 kit and change all the bushings and links.

[Brianmoooore]

B12, cab. and UK roads don't go well together. B4s and Eibach springs are a better bet.
See here: viewtopic.php?f=119&t=281423

[fixedwheelnut]

We used to do two or three cooling system flushes with fairy washing up liquid in their to break down the oils, then two fresh water flushes then refill the anti freeze

Flushing the Auto box is much harder as probably 35% of the oil is held in the Torque Converter so continually changing the oil and getting it as hot as possible to boil it off, unless you want to remove the auto box and torque converter to syphon the fluid out of it.