E30 Zone

it's a g reg 320i with a 325i engine,box and diff fitted also out of a g reg car. compared to my last 2.5 it feels pretty gutless. the engine has only done 104000 miles and sounds sweet but it seems down on power. it seems to have a couple of flat spots, lower in the rev range, picks up at about 4000 rpm then feels flat again at about 5500 bfore hitting the rev limiter at about 6000rpm. it certainly doesn't pin you to the seat like my last car. is it possible it still has the 320 ecu fittted? i've checked all the hoses and the large air intake hose/pipe seems a little perished but not really that bad? could either of these be the problem or is there anything else thats quite common to cause a 325 to be down on power?

cheers, davey.

I was told when mine was down on horses to clean out the throttle body and inlet manifold and have the injectors sonically cleaned.

Jesus325iTouring wrote:I was told when mine was down on horses to clean out the throttle body and inlet manifold and have the injectors sonically cleaned.

whats best to clean the throttle body and inlet then? did it make much of a difference mate?

oh and wtf is sonically cleaned?!

I used acetone to clean the TB and inlet,or you can use brake cleaner in an aerosol which is pretty much the same stuff.

Didn't make a massive difference,but I probably should have had the injectors done really,it's not expensive,about £15 each if you remove them yourself,this i've been told does make a huge difference when done.

cheers jesus i'll look into it. any other ideas people before i rip it to bits?

£15 each... how much are new injectors?!

Must be pretty pricey to make £15 a pop for cleaning worthwhile.

Just a thought, you sure it IS a 325i engine?

Munky, injectors are about £70 each i think...

E30Mark wrote:Just a thought, you sure it IS a 325i engine?

Munky, injectors are about £70 each i think...

yeah the thought had crossed my mind! had a look at the logbook and it does say 2.5. will check the engine number tomorrow but the guy seemed very genuine. he said he done the engine transplant at christmas. he gave a very honest description of the car and even delivered it 280 miles.

E30Mark wrote:Just a thought, you sure it IS a 325i engine?

Munky, injectors are about £70 each i think...

Well f*** me.... so... f***....

I was planning on getting some new ones to cure my noisy injector problem...

does 'sonically cleaning' them solve the whole 'bag 'o' nails' m20 problem?

daveyw wrote: it's a g reg 320i with a 325i engine.... it seems to have a couple of flat spots, lower in the rev range, picks up at about 4000 rpm then feels flat again at about 5500 bfore hitting the rev limiter

Sounds like a bog standard 320i! Could be a 325i with issues though. Someone will be along to confirm soon though.
I suppose it is possible that the ECU wasn't changed. I don't know what it would run like with the wrong ECU connected, for sure the ignition timing would be way out - Ant may be able to answer that one.

munky30 wrote: does 'sonically cleaning' them solve the whole 'bag 'o' nails' m20 problem?

IIRC, the only cure for noisy injectors is to replace them with non-noisy ones. I wouldn't have thought cleaning them will stop the ticking.

I assume you have put in new plugs set the tappets checked the distributor and rotor arm. If so clean out the throttle body and replace air intake stub pipe and air filter. If none of this works it might be an injector problem or something more serious. BUT remember a touring is heavier than a saloon and if its running a saloon diff will not feel as quick; thats why BMW fitted 3:91 diffs to tourings. also did your previous saloon have a high compression engine? which are a lot faster.

daveyw wrote:it's a g reg 320i with a 325i engine,box and diff fitted also out of a g reg car.

are you sure its not a 320i with a 320i engine? did you fit the 325 engine or have you just taken someone elses word that it is a 2.5?

If it is a 325 engine, check that you have the whole engine! AFM, ECU and fuel pressure regulator are possibilities that spring to mind!

Might also be worth checking that the throttle pedal stop is set correctly.

I've recently fitted my 2.7 engine from my old saloon into my touring and it felt substantially slower until I found that when the accelerator pedal was floored I only got 3/4 throttle at the throttle body. I had to adjust it down about an inch to get full throttle. Much better now

Cheers,

Iain T

fuzzy wrote: did you fit the 325 engine or have you just taken someone elses word that it is a 2.5?

The clue's in the title Fuzzy mate.... He only got the car yesterday!

Brianmoooore wrote:If it is a 325 engine, check that you have the whole engine! AFM, ECU and fuel pressure regulator are possibilities that spring to mind!

Also, the 2.0 inlet manifold and/or throttle body could have found their way onto the 2.5.

essbee wrote:

fuzzy wrote: did you fit the 325 engine or have you just taken someone elses word that it is a 2.5?

The clue's in the title Fuzzy mate.... He only got the car yesterday!

is that buying the car yesterday or got his car back yesterday from a garage after having the engine fitted? its not clear.it could make all the difference to the diagnosis.

Sounds like you could have 320 manifold/FPR/injectors to me.Is there any writing still visible on the FPR?What colour are the tops of the injectors?The ones I took out of my 320 are white,I reckon the ones I am using in the 2.7 are blue....

thanks for all the replies so far.
to clear up, i just bought the car yesterday. it says 2.5 in the log book but i haven't checked the engine number yet.
been out in the car most of today. i think it is a 2.5 as it feels faster than my old 320i. my last 325i was a c reg and would spin the tyres no probs in 3rd gear in the wet. gearing feels the same. are these older engines quicker? i could have sworn it was hitting the rev limiter at 6000rpm yesterday. today it's bang on 6500. it's also feeling a bit quicker than yesterday but that might just be my imagination? needing the cobwebs blowing away maybe? there maybe nothing wrong with it, just that my c reg was above average? i'm just off the phone to the guy and it was his mate that done the conversion. it was a g reg touring the engine came out of but he's not sure if the guy changed over the ecu. i'll need to get to some meets and maybe one of you gents could take me for a spin in your 325i to compare. is there any way of telling the difference between a 2.0 and 2.5 ecu?
thanks again.

daimlerman wrote:Sounds like you could have 320 manifold/FPR/injectors to me.Is there any writing still visible on the FPR?What colour are the tops of the injectors?The ones I took out of my 320 are white,I reckon the ones I am using in the 2.7 are blue....

i'll check this also. cheers.

to check what engine it is firstly id look on the side of the head, to the right hand end just above the exhaust manifold. If it says 2.5/2.7 then you have a 2.5 obviously!

Host a picture of the engine bay and 90% of zoners will be able to tell you if the inlet manifold is from a 2.0 or a 2.5, the 2.0 is noticabally smaller than the 2.5

HTH

tomson wrote:to check what engine it is firstly id look on the side of the head, to the right hand end just above the exhaust manifold. If it says 2.5/2.7 then you have a 2.5 obviously!

Host a picture of the engine bay and 90% of zoners will be able to tell you if the inlet manifold is from a 2.0 or a 2.5, the 2.0 is noticabally smaller than the 2.5

HTH

i've just had my mate out for a blast in it as he was recently in a 325i sport. he seems to think its "ok" but having checked the engine as you said, i see no 2.5 2.7 stamp. all i can see is bmw 1289576 then what i presume is a date 180688. hope not but is this a 2.0? heres a pic, crap i know but it was taken on my phone in the dark:

That's a 325 inlet manifold.

320iSE wrote:That's a 325 inlet manifold.

well i thought i'd be happy to hear that but in the back of my mind i was thinking 335i if it turned out to be 2.0. still, it might happen. ta v much.

No problem. You have PM!

daveyw wrote:

320iSE wrote:That's a 325 inlet manifold.

well i thought i'd be happy to hear that but in the back of my mind i was thinking 335i if it turned out to be 2.0. still, it might happen. ta v much.

Unfortunately, a common upgrade for a 2 litre is to fit a 2.5 inlet manifold and throttle body!

Brianmoooore wrote:

daveyw wrote:

320iSE wrote:That's a 325 inlet manifold.

well i thought i'd be happy to hear that but in the back of my mind i was thinking 335i if it turned out to be 2.0. still, it might happen. ta v much.

Unfortunately, a common upgrade for a 2 litre is to fit a 2.5 inlet manifold and throttle body!

so if there is no 2.5, 2.7 stamp then it's more likely to be a 2.0? where exactly is this stamp? is it quite visable? i've been out with the torch but can't see it. i remember seeing it on my old 325 but canny remember where. quite large letters yeah?

Check the engine number (on a flat area near the LH engine mount).
Starting with 25 is good; starting with 20 is bad!

Brianmoooore wrote:Check the engine number (on a flat area near the LH engine mount).
Starting with 25 is good; starting with 20 is bad!

will do. thanks mate.

pic of the stamp/moulding.

its near the front of the head, between cylinders 1 & 2 or 2 & 3, cant remmember exactly.

kam-325i wrote:pic of the stamp/moulding.

its near the front of the head, between cylinders 1 & 2 or 2 & 3, cant remmember exactly.

great, cheers for that. back out with the torch again.

no wonder i couldn't find that 2.5 2.7 stamp......it's been grinded off! maybe because it is a 2.5 and before it was changed on the logbook, was still registered as a 2.0 and on the road??? who knows. can't find the engine number either. i'll need to get it into the garage tomorrow and get it all cleaned. was hoping to find out tonight so i'll sleep!
thanks again all.

The other place to check is highlighted in this pic. There you will find the engine code, it will give the info on what size engine it is and if it is a high or low compresion engine. It is next to the engine mount and has been machined flat. You are looking for "B25 K/E", these should be on the top.

kam-325i wrote:The other place to check is highlighted in this pic. There you will find the engine code, it will give the info on what size engine it is and if it is a high or low compresion engine. It is next to the engine mount and has been machined flat. You are looking for "B25 K/E", these should be on the top.

thanks mate. that was a great help. i now know it is a 325i can't make out the letter though so don't know if its high or low comp. its dated 88 on the engine, anyone know what dates they changed the compression. i've been out in the car again today. went like a rocket for the 1st 10 mins, stopped and left it for a couple of hours, went out in it again 2 hours later and the flat spot up to about 4000rpm is back. i'll get a chip fitted asap and see how it goes then. i've checked the ecu thats fitted to the car and there is masking tape put on by someone with 325i written on it. the only number i could make out on it is 0 261 200 380.