E30 Zone

oh siht, my ebay bimmer is going lemon-shaped on me.

It was supposed to be a cheap classic I could gradually do up - now it's looking like a money pit.
When I went to see it, I checked for mayo and found none, but a couple of things have arisen as I've been servicing it.
First I took almost 7l of oil out of my m20 (320i touring). It was a very dark brown/black, not milky as I think of milky, but not very clear either. Oil in the filter looked same, very old but ok.
There's still no mayo on the filler cap. It still performs well, idles well, no overheating (just above 1/4 on the guage up to just under 1/2). Oil looks fine after 20 miles or so.
Second, the coolant expansion tank is grubby inside, but not sludgy, more like a bit of rust on the surfaces. I think rad seal has been used at some point which might account for it. It's very hard to see the level from the outside, but the coolant looks alright when you look in the sensor hole - though it's mostly new stuff I've added (about four pints).

the 7l didn't bother me much at first - just dumb overfilling, I thought - but now It looks like coolent leak internally. Just wasn't very milky, which is what I'd expect.

I'm getting prices for a cam belt and water pump, but if the head gasket's gone it might be time to say goodbye sell it as a spares-runner with mot til May.
What do you reckon? how can I cheaply find out where I stand?

7 litres is a lot. are you having to top up your coolant regularly? for a £300 runaround/long term ptoject id run it until it gave up then replace the engine with a 2.5 for a couple of hundred quid

like fuzzy said run it in to the ground then swap engines its the way forward with e30`s lol, am just waiting for mine to go, was running poor early this year now seems to have corrected itself . looks like al have to wait a bit longer 2.5 plus maybe oneday

yip .. i agree just work on the other areas, engine's etc.. are all easy enough to find, just spend the time on making it look the way you want

thanks for your replies.
I'll take your advice, run it some more and see what develops

e30's are not cheap to run and the cheap cars are often more expensive long term than the good ones that cost more initially like the man says replace with a 325 engine if the bodywork is sound but if you want a cheap Bm the e36 is usually a better bet the e30 is just too old now and if someone else hasn't spent the money fixing it you will. You have been warned!

ive never found my e30 at all to be expensive to run, its just the constant wanting to put more to it that cost me
for the age of the car ,build quality , enjoyment , and the fact that it still turns heads on nice days out . i find it hard to find a better car.i know jack shit about mechanics but ive self tought and with help friom others to service my car myself saving money and finding it enjoying fuel costs seem second to none ok its a 318i but i still think its cheap to run only cost av got at the moment is to replace my sunroof as i broke it (seen in earlier topics) ive owned e36 an i found it to be the bmw that came and dated so quikly it is smooth looking but nothing compares to the e30 for desirability of this price margine ,an saying this if we never thought this there wouldnt be this forum to talk about them in such ways . keep the car get the body work a1 engines can be picked up any were at little cost to . andy

pnd wrote:e30's are not cheap to run !

My E30s are by far the most reliable and cheapest cars to run that I have ever owned or been associated with, and that includes new cars of various makes, up to, and including, new BMWs.
The highest price I've ever paid for an E30 in recent years, is £350.

this is my first BMW, but I ran a couple of old Mercs for a few years, and they are sort of the same - over-engineered, lots of initial build quality. If you do the basic servicing yourself and on time - fluids, filters - and keep an eye on the rust, they just keep going, and seem cheap to run. My lemon feels so planted at 80mph that it's hard to believe it's 17 years old, 160k. The parts support is superb too.
In contrast my other car - 1999 Mistubishi galant v6 2.5 auto - is a pig to work on (you have to drop the manifold to change three of the plugs), and lots of the parts are 'replace only' eg one abs sensor rusted, and you can't just replace it on its own, it's the whole driveshaft on that side!!
It's a different era of engine and design - no oil use, no fettling, but too much electronics and special tools required. You have to be a four-spanner mechanic to get involved - and at some point in the 1990s all cars just ended up looking much the same anyway.
of course the galant has been almost faultless

I can't speak for others but my e30's always have niggles these days (though they are very reliable in terms of not breaking down) eg this year callipers off three times due to sticking, new 10000 miles old shock knackered other suspension bits, new clutch needed although it will go on forever but juddery. You can keep e30's going on a shoestring if your handy with a spanner but getting them running right costs. I have never paid less than 2k for an e30 and wouldn't consider owning most of them due to the amount of work they need but thats not to decry someone who wants to restore one and has the time and skill to so do.

I am in total agreement with the Venerable Mr Moooore: my E30 325 Touring returns 32MPG overall, more on a run; routine maintenance is easy to do with basic tools; it has let me down only once when the fuel pump failed at 140K miles, support is fantastic from fellow zoners; parts are easily available - between the zone, dealers, Ebay and my local scrappy I have access to everything I could want; I have been asked twice by total strangers if I want to sell my car, and I purr along in the knowledge that my car is different from the ephemeral dross that flies past me on the motorway. (I let 'em as I've enough power for fun when I want it)

Providing the dreaded tin worm has not gotten a hold I would persevere with your E30 and it'll repay you in buckets. I reckon mine has depreciated nothing in the two years I have owned it and is the best investment I ever made.