e36 328i nikasil
Moderator: martauto
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dips346
- London Meets Main Man
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i am about to sell my e36 328i tourung on a p reg ,how do i find out if my engine is a nikasil one or not ,i remember something about a marking on the block ,any help ?
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BMJG
- E30 Zone Regular

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When looking at the engine from the passinger side down by the starter and where enginr touches gearbox you shoud see a shiny ish plate 50p size then it's ausil and ok. there is a quick check guide on e36coupe in the FAQ section as well
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dips346
- London Meets Main Man
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cool ,should have checked theyBMJG wrote:When looking at the engine from the passinger side down by the starter and where enginr touches gearbox you shoud see a shiny ish plate 50p size then it's ausil and ok. there is a quick check guide on e36coupe in the FAQ section as well
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M3Macao
- E30 Zone Newbie

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Also ask BMW to check the VIN to see if it had its recall to have a new block fitted. Like BMJG said an Alusil block will have a pear shaped blanking plate down near the starter on the n/s.
I went through the same processes when i was looking to buy a 328i sport. The one i have is an April 98 car which had the alusil block fitted from the factory.
Hope this helps.
I went through the same processes when i was looking to buy a 328i sport. The one i have is an April 98 car which had the alusil block fitted from the factory.
Hope this helps.
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DanThe
- E30 Zone Team Member

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No M52 engine had alusil coated bores, that is just chinese whispers created in E36 forums. The replacement blocks have steel liners which can create a whole new problem
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Simon13
- The longest resto in the world !
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like sinking alloy and headgasket failure?!
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Blitz
- Married to the E30 Zone

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I think the whole nikasil issue is over hyped. Theres many BMW with nikasil that run fine with high miles. These days most petrol has a low sulfur.
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DanThe
- E30 Zone Team Member

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Its not over hyped at all, ive yet to strip an M52 with no bore wear, even engines that have run ok have still had bore wear

