E30 Zone

hi, i am a e30 325 owner, need help please im looking at an e36 328 sport on a 96 p plate 100k miles, its advertised as having developed a slight misfire im thinking this may be as simple as a coil pack, has anybody else any ideas? did the nicasil bore ware issue start as a misfire? thats my worry in regard to buying what is a cheap 328. any help be appreciated.

dave

could be anything, but coils can fail it could be duff plug. maybe even a fucked block or head gasket. so many variables, so simply get it on diagnostics if you can and see what flags up if anything

thanks mate, its for sale on ebay and im tempted, but worried i buy it and its not just a coil pack, he said it happened suddenly on advert, would i diagnostic tell you if its a coil pack?

you need to speak to a guy called dan_the, he's the zones resident m52 expert

I would ask what the post compression test numbers look like.
I'd be concerned about a plug that is either oil or fuel fouled at low revs and load.
The plug clears up when the cylinder makes heat and more sparks as the revs go up.

dodgy injector leaking, or bad rings letting compression out and oil in to the bad chamber.
Could be a bad plug or plug lead/coil.

If the compression numbers are good, then you'd have an easier time sorting it, and get the price dropped for the problem.

Low comp in one cylinder means rebuild.

m

Could be a number of things

Cylinder bore wear
dodgy plug(s)
dodgy coil pack
camshaft sensor

A diagnostic check could reveal more

Nikasil related problems usually cause a rough uneven idle, poor starting and lousy fuel consumption.

could be buying bills! when a good one can be had cheap it may be worth hunting for a better one?

Start with cleaning your mass airflow sensor.. There are a few guides on doing it.. Try the cheap inexpensive way first before you start blowing money on it.

what kind of price are you looking at? if its cheep enough then it may be worth a punt and a frag if it is shot.

get a compression tester for cheep and test the thing before buying though, its no more trouble than taking a spark plug out.