1990 E30 316i M40B16

[NaV08]

Hello everyone here! I'm André from Italy.
Bought this 316i one year ago with only 35.000 km for 3.000€ and been driving it daily ever since.
I got her inspected thoroughly by a couple mechanics, who said that mileage looks pretty real as nothing is really worn. Just had oil and filter changed.

First owner was 70+ y/o and died short After buying the car. His daughter had the car for 20+ years in a garage, driving it once in a while.
Third owner also had It in a garage along with other e30s, a Taunus and his Amazing e21 Daily drive.
He sold It because of lack of room in the garage.

So I'm the 4th owner. Car Is pretty much in very good condition with very Little rust spots here and there.

Plans are to keep It as original as possibile, get some nice old wheels, Paint It, and restore the engine to brand new condition someday.

You'll notice that back seats are a different colour, because 2nd owner fucked them up and couldnt find the same exact colour.

As I'm currently laid off from work for Covid, I started taking apart as much as I can from interior and engine bay to clean It.

Hope you'll like it, and Wish you good luck and health in this hard Times.

Andre

[NaV08]

[martauto]

Hi Andre and welcome to the zone
Many many thanks for you showing us your lovely car in what is a very very difficult time for us all but you guy`s in Italy are having a BAD time.
I need to see more pics of the inside Andre as I think it`s the same as mine and I LOVE the wood effect

Keep them coming mate and do your best to keep safe and well

Thanks again Andre.

Mart.

[NaV08]

[ocde30]

Hi, looks like a very tidy car and should look brilliant after the deep clean. Good look with it and stay safe.

[NaV08]

Hi there. Just wanted to add some more pics.
I took off everything I could and gave the engine bay a little clean, just wiping with water and soap, no degrease no shower because I don't have a shower head at hand now.

What about vinyl coating the hoses in a nice colour?
They are in good condition and maybe original, so I would not change them with fancy ones on eBay, and vinyl Will Be easily removable too.

Common sense would Say not to mess with the AFM as long as It works well, but I did open it, and I'm Happy It looks brand new and Virgin inside. I did 3 clicks counter clockwise as to enrich the mixture and I can Say I feel the exhaust less smelly, and the car more responsive (took a little drive to get cigarettes as we are locked down). Might be Just a placebo effect and Obviously the dyno and proper testing can speak. Maybe I'll play a little more with It then Seal It back.

I still have to clean the carpet well before I put seats back in Place. I'd love to tear down the sliding mechanism, clean It well and put new grease, as they are pretty dirty, but I can't undertand how to do It and didn't search yet.

Need to get some new wood trim since they are mixed quality and some have cracks and scratches.

[Brianmoooore]

Common sense would Say not to mess with the AFM as long as It works well, but I did open it, and I'm Happy It looks brand new and Virgin inside. I did 3 clicks counter clockwise as to enrich the mixture and I can Say I feel the exhaust less smelly, and the car more responsive (took a little drive to get cigarettes as we are locked down). Might be Just a placebo effect and Obviously the dyno and proper testing can speak. Maybe I'll play a little more with It then Seal It back.

Your first sentence IS correct!
The AFM was set correctly at the factory when the car was built, and will still be giving the correct signal. If that isn't the correct signal for the car, then it is something else that is wrong. Deliberately making something wrong in an attempt to counteract something else that is wrong is most definitely not the way to get an engine running at its peak.
The correct course of action is to put the AFM back as it was, then start looking for what is actually wrong! Start with a hunt for air leaks into the inlet after the AFM, and consider having the injectors reconditioned.

[NaV08]

Thanks for advice! But I never mentioned there was something wrong. I Just checked and played with the AFM since I took It off...
I am a total novice about cars but good at disassembling things.
Car runs lovely, delivers nice Power when you Need It in the 50-80 mph, dashboard starts shaking at the 95-100mph. But it's very enjoyable.

I'm not looking for more power, but I'll get some for sure with a proper servicing.

[Brianmoooore]

There are certain settings that are factory set and should never be touched - AFM spring, AFM bypass/CO pot., throttle butterfly closed stop that were factory set and should never be touched. If you do move any of these, you will cause problems when something DOES go wrong.

[NaV08]

Any hint on how to disassemble the rails Is welcome. I searched but didn't find anything.

[NaV08]

Up

[Brianmoooore]

The stops on the sliders are the bushes that the mounting bolts to the floor pass through. These are riveted in place, so you'll have to grind the top of one bush off in each rail. The fixing bolt will hold it all together when you refit the seats.

[NaV08]

I'll do that as soon as I put my hand on some tools to grind those bushes. They still slide but have 30 years of dirt in them and looking gross.

Other questions:
1) The baby has an old not-working alarm system, next to the air box. If I take It off, the starter Will work, but the engine won't start. Who's the guy here Who would help me to by-pass that alarm so I can remove It? I'll post pictures of it's wiring if someone's willing to help.

2) How hard would you push this almost brand new 316i? I mean, I get to 150 kmph no problem, hardly 160 kmph, though the owners manual says max 180 kmph.
I'd love to take her to a race track and do some drifting. Since I saw some old BMW clips, where It seems to stand some aggressive driving/steering/drifting, was wondering if I could push It to the limit, given that it's mechanics are in very good condition.

3) How could you tell if It was upgraded to 1.8L without opening the engine? Maybe Just looking at the ECU in the glovebox? I have driven some 1.8-2L from 2005-2010 and I don't see much more power in the 0-60mph, only in the long run to 180-200 kmph.
Kind of ashamed I never drove a 2.5-3L

[Brianmoooore]

1) A pic. would be useful, to see if it's a BMW dealer fitted alarm, A BMW approved dealer fitted alarm, or an aftermarket fitment.
2) You won't break it!
3) Engine number is engraved onto a flat area on the block, near the LH engine mount. Will probably need rubbing over with emery paper to read it. First two numbers are approx. engine size in centilitres. 16 = 1.6 litre, 18 =1.8 litre.

[bartbad69]

Hi Andre, similar to my 316! It looks beautiful, good luck with it.

If you wish to sell the front seats let me know. Mine are torn, happy to pay good money + shipping.

[NaV08]

Mate, why would I sell those perfect front seats out of my 25k Miles beauty?
I don't even know how much they worth...but make an offer, if good enough, I have some Opel spare seats to put in my 316i

Jokes aside, god luck with your build

[Cloggy Saint]

There was a time when you literally couldn't give comfort seats away, but they're probably worth a few quid these days.

[NaV08]

Hello guys. A couple weeks ago my e30 died in the mountains in the middle of nowhere, 200 Miles away from home. Couple days later I managed to have It towed to a shop.
Bad news Is timing belt gone and bent valves. 1500€ to fix.

I'm considering taking It back home and swap something cheap into It, restoring the m40b16 slowly when I afford It.

I read about swaps here and there, and I want to hear from you too. I want some cheap and reliable, Easy enough swap with the least extra componens needed. I'd love an m30b30.

[Brianmoooore]

Oh dear! Lack of basic maintenance, I'm afraid. If there was no history of a belt change within the last few years when you bought the car, the first thing you should have done was to change it.
I don't know what the supply of second hand parts is like wherever you are in the world, but the simplest and cheapest solution is almost certainly to get a second hand head, possibly attached to a second hand engine, and to swap the head over. Simple enough DIY job, as long as the pistons aren't damaged.
Simplest engine swaps are obviously a M40B16 or B18, or with a bit more work, a M4218 or M44B18, which gives a pleasant, usable car, with decent performance and fuel economy. Anything else, and you'll be changing gearboxes, propshafts, diffs., suspension and brakes.

[coopman]

If there was no history of a belt change within the last few years when you bought the car, the first thing you should have done was to change it.

I'm in the same boat - know I need to change it, but somehow still haven't got round to it. This is a good reminder that laziness isn't smart!

[NaV08]

I found an m42b18 from a 120k Miles e36 at 550€. Is It worth It? I read that out of an e30 Is more plug and play but out of e36 might give some head aches. What should I be aware of?

[Brianmoooore]

The E36 engine will need the sump from your existing M40, and there are problems with the inlet manifold fitting in the car, but there's a recent thread on here (for an M44, IIRC) showiing that it can be done. The other problem, on RH drive vehicles, is the exhaust manifold/exhaust obstructing the steering shaft. This will be different with a LH drive car, but I can't say if the E36 manifold can be used.

[NaV08]

I found also the same m40b16 with 80k Miles at 450€. For 100€ more I'd go for the m42b18 but i'm worried about issues. The car is LHD

[Brianmoooore]

450 euro is more than I'd like to pay for a M40B16, but a quick look on ebay suggests that it's about the going rate these days.
If you buy that, you can spend a couple of days fitting the whole thing, with no extra expense other than a cam belt (hint!), and the job's done. You're back on the road, and can start planning future upgrades. You'll have a spare engine, which, although badly damaged, can be a valuable source of spares.
The M42 my only be a 100 euro more, but that won't be the end of the expenses by a long way.
How do you come across all these low mileage engines? Are you on an island somewhere?