New Tourer - Project/Tinkering/Fun - awaits....!

[mrjonchandler]

Hi All,
Picked up this 316i Touring in Lazur Blau, nice colour, one of my favourites. It's solid, rust patch under rear valance, bit on rear arch, bootlid is junk, mirrors, drivers wing has been resprayed (badly!).
Engine bit rattly, clutch needs looking at, exhaust etc....the list goes on.
But........I love it!
Starting to tidy up all the issues as i go along, i have my project assistant (Dad), i'm 37 so it's a bit like fiddling with cars as a kid again. We're both enjoying getting our hands dirty, i love the way these things were built, logically and well designed. The Germans built their cars like they brew their beer.. very well indeed.
The 318is i own is running like a dream and frankly it's too good to use in the crappy weather we're bound to get this autumn/winter.
More pics to follow but here's a couple for now.
Any comments welcomed as long as they are nice!
Thanks to all the zoners who i have had bits from so far (Dink especially)
Cheers
Jon

[eko]

Tidy looking project.
Keep the updates coming

[Tommek]

very nice looking touring. I like the colour very much Great find ..... best of luck with it

[bmw-mad]

nice looking car mate. Im breakign a lazer blue touring atm and have the pannels in good nick pm me if intrested

[gooner1]

Are you bringing the Touring on Sunday, Jon

[mrjonchandler]

Are you bringing the Touring on Sunday, Jon

Sadly not Rob,
I've gotta get the exhaust and clutch sorted asap. The car is basically dangerous to drive with the clutch as it is. When i drove it back, i stopped at a red light, car in first, was waiting for the lights to change and the car drove itself off the lights!
Had an interesting conversation with Jules yesterday, but have found most of the bits i need and an exhaust (hopefully) to collect on Sunday at the meet.
Looking forward to meeting you mate anyway. Will pick your brains!
Jon

[mrjonchandler]

nice looking car mate. Im breakign a lazer blue touring atm and have the pannels in good nick pm me if intrested

Hi,
Have called a few times actually, would love to pop over and see what you have. In reality, a drivers wing is all i would really need now. Do you have any interior? I need a drivers seat to match.
Will you be at the Midlands meet on Sunday?
Cheers
Jon

[mrjonchandler]

Quick update,
Have now fixed or replaced........

Boot Struts/Clutch Master and Slave cylinder/Wash Wipe/Gearknob/Glovebox handle.
Have tidied up the total mess under the steering wheel, the car has had a cruise control fitted, it doesn't appear to work so not sure what to do with it yet. The new under dash panel has really tidied it up and the headlight adjuster although not working looks great illuminated.
The clutch now works faultlessly, have sourced an exhaust to collect this week and will fit next weekend, then will start on trying to get the engine a bit quieter. I sounds like a diesel! Rear silencer is literally hanging off now.
Car has remote central locking which is cool.
Heading for MOT in Dec so want all things sorted by then.
Any tips on cleaning spray bar within the rocker cover, or any tips on servicing this engine (M40 316i)
Pics to follow.
Jon

[vanos]

Any tips on cleaning spray bar within the rocker cover, or any tips on servicing this engine (M40 316i)
Pics to follow.
Jon

Clean the spray bar with a tiny thin bit of wire from a wire brush and a compressed air line, you'll clean it ok but the damage has been done and the noisey engine will stay noisey, I've had this problem twice in the past.
You can repair/replace the noisey parts but it aint cheap, put up with the noise and enjoy it or throw a 325 M20 into it.

[spook]

Thats a tidy little Touring mate, our lads got a little 316 touring in Black with a noisey engine, he has also replaced the spray bar but it not made much differance, just made him feel better

I ve got a 316 moredoor which ive yet to use as ive not been arsed to put my 2.7 touring up for sale.

[mrjonchandler]

Thats a tidy little Touring mate, our lads got a little 316 touring in Black with a noisey engine, he has also replaced the spray bar but it not made much differance, just made him feel better

I ve got a 316 moredoor which ive yet to use as ive not been arsed to put my 2.7 touring up for sale.

Maybe i'm barking up the wrong tree then. There is a real clunk off the exhaust but i think the majority of the noise is top end for sure. It actually doesn't bother me that much, there's plenty of oil in the engine. It's just a hunch that it could be quietened down a bit by changing the oil or something exploratory.
The car's tidy though, it's ok.
Thanks anyway.
Jon

[mrjonchandler]

Any tips on cleaning spray bar within the rocker cover, or any tips on servicing this engine (M40 316i)
Pics to follow.
Jon

Clean the spray bar with a tiny thin bit of wire from a wire brush and a compressed air line, you'll clean it ok but the damage has been done and the noisey engine will stay noisey, I've had this problem twice in the past.
You can repair/replace the noisey parts but it aint cheap, put up with the noise and enjoy it or throw a 325 M20 into it.

I reckon you're spot on there, probably not worth the effort.
Yeah, i've always wanted a 2.5!
Could be a great project with a decent engine.

[mr_dink]

Cars looking good mate, glad you got the clutch sorted and everything else is on the way. Are you driving it now?

[mrjonchandler]

Cars looking good mate, glad you got the clutch sorted and everything else is on the way. Are you driving it now?

Hi Bud,
Not yet, end of the month, will grab the exhaust this week, fit at the weekend possibly then should be ok.
The tax runs out on my IS at the end of the month so will swap the insurance over then and drive it. Haven't done the bootlid yet, do you happen to know if the wiper motor and wash was ok when it came off? Don't really want to swap it all over if i don't have to.
Cheers again for the parts, the mirror now works, cleaned all the contacts, the boot struts are great, no more bits of wood! Under panel in now too, i did use yours in the end.
Hope all's good mate with you.
Jon

[mrjonchandler]

Hi,
Quick update and some pics. Managed to get quite a bit done over the last couple of weeks.
The clutch master and slave cylinders have been replaced, working well now. Next major thing was to sort out the exhaust.
This threw a major spanner in the works.
I jacked the car up on the diff, this kind of ruptured the rear beam bushes which must have been weak anyway. The beam lifted and the bushes broke up.


So, had to make the decision to try and change them. Took a lot of advice from people on Sunday at the Mids meet (thanks Town325i) also from posting on the zone too.

Did the beam attached to the car, lowered the beam and was left with these.

The alloy core had completely come free of the bush.
I managed to tap this side to side and free it from the car.
We managed to borrow a removal tool from Ettington Garages (thanks Mark) and get the old bush out bit by bit. Best way we found was to pull through 10mm and hacksaw it off, then pull out the rest of the bush.
A good clean up of the beam and the new ones were pressed in with plenty of Fairy liquid and the trolley jack.
Anyway, did the other side and moved on.
A good clean of the arches and a quick underseal.






The mess under the steering wheel has been sorted, new under panel fitted. Have fitted new roof aerial, Exhaust has been fitted now and is working well. Speedo sensor reconditioned and re-soldered, working now. Fitted drivers mirror, now working electrically. Have picked up a new bootlid, to fit at some point.
Grabbed some more bits from Touring Tash at the weekend so will fit when possible. Thanks Jason.
Really this was my aim, to get a reliable run around for winter and it's heading that way nicely. The engine although it has plenty of go, does not sound great. This will have to be lived with for now. This car is being done on a shoestring and i want to learn to do the repairs myself.
Will post more pics when i get chance.
Thanks
Jon

[town325i]

I bet its satisfying getting these jobs done on your own Done well really i might ask you for help in the future

[mrjonchandler]

I bet its satisfying getting these jobs done on your own Done well really i might ask you for help in the future

Thanks Mark, does feel really good having done it now. Between Dad and me, we worked it out bit by bit and kept an eye on not straining anything too much by lowering the beam too far. The tools lent to us made the difference, no doubt. Taking the bottom off the old one made the difference for us.
Anyway, drove it today and it just feels really great, like new!
Did you get my PM bout the engine?
Jon

[town325i]

Yes mate i forgot to reply to you

[pukar]

hey john, so this is the new project eh? good luck buddy, looks nice!!

[TouringTash]

Thats a good job done there fella well done. I'll have mine in the air in the first week of November and looking to book you in for the 2nd and 3rd . I'll provide a rug AND cover for you in the garage and put a spare bowl down with the dogs in the morning

Sorry just envious over how good/clean your arches are looking.
Looks as if you made the right choice to put the effort in and save it

[capri_rob]

Good progress Jon - looks like a decent car

[mrjonchandler]

Thats a good job done there fella well done. I'll have mine in the air in the first week of November and looking to book you in for the 2nd and 3rd . I'll provide a rug AND cover for you in the garage and put a spare bowl down with the dogs in the morning

Sorry just envious over how good/clean your arches are looking.
Looks as if you made the right choice to put the effort in and save it

Heh heh!
The car is scruffy, i can't lie, but this car is for the winter time. The objective was to buy a car for winter with the money i sold an e28 for a few months back and get it running well so it will start every morning, get me to work, so the kids can jump around in it and get it dirty and i basically don't mind, i can't do that in that IS, it's too nice to get shitted up.
The engine does sound poorly, i do intend to spend some time looking at it but nothing major, i'm gonna keep my eye out for a very cheap engine to possibly replace it one day?
So far this car owes me £13, so that'll do for now, the work may mean it goes through the MOT in December and that would be a real bonus. It's taxed till Jan too.
I don't know whether to even tackle the rust, is it worth it?
Jon

[mrjonchandler]

Good progress Jon - looks like a decent car

Cheers Rob, it really was a job that had to be done mate and i wasn't gonna be paying anyone!
It's the engine, it's absolutely knackered, do you know if the M40's have self adjusting tappets?
Jon

[mrjonchandler]

hey john, so this is the new project eh? good luck buddy, looks nice!!

Hi mate, yeah just a fairly straight car for learning on!
How are you, i wanted to ask actually, do you manage to garage yours?
Cheers
Jon

[TouringTash]

yes Jon they do have hydrololic (sp??) tappets. If things work out with my planned M20b20 lump I'll have my old 318 kicking about.

As for the tin worm (rust) its comes down to how bad, how much free time you have and is the car worth saving? true you are putting some work into the rear but if worst comes to worst all these bits could be pulled before weighing it in. So if it needs a bit of work for the next MOT then why not have a go. To be honest I'll leave welding to the pro's and use my time in other ways.

[mrjonchandler]

Yeah, you're right, wleding's a different ball game, mechanics can be done, it's knowledge and nuts and bolts, bodyworks a bit of an art form!
Leave it to the experts or botchit and scarper!
Keep me posted about the engine then.....

[TouringTash]

will do bud. or as yours is a 1.6?? maybe finding a head would be easier then doing the whole thing.
I'll get back to yo on that one.

[mrjonchandler]

will do bud. or as yours is a 1.6?? maybe finding a head would be easier then doing the whole thing.
I'll get back to yo on that one.

Cool. Yeah mine is a 1.6. Could you not swap that out, would you need loads of electrical stuff and all that jazz, ECU etc?

[Gothydude]

Nice Motor John, I have to say these Tourings are Addictive.. Love mine ;)

[pukar]

hey john, so this is the new project eh? good luck buddy, looks nice!!

Hi mate, yeah just a fairly straight car for learning on!
How are you, i wanted to ask actually, do you manage to garage yours?
Cheers
Jon

no garage at the moment jon, she sits outside but has been waxoiled and is cleaned regularly so no real issues with this...the car is a dialy runner after all. i will be moving soon to a house with a garage....but its one of those newbuilds with the really small garages, so might be able to get the car in, but might not be able to open the door!! may have to make the effort though and get out "dukes of hazzard" style...i hear ant at a-tech does a competitive quote for a waxoil which might be a good idea for your 'is now its sorted.

[mrjonchandler]

Autumn/Winter update, decided to change the cylinder head/gaskets/water pump/cambelt etc.
Sourced a known good cylinder head with almost new cam from smithy318i (thanks for answering loads of stupid questions) complete with gaskets.
We set about refurbing a set of hydraulic tappets, squeezing each one in a vice to get the old crappy oil out and get them moving again. After doing this, they were left upright submerged in oil.

Re-assembled the replacement head, popped the followers back in, got the cam journals all greased up.





Then it was time for the old head to be removed, take a tip and mark the old cabling, this will save loads of hassle later!
We kind of peeled back the manifolds, leaving them in place and trying not to disturb anything that didn't need to be. Felt that this was the best approach. Anyway, the head came off really easily leaving us with this.


The water pump was a real git, i found taking the head off and pushing it and working it from through the hole beneath the thermostat housing worked well. It came out easily after that. New water pump was fitted and the new head eventually went on. New head bolts were used and torqued up carefully in stages to let it settle. Next was the cambelt and the pulley, this tightened up with no problems. The cambelt was tensioned using Brianmoore's and daimlerman's advice, an allen key and spring balance.

We were pretty much done, reassembling the manifolds. Attaching the exhaust was a nightmare, lying underneath the car trying to keep the gasket on and get the nuts on!
The rocker cover was cleaned up nicely and looked lovely when all back together.


Gotta say, it would not start for love or money. After cranking it for hours, towing it, stripping it apart again and generally scratching our heads for days, i photographed the cabling on another 316i M40 and my suspicions were confirmed. The cable out from the fuel rail went down to the harness, i had it going up to the throttle body.
After sorting this, it fired up first turn. Smelled pretty bad because of all the grease used, but pleasingly it was clearly quieter than before. So, really pleased and well worth the effort.
Before attempting this stage, the car went through the MOT with no drama.
Need a drivers seat (light grey please!)

Front suspension next! Thanks to all who helped me especially the old man! (Dad, not Brianmoore!)
Jon

[Tommek]

Good work, i have one question .... after you squeezed the tappets in the vice and submerged them in oil you compressed the to fill them up ? or just let them empty before putting thm back? thank you

[mrjonchandler]

Good work, i have one question .... after you squeezed the tappets in the vice and submerged them in oil you compressed the to fill them up ? or just let them empty before putting thm back? thank you

No, the oil pressure will re-fill them. When they came out, they were solid, the old oil was squeezed out and then you could move them between your fingers. They re-filled no problem, i checked that this was ok with a parts manufacturer too. No problem!

[Tommek]

your answer is much appreciated. i will do the same to mines, because they`re noisy too. thanks for the info .. cheers

[adit]

good work Jon. Snap! :