Hi,
New to the board. I have a 1988 E30 2.5L cab auto. I am looking to get the engine remanufactured and noticed that there are lots of questionable people out there. I though Ivor Searle might be able to help but they only focus on mass market. Does anyone have any recommendations? Ideally FER registered as they will have certified quality standards. I am in the North West of England.
Thanks
Alex
E30 Engine remanufacture
Moderator: martauto
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Brianmoooore
- E30 Zone Team Member
- Posts: 49359
- Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:00 pm
Welcome to the zone! I live a long way from you, so am unable to provide any specific recommendations, other than I agree with the FER bit.
Can I ask, though, why you thing the engine needs to be remanufactured? Unless you have been unlucky enough to buy a badly neglected (especially in the oil renewal department) example or one that has done mega mileage, then a lot of work shouldn't be needed.
Don't judge these engines by the standards of the mass manufacturers at the time - 200,000 miles is nothing for the M20 engine. I had one in my daily driver that had reached 300,000, and still performed as new, with close to zero oil consumption between normal service intervals. The only work that had been done to it was the replacement of the exhaust valve guides, along with a light reseating of the valve seats. The bottom end wasn't touched - the original honing marks on the bores was still clearly visible, and the ring gaps were still within spec.
Can I ask, though, why you thing the engine needs to be remanufactured? Unless you have been unlucky enough to buy a badly neglected (especially in the oil renewal department) example or one that has done mega mileage, then a lot of work shouldn't be needed.
Don't judge these engines by the standards of the mass manufacturers at the time - 200,000 miles is nothing for the M20 engine. I had one in my daily driver that had reached 300,000, and still performed as new, with close to zero oil consumption between normal service intervals. The only work that had been done to it was the replacement of the exhaust valve guides, along with a light reseating of the valve seats. The bottom end wasn't touched - the original honing marks on the bores was still clearly visible, and the ring gaps were still within spec.
Thanks Brian. I am a bit of a willing amateur when it comes to car repairs. When I bought the car earlier this year I ran it for a few hundred miles but I already knew that there were very noisy tappets. After watching a few YouTube videos I thought someone of my meagre ability could set them!!! I got the feeler gauge and took the rocker cover off, took out the plugs etc... I noticed that the plugs (although it had recently had a BMW B Service at a main dealer) look burned. There was also white smoke and a rick fuel mix by the smell. I also saw there was a lot of caked on oil inside the rocker cover. When I tried to adjust the tappets, 3 of them are pretty much seized. I took the nut off one when loosening it, but i suspect it has dropped into the block below.Brianmoooore wrote: ↑Tue Nov 19, 2019 11:24 pmWelcome to the zone! I live a long way from you, so am unable to provide any specific recommendations, other than I agree with the FER bit.
Can I ask, though, why you thing the engine needs to be remanufactured? Unless you have been unlucky enough to buy a badly neglected (especially in the oil renewal department) example or one that has done mega mileage, then a lot of work shouldn't be needed.
Don't judge these engines by the standards of the mass manufacturers at the time - 200,000 miles is nothing for the M20 engine. I had one in my daily driver that had reached 300,000, and still performed as new, with close to zero oil consumption between normal service intervals. The only work that had been done to it was the replacement of the exhaust valve guides, along with a light reseating of the valve seats. The bottom end wasn't touched - the original honing marks on the bores was still clearly visible, and the ring gaps were still within spec.
There is also an oil leak I can see. THis may have been fixed with a new rocket cover gasket, but until i can run the engine again I cant be sure.
So in answer to your question, I thought getting the engine overhauled would be best. It’s a mint car, but want to make sure all of the mechanicals are sound.