New member: 325i Sport

[Vez010]

Hi E30 members!

Just dropping a post to introduce myself.... finally took the plunge and bought an E30 325i Sport having had my last one stolen many years ago.

The car seems to be in pretty good shape although has brought up a few issues with a few minor rust spots and water leaks in various spots. So far I’ve replaced the rear quarter window seals, boot seal and hope to tackle the sunroof seal at some point.

Decided to wash the carpet as the car had a persistent damp stench that wouldn’t go away. When I pulled it up I noticed that the underside of the carpet on the passenger side footwell was saturated with water. Managed to dry it out but need to work out where the leaks coming from.

I found some useful info on here so hopefully I should be able to nip the leak in the bud.

[rix313]

Welcome! Any pics?

[Vez010]

Thanks... I was hoping to post some pics with my original post but seem to be struggling with uploading via my phone. Will give it a go tomorrow via the desktop.

[Tzantushka]

Welcome - we love pics.

[M3kuksport]

Welcome! Tech 1 or 2 Sport?

[Brianmoooore]

You'll struggle to dry the carpet with it in the car. Bite the bullet and take it out, and hang it up by one corner. 99.9% of the water will drain out over a week. You'll also be able to see all the places the water is getting in.
You mention water leaks and replacing the sun roof seal. The sunroof seal is to stop wind noise, and is not intended to be waterproof, so if there is water coming into the cabin there, the problem is related to the drainage system, not the seal.

[Bonymaenjack]

Hi E30 members!

Just dropping a post to introduce myself.... finally took the plunge and bought an E30 325i Sport having had my last one stolen many years ago.

The car seems to be in pretty good shape although has brought up a few issues with a few minor rust spots and water leaks in various spots. So far I’ve replaced the rear quarter window seals, boot seal and hope to tackle the sunroof seal at some point.

Decided to wash the carpet as the car had a persistent damp stench that wouldn’t go away. When I pulled it up I noticed that the underside of the carpet on the passenger side footwell was saturated with water. Managed to dry it out but need to work out where the leaks coming from.

I found some useful info on here so hopefully I should be able to nip the leak in the bud.

Hopefully not but you could have corrosion and a leak on the bulkhead around the fuse box area also the door frame seals ( not cheap to replace) . The trouble with the carpet is because the foam is so thick it'll take a lifetime to dry it in the car,(believe me) . also check the heater matrix and heater valve where the water pipes are connected to.

[Vez010]

Welcome! Tech 1 or 2 Sport?

It’s an MTec 2. Will attempt to upload some pics soon.

[Vez010]

You'll struggle to dry the carpet with it in the car. Bite the bullet and take it out, and hang it up by one corner. 99.9% of the water will drain out over a week. You'll also be able to see all the places the water is getting in.
You mention water leaks and replacing the sun roof seal. The sunroof seal is to stop wind noise, and is not intended to be waterproof, so if there is water coming into the cabin there, the problem is related to the drainage system, not the seal.

Thanks Brian... good to know what the real purpose of the sunroof seal is. I’ve changed it nonetheless as I’d already bought the seal. The wiki articles on here are awesome and have been a great help so far.

I did end up taking the carpet out once I’d discovered how saturated it was with rain water. Glad I did as it’s given me the opportunity to fully explore what shape the car is in. Thankfully it’s not too bad as it’s had some work done on it previously.

Obviously the issue with water seeping into the passenger side footwell remains but I think I’ve narrowed that down to the area behind the fusebox and the scuttle area.

[Vez010]

Hi E30 members!

Just dropping a post to introduce myself.... finally took the plunge and bought an E30 325i Sport having had my last one stolen many years ago.

The car seems to be in pretty good shape although has brought up a few issues with a few minor rust spots and water leaks in various spots. So far I’ve replaced the rear quarter window seals, boot seal and hope to tackle the sunroof seal at some point.

Decided to wash the carpet as the car had a persistent damp stench that wouldn’t go away. When I pulled it up I noticed that the underside of the carpet on the passenger side footwell was saturated with water. Managed to dry it out but need to work out where the leaks coming from.

I found some useful info on here so hopefully I should be able to nip the leak in the bud.

Hopefully not but you could have corrosion and a leak on the bulkhead around the fuse box area also the door frame seals ( not cheap to replace) . The trouble with the carpet is because the foam is so thick it'll take a lifetime to dry it in the car,(believe me) . also check the heater matrix and heater valve where the water pipes are connected to.

That’s exactly where the leak is coming in from. The car has been parked in my garage whilst I’ve been investigating the water leak. I’d basically taken out all the interior, inc the glove compartment etc to make sure I got the car as dry as possible.

The mouldy smell has dispersed for now and I’ve put the front seats in ready to take it over to a garage for an inspection 2, fluids changed etc. I’ll use that as an opportunity to where the water intake is coming from. Ideally I’d like to remove the dash and get to the root cause sooner rather than later but might hold off until next spring/Summer.

[Vez010]

Finally worked out how to attach a photo!!!

So here’s the car... just had an inspection 2 service as well as lots of other maintenance done! Drives far better than before.... just need to sort the niggly bits out before I put it away for its winter hibernation!

[HenryM3]

Looks in amazingly good nick, paintwork looks great

[Vez010]

Looks in amazingly good nick, paintwork looks great

Thanks.... luckily I’ve not found any major rust issues lurking underneath the tidy appearance just yet. Hopefully that remains the case!

[rix313]

[M3kuksport]

Lose the M badge too LoL!

[Vez010]

Lose the M badge too LoL!

Lose the M badge too LoL!

Really? I thought that was part of the car when it left the factory.

[JungleGus]

'tis indeed factory - the M3 had an M3 badge I believe. Car looks lovely, I do like diamondschwartz on an MTech 2

You may want to check your aerial angle as it looks a bit off...you don't want to be letting rain get in there

More pics is always a good thing!

[M3kuksport]

No badge from factory, they were added later by proud owners.

[Cloggy Saint]

I thought it was a dealer fit thing.

[JungleGus]

I've seen them on every single Sport I've owned

[flybynite]

I have not seen them on any Sport or Mtec brochure (unlike the M3) That is the first place I look for what is factory.

I do remember dealers putting them on when I looked at sports in the late '80s and early '90s because they were not selling well at the time and they were using every trick in the book. Slapping a couple of badges on was an easy sales trick. I would guess most Sports left the dealer forecourt with one front and back.

It was the same with the 535i sport

Personally I think there are far too many M badges, M stitching and M stripes everywhere these days, just cheapens the whole thing.

I took the M badges off my M3 when I had it, less is more

[Cloggy Saint]

Personally I think there are far too many M badges, M stitching and M stripes everywhere these days, just cheapens the whole thing.

The M badge has been pretty much meaningless since the late 90's.

[Brianmoooore]

The only BMWs worthy of the 'M' badge are the E30 M3, developed as a homologation special for a motorsport series, and the M1, developed more to create a motorsport series than to comply with one. Everything 'M' since, including the E30 M3 cab. have just been expensive toys for people with surplus money.
There have been some with spectacular performance, including some that have been used successfully in motorsport, but none of these were designed specifically for that purpose.,

[stmachreth]

Regarding your wet footwell, hopefully it's as simple as a bust heater valve. I had the same issue early this year, turned out to be coolant weeping from the valve which had swollen. I used a repair kit from https://www.specialclassicparts.de/ which solved the leak. It's just some nylocs and bolts and an o-ring or 2.

It doesn't include anything to replace the diaphragm that's attached to the plunger within the valve. I thought that this would reduce functionality of the temperature knob on the heater but it still works well.

[Vez010]

Regarding your wet footwell, hopefully it's as simple as a bust heater valve. I had the same issue early this year, turned out to be coolant weeping from the valve which had swollen. I used a repair kit from https://www.specialclassicparts.de/ which solved the leak. It's just some nylocs and bolts and an o-ring or 2.

It doesn't include anything to replace the diaphragm that's attached to the plunger within the valve. I thought that this would reduce functionality of the temperature knob on the heater but it still works well.

Thanks very much... although I don’t believe that’s the root cause in my case. I’ve driven the car about without the carpet in it and the water is definitely trickling in from somewhere behind the dash/sound proof beneath it. I suspect that it’s most likely due to corrosion around the firewall area where the wiring loom coming into the car. It seems to be a common fault from what
I’ve read on here.... not 100% confirmed yet though as I’m not feeling brave enough to dismantle the dash!

[Brianmoooore]

You don't need to dismantle the dash to see the suspect area. Just remove the glove box. Disconnect the straps at the bottom, and undo two nuts just under the top edge of the carpet, then remove the panel above the glove box by twisting the turnbuckles. Ten minute job.

[Vez010]

You don't need to dismantle the dash to see the suspect area. Just remove the glove box. Disconnect the straps at the bottom, and undo two nuts just under the top edge of the carpet, then remove the panel above the glove box by twisting the turnbuckles. Ten minute job.

Cool will give that a go tomorrow. As I say I have the carpet out and have also taken the glove box out.

You can see a trickle in the photo attached but I’d like to see the extent of the issue. Will I need to remove the dash for that or is it possible without going that far?

[HenryM3]

While we are on the subject of water entering around the fusebox area and dripping on to the carpet, how is it getting to that area in the first place. Which seal has failed to let water get there.

[Vez010]

While we are on the subject of water entering around the fusebox area and dripping on to the carpet, how is it getting to that area in the first place. Which seal has failed to let water get there.

In my case the water ingress stems from the n/s scuttle from there I’m not so sure.

[flybynite]

Which seal has failed to let water get there.

Unfortunately most often it is metal rusted through that lets the water in