The engine on my recently purchased 325i touring (1990) blew a gasket only 100 miles after a £2k bill spent with a classic BMW specialist in Wokingham - needless to say I was gutted... Turns out on further inspection that the engine is no good and had been leaking coolant for a while (not sure how or why the experts in Wokingham didn't realise this - but the less said about them the better).
Anyway - the result is that I am in need of a good M20B25 engine to fit into my car. If it comes with a manual gearbox, then even better as I plan in time to convert mine from the current auto.
Please do let me know if you can help or know someone who might be able to. It's been a few months now without much luck.
Thanks and my fingers are crossed
Seeking M20B25 engine
Moderator: martauto
There is not a lot on an M20B25 that cannot be fixed. If it is the original engine it may be worth saving.
Speak to Barry at BMR about options before you do too much more, only a little way more round the M25.
He has been a member here for a while now and if you want to get a flavour of his work this is his M3
https://www.e30zone.net/bss325is-e30-m3/
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Cloggy Saint
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It wasn't so long ago these engines were £300 and in plentiful supply. Probably looking at four times that now, if you can find one with any kind of provenance. Better the devil you know, as previously said, might be better fixing what you have. My strongest advice would be to find a new 'specialist'.
E30 zone - promoting adult illiteracy since 2004
Thank you all who have replied so far. My car is now with Bahnstormers and Steve and his team have concluded the engine is truly not good as the head gasket appears to have been gone for some time. Why the Wokingham specialists didn’t identify this no one knows…. In any case the best plan does seem to be to find a new engine - and clearly / unfortunately that isn’t quite as easy as it used to be. Hence my post. Hope to hear from someone who can help soon.
Cheers
N
Cheers
N
The issue is that a replacement engine is going to be another unknown, even if it is from a trusted seller and has been heard running, there could still be issues on that new engine. Bmw-mad above is one of the few I would trust to supply an engine.nhse30 wrote: ↑Wed Aug 25, 2021 8:55 pmThank you all who have replied so far. My car is now with Bahnstormers and Steve and his team have concluded the engine is truly not good as the head gasket appears to have been gone for some time. Why the Wokingham specialists didn’t identify this no one knows…. In any case the best plan does seem to be to find a new engine - and clearly / unfortunately that isn’t quite as easy as it used to be. Hence my post. Hope to hear from someone who can help soon.
Depends on what your car is and what your plans are but losing the original engine and number will affect the value of the car going forward. If you have the opportunity to keep the original engine, I would.
Personally a good used head or at worst a new AMC head should be all that's needed. I can't imagine bottom end being affected but if you replaced rings and shells in the bottom end while the engine was out, you would have a 'new' engine that you could have confidence in to last a long time to come.
I would really be curios as to what exactly is so terminal in your engine.
325i are rarely being broken or swapped anymore, cars that would have been fragged not long ago are being put back together. Finding a M20B25 that needs no work will be difficult you may be better doing the work on your own.
Hi there mate. I actually have a head in my attic that I had checked over and pressure tested at Agra in Dundee. Needs new valve guides and the whole valve train which you could maybe swap over. But i have the main head as it were. Not sure if it’s something you would be interested in
Cheers
Chris
Cheers
Chris
