New E30 member and owner - a few questions?

[off_again]

Hi, I recently bought myself a rather nice E30 352i Touring in a pretty unusual shade of green. Body is excellent and the interior is good too. Electrics are all 100% but there are a few things I would like to do though - just a case of prioritising and cost, hopefully this is where everyone can help.

I was wondering what the costs might be for the following:

1) Replacing the cam - the engine is very strong but a bit of a "ticker" and would like to solve this.
2) Renewing the suspension - new shocks / bearings / bushes
3) New exhaust

I can get the approximate prices for the parts, but was wondering what the typical costs for a garage to do these jobs (obviously NOT a dealer). Also, are these jobs that a amateur could do, or are they just not worth it?

Other than that, any recommendations on things I should do to make sure it runs OK and general hints and tips of ownership? I am looking to keep the car for a couple of years and have it as a bit of a toy to "tinker" with - well it keeps me out of trouble and at least the parts are cheap....

Fingers crossed the picture on my signature works but hi to everyone....

[Geeman]

Hi there... It's Malachite Green... lovely and rare colour.

The 'tappy' engine sound is more likely to be your injectors... a very common problem, probably linked with tappet / valve gear clearance. For the latter, there's a tech guide on this site that will guide you through this adjustment. The injectors can be either replaced, or ultrasonically cleaned to try to rid this problem, but it IS a very common problem and usually an 'ignorable' one...

If it IS the cam (unlikely), then it's a slightly more complicated and expensive job.

A full suspension set-up will cost you anywhere between £250 for a cheap one, to £400 for a decent set-up. Bushes and bearings are cheap from GSF.

Exhaust are also cheap (standard ones are) and are also available from GSF too.

Have a look in the parts section for anything else you might need... Welcome to the Zone!

Giles.

P.S. to do your signature, change it in 'PROFILE' at the top of this page, not in 'YOUR ACCOUNT' - Hope this helps...

[Pal318is]

Hi there... It's Malachite Green... lovely and rare colour.

The 'tappy' engine sound is more likely to be your injectors... a very common problem, probably linked with tappet / valve gear clearance. For the latter, there's a tech guide on this site that will guide you through this adjustment. The injectors can be either replaced, or ultrasonically cleaned to try to rid this problem, but it IS a very common problem and usually an 'ignorable' one...

If it IS the cam (unlikely), then it's a slightly more complicated and expensive job.

A full suspension set-up will cost you anywhere between £250 for a cheap one, to £400 for a decent set-up. Bushes and bearings are cheap from GSF.

Exhaust are also cheap (standard ones are) and are also available from GSF too.

Have a look in the parts section for anything else you might need... Welcome to the Zone!

Giles.

P.S. to do your signature, change it in 'PROFILE' at the top of this page, not in 'YOUR ACCOUNT' - Hope this helps...

So much for me replying DUDE!! Geeman you is the man!!!

Alas welcome to the Zone all the same

Pal

[Brianmoooore]

Welcombe to the zone on behalf of the mods!
I've got a couple of Malachite Green tourings - one a 318,and the other a 325 - originaly with a M20 engine, but now featuring a M50B25 Tu 24 valve engine. Very nice colour.
I doubt if there is anything wrong with your cam either. Take the rocker cover off and examine the tips of the cam lobes. The rockers don't contact the entire width of the lobe, so no wear ever takes place at the edges. Run a finger nail across. If there's no dip in the middle, there's no wear.
Unless they're obviousl noisy or the wheels wobble on the hubs, it's unlikely there's anything wrong with the hubs, or much else in the suspension, except the rubber bits.
I have another 325 touring on 250,000 miles that's still on all origial suspension except for front control arms (wishbones) and the rubber bits.
Your 325 touring already (should) have mtech suspension and aluninium (VERY EXPENSIVE) front control arms.

[off_again]

Oh cool, so its not as bad as I originally thought. I have done some checking and the exhaust is only leaking a touch so thats a simple fix. The cam sounds like its its not the cam. The only issue is the rather "wooly" suspension.

It feels rather worn and soft. I was presuming that it was the bushes and shocks, but increasingly it sounds like the bushes. Are these something that can be replaced by the amateur or are they best left for a professional?

Additionally, could there be anything else which makes the handling seem soft, squidy and wooly?

[fuzzy]

welcome mate,it d probably be the shocks that need changing,not to difficult if your semi-handy with the spanners,youd probably be as well to do the bushes and control arms at the same time as theyre pretty cheap to buy and easy to fit.buy the steel arms though not the alloy,theres no difference apart from being around £150 each less,id recommend the bilstein shocks from the zone shop,i just fitted some 2 weeks ago and i think theyre a quality bit of kit

[Brianmoooore]

Main rubber bits which fail on an E30 are the front control arm rear bushes, (replace with either cocentric or offset E36 M3 ones), the rear damper top mounts, (replace with E46 cabriolet ones) and the rear crossmember mount bushes, (OE BMW are fine).

[evostormm]

Welcombe to the zone on behalf of the mods!
I've got a couple of Malachite Green tourings - one a 318,and the other a 325 - originaly with a M20 engine, but now featuring a M50B25 Tu 24 valve engine. Very nice colour.
I doubt if there is anything wrong with your cam either. Take the rocker cover off and examine the tips of the cam lobes. The rockers don't contact the entire width of the lobe, so no wear ever takes place at the edges. Run a finger nail across. If there's no dip in the middle, there's no wear.
Unless they're obviousl noisy or the wheels wobble on the hubs, it's unlikely there's anything wrong with the hubs, or much else in the suspension, except the rubber bits.
I have another 325 touring on 250,000 miles that's still on all origial suspension except for front control arms (wishbones) and the rubber bits.
Your 325 touring already (should) have mtech suspension and aluninium (VERY EXPENSIVE) front control arms.

I understood that the tourings had uprated suspension due to additional weight and potential load carrying but it was not 'Mtech' as such. Is that correct please?