YoungCR Posted February 23, 2015 Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 So as previewed in my 528e thread I picked up a E30 early last week. The plan was to either fix n' flip or sell to my youngest brother Matt (MattY) for his first car and we're going with the later. So its a 1990 325i Calypsorot Coupe with ~250k on it. Bought it off the Kummrow lot and apparently its floated around a couple Badger Bimmer members which explains its good condition. Mainly cosmetics are the issue and a tune up but otherwise a pretty solid E30 fwiw. According to the carfax the last accident it was in the previous owner's kid hit a fence due to a brake caliper lock up hence cracking the bumper. I can feel a caliper dragging slightly but my dad stomped on the brakes while driving and it didn't pull either direction so we're thinking theres a hidden story on the bumper but either way an easy fix. The car was registered last in November but not sure how much it has been driven since then. I took a spin in the car when I brought it back to the shop and my dad and I took it out again the next day and just driving the car more made a difference in the engine running. Basically its due for a tune up and with a little body work this will be decent car. Heres the to-do list so far: Rear Brake Caliper Rebuild/ReplaceNew Bumper CoverTrunk lock is currently stuckGeneral Tune Up (Sparks, Plugs, Belt, Pump, Filters, Fluids)Door SealsGlove Box LatchDetail!Onto the pics! Comes with an authentic HellaHooptie sticker Major rot on the car is the PS fender, tiny bit of rust below the driver tail light too I Front End Damage Crack free dash! Needs a couple pieces replaced but otherwise cleaned up well Snagged those matching vinyl sport seats from Devianceindark. #racecarmods Overall very happy with the purchase. Can't wait to go to town on this paint and see how things turn out. The roof is kinda beat but has potential for a 5ft car DevianceInDark 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KaiserRolls Posted February 23, 2015 Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 E30 is the way to go Chris!Embrace the rot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyhundley Posted February 23, 2015 Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 Looks good Chris. I am assuming you got a good deal on it? YoungCR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkoepp Posted February 23, 2015 Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 Nice find!If it is a M20 and the age of the belt is unknown that would be the first thing I would do. andyhundley 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoungCR Posted February 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 Looks good Chris. I am assuming you got a good deal on it? Yup too good to pass up! The seller was a punk though.Nice find!If it is a M20 and the age of the belt is unknown that would be the first thing I would do.I meant t-belt on my list there under tune up. Yeah since I have no records it's getting done along with water pump and coolant flush. Car isn't being driven right now. mkoepp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B C Posted February 23, 2015 Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 M50 swap it BMWben and rampelsauce 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rampelsauce Posted February 23, 2015 Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 M50 swap it The comedic stylings of Pans Reetsrednu. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B C Posted February 23, 2015 Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 Im curious if you will be doing any modificationing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoungCR Posted February 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 M50 swap itNO. The crab will live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoungCR Posted February 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 Possibly an exhaust but I'm not quite sure what's in the budget for mods. I'm sure things will be done down the road if Matt wants it long term but he hasn't learned to turn a wrench yet. It'll just be me and Ben doing maintenance for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassboy3313 Posted February 23, 2015 Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 Nice find Chris! Always nice to save another e30. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevianceInDark Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 Yes! I've been looking forward to seeing some pics. Awesome starter! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMWben Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 Possibly an exhaust but I'm not quite sure what's in the budget for mods. I'm sure things will be done down the road if Matt wants it long term but he hasn't learned to turn a wrench yet. It'll just be me and Ben doing maintenance for now. I've been chanting long tube headers to Chris for a while now. RamRod E28 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoungCR Posted February 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 I have a feeling this is gonna turn into a autocross build. I need to block R3V on my computers haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dominic540 Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 Seems like it could be useful...http://appleton.craigslist.org/pts/4885276148.html YoungCR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoungCR Posted March 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2015 So quick update! Haven't done much else to the car but just ordered a boat load of parts Cooked out at the shop saturday and finally gave the car an outside a wash. Even then its still dirty, this things gonna need a good clay bar and wax once running properly. Matt got to see the car for the first time and we even started doing some manual driving lessons around the lot. So the issue is the car runs great cold and even slightly warmed up, but once it hits full operating temp it misfires like crazy. Keep in mind I just ordered any and every tune up part but I'm hoping this issue will be solved specifically by the TPS and Coolant Temp Sensor. Going off some info from the great patsbimmer1 this morning and backing up the theory with this thread. http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=255340 Also theres a pretty good oil leak that will be tracked down while doing the water pump/belt/thermostat. We did do an oil change but I just threw in some crappy oil that I plan adding seafoam to clean out the crankcase with. Gonna be a busy shop day next weekend! patsbimmer1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc43089 Posted March 16, 2015 Report Share Posted March 16, 2015 Do the rpms hunt up and down when it gets warmed up? I would check the ecu coolant temp sensor. The best way to test it is removing the ecu and testing from the ecu plug which will expose any issues in the harness or plugs as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoungCR Posted March 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2015 No it just straight sputters when given throttle, but idles and runs fine until it hits that point.I should have asked this before ordering but the sensor with just one contact in the clip is the cluster temp and the two contact hidden lower under the fuel rail is the ecu right? The 3rd larger one towards the front of the housing is the thermo time switch.I swapped around the sensors with one contact between the 3 m20's. One had the car running rough upon started up and then the second I swapped in was what I drove around with which got the same result after warming up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B C Posted March 17, 2015 Report Share Posted March 17, 2015 Thermo time switch? Not on an 'i'. Id like a pic of this. Yes on the single pin being for gauge and dual pin for ecu. Sputtering on throttle could also involve a shiesty AFM which is worn or out of adjustment (low spring tension causing it to peg open too easily), faulty FPR which doesnt supply accel enrichment, vac leaks that cause a lean spike with sudden throttle change, or lazy O2 sensor. If you are looking for an adventure we could install my megasquirt ecu and you can see how great life is without an afm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoungCR Posted March 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2015 I'll snag a pic, your right I think it's just those two sensors on the e30 vs the eta's I was comparing to. AFM was my other thought too. I doubt it's a vac leak because the car runs/drives normal until up to temp. Like I said I drove it up and down the street for a good 10 minutes before starting to have issues. It seams like any idle time after warmed up causes the issue yet it still idles ok but a bit higher. Parts are being shipped in this week but ordered a full ignition kit, ecu temp sensor, tps, timing belt kit and I have a tstat laying around to throw in. Other things I'm forgetting too but we'll see how it runs after the tune up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoungCR Posted March 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2015 Replaced both coolant temp sensors yesterday and while I think it helped I still have the same issues.Drove the car around for 10 minutes until warm. Let it idle for like 2 minutes and then drove some more. Usually after any idle it would start sputtering. Was able to drive up and down the block and then it started acting up. Temp was up to 3/4.Pulled back up to the shop and let it idle. CEL came on but went away when throttle applied. Still sputtered/missed but not as much hesitation as previous trials. Turn the car off, let it sit for 2 minutes and fired back up. Was able to freely rev with no misses/sputter.Side notes: there is a small leak back by the fuel filter so the filter and associated lines will be replaced. Also Im sure the cooling system needs to be bled since removing the sensors so that's might be what cause the higher temp reading this time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B C Posted March 29, 2015 Report Share Posted March 29, 2015 Something is causing a lean condition. You should plug in my megasquirt ecu and see how great it runs jc43089, YoungCR and andyhundley 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoungCR Posted May 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2015 Haven't updated this in a while but unfortunately we weren't able to pull things together for the picnic because of the water pump leak after assembly Fuel filter, cam seal, water pump, timing belt, tensioner, plugs/wires, cap&rotor were all replaced. We fired the car up for 30 sec after the valve adjustment and it seemed to be running smoother. When Ben went to put the cooling system back together though he discovered the leak. Ramsey and I redid the water pump yesterday with a new gasket and RTV and next weekend I'll bleed and flush the system a couple times. The water pump actually got some rust from the couple weeks sitting un-filled. The coolant was pretty nasty and the water jacket has some rust as seen in the picture. Hoping multiple flushes and the Pentofrost NF coolant will help to maintain things. The head doesn't look to be in too good of a shape either. Next on the list once the coolant system is solid is the oil pan gasket. I believe this is the source of the bad oil leak. Gonna change the oil again too after running some seafoam through the crankcase too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoungCR Posted June 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2015 Behind on updating but this car made it out of the shop for a day! Car ran and drove great Saturday night when I took it home and I went to cars and coffee Madison Sunday morning. While I didn't get and pics, Pat can vouch for me.This was shortlived though as I stopped by the shop again that afternoon to clean up some things from the previous day. I had ordered some exhaust manifold gaskets and thought I'd just throw them on quick while I'm there. Taking the manifolds off I found out that the leak was also coming from the rear down pipe flange. Surprisingly it was still somewhat sealed but I must of broke it completly as the flange came off with the rear manifold Ideally this would be the time to swap on some long tube headers but I can't wait for shipping. Gonna miss the Concours meet to hopefully get things patched up and at least make it to Lake Mills Sunday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earl Posted June 3, 2015 Report Share Posted June 3, 2015 Someone local has to have a set of headers just sitting around, you know this=) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.