You seem to know how to check out a car, but since you mentioned possible problems with the drive shaft, I'll note a few more underbelly problems that will set you back a few hundred and a days work... Check all the protective rubber boots on the axles and suspension parts. If these are torn, the joint could be on its way out. That said the boots on my rear CV joints have been toast for 2by Earendil - Technical Forum
Edit: All my advice is based on the E30 from 1989-91. There are some slight differences between the models that I am no expert on. My words could be helpful, or a tiny bit off. Please apply grains of salt and your own research :-) Quoteland sea air Hello all, I am looking very seriously at purchasing a 1987 325is that I found on Craigslist locally. This is would be my first BMW as I have hadby Earendil - Technical Forum
Quotejl1371 I have been out and about for most of the later months of the summer just came back to the real world hopped on. My surprise to see a question I asked months ago is still up at it. Hope everyone had a good and productive summer. And yes I will be taking out my fan and installing a slimmer electric fan, will report on how it FEELS. No imperial evidence here. Well the thread was fby Earendil - Technical Forum
There are actually "fuel pressure gauges" for sale out there. I don't know what else could be substituted, but the gauges and associated parts are less than I personally would have thought. You can get everything from $20 ones where the consumer compaints are that fuel melts the plastic on the gauge making it unreadable, all the way up to more professional fancy $100-$200 ones. I&by Earendil - Technical Forum
Quotedanielthat is so awesome. congratulations. Quoteigor325Congratulations - that's awesome! Awesome, that is congratulations! ...I couldn't help myself. Also, Flash player is working again, so the point that I noted above can be found at exactly this point. Of other interest in the 10 minute video might be the other E30 to grace the course:by Earendil - Community Forum
This youtube video just went up for one of Tuesdays corners, and it includes a pretty little red 325i :-) I would link directly to the part where Ferd it, as the video ends up being 9 minutes of cars taking the same corner, but my flash player has recently decided to break its self, and I can't even see what minute Ferd is at. However, he is like the 10 to 15th car in (a minute or so) and hby Earendil - Community Forum
Not quite as good as the other picture I don't think, but Ferd was caught in action again yesterday (wednesday).by Earendil - Community Forum
Ferd, I didn't know you had your own race car! I can't wait to hear more about the even :-)by Earendil - Community Forum
Garateed after that period of time, the battery is on it's way out the door. Out of curiosity, did the car run, once jumped, without the jumper cables on it? Was the car running for a good period of time before you turned it off again? i.e. did you take it for a spin around the block without problems?by Earendil - Technical Forum
Quoterkj You took the tweets and not the woofs, I love those speakers Yep. The previous owner left me with larger newer speakers in the back, and a base/amp in the trunk. The front kickers are probably still original, are are next on the "new" list, but the tweeters are a welcome addition to the front of the car, since the low and mid range are covered by the back end well enough forby Earendil - Technical Forum
I think I've taken about all I want from this car. The list so far includes: Seats steering wheel AFM + Airbox Spark plug wires ICV tweeters turn signal stalk (for OBC) Misc nuts and bolts that my car has shaken off sometime in the last earth-circumference legs of its life. I'm still looking into the diff and wheels. The owner wants me to hold of on removing things that makeby Earendil - Technical Forum
Quoterkj If you're going to take the high end OBC, take the wiring too. After making the mistake of buying an OBC and NOT getting the wiring, I won't make this mistake (or let someone else make it) again. Thanks though! Ferd, you were right, maybe.... Depends on if I understand you correctly For anyone that looks up "Sports seats" on this forum, I did make one observby Earendil - Technical Forum
Thanks for the response. I intend to grab the OBC switch. The OBC I'd only grab if I wanted to resell it because I just upgraded my own to an 11btn this spring. As for the wheels... I'm no performance guru, so if you mean wheels that "look" like these, than yes. The thing is they are 4 lug 14" wheels. One of those things I hope to someday do, if I want to go withby Earendil - Technical Forum
I grabbed the 3 spoke wheel and installed (in like 2 minutes flat, that was way too easy). I like it. I don't have "big" hands, but I have long hands, and the larger grip is nice. The leather also makes palming the car easier, especially when I don't have power steering I'm looking over parts I pulled off today, like the ICV and AMF. If they look good, and test out wby Earendil - Technical Forum
Thanks for the tips, guys! I went back down to the car again together, this time armed with brake cleaner (kills wasps in 3 seconds, dries in 4!), but forgot the crowbar...dangit. So I didn't get into the hood, but I did get the VIN number, and spent some time on RealOEM. It looks like the Axles and Differential are exactly the same. But his is an LCD, and his axle boots haven't beeby Earendil - Technical Forum
Quotedaniel the one thing you don't mention is the LSD. i would nab that. other than that, maybe the steering wheel if its in good shape? trunk spoiler? cruise control? you could probably buy several things you don't need and resell them for a decent profit. Thank you! I didn't think of the LSD What are the chances of the engine getting hit > transmission > drive shafby Earendil - Technical Forum
I realized I could get a break down of the entire car from you guys, and that's not really waht I'm looking for :-) Basically, if I can't pull it in 30 minutes, I'm not looking to buy it (except for the exhaust). If it's not in the engine compartment, or on the inside of the car, I'm not looking to buy it. I took a few pictures. I'll post them for the fun ofby Earendil - Technical Forum
So a guy I know wrecked his 1987 325is coupe last spring. My car is a 1989 325i 4 door. There are some really obvious "gotchas" when it comes to incompatible parts. Doors are different, bumpers are different, tail lights are different. Any number of things that on quick inspect prove to be incompatible. So I have a few questions: 1. What parts if any look compatible, but reallyby Earendil - Technical Forum
QuoteMichiel 318iS omg... She must be poison... First she took his E30, then he left us and now he's marrying her... What's next? Little teenage boys wanting to drive the E30, of course! ...ask me how I knowby Earendil - Community Forum
So... Am I allowed to drive?by Earendil - Community Forum
The real news here is that Cab is a stalker. A slow stalker, but a stalker none the lessby Earendil - Community Forum
Quoterkj I started doing this leak down test many years ago with my daughters 84 325, at 230k the pressures held within a few pounds overnight and my new car, the 88 325is lost quite a bit more, say half or close to but I know at 220k my injectors are due to be replaced. Well I'm far from just losing a few pounds Checked it again with solid clamps. Started at 44 after clamping. 1 hour:by Earendil - Technical Forum
10 views and no responses? How unlike you guys. Go ahead and say it, I'm crazy ;-) For the record, I went ahead and got some results. with the system completely without modification but for a gauge stuck in right before the gas enters the fuel rail, I got the following: Starting: 43psi After 45: 38psi After 2hr: 30psi This got my thinking, with the system just as it is, I wouldn&by Earendil - Technical Forum
Quotenomis3613Just out of curiosity, what is it made of? Metal? Rubber? If it's like mine, the answer is both. Mine consisted of a disc on the vertical plane that is what attached to the driveshaft with bolts, and had a 2 inch ring surrounding it whos surface fell on the horizontal plane. These two were attached with some sort of solid rubber silicone stuff. The two attached pieces are whaby Earendil - Technical Forum
While I sit here bored, waiting for parts to arive, and poor Bev up on blocks, I'm looking for things to do. So something I haven't done in a while because it (lifestyle wise) was a pain in the neck, is to put a fuel pressure gauge on the fuel line and watch the pressure over a period of time to see what it does. So I hook this all up, the system pressurizes to exactly 43psi (spec =by Earendil - Technical Forum
Okay, I just realized (dur dur dur) that the guibo does not seem to be pictured in the diagram? Is that what the "universal join" #2 is? We are going to get this cleared up! Picture time! Here is the output of my transmission with the dampner (drum) on it. I do not have #2 in that diagram, however I have the triangle piece not labeled between #2 and #3 (the dampner) Here iby Earendil - Technical Forum
Quotesdp Well no wait... Yours is in front of the guibo. In the drawing as mine is, the drum is behind the Guibo with the guibo completely exposed with access to all bolts and nuts. Infront, behind... how about we start saying front and rear (of the car) so I don't get confused ;-) Mine is set up exactly like the diagram you posted, with the drum attached to the output shaft of the tranby Earendil - Technical Forum
Quotesdp My guibo/drum is exactly like in this picture.. Drum behind Guibo Which is exactly how mine is as well.by Earendil - Technical Forum
QuoteArcheo-peteriX QuoteJohn Yust QuoteBob in Everett Amazing, so much discussion about something hardly needed. Bob in Everett Hey, if you can't spend hours on the internet discussing (or arguing about) things that don't matter, then what's it good for? John Trolling? Same thing? I have a few friends who enjoy sitting around with me and discussing/hypothasizing aby Earendil - Technical Forum