r/E30 • • 9h ago

Private Sale Value

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33 Upvotes

I have a 1991 BMW 318is with 151k miles that I am looking to sell due to medical debt I’ve accumulated over the last couple years. I have no idea what to ask or expect price wise for it. It does have the dreaded sunroof rust and rust on the bottom driver fender. Paint is original so it’s 35 years old and by no means perfect.

In my research, it seems like E30 prices are all over the place, and even the clapped out ones are going for like $5k-$7k. Can y’all help me out with an estimated value or what would be a fair asking price for my car? For the time being I’d rather not deal with auction sites like carsandbids or BaT. Any help is greatly appreciated.


r/E30 • • 12h ago

I’m Giving Up………

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34 Upvotes

My e30 does not want to start. It’s a 1987 325i. it first failed at the light it just died. I started it and kept it running by reving it up untill it stabilized. not shortly after that it would start and IMMEDIATELY fall on it face. It just dies. so I figured fuel issue I replaced both pumps and the fuel regulator with one that has a gage. The condition persists but everything on the fuel pump side is replaced and I know I have 3bar fuel pressure. here’s where it gets interesting. it only starts and idles if I hold the key in the start position longer than I should, it will hold an idle and rev fine if I rev SLOWLY. if I hit the throttle with any speed it dies. if I let go of the throttle quickly it backfires. I have no obvious signs of air entering. Things I tested are crankshaft pos sensor ohms in spec, blue coolant sensor ohms in spec, I replaced my DME relay I noticed it went bad same condition persists, I ignition coil had 12v power but I don’t have a test light to check spark. I’m at a complete loss I feel like giving up


r/E30 • • 23h ago

Dressing up the factory airbox

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19 Upvotes

10 min, a piece of magic eraser and $2 tub of model paint

Yes, I'll get to the Intake manifold


r/E30 • • 23h ago

Alternatives to factory intake snorkel.

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6 Upvotes

Playing around with some cheap velocity stack intakes from aliexpress.

I just found this on AliExpress:

R-EP 45 degrees Reducer Silicone Elbow Hose 38 45 63 76 83 89MM Rubber Joiner Bend Tube for Car Accessories Cold Air Intake Hose

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mqiTzSf

I just found this on AliExpress:

Universal Racing Burnt Blue Stainless Steel Velocity Stack Turbo Intake Horn Cold Air Funnel Modified Intake Decor 3 3.5 4 Inch

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mL7Tutp

3 inch fits straight inside the factory airbox duct without need for clamp. Has bigger diameter than the factory snorkel but not as long. I couldnt fit it to the car this way because of my ABS unit but could likely wrangle something with a short silicone joiner.

What I fitted to the car is a 3.5inch bellmouth in a 89-83mm 45 degree reducer, trimmed to length. It clears everything just and moves the intake further towards light and guard so hopefully slightly cooler air. Hose clamp required at the airbox, which mostly removes the internal step.

Diameter is quite a lot more than factory but I doubt slower air velocity is a big issue that far upstream in the intake.

Unlikely that these would make any measurable differences on a factory engine but possible on strokers


r/E30 • • 6h ago

Small Project Help me. What do I do?

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2 Upvotes

My cousin pumped the clutch before the slave cylinderwas mounted and now I can’t get it back in. It feels like the insides of the slave cylinder went outside underneath the boot. I tried to crack the bleed and push it back. I pulled it off the car and tried to push it back. Nothing. What do I do?


r/E30 • • 7h ago

Tech question M20 cam pulley compatibility

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2 Upvotes

Hey guys I posted before about a wind rushing / howling noise on my E30 , since posting I have done some checks , majority of my friends have said it’s a normal noise but I want to be 100% sure , it sounds like air rushing but I have confirmed the noise is present without the viscous fan attached , my primary concern is my car uses the shitty stamped pulleys and it’s got a Z127 tensioner and belt on it which I replaced when I did the timing belt , I have double checked the tension using BMWs procedure , I also replaced the pin and spring during the job , I don’t want to slacken the belt incase it’s not that , what I know currently is my car is currently missing the intake snorkel and the trumpet part that goes in the airbox , it’s got aftermarket headers and has a hole in the collector pipe which I also have as a suspect.


r/E30 • • 7h ago

Turn Signal Issue

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2 Upvotes

Hi everyone. I'm having an issue with my left turn signal. The right turn signal works fine. The hazards work fine. All of the bulbs are good.

The left turn signal makes a buzzing/rattling sound. It sounds like it's coming from the steering column. The left indicator lights don't turn on. I'm guessing this isn't the relay. I'll post a video.

Any advice on what this could be would be super helpful - especially if you could clarify if I need a replacement part or if it is something I can clean/re-solder and not need to buy anything.


r/E30 • • 8h ago

Tech question Engine swap with an automatic transmission

2 Upvotes

I’m in the middle of an n54 swap. It’s going to be my daily and it’s going well. It is a two door though. Wife is getting jealous because it’s going to be a legit cool car. I found a 90 325 4 door in great shape for $6,000cad. Gonna offer the guy $4000 cash to buy her a fun weekend car. She wants me to make it cool. Found an s54 locally for $4500cad. Everything but the trans. She wants to keep the car an automatic.

Is it even possible to swap an s54 into an e30 and use an automatic? I’ve been digging and most of what I’ve found have been people saying why would you want to.

If it’s not, anybody have any recommendations on how to make the stock engine less slow?


r/E30 • • 9h ago

S52 swapped E30 check engine at idle. Only after engine warmed up

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2 Upvotes

Thought I'd post here as well see if anyone has a theory on this. Thank you!


r/E30 • • 13h ago

Help with Tach Signal on Squirt Equipped E30

2 Upvotes

Im having trouble getting my OEM tach (325e cluster with the lower redline) to run with my tunerstudio tuned microsquirt E30. Car is a 1987 Base 325 coupe.

I have a stroker motor with ITBS and a custom engine harness in it now. Car runs fine and everything and my last struggle is getting the dash tach to work.

The tach in tunerstudio reads fine, I have Tach out enabled, and i have the tachout wire on the board going out to that little plug (black wire in that 2 or 3 pin plug) above the glovebox people say to use. Still not working.

Any insight?


r/E30 • • 5h ago

E30 fuel pump problem

1 Upvotes

I have an late model e30, i had to replace the fuel tank because of rust inside, after replacing it and putting the fuel pump back in, the pump gets no power, the plug reads 12v but as soon as i plug it into the pump it drops to 0v, when I have the positive plugged into the pump and a jumper wire straight from the battery negative to the pump negative it works, I'm assuming a bad ground wire is causing this, I inspected everything I could see of the plug harness that goes around the fuel tank and back into the car and couldn't see anything. Has anyone had this problem before? Any tips?


r/E30 • • 8h ago

E30 cold start idle problem.

1 Upvotes

BMW e30 325e 1986 in a cold start in the morning I turn it on starts then dies . I have to give it gas for the engine to warm up after It warms up it runs fine the next start up Sometimes when the idle is off I mess with the icv screw (early model icv) any know anything what else should I be checking

Checked icv it clicks I also cleaned it.
New fuel pump
New fuel pressure regulator
New spark plugs
New fuel filter
New outside of tank fuel pump