1992 325is IDEAS?
 

I bought a 1992 325is build date 6/92 crashed for $400. the body work has already been taken care of, but the car has been sitting for the past 11 years inside a shop untouched. It has 156,xxxmi on it. Besides my plans of changing the the water pump, fuelpump, alternator, belts and hoses, raidatior, and resivor tank, what other areas should i pay most attention to and focus on the most. The car does run very well actually. after sitting all those years it fired right up. I drove it a short distance and it felt like the clutch was slipping and when i would be comming to a stop and had the clutch pedel down and tried to put it in gear again it would grind and wouldn't engauge untill i was at a slow creep. what could cause this? then when i parked the car i noticed a small ammount of oil comming from what looked like either the oil pan, or where the transmission meets up to the engine. please if anyone can give me some ideas it would be awsome and much appreciated. From what I understand this non vanos model is much better? is it true that there is no speed governor? and is there any good stuff you can get from ebay for these cars? lol I really do want to make the most out of this car because personally i think its an awsome car. what do you guys think?

not sure about some of your first points tho im very surprised that it "fired right up" after sitting for 11yrs. I'd check the tires to make sure they're not flat-spotted.

and about getting things from ebay: don't... most of the stuff sold there is crap. there are a few things wother checking ebay for but for the most part buy from the forum sponsors, wrecking yards, and forum members.

i have to agree about the ebay comment. dont ebay pimp out our car, try to buy quality parts, a car thats been sitting that long deserves it. bmw's were never ment to be cheap cars so dont make it look cheap with a bunch of ebay crap all over the side of it haha :rofl: the best looking bmws are clean bmws

Replace the slave cylinder for the clutch, run some sea foam in the gas tank for a couple of tanks, also run some in the oil for a couple of days before you change it, that may soften the seals a bit and stop the leaks. Nice find, post pics. Seems that you're on the right track on getting it fixed up. Replace the cabin filter also. The ICV will probably need to be cleaned too, it's under the intake manifold. Replace the fuel filter too. Good Luck

any pictures of the car?

I need to get a manual for the car yet so I know where and what everything is what is the ICV? I do want to keep the car clean looking and avoid eBay I was just wondering if there was anything worth checking out. I do have some pictures of the car i will try to post later. It's dark metallic blue. I picked up a set of m3 rims for it also which are not on the car at the moment. I can't wait to get it on the road especially because my brother has a 94 325is and it will be interesting to see how they compare. Again I'm welcome to any ideas and tips form you guys. What are some benifits from non vanos?

I had an 92 325i same colour, beautiful paint when its looked after.

The passenger side is good it got hit on the driver side door and smashed the piller its got a ways to go ill put some pics up after class

Agreed with previous posters...you said the leak you see may be coming from the oil pan or where the engine meets the tranny right?? Well I would first tighten up the bolts from the oil pan to see if that's your issue its a 10mm socket, sometimes they can get a little loose. If not then you may want to look into the rear main seal from the engine. This job requires removal of tranny and this would be the perfect time to replace that clutch.

I would also look into your tires, being parked that long with air pressure in them is not that good. I can tell you that from a truck my dad had purchased that had been parked for 4 years needed a little tlc and tires looked brand new. About a month after he fixed what it needed his left rear tire blew in the freeway doing about 60ishh mph and flipped about 6 times ending up down a hill on the side of the freeway. Thank good no one died in that accident, but it just goes to show you that even a new looking tire that has been parked for a long time can blow.

Good luck!

Yeah my dad had mentioned it might be the rear main seal, if the slave cylinder is good, this coukd be the issue causing the clutch to slip? Isint this a complicated job? Or pretty basic considering its a rwd car and transmission access is decent? I also noticed that the engine compartment is very clean and really shows no signs of leaking anything in the past. Would a aftermarket exhaust be a bad idea? It already sounds good. From what I understand I have the better engine. Do they react different from the vanos models when upgraded?

I would take care of any issues that you have at the moment before upgrading the exhaust. you can do the golf tee trick but I'm not sure if its a vanos only mod or not. I have a magnaflow on my 328 and it sounds AMAZING just saying, I would never go back.

They should be the same. dont think there were any changes from 92-94... maybe a TU on the engine?

Also leaking from the rear main seal could DEF cause the clutch to slip. you dont want to get oil on teh clutch. its a friction plate and oil is an anti-friction material. haha. check the easy stuff first. oil pan bolts. gasket. etc. Pulling the tranny isnt fun so if it can be avoided that'd be optimal.

Rear main seal can pose to be a difficult job, but with the right tools a little know how and the time it can be done..I'm a DIY type of guy so I would problably tackle it...

As far as modifications are concerned I would suggest you fix the issues you have at hand first then when your car is on the road and happy you can start putting the good stuff. I had an HKS Klasse exhaust, no cats, with straight 3" piping and it sounded like a beast. I took it off about a year ago because of a ticket I got for it and haven't put it back on. I loved the sound but it gets a little annoying after a while and attracts attention so I put my cats and stock exhaust back :).

How'd you pass emissions with no cats in Cali?

i put a couple pictures in my alblums i couldnt get the rest to work. ill try more later.

I know a guy that knows a guy that can hook me up haha

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/pic...ictureid=28715
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/pic...ictureid=28717
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/pic...ictureid=28716

hey guys i also found an 89 325i with 170,000mi the paint is kinda rough with some rust but looks in ok conditon the guy is asking 1000 he replaced one of the fans and said it started leaking oil after he fixed it. he told me that he fixed the oil leak, said it was a line that he knocked loose? it also has a slight power steering leak. im interested in the car to replace my current daily driver. i havent seen the car in person yet but plan to in the next day or so. heres the link. http://appleton.craigslist.org/cto/3120600125.html do you think its worth checking out? or should i just stay clear of this one? any information would be greatly appreciated. thanks

That's an E30, not an E36, and it looks ROUGH. That's "minimal rust"? :rofl:

I wouldn't pay more than $400-$500 for it, max.

I know its an e30 I just wanted some other opinions on it. Lol @ the minmal rust. So I'm guessing I should stay away from it? What if mechanically its good? Chances are not likely judging from that comment.

I wouldn't touch it for $1k, and I'd think long and hard before offering even half that. It's been maintained by someone that, by their own admission, "isn't very mechanical". It could well be a huge money pit. I'd keep looking.

For sure thanks man

what do you guys think about the pictures of my car that i posted? it has a way to go. think it was a good deal for $400? gonna start work on it in about 2 weeks

put her on a diet.. i mean.. anorexic style.
http://www.chilloutpoint.com/images/...-models-05.jpg

after you get your maintenance up..
address your leaks, fluids, etc..

in this order.

brakes
suspension
intake
headers
exhaust

Do a good Rattle can job. (yes, it can be done)
NOT GLOSS, Satin, or flat.

Sell off any parts you dont need.. (yes, there are)
Subsidize your BMW habit.

Thanks good tip for the order in which to adress things. Sick picture man. It made me geek out though. Trying to find a metallic blue to match is becomeing stressful. Started painting with one and sanded it back off because it was too dark. Should the calipers be replaced or just rebuilt? It looks like new replacements are kind of expenseive which I expected. Is pelican parts a good site to order off of? What do you reccomend?