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E36 M3 Common Maintenance Issues (Reference)

252K views 127 replies 71 participants last post by  stim989 
#1 ·
Common Maintenance Issues

I thought it might be helpful if we had a thread handy that mentioned the common problem areas of the e36 /M. Things to look for when searching for a new car and things to keep in mind as the miles go by (in fact, much of this list is normal maintenance). Here's a list off the top of my head:

1) Rear shock mounts

2) Rear Trailing Arm Bushings (RTABS)

3) Water pump (they seem to last about 40k miles even with the ss impellers, but 95 - mid 97 /Ms had a stock plastic impeller that failed routinely)

4) Transmission mounts (to avoid mis-shifts)

5) Shocks (oem seem to last about 40k miles)

6) Radiator (hose fittings crack - about 60k miles?)

7) Thermostat housing

8) Vanos failures seem to be fairly common

9) The undercariage panel seems to routinely fall off (and can be replaced with an aftermarket metal piece that stays)

Anyone think of anything else?
 
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#82 ·
E36 Front Headlight Washer Jets

Hi,

One of the plastic front headlight washer jets has fallen off. The replacement one won't stay on properly. To cap it all, the headlight washers have sprung a leak behind the front bumper and between the washer bottle reservoir.

How do I get behind the front washer jets to access the spline which the nozzles fit onto?

Do I have to remove the front bumper to access the hoses and connectors? if I do, how do I go about removing the front bumper of my E36 M3.

Any help greatly appreciated.
 
#85 ·
dont forget about your micro filters. 20 bucks and 1 hour of work if you do it yourself for the first time. lets more air in through air coditioning and heating vents.
 
#86 ·
about the brake light circut. you can wait till it goes out or replace it now. its located underneath your brake pedal way high and its this plastic switch that is a pain to get out . i got it and had a bmw guy put it in.
 
#88 ·
Hi, I have a problem with my SMG transmission, when in sequential mode the hazard lights come on. Internally only, I think. Still shifts fine, I do back it off when it happens. Doesn't happen in auto modes that I've noticed. Is this a fault signal? Or dodgy wiring?

First time bmw owner..... Thanx
 
#89 ·
wear out fast

The head linner fails on all 3 series, the door panels come apart. gas door security catch is plastic, rear lites have problems. But come on man all this is light weight stuff. The car is solid the motor can't be beat, it's a sound investement, money wise...wk...And a really fun car to drive, that's fast and powerful, you can get it in 3'rd gear under 20mph...
 
#91 ·
Hey Biimer guys. I just bought a '97 Dinan M3. Got a good deal, cleaned the airfilter parts out of the MAFS and now it runs fine.
Can anybody tell me how loud the Dinan supercharger is supposed to be? I can't tell if the whistle is from air moving or parts squeeking. This is the first Dinan I've had or ever been around.
 
#93 ·
I guess that depends (E36M3 vs E46330) on what you're looking for from the car. Having driven both, extensively, I will say that the M3 is a much more engaging car to drive and the 330 is a much nicer car to drive. Both are fast/powerful enough to get you into trouble if you're not careful, but the M3 (stock for stock) turns and stops better than the 330 - if the shocks are still good and the bushings are intact.

At 70k miles, things begin to fail on all E36s - Check this list to see what to look for - I haven't looked through this thread in a while, so I'm not sure what's been covered and what hasn't.

I will say one thing, though, if the car has overheated, stay away. There is a likelihood that the headgasket is blown, which is a $2k job for a good independent mechanic, which isn't an absurd charge for a car as fun as the M3. What *can* happen with that, though, is a warped or cracked head, which means a full rebuild, which can cost upwards of $2k ALSO, including the cost of a used head.

That said, if the car checks out (M3) well from a pre-purchase inspection from a good independent mechanic, and you take care of hazards that (s)he may find, the car can serve you well for a long time. I know two people with almost 200,000 miles on their E36 M3s and know of several more with over 200k.

With the E46 you get a more modern build, an equally reliable engine and similar issues with the car as a whole as you'll find in the link above. If the cost to just get into the car (sale price) is close enough, the E46 might be a better option, simply because of the newness of the car.

Good luck
 
#94 · (Edited)
I drove one today and... wow, I can't believe what it's like to drive these things. Unfortunately, there was enough iffy about the car (like paint being slightly different colors on different body panels) to make me walk away. The potential E36 issues still might be worth it for a car that drives like this, I'm really leaning towards this instead of an E46 330 now. Of course I'm experiencing the problems w/ test driving a BMW; I can't stop thinking about the car!
 
#96 ·
sounds like some kind of clog, maybe sediment or something similar... this is especially possible if you ever let the reservoir go completely dry. There are mineral deposits on the inside of the reservoir that can flake off if it stays dry for too long. These can clog the outlet line going to the washer pump.
 
#113 ·
You have to drop the front subframe to get to the oil pan.

And seriously, it is fine. I don't know why people keep going ape over this nut. My car runs, drives, and does just fine. Geez. This isn't something that happens 100% on 100% of the cars. It would be far easier to just remove the nut, clean the shaft, apply some red locktite, thread the nut back on, forget it.

Seriously, relax about this topic. There are a number of E36 M and regular cars that track and autoX without doing anything to the nut and are just fine. :thumbup:
 
#99 ·
M3 softtop....

Hi. I'm looking to re-enter the bimmer world with an 1999 E36/M3! I am concerned about the issues sited here, but feel like the car over all will be FUN to drive, and worth the few common issues. It seems that some of these are common to other bimmer models as well. Thanks for the thread. A list of maintenance items to perform at 110 and 120k miles, etc. would be GREAT! The car I'm looking at has 112k.... I'm READY to drive!:)
 
#100 ·
Idrive330i and Terraphantm, i recommend go for the M3, I have just purchased a 97 Eurospec M3, it is awesome, I love it, the "M" badge and all that comes with it makes it an awesome experience every time I drive it! My advice is to get any car thoroughly checked by a qualified mechanic before buying, he should be able to identify through suspension and brake wear etc if it's been thrashed. If it does not have a documented service history (particularly for high mileage cars) walk away, these are high performance engines that need regular oil and coolant changes with top shelf products. Make sure the coolant is clean, if the coolant is clean but the bottle is dirty you will be asking for trouble.
It's only early days but the only issue with my car is the engine oil temp gauge is not working. The clutch was replaced and the Vanos was rebuilt at 150,000kms. It's a gem!
Be patient and wait for the right car (I searched for 8 months with plenty of lemons out there), the "M" experience is worth it.

Good luck!
 
#101 ·
Orang Tua,
Thanks for the input. I am going to take a look at the M3 in a few hours. I can't wait. I will try to be patient, but the car looks great. I also have a great friend that is an import mech, who knows about these cars. That is reassuring. I will look at the coolant, and things under the hood. The suspension will be replaced if needed....
Thanks again!
idrive "M3"
 
#103 ·
98 M3 convertible issue

I have an '98 M3 convertible and it works and has worked correctly since yesterday. Now, only the canvas folding top works when I press the button. When it is ready to fold into it's compartment, the lid won't open. If anyone can help me on this issue I would be extremely grateful. I have checked the window alignment and the motor and that isn't the issue, but other than that, I can't diagnose anything else because the servos and other linkages are located in the compartment that won't open. Is there a manual release for this compartment?

Thanks,

RTR
 
#104 ·
Anyone know why my '98 m3 convertible top compartment lid won't open. The canvas roof folds to it's proper position, but then it has no where to go b/c the compartment lid is stuck shut. Is there a manual release for this lid or is it a servo possibly gone bad? If anyone could help I would be very grateful.

Thanks,

RTR
 
#109 ·
Help on 99 e36 M3 Convertible.

I have a 99 e36 M3 Convertible. With 154,000 miles.
Here is a list what I have replaced so far.
1. All belts at 120K

Car runs great. When, I do turn the steering wheel it makes a squeezing sound. Any idea what it is?

Thank you ahead for your for help, comments and recommendations.

Kooma Sutra
 
#110 · (Edited)
I have a 99 e36 M3 Convertible. With 154,000 miles.
Here is a list what I have replaced so far.
1. All belts at 120K

Car runs great. When, I do turn the steering wheel it makes a squeezing sound. Any idea what it is?
You might be low on power steering fluid.
 
#114 ·
Hey everyone!
I'm brand new to these forums.
I'm from Perth, Western Australia. I'm currently living in Calgary and looking to buy a 1997 M3 E36.
After reading ALL the pages here (thanks again for everyone with their constructive input, its been very helpful) I went through the mind-set of just thinking "These cars clearly aren't worth it then with all these hassles. I want to enjoy the car, not spend all my free time fixing it to still not drive it."

I went and checked out a young guys silver M3. He bought it off a guy whom imported it from the US.
The problems -major one I was focussed on- was when I asked him why the water pump was changed. I asked him if it over heated. He said "Yes, it got into the red, but the warning light didn't come on. I shut it off and had it towed. When they swapped the pump, the typical cheap plastic OEM pump blades were destroyed and that was the cause."

I'm 32yo, and have been building complete cars, custom turbo setups and rebuilding engines for the last 17years as my hobby. I'm over doing rebuilds now. Too costly and take too long. I dont have much free time these days.
I told him that if she's been overheated, it will most likely have warped the head and will present problems later down the track.
I own 3 turbo'd Nissans back home. Two of them are 180sx's. Of which one is a full show car, and the other a nicely warmed-up 370HP daily driver. I know ALL about blown head gaskets with other cars but especially turbo's in our hot climate.

When I started his car, there was no water vapour at all, no missing from the engine (cylinder/s misfiring until they clear any water in the chamber). It wasnt over heating after I gave it a good, spirited drive, up hill to really load it up (checking the clutch too etc while I was at it).
Its done 172000kms and the guy was very very honest about past damage, a couple of small accidents from the previous owner.
Now, mechanically, he himself had had a lot of work done to it.
New water pump, alternator, p/s pump and tie rods, pulleys, belts, new after market exhaust, rims blah blah blah.
It leaks nothing at all. It drives very well, with lots of torque.
There is some mechanical engine noise which I couldnt actually pick as Im not familiar with these engines but it seemed to have gone away after it warmed up a bit.
Gear selection is good, no missing or crunching of gears other than maybe 2nd gear synchros when down-changing from 3rd to 2nd (no biggy, I didnt rev match on that change) and no popping out of 5th gear.
Brakes are phenomenal, handling is crisp. Steering a little heavy but could be as a result of the wider wheels and the tires are nearly like slicks so that will make steering feel heavier.

My main issue is the fact that it was overheated.

I'm sure most temp gauges in cars show the red way before it will cause any actual damage. Would this be the case with the M3 and is there even a red overheat warning light at all with these dash clusters? I didn't check that when I put the key to "ignition".
He said it overheated that one time, a year ago and he drove it for the summer after changing the pump and has never had any problems with the car other than those listed. Including changing the ignition barrel over (on a side-note, WHY DON'T M3's HAVE HEIGHT ADJUSTABLE STEERING COLUMNS!??!? Apparently the non M3's do!?) and the sunroof getting stuck open due to it sliding out of its rail. That will need to be fixed.

Is this car worth it? Or is it too risky? I'd really like to know asap as I need to get a price on insurance for it and work out the total cost of buying, insuring and fixing some of the problems with it (euro light glass lenses broken, indicator broken, fog lights missing, sunroof broken, needs window tint badly for summer, the climate control flaps can be heard moving but the windscreen and feet don't seem to get any airflow at all with the fan on. The face setting works.
Most of these are basic to fix, but cost money in parts.

Thoughts?

I appreciate any feedback from people who are more experienced with these particular engines/cars than me and dont worry, you can talk the in-depth technical mechanical language to me. I'll understand. I'm also a qualified Electrician

Thanks!
:)
Wes
 
#116 ·
BMW NA stopped ordering tilt steering on all their E36s after a round of minor decontenting. It wasn't a deal breaker and helped keep the cars from rising too high up the ladders.

Out of curiosity, do you plan to eventually send the car to Oz?
No. We drive on the other side of the road and the other side of the car. I'd have to pay a lot to import, pay taxes and duties, have to get the steering wheel conversion ($$$) then get it all inpected and have the intrusion bars put in, new tires (to Aus standards and conditions) then get it licensed etc etc. Just cheaper to buy one there.

That just makes so little sense. Of all things to drop on a car, height adjustable steering shouldnt be one. Especially on such a high-end sports car.
Back home, Nissan made a Pulsar GL and a Pulsar ET Turbo in 1984 . The GL was NA and the lowest spec'd model. The ET Turbo was the highest spec'd and the first 4cylinder in Aus with EFI and turbo.
Height adjustable steering was an optional extra in the GL. I had one of those and also a couple of the turbo'd versions of the same car. The ET had everything like A/C, adjustable steering EFI, turbo, 4 wheel disc brakes -as standard.

I just cant get my head around this M3 not having something so basic.
It should be easy enough to swap this out I'd imagine....
 
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