Thoughts on this E36 M3
Discussion
Schermerhorn said:
Shaoxter said:
Mine takes forever to warm up, well the oil does anyway.
The coolant gets up to temp very quickly.
Which oil have you used? Premium oils like Castrol Edge or their 5w40 etc warm up alot quicker. The coolant gets up to temp very quickly.
But there is 8L of Castrol Edge 5W40 waiting to go in as soon as I un-SORN the car.
Tell you another drawback with these and it's kind of a backhanded compliment. Ive had mine a while now and every so often i get the itch for something else, but there's absolutely nothing in their price range to touch them. To make proper gains you need to spend a fair bit more.
That said, i'm going on prices from when i bought mine, they seem to be going up a fair bit now.
That said, i'm going on prices from when i bought mine, they seem to be going up a fair bit now.
Vincefox said:
Tell you another drawback with these and it's kind of a backhanded compliment. Ive had mine a while now and every so often i get the itch for something else, but there's absolutely nothing in their price range to touch them. To make proper gains you need to spend a fair bit more.
That said, i'm going on prices from when i bought mine, they seem to be going up a fair bit now.
Talking of prices, what do you think would be a fair price for an Estoril Blue 1998 Evo Coupe with 180k on the clock, 9 owners, one piece of rust on n/s rear arch, bottom end and head overhauled, a/c condenser replaced, suspension refresh with OEM kit, recent valve clearance done and Inspection 2?That said, i'm going on prices from when i bought mine, they seem to be going up a fair bit now.
I know it's hard to say without seeing but ball park?
longintheleg said:
Vincefox said:
Tell you another drawback with these and it's kind of a backhanded compliment. Ive had mine a while now and every so often i get the itch for something else, but there's absolutely nothing in their price range to touch them. To make proper gains you need to spend a fair bit more.
That said, i'm going on prices from when i bought mine, they seem to be going up a fair bit now.
Talking of prices, what do you think would be a fair price for an Estoril Blue 1998 Evo Coupe with 180k on the clock, 9 owners, one piece of rust on n/s rear arch, bottom end and head overhauled, a/c condenser replaced, suspension refresh with OEM kit, recent valve clearance done and Inspection 2?That said, i'm going on prices from when i bought mine, they seem to be going up a fair bit now.
I know it's hard to say without seeing but ball park?
I know i'm biased, but the coupes seem to be fetching slightly more although a convertible with hard top is a better looking car imho.
Ok, I have owned three E36 M3s and would say I know them pretty well.
Rust,
Check the arches
Jacking points under thr car
Front and rear seals, remove the front arch linings and look into the seals.
get under the rear and look up around the diff area, the sun frame area rusts, something rubs and causes rust in this area. Very hidden and can be really bad.
Engine,
They sound rubbish from cold and even on tickover. Do not expect it to be smooth etc, some can sound like diesels if the vanos is noisey.
If it is an Evo, when driving you should notuce a kick around 2500 rpm and 5500rpm, if it does not pull harder, its a sign the vanos is not working correctly.
Oil leaks.
vanos, seals get hard and cause leaks, also check for snaped bolts (common) not a game stopper but you will nto sort the leak. I am getting mine sorted, all new gaskets, bolts and seals fitted for £300 by my BMW Specialist.
Rear of the engine halfway down, this one is messy and looks alot worse than it is. This is aoil pressure switch, very common a d around £90 to replace (if I remembrr correctly)
Rocker cover gasket. These are changed every inspection 2.
Diff, seals go on these through age. The oil they use is bloody expensive so get it sorted sooner rather than later.
A good M3 engine will not use any water or oil, so do not take his word that this is fine. It should blow no smoke at all. You will get condensation and BMWs seem to do this a bit more than most but you will be able to tell this.
Check control computer. Break light warning, very common. If all the bulbs are working, it will probably be the pedel switch, common issue and not that expensive to sort.
As me tioned above, the gearbox is like a tractor from cold. When warm it will be better but still notchey. It is the kind of box you expect from a powerful car.
For me, I would be checking things like the brakes, see if it has the correct floating BMW disks items, a good sign if the car has had no expenses spared as they are silly money.
Tyres, expensive to replace
Rear brake hoses, replacing correctly is a petrol tank and rear subframe drop. Parts are cheap. Labour is not.
These engines have a habbit of spinning shells (ask me how I know this :-() any knocking is not good. People prevent this by fitting new shells and uprated ARP con rod bolts. If the engine is knocming, it will probably need a new crank (£1000 just for a crank) so would need a new engine.
With an M3, I always let the owner start and drive it straight away. See how they treat it, see if they let it warm up correctly etc this will tell you alot.
The rest is general car stuff. If you are local to me and can get to Yeovil, I would be happy to show you around my M3 Evo GTII and point some bits out to you
Rust,
Check the arches
Jacking points under thr car
Front and rear seals, remove the front arch linings and look into the seals.
get under the rear and look up around the diff area, the sun frame area rusts, something rubs and causes rust in this area. Very hidden and can be really bad.
Engine,
They sound rubbish from cold and even on tickover. Do not expect it to be smooth etc, some can sound like diesels if the vanos is noisey.
If it is an Evo, when driving you should notuce a kick around 2500 rpm and 5500rpm, if it does not pull harder, its a sign the vanos is not working correctly.
Oil leaks.
vanos, seals get hard and cause leaks, also check for snaped bolts (common) not a game stopper but you will nto sort the leak. I am getting mine sorted, all new gaskets, bolts and seals fitted for £300 by my BMW Specialist.
Rear of the engine halfway down, this one is messy and looks alot worse than it is. This is aoil pressure switch, very common a d around £90 to replace (if I remembrr correctly)
Rocker cover gasket. These are changed every inspection 2.
Diff, seals go on these through age. The oil they use is bloody expensive so get it sorted sooner rather than later.
A good M3 engine will not use any water or oil, so do not take his word that this is fine. It should blow no smoke at all. You will get condensation and BMWs seem to do this a bit more than most but you will be able to tell this.
Check control computer. Break light warning, very common. If all the bulbs are working, it will probably be the pedel switch, common issue and not that expensive to sort.
As me tioned above, the gearbox is like a tractor from cold. When warm it will be better but still notchey. It is the kind of box you expect from a powerful car.
For me, I would be checking things like the brakes, see if it has the correct floating BMW disks items, a good sign if the car has had no expenses spared as they are silly money.
Tyres, expensive to replace
Rear brake hoses, replacing correctly is a petrol tank and rear subframe drop. Parts are cheap. Labour is not.
These engines have a habbit of spinning shells (ask me how I know this :-() any knocking is not good. People prevent this by fitting new shells and uprated ARP con rod bolts. If the engine is knocming, it will probably need a new crank (£1000 just for a crank) so would need a new engine.
With an M3, I always let the owner start and drive it straight away. See how they treat it, see if they let it warm up correctly etc this will tell you alot.
The rest is general car stuff. If you are local to me and can get to Yeovil, I would be happy to show you around my M3 Evo GTII and point some bits out to you
Ok, I have owned three E36 M3s and would say I know them pretty well.
Rust,
Check the arches
Jacking points under thr car
Front and rear seals, remove the front arch linings and look into the seals.
get under the rear and look up around the diff area, the sun frame area rusts, something rubs and causes rust in this area. Very hidden and can be really bad.
Engine,
They sound rubbish from cold and even on tickover. Do not expect it to be smooth etc, some can sound like diesels if the vanos is noisey.
If it is an Evo, when driving you should notuce a kick around 2500 rpm and 5500rpm, if it does not pull harder, its a sign the vanos is not working correctly.
Oil leaks.
vanos, seals get hard and cause leaks, also check for snaped bolts (common) not a game stopper but you will nto sort the leak. I am getting mine sorted, all new gaskets, bolts and seals fitted for £300 by my BMW Specialist.
Rear of the engine halfway down, this one is messy and looks alot worse than it is. This is aoil pressure switch, very common a d around £90 to replace (if I remembrr correctly)
Rocker cover gasket. These are changed every inspection 2.
Diff, seals go on these through age. The oil they use is bloody expensive so get it sorted sooner rather than later.
A good M3 engine will not use any water or oil, so do not take his word that this is fine. It should blow no smoke at all. You will get condensation and BMWs seem to do this a bit more than most but you will be able to tell this.
Check control computer. Break light warning, very common. If all the bulbs are working, it will probably be the pedel switch, common issue and not that expensive to sort.
As me tioned above, the gearbox is like a tractor from cold. When warm it will be better but still notchey. It is the kind of box you expect from a powerful car.
For me, I would be checking things like the brakes, see if it has the correct floating BMW disks items, a good sign if the car has had no expenses spared as they are silly money.
Tyres, expensive to replace
Rear brake hoses, replacing correctly is a petrol tank and rear subframe drop. Parts are cheap. Labour is not.
These engines have a habbit of spinning shells (ask me how I know this :-() any knocking is not good. People prevent this by fitting new shells and uprated ARP con rod bolts. If the engine is knocming, it will probably need a new crank (£1000 just for a crank) so would need a new engine.
With an M3, I always let the owner start and drive it straight away. See how they treat it, see if they let it warm up correctly etc this will tell you alot.
The rest is general car stuff. If you are local to me and can get to Yeovil, I would be happy to show you around my M3 Evo GTII and point some bits out to you
Rust,
Check the arches
Jacking points under thr car
Front and rear seals, remove the front arch linings and look into the seals.
get under the rear and look up around the diff area, the sun frame area rusts, something rubs and causes rust in this area. Very hidden and can be really bad.
Engine,
They sound rubbish from cold and even on tickover. Do not expect it to be smooth etc, some can sound like diesels if the vanos is noisey.
If it is an Evo, when driving you should notuce a kick around 2500 rpm and 5500rpm, if it does not pull harder, its a sign the vanos is not working correctly.
Oil leaks.
vanos, seals get hard and cause leaks, also check for snaped bolts (common) not a game stopper but you will nto sort the leak. I am getting mine sorted, all new gaskets, bolts and seals fitted for £300 by my BMW Specialist.
Rear of the engine halfway down, this one is messy and looks alot worse than it is. This is aoil pressure switch, very common a d around £90 to replace (if I remembrr correctly)
Rocker cover gasket. These are changed every inspection 2.
Diff, seals go on these through age. The oil they use is bloody expensive so get it sorted sooner rather than later.
A good M3 engine will not use any water or oil, so do not take his word that this is fine. It should blow no smoke at all. You will get condensation and BMWs seem to do this a bit more than most but you will be able to tell this.
Check control computer. Break light warning, very common. If all the bulbs are working, it will probably be the pedel switch, common issue and not that expensive to sort.
As me tioned above, the gearbox is like a tractor from cold. When warm it will be better but still notchey. It is the kind of box you expect from a powerful car.
For me, I would be checking things like the brakes, see if it has the correct floating BMW disks items, a good sign if the car has had no expenses spared as they are silly money.
Tyres, expensive to replace
Rear brake hoses, replacing correctly is a petrol tank and rear subframe drop. Parts are cheap. Labour is not.
These engines have a habbit of spinning shells (ask me how I know this :-() any knocking is not good. People prevent this by fitting new shells and uprated ARP con rod bolts. If the engine is knocming, it will probably need a new crank (£1000 just for a crank) so would need a new engine.
With an M3, I always let the owner start and drive it straight away. See how they treat it, see if they let it warm up correctly etc this will tell you alot.
The rest is general car stuff. If you are local to me and can get to Yeovil, I would be happy to show you around my M3 Evo GTII and point some bits out to you
Lucky for me I have never had to change the cluster bulbs, but looking around the dash, its not going to be easy to do. They are well put together cars so as longs as you get the order right, it should be easy enough to do. The good thing about these cars, most of the parts can still be had from BMW.
OP if you have any questions, throw them up and I am sure between us, we can fill you in
OP if you have any questions, throw them up and I am sure between us, we can fill you in
Vincefox said:
Oil temp is a gauge, in bottom segment of one of the main dials.
I use fuchs fully synth in mine and it takes up to ten minutes to hit 80ish. Never push it below that.
Mine can take 10 mins to warm up, I never go above 3000rpm.I use fuchs fully synth in mine and it takes up to ten minutes to hit 80ish. Never push it below that.
Also, Im not sure if its just me but I dont appear to have the second kick at 5000? It has recently had a new vanos unit, but does sound a little tappet'y
mboon said:
Ok, I have owned three E36 M3s and would say I know them pretty well.
Rust,
Check the arches
Jacking points under thr car
Front and rear seals, remove the front arch linings and look into the seals.
get under the rear and look up around the diff area, the sun frame area rusts, something rubs and causes rust in this area. Very hidden and can be really bad.
Engine,
They sound rubbish from cold and even on tickover. Do not expect it to be smooth etc, some can sound like diesels if the vanos is noisey.
If it is an Evo, when driving you should notuce a kick around 2500 rpm and 5500rpm, if it does not pull harder, its a sign the vanos is not working correctly.
Oil leaks.
vanos, seals get hard and cause leaks, also check for snaped bolts (common) not a game stopper but you will nto sort the leak. I am getting mine sorted, all new gaskets, bolts and seals fitted for £300 by my BMW Specialist.
Rear of the engine halfway down, this one is messy and looks alot worse than it is. This is aoil pressure switch, very common a d around £90 to replace (if I remembrr correctly)
Rocker cover gasket. These are changed every inspection 2.
Diff, seals go on these through age. The oil they use is bloody expensive so get it sorted sooner rather than later.
A good M3 engine will not use any water or oil, so do not take his word that this is fine. It should blow no smoke at all. You will get condensation and BMWs seem to do this a bit more than most but you will be able to tell this.
Check control computer. Break light warning, very common. If all the bulbs are working, it will probably be the pedel switch, common issue and not that expensive to sort.
As me tioned above, the gearbox is like a tractor from cold. When warm it will be better but still notchey. It is the kind of box you expect from a powerful car.
For me, I would be checking things like the brakes, see if it has the correct floating BMW disks items, a good sign if the car has had no expenses spared as they are silly money.
Tyres, expensive to replace
Rear brake hoses, replacing correctly is a petrol tank and rear subframe drop. Parts are cheap. Labour is not.
These engines have a habbit of spinning shells (ask me how I know this :-() any knocking is not good. People prevent this by fitting new shells and uprated ARP con rod bolts. If the engine is knocming, it will probably need a new crank (£1000 just for a crank) so would need a new engine.
With an M3, I always let the owner start and drive it straight away. See how they treat it, see if they let it warm up correctly etc this will tell you alot.
The rest is general car stuff. If you are local to me and can get to Yeovil, I would be happy to show you around my M3 Evo GTII and point some bits out to you
That is a pretty good point in the correct direction. ^ Rust,
Check the arches
Jacking points under thr car
Front and rear seals, remove the front arch linings and look into the seals.
get under the rear and look up around the diff area, the sun frame area rusts, something rubs and causes rust in this area. Very hidden and can be really bad.
Engine,
They sound rubbish from cold and even on tickover. Do not expect it to be smooth etc, some can sound like diesels if the vanos is noisey.
If it is an Evo, when driving you should notuce a kick around 2500 rpm and 5500rpm, if it does not pull harder, its a sign the vanos is not working correctly.
Oil leaks.
vanos, seals get hard and cause leaks, also check for snaped bolts (common) not a game stopper but you will nto sort the leak. I am getting mine sorted, all new gaskets, bolts and seals fitted for £300 by my BMW Specialist.
Rear of the engine halfway down, this one is messy and looks alot worse than it is. This is aoil pressure switch, very common a d around £90 to replace (if I remembrr correctly)
Rocker cover gasket. These are changed every inspection 2.
Diff, seals go on these through age. The oil they use is bloody expensive so get it sorted sooner rather than later.
A good M3 engine will not use any water or oil, so do not take his word that this is fine. It should blow no smoke at all. You will get condensation and BMWs seem to do this a bit more than most but you will be able to tell this.
Check control computer. Break light warning, very common. If all the bulbs are working, it will probably be the pedel switch, common issue and not that expensive to sort.
As me tioned above, the gearbox is like a tractor from cold. When warm it will be better but still notchey. It is the kind of box you expect from a powerful car.
For me, I would be checking things like the brakes, see if it has the correct floating BMW disks items, a good sign if the car has had no expenses spared as they are silly money.
Tyres, expensive to replace
Rear brake hoses, replacing correctly is a petrol tank and rear subframe drop. Parts are cheap. Labour is not.
These engines have a habbit of spinning shells (ask me how I know this :-() any knocking is not good. People prevent this by fitting new shells and uprated ARP con rod bolts. If the engine is knocming, it will probably need a new crank (£1000 just for a crank) so would need a new engine.
With an M3, I always let the owner start and drive it straight away. See how they treat it, see if they let it warm up correctly etc this will tell you alot.
The rest is general car stuff. If you are local to me and can get to Yeovil, I would be happy to show you around my M3 Evo GTII and point some bits out to you
After nearly 11 years ownership and 100k i'd be pretty much saying the same. (Thankfully) The only bit I've read a couple of times but never experienced it is the spinning shells bit. Mine is a very late car and has lived a fairly pampered life so maybe this is a contributing factor? The point that mboon made about the brakes for instance is a good sign that the car would've been well looked after or not as OEM items are not cheep at all.
I've a history file with mine that must be 4 inches think and I'd like to think that what I've got history file wise is par for the course as an indicator to a well looked after car. PGNCerbera, have a look through MY OWNERSHIP BLOG to give you a rough idea on what it's like to own and run one over a lengthy period.
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