My 1997 BMW E36 318is
Discussion
So I was looking to purchase my first car, had a budget of £3500 including insurance so it was pretty tricky to find something desirable within budget. I had a choice between the following : Ford Mondeo ST24, Renault Clio 172, Toyota Celica, BMW E36 328 (with a juddery clutch) and the BMW E36 318is in this thread.
The E36 318is appealed to me the most, as I have always been in love with the shape and profile of the E36 3er over any other bimmer. This car also had a factory specced M-tech kit and the M Sport Package, which basically made this look absolutely mint!
Called up the seller of this 318is, and he said the car was in Essex. For good measure, I'm studying at Newcastle University, so it took me 3 trains over 6 hours to get to the car. Pretty happy with what I saw despite the car being SORN and having 180,000 miles on the clock. Short drive on some private roads gave me a good feeling about it, and also managed to put the car up on a lift which gave me a good chance to thoroughly look it over.
First pictures
Now, there obviously there are some problems that i've listed below, and I've sent this to the garage that I'm getting it serviced at over the Easter holiday, while I'm not in the country.
High Priority
- Major Service (Engine, Gearbox, Coolant and LSD oil) as well as Oil filter housing checked out for the leak
- Clutch issue
- Squeaky steering wheel (Sporadic but it's starting to happen)
- Brake pads and disc check (Brake fluid flush)
- Handbrake cable needs tightening
Things to check
- Checking the brake lines and all essential running gear
- Springs and dampers checked (as you mentioned the rear is a bit low and the car does not feel great at high speed)
- Spongy brake pedal
- Compression (if you feel it's necessary)
Low Priority
- Steering wheel badge
- Lubricate windows
- Rubber trim on exterior
- Replace badges (Bonnet and Bootlid)
- 3rd brake light on spoiler not working
- Headliner sag
So hopefully loads of trouble free running after it gets all these things done!
In the time between buying this car and writing this post, I also put the car on a dyno, out of curiosity. Now, official figures quote 138 hp and 130 lb.ft. Now if you remember, this car has done 180,000 miles from new, and I was expecting the car to make much less than the official figures. At this point I'd like you to also take a guess at the horsepower figure before looking at the dyno readout below!
At the dyno centre
Dyno Printout
Really pleasantly surprised, and the guys at the dyno centre were shocked too!
Now just looking at trying to restoring it to factory fresh standard, and also possibly doing a few track days over the summer when I get back over Easter. Meanwhile, I'm just missing it very very VERY much while I'm on Easter holdiay.
The E36 318is appealed to me the most, as I have always been in love with the shape and profile of the E36 3er over any other bimmer. This car also had a factory specced M-tech kit and the M Sport Package, which basically made this look absolutely mint!
Called up the seller of this 318is, and he said the car was in Essex. For good measure, I'm studying at Newcastle University, so it took me 3 trains over 6 hours to get to the car. Pretty happy with what I saw despite the car being SORN and having 180,000 miles on the clock. Short drive on some private roads gave me a good feeling about it, and also managed to put the car up on a lift which gave me a good chance to thoroughly look it over.
First pictures
Now, there obviously there are some problems that i've listed below, and I've sent this to the garage that I'm getting it serviced at over the Easter holiday, while I'm not in the country.
High Priority
- Major Service (Engine, Gearbox, Coolant and LSD oil) as well as Oil filter housing checked out for the leak
- Clutch issue
- Squeaky steering wheel (Sporadic but it's starting to happen)
- Brake pads and disc check (Brake fluid flush)
- Handbrake cable needs tightening
Things to check
- Checking the brake lines and all essential running gear
- Springs and dampers checked (as you mentioned the rear is a bit low and the car does not feel great at high speed)
- Spongy brake pedal
- Compression (if you feel it's necessary)
Low Priority
- Steering wheel badge
- Lubricate windows
- Rubber trim on exterior
- Replace badges (Bonnet and Bootlid)
- 3rd brake light on spoiler not working
- Headliner sag
So hopefully loads of trouble free running after it gets all these things done!
In the time between buying this car and writing this post, I also put the car on a dyno, out of curiosity. Now, official figures quote 138 hp and 130 lb.ft. Now if you remember, this car has done 180,000 miles from new, and I was expecting the car to make much less than the official figures. At this point I'd like you to also take a guess at the horsepower figure before looking at the dyno readout below!
At the dyno centre
Dyno Printout
Really pleasantly surprised, and the guys at the dyno centre were shocked too!
Now just looking at trying to restoring it to factory fresh standard, and also possibly doing a few track days over the summer when I get back over Easter. Meanwhile, I'm just missing it very very VERY much while I'm on Easter holdiay.
Yeah the M badge bugs me, but I didn't put that on. I'm not a fan of placing M badges on non-M cars as well. H
owever, the car actually came with an M badge that denoted the M Sport Package option when it was new, as seen in this picture of a buyers guide! Looking to get the original badges as well.
owever, the car actually came with an M badge that denoted the M Sport Package option when it was new, as seen in this picture of a buyers guide! Looking to get the original badges as well.
Looks a good buy 
The shocks will almost certainly be shagged unless they have been recently replaced. Your car actually looks lower than standard from the front as well, maybe that's the M-sport upgrade?
Are you certain it has an LSD? Factory fitted ones are rare, unless the previous owner mentioned it had been fitted. Or you tested it
Remember to tighten the handbrake at the hub, not at the lever. They're not great even in good condition mind you...
If you're making factory power and there are no other issues I wouldn't be too concerned about a compression test.
Edit: Also, Google 'Fogged airbox', cheap and handy way to make some power.
The shocks will almost certainly be shagged unless they have been recently replaced. Your car actually looks lower than standard from the front as well, maybe that's the M-sport upgrade?
Are you certain it has an LSD? Factory fitted ones are rare, unless the previous owner mentioned it had been fitted. Or you tested it
Remember to tighten the handbrake at the hub, not at the lever. They're not great even in good condition mind you...
If you're making factory power and there are no other issues I wouldn't be too concerned about a compression test.
Edit: Also, Google 'Fogged airbox', cheap and handy way to make some power.
Edited by Bear Phils on Wednesday 30th March 17:08
Bear Phils said:
Looks a good buy
The shocks will almost certainly be shagged unless they have been recently replaced. Your car actually looks lower than standard from the front as well, maybe that's the M-sport upgrade?
Are you certain it has an LSD? Factory fitted ones are rare, unless the previous owner mentioned it had been fitted. Or you tested it
Remember to tighten the handbrake at the hub, not at the lever. They're not great even in good condition mind you...
If you're making factory power and there are no other issues I wouldn't be too concerned about a compression test.
Edit: Also, Google 'Fogged airbox', cheap and handy way to make some power.
Yeah I have a feeling the shocks on the rear are quite tired, my mechanic will be inspecting it this week as I'm away overseas and don't have a chance to check it out myself. The shocks will almost certainly be shagged unless they have been recently replaced. Your car actually looks lower than standard from the front as well, maybe that's the M-sport upgrade?
Are you certain it has an LSD? Factory fitted ones are rare, unless the previous owner mentioned it had been fitted. Or you tested it
Remember to tighten the handbrake at the hub, not at the lever. They're not great even in good condition mind you...
If you're making factory power and there are no other issues I wouldn't be too concerned about a compression test.
Edit: Also, Google 'Fogged airbox', cheap and handy way to make some power.
Edited by Bear Phils on Wednesday 30th March 17:08
Yes, from what I've read the M-Tech sports suspension option gives the car a ride height between the standard and M3 height, so it's sort of confusing when trying to find parts as well.
With regard to the LSD, the previous owner didn't know whether it had one or not, but when we put it up on the lift and spun one rear, the other seemed to grab and turn as well, so I'm quite certain it's had an LSD fitted, possibly as an upgrade at a later point in its life or part of the M-Sports Package..
This is the original spec sheet from 1997..worth it's weight in gold?
Probably won't bother with the fogged airbox as I am pretty OCD about keeping it factory fresh and I'd love to get something quicker in the future but butchering the original airbox wouldn't be something i'd do..
I'm a mahooosive fan of the 318is, I've had a couple of both e30 and e36 examples. Nice choice.
The power being spot on doesn't surprise me at all. Even at high mileage mine could all hit and hold top speed without any issues. The m44 and the older m42 are robust as hell, with a bit of an Italian revvy nature, good fun.
The power being spot on doesn't surprise me at all. Even at high mileage mine could all hit and hold top speed without any issues. The m44 and the older m42 are robust as hell, with a bit of an Italian revvy nature, good fun.
mrmistercharles said:
Yeah I have a feeling the shocks on the rear are quite tired, my mechanic will be inspecting it this week as I'm away overseas and don't have a chance to check it out myself.
Yes, from what I've read the M-Tech sports suspension option gives the car a ride height between the standard and M3 height, so it's sort of confusing when trying to find parts as well.
With regard to the LSD, the previous owner didn't know whether it had one or not, but when we put it up on the lift and spun one rear, the other seemed to grab and turn as well, so I'm quite certain it's had an LSD fitted, possibly as an upgrade at a later point in its life or part of the M-Sports Package..
This is the original spec sheet from 1997..worth it's weight in gold?
Probably won't bother with the fogged airbox as I am pretty OCD about keeping it factory fresh and I'd love to get something quicker in the future but butchering the original airbox wouldn't be something i'd do..
I think the sports dampers were Bilstein, likely pretty close in spec to B6 (or maybe it was). A B8 would be a good close to factory upgrade if you are looking to track the car.Yes, from what I've read the M-Tech sports suspension option gives the car a ride height between the standard and M3 height, so it's sort of confusing when trying to find parts as well.
With regard to the LSD, the previous owner didn't know whether it had one or not, but when we put it up on the lift and spun one rear, the other seemed to grab and turn as well, so I'm quite certain it's had an LSD fitted, possibly as an upgrade at a later point in its life or part of the M-Sports Package..
This is the original spec sheet from 1997..worth it's weight in gold?
Probably won't bother with the fogged airbox as I am pretty OCD about keeping it factory fresh and I'd love to get something quicker in the future but butchering the original airbox wouldn't be something i'd do..
The LSD is a bit of a bargain (depending on price of the car), small case (fitted to 320i and below) are rare and more expensive but bolt in place easily without different props and drives. Medium case need the rear half of the prop and the driveshafts as well so either way you could be into the guts of £500 in parts to fit an LSD.
mrmistercharles said:
With regard to the LSD, the previous owner didn't know whether it had one or not, but when we put it up on the lift and spun one rear, the other seemed to grab and turn as well, so I'm quite certain it's had an LSD fitted, possibly as an upgrade at a later point in its life or part of the M-Sports Package..
If the car has ASC+T fitted then it would not have had a factory LSD fitted, also if it was factory fitted it would be on the spec sheet! Spinning the wheels when they're up in the air isn't the best test either - it needs to be under load really to check. 
I've got two M44 engined BMWs at the moment and have a E36 compact Ti for the winter months and a Z3 for the summer months and the engines are fantastic..
If you ever get a lumpy idle it's always worth taking the idle control valve off and giving a spray with a bit of carb cleaner and if the revs get sticky then just change the PSV valve.
I find the M44 doesn't like short journeys though as during the winter months as I use my E36 as a station car so it only gets to travel a couple of miles a day but a brisk drive soon clears it out.. But it might be worth taking the lower body kit off just to give your car a good dose of waxoyl along sills as the body kits can trap dirt also give it a poke around the jacking points.
I've been lucky with the E36s I've owned in the past though as I've yet to have one with rust issues and I could never think of another car to replace them with.
If you ever get a lumpy idle it's always worth taking the idle control valve off and giving a spray with a bit of carb cleaner and if the revs get sticky then just change the PSV valve.
I find the M44 doesn't like short journeys though as during the winter months as I use my E36 as a station car so it only gets to travel a couple of miles a day but a brisk drive soon clears it out.. But it might be worth taking the lower body kit off just to give your car a good dose of waxoyl along sills as the body kits can trap dirt also give it a poke around the jacking points.
I've been lucky with the E36s I've owned in the past though as I've yet to have one with rust issues and I could never think of another car to replace them with.
Bear Phils said:
I think the sports dampers were Bilstein, likely pretty close in spec to B6 (or maybe it was). A B8 would be a good close to factory upgrade if you are looking to track the car.
The LSD is a bit of a bargain (depending on price of the car), small case (fitted to 320i and below) are rare and more expensive but bolt in place easily without different props and drives. Medium case need the rear half of the prop and the driveshafts as well so either way you could be into the guts of £500 in parts to fit an LSD.
I've heard a lot of good things about Bilsteins, if my mechanic says that the car has the original m-tech suspension on and its worn, I might just go with an upgrade. With regard to the LSD, I haven't really had a chance to test it out properly, but the one time I did get it sideways it felt like it wanted to do it with ease!The LSD is a bit of a bargain (depending on price of the car), small case (fitted to 320i and below) are rare and more expensive but bolt in place easily without different props and drives. Medium case need the rear half of the prop and the driveshafts as well so either way you could be into the guts of £500 in parts to fit an LSD.
Vince70 said:
I've got two M44 engined BMWs at the moment and have a E36 compact Ti for the winter months and a Z3 for the summer months and the engines are fantastic..
If you ever get a lumpy idle it's always worth taking the idle control valve off and giving a spray with a bit of carb cleaner and if the revs get sticky then just change the PSV valve.
I find the M44 doesn't like short journeys though as during the winter months as I use my E36 as a station car so it only gets to travel a couple of miles a day but a brisk drive soon clears it out.. But it might be worth taking the lower body kit off just to give your car a good dose of waxoyl along sills as the body kits can trap dirt also give it a poke around the jacking points.
I've been lucky with the E36s I've owned in the past though as I've yet to have one with rust issues and I could never think of another car to replace them with.
Your Z3 looks fab! I bet the engine will do better in a lighter car as well, that thing to drive must be a hoot and a half!If you ever get a lumpy idle it's always worth taking the idle control valve off and giving a spray with a bit of carb cleaner and if the revs get sticky then just change the PSV valve.
I find the M44 doesn't like short journeys though as during the winter months as I use my E36 as a station car so it only gets to travel a couple of miles a day but a brisk drive soon clears it out.. But it might be worth taking the lower body kit off just to give your car a good dose of waxoyl along sills as the body kits can trap dirt also give it a poke around the jacking points.
I've been lucky with the E36s I've owned in the past though as I've yet to have one with rust issues and I could never think of another car to replace them with.
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