what to look for on 1990 E30 ?
Discussion
My son has spotted a Cabrio , with full service history and 130K on the clock for not a lot of money , the seller reports a water leak but cannot trace it even after a pressure test, it is thought that the old hoses could have a number of small leaks.
Is there anything he should particularly have a look for , although I think the asking price or around £1250 is pretty good ...no ?
Rower
Is there anything he should particularly have a look for , although I think the asking price or around £1250 is pretty good ...no ?
Rower
Echo that.
If it has an electric roof make sure that is also in fully working order.
Rear beam bushes can/do wear on these.
Front wishbone bushes also.
Tappy top end could be poorly adjusted valve clearances or worn rockers.
As the car has a water leak look for signs of overheating, you don't want to buy a M20 that has overheated, assuming is is a 325i.
What is it BTW and how old is it?
If it has an electric roof make sure that is also in fully working order.
Rear beam bushes can/do wear on these.
Front wishbone bushes also.
Tappy top end could be poorly adjusted valve clearances or worn rockers.
As the car has a water leak look for signs of overheating, you don't want to buy a M20 that has overheated, assuming is is a 325i.
What is it BTW and how old is it?
Edited by E30M3SE on Friday 27th May 16:09
rust around the rear number plate lights and front scuttle is quite common,
A friend of mine who use to do a lot of paint work on E30 M3's said they can suffer with rust under the fuse box, these are hard wired and make a quite simple job very difficult if welding is needed in that area.
A friend of mine who use to do a lot of paint work on E30 M3's said they can suffer with rust under the fuse box, these are hard wired and make a quite simple job very difficult if welding is needed in that area.
E30M3SE said:
Echo that.
If it has an electric roof make sure that is also in fully working order.
Rear beam bushes can/do wear on these.
Front wishbone bushes also.
Tappy top end could be poorly adjusted valve clearances or worn rockers.
As the car has a water leak look for signs of overheating, you don't want to buy a M20 that has overheated, assuming is is a 325i.
What is it BTW and how old is it?
If it has an electric roof make sure that is also in fully working order.
Rear beam bushes can/do wear on these.
Front wishbone bushes also.
Tappy top end could be poorly adjusted valve clearances or worn rockers.
As the car has a water leak look for signs of overheating, you don't want to buy a M20 that has overheated, assuming is is a 325i.
What is it BTW and how old is it?
Edited by E30M3SE on Friday 27th May 16:09
This.
I had a look at the car yesterday , it was well looked after, had all the history no rust , manual roof etc .. But the water from the cooling system must have gone somewere , no signs of any leaks to hoses , it had a newish rad and the water pump had been replaced a few years ago . However the oil on the dipstick had a rather 'gravyish ' look about it and there was some 'mayo' on the oil filler cap.
The seller who was very genuine and had owned the car for about 15 years said it never overheated and had been presure tested when it started to lose water , he also said that the oil had been changed only a year ago , because it was at that point when I had looked at the distick and assumed the muddy stuff was just old oil !!
My view is that it has a small head gasket leak ( the car is only used very rarely now ) and consequently has got no worse other than destroying the oil, and I guess only taking off the head will confirm that , should we walk away or allow about £500 to get to the bottom of it ??
Rower
The seller who was very genuine and had owned the car for about 15 years said it never overheated and had been presure tested when it started to lose water , he also said that the oil had been changed only a year ago , because it was at that point when I had looked at the distick and assumed the muddy stuff was just old oil !!
My view is that it has a small head gasket leak ( the car is only used very rarely now ) and consequently has got no worse other than destroying the oil, and I guess only taking off the head will confirm that , should we walk away or allow about £500 to get to the bottom of it ??
Rower
Whether it's worth a punt assuming it needs £500 of engine work depends somewhat on how much you will need to pay for it in the first place. If it is a 325, which you still haven't mentioned, the small head gasket leak could turnout to be a cracked head......................
A simple sniff test will reveal any HG/head issue.
Is the carpet around the driver and passenger footwells bone dry?
A simple sniff test will reveal any HG/head issue.
Is the carpet around the driver and passenger footwells bone dry?
Edited by E30M3SE on Thursday 2nd June 10:55
E30M3SE said:
Whether it's worth a punt assuming it needs £500 of engine work depends somewhat on how much you will need to pay for it in the first place. If it is a 325, which you still haven't mentioned, the small head gasket leak could turnout to be a cracked head......................
A simple sniff test will reveal any HG/head issue.
Is the carpet around the driver and passenger footwells bone dry?
It is a 320 , I did not check the carpet in the footwells , are you thinking a leak from the heater ? A simple sniff test will reveal any HG/head issue.
Is the carpet around the driver and passenger footwells bone dry?
Edited by E30M3SE on Thursday 2nd June 10:55
Seeker UK said:
If it's a 325i, check the battery tray in the boot. These will always be rusty - it's just a question of how bad (and whether it's eaten through any bodywork from the inside)
It is a 320 and the battery is under the bonnett, I looked under the spare wheel which is the original and never used , all like new . Gassing Station | BMW General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff