AYB280

I just picked up my E36 318i after dropping it in for its warrant, I was told it passed ok, but the left front shockie is weak. (What the hell does that tell me???) Im guessing Il have to replace both fronts at the same time, does anyone have any idea of the cost? And where I can buy them that isnt from a BMW dealer?

I went for a NZ new E36 318i manual ($4000), genuine M wheels ($1000), and the rest on oil changes trying to fix the dam ticking noise.... If Id found an E30 318is or 325i I would have got that instead. Just make sure its a manual, cant beat a BMW gearbox.

Thanks, so I shouldnt just use the same oil for both?

Just wondering if anyone had any good Diff/Gearbox oil recomendations for an E36 318i manual, preferably avaliable from repco? Its not like theres anywhere else to buy stuff from in Gore..... Thanks

Just send the pxt to your email. Worked for me.

Wow. I really do apologise for starting this gearbox/hassle the crap out of each other topic.

Apparently the gearbox they bought to replace the old one was being sold because of this very problem, from what they told me it sounds like they replaced something small (brushes? Seals?) and hoped that would work. But it didnt. And I didnt even think to ask if I could have the broken box sorry, was happy enough with the outcome I got. Il give them a call about it and see if they still have it.

Thanks for the advice, the mechanic got back to me and basically told me to bugger off, so I went in and spoke to them in person, was lucky enough to get the boss guy to review it all, now theyr putting a whole new box in and I only have to pay $300. Could have been a lot worse...

Dam, not an easy fix then. This is actually the second box for the car, it had the original replaced about 50,000ks ago, so i went and talked to the people that put it in. They said theyl get back to me on it, so fingers crossed they decide to fix it free of charge.

Went for a 2 hour drive yeaterday, was about half an hour from home when the gearbox made a whining noise and popped out of 4th. Have found out that I have to hold 3rd and 4th in, but all the other gears are ok. Its an E36 1991 318I manual, any one have a clue whats wrong with it? And how fixable it is? I dont have much of a budget to play around with either.

Looks like I wont be needing or being able to afford it now sorry, went for a 2 hour drive yesterday and the gearbox made some whining noises before jumping out of 4th. Had to hold it in place for the trip home. Sorry about that, if I can get it fixed relativley cheaply Id still be keen on the diff, but it doesnt look like a happening thing at the moment.

Id say it would be sticking hydraulic lifters, the same thing happened with my car, just started ticking one day. Try doing an oil change, if your lucky the flush will remove any sludge causing them to stick.

Theres lots of nice windy gravel roads near where I live so yeah, Im interested! Would you take $120?

How easy is it to swap over the diff? Would it be an ok fit for my E36 318i?

I had to search all over the South Island to get a manual E36 318i, ended up buying one in Gore lol. You can definitley use the fact that its a manual as a bargaining point, the dealers would have it on their lot for at least 7-8. As far as you selling it, should be able to get at least 6, quite possibly 7 or 8.

Mechanic had another look at it and said it was only three. Not too sure how he figured that out, he didnt take anything off. How much did the whole job cost you? Im on a fairly tight budget, so I may just have to cross my fingers and leave them ticking.

Noticed a ticking sound coming from somewhere in the motor (E36 318i M40), went to the mechanics and they said it was most likely sticking hydraulic lifters. They then said it would be realativley cheap to fix, unitl BMW quoted them at $60 each. And there are 8 of them. Changed and flushed oil, now it only ticks when warming up, is fine once at normal temp. Just wondering if anyone else has had this problem? and whether I should just ignore it, or replace all 8, or replace only the three that are ticking (apparently the others that I dont replace can start ticking too?)?

Thanks for that, its good to hear the tramlining isnt anything to worry about. And yes, I can see the merits of going back to my old wheels, but my original reason for replacing the wheels (apart from wanting some unique 17"s) was that I live on a long windy gravel road with a lot of sweeping corners. I enjoy releasing all 85 or so kw (lol) and with the old wheels, found myself pointing the wrong way after a paticuarly enthusiastic corner more than once. With the new tyres I have found I can get to school a lot faster, and turn in on the gravel is sharper. I also dont have ABS, and have had a few dodgy moments on wet tarseal before, the wider tyre width has made a noticeable difference. The tyres werent standard size, and Im not too sure if anything wider than what I have now will fit without rubbing. I assume the M3 has a lot more space for wide wheels than my car. I can live with the slight understeer and tramlining, but its good to hear its not doing anything bad to the suspension.

Ive upgraded my E36 318i from 15 x 7 ROH alloys which had 205/60/15 tyres on them to genuine E36 M3 wheels, 17 x 8 front and 17 x 8.9 rear with 215/45/17 and 235/40/17 tyres. Depending on the camber of the road it pulls to the side a bit, and on poor roads it follows the odd ridge or bump. Just wondering if I should be worried about this? Or whether the wider wheels will have adverse affects on the car e.g. suspension? And if anyone could recomend a good but moderatley priced tyre in the 235 size, have lost 2 now to the gravel roads!!

I went to start my E36 318i, as you do, and after a minute or so I could smell petrol. I decided to take a look under the car, and to my horror there was petrol dribbling out from somewhere in the motor and puddling on the ground. Fearing the worst I looked for some obvious damage, but could only find a split pipe that connects from the air intake hose thing to what looks to be an electric motor/pump which then has another pipe that disapears into the motor. I removed it but it was completely dry and didnt smell like petrol. About three hours after this incident I decided to see if I could tell where the petrol was coming from while it was running. I then sat and waited while it idled for 25 minutes and not a drop of petrol leaked the whole time. What the hell is going on????? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.