kiwipetrolhead

Hey Gus, I will buy your 200 head for $150 if that is OK. Thanks Paul

Please let us know what you find, once it's fixed. I have a 540i too, and you never know.. one day I might have the same problem in mine. Best of luck Paul Hi again, Had a we think about this, sounds to me most likely a vacuum leak too. If hoses and things check out OK, what about leaking manifold gasket? I think it's most likely not electric, like you say... but sometimes things aren't quite what they seem. The coils are easy to replace, so any chance you can borrow one and try it on each cylinder one at a time? Might be worth a go if you can't find any vacuum issues. One thing else, it might be a sensor. I've not played with mine so I can't guess which, but these things do sometimes cause problems like you describe. BM's tests should've found that though. Paul

BTW guys, I've been told from elsewhere this morning that the intake manifold would need porting out to match a 731 head with it's bigger intake ports. The intake manifold cannot be changed to match because of the different injection system. Makes sense. Otherwise, no other issues. P

Hi Gus, Here's one 600x450res pic for you - intake is about 32mm dia at right angle to the part where the injector sits. I'll email you direct with a larger version of this (not too big tho, unless you want big photos) plus 3 more photos so you can get a good idea of the ports and so on. P

OK, great, thanks.

Thanks CaM. Sunday is fine - in fact, you can call me at work on Monday if you like - 356-9099x2445. I assume this one is a 731 head too? Cheers Paul Thanks Gus. I'll wait and see what CaM can come up with - being close by and all. If the head he's talking about is available and with the added water gallery, that sounds like the way to go. The Engine Builders tell me these heads do have a strong tendency to crack. When I took it in to him (still assembled) he asked if it was cracked. I said, "No, not that I know of... no symptoms at least." But low and behold, it was. I'll pop out and take that photo for you this morning. P

Yip, it is the early body style, in top condition too. When I say it's an '83, the plate under the bonnet says "Built Oct 82". So a 731 will do the job without any hitches? If so, I will go searching. But yip, I'll have your head if I have no luck getting a 731, or if I hear that other work is required to make it work properly. BTW, how much do you want for it? I'll take some photos of the intake ports for you tomorrow - too dark outside now (it's in the boot of my Renault Fuego which is in the car park here at work). I guess you can have the cracked one for practicing your porting. "PM" - Private (or Personal) Message? Thnx P Wow, sounds like lots of fun. $1,500 is probably a bit steep though, like you say...for a car of this age and value. P (envious)

Excellent, thanks. It's a 200 (full #: 1 264 200). P

Thanks Gus. I don't mind if I don't any performance gain (although that would be nice), but of course I certainly don't want to go backwards. How can I tell what the cracked head is, is there some identification on it somewhere? P

Good article. Now I'm wondering if maybe I should turn my E21 323i into a 2.7. The head is cracked (see my other posting in 'Maintenance'). Finding the right parts might be a mission though. P

Thanks Yes it is Bosch mechanical injection. Where are you based? P

Hi guys, My engine is out and being done up. After 280,000Ks it only has 3-thou wear in the bore. Not even one single broken ring! I was going to get it rebored, but told pistons are obsolete and with only 3-thou wear anyway, a re-ring should be fine. It looks like most of the oil burning was due to worn oil scraper rings and valve guides. But the BIG problem… The head has the usual crack - between pots 4 and 5. There was no sign of water usage when it was running (not even the slightest hint of condensation), but the crack is there all the same. I phoned Mosen (Hamilton - tel (07) 8462972), but no second hand ones in stock and they are hard to get so I am told. The crack could be welded, but the machinists tell me this is not always successful (I got two independent opinions). According to Mosen, second hand heads sell for about $850, if one was available. To weld the crack and line bore the camshaft housing is about $400, but no guarantee it will last, although some of them do last OK, so I am told. Any suggestions? If know of a good second hand head for sale anywhere? I have no idea of new prices. The engine guy said he was going to ring some Auckland BMW parts outfit about new heads (not a proper BMW dealership), but I'm still waiting to hear back about that. BTW, I'm in Palmerston North. Any help appreciated. Thanks Paul

So are you sure it can be bored out to 2.5L no problem? If so, it makes me wonder why they didn't make it that big in the first place. But if it can be done then I like the sound of that option. As for the 525, it's an "ee" with all the options... and it's NZ new. When they bought it about 4 years ago it'd only done 101,000 Ks and they got it for $7K. It's done about 132,000 Ks now I think. My wife likes it so she has her eyes on it when they kick the bucket! As for the brakes on my 323, it has covers over the pads, I guess to keep stones out, but these covers must mean less heat dissipation too. I guess it's safe to leave them out without risk of the retaining pins working their way lose. Any idea?

Thanks for that.My wife's parent's '88 525ee is a 2.7 litre. They are in their '80s (in fact they both turn 86 this year). When her mum crashed it last year (she backed out of a car park into the path of a big truck) I thought about taking their engine for our 323. But in the end they got it fixed - it cost them about $7K worth of repairs for a new rear end. Still, even though that's all the car is probably worth, it's very tidy and has low Ks, and at their age leaning to drive a new car was not their ideal, they decided. Anyway, thanks for the tips, I'll give it some. I would prefer a brand new engine though, rather than a second-had one. As for the brakes, yip them discs are getting thin. Apparently new discs are not expensive either - only about $70 each I believe. Cold air ducting probably would make a difference too (and is something I have thought about off and on for a while now) - the brakes were smoking heaps after just 6 laps around Manfeild. It'd make sense to deal to the brakes while the car is off the road for the engine job. Paul

oh i remember, had a race with ya didnt I? Nope, not me. I haven't raced it as such, just blatted around Manfield once on an open day ages ago and once when one of my IT suppliers hired the track for a day.And mine has a standard body (no kit), and it's silver. It's mags wheels are off some newer Beemer though, but still 'old school' style. BTW, my wife's parents have a white '88 525ee, it looks very similar to your one. Paul

Hi there, My very tidy old '83 323i is in need of an engine rebuild. It's been smoking and fouling plugs (cylinders 2 and 5 mainly) for about the last 70,000 Ks, and it's getting worse. It's still driveable, but the plugs foul too often now and I'm getting sick of cleaning/or replacing them all the time. The smoking is mainly on start-up and when you boot it, otherwise at cruising speeds you wouldn't know it's burning oil. Anyway, I am an ex mechanic (I switched to IT in 1992) with experience in many engine rebuilds on Mercs and Jags in the '80s. But I've never done a Beemer engine up, and it has been quite a while since I rebuilt any engine as well, so any advice would be appreciated. I plan to get it rebored, and NOT just a patch-up re-ring job. And yes, the oil pump will be replaced too. Also any tips for giving it a bit more grunt? I don't want a lumpy engine, but a just a little bit more power would be nice - I've gotten used to all the power of my 540i now you see! I'm yet undecided whether to assemble the engine myself or to get the engine machinists to do it for me. Usually I prefer doing this stuff myself so I know it's done properly, but since I'm a bit out of practice perhaps I should let the engine machinists do it for me this time. (The last engine rebuild I did myself was a Falcon 6 in 1993.) Finally, the brakes are not all that good. I put harder pads in it just after I got it (7 years ago) because the previous new pads wore out in one day's racing around Manfeild. But really, they are bit crap (you gotta push quite hard and not a lot happens - and the callipers are not seized, I have checked). I'm about to buy a new set of pads for it again now, since the current hard compound ones are worn out now after about 70,000 Ks of service. But is there any easy way to make the brakes perform better than the original ones without having to spend bucket loads of dosh? Thanks for any advice and tips on either the engine or the brakes. :mosh: Paul

Nice pics. I espceially like that 635. I've wanted one of them for years. Hey, do you want me to make a screen saver from these pics? Paul

Thanks Andrew

kiwi535,A bmw committee member MUST test my 540? Why is that? And then why not also test my 323? Also, what sort of test, a thrash round a race track? Yes, please send me some club newsletters. I don't know your email address, but mine is [email protected]. Thanks Paul

Depends, some 320 had a 4 cyl engine (M10)Ah yes, a friend of mine used to have an old 4cyl 320. She has a '90s model now though. Her mother and step father own one of the BMW wreckers in Hamilton.P

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Oops, E21 is the car's model and M20 is its engine. I'll get there yet. But the M20 refers to the engine type regardless of cc rating? P

P.S. Yip Grant, the E30 will be the model after mine. BTW, in my last post I meant E21 and not E20!

Thanks guys. So a 1983 320 (which is a 2 litre) is an M20 engine as is a 323's 2.3 litre engine? I will check out the link to study up. I have been meaning to learn this one for years, so about time I got on to it. Cheers Paul

Hey I just posted a new thread, one of my questions there is about the BMW club. So it has been partly answered in this thread, although I live in Palmerston North so I am keen to know how much occurs in the lower North Island - like at Manfeild and other things not too far away. I am an ex kart racer (1980s - 250cc gearbox class), and I have had a drive in a F/Ford around Manfeild (the Richard Lester Shell Scholarship in 1991, the year Greg Murphy won it). I have also taken a number of road cars around Manfeild at various times over the years when they used to have public open days for $10. Once I was in an old standard 1300cc Avenger and passed a Falcon on the outside of a sweeper, as well as an RX7 (the wimps ). Now things have changed for these open days it is a full-day event and bolted-in fire extinguishers are required and stuff, so I have not bothered. But organised BMW events for my road cars would be good. I am a very competent driver. On the day I attended Lester's F/Ford scholarship (there was 18 of us) I was consistently 2 seconds per lap faster than the next quickest guy and he was a 'current' Rally Sprint Driver (while I was only a 'retired' karter), and he was 2 seconds faster than the third quickest guy - and of the 176 guys that entered in total, I was lised in recognition amoungst the top 20 (although we were not placed in any order by lap times or anything), so I am quite skilled and even though that was in 1991, but I am still fast despite no serious competition driving since my 1980's karting days. So I'm not really after training, I don't feel I need it. In fact, I think I'd give most instructors a decent run for their money. Basically I'm look for something for a bit of fun really and low-cost (my wife won't let me spend our money you see). Cheers Paul