Kepes

Hello, I think my E30 may be pinging, however I have nothing to compare the noises/symptoms to so not sure. M20 doesn't seem like an engine that would ping but who knows. Basically i'm hearing a 'rattling' noise from the engine. However only under certain circumstances. 1) When low RPMs in 2nd or 3rd and I floor it, I can hear the rattle. As the RPMs get up a bit (2.5-3k) the sounds goes away. 2) When under load (driving up a hill) and flooring it the rattle sound will audible at about 4k RPMs until ~6k or whenever I change gears. Don't hear it on deceleration etc. It is a metallic sound, and sounds a loose piece of metal or something being thrown around the engine (which it won't be). I don't really know how else to explain it unfortunately! Head has been resurfaced when I did the head gasket, and engine has 325kms on it so perhaps compression has increased and I need to use a higher grade fuel (currently running 91). Read online that it could be the crank bearings. Only other thing I can think of is pinging/fuel knock or whatever it's called. If anybody has experienced something similar and may be able to shed some light it would be greatly appreciated! :~)

If the problem persists I will look into getting a new radiator. What is the best option for getting one of those? eg. would buying one locally from a radiator shop be better, or from the dealership, or from pelican parts etc?

Thanks for the suggestions guys. However radiator doesn't look very old, and prior to changing the fan clutch I had no problems with the temp needle moving. I just find it hard to believe that 2 fan clutches could be bad?! Drove north today and got stuck in traffic :-( Tried to find an alternative route/back roads but just spent 20mins wondering. Needless to say I ended up with the heater on full blast in 24 degree heat . In my frustration I bought a new fan clutch as soon as I got home. Let's hope it's all good once that goes in!! hahah after trying to get it to budge after 1 day of heating it, wd40ing it, making up a fan clutch holding tool etc etc I was pretty furious. Job well done nonetheless

Hey team I replaced the head gasket on my 1987 325i, and had a hard time getting the fan clutch off of the water pump, and so i went at it with a hacksaw and replaced the water pump with a brand new one, and for the fan clutch I used a second hand one (not 'known' working but cheap). The temp needle would rise to over 1/2 in traffic or slow driving and so I replaced the fan clutch, again with a second hand one from Andy, which has around 130kms on it IIRC. Thought it would solve the problem, but it hasn't. Andy mentioned it had been sitting for around 9months - could it possibly be that it just needs to be worn in again? Before doing the head gasket, I had no problems with temp. Radiator is fairly new, t/stat is 1 year old, new w/pump, coolant temp sensor(blue sensor) is 6months old, coolant is fresh, system is bled of air, and no coolant leaks or oil/coolant mixing etc. Most probably is the fan clutch, but I wanted to know if anybody had other ideas before buying a new one for ~$200. (done with 2nd hand!!) After doing a little research some people say that it could be a loose nut on the back of the gauge, but what i'm seeing is too consistent for that to be the case I think. Could it possibly be that the coolant temp sender(brown sensor) is faulty? Thanks for any help!

I do like the bottom design quite a lot. Would look pretty rad. Nice forza paint skills

That is awesome! Amazon is definitely one of the best companies I have dealt with. Their customer service team is very (overly?) apologetic but it's better than being the opposite. I had a similar experience with 12litres of Red Line engine oil where they gave me free shipping (was going to be well over $200 just for freight) to my door. Great team. That's a shame about the freight forwarding company. Have never used such a service but seems a bit risky.

They look pretty normal to me. If anything - looks a tiny bit darker than normal. Could possibly be running a bit rich, but i'm no expert. Just curious, how did you clean them??

I know I really should be, but no. You mentioned before that a hose u judged as being fine burst, so visual inspection probably isn't enough and hoses that are 27 years old should really be replaced now. I'm replacing 3 hoses which looked in bad condition. The other 4 can be done some other time. Doing the head gasket and all that set me back quite a bit! Can't wait until I'm finished studying and have good funds :-) For now I have the check coolant light, which should keep my out of too much trouble.

Sounds about right, the hose sits just a couple of cm from the fan. However it does have the clips you speak of. Just inspected all of the hoses. Some still looked fine, a couple had a dry/cracked appearance on them so purchased new from FCP Euro. Never used them before but their prices were the best (particularly for shipping). Hopefully will be smooth sailing from now on!!!

You're right, I knew I had to pull over right away and fortunately I was in an area where I could do so safely/easily. It was the hose which goes from the waterpump to the thermostat, so yeah I lost coolant pretty quick. Thank god for the check lights!!! they're brilliant. I'd say without them I would have overheated this car by now Will have a good look tomorrow, and definitely replace ones which need it, if not all of them.

Went back out to levin today. Check coolant light came on while I was driving back. Very unexpected!! gave me a bit of a scare. Got an even bigger scare when I pulled over. First I could hear the sound of liquid hitting the pavement and sure enough when I looked under the car there was coolant pouring out. Fortunately it was just a split coolant hose.. Bought some duct tape, did some diy magic, filled with more coolant. Just as I was coming up my driveway the coolant light came back on. Perfect timing!! Car still runs like a champ, I'm so pleased with the results after doing the head gasket. Again, thanks everyone for all the help and whatnot

Yeah all new, might as well do the fan clutch too Edit: anybody doing an order from USA which i can sneak into? ;-)

Sweet, thanks Andy. I'll get a new fan clutch

Welcome, we're not too different - I joined the forum searching for an E30 as my first car too. I was looking for around 6months before I found the right one, and I'm glad I did because I got a good deal on a completely stock 325i manual. So my advice would be be patient!! It has been an awesome car, I've had it for just over a year and still love every minute of driving it. You'll learn heaps about the engine and whatnot if you like getting stuck into things. They're really not too hard to work on at all. Like Andy said, avoid the 320i autos. Anyway, good luck man

Thanks man! Thermostat was replaced around a year ago. I took the thermostat housing apart and sure enough when I replaced it back then I put the o ring on the wrong side of the thermostat. Fixed that and no more drips!! It feels great to finally be able to get the revs above 4k without the check coolant light coming on. Car goes great!! Better than when I first got it. Made it from Levin to Wellington no troubles yesterday ( about a 1h10min drive) One thing which I noticed was that when I was in traffic/at lights the coolant temp gauge would rise to around 12 position and even a little past that. On the motorway it sat between 1/4 mark and 1/2 mark. Possibly the fan clutch BUT I think it could possibly be air in the cooling system as I was in a bit of a rush to get home and didn't put a lot of time into bleeding the system. Haven't done any tests for the fan clutch yet. Will try bleeding the system first. Cheers. Wasn't too hard, however there were times when I thought to myself "wtf have I gotten myself into." haha. Looking back now though, it's really not too bad at all. Thanks to Chris (slideways) I was able to get a fan clutch and the locking plate so no worries there :-)

That sucks man! Will definitely keep an eye out and let you know if I see something.

She goes!! Thanks everyone for all the help, I wouldn't have been able to do it without you. However, the thermostat housing is leaking which sucks. I didn't take it apart and never noticed it leaking before I did this. It doesn't look like it's leaking from where the housing meets the head, but rather where the thermostat sits. Where the housing comes apart. Starting to think it may possibly be the oring in there. Would hate to have to take it apart again :-(. It's a steady drip, increases when engine's running

almost

Thanks Andy but i'm way ahead of yah! Chris (slideway) messaged me yesterday. Couriered from Wellington this morning and arrived here just after 1pm! f***n great. He's got the rocker shaft locking plate which I need too. Hopefully I'll be as lucky and get it tomorrow arvo

Sweet! excuse my grammar. Just about ready to get the head back on !!! Edit: I have to tell you how happy I am with the guy who resurfaced my head! $200 for: Resurface Pressure test Welding up the 3 (i think) holes by the water passages Totally cleaning my valve cover Totally cleaning the head Letting me borrow his heat gun Giving me heaps of good advice and info Top bloke!!!

Thanks for the suggestion! I did read about that and will do that instead of using a tap. Also, for anybody who has done this before, how did you go about putting the head back? With manifolds attached or totally bear? How hard is it to line the head onto the block properly? Thanks :-)

Hello, Need a rocker shaft retaining plate as mine has run away! To fit m20b25, if anybody near levin has one that would be awesome. Otherwise same story, happy to pay shipping, but do need it pretty urgently. Cheers Like this:

good news is the head's back, no cracks!! It's all good. Bad news is there's a piece missing from it (i think). Guy at the engine shop said it probably fell out while I had the head here. Have retraced my steps and can't find it. He had a look in his shop and said he couldn't find it there either What's it called? is it necessary? Had a look on realoem but couldn't find it Thanks!

i won't hear the end of this ahah. thanks andy ;-) It does look a lot like a honda at a glance

righto, looks i'll stick to bmws :/