Mad_Max

No, it wouldn't. So the whine is coming from somewhere else, just a matter of finding out where now so you can fix it. Fingers crossed it isn't something bad causing the whine. If it's doing it in neutral while idling I'd suspect something driven by the belts causing it - most likely culprit is probably power steering pump low on fluid or on it's way out.

Is it possible? http://rdtransmissions.co.uk/Category/63/getrag.aspx https://store.vacmotorsports.com/samsonas---dog-ring-gear-m50--s50-family-zf-transmission-p2698.aspx https://shop.quaife.co.uk/bmw-six-speed-heavy-duty-sequential-gearbox http://www.hackengineering.co.uk/product/samsonas-45-speed-dog-gear-set-zf-s5d-gearbox/ http://www.rwracing.nl/bmw/ Anything is possible with the right amount of money thrown at it. Is it likely? Well there's the real question. Can you confirm the whine is not from the diff or somewhere else? Is there any paperwork to back up this claim? Have you checked it's not a bearing in the box that is failing? Is it just straight cut gears or a dogbox? Any way of checking the box itself, such as draining the fluid and visually looking at the gears? I'm only asking this because the cost of straight cut gear sets here in NZ is horrendous, so unless it is some top competition car, or the previous owner got lucky buying a different box, the expense would most likely rule out anyone forking out thousands of $$ for a special gearbox for a daily driver. Whilst I am hoping you have struck the jackpot and found a straight cut box, I am thinking statistically the likelihood of this happening is slim to none. Would definitely be interested to know for sure if it has one.

I'd just about bet my left testicle I have one spare sitting on my bench at home (just about bet because I don't trust my memory these days). Will be home by tomorrow lunchtime at latest so will have a look for you, make sure it's the right one.

Also check the intake hose between the throttle body and the AFM, and the hoses either side of the ICV. Check all vacuum lines you can as well, a small air leak can cause the above symptoms as well as the parts Gabe79 mentioned.

And so, the plot thickens..... If the car isn't in the rain/wet and is parked, it is safe to assume it is in a garage or under a carport, correct? That being the case, then my brain is thinking along a different path now.... Imagine for a second, you have had a water leak inside the car at some other stage, where moisture has never fully dried out. The temp of the boot rises, evaporating said moisture, whereupon it becomes a vapour. This vapour then hits the cooler underside of the boot lid/lip on the rear quarter, making the water condense back into liquid form and drip into the spots you're seeing. If the above is correct, then it explains why you're seeing water marks in one spot, with no apparent ingress of water possible. Which means you have had/do have a water leak somewhere else inside the boot. Somewhere that, if the car has been parked up, must be getting wet, even if it's just a corner of it. I'd be checking everywhere throughout the boot now, not just where the water marks are. Pass. side floor well, spare wheel well, every single little place that's down low, and see if you see any moisture. Moisture has gotten in there somehow, now it's just a process of elimination to find out where and what's causing the tea staining near your battery.

I'd try drying out the boot as much as possible, then drown it with a water blaster one section at a time, see if you can find a leak anywhere. Jack the corner up and remove the wheel so you can blast into the wheel arch, as well as underneath the car. Go around the rear window, boot seal, tail lights etc. Check every few minutes for any sign of ingress, it has to be coming from somewhere. Or, even better, get yourself into the boot with a torch and have someone else using the blaster (make sure you pick someone you trust not to leave you in the boot......)

Have you got a sunroof? If so, are the drain tubes blocked or clear? Is the rear wheel arch plastic pieces in place? Or missing? Does it leak only when parked? Only when driven? Both? Is the grommet for the battery drain tube in position?

It may be the grommet through the well is missing and letting water splash up? Hard to tell from that pic sorry, it is a bit of a guess as to the water ingress.....

That hose will have been connected to the original DIN battery, it's a drain of some sort for the battery itself and will run out through a grommet in the floor that's below your battery. It won't be doing anything now, no harm in removing or leaving there - either way, nothing to be concerned about.

So it looks like I've found the true problem. This is what's left of the thermostat, there's one small piece missing, which I'm presuming has gotten wedged in one of the water jackets inside the head, stopping water flow to the back 2 cylinders....... Either I'm going to have to find a way to reverse flush this loose, or the head will have to come off and see if I can remove it that way. Not a job I wanted to be doing on this thing.......

So to add to the confusion over this one, today I have: Verified there is water flow from the expansion tank through the heater core and back out, so that's not blocked. Found it was missing a thermostat inside the airbox (part #11 here), have refitted from another 325I Removed thermostat and replaced with a different one in case the other one was actually faulty Removed and rechecked the water pump in case it decided to break yesterday (Murphy's Law) Bled the system countless times to no avail When running, the bottom radiator hose remains cold for what I'd say would be an extremely long time. All 3 hoses to the heater valve are quite cool to the touch, there is no blockage but I'm suspecting there's also no flow. So water pump, thermostat, heater valve and core are all ok, I'm now thinking either the radiator is blocked, or there's a blockage in the head or block somewhere that's stopping water flow as there is not even a steady trickle from the radiator into the expansion tank. Will try changing radiators if I get time tomorrow, see if that changes anything. Starting to run out of places to look now.

Fair call, I understand your point.

I've never been told that one before, is there a theory behind it? Just asking out of curiosity, not a criticism.

I paid about $30 for a kit on TradeMe with all the fittings you'll need to test most cars and it seems pretty accurate. Most important though, you need to know what to look for and how to test it. Should always do the test on a warm motor whenever possible, and you're looking for more than about a 5 to 10% variance across the cylinders, don't get too hung up on overall numbers (unless they are really low across the board). If you have a cylinder or two that are lower, drop about half a tablespoon of fresh oil down the plug hole of the offending cylinders, crank the motor over a couple of times then retest. If the compression rises on them, you have an issue with the lower end (block or piston rings) causing the lower compression, if it stays pretty much the same the issue lies in the top (head, gasket, valves etc).

Hi Allan, sorry didn't see your post appear (was typing my reply above)...... not sure if it's an import, though would probably pay to remove all the hoses and flush them, see if there's a blockage anywhere there - that would explain it alright, and would be easy enough to swap another hose onto it. Will look into that more tomorrow, thanks

I didn't think of that tonight, was getting late (and me frustrated after mucking around with heater valves to ensure they are working properly). I did check the other day (when it had a suspect valve in it) and the one from the back of the head to the bottom of the valve was lukewarm, the hoses from the valve to the heater core were cold - but that valve turned out to be suspect and I can't guarantee it wasn't stuck closed. Am assuming it's a lack of water flow causing it. I've also checked the basics (no water in the oil, or oil in the water, car runs too smooth to have dropped two cylinders, no signs of cracked head or blown head gasket, etc), if I can't get the heater sorted might just end up scrapping it and concentrating on repairing the Alpina instead (which coincidentally also has a water leak, determined where that was today, not a hard fix in theory).

So I picked up a 94 325i coupe the other weekend, auto with M50B25TU. Told it supposedly had a cracked head as it was overheating when driven, but didn't overheat while idling. Got it home, checked the water pump, that was all good. Thermostat in two pieces, so replaced that. So since then, the motor itself is running great, temp is normal. Problem is I can't get the heater to work. Bled the system, several times. No air bubbles. Have confirmed heater valve opens and closes properly (have tried 3 separate valves as well), no change. Removed and flushed the heater core, so no blockage. And yes the little round dial below the centre vent is set to hot. Any new suggestions on where best to start looking? I've never had this problem before, heater isn't even lukewarm. Thinking to pull the heater core again tomorrow to see if it's even getting coolant flow, to make sure water is circulating through the head.

What area are you in? Or how far woyld you want to travel? I've got a 94 325i sedan no motor or running gear. Body straight, paint faded, no obvious rust, all glass complete and can supply a lot of other parts. And have got live plates and tags for a 96 328i if you wanna have a chat and see if we can work something out.

Never mind..... sorry completely misread your post

Will have more than one here, message me tomorrow and I'll go grab one, yours for the cost of shipping.

Not that hard to change if you can find a set, EWS becomes the only issue I'm aware of but you can change the transponder chip in your key into the newer one. Will see if I can get you a set of locks and a key, gotta raid an E36 this weekend for some other parts. If not I'm sure one of the sponsors on here can hook you up with a set.

If it's cranking but not starting I'd suggest either it's not getting fuel or spark, one of the two. Potentially crank or cam angle sensor has died but if the alarm is the only variable in this (as indicated, you got nothing until inputting a code) I'd look more at that. My experience, if it was the EWS it wouldn't crank, however without knowing how the alarm is tied in, it may still also be the alarm itself causing the issue. Any ideas on how the alarm kills the car? Does it have a feed to the ignition or fuel circuits? Is there any way you know of to completely override the alarm to see if it'll start (like a valet mode)?

Oh and this is the original SATANZ hahaha

Ok so a few pics of the current state, apologies for the poor quality (and disgustingly unruly garage at the moment)... will try and keep this updated as I make progress. Still making a list of things to do/fix/swap, so far: Replace D/S taillight and front indicator Replace PS foglight Dents repaired Repaint worst areas for now (e.g. spoiler, marks on DS) Swap steering wheel with sedan Swap cluster fascia with sedan Replace rear shocks (have a spare set here) Replace rotors and calipers Swap mags with the sedan - maybe. Haven't decided yet. Either way one car will need two new tyres. Swap centre console with sedan New radiator cap New battery (will charge the existing one first but think it's dead) Replace bonnet struts Replace DS wing mirror New oil, filter, coolant etc. Convert to manual (swap from the sedan, put sedan back to auto) Leather interior (have a local lead on that already hehehe) with heated seats M50 manifold swap from sedan Strut brace from sedan Lowered using sedan springs maybe...... will think about that one Front LCA and offset bush swap with sedan CAI from sedan Hood lining needs repaired/replaced OBC and heater swap from the sedan Exhaust swap from the sedan New water pump, thermostat and housing New belt tensioners Then I think it might be ready to get back on the road..... just a few little things to sort out for now lol.

Lol same problem I had...... except I was stuck, so managed to splice and solder 3 new wires from the plug to the sensor..... and it's still holding to this day.......