ducatiss

Well thanks guys for all your replies - seems like the garage I spoke to were in dream land.

So can I - but they were thinking 4 days labour

Has anyone had a garage do an auto to man swop on an E30? The garage I spoke to were thinking it might take 4 days - this seems a little excessive to me -any thoughts?

The tappet adjustment itself will have absolutely nothing to do with the problems you describe. However given the timing of the problem straight after the adjustment took place I would suggest you look to see that you have not crushed a wire under the tappet cover causing it to short. Also check that all electrical connections in the area that you worked are still tight and in good nick. I dont think there is a lot other than the temp and cold start wires that are in the area but take a look see.

Might pay you to read up on the process before you start as well

Got any pics of that car to post? Looks great! Also a list of mods to the car?

Not a big fan of the cold airbox but have to say that one looks great!!

Probably - I had a similar prob with mine though I reset them a second time and they have been right ever since so worth a shot. Advise you to remove the board and check for signs of corrosion etc.

Well done - looks very very nice. One question, take me through the process you used to paint your headliner ie what did you use, did you colour it in place, any tips etc. Cheers

A lesson for newbies - its the quick and the dead in here!!

It doesnt look like mine so assume its off the 4cyl ? 1. Price it at the dealers - sometimes prices can be surprisingly low 2. If the dealers too high try a wrecker 3 If thats no good, post an add on this site, people here are pretty good re pricing 4. Try Trademe - though I havent seen one that looks like yours. 5. You could also look at some of the sites selling BMW parts overseas eg http://www.motormec.co.uk/e30parts.html. Theres also another U.S one but freight will probably mean that any savings over the NZ dealer price will be eaten up. Dont bother trying to repair as it needs to hold water under pressure and repairing will most likely be a waste of time.

Not really - loud clacking usually means something serious!! However, in saying that, E30 parts are not too expensive second hand and if the worst come to the worst, I'm sure you will be able to pick up the required parts. You could start the engine (briefly to avoid an oil slick) with the tappet cover removed if that helps to try and isolate the noise. If the compressions are all fine then it is most likely in the head. You could also check that nothing is interferring with some revolving parts under the cam cover and around the front pulleys. Really though, your mechanic should be able to diagnose this for you.

Could be a very worn or broken rocker arm. Any decent mechanic would quickly be able to diagnose that for you. The Bentley Manual lists the correct valve clearance at 0.30mm (0.012in) with the engine hot, or 0.25mm (0.010in) with the engine cold. I tend to do mine on the tight side but others will argue this. Do them with the engine cold is best. It pays to go over them twice - once to adjust and once to check. You dont have to have one out by much for it to be quite tappety. So... just to sum up - have your mechanic adjust them to the correct spec and if it still doesnt fix it, then suspect something a bit more involved like rocker arms, valves etc. You didnt say whether this problem started suddenly or over time. Others here will be able to add more hopefully.

I got a real surprise when I removed the single outlet and had a twin outlet tip welded onto my 320i. Like you, it was just for looks but what surprised me was how much louder the twin tips made the car. Im not sure about the E36 but the E30 has always had quite a deep note to the exhaust and I guess having a greater outlet area just lets more of it out. It doesnt sound bad, but, again, like you, it does get on the nerves a bit. Im thinking of putting in a bigger muffler into the rear to help restore the sound back to standard while retaining the twin tips.

Doesnt look too low from the photos but then its hard without seeing underneath the car. Seems simple to me - if its grounding when you go over judder bars then its too low - put your m-tech springs back in. Another thought - check thats its not your exhaust parts grinding, as sometimes that can be raised quite a bit to give you some more clearance - could make all the difference

Mine does this also - Check all your sump bolts (easier said than done for the rear ones) as leaks here (or anywhere for that matter) will travel from front to back. I found many of mine quite loose and nipped them all up again - I found this decreased though not eliminated the oil leak.

I definitely second that - take your car to someone who knows what they are doing - I would suggest the local BMW dealer for a start unless someone else knows of someone better. You can spend a whole lot of money on mechanics who operate on a "replace and see" policy.

Yeah so long as the body is rust free and all the bits are there 1200 is ok. My only question is on the doner engine. At 174km, these engines dont need reconditioned unless the head has cracked or the cambelt wasnt changed and slipped so see if you can find out what exactly has been done to it ie receipts!! You will probably spend another 3 to 4K making it into the car you like and tending to the running gear thats worn out after 260 km's unless it has been replaced over time. So unless you (as some of us do) like mucking around with cars, there are a heap of nice condition E30's on trademe that are in going condition for reasonable dollars that may end up being a cheaper proposition.

That's a real shame about the AA inspection. I would get your inspection from McMillan in writing and take it down to the AA for their comment - it sound like the inspector was anti BMW right from the start. I have had my doubts about the value of holding my membership to AA for quite some time now and this just add to that. Anyone else have anything to do with the AA - good or bad?

Dont want to Hijack your thread but...Anyone got a pic of the car with "standard" M-Tec springs ? Reason is that I have a set I am thinking of putting in and I want to see the ride height.

I always thought that the drop was measured from standard height. The mtech springs are very good springs so make sure you get good replacements - H&R are supposed to be very good. I have the same shocks in mine and have found them excellent.

Yes, yes yes!!! Love those wheels, really suit the car. What are they?

Well I'd book it into a dealer for a service for a start then maybe you could get yourself an owners manual.

Trademe has them very occasionally other than that Im not sure - anything new will break the bank as they are expensive.

Yeah I'd agree - too much hassle though anything can be done if you really want it. I'd stick with the manual windows - less to go wrong and think of the weight savings ;-)