Specter13 0 Report post Posted September 19, 2011 Hey guys, im new to bimmersport as well as new to the car scene. im an an avid motorcyclist, but have found the need to own a car. so i thought id do it properly and hunt for an E30 so i present you my 1989 325i south african import! so the cons? it has a ticking noise in the head at idle the diff is on its way out spots of rust here and there the trim has much to be desired no stereo and the heater was taken out :/ the pros? shes a blank slate to be tidied up i have money to waste it only cost me 1000 bucks. what do i want to do? firstly i want to sort out the motor and diff so i can use her as a daily runner. do a manual conversion. overall clean up the interior and exterior as i said earlier, im a noob to cars so im going to need your help, but i do have mechanical no-how from working on the bike Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Specter13 0 Report post Posted September 19, 2011 aww crap just realised where i posted could a mod please shift this to projects? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mark 178 Report post Posted September 19, 2011 Moved thread for you mate, and good luck with the project from an ex-owner of a Saffa schwarz E30. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Specter13 0 Report post Posted September 19, 2011 Moved thread for you mate, and good luck with the project from an ex-owner of a Saffa schwarz E30. cheers man! gonna rip the head off this weekend and give it a good look over so i dont root an otherwise good M20. will also be looking for a new diff soon. ive been bogged down with essays recently, but now im free so im going to try find out what other things wrong this car has Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lucan 196 Report post Posted September 19, 2011 Try adjusting the tappet height before you rip the head off, that could be the cause of the noise while idling, common among m20's. Plenty knowledge around here though so ask away. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Specter13 0 Report post Posted September 19, 2011 (edited) Try adjusting the tappet height before you rip the head off, that could be the cause of the noise while idling, common among m20's. Plenty knowledge around here though so ask away. Ok first question. when it comes to replacing the diff what is an ideal ratio? cant say i know what diff my car has in the first place. also will i need any wanky tools to replace it? Edited September 19, 2011 by specter Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lucan 196 Report post Posted September 20, 2011 Should be a tag on the back the has the ratio stamped on it. As for the ratio, its up to you really. And I can't think of any special tools needed Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Specter13 0 Report post Posted September 20, 2011 (edited) so im assuming high ratio= faster acceleration/higher revs at 100k and vise versa? Edited September 20, 2011 by specter Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_ethrty-Andy_ 2122 Report post Posted September 20, 2011 (edited) yup. to give you an idea, most of the manual M325i's and msport E30s ive gone to see or owned were fitted with 3.67 LSD, though some with 3.9x. its up to you really. For the best compromise on preformance and economy id be going for a 3.67 though, i found it great in my 2.8L Edited September 20, 2011 by _Ethrty-Andy_ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Specter13 0 Report post Posted September 20, 2011 cheers... is there any difference between the medium and large diffs Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Specter13 0 Report post Posted September 21, 2011 finished work early today so i thought id enjoy the sun and pull the beemer apart... turns out the previous owner has absolutely molested the wiring!!!! heaps of plugs leading to nowhere as im assuming the previous owner was making a track car and decided it would suck too much power... R/H side windows don't work and was trying to find a fault, but got lost in the mess of wiring. also trying to source a new diff, parcel tray, and a solution to my window problem. might try get a wof tomorrow and see what else is lacking Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gouba 0 Report post Posted September 22, 2011 cheers... is there any difference between the medium and large diffsYour car can only fit a small or medium diff. You wouldnt want a small as they were only provided to 316/318s from memory.The ratios you want are in the 3.6-3.7 range. Whilst you wont need any special tools but the main bolts that hold the diff to the subframe can give you all sorts of grief when getting off if its still on the car. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Specter13 0 Report post Posted September 22, 2011 sweet i think ive found one for it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Specter13 0 Report post Posted September 27, 2011 (edited) so i received a new rocker cover looks better than the stupid blue one it has. also looked at the wiring and found its been spliced to sh*t anyone after a cheap donor cover? looks much more professional i think it may have something to with the radio? Edited September 27, 2011 by specter Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BM WORLD 1258 Report post Posted September 27, 2011 looks like some monkey alarm wiring Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Specter13 0 Report post Posted September 27, 2011 that would make sense. there is an alarm in the engine bay but no hub for it.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
