VernyMac
Active member
Howsit gents
So not new to the forum but started a small journey into he bmw world
Bought a 1996 bmw e36 316i m43 engine
Car was standing for a while and definitely wasn't taken care of with alot of small things that needed to be done.
Also alot of these things was something that wasnt mentioned in the sale and me not know much of these cars was a new discovery and journey to replace and repair
Drove the car home and wasn't fully happy with the drive statues of it and started my digging on the list of items needed both cosmetic and mechanical
Needed tlc such as door beading, door beading clips, new cubby, gear knob, petrol flap wasn't closing, fan wasn't blowing air, door pad wasn't on, drivers window mech wasnt working 100%, needed a service, had a slight miss fire these where things I picked up
Got the car home and started my investigations and and the list of things I have learnt how to replace and repair are as follows
New door beading and clips replaced easy job clips are a nightmare have to be gentle and not break them
Window mechanism was a fair job having to drill out the rivets replace with size 10 nut and bolts, tested everything worked perfect windows closes / opens smooth
Cubby door, bought a 2nd hand part figured how to replace just the door got it back to working order and not stuck with prestik
Fan for the interior wasn't working, started with the basics of fuses etc land up changing the final stage relay which lead me to open the blower motor which started working but was intermittent. Sourced new motor took e a good 2/3hr to swop out and wola working fan
Did a good service on the car including new fuel filter etc sounds alot better runs smooth.. Airflow was the first suspect for the iratic idle but lead to be the accelerator cable wasnt right adjusted that and it's stable now, might need one plug lead to be replaced but car runs nice
Car had a slight over half heat rise and that sent me on a wild goose chase to find the issue, replaced brand new thermostat still had the issue, they made a plan with the fan temp switch which I got all the original parts and plug and got that working tested the switch and relays and all was fine but no fan kicking in. Then replaced water pump which I thought could be a issue as of a slight wine sound. Still not fan, flushed the system multiple times to remove air bubbles, still no fan or water circulation. Did more investigation and found these id10t did nonsense with the heater valve pipes. Sourced the parts put everything back together how it should be and to test it tonight but I think we winning now for sure.
Put back the drivers side fender liner which was missing
Replaced the gear knob with a worn out one but it works
Rear left shock wasn't even there when I got the car had that replaced and haven't thought of checking the springs which the car might need
Cleaned up the filthy seats and soaked them in leather care to get it soft again still need to do a few more applications
In this journey over 2 weeks I have learnt enough to look at things when I buy the next e36 to understand what is required and how things work
It's been a rough journey but I am one person who likes to have things working the way it should without having to make a plan
The car runs and drives good and is currently up for sale with minor tlc needed. I know this car will get the heart and eye of someone and it will go to a good home with peace of mind from my side
I added some pics of her currently and it's a stunner really brought out the passion to own another as I love the shape of these e36s and maybe this is my journey to own a m3 one day
If anyone has a set of rear springs for a e36 that they can part with let me know
Sent from my JNY-LX1 using Tapatalk
So not new to the forum but started a small journey into he bmw world
Bought a 1996 bmw e36 316i m43 engine
Car was standing for a while and definitely wasn't taken care of with alot of small things that needed to be done.
Also alot of these things was something that wasnt mentioned in the sale and me not know much of these cars was a new discovery and journey to replace and repair
Drove the car home and wasn't fully happy with the drive statues of it and started my digging on the list of items needed both cosmetic and mechanical
Needed tlc such as door beading, door beading clips, new cubby, gear knob, petrol flap wasn't closing, fan wasn't blowing air, door pad wasn't on, drivers window mech wasnt working 100%, needed a service, had a slight miss fire these where things I picked up
Got the car home and started my investigations and and the list of things I have learnt how to replace and repair are as follows
New door beading and clips replaced easy job clips are a nightmare have to be gentle and not break them
Window mechanism was a fair job having to drill out the rivets replace with size 10 nut and bolts, tested everything worked perfect windows closes / opens smooth
Cubby door, bought a 2nd hand part figured how to replace just the door got it back to working order and not stuck with prestik
Fan for the interior wasn't working, started with the basics of fuses etc land up changing the final stage relay which lead me to open the blower motor which started working but was intermittent. Sourced new motor took e a good 2/3hr to swop out and wola working fan
Did a good service on the car including new fuel filter etc sounds alot better runs smooth.. Airflow was the first suspect for the iratic idle but lead to be the accelerator cable wasnt right adjusted that and it's stable now, might need one plug lead to be replaced but car runs nice
Car had a slight over half heat rise and that sent me on a wild goose chase to find the issue, replaced brand new thermostat still had the issue, they made a plan with the fan temp switch which I got all the original parts and plug and got that working tested the switch and relays and all was fine but no fan kicking in. Then replaced water pump which I thought could be a issue as of a slight wine sound. Still not fan, flushed the system multiple times to remove air bubbles, still no fan or water circulation. Did more investigation and found these id10t did nonsense with the heater valve pipes. Sourced the parts put everything back together how it should be and to test it tonight but I think we winning now for sure.
Put back the drivers side fender liner which was missing
Replaced the gear knob with a worn out one but it works
Rear left shock wasn't even there when I got the car had that replaced and haven't thought of checking the springs which the car might need
Cleaned up the filthy seats and soaked them in leather care to get it soft again still need to do a few more applications
In this journey over 2 weeks I have learnt enough to look at things when I buy the next e36 to understand what is required and how things work
It's been a rough journey but I am one person who likes to have things working the way it should without having to make a plan
The car runs and drives good and is currently up for sale with minor tlc needed. I know this car will get the heart and eye of someone and it will go to a good home with peace of mind from my side
I added some pics of her currently and it's a stunner really brought out the passion to own another as I love the shape of these e36s and maybe this is my journey to own a m3 one day
If anyone has a set of rear springs for a e36 that they can part with let me know
Sent from my JNY-LX1 using Tapatalk
