E36 M3.-learn me

Im looking at buying an M3. What all do I need to look for? Regular maintenance issues? Recommended upgrades? I am BMW stupid. Thanks in advance!

The E36 M3 straddles the OBDI, 1995, and OBDII, 1996 and beyond, issues. The state you reside in, will impact how creative you can be working these systems.

The stock staggered rims and tires are probable already no longer an issue on any cars that you will be looking at, but you do want a car as close to stock and unmolested as you can find.

These cars do seem to go up for sale just as they need the entire cooling system replaced. The power steering hoses leak, the list of sensors that fail is endless, the fuel pump in the tank on the passenger side could be melting the power lead at the top of pump housing. This is only an issue if you smell gas and can not find the source. It's pooling in the ring holding the pump in place.

Pay someone to change the fuel filter, ask to see the old one, what is in the car could be ancient.

The transmissions leak. Make sure you remove the fill plug before you drain the trans. Do not be surprised how little and the color of the fluid that drips from your gear box. Not replacing the shift shaft seal and rear main seal will allow all that new ATF in the transmission to dissolve the glibo. If in fact it is not already toast.

It goes on, but when you weed thru these and there are many more, these cars amazing.

Mine is a 1994 325is M-tech. Think of it as a M3 body with the little motor. This week on Tuesday I drove from So Cal to Gilbert, AZ. Then on Wednesday, back home. In a car that has been no end of frustration to get past the smog test, it ran great. The 3.15 LDS at 3400 RPM yielded 29MPG going, yes with a tail wind, and 25MPG coming home. A little over 320 miles each way, going very quickly.

Find a 4-door, makes loading the extra set of tires that much easer.

David

I found one with just shy of 150k miles on it. 1998 4 door with the 5 speed transmission all appears clean and rust free. It pulls hard, and seems to squat bad, I'm guessing the suspension needs refurbing at this point. It is supposed to have a new clutch...check engine light is on due to an o2 sensor.

^All of this, plus: at 150k, unless the previous owner either has obsessive-compulsive disorder or is me, every bushing and ball joint in the front and rear suspension and the dampers all need replacing. Least painful approach is to order everything then put the car in the air and just do every bit of it all at once. Do all the exhaust system rubber hangers at the same time. Do the Giubo and center bearing and the shift bushings as well. At 150 it's all past used up. You won't believe the difference it makes.

If you are planning suspension upgrades, Koni Yellows w/ a coilover kit, TC Kline or Ground Control are very good. Common spring rates are 550#F, 625# R. The cars like a big front swaybar - I'm up to a 32mm H&R and the car rotates, sticks and doesn't push as badly as a lot of these cars do. Street/track compromise setup numbers: F -2.8 camber, 0 toe, lots of caster. R -1.9 camber, 1/16" toe-in.

I've had mine for about 8 years and love, love, love it.

Get up on a lift, sounds like the rear sub frame could be an issue. Pay to have a complete inspection done at a shop that knows these cars.

You could have thousands in this thing, just know we all have done the same thing.

What exactly is the rear subframe issue with these cars? Is it fixable?

Rear subframes rip out I believe.

icaneat50eggs wrote: Rear subframes rip out I believe.

The M3s, I believe, all came with reinforced mounts.

The staggered wheels was '96-up.

Can anybody confirm or deny the subframe issue 100%? As well as explain what to look for?

In reply to taparsons:

The "subframe issue" isn't the subframes, it's the part of the bodyshell where the rear suspension all attaches by the rockers. Heavily abused E36s can crack there, not just M3s. M3s just make the most power and are more likely to see abuse than, say, an automatic 325i.

I've never seen it in person, just online.

taparsons wrote: Can anybody confirm or deny the subframe issue 100%? As well as explain what to look for?

M3s had the reinforcement panels from the factory. Shouldn't be an issur, but it can still happen. Listen for a clunk between backing up and going forward. That's what mine did.

Its also fixable, but it requires dropping the rear subframe and gas tank and welding in replacement panels. I paid about 1500 for the whole job at a BMW specialist place.

FWIW I much preferred the square setup on my '95. I HEARD that the reason they went with staggered setup on later cars was not for performance, but to induce understeer before oversteer. Safety thing for liability or something. So I heard.

All of the above are true and good advice. But the cars are freakin' amazing track cars once you get them refreshed, and get the understeer dialed out.

Radiator: My home club won't let any example with 100k or more on the clock out on the track until a new radiator goes in. The plastic necks on the thing get brittle and explode.

This happens to many of these cars in the field, resulting in head gasket failure. Many times the owner just puts in a new radiator and hopes for the best. As the symptoms progress, they try to sell them as-is. So it's worth checking the coolant for oil and the oil for coolant, and making sure you test drive it for twenty minutes to confirm it holds a normal coolant temp range.

Jamey_from_Legal wrote: Radiator: My home club won't let any example with 100k or more on the clock out on the track until a new radiator goes in. The plastic necks on the thing get brittle and explode.

What I see happen on E36s is the engine mounts go soft, which allow the fan to smack the fan shroud, which is also the coolant tank and it will take out the upper radiator tank too when it gets killed.

I've only ever seen one FAN die from bad engine mounts.

If you're willing to take on a project, this one is for sale in North Florida. Will take more than a buffer though.

http://jacksonville.craigslist.org/cto/5296779811.html

Thanks everyone, I brought home my 98 M3 sedan today.

taparsons wrote: Thanks everyone, I brought home my 98 M3 sedan today.

Congrats! Let's see it.

Another thing to look out for is the 5th to 2nd money shift. Even new, the engine/trans mounts allowed the assembly to rotate making it easier to hit 2nd when downshifting to 4th. I'd freshen up the rear trans mounts along with the engine mounts.

Grats on the M3.

Yep, when it comes to those engine mounts, count me a hater. They turn into marshmallows.

I've never posted pictures on here. I have no idea how to.

You have to upload them to a photohosting site like photobucket. Then, you copy the html and paste that on the camera icon above the emoticons.

When the guibo goes, it makes an odd clunking sound from the middle of the car. The rear subframes also rip out at the rear shock towers. To check it, just pull the carpet out of the way above the shocks. I think the M3 has this reinforced, but you have to ask the M3 owners, I have a 328i.

Also, if you will replace the radiator yourself, make sure to really tighten the hose clamps, it may leak when you drive, not when you're idling it to check for leaks. It took me a loooooong time to fix my cooling issues.

In reply to Mr_Clutch42:

I think you are talking about the Z3 reinforcement plates. These go on top of the rear towers below the retaining nuts. They are Z3 items (obviously...), but are common to install on other E36 cars. I installed them when I replaced the suspension on the ex's '97 M3 10+ years ago.

Congrats taparsons! As others have mentioned, the first rule of order is a cooling system revamp--- followed by bushing / suspension replacement. Also, check to make sure the bolt that holds your rear differential to the subframe is tight--- they loosen and shear over time. Get the car on a lift and inspect thoroughly. There's a good chance it's received some of the known fixes by now. When they are sorted, few cars offer the driving pleasure of an E36 M3. I know.....I drove mine to work today!

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/project-cars/1997-bmw-m3/

I've just replaced the subframe and rear differential bushings---- update to come soon.

Thanks for all the feedback! I hope to get it on a lift ASAP. The check engine light is on for the two downstream oxygen sensors. I was thinking about just replacing the ecu with one that has been tuned to ignore them since it's the same price. Thoughts? It has 140k on the clock with 122k miles of service heavily documented on carfax.