So I bought an e30 yesterday

In reply to 02Pilot:

Thanks for the tip Pilot! Sounds like something I would do...

I happen to have the E30 on the lift in the garage right now. Fortunately, I see the diff fill plug can be removed with a standard 10mm hex key, unlike the E36 where its a 17mm key with hardly any room to get to it...

Cool that's good to hear. I am looking forward to wrenching on the e30, should be easier than the old e36.

Having wrenched on both now, this has not been my experience. There are some things about the e30 that just seem to defy logic and you wonder what the hell they were thinking. Not that the E36 was great, but I do remember some things being a hell of a lot less involved. The cooling system, for example. I look at the hose routing on my IS engine and wonder if it was designed in October... during breaks between drinking...

As for why I dislike my car so much, I suppose it's a few reasons. A combination of previous experience, price paid, intended use and believing the hype.

Our "fun cars" are MINI's, a classic Volvo 1800ES and a Spitfire (have since added my GT6). Any one of these is a magnitude more fun and/or interestingto drive than the E30 when just tooling around. Additionally, one of our past cars was a '97 M3, so I already had a taste of what a BMW can feel like.

I bought my car off this forum and paid a premium for a clean, well cared for and mostly original car with a mountain of documentation. Unfortunately, the down-side of paying for a nice car is a somewhat lack of willingness to risk balling it up or chop it up with modifications. I feel more like a caretaker of this car rather than an owner.

The #1 reason I bought the car (at the time, it was #8 in the fleet) was for autocross. Unfortunately, I did so without researching what class an E30 is in or if it's competitive in that class (or any class). While I know this may not matter to some, it absolutely matters to me. If I'm buying a car specifically for autocross, it needs to a "no excuses" car so I know it's the loose nut behind the wheel.

From everything I've read on (mainly) this forum, I think I simply set my expectations too high and set myself up to be dissappointed when the car didn't turn out to be exactly what I hoped it would be.

So I have now driven the car more and had a chance to look underneath as well. When I was underneath it looked like most of the bushings were in good condition with the exception of the swaybar endlink bushings which were a bit dryrotted.

However it is still making a few soft but odd clunks. The shocks seem super bouncy and I am curious if they could possibly be so shot that they are what's making the noise???

I have never dealt with starters or alternators before. When I turn the key it spits for a while before it catches and turns on. Once it turns on 9 times out of 10 it idles incredibly smoothly, I'm guessing this has more to do with temperature than anything else. I am wondering whether I need to replace the starter or the alternator? How do I check this?

My passenger side window doesn't roll down, it is electric and when I hit the switch there is no sound at all so I am guessing it is a problem with the switch/connection/relay not the window motor.

When I bought the car the previous owner opened and closed the trunk a few times but after I bought it I opened the trunk by pressing the little silver button and now it won't pop back out! The only way I can open the trunk is by turning the key in it to pop it open. I am guessing that the button is just stuck and it's not something I did wrong with the key or can fix with the key? Is this correct or is it something I did?

Thanks guys!

Joshua

Window switch:
The driver's side switch can be swapped out and used on the passenger side. This will help you determine if the switch is bad, which they notoriously are. Ebay will lead you to replacement switches.

Trunk:
The plunger is just sticking. Clean and lube as best you can. Also very common.

Is WD40 a good way to lube it or should I use a real grease?

Joshua wrote: Is WD40 a good way to lube it or should I use a real grease?

WD40 is not really a lubricant. Dielectric grease is typically used for lubricating switches.

I tried using brake grease for lubricating a key plunger assembly (different car). I have to re-visit one of them.

For the lock lube, I like T-9.
http://boeshield.com/features-benefits/auto-cycle/

Not cheap but you do not need a lot. The small can is pretty much a lifetime supply. Popular with bicycle chains because it does not attract dirt.
If your power antenna still works, be sure to hit it too very well with T-9.
If it does not work, do yourself a favor and plan to replace it with a universal solid mast which can be had for as little as $10 and will never give you trouble again.

Ian F wrote: The #1 reason I bought the car (at the time, it was #8 in the fleet) was for autocross. Unfortunately, I did so without researching what class an E30 is in or if it's competitive in that class (or any class). While I know this may not matter to some, it absolutely matters to me. If I'm buying a car specifically for autocross, it needs to a "no excuses" car so I know it's the loose nut behind the wheel.

The E30 325is got moved to GS. You don't think it is competitive with the Celica? Or are you complaining about STX or DSP classing?

I am pretty happy with my junky DS E36 325i even though it needs some work right now. I was having an incredible amount of fun driving some gravel roads at a TSD rally when second gear exploded. I've already procured transmission #3 for $50.

Matthew Huizing wrote: The E30 325is got moved to GS. You don't think it is competitive with the Celica? Or are you complaining about STX or DSP classing?

Mainly STX, but what kills the car for auto-x is the steering rack and the top speed in 2nd gear, neither of which can be "fixed" without getting moved to SM, where purpose-built trailer-queens play in my region.

When the move to GS was first proposed last year, I got excited but then was told the stock springs are simply too soft, even with uprated shocks and FSB.

I have never minded rolling stock cars. Yeah, here is a friend with a GS 325is on 225/50R14 Hankook C71s:

(He beat me in my car the one time I let him co-drive this year--some overheated Kumho XSes were involved.)

I am comfortable with roll (225/50R15 V710s):

The stock E36 is definitely faster, even on PAX. Though these are both known for bicycling on occasion (and oil starvation). I am also contrarian since I upgraded my rear sway bar.

My main problem is I don't really enjoy driving the car. At all. So it sits until I'm forced to use it for some reason. Sometimes weeks or months at a time. As mentioned earlier in this thread, I just never "clicked" with the car. Felt that way on the first test drive. I've fixed a few things that were wrong/broken since then but that initial feeling never went away. Buying it has been one of the worst car purchases of my life. If I hadn't had my g/f with me at the time I probably wouldn't have bought it.