e36 328 ownership experience

[Lee36328]

The e36 328 is normally very low on oil loss. You may want to check your gasket. Could be a leak somewhere. Have you checked underneath the car?

 

[anxious]

Lee,

I reread ur thread again. I just cant believe how helpful u are. I am surely looking forward to improving my handling after the paint job is done.

 

[kitt]

theres one time my friend push the pedal to the metal...140 in less than 10 seconds...wow!

 

[spikyone]

Great tips..may I add on?

Great to read abt ur experience..now i know why there is a sound coming from the back of my 328 cabrio...its d wheel bearings..n no wonder at high speed(>130kph=shuddering sounds). Anyway to share and add on my experience.
So far mechanically Ive had no problems w the engine (touch wood) except for normal servicing (129k kms). Ok here goes for repairs:

Checked soft top roof jamming 4x, replaced roof motor under used car warranty
Changed front tie rods
Changed front brake disc/pad n found out ABS pump leaking. Got that repaired for B$204(RM500) when it was supposedly unrepairable (saved me spending B$1.8k for a new pump, damn i love my mechanic..) Even dealer said its unrepairable..
Checked air cond compressor sound, apparently its on d way out, but mechanic said jus use 1st till it KO but so far so good
Steering shuddering under braking,cornering-was diagnosed to be steering rack, minor problem, doesnt feel gd but mechanic said wait till more serious then replace whole thing. Since its cabrio, he said dont drive fast, just cruise :stupid:
Running in sports mode & high revs (love the big 6 induction roar) for a while leaves a slight burning smell, i suspect is low gearbox fluid, will bring to flush soon..either that or its the oil filter housing leak as diagnosed by the dealer when i brought it in for diagnostics test.
Modified the fuel tank link line as the original plastic part was leaking, my mechanic jus slipped a rubber fuel line over it like a sleeve n sealed d rubber ends...
Replaced the perished fuel line from the tank to the engine.

Total cost to date excluding servicing would be around B$1,200

Other than that, I only have an uprated HU and subwoofer, everything else is standard.

I must say, it pays to buy an approved used car from dealer, although I paid around B$5k more than market value, Ive earned back from what I didnt need to repair, I mean the car came with all shock absorbers replaced, new suspension arms, refurbished paintjob, gasket replacement & all engine servicing work/replacement etc etc totalled up to around B$6k of work before they released the car for sale. Diagnostics testing showed apart from normal replacement of clips and rubber bushings, the most major parts to pay attention to were the recomendation of refurbishing the steering rack (B$2k+) and changing the oil filter housing (~$400)..will get that done soon.

Scuttle shake is bad, but bearable. Interesting to read abt d voltage stabilizer, chassis bracing..will give those a try...

 

[Lee36328]

Spikyone,

Good to welcome another e36 owner.

Are you from Miri or Brunei?

Nice to hear there is a capable, responsible mechanic taking care of your ride.

Yes, I agree, it pays to buy the best you can afford. It usually works out cheaper via the aggravation or hidden timebombs you avoid later as you mentioned.

Judder because of steering rack? This is not a typical cause, might be worth a second look. Bushes, ball joint, tie rod, rim, and even tire are potential culprits. When does it judder? During straight line? During braking?

I replaced my steering rack because the symptom was excessive free play. It cost approx RM1800-RM2k to get a German reconditioned unit. That was about 2 years ago.

Finally, scuttle shake? X-brace sounds like what you need.

 

[Russie]

I have to agree that this thread started by Lee was indeed a good one, especially for a newbie like me :wink: Honestly, the first time I read this thread was way before I got myself an UDM *in fact certain threads in here do scare away newbies and UDM-owners-wannabe* hehe. But after much "inputs" and advice by a fella friend-cum-mechanic, I was told that 4 potters should be quite economical to own, hence the ownership of my E36 318. Having re-read this thread, it makes me wanna explore fitting in some of those items mentioned here, like the volt stabiliser, ARB, X-brace, etc. So now the question is where to get them? and what's the budget like?

 

[spikyone]

not steering rack?

Thanks for the advice, hmm..u say maybe not steering rack ah?..well it shudders when i brake in a straight line,and when i corner medium to high speeds..feels like something is disconnected and wobbly at the front. At 1st dealer said change tie rods, it was ok then it came back after a short while. After that I just live with it, didnt go back to dealer. Although sometimes when i turn the steering wheel its squeaky. My mechanic already diagnosed power steering got very slight leakage, Im quite interested; maybe changing ball joints & bushes, wheel bearings 1st will solve problem before I let my wallet breathe for the steering rack. Hope it works..I think i'll get the car sorted out as standard 1st b4 considering modifications. By bushes Im guessing you mean ALL the bushes attached to the front & rear suspension cradles, steering arms etc? your RM2k for a recond steering rack is quite a gd price although I was offered a new rack at B$1.8k..can ah? O should i recond my own steering rack at my mechanic? I know mine has no free play in the steering..

 

[Lee36328]

I have to agree that this thread started by Lee was indeed a good one, especially for a newbie like me :wink: Honestly, the first time I read this thread was way before I got myself an UDM *in fact certain threads in here do scare away newbies and UDM-owners-wannabe* hehe. But after much "inputs" and advice by a fella friend-cum-mechanic, I was told that 4 potters should be quite economical to own, hence the ownership of my E36 318. Having re-read this thread, it makes me wanna explore fitting in some of those items mentioned here, like the volt stabiliser, ARB, X-brace, etc. So now the question is where to get them? and what's the budget like?

Russie,

Glad you find this thread useful. E36 318 hits the sweet spot in drivability and low maintenance (incl consumption, and roadtax.) In addition, the front is a 4-pot, so it is not nose-heavy, therefore it is responsive to steering inputs. Good choice.

On the parts you enquired about, I have PMed you the info you requested.

 

[Lee36328]

Thanks for the advice, hmm..u say maybe not steering rack ah?..well it shudders when i brake in a straight line,and when i corner medium to high speeds..feels like something is disconnected and wobbly at the front.

It could be any number of things that connects your hand to the chassis of the car, meaning steering, tie-rod, lower arm bush, ball joint, suspension bush, etc etc.

Should be straightforward to check for signs of cracks at all the bushes involved. The mechanic usually pushes all parts involved to see which part is loose. The last time a friend has symptoms almost similar to yours, it turned out to be lower arm bush.

Juddering when braking in straight line could also be brake discs. Could be different symptoms for multiple problems.

Although sometimes when i turn the steering wheel its squeaky.

This can be a matter of injecting grease to the steering rack connection, located deep inside the engine bay. The sound/vibration travels up the rack into your hand.

By bushes Im guessing you mean ALL the bushes attached to the front & rear suspension cradles, steering arms etc? your RM2k for a recond steering rack is quite a gd price although I was offered a new rack at B$1.8k..can ah? O should i recond my own steering rack at my mechanic? I know mine has no free play in the steering..

No free play means your rack is in good condition. Maybe just recond it so it does not leak anymore. But check your bushes first. You are right, eliminate the simpler possibilities before doing expensive recond or part replacement.

 

[rubes72]

hey Spikyone,

Had the same symtoms as yours. Car floats, vibrates when braking. things changed are :
1. Lower arm mounting
2. Ball Joints and all mountings connected to the lower arm
3. Tie-rod.

Now the car doesn't float but vibration still there, front disc warped.

 

[spikyone]

Oh ok..I'll keep that in mind abt d steering rack. ANd thanks for d tips, I think I will try all the bushes n get d mechanic to pay attention whether its d mountings. Cant b the brakes cos its new discs and pads..so thats 1 step eliminated..whew..thanks a lot guys, will update when Ive done watever I need to do

 

[spikyone]

Update: changed the groaning rear wheel bearings the other day...cost involved B$100 parts $200 labour..apparently this is expensive someone please comment???

 

[Lee36328]

Rattling undercarriage noise - solved!

Occam's Razor - Mystery noises

You know how sometimes the most complex problems actually have a simple solution? Occam's razor - the simplest explanation is usually the correct one.

I have been living with this perplexing noise problem for a couple of months now. A rattling noise would emanate from the undercarriage when I take a left hand corner. The exact location of the noise was hard to pin down.

The initial suspect was CV joint. This required a change of the output shaft. RM1k plus.

The other suspect was the long shaft (aka drive shaft, depending on whom you talked to.) RM2k plus.

But no guarantee it would fix the noise, so I decided to live with it for a while since it did not seem to affect anything other than my peace of mind.

The noise of course did not go away but got progressively worse. Finally, my mechanic and I noticed the exhaust rubber mountings were worn.

Replaced the mountings, and the noise was magically gone, removing years from the car's age.

So, instead of CV joint 1k plus, or long shaft 2k plus, it turned out to be some rubber, RM255 incl labour.

So, moral of the story. Go for the simpler fixes first.

 

[anxious]

Lee is right.

Another way of approaching it is if it aint broke dont fix it.....wait a while and the real culprit will give way and as in Lee's case it may be not what u thought it was. I spent a good deal of time and money chasing a clunking sound in my E30 some time back and could not solve it.....although in the process I ended up improving the car a lot but it still didnt solve the clunking sound which wasnt really bad.

Now I have learnt to live with some minor imperfections on my E36 and hence you hear a lot less from me.:wink:

 

[alxy]

Err...sorry if I seem to be a busybody, but the term is Occam's Razor (after William of Occam, sometimes spelled as Ockham). Arkham is like Arkham Asylum as in Batman!

P/S I am a comic fan too

 

[Lee36328]

Err...sorry if I seem to be a busybody, but the term is Occam's Razor (after William of Occam, sometimes spelled as Ockham). Arkham is like Arkham Asylum as in Batman!

P/S I am a comic fan too

I knew there was something not quite right with it... thanks for pointing it out! :top:

 

[Vincent Hor]

Found this thread very interesting. Just bought a late 1997 E36 328i(A). The last owner is a 66 years old retired professional. He has maintain and upkept the car very well.

The car is equipped with original M3 kits. Mileage is 155K kms. It's a local AB car. Currently riding on 16" E46 rims with almost new Michelins. Road tax is paid up till Sept. 2008 (previous owner).

Undercarriage and suspension system has been attended to by the previous owner. Not a squeek going over humps and minor portholes.

Engine sounds healthy and there are bills to show that the radiator, hoses, alternator, air cond compressor has been changed recently. Car has been completely sound proofed i.e. floor board, door panels and roof.

Minus points :

A little wet around the g/box oil pan (gasket), steering rod has signs of leak(repair kit?), fly wheel oil seal may need attention plus the power steering hose also need some attention.

G/Box is Auto GM - PRND432 Is this a 5 Speed or 4 speed with a lock up OD.

I noticed there is some vibration at the rear when doing speed of 100/120kph upwards. Will try to balance the tyres and see if problem persist. Is there other reasons for this to happen?

Torque is superb but moving on from stand still requires a good thrust on the padle ortherwise it feels slow until I hit the kick down switch. Is this normal?

Also at certain rev there seems to be a little "kick" in the gear change. It happens on accerelating and when you decide to lift off you foot from the gas padle. Is this a common issue? Or does this have anything relating to the rear diff?

Would be good to hear from the sifu's

http://usera.imagecave.com/Vinchor/

 

[anaksarawak]

A little wet around the g/box oil pan (gasket), steering rod has signs of leak(repair kit?), fly wheel oil seal may need attention plus the power steering hose also need some attention.

flywheel oil seal? do you need to top up the oil? flywheel oil and engine oil are the the same?

Found this thread very interesting. Just bought a late 1997 E36 328i(A). The last owner is a 66 years old retired professional. He has maintain and upkept the car very well.
http://usera.imagecave.com/Vinchor/
The car is equipped with original M3 kits. Mileage is 155K kms. It's a local AB car. Currently riding on 16" E46 rims with almost new Michelins. Road tax is paid up till Sept. 2008 (previous owner). I paid RM45K

Undercarriage and suspension system has been attended to by the previous owner. Not a squeek going over humps and minor portholes.

Engine sounds healthy and there are bills to show that the radiator, hoses, alternator, air cond compressor has been changed recently. Car has been completely sound proofed i.e. floor board, door panels and roof.

Minus points :

A little wet around the g/box oil pan (gasket), steering rod has signs of leak(repair kit?), fly wheel oil seal may need attention plus the power steering hose also need some attention.

G/Box is Auto GM - PRND432 Is this a 5 Speed or 4 speed with a lock up OD.

I noticed there is some vibration at the rear when doing speed of 100/120kph upwards. Will try to balance the tyres and see if problem persist. Is there other reasons for this to happen?

Torque is superb but moving on from stand still requires a good thrust on the padle ortherwise it feels slow until I hit the kick down switch. Is this normal?

Also at certain rev there seems to be a little "kick" in the gear change. It happens on accerelating and when you decide to lift off you foot from the gas padle. Is this a common issue? Or does this have anything relating to the rear diff?

Would be good to hear from the sifu's

http://usera.imagecave.com/Vinchor/

 

[Vincent Hor]

A little wet around the g/box oil pan (gasket), steering rod has signs of leak(repair kit?), fly wheel oil seal may need attention plus the power steering hose also need some attention.

flywheel oil seal? do you need to top up the oil? flywheel oil and engine oil are the the same?

Geoffrey, I just taken delivery of the car 4 days ago. Too soon for me to tell if I am losing engine oil. But from the records, the last service was 1,500 kms earlier. Dip stick still shows full.

Sorry for confusing you, the area is "stained/oil marks" not exactly dripping wet. Actually the previous owner had attended to this in June 2006. There is a huge bill (RM4,600) from M Power which included the change of rad, coil springs, tranny flush, water pump, thermostat, fuel pump, clutch fan etc. According to the owner this was preventive maintenance.

So my question, is it common that the problem reoccurs after 1 1/2 years?

 

[Lee36328]

Congrats on your new e36

Found this thread very interesting. Just bought a late 1997 E36 328i(A). The last owner is a 66 years old retired professional. He has maintain and upkept the car very well.

The car is equipped with original M3 kits. Mileage is 155K kms. It's a local AB car. Currently riding on 16" E46 rims with almost new Michelins. Road tax is paid up till Sept. 2008 (previous owner). I paid RM45K

My heartiest congrats. Sounds like a good buy.

Undercarriage and suspension system has been attended to by the previous owner. Not a squeek going over humps and minor portholes.

Engine sounds healthy and there are bills to show that the radiator, hoses, alternator, air cond compressor has been changed recently. Car has been completely sound proofed i.e. floor board, door panels and roof.

All good signs. How recent is recently?

Minus points :

A little wet around the g/box oil pan (gasket), steering rod has signs of leak(repair kit?), fly wheel oil seal may need attention plus the power steering hose also need some attention.

Ask your workshop to wash the oil stains off, and see how long it takes for the stains to return. That's a quick way of determining how bad the leak is.

G/Box is Auto GM - PRND432 Is this a 5 Speed or 4 speed with a lock up OD.

It's a 4-speed but that's ok, because the torque is useable across a broad rpm range.

I noticed there is some vibration at the rear when doing speed of 100/120kph upwards. Will try to balance the tyres and see if problem persist. Is there other reasons for this to happen?

Yes, tires, rims (dented or not), output shaft, suspension mounts, and anything in between.

Torque is superb but moving on from stand still requires a good thrust on the padle ortherwise it feels slow until I hit the kick down switch. Is this normal?

This is typical, but definitely not normal. Among the numerous possible reasons are :

1. Poor initial signal from the throttle pedal, causing by aging sensors (throttle position sensors), aging electronic ciruits.
2. Lack of torque in the lower rpm range, possibly from prolonged periods of slow driving causing carbon buildup in the cylinders.
3. The ecu has adapted to a laid-back driving style, and has trimmed the fuel map accordingly.
4. Clogged fuel filters, weak fuel pump, causing insufficient initial delivery of fuel

It took me a while to sort out this but the end result puts a smile on my face every time I pull out of my driveway in the morning.

Also at certain rev there seems to be a little "kick" in the gear change. It happens on accerelating and when you decide to lift off you foot from the gas padle. Is this a common issue? Or does this have anything relating to the rear diff?

This kick indicates a slipping gear and a rebuild is probably due soon. Check the records to see whether and when a rebuild was last done. At this mileage, it is definitely due for the first rebuild.

You have made a good choice. The e36 328, if maintained the way it deserves, will reward with many years of pleasureable ownership.