M3 E36 pinking?
Discussion
I've committed the ultimate sin - let me emotions get the better of me and bought a 1995 M3 without checking it as meticulously as I normally would.
Now that I’ve driven it a bit, I find it pinks a lot when you accelerate even fairly gently under a bit of load. At least, it SOUNDS exactly like pinking on any other car – I’m hoping it's not the dreaded VANOS. The engine is as quiet as a watch when ticking over or revving normally.
I’m using Optimax petrol, though the manual says it has a knock sensor, so should run OK on crap, albeit a bit slower!
Any opinions please? Do you think I've bought a pup? I’m thinking (probably simplistically) that a car with a knock sensor simply shouldn’t pink, but if the sensor as knackered it should be telling me all about it on the OBC (I have the one with loads of buttons).
All help VERY gratefully received – I've tried a couple of US M3 sites, but no answers at all Tsk.
Thanks
Roger
>> Edited by Hogweed on Wednesday 28th September 09:14
Now that I’ve driven it a bit, I find it pinks a lot when you accelerate even fairly gently under a bit of load. At least, it SOUNDS exactly like pinking on any other car – I’m hoping it's not the dreaded VANOS. The engine is as quiet as a watch when ticking over or revving normally.
I’m using Optimax petrol, though the manual says it has a knock sensor, so should run OK on crap, albeit a bit slower!
Any opinions please? Do you think I've bought a pup? I’m thinking (probably simplistically) that a car with a knock sensor simply shouldn’t pink, but if the sensor as knackered it should be telling me all about it on the OBC (I have the one with loads of buttons).
All help VERY gratefully received – I've tried a couple of US M3 sites, but no answers at all Tsk.
Thanks
Roger
>> Edited by Hogweed on Wednesday 28th September 09:14
Hi Roger, first off welcome to ///M ownership!
I own a 95 M3 Vert, it's my second M3 and third E36.
The vanos on ours is the single vanos not the double vanos on the later evo model, which means you bought the right one! Your Vanos will not fail - fact. I had the evo model and had a vanos faliure = £££ (thats now why I have the 3.0 M3)
If you are getting a knocking noise you may have to replace the suspension arm (rods) can be done for under £100. On these it's a common fault, if it has high miles then the ball joints/arms/etc will need replacing.
Could you tell me more about the "pinking" as im unsure of what you mean???
Have a look on www.e36coupe.com im on there all the time and the boys are very helpful/friendly.
These M3's have a bulit broof engine and will go on for years, if maintained well.
I own a 95 M3 Vert, it's my second M3 and third E36.
The vanos on ours is the single vanos not the double vanos on the later evo model, which means you bought the right one! Your Vanos will not fail - fact. I had the evo model and had a vanos faliure = £££ (thats now why I have the 3.0 M3)
If you are getting a knocking noise you may have to replace the suspension arm (rods) can be done for under £100. On these it's a common fault, if it has high miles then the ball joints/arms/etc will need replacing.
Could you tell me more about the "pinking" as im unsure of what you mean???
Have a look on www.e36coupe.com im on there all the time and the boys are very helpful/friendly.
These M3's have a bulit broof engine and will go on for years, if maintained well.
Hi Robbie, thanks for your reply. Trouble is, I bought this car in a BIG hurry – guy was going bankrupt, had to raise a couple of grand in 48 hours, I made a silly offer and he took it. I now find that he hadn't looked after the car much for the last year or maybe even two – it's even possible it's 20k since the oil was changed!
On the upside, I don't think he ever went over 30mph in it, so it may have survived. And I've known things like Hondas to go 100k between oil changes, driven by little old ladies who didn’t know they had to! But I’m not betting on it
Are you sure about the VANOS? I've read on other forums that the single one, while more reliable than the dual, will eventually fail too?
On the up side, the engine is very quiet apart from the awful pinking – you should have heard my E30 325I compared with this one! And it would pull your arms out of their sockets….
On the upside, I don't think he ever went over 30mph in it, so it may have survived. And I've known things like Hondas to go 100k between oil changes, driven by little old ladies who didn’t know they had to! But I’m not betting on it
Are you sure about the VANOS? I've read on other forums that the single one, while more reliable than the dual, will eventually fail too?
On the up side, the engine is very quiet apart from the awful pinking – you should have heard my E30 325I compared with this one! And it would pull your arms out of their sockets….
Hogweed said:
Are you sure about the VANOS? I've read on other forums that the single one, while more reliable than the dual, will eventually fail too?
Yes, they do fail.. but much less than the twin Vanos on the EVO.
But it would'nt create the pinking under light load.
I would have the fueling checked. It could be running too lean. One of the sensors might have gone etc
mondeoman said:
or you've gone and bought supermarket fuel!!
Happened a lot on my e46 M3, crap cheap fuel, pinking under light load. Lovely super unleaded, no problems at all.
Well - It was bone dry when I picked it up, so straight to a Texaco and just £10 of unleaded to get me home. The £10 took me about 300 yards, as you will know, so I put another £10 of BP Super Unleaded or whatever you call it (think Optimax is the Shell one!) in. Trouble is, you can't hear the pinking unless oy have the window down, and it has air con, so it was up!
It's nearly empty again, so I'll fill it up with the better stuff tomorrow, see how I get on. But took it to my local indy specialist just now, diagnostics checked out 100% OK, and he says it just needs a good srvice and balance - plus the better unleaded - and it'll all be OK.
Hogweed said:
or you've gone and bought supermarket fuel!!
Happened a lot on my e46 M3, crap cheap fuel, pinking under light load. Lovely super unleaded, no problems at all.
Well - It was bone dry when I picked it up, so straight to a Texaco and just £10 of unleaded to get me home. The £10 took me about 300 yards, as you will know, so I put another £10 of BP Super Unleaded or whatever you call it (think Optimax is the Shell one!) in. Trouble is, you can't hear the pinking unless oy have the window down, and it has air con, so it was up!
It's nearly empty again, so I'll fill it up with the better stuff tomorrow, see how I get on. But took it to my local indy specialist just now, diagnostics checked out 100% OK, and he says it just needs a good srvice and balance - plus the better unleaded - and it'll all be OK.
Believe me, I know pinking when I hear it! Just had it checked out at the BM place, and all diagnostics OK, no VANOS noise - needs a good service, throttles balanced, and decnt petrol, and he promises me it'll be fine again!
Hi! My e36 320i pinked and it drove me crazy! I wasn’t aware of what it was exactly took it to a few places and spoke to a few people on the phone; all said it’s unlikely a BMW engine would ever ping! Regardless mine was!
I took it to Baymow in Hazel Grove, great guys highly recommended, gave me a bottle of Forte Fuel Treatment. Used it, hand on heart it hasn’t pinged ever since.
Optimax will make a slight difference but not much.
It’s caused by too much carbon build up in the engine and associated combustion components. VERY harmful and wreck an engine! Keep her on Optimax only and use Forte once a while.
I took it to Baymow in Hazel Grove, great guys highly recommended, gave me a bottle of Forte Fuel Treatment. Used it, hand on heart it hasn’t pinged ever since.
Optimax will make a slight difference but not much.
It’s caused by too much carbon build up in the engine and associated combustion components. VERY harmful and wreck an engine! Keep her on Optimax only and use Forte once a while.
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