1990 BMW 318i - knowledge

[AJI]

Happy x-mas everyone!

I'm hoping to go and look at a BMW 318i (H) reg in the next couple of days. Its purely going to be a fun run-around type of car but I have not much knowledge on early beemers at all.

Trying to find the MPG figures for this car on the internet is returning anything from 20mpg to 38mpg for the combined figure....can anyone tell me what it actually should be for this model of car in decent nick?


Internet reviews mention the car is reliable enough, but I'm guessing its just the usual checks when buying on such a vehicle as with any other car? (Or is there anything that they are renowned for in terms of failures?)


Cheers for any feedback.

[theironduke]

Bombproof engine, mine used to do around 30 around town, 35+ on a run.

Just watch for rust! If it has an MTech 2 kit they are awful for hiding rotten sills.

[mmm-five]

On any car of that age (early e36 or late e30), you'll probably find the coolant has simply been topped up with tap water, and maybe a bit of antifreeze now and then, rather than deionised/distilled water & antifreeze.

You may also find that the cooling system is not working properly due to the pipes getting covered in limescale & grit-like deposits all over the place (you can take the thermostat, water pump or expansion tank off to check), and if so you may have to budget for a bit of a cooling system overhaul if you're planning on keeping the vehicle for a while - otherwise use it until it dies and then replace it with another sub-£500 one.

[2 Wycked]

My old 318i Auto averaged just shy of 30mpg on a daily 22 mile commute into the centre of Birmingham.

Check the sills and scuttle panel for rust. Other than that they seem pretty bombproof. A friend bought mine off me and it's still going strong, save for having had to replace a couple of ball joints and idle control valve.

Gratuitous shot of my £200 worth of German steel:

[AJI]

On speaking with the seller he mentions the engine making a 'ticking' noise and suggests that it is a small hole in the intake manifold.
Not being massively up on my car mechanics, is this going to reduce power and/or increase MPG by much?


Its up for £400, so its no show room motor. But I do want it to be reliable and giving a decent MPG return. (With fuel prices likely to rocket again over the next year and all that).

[2 Wycked]

AJI said:

he mentions the engine making a 'ticking' noise and suggests that it is a small hole in the intake manifold.

I dunno about a hole in the intake manifold, but ticking is common on these engines and tends just to be the tappets. At £400 I'd say it's worth investigating further as even if it is the intake manifold as suggested, they're not expensive or difficult to get hold of if you post a 'Wanted' thread on E30Zone.net.

[rallycross]

check for noisy cam shaft / followers which makes a ticking noise, expensive to fix

[BDR529]

Mine gets around 30 when I'm not pushing it.

[philoldsmobile]

Can you stretch to a 320? the six cylinder engine is much better than the under powered four..

Edited by philoldsmobile on Sunday 26th December 23:20

[BDR529]

rallycross said:

check for noisy cam shaft / followers which makes a ticking noise, expensive to fix

Yes and this, as my car has it at the moment.

Go on e30zone, friendly bunch and will answer anything you need to know.

[philoldsmobile]

must say, the E30 is looking better and better as time passes. there is a belting 2 door 325 i pass every day on my way to work.

does need that 6 cylinder sound to be complete though.

[AJI]

philoldsmobile said:

Can you stretch to a 320? the six cylinder engine is much better than the under powered four..

Edited by philoldsmobile on Sunday 26th December 23:20

No doubt the 320 is a much better drive, but I'm looking for cheap as chips motoring for this coming year.
Something to to drive that will keep me awake with a bit of involvement but cheap to buy, fuel and maintain for about a year or so. If/when it breaks or I see something else then off to the scrappie or sell it on and look for another sub-£400 motor.

Edited by AJI on Monday 27th December 13:38

[2 Wycked]

AJI said:

philoldsmobile said:

Can you stretch to a 320? the six cylinder engine is much better than the under powered four..

No doubt the 320 is a much better drive

Don't worry, it really isn't. The 320i only has an extra 10bhp or so and is considerably more thirsty.

They do sound good though, I'll grant them that.

[BDR529]

I've often seen the 320 described as 318 performance with 325 economy.


I haven't driven one, so I can't comment on how true that statement is.

Edited by BDR529 on Monday 27th December 20:46

[Nuisance_Value]

I had a 318i up until 9 years ago or so, was constantly surprised at just how nippy and quick it was considering it had 'only' a 1.8 engine and yet always gave me over 30mpg even with really 'spirited' driving. Still love the look of the 2 door versions.

[lance1a]

The ticking noise can be a few things...all related. Either there is a sticky lifter caused by the oil spray bar being clogged, if not it has led to....the lobe on the rocker being flat spotted or scouring and damage to the cam. In that order of events. You can cure them all (except the worn cam) quite easily and cheaply. You can get a BMW tool that allows you to remove the rockers and lifters quite easily or buy the Ebay one for Ford CVH motors as it also works.
If it needs a cam belt, do it. Check cooling system properly too. Rust is the other issue and tattered drivers seats and a crack or two in the dash. If theres a spot of rust on the top of the sunroof the inner frame will be rotted.

But all in all, great cars. The 318 is still quite nippy.