just bought an e30 325i...problems

[mikejungle]

well, just bought the car for a grand, which i thought was somewhat of a fair deal, even with 200,000 miles on it
And.
it's got problems.

1) The transmission seems to be grinding randomly. How much will it cost to work on it? it seems to grind when coming out of 2nd gear, and sometimes in other gears.
2) the car started earlier, but isn't anymore. I suspect it might be because my friend started with it already in 1st gear :T
So now everytime we try to start the car, the whole car shuts down and we have to reset it by reconnecting the battery. It won't turn over at all, so we had to pop start it. fun stuff.

anyway...those are the two main problems.
everything else is great.
oh wait, the clutch seems to be almost done too.

your help would be much appreciated. i'm not very car savvy.

but she's beautiful

[KamilMk]

Originally Posted by mikejungle

well, just bought the car for a grand, which i thought was somewhat of a fair deal, even with 200,000 miles on it
And.
it's got problems.

1) The transmission seems to be grinding randomly. How much will it cost to work on it? it seems to grind when coming out of 2nd gear, and sometimes in other gears.
2) the car started earlier, but isn't anymore. I suspect it might be because my friend started with it already in 1st gear :T
So now everytime we try to start the car, the whole car shuts down and we have to reset it by reconnecting the battery. It won't turn over at all, so we had to pop start it. fun stuff.

anyway...those are the two main problems.
everything else is great.
oh wait, the clutch seems to be almost done too.

your help would be much appreciated. i'm not very car savvy.

but she's beautiful

1) I'm not too familiar with the e30s. But I would guesstimate that the transmittion will run you over $1,000.
Including labor, unless you can somehow get it done yourself.
2) Your friend is an idiot.

I agree, the e30s are real nice looking cars. Especially the Ms...

[CassiesMan]

E30 M3-Sexy ass cuz its a widebody...stock.

1. Alot. I'm gonna agree with Killa, and say over $1k. Unless its something minor, like just the clutch.
2. Kill your friend.
3. Clutch shouldn't cost toooo much, just go find a decent aftermarket piece.

[getfast37]

Hard to diagnose from what you have typed but the E30 manual trans is pretty bulletproof (unless the fluid gets old or low.) I'd recommend finding a used one out of a known running car and swapping it in. $300 tops. 4 hour job at most.

As for your starting problem, check and/or just replace the three relays on the (passenger side?) fender under the black cover. Two orange and a white, or similar. Many E30 starting and/or running problems come from a short in one of those. Otherwise you may have a DME problem, an electrical problem, or even a starter problem. But start with those relays since they are cheap & easy, and definitely a known E30 starting-problem issue.

I'd say get the car running and drive it a bit before you do anything with the clutch or trans. The clutch could be glazed and slippy from sitting, the clutch hydraulics could be wearing out, etc. But if you're doing a trans swap, a new clutch ain't much more work at all. Sachs is the OEM brand, a complete kit should be available for less than $200. The stock flywheel should be scuffed clean at a minimum, if not removed and resurfaced, depending upon how bad it looks.

YMMV, IMHO, etc.

Jon