ScORTED Posted September 3, 2010 Share Posted September 3, 2010 I'm off to look at an E36 convertible tomorrow wondered if anyone had some advice or could point me to a good bimmer forum cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eetaylog Posted September 3, 2010 Share Posted September 3, 2010 E36coupe.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geordie_aaron Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 yeah i used these guys too - not very talkative though. which engine isit your looking at you'll have to be careful of the vanos problem or niskali if M3, vanos problem tries to get past off as bad coil/sparks as the engine misses, there's a how to to check if the car has it or not but i prefer to open the door as wide as possible and watch the furthest top edge to see if it bounces up and down - it SHOULD be level pegging. arches are a nightmare and once they start rusting they turn into a big problem........FAST. im assuming its got good history if its a drop top - have a look see when it had its last inspection II service & if the viscous coupling fan has been done as this can be canny costly other than that they're pretty much bullet proof cars god luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScORTED Posted September 4, 2010 Author Share Posted September 4, 2010 its a 328 indeed, yeah was wondering about the nikasil but its over 100k, its got a dodgy past but if it drives right and I can get a good deal I'm having it. I don't get what you mean about something bouncing up and down with the door open? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
escortjas Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 I think there was something to do with the top of the rear suspension on these and the coupe's. E46's had the same (or very similar) problem. Sid would be your man to ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidrick Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 e36coupe is okay, but the search function is poor and a lot of people have opinions on things that they have no idea about. The E36 vert is almost identical to the coupe, so the usual rear trailing arm bushes and front arm bushes should be checked. The front arm bushes are cheap and easy to replace (I did mine this week on the compact) but you need access to a press. The rear trailing arm bushes aren't really DIY unless you have the patience of a saint. You'd be looking at about 3 hours labour for them at a garage. What aaron is talking about with regards to Nikasil is that the nikasil cylinder linings wore on the old, poorer petrol(sulpher content, I think) of the mid-ninties and eventually allowed very slight side-to-side movement in the pistons, which rocked the engine, which was most noticable when you opened the door and checked to see if you could see/feel the top of the door moving.To be honest, nikasil isn't really a problem nowadays as it was a recall from BMW so most folk took them up on this, and also modern petrol is of such a high quality that it no longer wears the nikasil linings. If the car is over 100k, then I really wouldn't worry about it. Due to the extra weight of the vert, the rear shock top mounts - which wear on all E36s - are even more of a problem. This allows slight movement and a wandering feel when worn. However, these are easy to replace, and most vert owners go for an uprated mount when replacing, which are available for circa £100 for the pair. 30 min DIY job per side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScORTED Posted September 4, 2010 Author Share Posted September 4, 2010 thanks sid... i bought it... its pretty fast and quite tidy, drives pretty well and it passed an mot 2 months ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidrick Posted September 5, 2010 Share Posted September 5, 2010 Welcome to the club! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScORTED Posted September 6, 2010 Author Share Posted September 6, 2010 Haha thanks, how much power are they... about 200 isn't it? Although I haven't done a proper test it does seem pretty damn thirsty.and I remember another thread people where people were getting the details of there build options etc, was it you that was providing it? Haha thanks, how much power are they... about 200 isn't it? Although I haven't done a proper test it does seem pretty damn thirsty.and I remember another thread people where people were getting the details of there build options etc, was it you that was providing it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidrick Posted September 6, 2010 Share Posted September 6, 2010 I'd need the last 7 digits of your chassis number. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScORTED Posted September 6, 2010 Author Share Posted September 6, 2010 Haha thanks, how much power are they... about 200 isn't it? Although I haven't done a proper test it does seem pretty damn thirsty.and I remember another thread people where people were getting the details of there build options etc, was it you that was providing it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidrick Posted September 6, 2010 Share Posted September 6, 2010 The power is just shy of 200bhp, but it's if you get a big increase if you fit an M50 325i intake set-up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScORTED Posted September 6, 2010 Author Share Posted September 6, 2010 yeah I had heard about that, what kind of gains would i be looking at? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidrick Posted September 6, 2010 Share Posted September 6, 2010 (edited) Normally 15bhp A lot of folk on e36coupe.com have 328i cars running circa 230-240bhp without much work at all. The car is fairly de-tuned in standard form. It's worth looking into. Edited September 6, 2010 by sidrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottg17 Posted September 6, 2010 Share Posted September 6, 2010 my mate had a 528, he could get about 33mpg if it was driven sensibly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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