The 1994 325i has been on her last leg for some time now. The motor is solid but the daily commuting and rust have taken their toll. I plan to part her out as she sits at 323k miles. The disassembly has already begun in the garage of a very good friend. Hopefully the parts will go on to serve another person well.
I began searching for a slightly newer but low mileage E36 about 6 months ago. I figured that since I already know almost everything about the older model it will save me time and frustration down the road. I finally found something I deemed acceptable from a small used car dealer in Loudoun County, VA. A super clean 1998 328i 5 speed manual with just under 116k miles was acquired two weeks ago. There is a minor dent on the fender that I hope to easily remove.
The model description is as follows:
| Model description: |
328I |
| Market: |
USA |
| Type: |
CD33 |
| E-Code: |
E36 (4) |
| Chassis: |
Limousine |
| Steering: |
links |
| Doors: |
4 |
| Engine: |
M52 – 2,80l (142kW) |
| Drive: |
Heckantrieb |
| Transmission: |
manuell |
| Body Color: |
Arktissilber Metallic (309) |
| Upholstery: |
Leder Casual/hellgrau (P7TH) |
| Production date: |
23.09.1997 |
| Assembled in: |
München |
The VIN decode lists the following features as present on this car:
| Code |
Sonderausstattung |
Optional Equipment |
| S240A |
Lenkrad Leder Airbag |
Leather steering wheel |
| S243A |
Airbag Beifahrer |
Airbag for front passenger |
| S260A |
Seitenairbag für Fahrer/Beifahrer |
Side airbag for driver/passenger |
| S277A |
BMW LM Rad Doppelspeiche |
BMW LA wheel/double spoke |
| S341A |
Stossfänger komplett in Wagenfarbe |
Bumpers completely in body colour |
| S401A |
Schiebehebedach elektrisch |
Lift-up-and-slide-back sunroof, electric |
| S458A |
Sitzverstellung vorne elektrisch |
Electr. front seat adjustment |
| S473A |
Armlehne vorne |
Armrest front |
| S481A |
Sportsitz |
Sports seat |
| S498A |
Kopfstützen im Fond mechanisch |
Headrests, rear, mechanically adjustable |
| S534A |
Klimaautomatik |
Automatic air conditioning |
| S540A |
Geschwindigkeitsregelung |
Cruise control |
| S554A |
Bordcomputer V mit Fernbedienung |
On-board computer V with remote control |
| S676A |
HiFi Lautsprechersystem |
HiFi speaker system |
| S686A |
Antennen-Diversity |
Antenna-Diversity |
| S692A |
CD-Wechsler I-Bus Vorbereitung |
Preparation, BMW 6-CD changer I-bus |
| S704A |
M Sportfahrwerk |
M Sports suspension |
| S818A |
Batteriehauptschalter |
Battery master switch |
| S925A |
Versandschutzpaket |
Transport protection package |
I was particularly excited about the seats and M sport suspension. The slightly lower ride height and beefier sway bars are definitely noticeable. The HiFi speaker system note is interesting because there is no HiFi switch on the center console nor signature Harmon Kardon markings on the door speaker covers. Regardless, after calling the dealership to get the radio code, I can say that the sound system is quite nice. I am currently using a cassette adapter to listen to music on my iPod and am very happy with the speaker range. The informational cassette that came with the owner’s manual was definitely worth a listen as I learned a few things about the car that I otherwise would not have known. For instance, if you turn off the engine and exit the car with windows and/or the sunroof open you can simply hold the key in the lock position for 6 seconds at which point the windows will close!
Despite the nice condition of this car I have encountered a few issues so far. The passenger airbag sensor is damaged (Table 2, Code 18) which can result in the illumination of the airbag light. I constructed a simple circuit which will trick the computer into thinking the seat is constitutively occupied. Clearly this is the best solution since the circuit materials cost $6 whereas the sensor, which is known to prematurely fail, costs $190. The front right wheel is rubbing the rear of the wheel well at sharp angles and very low speeds. I have ordered new control arms, FCABs and tie rods as I assume the ones on the car have never been replaced. It is about the time where these items should be replaced so this is no big deal so long as it fixes the issue. No doubt the bushings are all pretty worn. Next, since this car lived in Maryland after being imported through South Carolina, there was some rust present on the sway bar brackets. This degraded to the point that the bracket fell off along with the mounting bolts which are normally welded onto the frame of the car. I have been driving without this bracket and experienced no ill effects. Today I picked up the replacement piece to be welded onto the frame. Very reasonable part which costs $23 at the dealer. Lastly, the brake light circuit rarely encounters an error that does not actually result in the failure of the brake lights. This is a known issue with the brake pedal switch which is a quick 30 minute job. Some issues are to be expected for a car of this age so it’s off to the races to keep up with proper maintenance.
Some minor repairs and maintenance have already been done including instrument cluster light bulb replacement, OBC light bulb replacement, tire pressure checks, a full synthetic oil change and thorough cleaning of the leather, vinyl and carpet.
The car heats and cools without issue. Along with the suspension bits I ordered a new water pump, thermostat, thermostat housing and radiator cap. These will be replaced along with the cabin air filter and fuel filter this weekend. I have already been reading up on popular M52 engine modifications but quickly decided that they are not worth the effort. M3 camshafts, an M50 intake manifold and software tune is hardly worth a maximum gain of 20hp. Not for me, anyway. I’m keeping her stock with tasteful mods. Once the suspension goes I will likely replace it with Bilstein sport struts and H&R sport springs which I ran on the 325i. A strut bar and cold air intake will complete my current plans for this car. Oh and an nice exhaust.. and some headers… and some ZKW headlights and yellow fog lamp housings…..
thedailyyeti 