r/BMWE36

E36 325i M50B25 1995
I replaced my water pump and thermostat and proceeded to bleed by following the guide I found here :

>!1. ⁠Open the cap for the expansion tank and also unscrew the bleed screw until you can see the red seal.!<
>!2. ⁠Turn on your ignition, set fan to 1 and heat to max.!<
>!3. ⁠Proceed to fill the expansion tank (engine off!) with the bleed screw opened until the level reaches the top of the expansion tank. Keep filling until the system stops sucking down the water. Close the bleed screw.!<
>!4. ⁠Proceed to open and close the bleed screw, while filling in coolant, until no more bubbles come out of the bleed screw.!<
>!5. ⁠Close everything up, then start the engine and run for no more than 30 Seconds.!<
>!6. ⁠Reopen the cap and bleed screw and do one more fill with the screw open.!<
>!7. ⁠Using a syringe, remove the amount of coolant you need to reach the “cold” level.!<
>!8. ⁠During the test drive, keep the fan on 1 and heat on max. If you’ve done it right, the heat coming out of your vents should be borderline uncomfortable.!<
>!9. ⁠Allow the engine to cool off (ideally over night), then do one more bleed.!<

After the last step, I filled the tank fully and proceeded to open the screw. Once no more bubles were leaving I removed some coolant until I reached the KOLD mark.
Then I went for a 30 mins drive, everything was fine, engine was at normal operating temperature, hot hair blowing, both upper and lower hooses where hot. There are no leaks.

But one thing seemed off : my coolant tank was empty. I’m not sure but the tank shouldn’t be empty when the engine is at running temperature. Whats the problem and how to fix it ? I’m still waiting for the car to cool down right now but I believe once it cool down the level will be at KOLD mark again. What did I miss ?

My son is going off to college and won’t be taking his beloved E36. He bought it just over two years ago from a JDM importer located in Portland with roughly 16k miles on it. It’s been a great car for him but he needs the money for school so we’re looking for a new home for it.

1997 BMW 320i (E36)

Auto

Right hand drive, imported from Japan

Only 35,000 original miles

No accident history

100% original factory paint

Recent improvements include shocks, brakes, transmission service, belts, headliner, door upholstery. At some point in the future it will need a new transmission cooler hose.

Maintenance records included

Exceptionally clean inside and out

This car has been well maintained and all service records during his ownership have been kept.

Clean title in hand.

Serious inquiries only. We’re not interested in help selling or trades. We cannot deliver the vehicle. Cash or Bank Cashiers Check only. Happy to do title transfer at local DMV.

Asking $10,900

Located in Bellevue Washington

Thank you

Hi everyone,

I recently bought a 1996 E36 328i Coupé with the M52B28 and around 103k km (theoretical mileage, haha).

I’m trying to diagnose a couple of engine-related issues and would love to hear from other M52 owners who have experienced something similar.

When the engine is cold, it has some hesitation/bucking at low RPM. The idle is also not completely smooth, and the RPM seems to jump rather than increase smoothly. This gets progressively better as the engine warms up and is basically gone once it reaches around 90°C.

The car was scanned during the pre-purchase inspection, both before and after the road test, and no relevant fault codes were found.

There is also a noise when starting the engine that sounds somewhat like a bearing or a belt squealing/rattling. It gets louder as RPM increases, especially when accelerating under load. I’m wondering whether this could be related to the accessory belt system, tensioner, idler pulley, alternator, water pump, etc.

The inspection also found some oil seepage around the upper part of the engine, apparently around the VANOS hose area. I haven’t done any repairs related to the cold-running issue yet.

Has anyone experienced this combination of symptoms on an M52B28?

Any advice on where to start diagnosing would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Backed into a car like an idiot :(

1995 m3 coupe manual with 131600 miles. Asking 13.5

I bought this car to turn into a track car and spent my entire mod budget de-clapping it. Looking to move into a manual 328is or 325is + cash. I’d prefer to trade but I’d consider selling if the offer is right. If I don’t trade it I’m going to fix up some cosmetics and put it on marketplace.

Bone stock besides 22rpd tune that was done in house

Car was one owner 1995-2023 no accidents clean title

Maintenance within the last 20k:

116k- BMW of Southampton $3212
Both front strut assemblies
Both front springs
Both front Strut mounts
Left Tie rod
Sway bar links

126k - 22RPD $4,025
Ignition lock assembly
Ignition cylinder
Ignition lock housing
Fog light assembly x2
Both inside door handles
R&R door panels
Door lock actuators
Crank sensor

127k - precision motor works Seattle $2135
Radiator + upper/lower hoses
Thermostat + housing
Water pump
Belt
Coolant flush

130k DIY
Expansion tank
Bleeder screw
Expansion tank cap
Fan clutch
Bleeder hose
Lower timing chain tensioner
Drivers seat recline gear
Coolant flush

131k- pw performance $1424
Vanos rebuild with besian seals and anti rattle kit
Genuine bmw valve cover gasket
Valve cover gasket grommets x15
Oil filler gasket
Intake side spring washer

131k- GEMBA automotive
Diag AC
found leak from valve core, replaced high side and low side
Vac + fill

131k continued DIY
Cleaned ICV
Replaced ICV hoses
Replaced CCV + hoses
New intake boot

*uninstalled*
New coolant level sensor + level sensor cap (extra)

4 way coolant hose (block -> heater core)
Doesn’t leak but hose looks somewhat degraded, hard to tell with manifold in place

Car comes with a stack of receipts from BMW of Southampton from the first owner, including original purchase documents.

CONS:

Headliner sags

Front and rear bumpers look like they’ve been backed into 100x, looks like someone rattle canned the rear bumper

Clearcoat is not failing, but I don’t know if this car has ever seen wax in its life

Dings + dents around the car

The car will occasionally store a 1226 code. There’s a customer complaint in the service records about this, but the tech couldn’t reproduce the problem. CEL doesn’t stay illuminated but it shows up on stomp test every once in a while

Ac blows cold but the pulley bearing is loud as hell

NYC car originally so there’s some corrosion on underbody components, zero rust on the jack points, trunk floor, or under the battery. Happy to send photos of whatever you’d like

Seeps from the oil pan gasket. I’d do the oil pump nut if you plan to fix this, as far as I’m aware it hasn’t been done.

Airbag light is on for some unknown reason.

Gas gauge works sometimes, range button still works

Hoping to get $13,500 open to offers

Is this considered as freeplay and what is the cause of it? Or is this normal?

Hello! In the process of restoring an M3 and wanted to know if anyone recognized these oil leaks, or had a name for some of the seals I need to replace. I'm aware my valve cover is leaking (something I've already ordered). From these pictures, what else does it look like I need?

Fuel relay ticking and some sound from fuel rail aslo a fuela pump makes some noise

my alternator went bad on my ‘95 318is so i replaced it with a Bosch unit from FCP Euro, also replaced the idler pulley. now im getting this whirring sound. it looks like my tensioner pulley might also need to be replaced, but the sound has me worried the new alternator itself might be bad.

My 94 325 drift/street sedan.

Located in NJ, replace shocks and I also install covers. Labor 800 for both seats, lmk!

Has anyone made a 4 cyl cluster work on a 6 cyl car? What does it take to make it work?

Used Eric's kit at m50manifold, wasn't too bad of an install. Definitely notice the lower end torque loss, hopefully a tune can sort that out. First time I've put some love into the car in a long time.

Tear down and repair of my melted MAF power melting in my engine harness gave me motivation to finally install my Hella angel eye headlights.

Insane how much these change the car