'96 318ti, unknown service history

[firstbmw]

Hi everyone, great forum you guys have here. I have just bought my first BMW, a Santorin blue 96 318ti auto, Japanese import to New Zealand. It was running like a dog when I got it with a spark plug hole full of water. Cleaned that up and its running great now. I am going to try to get all maintenance up to date but my budget will stop me from doing everything at once.
First question. How do I check which engine I have? Registration says 1795cc, engine number unknown, and I can't see anything under the hood.
My rough plan is to do
oil and filter change,
coolant flush/replace, change out any plastic coolant system parts (can only see a small right angle elbow so far) ,
change auto trans fluid and diff oil,
plugs and leads.
In approximately that order. Have I missed anything more important than what I listed? Have I prioritized well?
TIA
John

[jca]

Welcome aboard! You're correct to change all fluids and all filters before you do anything else. Next: the two plastic water pipes at the back of the engine. If old, these fail without notice with bad results often. After that, make sure that your brakes aren't worn out. I would then check and replace the serpentine belt if necessary and consider replacing the water pump as a preventative measure if you don't know the age of the one in the car now. Bottom line: overheating is something you want to avoid and prevent, and as luck would have it, the ti's cooling system is the model's weak point. Enjoy your ti! John

[firstbmw]

Awesome. Thanks jca. Good to know I am on the right track.

[wolferj-RIP]

John;

US spec ti's came with 2 engines, '95 with the 1.8L M42, '96 and later came with the 1.9L M44. I cannot answer to what the Japanese market had. The best guess is that you have the M44..

If you post the last 7 numbers of you VIN in the VIN Decoding thread here;

http://www.318ti.org/forum/showthread.php?t=18444

we can run the report for you so you can be 100%.

Welcome!

[firstbmw]

Done. Thanks wolferj

[wolferj-RIP]

So, you have a M42, so there is no plastic coolant pipe on the back of the head, just the one under the intake to worry about. The M42 has forged internals, so it is pretty bullet-proof as long as you keep it maintained (many examples of 500+ KM engines exist). Never let it overheat...

[firstbmw]

Stumbled across this original Japanese sales brochure last night. I wonder what the chances are that the one in the pic is the one I am driving. Same colour, same roof, same motor, same wheels, same matching side skirts. Would love a hard copy if anyone stumbles across one.

http://baurspotting.blogspot.co.nz/2013/07/1996-japanese-spec-318ti-compact-open.html?m=1

[jca]

That sales brochure is way cool!