Tips for my Ti
 

I have a 1996 318ti 5 speed with about 160k miles, it's been a long battle to get it to start as we bought it non-running, but as a total the car has been sittingfor about a year, and 90% of that time was in my garage, but is also rust-free (maybe because of where i live)

So we replaced the starter thinking that was the problem, but when we turned the key it still wouldn't crank... So after some investigating we bought a new key with a new chip and it cranked!! But that was it.

After more investigating the fuel pump was bad, so we just ordered one

So my main question is what other maintinence things should i do to this car once it runs? For example we just put a new fuel filter in it, and when we were replacing the starter we also took that time to replace alot of crusty hoses for the fuel and cooling system with new hoses, so is there any other things we should look at to replace or clean? Also what's the best oil? I always get different answers! And it's annoying! But i live in a decently always-warm climate (North Carolina)if that helps

Where in North Carolina are you? I've got a 95 in the Raleigh area


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I live in Spring Lake/Fayetteville, so what type of coolant and oil do you use for your Ti? Also anything else i should know

For coolant, just go to the dealer and get the BMW approved stuff and some distilled water if it isn't already distilled. My mechanic did mine before I picked the car up, so I don't know what he used. For oil, I go with 10w-40, conventional. I'm probably the only person in the world that isn't using synthetic these days, but that's because I'm actually worried that the detergents in a synthetic will break some of seals that exist in this 200K+ mile car. Maybe I'm naive, but that's my thinking. There are a ton of things to check out on an E36, especially one that has been sitting for a while. Fuel pump and fuel filter are definitely good places to start, and it looks like you're working on your starter. You've replaced some belts and hoses, which are also prone to failure with age. I'd also check out, in order of personal preference: Suspension: What is the condition of the front struts, control arms, control arm bushings, and tie rods? Check the rear as well. Tons of resources online and here on the forum for E36/E30 suspension refreshses. Oil Filter Housing Leak: It is well documented on these cars that the Oil filter housing leaks like mad, and with your high mileage it is likely to be the case. Check that area and the undercarriage for any leaks and try to trace their origin. Cooling System: You have a 1995 so you may not have the plastic parts that replaced metal parts in the later year cooling systems. Well documented on this forum how to check for that and what to do. Power Steering Reservoir: Check for leaks around this area and underneath it Welcome to the forum! If you haven't go to the introduction sub forum and say hi there, maybe post a pic of your ride, and what you're trying to do to it.

From the KB on oil types: http://www.318ti.org/forum/showthread.php?t=8899

Aye thanks for all the advice man, so we just replaced the starter, fuel filter,battery, and fuel pump with brand new ones... And now it only cranks but will not start do you have any idea what could be wrong? The fuel pump and relay are all working and it's getting pressure..also it is getting spark so it's def not a EWS issue, Could it be clogged injecotrs or something? So i'm just confused man if you know anything about this that would be great! Thanks!

It's pretty open ended - what was the condition of the car before it was garaged? It's a 96 so you should be able to plug an OBDII scanner to the port and get a reading. On OBDI I can get a reading with the car in "on" mode. May also be worth having a local Euro shop run the codes too as they'll have a better scanner, but there are inexpensive OBDII scanners you can get.