Well I just dove into my newly acquired 95 318ti. The car had been in a mild fender bender and the person I bought the car from gave up trying to do the repairs himself and sold the car to me.
The tie rod broke on impact and the PO was in the middle of replacing the steering rack when I git the car.He wasn't able to bolt in the steering rack because the left motor mount support bracket was broken. I put the car on jackstands and ramps and proceeded to gently raise the motor up and install a 2x4 on top off the crossmember with some foam and gently lowered the engine until it was resting o the crossmember and 2x4 . I then had plenty of clearance to mount the steering rack and hook up the tie rods.
I then disconnected the battery ,loosened the tensioner and removed the serpentine belt.Removed the alternator ,fuel tank breather ,vacuum tank,intake support bracket and was finally able to free the motor mount bracket from the engine itself. It is very fragile looking and looks like it would be easy to break.
This is my first M42 maintenance and other than being a little tight was pretty straightforward .So off to the dealer today to order a replacement mount bracket and motor mount.
My 318ti adventure is starting...