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Old 06-10-2012, 02:18 PM   #1
arun318Ti
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Default just bought a 1995 318Ti, Problems to look out for?

As the title would suggest, i have just purchased a 1995 318Ti with 100,000 miles on it, it's a nice hellrot red and has standard 17''5 spoke BMW alloys, i am just wondering what problems to look out for at this age and mileage, it has been owned by an older lady for the last 50,000 miles and has been well serviced and looked after but i'd rather be safe than sorry! i live in NZ and parts are still expensive and more difficult to come by!
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Old 06-10-2012, 07:55 PM   #2
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Congrats on the purchase and welcome to the forum. The first thing I'd address would be the cooling system. There's a great writeup in the knowledge base section called "Cooling System Rebuild". This involves replacing almost every component in the cooling system. It's not very difficult or expensive to do and it will give you peace of mind for another hundred thousand miles. Overheating due to failed cooling system components is the number one killer of these engines. While you're replacing the cooling system, you may want to consider removing the oil filter housing and replacing the o-rings and paper gasket. The oil filter housing is known to leak once the o-rings become hard and flat. I'm not speaking of the o-rings under the cap, but instead the o-rings on the check valve aka "bush" which is located between the filter housing and engine block. Doing this repair at the same time as your cooling system rebuild will eliminate the need to remove the intake manifold which is a pain in the ass.

Next I would replace all of the fluids. Note, the power steering system DOES NOT USE power steering fluid. Instead it uses ATF (automatic transmission fluid).

Next, I would replace all of the drivetrain bushings. Engine mounts, Transmission mounts, center support bearing(supports the driveshaft), and the differential bushing.

Next, I'd replace all of the suspension and steering bushings, ball joints, bearings and tie rods. This includes the front control arm bushings, front and rear sway bar links, inner and outer ball joints, tie rods, front strut bearings, rear upper shock mounts, rear trailing arm bushings, and rear subframe bushings.

Since the car will need an alignment after the bushings are replaced, it would be a good idea to replace the worn shocks and struts prior to taking it in for alignment.

And finally, I'd address the brakes. You can upgrade to vented rotors in the front. There's a few different routes people take. 325i/s are a cheap and direct swap. All you need is calipers, carriers pads and rotors. I think 330 brakes are just as simple, maybe a little more expensive. M3 front brakes require spindles as well as the other parts mentioned. Not many options available for rear brakes that doesn't invole some sort of custom fabrication.

Hope that helps, and again welcome to the forum!
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Old 06-11-2012, 02:11 AM   #3
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Old 06-11-2012, 05:05 AM   #4
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My 95 is at 190K miles, the shocks are finally needing replacement the bushings are in surprisingly good shape.

Careful on the cooling system replacement, the writeups are about the M44 engine and our 95's are M42 and we don't have some of the same parts. Also there are some differences between early year and late year cars.

THe brakes are fine for daily driving. You can fade them since they are a solid rotor. But I find that takes some effort, especially if you buy good pads.

The ABS system is old, be VERY careful if you have to mess with the connectors under the fendors like when doing brakes etc, they break and are hard to diagnose to find the right bad sensor.
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Old 06-11-2012, 07:56 AM   #5
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Ahh cool thanks for that guys, i am going to bring it in for a service this week and hopefully everything checks out fine
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Old 06-11-2012, 08:04 AM   #6
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And thanks for the welcome also! i went on to bimmerforums and i didn't like it! people weren't very friendly!
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Old 06-11-2012, 08:30 AM   #7
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M42's are just as prone to overheating due to cooling system failures as M44's are. Both engines have plastic components that fatigue and being an M42(older) is all the more reason you'd want to replace everything. Sure the M42 has an aluminum thermostat housing, but it's the actual thermostat that usually fails. Water pumps fail on both engines as do the radiators which are the same on both engines. While the M42 doesn't have the plastic "Y" connector on the back of the cylinder head, it still has the plastic "octopus" fitting on the side of the engine block. The radiators typically crack and leak between the side of the radiator core and the expansion tank. Hoses weaken and rupture etc.

For someone that's new to these cars, I think it's important to know the dangers of driving one with 100k miles on the cooling system. If any of those components fail, mark my word THEY WILL, your engine will overheat. Every second that the engine temerature rises above normal operating temp, you're putting significant fatigue on the head gasket. Who knows what was done to the car prior to you owning it. You said an old lady owned it for 50k miles. Well guess what women do when they notice the temp needle rising... A) They don't notice because they hardly ever pay attention to those things, or B) Nothing, they continue driving to their destination or until the engine blows up. Just sayin, people buy these 17 year old cars thinking they're cool and bulletproof, then a month later they're driving down the road and notice the temp needle pegged, next thing you know steams coming from under the hood and they now have to fork out 2 grand because their headgasket failed and their head is warped or cracked. An M42/M44 w/100k miles on the cooling system is a ticking timebomb. Not tryin to scare you, but yeah... Watch that needle like a hawk.

And also note that any time you open the cooling system loop ie; replace a component or simply top off the coolant, make sure to PROPERLY BLEED THE COOLING SYSTEM
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Old 06-11-2012, 08:38 AM   #8
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Thanks for all the help and advice, yes an old lady did own it for half of it's Km's but also her husband was very meticulous about cars and i know it has been serviced and looked after, still you are right, i don't know if parts have been replaced or anything like that but i am getting it checked this week so hopefully it is all well it does run well and at the moment there are no problems, hopefully that lasts!
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Old 06-11-2012, 03:53 PM   #9
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From one Hellrot 95 to another, congrats on the car. Enjoy it. Would love to see some pictures.

I am replacing the cooling system this weekend as mine appears to be all original under there. Mine is at 137K. I am doing the filter housing as CoolJess suggested.
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Old 06-11-2012, 11:55 PM   #10
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From a 3rd 95 Hellrot - welcome. I've got 212k and running strong, but in the last couple of months I've done the oil filter housing gasket/o-ring/oil pressure unit, and replaced the cooling system - radiator, all hoses and plastic parts. As I pulled things out, the plastic bits fell apart. I've also replaced power steering hoses/reservoir. My big piece of advice: BMWs like maintenance, not repair. Don't wait for crap to break, most things give you fair warning when they need attention.
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Old 06-12-2012, 03:02 AM   #11
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[QUOTE=cooljess76;331730]M42's are just as prone to overheating due to cooling system failures as M44's are. Both engines have plastic components that fatigue and being an M42(older) is all the more reason you'd want to replace everything. Sure the M42 has an aluminum thermostat housing, but it's the actual thermostat that usually fails. Water pumps fail on both engines as do the radiators which are the same on both engines. While the M42 doesn't have the plastic "Y" connector on the back of the cylinder head, it still has the plastic "octopus" fitting on the side of the engine block. The radiators typically crack and leak between the side of the radiator core and the expansion tank. Hoses weaken and rupture etc.

For someone that's new to these cars, I think it's important to know the dangers of driving one with 100k miles on the cooling system. If any of those components fail, mark my word THEY WILL, your engine will overheat. Every second that the engine temerature rises above normal operating temp, you're putting significant fatigue on the head gasket. Who knows what was done to the car prior to you owning it. You said an old lady owned it for 50k miles. Well guess what women do when they notice the temp needle rising... A) They don't notice because they hardly ever pay attention to those things, or B) Nothing, they continue driving to their destination or until the engine blows up. Just sayin, people buy these 17 year old cars thinking they're cool and bulletproof, then a month later they're driving down the road and notice the temp needle pegged, next thing you know steams coming from under the hood and they now have to fork out 2 grand because their headgasket failed and their head is warped or cracked. An M42/M44 w/100k miles on the cooling system is a ticking timebomb. Not tryin to scare you, but yeah... Watch that needle like a hawk.

And also note that any time you open the cooling system loop ie; replace a component or simply top off the coolant, make sure to PROPERLY BLEED THE COOLING SYSTEM[/QUOT

What Jess says is all true, but let me add one suggestion for your consideration. I installed an Engine Watchdog temperature warning system from Australian Signals for $149 US. You can set the temperature at which you wish the gizmo to light up and sound an alarm. It also gives you a digital read out of the engine temp in real time. For me the price has been worth the peace of mind.
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Old 06-12-2012, 04:35 AM   #12
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Thanks again to everyone! good to know i can always get help with an issues on here! and good to check out other Ti's as well! i wouldn't mind replacing all of the said stuff to insure that it wont give me grief in the future!
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Old 04-06-2015, 08:18 PM   #13
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Nice to hear all the advice. The senior members and site supporters really have all the experience in these matter. I finally finish my newly acquired 95 Ti. New starter, cooling sytem hoses, connectors, water pump, thermostat, pulleys, belts, fliuds and a lot more than I can remember. Now it runs like a champ. I'm looking forward to fixing the brakes, door panels to name the few. It has 255+ K miles in it. I love it!
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