E30 reliability...

Sturmgreif

Sturmgreif

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I am a BMW Technician at a dealer, and what I witnessed a while back amazed me, even though I already knew of the E30's legendary reliability. A lady brought her car in for a slow crank/no start problem, thinking we could pop a battery in it for her. Well, it was no battery problem, lol. The oil was so thick, you could almost spoon it out in GLOBS, like Jello pudding!! I asked her when the last time she changed the oil was, and she said she did not know, since she bought the car a week ago, and just had time to get it to the dealer...yall who own E30's are probably just going to tell me 'I told you so!', lol, but the build quality and longevity of these cars NEVER ceases to amaze me! We cleaned out the engine and belt tensioners, which had some sludge in them, poured new oil in it, filter too, of course, changed the timing belt while we were in there, since it was cracking, and she fired right up, purring like a kitten. Absolutely astounding! This is the sort of thing that would make ANY technician exude confidence in their product, and it made a believer out of me. I used to be an older Porschephile myself, but I am a Certified BMW Nut now. [thumb]

Sturm
 
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KC Ron Carter

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Yep they are long term cars

When the issues of Bangle and his ugly designs started up, I decided it did not affect me since I had not bought a BMW in almost 20 years.

I can see a way, where I never buy a new one again.

The internet and being able to find parts makes the life of these cars a matter of the unibody curse.

Later,
 
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chucko

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Great story, these engines ARE built very well.
Bangle's designs are starting to grow on me, still the E30's classic design( fun factor) is unmatched IMO.
 
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epj3

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e30fr3@k said:
that's simply incredible...i'm still gonna continue changing my oil every 2k though. rather not take the chance.
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Sorry to be off topic, but thats very excessive and it'll be harder on your engine than if you changed it ever 4 or 5k miles. Those first starts after putting new oil in is VERY hard for your engine.
 
e30fr3@k

e30fr3@k

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epj3 said:
Sorry to be off topic, but thats very excessive and it'll be harder on your engine than if you changed it ever 4 or 5k miles. Those first starts after putting new oil in is VERY hard for your engine.
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really? can i get some clarification here? why would that be?
 
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epj3

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xLibelle said:
hell no, have no clue what hes talking about
i use valvoline high milage now and my car starts in an instant and runs so much better...
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Uh i didnt say a fu*kin word about the kind of oil, i said changing it every 2k miles is harder on the engine than if you changed it every 4 or 5k miles. I do mine every 3k, might start every 4k. When you drain oil and pour new oil into that valve cover, the new oil is much more viscous (thicker) than the old oil and it's cold when the rest of the engine is warm, so it will not get down into the pan right away. This will cause premature wear on your engine!!

I use the castrol high mileage stuff, and it definitely does something.
 
e30fr3@k

e30fr3@k

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epj3 said:
Uh i didnt say a fu*kin word about the kind of oil, i said changing it every 2k miles is harder on the engine than if you changed it every 4 or 5k miles. I do mine every 3k, might start every 4k. When you drain oil and pour new oil into that valve cover, the new oil is much more viscous (thicker) than the old oil and it's cold when the rest of the engine is warm, so it will not get down into the pan right away. This will cause premature wear on your engine!!

I use the castrol high mileage stuff, and it definitely does something.
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wait...why would the oil be colder than the engine? you could keep your beer cold on that valve cover.
 
Sturmgreif

Sturmgreif

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I never intended to start an oil war, that is Dubya's job, hehe...ok, I better stay off the politics lol. Anyway, I love these cars. I have to pay for my own tuition when I attend UTI this fall, so my Z3 is up for sale...I am either getting an E28 M5, or an E30 325i or 325is coupe, manual. The M5 is more of a dream car at the moment, so it will probably be a 325i sedan. Still, I think they are one of the best cars ever made for real life use. They have more than enough power, they get excellent gas mileage, esp. for their age, they are reliable, cheap, efficient...I think I am repeating myself again lol. Anyway, I gtg...I just had an idea to try cooking a hotdog with two nails stuck in a plug socket, since our microwave is shot...if you do not hear from me in three days, call the Darwin awards, hehe.

Sturm
 
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bichmgnt

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epj3,

Are you sure you're not pouring molasses into your engine? Would it be better to change the oil and let the engine cool off to the temperature of the fresh oil before driving it?

By the time you pour 4 .5 quarts of oil in your car 4.25 are in the oil pan. Check your dipstick. And the oil does pick up some heat from the engine as it runs down there. Besides, the hard wear and tear on a cold engine does not come from having cold oil it comes from the tolerances that change when the engine is cold. Once it warms up and all the tolerances are right, changing the oil doesn't hurt it at all.

Did you make that one up or did someone else sell you that fairy tale?

Steve
 
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epj3

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No it was a proven fact, someone posted it a while ago along with a lot of oil myths, such as changing it every 3,000 miles is overkill. If anyone knows what i'm talking about help me find it.

e30fr3@k said:
wait...why would the oil be colder than the engine? you could keep your beer cold on that valve cover.
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What the HELL are you talking about? My valve cover gets to be the same temperature as the rest of the engine!! Why? Becuase it has super hot oil running under it (somewhere between 500 - 1500 degrees!!), and also has 6 - 4000 degree combustion chambers beneath it.

Putting cold new oil into a cool or warm - not HOT engine is the EXACT SAME THING as a cold start. A cold start in the morning is really no more than that. But now you dont have oil in the block or oil filter, just the pan. If you change oil when it's at running temperature, then I dont know how you do it -- i would burn my hand like crazy getting to that oil filter!!!
 
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Ben

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I hate to disagree with you epj, but i highly doubt changing the oil every 2k will hurt the engine. is it overkill? YES! but when you start the car up after changing the oil its no different than starting it up after its been sittin all night.
 
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epj3

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Ben said:
I hate to disagree with you epj, but i highly doubt changing the oil every 2k will hurt the engine. is it overkill? YES! but when you start the car up after changing the oil its no different than starting it up after its been sittin all night.
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Yes the cold start thing is my point, but now you have oil thats fresh and has NEVER been heated after it was refined and had additives put in it.
 
e30fr3@k

e30fr3@k

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epj3 said:
Yes the cold start thing is my point, but now you have oil thats fresh and has NEVER been heated after it was refined and had additives put in it.
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i must be missing something. forgive me, for i fear i'm an E30 n00bie. are you telling me that starting my car every time i let it cool down is harming it? i let my car cool down all the way. until it's stone cold before i put the new oil in. at that point, the engine and the oil are the same temp, correct? so what piece am i missing. i don't wanna have everyone arguing, i just want to know if i should stop changing it every 2k. both owners before me did that and i have 206 plus thousand miles, with absolutely no problem. besides the clicking from my valve timing, she runs like new.
 
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bichmgnt

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epj3 said:
But now you dont have oil in the block or oil filter, just the pan.
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I agree there is no oil in the filter (although some puor oil in it before installation) but how do you figure there is no oil in the block? There is just as much oil in the block as there was before you drained the oil. All the bearings have oil in them and all the journals are full of the old oil. There is plenty of residual oil to lubricate the engine.

epj3 said:
Yes the cold start thing is my point, but now you have oil thats fresh and has NEVER been heated after it was refined and had additives put in it.
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Are you also saying the used oil is a better lubricant than fresh oil? Should we be putting our oil on a stove and heating it once before we put it into our engines?

I hope you find that article. I want to see the science behind their thinking.

Steve
 
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Mr.W

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Howdy All,

I got to put in my 2 cents. Changing your oil every 3,000-5,000 miles doesnt hurt your engine at all. Its one of the best ways to to keep your car healthy.
Starting your car when cold though, is not healthy. Not much you can do about it.
 
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