E30 - 325il?

You should ask this question in snipped-for-privacy@yahoogroups.com. Or, in the forums at

It's a bit deep for this group, although you never know what expert might be lurking...

-Russ.

Thanks for the advice. I do plan on posting to a few of the forums, but as I'm in work right now it's easier to post to usenet. You're right though, I have found there to be several very knowledgable E30 people here.

Maybe in the US. Certainly there are '86 cabrios in the UK.

New one on me too.

Often added, usually fake.

Neil, a car produced in 5/86 may very well be a 1987 model year car. I am not aware that any cabrios ever came with the eta engines. I believe that they were the 2.5 liter "i" engines through the entire production even when the sedans were etas. However, this may have been a US market thing?

Please post the last 7 digits of the VIN number and I will tell you what the car has (had).

-Fred W

9677685

Thanks Fred.

Well, Neil, the plot thickens...

I entered that VIN into my BMW ETK (Electronic Part Catalog) and it comes back as:

3 Series E30 325e *Coupe* USA, Trans M, Steering L, Year/Month blank

So I entered it into the TIS (Technical Information Supplement) and it comes back as: E30 325e *SAL*, Year 1986, Eng M20, Gearbox MECH

So, it seems the two cannot agree how many doors you have (2 or 4) but neither of them think this is a cabriolet. They both agree, however that this has the ETA engine and it would appear it is a 1986.

My guess is that either this may be one of the Baur (sp?) aftermarket convertible conversions with a fake 325iL badge (there was no iL by the way) or the car has had some numbers swapped around somewhere along the line. Do the numbers on all of the body parts match the VIN plates?

I think that you might be able to tell if the engine is "eta" or "i" by getting the numbers off the engine block? I believe there is a chart of some sort that will allow us to determine what this really is.

Does anyone else know of any other outward signs that differenciate an "e" engine from an "i"?

-Fred W

"Neil" haute in die Tasten:

According to

the regular production of the E30 started in May 1986, this would fit to the production date suggested by you. I seriously doubt that this car is a preproduction sample, because BMW usually collect these after a while and destroys them entirely (as confrmed by several BMW employees I know personally). It is mandatory for them to do so in order to get these cars street legal in Germany. It sounds very reasonable to me that the E30 convertible came later into markets which require serious modification (UK with Right Hand Steering, US with EPA regulations).

An E30 convertible of that production date in original condition and with German specs does not have most of the modification you describe. The old convertibles are equipped with chrome bumpers, non-ellipsoid headlights, no side marker lights (they do carry a plastic cover instead, as other markets required such marker lights back then). The spoiler on the trunk has never been a factory standard. German spec. Early E30 convertible were available in three versions: 318i, 320i, 325i (The badges on the trunklid read exactly like this). In 1988 BMW introduced the E30 M3 convertible, which has different bumpers and wider fenders. Other badges are not original. In Germany it was quite common to order the car without badge (mine does not carry one), so that only knowledged people would detect the size of the engine by the shape of the exhaust tubes (one tube = 318i, two small tubes = 320i, two big tubes = 325i).

316i and 325e never were officially available as convertible, the same is valid for the diesels.

This image shows an '86 E30 convertible german spec without modification

This image shows my '92 E30 convertible german spec, also without modification.

I am quite sure that the information given until this point are quite accurate, as I do live in Munich/Germany and I own an E30 convertible with M-Technic option package. This car does feature a small M-Technic logo in the lower spoke of the steering wheel but no logo in the front grille. The side marker lights confuse me. Maybe the car was sold to Italy. They have regulations very similar to the german ones, so that you can sell a german car basically unmodified to Italy. But they do have the side markers.

Hope that helps.

Frank

The etas intake manifold has longer runners. If you compare photos of the i and eta engine you'll see what I mean.

Unfortunately the car isn't a Baur, and it definitely has an automatic transmission and an M20 engine. I'll check to see if the engine is truly an "i" if I can find photos with which to compare.

There are two numbers stamped on the firewall, one of which I presume is the engine number, while the other appears to be a VIN that has been painted over, and partially scratched off. Where the painted-over number is stamped, you can run your finger along the firewall and feel some kind of damage or dent. It definitely got me thinking that for whatever reason, the VIN might have been changed. Would the original VIN be changed for a euro-spec car that was imported into the US?

Where else can I look for VIN numbers on the car?

Where on the engine block are these numbers stamped?

Thanks for your help Fred. I'll report back what else I discover.

If there's marks around the VIN then it might have been through a chop shop a few years ago when it was a more valuable car. That would go a long way towards explaining mis-matched numbers etc. Does the VIN and other numbers match those on the ownership or registration papers?

Steve

i vs e - how about drive that automatic at wide open throttle and see what the shift point is in RPM - if it is at or under 5000rpm probably "e", over

6500rpm, probably "i", over 7000rpm, probably no longer running...

Production date, Jan 24 1986 US production, 325e 2 dr sedan Manual trans Delphin Grey Metallic paint Black leather

WBAAB5409G9677685, full VIN

LSD ABS Central locking Electric sunroof Rear spoiler Electric front windows Sports seats Air conditioning Cruise OBC MSport suspension MSport leather sterring wheel.

If the car currently carrying this VIN is a convertible, it's stolen.

Brett Anderson KMS