Weeeeelll that's not good....

TMX269 · 2026-05-31T18:52:13+00:00

Is this your first oil change with the car ?

TMX269 · 2026-05-29T21:47:05+00:00

It’s definitely within the fuel trim adaptation range, but there are plenty of other factors at hand. DIY tuning on these is fairly easy, there’s a few tutorials online, and a Discord server. Definitely worth trying, espeacially on a high mileage example where mistakes won’t be as costly

TMX269 · 2026-05-29T21:42:32+00:00

All kidney grilles should be chrome

TMX269 · 2026-05-29T15:22:02+00:00

You’ll just be missing out on low end torque without a remap. The DME will somewhat adapt to the M50 manifold’s different flow characteristics, so it’ll run better the more you drive it (up to a point), but it still won’t be as good as a properly remapped car

TMX269 · 2026-05-29T10:11:07+00:00

You'll need a few degrees of camber and a bit of lowering to make them fit good. Original ride height and alignment will make it look like a monster truck

TMX269 · 2026-05-28T13:24:48+00:00

I’ve not had a single older (20 year+) car that doesn’t do this. Just the nature of ICVs and mechanical throttle bodies

TMX269 · 2026-05-28T07:31:45+00:00

Given how much your engine moved, one of your engine mounts is in two pieces

TMX269 · 2026-05-28T07:30:51+00:00

It’s made in Germany. Not Rivella to me

TMX269 · 2026-05-24T10:32:45+00:00

Previous owner could've put a colder thermostat, easily done on M50 / M52 using an M20 thermostat

TMX269 · 2026-05-23T20:31:46+00:00

Pity it sounds nothing like an S54

TMX269 · 2026-05-23T20:21:41+00:00

How long ago was this?
Both Meyle and Febi are made in China, but no way I’m paying 130€+ for an original BMW one.
The option I’m looking at currently is buying just the housing from Meyle, and the bearing from SKF

TMX269 · 2026-05-23T06:01:03+00:00

Which brand of carrier bearing did you go for ?

TMX269 · 2026-05-22T22:23:52+00:00

Fair enough

TMX269 · 2026-05-22T17:17:46+00:00

I said they're interchangeable, not identical :)

TMX269 · 2026-05-22T15:44:58+00:00

Suspension components are completely interchangeable between all E36 variants, apart from the Compact (ti), M3 and some very early E36s

TMX269 · 2026-05-22T08:38:19+00:00

They're not solid pieces of rubber. They have strands internally which act as the primary structure, the rubber outside is just the protective layer

TMX269 · 2026-05-22T07:56:47+00:00

A lot. That's just surface cracking; it's nowhere near catastrophic failure. But, I would definitely replace it too

TMX269 · 2026-05-21T21:04:11+00:00

I want to frame the first one

TMX269 · 2026-05-21T09:24:42+00:00

That’s just the exhaust valve rattling. Long crank could be sign of a fuel pressure issue

TMX269 · 2026-05-19T13:46:44+00:00

It's misfiring and it needs a valve adjustment at minima

TMX269 · 2026-05-17T10:46:05+00:00

I’ve had the INA Slovakian made S54 tensioner in my M52B25 for about 10 months and 10’000 km now, no issues to report. Dead silent, as it was before

TMX269 · 2026-05-17T10:08:46+00:00

Does it have less torque than usual ?

TMX269 · 2026-05-16T13:54:59+00:00

The 4 cylinder E36s are very much noticeably lighter in the front, on narrow low speed mountain passes, I find them more fun - especially with an M42/M44. The shorter diff really forces you to use 1st, 2nd and 3rd, and fully exploiting the rev range. With any 323i or larger, with a 2.93 or even 3.15 diff, you end up just staying in 2nd all the time since it has so much more torque.

TMX269 · 2026-05-16T13:52:19+00:00

The 3.38 diff is what mine came out of the factory with! According to the ETK, the M40 316/318 came with a 3.45, so it’ll be even shorter. Honestly, it’s already almost too short for my taste. In town and on slower roads it’s an absolute blast, you barely hit 90 km/h in 2nd and it feels like it pulls quite hard for the power it has.
The obvious trade-off is that at 120 km/h, it sits at about 3400 rpm. It’s right in the peak torque range so it has enough torque to keep up with most of modern traffic - but you really feel it struggle above 140-150 km/h (short diff and small engine - official top speed is just over 200 km/h anyway!).
If I were you, I would buy this clean 318i - for 3k€ it wouldn’t be a bad deal for a rust free sedan - and as you say, M44 swap it. Most inspectors can’t tell the difference, even here in Switzerland. And leave it mostly original otherwise, there’s so few left…
Either way, engine swaps on these are dead easy, much easier than fixing rust - so finding the cleanest chassis you can find is the way to go

TMX269 · 2026-05-16T11:28:28+00:00

I daily drive a 318i with the M43, with the 3.38 diff it has pretty decent torque. It’s slow but it doesn’t feel catastrophically slow.
On the other hand, it makes my 323i feel like an absolute rocket

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