BMW Werkz banner

1988 325 to try or not to try?

4K views 24 replies 9 participants last post by  DJProfessor 
#1 ·
Hello all, new to the forum. With questions.

I am in no real need of another car, but love them the same..:D
I have located a 1988 325.. this car is clean. Automatic, 2door, cloth interior. There are a few questions that have popped up in my head now that I like the car.

1. On any old Ford or Chevy there is never a worry of not having the 'records' should I be concerned that this paticular car does not have any past maintance records? If said car does not have records, should I run scared, allowing that the timing belt probably should at least be looked at, although the car appears to be in tremedous shape, paint, engine etc.

2. What is the difference in a 325, 325i, and 325e.. I didn't know until I saw this car that it would not have a letter of some sort after the 3xx. It does have a moon roof from the factory but cloth interior so; is it a plane jane ho-hum ride?

3. The car has 121K on the clock. Starts and runs smooth.. they are asking 2500 bucks for it. If I do buy this car after going through you all's expert (I hope) ;) Opinions, it will be a weekender... fun traveler auto. So what are the expected MPG out of these 325's?

Thanks. Stig.
 
See less See more
#2 ·
stig.......first up welcome.

i wouldn't be worried about no maintence records. i would however recommend highly having a timing belt done if you have no idea when the last one was done (ie no records, and no snazzy sticker under the hood about when it was last done). it is cheap insurance. new timing belt, tensioner, water pump every 50k will be far less costly than yanking that head if you were to break that belt. i highly recommend anytime you get one of these belt motors and you don't know it's past at all just do it. if you can wrench on it, parts are cheap....and if you don't, it's not that costly of a job for a shop to do it.

and yes there are those 325 with no letters after em'........how do i know? cause mine is that way, except i have a moonroof and vinyl seats. consider it an "E" by classification. it will have the E motor for sure. so yeah basically it's a basic "ho hum" ride.

and i don't know of the MPG with the auto's.......my manual gets me approx in the 30's on the freeway, but i haven't gone on a long trip for awhile. i think last figure i was at 32 MPG and i was mostly cruising like 80 or so.
 
#3 ·
not sure what to say about the maintenance records. I also have a 325 with no letter after it. same as the 325e. e stand for the greek letter eta which means efficiency. i have an auto and get 30 to a gallon on the high way maybe more. ;look at the tachometer and see if the car redlines at 4500 rpm. if so then it is an eta. good luck. take care of it and it will last a long time.
 
#4 ·
After driving it........

Well I drove the car yesterday. More questions.. :huh:

I had noticed the 'button' under the go pedal before.

I took off normal chatting with the salesman just driving, I was like 'geez this thing is a dog' but also thinking well, it is a lower HP type of vehicle, So i just figured it was slow.. but after driving I was like "holy crap this is slow" thinking tune-up or something was needed.. Then I did a U-turn and punched the little button... The thing bolted, hit second and scrached the tires..:lol: and :confused: So I did it again and well? Is it a MPG thing?

And the valve train sounds a bit loud to me, the oil indication was in the yellow and there was a drop of oil off of the oil pan plug. Other news was the top of the engine was very clean, the bottom half of the block and the front not so clean with years of seaping oil maybe? Didn't smell of burnt oil though.. Do the seals go on these much? And on the exhaust manifold side there was fresh oil after driving it on the second to last (from front) valve cover bolt.. :/

And DJ I did find the 'fancey' sticker of timing belt change.. the last time a dealer did it anyway was in 1996 at 70xxx.. it was hard to make out but not other indication of when it was done. That was my initial reason of going back and ended up driving it haha.

thanks for putting up with my questions.. I am still searching about the site and looking for insite from you, the owners.. :D
 
#5 ·
she is overdue for a timing belt change. so keep that in mind when you get her....and your oil leaking things.....first up drain plug. probably been to a jiffy lube where they don't replace the drain plug washers as they should, easily fixed.....and the valve covers tend to leak, and if you were hearing valve train noise good bet it has been awhile since those valves have been adjusted. also the cam seals tend to leak at the front of the motor (good thing to do while doing the belt) and those two things could be the source of your leaks. and the oil indicator thing is just a thing for service and more often than not those circuit boards don't work correctly (and there is a trick with a paper clip to reset those things anyways, in the event it does work like it should)

i recommend having a shop check it out, the two hours of diag time is well worth the money.

and for the auto button, couldn't tell you what that is, i haven't had an auto ever. never even worked on any of em' (the e30 cars that is).
 
#6 ·
325

that button under the gas is called a "kick down." it automatically puts your car in third gear. for example if you are driving on the highway at 65 mph and hit the kick down, the transmission will shift back into 3rd gear and give you that extra boost. after you have had enough accel. let off the kick down and it will shift back into 4th gear. good luck.
 
#7 ·
I agree....

Yes, It is indeed time to replace that timing belt! I was assured by the previous owner that mine had been done, so I let it slide for six months due to winter garage conditions. When I finally got around to it, I was horrified to find that I was still running the original factory belt at 140K miles. It could have toasted the engine! Before I bought my 325IC (convertable) I drove a 325e also. It was a reliable comfortable car, and I had very, very few problems with it. The solid lifters are famous for ticking. Not much you can do about it, and don't try to set them tighter in an attempt to silence them, the engine needs the aspiration, and too tight can result in less valve dwell time on it's seat, causing it to burn. 121k is nothing for the robust 2.7 engine, just keep the oil clean! Good luck! Jim
 
#11 ·
Red_Rocket said:
yes the 325e has the M20 engine ( i believe) which is a 2.7 and has 120-130 i think.

I also have the 325 (no letter) 87, ran great after i did a timing belt/ water pump change.

ahhhhhhh... That would explain why it seemed sooooooo freakn slow to me. In comparison to my modded Explorer Sport, and my V8 Explorer along with my girls Mazda3s, it seemed REALLY REALLY slow.. so that makes sense, it seemed dead off of the line then once it got going it was ok. In not knowing much I assumed it was a 167hp car, but this makes much more sense!! Thanks.
I may have to drive it again in this new light. ;)
 
#12 ·
The e or eta is a mid 80's attempt to make an efficient but still fun to drive car that keeps mileage reasonable. The engine in an eta is an M20B27. Basically a 2.7 liter stroked version of the i engine with a few minor changes to intake, timing, fuel control, rev limit, and exhaust. Put a good quality aftermarket chip in it (like a Dinan or similar) and it will REALLY open up the engine significantly. I have a Dinan chip in my eta, and even though I bought it with the chip already installed, and even with almost 200000 miles on it, it is significantly faster than a "stock" eta.
With a more open exhaust from the exhaust manifold all the way back, you can really bring these things to life!

Just a thought!

Josh W.
 
#14 ·
Not so much on the intake to be honest. The stock airbox seems to be pretty good at its job. If you are not going forced induction, the only real improvement I can recommend would be a K&N filter. I don't know anything about it, but some people do a Mass Air Flow (MAF) conversion. That is no small undertaking if I understand, but it does yield some significant improvements, especially if you turbo or supercharge the car. Like I said, I personally know NOTHING about that conversion or the costs involved in the conversion, but do some searching, never know what you might come up with! Check www.e30tech.com for some advanced power building options!

Hope these get you going in the right direction!

Josh W.
 
#15 · (Edited)
i believe all the 325's have the m20 engine code the models just end with B25 or B27 but tell me if i am wrong. one thing i have never understood is why there is a "325" with no letter if it is exactly the same as the eta...someone explain please

325
325e
325i
325iC
325iS
M3

those are all the models right? other than the 316/318 blah blah

the m3 is dopest raced out 3er

the 325is is next in line for being the quickest and it has some cooler body parts than the others

the 325ic has the same m20-b25 but its a convertable no cool body parts like the "iS"

the 325i has the same engine as the latter 2 but no cool body parts and its a hard top

the 325e has the m20-b27 witch is the doggy economy engine...

the 325.....? lol wtf is it.
 
#16 ·
2500 is on the high side for any eta, i would try to get the dude down.

Ive seen plenty 100-140k mile etas in perfect working order go for 1000-1500.

Bring up the fact that the car hasnt been serviced in a while and that it will need a timing belt, oil, plugs, tranny, and diff fluid right off the bat.. also if the brakes are bad bring those up too.
 
#17 ·
Mine is a "325" with no letter. It is an eta... If you have the VIN available, dump the last 7 digits into this decoder
http://www.bmw-z1.com/VIN/VINdecode-e.cgi
it will tell you what the car classification is. Even though mine is indicated as a "Non Letter" model, it is an eta. It is just how they named the cars in those years. Technically, they could have called the eta's 327's since it is a 3 series with a 2.7 liter engine! But because it is actually a "Value" edition, they didn't want to make it sound like it was a better car than the flagship "i" motor cars, so they simply did without the badging in some cases.
 
#19 ·
lover you forgot 325es and 325ix the first being the sport verison with the eta motor and the second being the all wheel drive version (yes they made all wheel drive in the e30 platform)........and the 325 is just the same as the 325e, really don't know why they dropped the e from the line up. mine is a 325, really no difference from the 325e of the same year.

intakes are a waste on these cars unless it is seeing boost. they are already drawing fresh air from behind the headlight assemblies. and i cannot NOT RECOMMEND enough not to go to that crappy K&N. the reason they flow so good is because they do not filter anywhere near as good as a paper element. and honestly a paper element isn't as restrictive as their commercials make them out to be.......exhaust does help these cars out highly. and if you are lucky enough to be in a state where you can do this, drop that cat. drop the cat and go to just a single muffler out back, or run a 325i exhaust setup....either or and you will be a happy camper. headers are nice, but here again if you aren't doing heavy mods (maf convo., cams, etc..) they are really not worth the extra cash.

the BEST chip out there is the comforti chip. it beats the Dinan chip hands down. this guy lives, eats, and breathes e30's and he came up with this chip (and has different versions of it). i met him when i lived down in Atlanta and worked at Global Imports BMW (google that, nation's largest BMW dealer) and he came in to work on their e30 track car that they had at the time. i have seen this chip in all sorts of e30's and reciently an uber rare e28 M with 40k on the clock. it will rock your socks and it is the chip i plan on going with. Dinan makes good stuff don't get me wrong (global sells dinan stuff and installs) but this guy has got them beat for the older cars when you want a chip.

and MAF conversion, alright here we go.........right out of the box you will get 30hp from this conversion. true it will run you like about 800+ bucks for it and really for that much money it's not a huge gain.......BUT, if you were to do say a cam, headers, exhaust, raised compression, port work, M throttle body conversion, etc.......this would be able to take you to the next level and give you much more significate gains on top of all those mods. MAF just breathes a heck of a lot better than the flapper box set up and responds better to mods as well....
 
#20 ·
Chassis number 8227911
Vehicle code 1264
Series E30
Model 325e
Body type coupe
Catalog model USA
Production date 1988 / 01
Engine M20
Transmission Automatic
Steering Left
Catalyzer YES


Additional Information for Vehicle code 1264
Production FROM : 1983/12/01 TO : 1988/06/30
Engine M20 B25
Engine Oil 4.25 Liter
Transmission Automatic
Transmission Model 4HP-22/EH
Transmission Oil 3.00 Liter
Rear Axle Oil 1.70 Liter
Coolant(w/o Air Conditioner) 10.50 Liter
Coolant(with Air Conditioner) 11.00 Liter
Brake fluid 1.00 Liter
Remarks :

Additional Information for Vehicle code 1264
Production FROM : 1983/12/01 TO : 1988/06/30
Engine M20 B25
Engine Oil 4.25 Liter
Transmission Automatic
Transmission Model 4HP-22/H
Transmission Oil 3.00 Liter
Rear Axle Oil 1.70 Liter
Coolant(w/o Air Conditioner) 10.50 Liter
Coolant(with Air Conditioner) 11.00 Liter
Brake fluid 1.00 Liter
Remarks :

May have lost some formatting when I coppied it but you get the idea!

Hope this helps!

Josh W.
 
#21 ·
ok ive read a couple of these posts on this thread im not trying to be a smartass be there is some arguing about what the number and the letters stand for on bmws now im not saying that im right i read this off of pelicanparts.com and i will use a 325is as an example the 3 stands for the series then the 25 stands for how big the motor is (2.5 liter) the I stands for fuel injected and the S stands for sport (i think it said better suspension etc.)

so first number is series
second two numbers is how big the motor is just put a decimal point in between them
and the letter are just the extras

if u would like to find out for yourself just go to pelicanparts.com
 
#22 ·
DJProfessor said:
lover you forgot 325es and 325ix the first being the sport verison with the eta motor and the second being the all wheel drive version (yes they made all wheel drive in the e30 platform)........and the 325 is just the same as the 325e, really don't know why they dropped the e from the line up. mine is a 325, really no difference from the 325e of the same year.

intakes are a waste on these cars unless it is seeing boost. they are already drawing fresh air from behind the headlight assemblies. and i cannot NOT RECOMMEND enough not to go to that crappy K&N. the reason they flow so good is because they do not filter anywhere near as good as a paper element. and honestly a paper element isn't as restrictive as their commercials make them out to be.......exhaust does help these cars out highly. and if you are lucky enough to be in a state where you can do this, drop that cat. drop the cat and go to just a single muffler out back, or run a 325i exhaust setup....either or and you will be a happy camper. headers are nice, but here again if you aren't doing heavy mods (maf convo., cams, etc..) they are really not worth the extra cash.

the BEST chip out there is the comforti chip. it beats the Dinan chip hands down. this guy lives, eats, and breathes e30's and he came up with this chip (and has different versions of it). i met him when i lived down in Atlanta and worked at Global Imports BMW (google that, nation's largest BMW dealer) and he came in to work on their e30 track car that they had at the time. i have seen this chip in all sorts of e30's and reciently an uber rare e28 M with 40k on the clock. it will rock your socks and it is the chip i plan on going with. Dinan makes good stuff don't get me wrong (global sells dinan stuff and installs) but this guy has got them beat for the older cars when you want a chip.

and MAF conversion, alright here we go.........right out of the box you will get 30hp from this conversion. true it will run you like about 800+ bucks for it and really for that much money it's not a huge gain.......BUT, if you were to do say a cam, headers, exhaust, raised compression, port work, M throttle body conversion, etc.......this would be able to take you to the next level and give you much more significate gains on top of all those mods. MAF just breathes a heck of a lot better than the flapper box set up and responds better to mods as well....
i feel like such a newb!!!! you are totally right! :p i 4got hehe...man dj you are awesome...great catch and good advice on your posts! haha thanks again i would love to have the iX trickd out...great catch !...to the previous comment up there ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ the 25...typcily means the engine but what about bm-dubs 2.7 eta...eh? it wears the 325 badge as well..hehe
 
#23 ·
read my previous comments on eta's and the badging as a 325. They wouldn't name a "value" model by a higher denomination. Can you imagine the confusion that would have wrought on BMW buyers back then? Wait, so I want to buy the best 3 series car out there, but you tell me that is the 325is. So what is this 327 all about? Why wouldn't I want that model, if the 325 is better than a 323, why is the 327 NOT better that the 325???

Yadda yadda!

Just my .02

Josh W.
 
#24 ·
Josh is right, that's why the 2.7 eta motor wears the 325 badge........where you were right about the last two digits meaning the motor displacement that really holds more true to the newer ones, as the older ones they tended to be a bit sneaky with their nomicature (sp)
 
#25 ·
luckycat said:
Yes, It is indeed time to replace that timing belt! I was assured by the previous owner that mine had been done, so I let it slide for six months due to winter garage conditions. When I finally got around to it, I was horrified to find that I was still running the original factory belt at 140K miles. It could have toasted the engine! Before I bought my 325IC (convertable) I drove a 325e also. It was a reliable comfortable car, and I had very, very few problems with it. The solid lifters are famous for ticking. Not much you can do about it, and don't try to set them tighter in an attempt to silence them, the engine needs the aspiration, and too tight can result in less valve dwell time on it's seat, causing it to burn. 121k is nothing for the robust 2.7 engine, just keep the oil clean! Good luck! Jim
Jim, you're in Ohio....i recognize those temp tags anywhere.....it didn't hit me at first..... :D
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top