Found The Car...need Info

[xballer1987]

I found an 85 325e w/ auto tranny w/ 178k miles. Owner said car needs brake line work (90% sure problem is in area above drivers side rear wheel well) also he said shimmy/shake at 60mph. this is what really concerns me...any possible solutions on that problem/estimated cost to repair. i will get more info asap however otherwise car is reported to run well good engine and good tranny. intent is for car to be autocrossed/ project. cost of the car is 1200 dollars and seems to be negotiable. the car is in VERY good condition otherwise w/ very minor body rust in 1 area. thanks!! test driving it later this week

[idanity]

could be simply old tires.
bushings,
or he crashed into something and bent a control arm,
either way it sounds nice, any car well maintained is worth it, you should take it to a mech that does BMW, and check that first, than everything else. these cars are known to run well into 300,000miles.
mines got almost 200,000 and running / purring nicely.

im about to clean the injectors and have solved a air intake problem that had me troubled, yet all fixed w/can of air int. cleaner and a new hose.=8bucks[attachmentid=16073]

[xballer1987]

the guy also said he has had a new driveshaft and timing chain installed less than a year ago. D3ity also said there was some fresh oil on the pan...

[d3ity]

the timing belt bieng replaced is a good thing, if your timing belt goes bad, you're generally SOL.

anyway, the car appears to be in decent shape, and as I told you, my moms car had a similar steering shake, bushings or an arm of some sort was the problem, total cost 200-400 bucks

[mosyslack]

Sorry to be off topic.....idanity, you said you had an intake prob. What was your car doing? Just curious, I've got a bit of a problem that is on the confusing side.

thanks

[witeshark]

Though they seem to last longer, timing belts are supposed to be replaced at 65.000 miles I think, just an FYI used

[jaymz]

Originally posted by witeshark@Dec 8 2004, 11:25 PM
Though they seem to last longer, timing belts are supposed to be replaced at 65.000 miles I think, just an FYI used

[snapback]246257[/snapback]

yep every 65 thou or every 3 years,,i think is what the book says

[idanity]

Originally posted by mosyslack@Dec 8 2004, 09:31 PM
Sorry to be off topic.....idanity, you said you had an intake prob. What was your car doing? Just curious, I've got a bit of a problem that is on the confusing side.

thanks

[snapback]246194[/snapback]

well im the intake expert now...

it was an uncomfortable stumble, every so often, rare, yet present.

ive traced a slight sputtering (ever have a dirty fuel filter, or water in the rotor/cap, or fuel pump going out, or plugs bad, or 35 other things like that.
i fallowed the path from one end to the other.

from the gas tank through the eng. to the exhaust and just Monday (after 6 months of weekends) found the issue(at least for me), so if you tell me the symptoms i can help you (maybe w/pics) on whats involved and what tools.

i did it all with a socket set (9dollars), an Ohm meter, and a few clamps(for the hoses).
pm me

oh and BTW a bmw strictly shop declared a timing belt breaking after only 45,000 miles. so i only go 40,000. just to be timely (pun intended) :nana

[atlantisvip]

Originally posted by idanity+Dec 10 2004, 08:51 AM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(idanity @ Dec 10 2004, 08:51 AM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteBegin-mosyslack@Dec 8 2004, 09:31 PM
Sorry to be off topic.....idanity, you said you had an intake prob.* What was your car doing?* Just curious, I've got a bit of a problem that is on the confusing side.

thanks

[snapback]246194[/snapback]

well im the intake expert now...

it was an uncomfortable stumble, every so often, rare, yet present.

ive traced a slight sputtering (ever have a dirty fuel filter, or water in the rotor/cap, or fuel pump going out, or plugs bad, or 35 other things like that.
i fallowed the path from one end to the other.

from the gas tank through the eng. to the exhaust and just Monday (after 6 months of weekends) found the issue(at least for me), so if you tell me the symptoms i can help you (maybe w/pics) on whats involved and what tools.

i did it all with a socket set (9dollars), an Ohm meter, and a few clamps(for the hoses).
pm me

oh and BTW a bmw strictly shop declared a timing belt breaking after only 45,000 miles. so i only go 40,000. just to be timely (pun intended) :nana

[snapback]247253[/snapback]

[/b][/quote]

SO what caused the sputtering ????
used

[Bmw1990]

Originally posted by xballer1987@Dec 8 2004, 04:35 PM
I found an 85 325e w/ auto tranny w/ 178k miles. Owner said car needs brake line work (90% sure problem is in area above drivers side rear wheel well) also he said shimmy/shake at 60mph. this is what really concerns me...any possible solutions on that problem/estimated cost to repair. i will get more info asap however otherwise car is reported to run well good engine and good tranny. intent is for car to be autocrossed/ project. cost of the car is 1200 dollars and seems to be negotiable. the car is in VERY good condition otherwise w/ very minor body rust in 1 area. thanks!! test driving it later this week

[snapback]246021[/snapback]

If it is the control arm i would be happy to help you with all your questions. I just got done replacing both of mine and it is not worth taking the car to the mechanic, as along as you have patience. Other problems could be the wheels are bent, if they are stock bottle caps this is common, the wheels are out of balance..etc.

Good Luck!!

[ldsbeaker]

My car started doing the shimmy thing after a few months of driving it, and it was a combination of worn out tires and a tie-rod end. Let me tell you, that dang 40 dollar tie rod end ate the hell out of some tires. After I had it replaced, new tires and an alignment... I only get a wobble up above 90 (ahem).

Oh, and by the way, I always heard 50K miles for a timing belt. Just my $.02


Drive on, Bimmerheads.

[Benjamin B]

Had the same problem, shimmied at >60mph. Got the tires balanced -> fixed everything!