Betty the Black E21 BMW 320i

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TaylorGoesFast
Upcoming E21 fanatic
Posts: 116
Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2020 3:53 pm
My E21(s): 83 320i, 95 325i Spec 3 Race Car
Location: Washington, DC

Betty the Black E21 BMW 320i

Post by TaylorGoesFast »

A few of my friends usually send cars along to each other, and I've expressed my interest in getting something a bit older than the various E30s I've had. My friend Dave sent along a clean-ish looking E21 320i on craigslist with little information, fuzzy photos, no price, and some incorrect information about what engine was in it. Best of all, it had 90,000 miles, zero rust, and 1 owner. Worst of all, the tags on the license plates read 1991 and it hasn't ran since before I was born. I shot him an email while I was sitting on the porch drinking some coffee and offered $500 and left my phone number.

I was spending my labor day weekend replacing the clutch in my neighbor's XJ to try to make some side money and crawled out to check my phone. There's a text message from this guy and he basically said "okay, I don't know anything about BMWs but some other guy wants to come next week and he said $500 is too low, but you can come tomorrow to look" (I'm paraphrasing). We arrived and I started looking over the car. It was true, zero rust. The trunk floor, floorboards, shock towers, rockers, all sparkly clean. I knew I wanted it. Farther up the hill, in his garage, I spotted a pretty red convertible E30 and decided to ask some questions about it. He told me he was going to keep that one and try to restore it, but as I probed him for more answers, I could tell he knew nothing about it as well. I peaked inside and noticed it was a 5 speed, had a crack free dash, and was completely intact. I checked for rust and found none, and I started to realize this was a diamond in the rough. Curious, I asked how much he wanted for both as a package deal. He threw out a number that was very very very good. Like, almost unbelievable. I was so surprised that I wasn't sure what to do, so of course, I threw caution to the wind and made a deal. 

Time to load them up. The e21 was first to go. The tires were ready to pop at any minute, it had no brakes, no clutch, nothing. With some heaving, pushing, and ratcheting, we got it on the trailer and set off to my house to drop it off. My mind was racing and anxiety was setting up. What would I do with these things? Now I owe someone money, why did he let them go for so cheap? Was this all a mistake? Oh well. #sendit. We went back and grabbed the e30 and I sent him the rest of the money. By this time, the whole neighborhood was out watching the circus and the operation went very smooth the second time around. We got a running start, and with the help of a gentle downhill slope, i rammed the pretty red e30 up on the trailer and we headed home.

The next morning I listed it in the usual places for a price I thought was kind of high. I was immediately met with an onslaught of interested parties and before lunch had several people lined up to view it. I was wrapping up that Jeep and would have to roll out from under the thing every 5 minutes to respond to the messages and texts. Eventually a guy and his brother from PA messaged me saying they had a vert that was wrecked and it had all of the parts that this one needed. They sent me a deposit and they're supposed to come down in a few hours to pay me asking price and take it away.


But wait, isn't this about an e21? Shut up, I know. So now that the E30 has paid for the e21, what do I plan to do with it? More details to come.

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Last edited by TaylorGoesFast on Wed Oct 21, 2020 3:51 am, edited 1 time in total.


2011 F150
1995 BMW 325i Spec 3 Race Car
2008 BMW 128i 6 Speed Sport Package
1983 BMW 320i
2005 Kinetic SC
TaylorGoesFast
Upcoming E21 fanatic
Posts: 116
Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2020 3:53 pm
My E21(s): 83 320i, 95 325i Spec 3 Race Car
Location: Washington, DC

Re: Betty the Black E21 BMW 320i

Post by TaylorGoesFast »

Some underside photos 


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Interior leaves something to be desired

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Threw a battery in it. It cranks fine, has spark, is sucking in air, but I believe there is a fuel problem. My model has two fuel pumps, one mechanical on the head and another electric in the tank. I pulled up the rear seat to find... this. 

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Three dead mice and their home. Also, lots of poop. I took the shop vac to it and ripped the insulation out. I'll be looking for new seats. I checked voltage at the pump, but I don't think it's turning on, so I'll search for one of those and also use the opportunity to drain the tank and refill. Fingers crossed she fires right up. The sunroof is stuck partially open and the crank does nothing, so I need to find a way to get the sunroof open enough to take it apart. I don't care to make it work, I just want it closed. We tried all we could to pull it closed by hand and it's in there tight.
2011 F150
1995 BMW 325i Spec 3 Race Car
2008 BMW 128i 6 Speed Sport Package
1983 BMW 320i
2005 Kinetic SC
TaylorGoesFast
Upcoming E21 fanatic
Posts: 116
Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2020 3:53 pm
My E21(s): 83 320i, 95 325i Spec 3 Race Car
Location: Washington, DC

Re: Betty the Black E21 BMW 320i

Post by TaylorGoesFast »

Leak fixed with jb weld and hose/hose clamp coverage. Confirmed getting some fuel and air at the fuel distribution block. Pulled the injectors and confirmed I'm getting some fuel through the injector lines but the injectors aren't opening.

Disconnected the injectors and blew air through them and cleared them, still no start but it runs healthy on starter fluid.

This leaves fuel pressure to be the culprit. Unfortunately on KEJet injection, there's a million ways to lose fuel pressure. My in tank lift put gets here Friday and I hope that will feed the main pump enough to create adequate pressure. If not, I'll put a pressure gauge on it to make sure the block is getting pressure. Next steps after that is to check pressure at the outlets for the injectors and if that is low and the inlet to the block is good, that most likely means the pressure release valve is faulty. There are other possibilities but I find that most likely.

Also in tank pump was nasty Image
2011 F150
1995 BMW 325i Spec 3 Race Car
2008 BMW 128i 6 Speed Sport Package
1983 BMW 320i
2005 Kinetic SC
TaylorGoesFast
Upcoming E21 fanatic
Posts: 116
Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2020 3:53 pm
My E21(s): 83 320i, 95 325i Spec 3 Race Car
Location: Washington, DC

Re: Betty the Black E21 BMW 320i

Post by TaylorGoesFast »

I determined that the external fuel pump was sucking in air from the suction side. Found a loose clamp and tightened it down and immediately got amazing fuel pressure at the distribution block. Confirmed the injectors are firing now and the engine even starts and runs for a minute or so on its own. Kind of like the dog chasing the mail man, I'm not sure what to do now that I'm here. I would get backfires into the intake if I gave it throttle, so I assumed the timing was way off, but it's really hard to get the timing set when starting the engine, then sprinting around the car with a potentially broken toe to try to turn the distributor before it dies. I'm hoping it's just a lean condition from fuel pressure being low considering I'm only running one of the two pumps these late models require. That pump comes in today so I'll install it and finally put the rear seats back in the car. Confirmed the slave and master cylinder for the clutch are dead so I'm going to replace that today and in theory, the car should be able to move on its own. I also ordered new plug wires, a rotor, and a cap from FCP. Any points experts able to tell me if these look worn? They seem fine-ish to me. 

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Last edited by TaylorGoesFast on Tue Oct 20, 2020 4:14 pm, edited 2 times in total.
2011 F150
1995 BMW 325i Spec 3 Race Car
2008 BMW 128i 6 Speed Sport Package
1983 BMW 320i
2005 Kinetic SC
TaylorGoesFast
Upcoming E21 fanatic
Posts: 116
Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2020 3:53 pm
My E21(s): 83 320i, 95 325i Spec 3 Race Car
Location: Washington, DC

Re: Betty the Black E21 BMW 320i

Post by TaylorGoesFast »

Lots of progress yesterday! Got the engine timed by ear, did an oil change, and did some more tweaking and now it starts and runs without issue. Pulled the wheels off and started bleeding the brakes. Didn't get any fluid out of the rears but I did on the front so now that car starts. I also replaced the clutch master and slave cylinders and bleed them, which was much more of a PITA than I expected, but overall it only took about an hour and a half.

Just like that, I've resurrected this car from the dead and it now runs and drives! Transmission acts flawlessly. New tires ordered from TireRack and I continue to tinker with it while it's listed for sale. I'd consider keeping it, but this Sunroof situation has really frustrated me. I'll do anything mechanical, but body related stuff drives me crazy.
2011 F150
1995 BMW 325i Spec 3 Race Car
2008 BMW 128i 6 Speed Sport Package
1983 BMW 320i
2005 Kinetic SC
TaylorGoesFast
Upcoming E21 fanatic
Posts: 116
Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2020 3:53 pm
My E21(s): 83 320i, 95 325i Spec 3 Race Car
Location: Washington, DC

Re: Betty the Black E21 BMW 320i

Post by TaylorGoesFast »

Last edited by TaylorGoesFast on Mon Nov 23, 2020 4:41 pm, edited 4 times in total.
2011 F150
1995 BMW 325i Spec 3 Race Car
2008 BMW 128i 6 Speed Sport Package
1983 BMW 320i
2005 Kinetic SC
TaylorGoesFast
Upcoming E21 fanatic
Posts: 116
Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2020 3:53 pm
My E21(s): 83 320i, 95 325i Spec 3 Race Car
Location: Washington, DC

Re: Betty the Black E21 BMW 320i

Post by TaylorGoesFast »

Sniped a DMV appointment for today and got the MMoped titled and got antique plates for this. The old plates were severely rusted in place and took a lot of work to remove. I'm rocking no front plate for now.

I checked the lambda readings from the O2 sensor and they don't seem correct, but the O2 sensor is a wear item at like 30k miles so it's due for its third at this point. I put the timing light in it and got it dialed in, then took it for a romp up and down the street and it feels REALLY good.

Sanded and threw some black gloss on the rusty gas lid too.

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2011 F150
1995 BMW 325i Spec 3 Race Car
2008 BMW 128i 6 Speed Sport Package
1983 BMW 320i
2005 Kinetic SC
TaylorGoesFast
Upcoming E21 fanatic
Posts: 116
Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2020 3:53 pm
My E21(s): 83 320i, 95 325i Spec 3 Race Car
Location: Washington, DC

Re: Betty the Black E21 BMW 320i

Post by TaylorGoesFast »

Progress comes fast and it comes often!

Got the speakers working this morning and the radio works flawlessly! I took some photos of the trunk area because I'm so impressed with how clean it is and how shiny the paint is!

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2011 F150
1995 BMW 325i Spec 3 Race Car
2008 BMW 128i 6 Speed Sport Package
1983 BMW 320i
2005 Kinetic SC
TaylorGoesFast
Upcoming E21 fanatic
Posts: 116
Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2020 3:53 pm
My E21(s): 83 320i, 95 325i Spec 3 Race Car
Location: Washington, DC

Re: Betty the Black E21 BMW 320i

Post by TaylorGoesFast »

Took it on a long drive around Tyson's. Idles, drive, shifts, revs, turns well. No clunks or bumps. I'm very very very impressed.

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2011 F150
1995 BMW 325i Spec 3 Race Car
2008 BMW 128i 6 Speed Sport Package
1983 BMW 320i
2005 Kinetic SC
TaylorGoesFast
Upcoming E21 fanatic
Posts: 116
Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2020 3:53 pm
My E21(s): 83 320i, 95 325i Spec 3 Race Car
Location: Washington, DC

Re: Betty the Black E21 BMW 320i

Post by TaylorGoesFast »

When I bought it, the sunroof was 100% stuck. One friend spun the handle while another friend and I PULLED AS HARD AS WE COULD and the sunroof would not move. It works by a handle turning a gear that pushes or pulls two metal cables with teeth on them. The cables push or pull the sunroof back and forth and the rails it slide on were completely jammed with 2 shop vacs full of leaves. I spent probably an hour hitting the sunroof with a block of wood and a hammer to get it back open all of the way so I can dissamble the rails and pull the cables/gearbox out to inspect. The cable is wrecked (and NLA, expensive) so I greased up what I could and and reassembled it from the top. I also hooked a fuel line to the shop vac and sucked out the leaves I could, then used compressed air to blow most of the rest out. Another 30 minutes of standing in the sunroof and heaving and hoing as hard as I could and eventually the sunroof itself could KIND OF slide in the rails. This gets us to the part where I could get it slid shut, but not raised up to be flush, where I used my feet to push it up (like an idiot). l did some thinking and had one of those ah-hah moments this morning and ran downstairs to pull the headliner panel off the sunroof (which is only possible now that I freed up the sunroof to slide) and that revealed that the cables mount on these sliding blocks. When the sunroof closes and is unable to move forward more, the cables then pull the blocks they are attached to (instead of pulling the sunroof) and these blocks slide forward and move an peg that raises the sunroof up. I shopvacced out more leaves and then manually slide the blocks forward to raise the sunroof. So now I've got a fully functioning sunroof as long as I leave the headliner panel off. I'm talking to Al Taylor (of GRM fame) and he may have a cable assembly and gearbox for me at VIR, so with those installed, I should have a functioning sunroof.

Spent some time yesterday cleaning the interior and gave it a wash. Also started to buff the trunk to remove some swirls. Replaced the rear speakers and added a little bluetooth charging thing for whatever time I spend driving this.

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Last edited by TaylorGoesFast on Wed Oct 21, 2020 3:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
2011 F150
1995 BMW 325i Spec 3 Race Car
2008 BMW 128i 6 Speed Sport Package
1983 BMW 320i
2005 Kinetic SC
TaylorGoesFast
Upcoming E21 fanatic
Posts: 116
Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2020 3:53 pm
My E21(s): 83 320i, 95 325i Spec 3 Race Car
Location: Washington, DC

Re: Betty the Black E21 BMW 320i

Post by TaylorGoesFast »

Shampooed all of the carpets and that made a big difference in look, feel, and smell.

My friend Joey came by and did a quick and dirty detail while I literally spent an hour and a half scrubbing two wheels with scotch brite and wheel cleaner one spoke at a time to make them silver again. The paint cleaned up very nice. The GF and I went to a Cars and Coffee then spent time in old town Leesburg which Betty looked right at him in. It cruised at 60-70 without issue and drives and shifts as well as any BMW I've ever had. I've put 100 miles on it already!

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2011 F150
1995 BMW 325i Spec 3 Race Car
2008 BMW 128i 6 Speed Sport Package
1983 BMW 320i
2005 Kinetic SC
TaylorGoesFast
Upcoming E21 fanatic
Posts: 116
Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2020 3:53 pm
My E21(s): 83 320i, 95 325i Spec 3 Race Car
Location: Washington, DC

Re: Betty the Black E21 BMW 320i

Post by TaylorGoesFast »



2011 F150
1995 BMW 325i Spec 3 Race Car
2008 BMW 128i 6 Speed Sport Package
1983 BMW 320i
2005 Kinetic SC
TaylorGoesFast
Upcoming E21 fanatic
Posts: 116
Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2020 3:53 pm
My E21(s): 83 320i, 95 325i Spec 3 Race Car
Location: Washington, DC

Re: Betty the Black E21 BMW 320i

Post by TaylorGoesFast »

New rear seats from Al Taylor. Front seats from Dave's 02. The 2002s had seat belts on the trans tunnel and the late e21 had seat belts on the seat itself. There is a shaft built into the seat frame that allows a place for the seat back hinge to mount on and the shaft for the title handle runs through it. The shaft on the e21 seat is longer to also allow the seat belt buckle to mount on it. I had to grind down the base of the shaft to allow more space. Sketchy, yes. Smart? Probably not. I worked on them for a while and eventually got enough space for everything and then could just BARELY get the circlip snapped in. The seats are a major improvement in looks, but are inferior to the original e21 seats in build quality and comfort, but they do have better lumbar support.ImageImage

500 miles on her! Got all of the junk out of the air conditioning vents and all of them work now. Heat blows well and the ac compressor kicks on. Continuing to bathe everything in leather/vinyl conditioner to get it supple and healthy. I'm also letting all of the rubber and plastic soak up back to black whenever I can and it's really making things look nice. Replaced the front two speakers as well and it sounds pretty good now. Took off the rear brake lines and blew compressed air through them and now have 3/4 brakes. Still need to figure out why the back left doesn't get fluid. I check and air gets through from the soft line to the bleed valve on the caliper, so the blockage has to be between the T in the line and the hardline on the trailing arm.

Got all of the lights working as well and picked up some Coco Mats from a Porsche for $50. Sure they don't fit, but they're the best mats out there and I couldn't even buy parts store mats for much less. Pulled the fuel sending unit and have it soaking in vinegar to try to free it up as it's been stuck at the level the tank was at Doe 30 years. Put a new oxygen sensor in it as well and reset the oxygen sensor timer, which is a box that tracks mileage and flips on a light every 30k (?) miles to remind you to install a new sensor. The engine still idles high and I can't adjust the air fuel mix because it seems the screw is mixing. That will have to wait because the air volume chamber is a crazy complex part and must be dissembled to put a new screw in. I. Also believe there is a small vaccum leak through the oil pan gasket. It's on the list.

Met a guy at cars and coffee would wanted to talk about about E21s. He had told me about his super clean example he had down at VA beach for storage. He finally brought it up and I was blown away when I saw it. Has a bunch of IS goodies and that color is so beautiful. Interior is 9/10 due to a crack in the dash, but otherwise perfect. Absolute goals.
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Great success! Soaked the fuel sending unit in a mix of water and vinegar. I checked it this morning and could feel the float moving inside it, so I reinstalled it and plugged it up. Bingo! Working fuel gauge.
2011 F150
1995 BMW 325i Spec 3 Race Car
2008 BMW 128i 6 Speed Sport Package
1983 BMW 320i
2005 Kinetic SC
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Jeroen
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Re: Betty the Black E21 BMW 320i

Post by Jeroen »

Wow that's a way to start a topic! Thanks for putting in all this effort to tell your story and share photos and videos. Looks like a nice meet as well, it's not that often you see so many E21's together! And I don't think I've wished you welcome yet so welcome to the forum, and enjoy!
Regards/groeten, Jeroen
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uwbuurman
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My E21(s): 1978 type 1 323i 5speed dogleg Polaris
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Re: Betty the Black E21 BMW 320i

Post by uwbuurman »

I started reading this morning, but just got to finishing it. Quite a write up, great!! Like Jeroen says, this is the way to start a topic!! Love your writing style also.

If you can't source the parts for that sunroof, I have a box of spares, including the cables. Based in the Netherlands, but everything can be shipped...

Keep up the good work!
It's the man next door!

1978 BMW 323i
1980 BMW 528i maior restitutio
1987 BMW 325iA cabriolet
2006 BMW 320d touring High Executive
2015 BMW 320dA touring xDrive High Executive ///Msport
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