bmwe21.net forums

Hey Guys

Sold my E30 a couple of months ago and always wanted E21 but never thought I will get so close Until last week.

Just bought my E21 316 (1. with 5 speed gearbox from London and drove it all the way back home.

for those who wonder (Yes the offer was I buy the E21 and get the M6 half price)

Car is excellent but needs some tlc.
Any advise on whats best doing first (service wise) on a tight budget for now ?

Regards
Jay

I do like a nice 316.

There's a few of us in Manchester, spare bits, advice and criticism as required!

Get the oil changed plus brake fluid and gear/diff oils. New plugs and filters and you are largely sorted.

Everything else is an upgrade from there!

Jim

drjim wrote:I do like a nice 316.

There's a few of us in Manchester, spare bits, advice and criticism as required!

Get the oil changed plus brake fluid and gear/diff oils. New plugs and filters and you are largely sorted.

Everything else is an upgrade from there!

Jim

Well said Jim

I shall do that and also check my tyres, steering rack and rod ends etc

I took it for a wash yesterday and I noticed couple of water drops from the sun roof !! any advice

Jay

Welcome Jay. I know that car wash, my friends is just up the road from there - Wash and Glow! re: the water drops, there are some rubber drain tubes, blow some compressed air down these and see if it clears any blockages. Dr Jim was good enough to sort mine a few years ago, had no problems since

Hi & welcome mate!

Good to see another member for the next Northern Monkey's e21 meet!

What plans have you got for your car then?

Congrats and welcome here!

The M10 engine is pretty bomb proof as long as you take the time to warm her up so not much more maintenance than what's already mentioned if the car is running fine. Just get in and enjoy!

Is that Cheetham Hill? If so, I'm just down the road from you in Blackley.

As Jeroen said, the M10 is a proper workhorse - just don't rag it when cold... applies to most engines though I suppose! Probably worth getting the valve clearances and timing done if you've no record of when they were last adjusted, they can make a huge impact on how smooth she is to drive. If it's still on the standard carb then you might want to consider upgrading to a Weber in the future for a few more horses and better fuel economy.

E21's of all sizes are great for racking up the miles too! There's a few of us who have them as daily drivers and regularly go to Cornwall or up north. I probably do 10k plus a year easily.

arshad76 wrote:Welcome Jay. I know that car wash, my friends is just up the road from there - Wash and Glow! re: the water drops, there are some rubber drain tubes, blow some compressed air down these and see if it clears any blockages. Dr Jim was good enough to sort mine a few years ago, had no problems since

Thanks Arshad, its that car wash one indeed
I will look for those rubber drain tubes. are they on the corners ?

e21-Mark wrote:Hi & welcome mate!

Good to see another member for the next Northern Monkey's e21 meet!

What plans have you got for your car then?

When when when ????
Well the biggest plan was to secure a e21 now i got 3 months until I graduate from Uni
but to be honest I have big plans - as I never swapped an engine so maybe stick a m20 from e30 and that is just maybe

Jeroen wrote:Congrats and welcome here!

The M10 engine is pretty bomb proof as long as you take the time to warm her up so not much more maintenance than what's already mentioned if the car is running fine. Just get in and enjoy!

Well I have noticed that I get a better day when warmed than on a hurry etc

also, I do get a bit of a cut when a gear in and i ease of the throttle - maybe fuel filter
Another one is when out of a corner the steering doesnt return normally and is it abit heavy - is that normal for a manual steering ?

Reck wrote:Is that Cheetham Hill? If so, I'm just down the road from you in Blackley.

As Jeroen said, the M10 is a proper workhorse - just don't rag it when cold... applies to most engines though I suppose! Probably worth getting the valve clearances and timing done if you've no record of when they were last adjusted, they can make a huge impact on how smooth she is to drive. If it's still on the standard carb then you might want to consider upgrading to a Weber in the future for a few more horses and better fuel economy.

Hi Reck

Dont tell me you live in the house on the main road - Middleton road ? the one that you can barely see the top windows because of how many bmw e21 stacked on each others including alpinas ??

E21 Addict wrote:

arshad76 wrote:Welcome Jay. I know that car wash, my friends is just up the road from there - Wash and Glow! re: the water drops, there are some rubber drain tubes, blow some compressed air down these and see if it clears any blockages. Dr Jim was good enough to sort mine a few years ago, had no problems since

Thanks Arshad, its that car wash one indeed
I will look for those rubber drain tubes. are they on the corners ?

Yes bud, you'll see some apertures. They go all the way down and out towards the front wings. If they get blocked, water just builds up and comes back into the interior. Worth checking anyway

E21 Addict wrote:

Reck wrote:Dont tell me you live in the house on the main road - Middleton road ? the one that you can barely see the top windows because of how many bmw e21 stacked on each others including alpinas ??

No, I live just two minutes round the corner from there though. You may have seen my red 316 pottering about north Manc. Me and Nas have met the guy - don't think he has any immediate plans to do owt with them, but apparently he owns a BMW garage somewhere in Oldham..

thats a good looking car mate!

id say just get out there and use it, i drive my 316 4speed to germany and back pretty regularly! enjoy