Low compression in 1cyl of M30...

[Dan in NZ]

I'm selling my E34 at the moment, it has too many things coming up due for repair/replacement, and I need the money. Plus, I've owned it for 3 years, and feel the need to try another car. I've found an E32 that's a bit rough around the edges, but going for a good price. It has few primer patches, a rattle in the front, and needs a general tidy up, but most significantly, has low compression in 1 cylinder. The owner bought it with the intention of doing it up, but never got around to it. It's a 735iL, and has the self-leveling LAD system replaced with conventional suspension.

The car is driveable, but runs rough under 2000rpm. What can cause low compression in a cylinder? Is this easily fixable? Owner states it may have a cracked valve, but is not sure.

This is of course all dependant on the sale of my car.

[Anthony (M5 in Calgary)]

I'm selling my E34 at the moment, it has too many things coming up due for repair/replacement, and I need the money. Plus, I've owned it for 3 years, and feel the need to try another car. I've found an E32 that's a bit rough around the edges, but going for a good price. It has few primer patches, a rattle in the front, and needs a general tidy up, but most significantly, has low compression in 1 cylinder. The owner bought it with the intention of doing it up, but never got around to it. It's a 735iL, and has the self-leveling LAD system replaced with conventional suspension.

The car is driveable, but runs rough under 2000rpm. What can cause low compression in a cylinder? Is this easily fixable? Owner states it may have a cracked valve, but is not sure.

This is of course all dependant on the sale of my car.

Burnt valve, cracked valve, worn cam lobe (from loose oil sprayer bar banjo bolts).

[Bill R.]

broken compression ring, piston with a hole in it, collapsed ring land, broken valve spring, scored cylinder wall, blown head gasket




Burnt valve, cracked valve, worn cam lobe (from loose oil sprayer bar banjo bolts).

[pundit]

I'm selling my E34 at the moment, it has too many things coming up due for repair/replacement, and I need the money. Plus, I've owned it for 3 years, and feel the need to try another car. I've found an E32 that's a bit rough around the edges, but going for a good price. It has few primer patches, a rattle in the front, and needs a general tidy up, but most significantly, has low compression in 1 cylinder. The owner bought it with the intention of doing it up, but never got around to it. It's a 735iL, and has the self-leveling LAD system replaced with conventional suspension.

The car is driveable, but runs rough under 2000rpm. What can cause low compression in a cylinder? Is this easily fixable? Owner states it may have a cracked valve, but is not sure.

This is of course all dependant on the sale of my car.
Dan, your 21 year old logic amuses me!
An enigma wrapped up in a contradiction! :D

Then again you could just edit your post and remove this part....
...it has too many things coming up due for repair/replacement, and I need the money......and then everything would make sense! ;)

[Dan in NZ]

Dan, your 21 year old logic amuses me! ;)
An enigma wrapped up in a contradiction! :D

I can get $4000 for my e34, this e32 is going for $800. I figure that I would spend $1000 on it, have a nice car, and be $2200 better off! What could go wrong!

[pundit]

....What could go wrong!
With an $800.00 E32....?
Okay guys start the list.... ;)

Seriously spending a grand NZ (about $800.00 AUD or $600.00 USD) won't bring an E32 back from the brink. If money is a concern then you need to get European cars out of the equation because saving money and European cars is like I said before... screwing for virginity. You say that you can't afford to keep the E34 so you're planning on buying a half clapped out E32.... ??????? Well it's a slight improvement over the Audi Quattro but still not a money saving strategy old chum.

[Dan in NZ]

Suspension/handling is fine, no shimmy or play. Transmission fluid is not burnt. LAD is removed.

However there is a hole in the leather on the drivers seat, and a few primer patches on the paint... Only cosmetic, and could be fixed as funds permit. Front suspension rattles a bit, probably just loose strut nut or worn bushes.

I figure the $1000 allocated for repairs would get the low compression in cyl 3 sorted out, valves adjusted, and all fluids I would change myself.

[Phatty5BMW]

Would low compression set off the cel?

[Kalevera]

I don't know what a used M30 costs over there, but they're relatively inexpensive around here. If everything checks out okay, I wouldn't hesitate to buy it and R&R it.

But get the 4 gees for your 525, first :D

best, whit

[Paul in NZ]

yes dan sell the 525 first.....4000?????Dont buy an old Euro,1000 bucks will prooly only take it apart and put it together again.....Buy good jappa keep changin the oil and coolant and the thing wont need anything else until it stops

[Dan in NZ]

yes dan sell the 525 first.....4000?????Dont buy an old Euro,1000 bucks will prooly only take it apart and put it together again.....Buy good jappa keep changin the oil and coolant and the thing wont need anything else until it stops

You think 4k is about right? 215,000km, good condition...

[pundit]

You think 4k is about right? 215,000km, good condition... Here's a link to carsales.com.au (http://www.carsales.com.au/pls/carsales/!cs_content.private_results?price_min=&price_max=&category_id=3&search_type=21&make_id=13&model_id=528&keyword=&state_id=-1&selected_region=&search_postcode=&search_distance=25&rego_vehicle_id=&cs_body_id=&drive_id=&km_min=&km_max=&year_min=1989&year_max=1994&door_num=&cs_trans_id=&cylinder_num=&engine_low=&engine_high=) with a current listing of E34 535i's for private sale in Australia.

The cheapest you'll find in Oz is about $6000.00 AUD.
Some dreamers still want $20,000.00 AUD!!

I'm not sure of the market value in NZ but I believe imported Euro cars sell for less over there than here. To give you an idea $6,000 AUD is at the bottom end and I would never consider more than $15,000.00 AUD for an absolutely top condition E34 535i. That makes the median price somewhere around $10,000.00 to $12,000.00 AUD for a good one.

It appears that E34's maybe sell for as much as 50% less in NZ than here in Oz. Is this correct? Bear in mind that rising fuel prices along with the fact that ageing European cars tend to scare many people off means that the resale values of these types of cars are only going to keep falling at an ever increasing rate.

[Dan in NZ]

Until recently, we could import any japanese used we liked, so there are heaps of old bimmers, mercs, audis etc around. Large supply = low prices. The Australian market is inflated because of your import tariffs, to protect the local manufacturing industry, which is why your prices are so much higher...

Hard to find a 535i worth more than 10k here. E39's start about 16k.

[genphreak]

Suspension/handling is fine, no shimmy or play. Transmission fluid is not burnt. LAD is removed.

However there is a hole in the leather on the drivers seat, and a few primer patches on the paint... Only cosmetic, and could be fixed as funds permit. Front suspension rattles a bit, probably just loose strut nut or worn bushes.

I figure the $1000 allocated for repairs would get the low compression in cyl 3 sorted out, valves adjusted, and all fluids I would change myself.If the head has been off (chk the bolts in the engine) it could have been badly repaired. Otherwise it may just be a head gasket. However the chances of any of the things Bill R adn others said earlier are high so budget ofr a new motor. Speak to Shogun, he has a mate that knows E32s somewhere in NZ and is importing them... :) Nick

[romus]

Yeh that sounds right if you're after automatics. Manual would cost you few grand more. (535i)

[Dan in NZ]

If the head has been off (chk the bolts in the engine) it could have been badly repaired. Otherwise it may just be a head gasket. However the chances of any of the things Bill R adn others said earlier are high so budget ofr a new motor. Speak to Shogun, he has a mate that knows E32s somewhere in NZ and is importing them... :) Nick

A guy owned it for a while, spent a fair bit of money on repairs and legislation stuff, also eliminated the LAD system... Then it started running rough, and was diagnosed with low compression in cyl 3. The current owner bought it, has had it sitting around for a few months, and is now selling it.

The car still runs, and runs well above 2000rpm. The current owner drove it for about 1 hour on the highway.

I'll see how I go selling the 525i first.

[Paul in NZ]

ireckon i would be hard pushed to get 10 for my 535is prolly about 8000.....4000 maybe too high for your 525....

[Chris]

Don't take note of some of the negative comments in here suggesting you should turn to a Jappa:p There is still hope... E30 318i, just make sure it's manual. You never know, it might be possible to pick up a road worthy E34 for $2k.

It is rather depressing looking at used E34 prices. My manual with 220k would be lucky to get $5500 imo. Such a bargain when compared to poorly built, bad handling, pieces of **** Falcons and Commodres, which demand more than the equalivent Bimmer in NZ.

[Dan in NZ]

ireckon i would be hard pushed to get 10 for my 535is prolly about 8000.....4000 maybe too high for your 525....

$4500 in my pocket, and an empty spot on the driveway. Boy they don't know what they're getting themselves in for...

[Paul in NZ]

I am glad i was wrong!