More about that BMW that I bought

"ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability" (italianjobr53)
02/26/2020 at 07:02 • Filed to: e46

I still dont have a good photo of the thing but this will do for now.

Its a 2003 E46 325i. 197,000 miles on her. I picked her up for $1800 from Hamilton, OH.

It does have some issues: lean codes for all cylinders and a fluttering idle. My friend with a high mileage E46 says its not a major thing, probably a vacuum leak somewhere. Also, the right front tire is wonky and makes the whole thing vibrate like crazy between 60 and 70 mph. I’ll likely end up replacing all the tires and wheel coz I HATE these wheels. But I’ll borrow another friend’s wheels to confirm if its indeed the tire that causing it.

The best thing and what made me buy it is the engine. Its the best 2.5L BMW I6 that I’ve driven so far, very smooth throughout the rev range and a decent amount of power too!

So now the plan is to fix her up and see how reliable it is by the end of the year because I wanna track the Mini starting from next year :)

PS: like a true BMW is stopped working briefly during the test drive! Fortunately it was just a loose battery terminal :p

DISCUSSION (28)

pip bip - choose Corrour > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
02/26/2020 at 07:24

might just need an alignment

RacinBob > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
02/26/2020 at 08:07

I would jack that corner up and first give the tire a roll and see if it rolls true. If that is not conclusive I would try to move the wheel or lower A arm to see if something is loose.

It may be a thrown cord in the tire if it rolls odd. It could be a tie rod end or a ball joint that is ready to break. Another way to help understand is to drive next to it and see what is shaking. Another possibility is the shock is dead and there is no dampening. Either way, if it shakes like hell at 60, you probably shouldn’t drive it at 60 till fixed.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
02/26/2020 at 08:10

Nice car! I always liked the E46s, I think its a handsome design that has aged well.

functionoverfashion > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
02/26/2020 at 08:40

Lean code / idle could be cracked intake boots, the rubber hoses between the airbox and throttle body are common failure points, but cheap and pretty easy to replace.

I did love that engine in my 325xi, it was so good. Even if not a ton of power, you could wring it out and it had a nice powerband anyway.

Any how many oil leaks? Cooling system? I’m sure you’re aware of that at this point...

dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
02/26/2020 at 09:13

That’s a good deal! I hope you get everything fixed up cheaply. May I suggest Style 37s?

Kinja'd!!!

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > functionoverfashion
02/26/2020 at 10:56

At least ad he shared yesterday said cooling system had just been done, so definitely a good buy with that taken care of for this price! Shops quoted me ~$1500-1800 just to do that work on my E46 lol!

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
02/26/2020 at 10:56

Congrats! Great price, and sounds like a fun project ahead of you.

functionoverfashion > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
02/26/2020 at 12:17

Sweet! I’d just double check which items they did, because an E46 “cooling system overhaul” has as many meanings as “engine rebuild” - good news it it’s mostly easy DIY.

These are great cars, pretty easy to work on, too. Should be fun!

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > functionoverfashion
02/26/2020 at 12:21

Absolutely. Could mean just the radiator or expansion tank...or everything including pulleys and drivebelts. I did my full overhaul for under $600 in parts and a weekend...not very mechanically capable at all, so certainly a good DIY task.

functionoverfashion > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
02/26/2020 at 12:28

not very mechanically capable at all, so certainly a good DIY task.

I learned to work on cars largely by working on my first E46! Between that and the 1972 F-100 I had at the time, I learned a wide variety of things from the two vehicles. Both were dead reliable throughout my ownership, as well.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > functionoverfashion
02/26/2020 at 13:30

Yup, I’m thinking intake boots as well. The VC gasket doesn’t seem to be leaky (yet) and the oil pan wasn’t too wet either so fingers crossed.

Radiator, water pump and coolant expansion tank were replaced recently so it should be ok. I'll keep an eye on temp and coolant level anyway

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > RacinBob
02/26/2020 at 13:31

I’m not driving it on want highway before this is fixed, I have other cars till to drive till I fix this.

functionoverfashion > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
02/26/2020 at 13:35

Good news anyway, replacing a single hose, or belts/pulleys, it’s super easy on these manual transmission cars. Expansion tank is the only hard one in my experience.

RacinBob > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
02/26/2020 at 13:40

Cool, its amazing the number of people who would say “is that a problem?”

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford
02/26/2020 at 13:54

Heart says M parallels, wallet says no

I’ll likely buy these if it is indeed a wheel issue:

Kinja'd!!!

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > pip bip - choose Corrour
02/26/2020 at 13:54

Its gonna get one for sure!

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > RacinBob
02/26/2020 at 14:04

I dropped the Mini’s subframe because 1 ball joint was wonky ;)

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > functionoverfashion
02/26/2020 at 14:05

Yup, I've changed pulleys on a friend's 325 so I know how to do it

functionoverfashion > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
02/26/2020 at 20:25

The hardest thing on that car (that I tackled) was the CCV system. I would just do a catch can if I had to do it again.

That, and the starter, which, amazingly, I never had to do. I hear it’s fun.

superdave847 > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
02/26/2020 at 23:09

I had 2002 in the same color. I drove it until 186k miles and then sold to Carmax for $ 3 k. It was a terrific car. The only problem I had was a fuel pump die at 120k miles.

C-Ki > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
02/27/2020 at 12:51

Thread subd

Keep us updated...

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > functionoverfashion
02/27/2020 at 19:46

I’ve helped a friend replace CCV on his 325, it is indeed a pita.

Only other thing that I need to check is DIZA, but the car does pull well at higher RPM...

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > superdave847
02/27/2020 at 19:54

BMW and their notorious fuel pumps :P

The more I drive it, the more I like that silky smooth I6!

functionoverfashion > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
02/27/2020 at 21:03

Oh yeah that’s the thing that people panic about breaking and sending small bits into the engine via the intake? I had mine stop working completely on my ‘03 but it didn’t fall apart. For a while you couldn’t get one for a reasonable price but other aftermarket companies stepped up and you can find them, or just get the rebuild kit I think.

Clearly, you’ve got a good base of knowledge to work from on this car. It should treat you well in that case.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > functionoverfashion
02/27/2020 at 21:22

Yup, again, we replaced it on my friend’s car!

A small p art of the reason I got an E46 is that there are 2 close friends who have fixed all the things that go wrong on their E46s. Also didnt help that I drove their cars a lot :)

functionoverfashion > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
02/27/2020 at 21:29

lol, I’m on the other side of that, with a friend who recently bought a car like the ones I used to have. My father also bought a bmw wagon recently, because of how much he liked mine. Now I’m being grilled for help fixing them.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > functionoverfashion
02/27/2020 at 21:40

I have a 30 pack so we can lay back after working on the 46, ask the same from your people!

superdave847 > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
02/29/2020 at 10:43

Exactly. Lots of plastic parts to replace prophylactically, but there are few cars that are a better driving experience!