approching 90k miles

[MyTi82]

so my car is approaching 90k miles n i was wondering is this a service interval and what things need to be or should be done at this point. the only thing thus far since i have had it is an oil change.

[madfronter]

How long have you had the car? And did it come with service records?

[MyTi82]

since March and no.

[madfronter]

Check all your belts, it couldn't hurt to do the spark plugs, make sure you change the oil every 3k or so with synthetic oil, check your brakes, brake fluid, power steering fluid. Not sure what else to look over since you aren't throwing any codes.

[mgbman69]

If I was you, I'd go ahead and start checking everything on the cooling system.

It's about $400 to do the whole system and there are great write ups on this site to help you do it.
If you have the money, it's soooo worth it. The cooling system is really the only time bomb type weak point in these cars.

[cooljess76]

+10,000 what mgbman69 suggested. Cooling systems are the weak link on our cars. Best to go through and start with a completely fresh system. You'll be happy later down the road when you're not spending thousands of dollars to fix a blown head gasket. While you have things apart, might as well replace the oil filter housing gasket and o-rings, valve cover/spark plug gaskets, belts, hoses. Take a look at your bushings, ball joints, tie rods, tranny mounts and motor mounts. Rubber intake boots usually become dry and cracked which can cause problems as well. Definitely start with the cooling system though. Here's a really helpful thread:
http://www.318ti.org/forum/showthread.php?t=18066

[MyTi82]

geez......sorry i asked! seems like alot of work there.

where are the spark plugs located?
are they under that plastic looking blk thing on the cam tower?

n how hard is it to replace the cam tower gaskets?

[tiFreak]

Originally Posted by MyTi82

where are the spark plugs located?
are they under that plastic looking blk thing on the cam tower?

they're under the plastic thing on the engine that says BMW on it

not to be mean or anything but do you have any experience working on cars? every car I've ever seen has the spark plugs mounted directly on the engine so I'm not sure how you'd get confused as to where they are

[MyTi82]

lol, yes i do have some experience working on cars. that is the piece that i was tryin to describe. i assumed they were under there but wasnt sure so i was askin to make sure.

my first car was a 86 camry but i didnt get to work much on that cuz it got totalled soon after i got it. then i had two cressidas 85,86. one auto n the other manual. then i got a j30. all i have done work on except the camry.

[tiFreak]

ok, just making sure lol, someone with no experience replacing an E36 cooling system is a recipe for disaster

[cooljess76]

typically if you follow the plug wires they lead to the plugs

[mgbman69]

Originally Posted by cooljess76

typically if you follow the plug wires they lead to the plugs

I LoL'ed when I read this!


Don't be discouraged if anyone on the internet gives you crap about being new to this.
Don't be scared, almost everything you could do to these cars has been done and documented online. Just research before you attempt anything and have a computer ready for reference when you do the work. Sometimes it's nice to be able to go back and look at a write up while working on it.

Good luck!

[cooljess76]

It also helps to take lots of pictures. Try to get every angle possible so you can always go back and check how things were before you took it apart.

[mgbman69]

Oh yes! Good tips, Jess.

Also, if you get very involved with disassembly try and label things as you take them apart and get a ton of plastic baggies and keep each parts bolts and nuts in the appropriately labeled bag.

I've found that when I do that I always use all my bolts, screws etc. and the whole reassembly process goes much smoother.