Hey everyone, Finally got the car I've wanted since I was a wee little one...haha. Had quite a...

Hey everyone,

Finally got the car I've wanted since I was a wee little one...haha. Had quite a few other fun cars in my, so far, short stay on this round planet we call home. But, this is my first German car, and most important of all, first BMW.


Short background, I'm a Mopar guy. I love Dodge/Plymouth/Chrysler, but, during the 80s on up, Chrysler Corp didn't offer much in the RWD segment. Being I'm still a young'n, 80s cars are the only ones really affordable to me.
So, I've had a few Mitsubishi Starions, an RX7, a Dodge Omni GLH (still have), a Shelby Charger, etc. But, this is my first E30...the one I've wanted from the get go.


Anyway...fast forward to yesterday...finally picked up one I fell in love with. A 1987 325e. Dark blue with blue interior, 5 speed. Body is rock solid, just has some peeling clear coat, car runs excellent...only the trans has issues...which leads to my questions.

Car runs and drives like a dream, but, shifting is very difficult. Being the deal I got the car for, I wasn't too worried about it...but...more or less, the clutch does not disengage all the way.

It doesn't seem like a hydraulics issue as pumping it does nothing, but...clutch all the way in, its hard to get into any gear at a stop, and once your in gear, if your on a flat surface, clutch pedal still to the floor...the car moves very slowly.

I read something about a clutch fork pivot ball? Does that sound like a possibility? Car has in the neighborhood of 190k miles. I had an SRT4 and that pivot ball was verrrry common.

Once your moving, as long as you rev match shift, it shifts easier, but still not easily. Car came with a brand new clutch I plan on changing within the next week.

Also...when driving after the car sits long enough for the trans to cool, it makes a rattling sound...quite audible...gets faster with speed.

Once I shift into 5th gear, the sound goes away and will not come back until I park the car for an hour or so.

Any ideas? Lol. A strange one to me, but, maybe a common issue?

And, occasionally the check engine light flashes for a minute or so then shuts off. The oil light is on in the overhead console, but level is good and pressure is fine, so, I'm assuming a bad sender. (can that cause the Check engine light).

Other than that, I love it. Cruised about 70 miles on the highway smooth as silk on a little less than an 1/8th tank.

Its also lowered on H&R springs with tokico? struts and brand new Rota RB 15x7 with a 205/50 tire. Got a lot of looks and even a thumbs on the way home, so, I love it already...haha.

I'll get some pictures tomorrow, but, here's one from tonight. (yes, it had a german style tag that the PO removed...I'll be getting another) I haven't even had a chance to detail it yet.
Also, sorry for the novel. But, thanks for having me here, hope to learn as much about these cars as I have my others, and thanks for any help you can give!

-Tyler


Hey everyone, Finally got the car I've wanted since I was a wee little one...haha. Had quite a...

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