Re: E-30 engine woes

["Henry Kim" <henry.kim@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I guess you gotta ask yourself - "what's this car worth"?  Doesn't make
sense to sink $3,000 into a new engine if, in the end, you have yourself a
$5,000 car with a really nice engine.  Especially if you're thinking about
upgrading to a e36 in the near future.

I would first find out what's wrong with it, then do the absolute minimum to
keep the thing running until you get the new car.

> Hey all-
>
> My '90 325 street/track car with 114K miles has a sick engine. Cylinders
> 4 & 5 have extensive oily gunk buildup on the
> spark plugs, and #5 isn't firing at all, even with a new plug.  I don't
> know the extent of the  damage as I haven't yet torn it
> down. It still runs, albeit with a nasty miss.  I am going to consider
> repowering the beast because it has to serve me for
> another couple of years before I can afford an E36 monster. My budget is
> limited, so what are your opinions (Heh, Heh,
> I asked for it now! ; ) ) on options for a new power plant? Rebuild the
> existing? Metric Mechanic? I am an instructor that
> attends around 4 events per year, and the car sees pretty spirited
> driving on a daily basis.

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