1991 bmw 325ix
1991 BMW 3-Series Ix Description:
I inherited this car by having someone abandon it on my business's property. I had hoped to restore it, but ran out of free time due to work overload and needed to get my garage back to my wife.My first step, before even trying to start it, Was to replace the timing belt since I didn't know it's age. Then it pretty much fired right up and ran great. I drove it down the road a mile and back just to verify there was nothing awful happening. I decided next to replace all the (hard) brake lines since they were a rusty mess, especially the ones running the length of the car. Here's where "project creep" kicked in.
I decided it would be much easier to replace the hard lines where they ran over the rear axles if the rear subframe was removed, and then I could do all the subframe and swing arm bushings too! Oh, and replace the fuel lines. Now, my progress slowed way down. Why not put new seals in the diff while it's out? In the meantime, my job situation changed so that my free time (and free money) evaporated. At some point, I began to think I would just get everything running again and then sell it, but after many more months it was clear I couldn't even accomplish that. So, i got the subframe and diff back in, wheels back on, and now I'll just sell it as it is.
People have asked me about the status of the transfer case, since they often go on these cars. As I mentioned, I only drove it one time, down the road a mile and back and didn't get any sense of the AWD either way. I didn't bother to test it before tearing the rear end off because it wasn't in my mind at all to sell it, and now it's hard to test since the driveshaft is out. I did do the test where you lift one front wheel off the ground and see what torque it takes to turn it while immobilizing the other three. Turning the wheel very slowly, both front tires measured about 15 ftlbs, not great.
So, its status when I bought it:
- hadn't run in several years
- Power steering inoperable due to fluid leak at one of the little pipes which runs along the outside tube
- No major through-rust anywhere except under the right rear bumper (valence)
- Interior quite messy, but not awful - usual cracked dash
- Black exterior paint faded and peeling
- Last couple inches of left rear spring snapped off. Did not discover this until I moved it
What I've done to it:
- replaced timing belt and water pump
- Replaced outer driveshaft seals on rear diff
- Replaced speedo timer unit on rear diff
- Sanded down and chassis-saver'd rear diff and subframe
- Installed poly bushings on subframe and swingarms
- Replaced 4 rotors
Other parts I have but haven't installed:
- new pre-bent gas and return lines
- New stainless brake lines
- New parking brake lines
- New muffler
- I bought a rack and pinion off eBay but didn't realized that the IX has a different version. You can sell this one to finance finding a correct one. Or, it might be that you can just replace the leaky return tube on the outside of the current one.
What needs to happen:
- Front to back brake lines and fuel lines need to be re-installed. This includes drilling out and retapping the screws which hold the line clamps on. I have all new clamps ready to go
- Re-installing rear brake lines, hard and soft
- Re-installing the driveshaft
- Re-installing the exhaust system
- Fixing the power-steering
Title
Mileage
Location
Engine
T/M
Year
35973
Byfield, Massachusetts, United States
2.5 6 CYL
Automatic
1987
174,000
Glen Allen, Virginia, United States
M20B25
Manual
1991
204,588
Feasterville-Trevose, Pennsylvania, United States
2.5L L6 DOHC 24V
Automatic
1991