Nikasil, AGAIN!!!!!!!!

Guys I�m sorry in advance for seeming to be lazy but I have very limited time available to me at work to get myself on the web so any help here would be VERY gratefully appreciated, back to the point, I�ve found SO many E36 328�s going for good money and I�d like to know what to look out for with regards to the Nikasil issue, i.e., is there any immediate visually identifiable or recognisable features on the engines or is it a code that gives the game away???

Also, now excuse my ignorance but where Nikasil engines rolled out across the globe or where they mostly aimed at a particular sector, i.e., Europe or the far east?????

And finally, what where the real problems about them??? Will living in a hotter climate make them more, or less desirable???

I know this issue has been covered to death on this site but any help, links to pages or sites containing pics if they are visually identifiable etc would help me out tremendously as I�m seriously thinking about one instead of the wife�s car, we only need one car as we both work at the same place and I�M IN NEED OF A BMW FIX, I saw an AC Schnitzer E36 convertible going for good money and I think I could wrangle getting rid of her car if I showed her a rag top (see how I did that, EHH, always thinking, always thinking     ) it�s a 95 with 100k on the clock and it�s around the 4 grand mark.

As always, thanks in advance for any help.

Nikasil affected M52 engined E36s. That covers the 328, 323 and late 325 and 320 i.e 95 cars.

I'm not sure about visual identifers on the engine but if you get the chassis number and contact BMW customer services they should be able to tell you if any engine work i.e a replacement block, has been carried out under warranty.

As far as I was aware the Nikasil issue only affected the UK.

 

Oops!!LOL.

Edited by vpricey

Peter Fenwick wrote: Nikasil affected M52 engined E36s. That covers the 328, 323 and late 325 and 320 i.e 95 cars.

The pre-'98 325 was an iron block M50. This was replaced by the 328. The later alloy block 325 was an M54 & only appeared in the E46 replacing the 323.

The M52's began in '95 with the 328 (& anything with the 2.8 motor). All alloy blocks in the M52 family were affected.

First blocks were replaced with Nikasil blocks, then steel liner'd blocks when that didn't work.

The M54 blocks (E46 330, 325 etc.) were Alusil coated.

Beemaboy wrote: I thought it affected the American market aswell???

American cars didn't suffer the nikasil problem as they were fitted with steel lined blocks.

M52 = 320/323/328 (as AndyS pointed out) with a Nikasil alloy block made before 3/98 were prone to nikasil problem in the UK.

Cause: High sulphur in north sea refined fuel caused premature bore wear which showed as a bad idle and a lack of power. Only solution is a new block. That's not to say that all nikasil blocked M50 were affected tho...some have shown no signs of the problem..

Edited by Rossi

Quick tip,

Turn off all electrics etc. Start the car from cold with the door wide open. If the door vibrates markebly before settling down - walk away.

Only other option is to get a pressure test at your local garage or dealers, it may be that the work has allready been done, ie an allusil block has been fitted in place of the nikasil one. If there is no problems and it a nikasil block I doubt there is much concern now as long as you stay with decent fuels. Sometimes the block was replaced with another nikasil block in the early stages before the alusil ones came in.

Thats as much as I've leant anyway (I origionaly looked for an E38 740i of around '95 vintage - so read up on it a bit before getting the ti). I'm sure folks with more knowledge will put me right where I've gone wrong with the deatails.