What do you think?? - E36 328i Sport

Basically the 328 was restricted by means of a thinner bore branches etc on the inlet manifold. This is why in the specs it has the same power as the 325, but with more torque. This was apparently done to keep it in a lower tax band in Germany.

To release the extra 15-20bhp you swap the inlet manifold from a M50 engined 325 which has notibly larger inlet branches. There is a lad on here called Barf who has a proven 229bhp from this and a few other bits.

BUT! It isn't a straight swap as when BMW made the M52 engine (2.8), they changed the breathing arrangement oil/idle etc and fuel rail and other brackets differ. It is possible as a DIY job but quite involved.

But all is not lost as a Bloke called Ian (alpina527) does a modified inlet manifold kit which does bolt straight on! Plus he does big bore throttle bodies (which i haven't got yet!) to give some more poke.

You can get the mod'd manifold and BB bodies for the same price as a Superchip, but alot more power!

I wasn't going to mess with mine, but this mod is worth it for the price!

PS this mod is becoming popular and the manifolds are becoming scarce or over priced if you want one from a breakers. Ian has good contacts for sourcing them.

Edited by dave 328

Matt, many cars had their nikasil cylinder blocks replaced with ones fitted with steel liners. If you ring BMW Uk and ask for the customer service department then quote the chassis number they will be able to tell you if the car has had the work done. If it has then nothing to worry about. If it hasn't then you need to weigh up whether it is worth it or not. If the engine is still ok then it is unlikley to develop a problem know, but you never know. An engine that is starting to develop a problem will use oil and run a bit rough. If you do a search on the 3 series technical forum for Nikasil you will find plenty of info as this has been discussed at length.

sleeper wrote: you must be getting worn out typing about nikasil pete...

I never get tired of helping fellow BMW owners!  

....although I do seem to type the word Nikasil a lot.

MattB106 wrote: Ok.. the engine doesnt use any oil or idle anything but dead smooth. I did speak to BMW about it this morning and they didnt have a clue what i was on about. Eventually someone said bore wash which i figured is what the Nikasil problem is.

When you say you spoke to BMW, do you mean you spoke to a dealer or BMW UK. They should definately know what the Nikasil problem is, although dealers are more likely to play dumb. Diod you find out whether the car had had any work done with respect to nikasil?

MattB106 wrote: With the car being on 72k and last serviced at 68k i'm thinking that it's shortly due a very expensive service too :(

Not necessarily, it depends on what the last service was. If it was an inspection 1 or 2 then it will just be due an oil service next which shouldn't be too expensive. It goes oil service , inspection 1, oil service, inspection 2, oil service, inspection 1 etc. The inspections are quite expensive especially the inspection 2.

Peter Fenwick wrote: When you say you spoke to BMW, do you mean you spoke to a dealer or BMW UK. They should definately know what the Nikasil problem is, although dealers are more likely to play dumb. Diod you find out whether the car had had any work done with respect to nikasil Not necessarily, it depends on what the last service was. If it was an inspection 1 or 2 then it will just be due an oil service next which shouldn't be too expensive. It goes oil service , inspection 1, oil service, inspection 2, oil service, inspection 1 etc. The inspections are quite expensive especially the inspection 2.

Will find out which service it has had over the weekend. The car has had no work regarding Nikasil, yet is perfect. I presume this means more than likely the danger has passed now petrol has imporved etc etc?

£600 sounds a bit expensive. Try ringing round a few dealers. Some of them do charge a lot more than others. I was quoted £350+ by my local dealer for an inspection 2.

Don't know about the aircon, Youm could try posting the question on the 3 seriers tech forum. Aslo have you done a search I t may have been talked about before.

Matt, befroe you hand over any of your hard earned cash it might be wise to have it inspected by a BMW dealer, just to be sure. The black smoke might just be because of the kind of driving the car is doing, but it could be something more sinister.

MattB106 wrote: The car doesnt do it now as the owners isnt doing that sort of driving.

That's reassuring. Sounds like it was just down to the driving. 

I should just say i bought the car and it is totally mint! The owner is taking his private plate off now so i will pick it up in the next two weeks. Can't wait!

First public outing will be at Trax. Anyone else going?! I do have two track sessions booked, but not sure i will use them