Bmw E30 Engine Bay Diagram

07 Dec, 2021 Post a Comment

Picture of a stock E30 engine bay?

Just curious if anyone has one to share. I have a feeling the last owner of the car jury rigged some stuff, so I want to see what im up against.
As some simple maintenance, I tried to replace the elbow from the air filter to the TB (cracked to hell and back), but when I start the engine up, the rpm's shoot through the roof. So I put the old one back on. So I want to fix any possible vacuum leaks (including the valve cover gasket), but I just want to see whats what, before I tinker any more.

Last edited by DouglasSmith; 06-12-2009 at 01:05 PM.
... this is a great idea for folks new to the e30? I'd love to see an under-the-hood diagram.
I'll post one up for you (the M42) when my wife comes home with the car if no one else does. Mine is completely stock under the hood.
That's a bit odd. Are you sure you didn't bump the throttle cable when you were working on the intake elbow?

Last edited by strad; 06-12-2009 at 01:45 PM.

9/2004 Chevrolet Suburban Z71, black, purchased March 2016
6/99 740i Cosmos with m sport suspension, shadowline. purchased May 2017 with 199k miles
1984 MasterCraft Stars and Stripes, Blue/White, PCM Ford 351W, PowerSlot, 912 hours, purchased September 2012 (not a car )
4/99 323is/5. have known this car since 2004, but owned previously by relatives. It is a project, needs a diff and some cosmetics.
past BMWs: 5/1994 325isa (Arktisgrau), 3/1997 328is/5 (cosmosschwartz), 9/1990 535i/5 (calypsorot), 9/1990 318i/5 (brillantrot) 7/93 325i/5 convertible (samoablau) 2/92 325i/5 cabriolet (lagunengruen).
S�NDE REISEN
Nah. I thought the same thing. As soon as I put the old one back on, it was fine. I figured the previous owner just changed the idle speed (or something) to work with all the vacuum leaks. Or the computer just over time adjusted itself.
Last edited by manfred235; 06-12-2009 at 03:41 PM.
Awesome. I know there are more hoses there then I see in mine. Ill have to compare and even post a photo here.
thanks!!
the proximity of those hoses to the fan never ceases to make me nervous....
there is hose that plugs right into that elbow you are talking about it. Comes around and plugs into a sensor above the intake manifold. (I am not good with all these sensor names)
Make sure you have that.
Originally Posted by DouglasSmith

Awesome. I know there are more hoses there then I see in mine. Ill have to compare and even post a photo here.

thanks!!

That might be because the picture he posted is of a 325i motor, whereas you appear to have a 3189? lol I'm guessing you meant 318i?
Originally Posted by DouglasSmith

Awesome. I know there are more hoses there then I see in mine. Ill have to compare and even post a photo here.

thanks!!

There is no way in hell your engine bay looks like that if you have a 91 318i.

9/2004 Chevrolet Suburban Z71, black, purchased March 2016
6/99 740i Cosmos with m sport suspension, shadowline. purchased May 2017 with 199k miles
1984 MasterCraft Stars and Stripes, Blue/White, PCM Ford 351W, PowerSlot, 912 hours, purchased September 2012 (not a car )
4/99 323is/5. have known this car since 2004, but owned previously by relatives. It is a project, needs a diff and some cosmetics.
past BMWs: 5/1994 325isa (Arktisgrau), 3/1997 328is/5 (cosmosschwartz), 9/1990 535i/5 (calypsorot), 9/1990 318i/5 (brillantrot) 7/93 325i/5 convertible (samoablau) 2/92 325i/5 cabriolet (lagunengruen).
S�NDE REISEN
The OP has a 318? Oops. Well the pics might help someone else in the future.
Well, his profile says he has a 3189. . . so we'll see what he says.

9/2004 Chevrolet Suburban Z71, black, purchased March 2016
6/99 740i Cosmos with m sport suspension, shadowline. purchased May 2017 with 199k miles
1984 MasterCraft Stars and Stripes, Blue/White, PCM Ford 351W, PowerSlot, 912 hours, purchased September 2012 (not a car )
4/99 323is/5. have known this car since 2004, but owned previously by relatives. It is a project, needs a diff and some cosmetics.
past BMWs: 5/1994 325isa (Arktisgrau), 3/1997 328is/5 (cosmosschwartz), 9/1990 535i/5 (calypsorot), 9/1990 318i/5 (brillantrot) 7/93 325i/5 convertible (samoablau) 2/92 325i/5 cabriolet (lagunengruen).
S�NDE REISEN
A quick google search returned:

This one might be a euro or african or australian version, or just a custom job (don't know why) because the battery is in the front, and the fuse box is on the opposite side. If you look carefully you can see that it's a right-hand-drive car, so maybe that's just how they came. I'm not sure. I can't see a reason for the manufacturer putting the battery right there, though, because it could be dangerous to the driver in a wreck.

But what you really need to go for is:

Last edited by DrewDude320i; 06-12-2009 at 07:04 PM.
Last edited by halmotors; 06-12-2009 at 08:14 PM.

Disclaimer: At any time, any single thing I say or do could be entirely or partly incorrect, wrong, or just plain in dramatic error. Take all comments, advice, and criticism at face value, and research all references I give in my posts.
I believe earlier years had the battery in the front on the battery tray. I know my car has a battery tray in the front but its just a vacant space as the battery is in the back
The second pic could be of a Vert. My US 318ic battery mounted there.

Originally Posted by DrewDude320i

A quick google search returned:

This one might be a euro or african or australian version, or just a custom job (don't know why) because the battery is in the front, and the fuse box is on the opposite side. If you look carefully you can see that it's a right-hand-drive car, so maybe that's just how they came. I'm not sure. I can't see a reason for the manufacturer putting the battery right there, though, because it could be dangerous to the driver in a wreck.

But what you really need to go for is:

__________________________________________
91' 318ic (e30)
99' 740il (e38)
Originally Posted by halmotors

Good stuff. That should help the OP.
OP, if you're going to start messing with this, might wanna look at this link as well. http://www.m42club.com/forums/showth...der+the+intake

I elected to keep everything oem and just replaced all the worn-out stock components, but the link illustrates another good and safe way to go.

9/2004 Chevrolet Suburban Z71, black, purchased March 2016
6/99 740i Cosmos with m sport suspension, shadowline. purchased May 2017 with 199k miles
1984 MasterCraft Stars and Stripes, Blue/White, PCM Ford 351W, PowerSlot, 912 hours, purchased September 2012 (not a car )
4/99 323is/5. have known this car since 2004, but owned previously by relatives. It is a project, needs a diff and some cosmetics.
past BMWs: 5/1994 325isa (Arktisgrau), 3/1997 328is/5 (cosmosschwartz), 9/1990 535i/5 (calypsorot), 9/1990 318i/5 (brillantrot) 7/93 325i/5 convertible (samoablau) 2/92 325i/5 cabriolet (lagunengruen).
S�NDE REISEN
The battery on my 325i is in the front thou the rest of the bay looks just like
those pictures, then both my 318is and my 325i have the fuse box on the driver's side.
And I hate to say it but I don't care for that one riced up engine.
Originally Posted by 8307c4

The battery on my 325i is in the front thou the rest of the bay looks just like
those pictures, then both my 318is and my 325i have the fuse box on the driver's side.

And I hate to say it but I don't care for that one riced up engine.

You mean the one with the big ol' snail that makes twice the power of a stock M42?
Actually I agree with you. My perfect M42 would be a Metric Mechanic 2100 Rally engine. Driving one of those has to be a kick.

9/2004 Chevrolet Suburban Z71, black, purchased March 2016
6/99 740i Cosmos with m sport suspension, shadowline. purchased May 2017 with 199k miles
1984 MasterCraft Stars and Stripes, Blue/White, PCM Ford 351W, PowerSlot, 912 hours, purchased September 2012 (not a car )
4/99 323is/5. have known this car since 2004, but owned previously by relatives. It is a project, needs a diff and some cosmetics.
past BMWs: 5/1994 325isa (Arktisgrau), 3/1997 328is/5 (cosmosschwartz), 9/1990 535i/5 (calypsorot), 9/1990 318i/5 (brillantrot) 7/93 325i/5 convertible (samoablau) 2/92 325i/5 cabriolet (lagunengruen).
S�NDE REISEN
Originally Posted by strad

You mean the one with the big ol' snail that makes twice the power of a stock M42?

Rice is rice, no matter how spicy it is.

Disclaimer: At any time, any single thing I say or do could be entirely or partly incorrect, wrong, or just plain in dramatic error. Take all comments, advice, and criticism at face value, and research all references I give in my posts.
Don't they all look like this?

If you can leave two black stripes from the exit of one corner to the braking zone of the next, you have enough horsepower. - Mark Donohue
Originally Posted by ross1

Don't they all look like this?

Thankfully no.
Yeah. As soon as I printed the pic to compare, I was like 'Aw crud. Thats not my engine. I was mainly looking at the parts on the drivers side. I didnt even look at the intake and see the difference.
<board combined my posts. Above was in response to the first poster that informed me the first pictures were not of a 318)

Originally Posted by halmotors

Thanks. Those do help. I can already see the some differences. Ill post the pic of mine. There are 2 open hoses on the drivers side of the intate. ( I knew this couldnt be correct. Wondered what attached to them)And the idle regulator isnt behind the intake but more off to the side and connected using a hose and a few clamps to the other side...
Definitly appears I have some work on my hands

Last edited by DouglasSmith; 06-15-2009 at 08:32 AM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
Heres the main reason I asked.
This was one of the pics posted by Halmotors

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...s/DSCF1108.jpg

And this is my engine bay. You can see the hoses are connected differently and even the idle regulator is in the wrong place.

As you can see, there is a hose going from the intake elbow right to the regulator instead of into the head. And they used extension tubing on the regulator to behind the intake.

Can anyone describe how this tubing should be? Im guessing that tube to the elbow should be going into the open tube on the block. But what hose is suppose to go to the regulator?

Last edited by DouglasSmith; 06-19-2009 at 10:01 AM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
Some PO has done Jihad to your hoses: note the NAPA plastic hose splice lying on top of the master cylinder fluid reservoir. Study the pics on RealOEM.com for your car; you'll learn something about it in the process.