We've met the final rust repair on Project E30 - and potentially the most difficult one to date. In this video we'll have a go at fixing an E30 design flaw while repairing the rust in the passenger side rear wheel well.
Damn man, have you never encountered a tough situation where you just gave up and let someone else take care of it? I guess that shows what patience, determination, and critical thinking can get you through. Also, you definitely jinxed yourself with that last comment about the mechanical taking less time.
Hah! Fingers crossed that the mechanicals go OK, but you never know with old rusty bolts. I still come across things that I have to take to a professional mechanic but the list is slowly shrinking!
@@PracticalEnthusiast I love that you rerouted that mess into the trunk. I have holes in all the same places, when I address it I think I'll copy you. I bought a new cover, but I imagine it will just rust through again if I put it back like it was OEM.
THANK YOU FOR THESE VIDEOS!! Like seriously, I lost motivation while rustrepairing my piece of shit E30 (I still love her) and I happened to stumble upon your videos and man, I feel so hyped now. Thank you once again and best regards from a car maniac from Sweden.
Hi Thim, how your e30 is going now? I am in the middle of rust repair step losing motivation also lol this thing is giving you more rust each time you are digging in more
@@tc40390 So well done. It is years of work in front of mine lol. Which colour code is this red please? I always wanted to spray mine in red with m2 kit on bbs wheels, of course this will take some time to get it there for now but trying hard still! Thanks for your feedback it motivates a lot.
@@002-b9s thanks man! The color is brilliantrot which I thought was fitting since it’s an 318is but with a motor swap and other stuff. Just keep going at it and one day you’ll be able to enjoy yours I am sure. Remember that it’s an hobby so don’t force yourself and only spend time when you think it is fun. It took me just about 4 years to get to where I am now but I didn’t know anything before starting this project so I have learned a lot.
Great stuff! My guess as to why they routed the breather line or vapor lines etc outside the trunk is there are probably safety codes that stipulate something about enclosed spaces and a combustible liquid. Vapors are nasty when leaking into a closed area. BOOM!!! YEEEE HAAAAA! LOL. I'm sure you'll be fine. Good work as always.
You bring up a good point! I also thought that a safety code could have been the reason why BMW opted for the wheel well vent line routing. But then I thought, wait a minute, they are already routing the vent lines through the passenger compartment through that metal pipe! The hoses are already going through the interior of the car, and then exiting at the wheel well. At the end of the day, it may have just been BMW being BMW and making it overly complicated.
They are routed through a steel pipe (the pipe you used isn't even classified for fuel) They could proably done the same in the trunk but the would mean interfering with trunkspace and risking objects in the trunk puncturing it. The original pipe requires removing the backseat to reach so that's pretty safe
Nice job. I would add some silicone sealant around the entrance of that metal pipe in the wheel well cause water will want to follow the lines into there.
That right there is a tough spot that all E30's have a problem with. Mine had a metal cover that covered the 2 fuel lines and the big tude and it was completely rusted. Had to get a new one for about 80,00 euros and replace it. Now, I didn't mess further inside with the fuel lines because they looked ok so I just replaced the cover. I think every E30 owner should check this spot out.
Bravo nice job, way to go. You had me thinking about doing the same thing for a minute but my situation is a little bit different in that I am not dealing with any rust issues or holes to patch. When I removed my hose cover it was in bad shape and it had rust in multiple spots all throughout. The hose itself had pretty much welded itself to the inner wall but I was able to clean it up and broke it free. Luckily, I caught this situation in what seems to be the nick of time because between the caked up dirt and the rusted cover this was a situation ready to become a disaster and ruin what otherwise is a rust free car. I think that I am going to handle my situation a little be differently, though. I am going to first buy a new cover then disconnect the hose and slip on some heavy duty shrink wrap (I don't think I'll be heating it up to shrink it, though) then I will replace the cover but only this time I will use something like an RTV type sealer around the outer edges of the cover to prevent water & dirt from entering in the future. Like you said, this is not a place where one can easily do or remember to do regular maintenance. Grab yourself a beer
A current E21 owner but have had and appreciate the E30, still I like being the bastard stepchild of BMW owner....Good advice and glad to see someone wrenching on this models! Praise the Hazard!!
Had the same issue on my e30 but not quite as bad. I suggest you scrape all the tar off the rear seat and check for dust under it as I had a few rot spots under that tar, it had rusted where the gas tank mounts underneath
Could it be that they did not want to run the positive cable next to the fuel vent line that they put it outside the car? I mean it could be some kind of rule they had to get by, like crash safety or something.
This is actually a great idea. I may well look into this for mine as I'm due to drop the fuel tank and whole rear beam for an overhaul and got some patches to weld up on the metal between the seat nech and fuel tank
Another excellent video, its nice to see you're making progress with this repair/build. Its been good to see a diy builder/repairer showing such a pragmatic approach and thorough repair techniques to the many landmines (rust spots and fluid leaks) of an old E30. I've got a 1990 E30 318is (M42 twin cam) slicktop coupe but fortunately I live in Western Australia which has a really dry climate (we never get snow) so I would hope some of these items aren't issues for me. I also really don't want to go looking for them as I certainly don't have the repair skills you've exhibited to deal with them if I find them. I quite enjoy the music you add to your videos too. Keep up the good work. Out of interest how much is the average (complete + fair condition) E30 in the US? Down here they're about $6K plus for 4 cylinder (M10/M40) versions with 200,000km+, we don't have many 6 cylinder coupe/sedan/wagon versions around. The original dealer pricing on my 318is new back in 1990 was $42K.
Thank you for the compliment! I'm happy to hear this feedback that the video format is entertaining and informative. If I were to bet, I'd say you're not going to have any rust issues which is awesome. An E30 on the nicer end of the spectrum here in the USA would bring in the neighborhood of $5-8,000 USD. They normally have "high" mileage (over 150,000 miles). From what I've seen, many here are the M20 6 cylinders, although the 4 cylinders are certainly out there. There are also plenty of automatic transmission-equipped ones. The wagons were not originally sold here, although they're starting to be imported since they are now over 25 years old. Thanks for watching!
Really enjoyed the rust repair videos. Giving me confidence and tips to tackle my own car. I'm a beginner. Any tips on some reading material on welding before I start? Maybe make a video on the tools you used as well as the settings applied to fix the rust?
These are great videos! I came here from your article on Jalopnik :) My buddy and I have a 91 Miata, and we definitely have some rust issues to tackle at some point... Would love to learn how to weld, so we'll see how that goes! The new pipe - it's angled up a bit. Aren't you a bit worried about water and crap getting in there and flowing down into the flexible hosing? I guess it's nice that it's clear so you can see if that happens!...
Hey thanks for reading - and watching! I think you should take a stab at welding on the Miata. Even if it's not "perfect," you'll gain so much familiarity with the car and you'll learn a ton. As for the pipe, you're right. There's certainly potential for water to get in, but it will eventually find its way to the bottom of the car where the pipe exits under the seat. Even still, I may go back and seal the entry point with some silicone. We'll see!
Interesting! What does that vent tank do then? I race my E30 so as I only put about 15-20 litres (quarter tank) AND it has a swirl pot, wondering if it's just dead weight...? Oh also, there's another vent / breather on the other side. It goes all the way from the fuel tank to behind the headlamps... bonkers over engineering!
I usually go into each one of these with the outlook that I'll keep it for a long time. So, I end up doing repairs that will allow for that. But then another really neat car/truck/motorcycle comes along, and I have to sell something to make room. I never want to do it, but there's only so much money and space!
What camera do you use? Great quality video - both content and cinematography. I'd recommend prepping your surface more before applying POR 15 or use Eastwood's Platinum Rust Encapsulator (not a sponsored post haha)
Love the videos! I just bought a '90 325i coupe with the exact same rust and your videos are making me feel much better about fixing it. Do you recall what size pipe and hose you used here?
Thanks! It was 1 - 1/4" inner diameter pipe if I remember correctly. The hose I don't remember, I would recommend going to the hardware store with the pipe and just testing some out.
I think it is for safety reasons. To not have any fuel/fuel vapor lines inside the car. You solution is great. But I have concern with it. If there is cracks on the fuel ventilation pipes and they are inside this rubber hose, it is potential fire hazard in your trunk, Also It is kinda scary to have the battery positive main cable just under it. Imagine it shorting just there to the body the rubber hose and the vent lines will melt and may start fire.
@@PracticalEnthusiast thank you very much and love this whole series! I have the same rust spot on the rear valence/ battery box that I would like to try and fix my self.
I was looking up all internet on how to fix rust on e36 fuel vent line enter / exit areas, for e36 this situation is worse and its really hard to understand how to fix rust to the area the pipe exits to fuel tank, ive come up with idea to cut out piece of rear seat from interior side to get inside the ''hidden'' place where I think should be this metal pipe just like e30 has and be able to fix the rust issue, before it gets worse..
after you put the interior pannels back in the trunck was there any buldging? i have rust in all the exact same places. I will probably end up doing what you did. the cover for that thing is $100 even if i could salvage the inlet tube; no thank you.
Great work but there is no design flaw. You are missing the metal cover from inside your inner wing which protects the cabling. The Germans do not do design flaws.
i disagree. my 325e had half of a cover. all it does is collect dirt and salt behind the cover which leads to rust. it is no coincidence that all the rust spots are along the path of that cover. the e30 is a great car, dont get me wrong, but there are many places that are prone to rust due to the disign not allowing water and minerals to leave.
@@mwcrilly Steel rusts in time, its just the way it is and most of these cars are 30 years old. The fact that there are still thousands of them pottering about in everyday use is a testament to how well designed they were. I have one for the past 25 years and its only now I am having bodywork issues.
@@bmw-e30 i wish that were the case for me, I see California cars that are flawless down there and i get jealous. fact of the matter is that some places require more rust prevention effort. unfortunately i have only had the car for the last 3 years or else i would have addressed it before it all got out of hand. good on you and enjoy your e30, i enjoy mine even though is patch back together.
@@mwcrilly Yea, Michael, agree in different parts of the world, you will have different problems. In the Uk, you will have salt damaged cars in the North which are to be avoided. In Ireland where I am, you will have sunroof/firewall issues due to the rainfall. In California, likely paintwork, cracked dashboards would be a problem with the sun. Seems worth persisting with though as they are rocketing in value here now.
