Found a E36 M3, 4 door, 5 speed for sale. It looks to be in good nic, but it has 250,000 miles on it. Ad says:
- Timing chain replacement (187K)
- Clutch and Pressure Plate (147K)
Engine Related Notes
- Due to the mileage on the engine, The previous owner had a compression test done prior to purchasing it, and readings were at about 170 psi with greatest differential being about 10 psi between cylinders.
- When I change the oil every 4000 miles, I tend to lose about 1.5-2 quarts of oil. From what I read, S52 engines burn some oil so this hasn’t been an issue for me. Some opinions out there vary, but given the age and miles on the motor I can live with the consumption.
- Fires up every time, no hesitation and pulls cleanly through the rev range. Idle is stable.
- I get 20 mpg city, 25 highway for an average of 22.5 in mixed driving (also what shows on OBD). Only 93 Octane since I have owned the car.
Any more info I need?
Damnit, I should have put S52. Whoops
oldtin
SuperDork
2/27/12 11:51 a.m.
Is it cheap enough to plug in a different engine and be back at fair market or below? Seems a little low (not bad for the mileage) on pressure and the differences are at the verge. It may run well for a while, but it's down on power and could use a freshening in the not too distant future.
freshening meaning a new set of rings?
DukeOfUndersteer wrote:
freshening meaning a new set of rings?
Not always - I did the cheap route on a buddies car at 175k. The bottom end was pretty inside and the bores checked out (I swear I could still see some hatching) so we cleaned it, changed the rod bearings, had the head freshened and decked... he ran the piss out of it all last season for about 30 track days. Total outlay was about $750. YMMV.
For the record, you can buy an S52 with less than 100k on it for $2k or less these days. Get one out of an automatic and you know it has never been money shifted ;)
oldtin
SuperDork
2/27/12 5:10 p.m.
^^^This - although with the oil use and numbers, I'd plan on rings and bearings once you open it up - hopefully you get a pleasant surprise.
Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote:
For the record, you can buy an S52 with less than 100k on it for $2k or less these days. Get one out of an automatic and you know it has never been money shifted ;)
Let me know when the S54 gets down to that level
mad_machine wrote:
Let me know when the S54 gets down to that level
The best I've seen so far is in the $3400 range and either $3k for a plug and play setup or a lot of fudging and $1500 for a homebrew standalone.
IMO, the LS swap makes a lot more sense even when they hit $2k.
