Greetings everyone! Noob BMW owner here

[Skyline Driver 5]

Hello everyone I would like take the opportunity to introduce myself. I am a very proud owner of a 1995 325is and it's my first BMW as well. I have very simple plans for the car at the moment beginning with changing the head gasket and from that point on look into simple bolt on parts such as an intake and exhaust. My knowledge of these cars are very limited at the moment but I hope to learn alot from other owners on here and exchange knowledge and ideas as well. I believe the motor I have is a m50b25 and the chassis code is e30 or something but idunno. I already ordered the head gasket and all that's left to find is the head bolts. I'm gonna try to post pics of the car tomorrow. These cars are NOYCE!!!

[Batman4ever]

welcome to bimmer world

[Skyline Driver 5]

thanks

[korito727]

your chassis is an e36.. but as far as the engine goes idk lol im new to these cars for the most part too.. but good luck! and welcome haha

[Skyline Driver 5]

lol thanks man. yea I haven't quite got the BMW terminology yet

[Skyline Driver 5]

Can anyone tell me if replacing the head bolts with new ones is necessary when putting the head back on

[89civrex]

welcome to the bimmer scene

[bam2002]

If they are stock then yes you are suppose to replace them. The stock ones usually have the Torx star type heads.
You can also get ARP head studs that can be reused.
I have heard of people reusing the stock ones, but there is a chance they could break.

[ThaiRacer]

Yes replace the studs. dont want to re-do over a 30 dollar cheap out. Get some S50 cams (95 M3 OBDI only) and a chip and u should be good. Change RTABS too because they tend to wear out and u wont notice it until u drive in the rain. very very dangerous. I spun out my E36 off I75 because they were bad and made the rear end turn.

[Skyline Driver 5]

Thanks! What are RTABS? and would it be cheaper to buy stock head bolts? Advance doesn't have head bolts.

[M374llic4]

RTABS is rear trailing arm bushings, mine are horrible. It makes the back end of the car feel like the tires are really low kind of and makes it sway as well as clunk sometimes. I still have yet to do them. I almost spun out in the rain on highway as well. Hell, even at a stop light in the rain when I hit the paint line I can feel it shift.

M50 is the right engine, I have a 93 325is. I loved it also for the first few weeks, but meh, after $430 for a wheel bearing, now a starter needs to be replaced, my optima yellow top all in one week. Shits pricey.

They are pretty though, lol.

Heres mine. I am in Palm Harbor.

[Skyline Driver 5]

wow that's really nice! So where do you find these bushings? I want to make sure the car runs well after I change the head gasket so I need to take the head to a machine shop to get it pressure tested. Does anyone know a good place to get this done that isn't too pricey? Also, how can I check the block for cracks without having to take it out because let's face it that might be cracked too. Your right about the parts being expensive. I'm beginning to feel overwhelmed from this project. I just wanted to get a car I never imagined I would own. I got tired of hondas and mitsubishis

[M374llic4]

I felt the same way, but I kind of miss my mitsu at the moment. Much more power, easier to find parts, and much cheaper and easier to fix. >_<

Would much rather have another S14 240 though. Once I get my starter fixed though, car will be good : )

[ThaiRacer]

U guys got to know where to shop. I paid 50 bucks for both of my wheel bearings. Also eurotuning has heavy duty RTABs for like 50 bucks. They are well worth it. I remember I bought it from them for 25 bucks when they were on sale.

Theres:
eurotuning.com
Pelicanparts.com
autopartswarehouse.com <----U can easily find coupon codes and shipping is free
bavauto.com

[M374llic4]

It was $430 total for labor and a new hub, i already had the bearing. It seized up randomly on the highway in the rain and f0rked up some shit.