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In the spring, I reckon it'll be time to replace my suspension. My E36 is currently pushing 156k miles on what Im pretty sure is the original suspension, and its making silly noises over speedbumps now. Should I go ahead and replace my springs? None of them are broken. I was looking at Bavarian Autosport's catalog, and I'd like to go as inexpensively as possible while still getting quality (and sporty) shocks. Bilstein sport, Bilstein heavy duty, or Sachs? They have a Sachs performance suspension kit for $679.95 that covers fronts, rears, and all springs it looks like. Unless Bilstein is very much superior, I'd likely get this. UUC also has a Sachs performance kit but its $699 and looks to be identical. Bimmerworld has some stuff too but it looks like they have a wide selection of springs, but only a handful of shocks/struts. Anyway, anybody's opinion on these? Also, what should I replace while Im in there? I'm likely going to put bushings off until I have access to a press or something, but I'm talking about shock mounts, tower bearings, and spring pads. Also, a rear shock reinforcement plate, just in case.
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Nov 1, 2008 02:18
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I just got invited to go to my first track day at Mid-America near Omaha, NE in my E30. Anyone have any tips for me? I'm planning on changing my brake fluid, my rotors/pads are good. When I'm there I am going to change my tire pressures way higher(was thinking 42f/38r). Any other ideas for me?
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Nov 1, 2008 15:12
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CornHolio posted:and its making silly noises over speedbumps now. Well, if you want to get rid of the silly noises, I doubt replacing the springs and shocks will cure the problem (depending on the noise of course.) And depending on where the noises are coming from (I'll assume the front) it could be a matter of the lower control arm bushings, which you wouldn't need a press for at all, so long as you buy the prepressed "lollipop," which isn't very much more expensive, and vastly easier (I've done the job many many times, and am at a point where if I need to replace them again, I'd probably buy them pre-pressed. Of course the noises could very well be coming from any of the joints on your control arm, and if the control arms have never been replaced on your car, than this is most certainly the source of some of your noises, and steering slop. Lastly, this would be a good time to make sure your tie rods aren't the source of the clunk. Honestly, with the car's mileage, I would replace all of those things, which you basically would have to unbolt anyway to put on shocks and springs and never have to worry about the front of your car for another 100k. Honestly the hardest part of the whole thing is unbolting and removing the center lower control arm balljoint. To answer your question about the shocks, I think Sachs you're talking about are generally considered the sporty OE replacement, whereas the consensus would probablly lead you to the Bilsteins being more performance oriented.
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Nov 1, 2008 16:29
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Pimpsolo posted:useful stuff The sound comes from the front drivers side, and only when the suspension is compressing. Not all the time, though. I can't replicate it by pushing down on the front of my car. Granted, I haven't looked that closely at it...
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Nov 1, 2008 16:32
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Any M Coupe (99-02) owners? I'm thinking of picking one up in the next few months since this recession has really turned this into A buyers market. The main problem I'm seeing is that I'm not sure how well I'll fit in one and there are none nearby for me to sit in at a dealership. Anyone able to compare the driver's occupancy to that of a e36 sedan?
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Nov 1, 2008 17:06
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BraveUlysses posted:Any M Coupe (99-02) owners? No, but there's been one in my family since 2004. I'm 6'2" and 180, I fit absolutely fine inside. The two front seats compare well, but are on the Z3 sliders so do not run as far back as the E36 seats. If you're much bigger than 6'2" I'd definitely "try the car on" before pulling the trigger on any M coupe. FYI, they're hilariously, ridiculously fun cars, and I recommend them highly. Edit:  There it is. Sterndotstern fucked around with this message at 17:19 on Nov 1, 2008 |
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Nov 1, 2008 17:16
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CornHolio posted:The sound comes from the front drivers side, and only when the suspension is compressing. Not all the time, though. I can't replicate it by pushing down on the front of my car. On a related note, i think im hearing suspension noises as well, if i take it into the bmw people for a checkup, will they take a look at the suspension also? Or just the motor/mechanical poo poo.
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Nov 1, 2008 20:20
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CornHolio posted:UUC also has a Sachs performance kit but its $699 and looks to be identical. I bought this kit to replace the 125k old suspension in my wife's current DD. It strikes a good compromise between soft and sporty, and it feels basically like the OEM M valvings with shorter springs. It has just a little extra bounce in the rear (e.g. underdamped) on some surfaces, but other than that, it's a great cheap solution that will last 50k mi. I definitely recommend the the understeer.com suspension install kit ($100). If I needed to do the whole job in one day, I'd pick up the pre-92 install kit too ($180) plus a couple of spring pads. This will give you all the parts you need to assemble the struts ahead of time, making the install up front go much, much faster. To give you an idea of the things you need to reuse, I present this picture from my writeup:  The rear takes maybe 2 hours total if you're familiar with how to remove your trunk carpeting, but the front takes probably ~6-8 hours if you have to build up the struts or ~3-4 hours if you can just stick 'em in pre-assembled. I have a bigass writeup that I haven't quite finished up and posted anywhere, but if you do go the UUC/Sachs route, I can answer any questions you might have.
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Nov 1, 2008 20:26
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I might be scoring a pair of cheap custom camshafts for my '92 Non-Vanos  The PO got 225hp at the rear wheels with them using pink tops and a lovely tune. Probably from an optimistic Mustang dyno but but I would be happy with half that gain. I <3 my Non-Vanos.
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Nov 2, 2008 00:56
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Doctor Grape Ape posted:I might be scoring a pair of cheap custom camshafts for my '92 Non-Vanos What specs on the cams? More lift or just longer duration?
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Nov 2, 2008 02:16
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multiprotocol posted:What specs on the cams? More lift or just longer duration? Both, stock is 240/228 with 9.7mm and 8.8mm lift stock. To the PO's knowledge these cams are 256/244 with 10.5/9.5mm lift ground on Schrick blanks, but they have been siting around for a few years so he isn't sure. I'll have a local camshaft shop look them over and tell me for sure. For the price I can't pass them up. Now only if they seller would respond to his PMs.
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Nov 2, 2008 07:18
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BraveUlysses posted:Any M Coupe (99-02) owners? I'm thinking of picking one up in the next few months since this recession has really turned this into A buyers market. The main problem I'm seeing is that I'm not sure how well I'll fit in one and there are none nearby for me to sit in at a dealership. Anyone able to compare the driver's occupancy to that of a e36 sedan? I'm 6'1" and I can't track it since there's not enough headroom for a helmet. My legs fit pretty nicely, but the seats are fully back and any more length would be uncomfortable. An average American waistline will present a problem as well.
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Nov 2, 2008 09:14
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I went to the junkyard and picked up a few E30 and E28 differentials for my 318ti. I know I will be replacing the input and output seals of whichever one I end up using, but it would be nice if someone could look at the gears and tell me if they look OK before I spend time on swapping it in. 3.73 LSD #1:  Click here for the full 1024x768 image.  Click here for the full 1024x768 image. Is that surface rust starting to form? Or something else? It does not look nearly as bad in person, the camera's flash seems to make it really stand out. 3.73 LSD #2:  Click here for the full 1024x768 image.  Click here for the full 1024x768 image. I cleaned the dust off after I took the picture. Otherwise this one looked good, but it did seem much darker than the others. 2.93:  Click here for the full 1024x768 image.  Click here for the full 1024x768 image. Very clean, but not an LSD. And even with the extra power of the M50 engine this ratio would probably be a lot less fun. Swap_File fucked around with this message at 18:31 on Nov 2, 2008 |
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Nov 2, 2008 18:27
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I took my drivers side wheel off today to inspect my suspension, namely the bushings. Looks like I'll be needing bushings after all. Are there 'lollipop' versions of all the bushings, or would I need a press for some of them anyway? I have Bilsteins up front, were these OEM? Part number was F4-VE3-4400-HD  Also, it seems my motor mounts are sad. 
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Nov 2, 2008 19:07
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The only thing that needs pressed in up front are the lollipops. Go with the solid 96+ M3 LCABs, or if you want a little more caster and a wider track at the expense of a little more positive camber get the 95 M3 offset LCAB. You can get these pressed into the lollipops from most vendors for a small fee. LCAs are are pretty simple, three bolts from what I remember, a lot of DIYs online. You need a 22mm box end wrench to get some of the bolts off, if you don't have one already. Look for the LCAs with the uprated Meyle balljoints already pressed in. Tie rod ends are a fairly simple DIY, takes about 1.5 hours to do both sides, make sure you get the little metal piece that locks the tie rod end in place. Bilsteins are not stock, those are probably Bilstein HDs since you appear to still have OEM springs. Nice DD shocks that shouldn't need replaced, unless there are many, many miles on them. Motor mounts are also fairly simple. Drive the front of the car up on ramps then take a jack and put a piece of wood between it and the oilpain. Then you loosen up all the motor mount bolts (don't take them off yet), jack the engine up, remove one motor mount, then loosely install it, repeat on the other side, lower the engine, make sure everything is lined up and sitting as it should and bolt them down. You'll need a long (18"ish) extension to get at the nuts on top of the motor mounts but other than that it's straight forward. I went with M3 motor mounts when I replaced mine, they were like $4 more and marginally stiffer. Either stock or M3 would make a world of difference from what's there right now.
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Nov 2, 2008 19:33
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krysmopompas posted:I fit into an e36, helmet on, with room to spare and I own a '99 M coupe. well I am 6'4" and 210 so a test drive/sitting is in order.
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Nov 2, 2008 19:43
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CornHolio posted:I took my drivers side wheel off today to inspect my suspension, namely the bushings. Looks like I'll be needing bushings after all. Are there 'lollipop' versions of all the bushings, or would I need a press for some of them anyway? That first pic is of a tie rod end with a torn boot. You need a whole new tie rod end. There is only one bushing for each control arm, the other two mounting points are ball joints. If the ball joint boots are torn you are better off buying a whole new control arm (~$100). Bilsteins are not OEM, a previous owner must have upgraded. They're better than the factory shocks by a long shot, and IIRC Bilstein will rebuild them for free if they ever wear out.
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Nov 2, 2008 20:23
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chem42 posted:That first pic is of a tie rod end with a torn boot. You need a whole new tie rod end. There is only one bushing for each control arm, the other two mounting points are ball joints. If the ball joint boots are torn you are better off buying a whole new control arm (~$100). Bilsteins are not OEM, a previous owner must have upgraded. They're better than the factory shocks by a long shot, and IIRC Bilstein will rebuild them for free if they ever wear out. It looks like Pelican Parts has 'Karyln' brand tie rod ends for a mere $16, this is a lot cheaper than the OEM 'Lemfoerder' brand (those are $60). Should these be avoided, or what? My ball joints look OK, I might put that off. I need to check the other side though to be sure. Also, what would new motor mounts feel like? CornHolio fucked around with this message at 21:55 on Nov 2, 2008 |
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Nov 2, 2008 21:18
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CornHolio posted:It looks like Pelican Parts has 'Karyln' brand tie rod ends for a mere $16, this is a lot cheaper than the OEM 'Lemfoerder' brand (those are $60). Should these be avoided, or what? I put the Karlyns on my car 1500 miles ago and to me they looked just fine, not like a cheap knock off brand. For the price you certainly can't beat them. New motor mounts will give less NVH transmitted to the cabin, this is most noticeable at idle, at least it was for me.
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Nov 2, 2008 23:47
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My e36's oil filter housing has dime sized chip and a crack all the way down the middle stem. Does the stem do anything but help keep the filter stationary? Dont ask me how this happened.
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Nov 3, 2008 01:18
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CornHolio posted:It looks like Pelican Parts has 'Karyln' brand tie rod ends for a mere $16, this is a lot cheaper than the OEM 'Lemfoerder' brand (those are $60). Should these be avoided, or what? Karyln parts are hit or miss. Some people have them and think they're fine, other people have bought them and the joints were loose right out of the box. I fall into the latter group. I was burned twice with Karyln parts and won't buy them again. I had control arms where the bushings were torn within 500 miles of installation and I bought tierods where the ball joint was loose out of the box. It's OEM or nothing from now on. You can't really judge motor mounts by feel when they're installed on the car. If they are torn AND leaking, twisted, or collapsed, then you need to replace them. Those surface cracks look pretty normal and are probably nothing to worry about. A good way to check is to open the hood, set the E-brake, and slowly let the clutch out in 1st gear with the engine running. Give the car a little gas to keep it from stalling and watch the motor. If it moves more than just a smidge, you have bad mounts. EDIT: At your mileage, new mounts will probably reduce vibrations in general, but if the motor isn't moving around a lot, you're in no danger of anything breaking loose.
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Nov 3, 2008 01:31
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Brock Landers posted:Karyln parts are hit or miss. Some people have them and think they're fine, other people have bought them and the joints were loose right out of the box. I fall into the latter group. I was burned twice with Karyln parts and won't buy them again. I had control arms where the bushings were torn within 500 miles of installation and I bought tierods where the ball joint was loose out of the box. It's OEM or nothing from now on. How hard is it to replace tie rods (do I need a puller) and do I need to replace the whole thing or just the ends? Also, I'm assuming I'll need to have an alignment done afterwards. CornHolio fucked around with this message at 16:19 on Nov 3, 2008 |
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Nov 3, 2008 15:02
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CornHolio posted:How hard is it to replace tie rods (do I need a puller) and do I need to replace the whole thing or just the ends? It's not particularly hard, but sometimes the ball joints are tough to pop out. On an E36, you should be able to use a pickle fork (you'll destroy the boots, but you're replacing them). You can get under the car and wiggle the tie rods to see if there is play on just the outer or both the outer and inner joints. It's not that much more difficult to do the inners. You'll need new boots (if yours are torn), new boot clamps, and new locking plates for the inner joints. Yes, you will need an alignment after all of this. Be sure to count the exposed threads on the old parts before removing them. You'll want to get the new parts close so you can drive it to the shop. RANT: The E39 (and probably other BMWs) uses ball joints that are placed such that a pickle fork can't get any leverage to pop the ball joint free. Also, the bolts are extra long, so a standard clamp-type ball joint puller won't work either. You need to spend upwards of $150 for the "special" (extra wide opening) clamp-type ball joint puller to pop the joints the correct way. I ended up grinding down a pickle fork until it fit properly, and even then it took forever to pop the joints. 
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Nov 3, 2008 17:05
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Brock Landers posted:It's not particularly hard, but sometimes the ball joints are tough to pop out. On an E36, you should be able to use a pickle fork (you'll destroy the boots, but you're replacing them). I just used a BFH to pop em out. One solid pop and out they came.
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Nov 3, 2008 17:08
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^Okay I guess he knows the secret.CornHolio posted:How hard is it to replace tie rods (do I need a puller) and do I need to replace the whole thing or just the ends? I found a secret that I'm not sure other people know about, but if you remove the whole brake caliper bracket (two bolts, you shouldn't even need to remove the caliper from the bracket,) you should easily have enough room to just hammer the balljoint bolt from the top with one swing. I was ecstatic when I discovered this because I haden't seen it in any write ups. Maybe there's a reason? I find it's much easier to do it that way, and you won't need a pickle fork or puller. You should replace the entire tie rod assembly in order to eliminate both problem areas (the inner (2.) and outer(1.) joint, which both have a tendency to fail. In my experience though, it's the inner joint that gives first, and you'll basically be destroying the outer joint (which your boot is already torn and joint probably shot) by using a pickle fork on it anyway. Long story short, I don't think it's wise to replace one end. Also it's likely that the clunks would come from the inner joint, so I would bet that both of your joints are bad. Also don't forget to buy new power steering rack boots which cover the joint. They're super cheap, and over time they dry out and crack which leaves your rack susceptible to dirt getting to the seals and eventually causing the rack to leak which would require a new/rebuilt steering rack.
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Nov 3, 2008 18:27
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Doctor Grape Ape posted:I just used a BFH to pop em out. One solid pop and out they came. I did that too, but I mangled the threads. I just ordered some new one and I'll be replacing them this week. Next time I'm either using a wooden hammer or hitting on the tie rod itself and not the end piece. Durr - the more you know.
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Nov 3, 2008 20:59
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This is awesome information considering my power steering is taking a dump and it's a great excuse to do E36 M3 rack swap in my E30 later this month. I'm going to check out the condition of my tie rods and probably replace them along with the rack.
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Nov 3, 2008 21:12
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Jorsh posted:This is awesome information considering my power steering is taking a dump and it's a great excuse to do E36 M3 rack swap in my E30 later this month. I'm going to check out the condition of my tie rods and probably replace them along with the rack. A vendor on bf.c is selling some used 95 M3 racks for $350ish. If I didn't have a few other items taking priority over a steering rack I would pick one up.
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Nov 3, 2008 21:15
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Pimpsolo, I thank you profusely. I cancelled my order of the cheap brand tie rod ends and am going to order the entire OEM assemblies, boots and all. My wallet, on the other hand, hates you. Now, is this something I can wait until spring for, or is it a safety hazard? I'd hate to destroy my new tie-rods in the winter. The motor mounts I will definitely wait until spring. CornHolio fucked around with this message at 21:47 on Nov 3, 2008 |
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Nov 3, 2008 21:31
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CornHolio posted:Now, is this something I can wait until spring for, or is it a safety hazard? I'd hate to destroy my new tie-rods in the winter. Are you worried about them being exposed to the elements, or hitting something? If it's the former, don't worry. If it's the latter, then as long as the balljoints aren't crazy loose and clunking, you should be able to get through winter. I'd still replace them though. Piece of mind and all...
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Nov 3, 2008 22:06
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Brock Landers posted:Are you worried about them being exposed to the elements, or hitting something? If it's the former, don't worry. If it's the latter, then as long as the balljoints aren't crazy loose and clunking, you should be able to get through winter. I'd still replace them though. Piece of mind and all... I'm worried about sliding over a curb or something. I mean I'm a careful driver and all, but I won't rule out the possibility of me being a moron and hopping a curb. The roads get bad here in the winter. As far as I know, my balljoints are fine. I've never heard a clunk from the front end.
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Nov 3, 2008 22:13
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What I would suggest you do CornHolio, is jack your car up and wiggle the wheel. Look at these key areas:
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Nov 4, 2008 05:28
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Pimpsolo posted:What I would suggest you do CornHolio, is jack your car up and wiggle the wheel. Look at these key areas: I took pictures of all that when I had the wheel on, nothing looked stupidly bad. I'll see if the wheel wobbles tonight, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't. I was trying over the weekend and it wasn't budging. I'll post more pictures when I get home, and I'll do the wobble test later as well.
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Nov 4, 2008 17:00
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I realize this thread is mostly 3/5 info, but reading through some of the stuff here, it seems like there are a few people with a good amount of knowledge on several models. Feel free to booo me out of the thread but I thought I'd start here rather than opening a new thread. I'm hoping somebody can give me a run down on owning an E38 7 series. I'm very well aware of their nasty reputation, but honestly sometimes I wonder how much of the negative buzz they generate are because so many of them are owned by people with zero mechanical ability. I've wanted one of these things since I was in high school when they came out in 95 but always chalked that up to a pipe dream. It would be strictly a weekend car for me with maybe one or two short (<1000 mile round trip) road trips a year, probably driven less than 5k a year.
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Nov 4, 2008 19:10
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I might have my e28 sold sat., so I'm on the lookout for a nice E30, preferably a black 325i coupe. Speaking of which, I've been looking at coilover setups and I'm torn on what route to take. It seems most go for the GC setup with short bodied koni inserts. I realize these are two different cars, but I have a close friend with an AP1 S2000 who went from stock suspension -> Comptech Coilovers -> Zeal Coilovers. The Comptechs were a basic kit, much like the Ground Controls. The Zeals are very high dollar. He noticed a huge difference between the two. The higher end setup I was looking at was the Vorschlag / AST 4200 set. I had Sportline 1's on the M3 and they were great. Anyone have any experience with these on an E30? I've heard nothing but good things and it seems like they would be worth the $2500-3000 for a setup with camber plates and other goodies.
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Nov 4, 2008 19:20
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Earlier I was enlightened as to a TSB about an unstable idle on manual E46's. Does anyone have any more information on this? Driving in the city today my idle would drop so low it once died with the clutch in. Does this sound like symptoms of this issue?
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Nov 4, 2008 20:14
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TractionControl posted:I just got invited to go to my first track day at Mid-America near Omaha, NE in my E30. You will have a blast with the E30 on the track. Flush the brake fluid, double/triple check your pads and rotors, change oil, check qheel torques, start with even tire pressures (I usually go 36/36 cold) and go there with an open mind. Have Fun
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Nov 5, 2008 00:44
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Pimpsolo posted:What I would suggest you do CornHolio, is jack your car up and wiggle the wheel. Look at these key areas: Okay, here are some additional pictures. These are from the weekend, I haven't had a chance to see if the wheel wobbles but I really don't think it does. I don't know if any of this has ever been replaced, but considering one of the five previous owners replaced the suspension, there is a chance the bushings were replaced at some point. Unfortunately, the car didn't come with service records (though I managed to get dealer records) so I don't know whats been done to it.  Control arm inner ball joint  Inner tie rod, boot, and stabilizer bar bushing  Control arm bushing  Control arm outerball joint  End Link I really need to check the other side (and take better pictures that aren't destroyed by the sun). edit: I checked the other side, both control arms look fine and there is no wheel movement. BUT, I checked the rears, and oh poo poo I need new rear shocks bad. I'll take pictures, but they're Monroe brand and they look very old. On the one I checked, there is a bushing near the top that isn't connected to anything... I think its the bump stop though. CornHolio fucked around with this message at 01:30 on Nov 6, 2008 |
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Nov 5, 2008 15:41
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Guinness posted:The running joke is that the number behind the "M" in any given BMW is the maintenance multiplier over its non-M counterpart. So an M3 would be 3x as expensive to maintain over a regular 3, an M5 would be 5x more than a regular 5. Of course this is a joke and a bit hyperbolic, but there is a kernel of truth to it as well. Going to buy an M1 based on this. Thanks!
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Nov 5, 2008 21:36
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Lowclock posted:Going to buy an M1 based on this. Thanks! It holds true still, since there is no non-M counterpart.
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Nov 5, 2008 21:48
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