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Saga
Aug 17, 2009
I've just arranged to get hold of an M20 B25, gearbox and major ancillaries for a silly price and will be working it up (flushing through, new belts, adjust clearances, replace seals and rings as req'd etc etc) to swap into my E30 touring, an M40 car which currently has an aging M42 in it.

I figured rather than pull the M42 to sort out what is probably a slowly-dieing profile gasket and worn-out camchain, I might as well pull it and drop in a refreshed M20. Going by e-bay prices, I can probably sell the M42 alone for more than I'm paying for the entire M20 setup.

I've done a bit of googling, but has anyone seen a good single online resource for M20 swaps into 4-pot E30s?

There's a useful wiki for M52 swaps, but that's not much good to me. I gather that with the right brackets and mounts, the engine and gearbox are (fairly) simple to get slotted in. A lot of the PITA will be how you have to rearrange the ancillaries and what parts can be adapted and what needs to be sourced/replaced, and it'd be nice to hear if anyone's seen a good resource for this. The idea is to have everything to hand so the swap can be done at home in a long weekend.

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CornHolio
May 20, 2001

Toilet Rascal
Does anybody have the latest 'old-school BMW maintenance' sheet? I found one from 2002, but heard there's an updated one from 2009. I tried emailing Mike Miller (mmiller@roundel.org) because he's the one that has them, but it bounced back as a bad email address.

edit: nevermind, apparently you need to use techtalk@roundel.org.

stump
Jan 19, 2006

I currently drive an 155k '95 E36 325tds and I'm looking at upgrading to a E46 320D. Is there anything in particular I should look at other than the usual? Anything that sucks in the E46 that didn't in the E36? What are repairs and servicing like in comparison, I do whatever work I can be bothered doing myself and get the rest done by a reliable backstreet place if that matters.

I'm looking at later 320d's (150hp, 6 speed) with less than 100,000 miles. I'm hoping they'll feel a bit less tired and wooly than my two e36's which where both a bit long in the tooth (but still awesome). I have considered spending money sorting out the e36 instead but the 320d's extra power and economy are pretty tempting. I'm all :dance: and :ohdear: .

I might go see this one:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280477760006#ht_768wt_1165

Teabag Dome Scandal
Mar 19, 2002


So I mentioned this a bit ago but didn't really get any sort of response. I have an 86 325es 5spd that occasionally has some problems getting into 1st and reverse. Now, I've read in the past that cars that have trouble getting into reverse just need to be popped into 1st without releasing the clutch and then synchros or some other transmission related bits will align and it'll be all good. Due to the general difficulty in getting into gear and I guess the notchy?ness of the feel when it goes into gear makes me think it could be something else. The mechanic I took it to for other things just suggested popping it into 2nd before putting it into 1st and so far that has worked at lights and things. However, just now I needed to move my car onto my driveway off the street. In order to get it into reverse, I had to put it into 3rd, 2nd, 1st and then reverse as it would not work with just 1st or just 1st and 2nd.

So any suggestions on what this could be? There is currently a thread on here for someone's S2K that was unable to go into gear at all. The general consensus and later actual cause was the master cylinder. Could this be a similar problem? The transmission gear oil has recently been replaced and there did not seem to be an abnormal amount of metal bits in the oil when it was taken out.

CornHolio
May 20, 2001

Toilet Rascal
Well, unplugging and replugging my oil pressure sensor and fixing the torn wire fixed my flickering oil light at idle. I absolutely cannot get it to flicker, even applying electrical load, which always used to trigger it. I always new it wasn't the actual oil pressure, since the PO lovingly unplugged the oil pressure bulb from the dash and it ran fine for over a year after I had bought it, but now I'm a whole lot more at ease.

Still not sure what was wrong, and I'll be keeping an eye on it, but...yeah. Doesn't make much sense to me. I guess the switch could be normally closed, and low pressure opens it, so the break in the wire could cause it to open...but that wouldn't explain why it would only happen on a hot engine at idle only... unless it just made the switch read a few psi lower than it normally did... gently caress I don't know.

CornHolio fucked around with this message at 14:26 on Mar 23, 2010

Dyscrasia
Jun 23, 2003
Give Me Hamms Premium Draft or Give Me DEATH!!!!

Raymn posted:

So I mentioned this a bit ago but didn't really get any sort of response. I have an 86 325es 5spd that occasionally has some problems getting into 1st and reverse. Now, I've read in the past that cars that have trouble getting into reverse just need to be popped into 1st without releasing the clutch and then synchros or some other transmission related bits will align and it'll be all good. Due to the general difficulty in getting into gear and I guess the notchy?ness of the feel when it goes into gear makes me think it could be something else. The mechanic I took it to for other things just suggested popping it into 2nd before putting it into 1st and so far that has worked at lights and things. However, just now I needed to move my car onto my driveway off the street. In order to get it into reverse, I had to put it into 3rd, 2nd, 1st and then reverse as it would not work with just 1st or just 1st and 2nd.

So any suggestions on what this could be? There is currently a thread on here for someone's S2K that was unable to go into gear at all. The general consensus and later actual cause was the master cylinder. Could this be a similar problem? The transmission gear oil has recently been replaced and there did not seem to be an abnormal amount of metal bits in the oil when it was taken out.


Just a suggestion, but what I do when downshifting to first, or when it does not go into first from a stop, I just pop the car into neutral, release the clutch and blip the throttle. It usually goes into gear after doing this.

Saga
Aug 17, 2009

stump posted:

I currently drive an 155k '95 E36 325tds and I'm looking at upgrading to a E46 320D. Is there anything in particular I should look at other than the usual? Anything that sucks in the E46 that didn't in the E36? What are repairs and servicing like in comparison, I do whatever work I can be bothered doing myself and get the rest done by a reliable backstreet place if that matters.

I'm looking at later 320d's (150hp, 6 speed) with less than 100,000 miles. I'm hoping they'll feel a bit less tired and wooly than my two e36's which where both a bit long in the tooth (but still awesome). I have considered spending money sorting out the e36 instead but the 320d's extra power and economy are pretty tempting. I'm all :dance: and :ohdear: .

I might go see this one:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280477760006#ht_768wt_1165

Not an E36 expert, but the E46 diesels featured plastic manifolds which are known for self-destructing (have seen it happen in a 330d myself). Not a whole lot you can do about that one as long as everything looks sound on the one you buy - other than that, they're good engines.

The E46 has solid fundamentals combined with a long list of absolute arsearche trim and minor mechanical issues, some of which are either time consuming or expensive. UK cars are also usually massively overtyred, but you knew that. They are such a PITA - compared to my E46, and despite a lifetime of abuse as a beater before I got it, my E30 is a tank. My running repairs bill last year was approximately equal to two tyres for my 330. I would not own another E46, let's put it that way. Also, too fat to be fun on b roads.

The petrol cars had issues with sludging caused, the theory goes, by BMW extending service intervals by stroke of the keyboard (and some rewriting of the service indicator logic :) ). Needless to say, they then ended up being driven past the Oil Service interval (wait for the light to come up, faff for a month and do 5,000 more miles of sales repping) by some owners and given the cheapest possible oil. 3rd owner then peeks under the cam cover and breaks down, much like the car shortly thereafter. No idea whether this has been a problem with the diesels.

Final thing - if you're willing to spend £5k+ on that ebay car, you could probably stretch to a BMW approved 1 series from a dealer, complete with warranty. Last time I looked, I was surprised to see them coming in under £10k. They drive well, especially if you ignore anything labelled M Sport or other pimp wheel options, and are obviously lighter cars (1375 dry or so v. 1500+?). Unfortunately, unless you can stretch to £12,500+ and sell an e36 or two, you probably won't get the post-2007 ED cars, which not only have the nicest t-diesels I've ever driven (the its-just-like-a-petrol type...), but eye-wateringly good claimed MPG.

CornHolio
May 20, 2001

Toilet Rascal
Just got my copy of the BMW old-school maintenance... yikes. Now I feel like I'm neglecting my car.

Looks like next month I'll get around to the following, which I've been bad about:

brake fluid flush
power steering fluid flush
diff fluid replacement

Anybody have a good way to replace the PS fluid? I've heard it's not difficult.

(edit: E36 328i)

CornHolio fucked around with this message at 15:31 on Mar 23, 2010

stump
Jan 19, 2006

Saga posted:

Not an E36 expert, but the E46 diesels featured plastic manifolds which are known for self-destructing (have seen it happen in a 330d myself). Not a whole lot you can do about that one as long as everything looks sound on the one you buy - other than that, they're good engines.

The E46 has solid fundamentals combined with a long list of absolute arsearche trim and minor mechanical issues, some of which are either time consuming or expensive. UK cars are also usually massively overtyred, but you knew that. They are such a PITA - compared to my E46, and despite a lifetime of abuse as a beater before I got it, my E30 is a tank. My running repairs bill last year was approximately equal to two tyres for my 330. I would not own another E46, let's put it that way. Also, too fat to be fun on b roads.

The petrol cars had issues with sludging caused, the theory goes, by BMW extending service intervals by stroke of the keyboard (and some rewriting of the service indicator logic :) ). Needless to say, they then ended up being driven past the Oil Service interval (wait for the light to come up, faff for a month and do 5,000 more miles of sales repping) by some owners and given the cheapest possible oil. 3rd owner then peeks under the cam cover and breaks down, much like the car shortly thereafter. No idea whether this has been a problem with the diesels.

Final thing - if you're willing to spend £5k+ on that ebay car, you could probably stretch to a BMW approved 1 series from a dealer, complete with warranty. Last time I looked, I was surprised to see them coming in under £10k. They drive well, especially if you ignore anything labelled M Sport or other pimp wheel options, and are obviously lighter cars (1375 dry or so v. 1500+?). Unfortunately, unless you can stretch to £12,500+ and sell an e36 or two, you probably won't get the post-2007 ED cars, which not only have the nicest t-diesels I've ever driven (the its-just-like-a-petrol type...), but eye-wateringly good claimed MPG.
Thanks, I'll bare all that in mind. I've been considering spending a bit more, early 120d's and E90's are at the top of my price range (although only after 6+ months of saving or having a bigger loan). I'm only looking to finance about £3000 of my purchase so if I'm spending about £8000 i'm looking at doubling my monthly payment. I've always bought cars cash and the most i've ever spent was £1500 (VW MKIV Bora, king of reliability!) so I'm not all that keen on having a lot of credit.

I'll take into account the maintenance issues, but since (other than keeping the E36 which needs work itself) I'm only cross shopping other newish BMW's or perhaps a Mondeo TDCI so I doubt I'll get anything without potential maintainance headaches.

What's the verdict on the factory M-Sport suspension on the E46? Is it any good or just needless audi-style back breaking? I'm going to look at a car tonight that has it.

stump fucked around with this message at 16:39 on Mar 23, 2010

Sterndotstern
Nov 16, 2002

by Y Kant Ozma Post

CornHolio posted:

Anybody have a good way to replace the PS fluid? I've heard it's not difficult.

(edit: E36 328i)

Turkey baster out the old fluid, add new fluid, start car and turn lock to lock a couple times.

Repeat 3-4 times.

McMadCow
Jan 19, 2005

With our rifles and grenades and some help from God.
Holy crap, I just had the worst night ever. I got my replacement nose panel and kidney grills yesterday and I decided to "throw them in" when I got home from work. I say :airquote:throw them in:airquote: because that's how it was described in various forums when I was researching the fix. Someone said you need to take out the headlights. No problem. Someone else suggested the bumper might need to come off too. That's only 4 bolts and some minor screws. No problem!

Well aparently there's a difference under the hood of the '92 E36s because it took me over :argh:6 GOD DAMNED HOURS:argh: to complete the job. Not one person mentioned the two plastic cowlings opposite the front radiator that obscure the last two screws on each side of the panel. It took me 5 bloody (and I do mean bloody) hours to get those 4 screws in and out, and in the end I completely removed one side of the cowling because it was either that or just throw out my whole car in frustration. I can't believe no one mentioned the part that took literally 5 times as long to do as every other step. I went into the job expecting to be done in an hour, with time left to do my load of developing I had planned.

I will find that sonofoabitch that smashed into my grill and I will murder him slowly and painfully over 5 hours. It is only fair.

My Flickr Page! :nws:

McMadCow fucked around with this message at 21:56 on Mar 23, 2010

stump
Jan 19, 2006

Well I went to look the E46 320d I'd posted earlier and it seems to be in great condition.... apart from the service history.

18062: Inspection 1 (BMW)
35664: Inspection 1 (BMW)
61170: Oil Service (BMW)
92179: Inspection 2 (Private)
30k between services, unless they happen to not have been marked in.
:derp::derp:

Other than this I'm buying it, but this is making me nervous.

Leo
Oct 25, 2005


stump posted:

Well I went to look the E46 320d I'd posted earlier and it seems to be in great condition.... apart from the service history.

18062: Inspection 1 (BMW)
35664: Inspection 1 (BMW)
61170: Oil Service (BMW)
92179: Inspection 2 (Private)
30k between services, unless they happen to not have been marked in.
:derp::derp:

Other than this I'm buying it, but this is making me nervous.

I would probably pass on that if only because I doubt that turbo has much life left in it after 100k miles and 30k oil changes. It's not a particularly stout turbo as it is, especially the ones before 2004.

revmoo
May 25, 2006

#basta

Sterndotstern posted:

Turkey baster out the old fluid, add new fluid, start car and turn lock to lock a couple times.

Repeat 3-4 times.

This is exactly what I did. I checked the fluid a few weeks later and it looks new. The stuff that came out was dark dark opaque grey, no sign of red at all. I plan on doing it again at least once this summer. It's super-cheap to do because ATF is only like 3 bucks a quart.

There are better, more thorough methods, but this method is really easy and quick. Also I'd probably advise using a syringe not a turkey baster as the turkey baster makes a mess of the engine bay.

Oh, and I jacked up the front end. You might be able to do without, but it's going to be more load on your PS system.

Easychair Bootson
May 7, 2004

Where's the last guy?
Ultimo hombre.
Last man standing.
Must've been one.
A buddy's E46 M3 convertible is due for front brakes. It currently has drilled rotors - not sure if that's OEM or not. Pelican Parts has the drilled, floating rotors for $218/side, and the plain rotors for $175/side.

1. Good price?
2. He could go with either, correct?

Saga
Aug 17, 2009

stump posted:

Thanks, I'll bare all that in mind. I've been considering spending a bit more, early 120d's and E90's are at the top of my price range (although only after 6+ months of saving or having a bigger loan). I'm only looking to finance about £3000 of my purchase so if I'm spending about £8000 i'm looking at doubling my monthly payment. I've always bought cars cash and the most i've ever spent was £1500 (VW MKIV Bora, king of reliability!) so I'm not all that keen on having a lot of credit.

I'll take into account the maintenance issues, but since (other than keeping the E36 which needs work itself) I'm only cross shopping other newish BMW's or perhaps a Mondeo TDCI so I doubt I'll get anything without potential maintainance headaches.

What's the verdict on the factory M-Sport suspension on the E46? Is it any good or just needless audi-style back breaking? I'm going to look at a car tonight that has it.

My personal feeling is that M Sport suspension and fat rims on E46s work only for track days on billiard-table surfaces. No bloody use on B roads or even the average A road these days. This is the one thing, other than restricting M logos to M cars, that US spec BMWs do right. Back breaking in my experience is about right. But my reference point is a 330i with 19" m rims + m sport in west london - probably not as bad with 17".

Have you considered a 118d and a sneaky Superchips? They do actually work for TDs, and as far as your insurance is concerned it's a 118d.

Again IMO, I'd rather deal with a Mondeo Tdci from a maintenance perspective than an E46, but that's just me. I'm sure some people have owned them and they've been fine. Although I'm not the only one, judging by some of the red faces in front of me the couple of times I had my old 330ci into the dealer...

Saga
Aug 17, 2009

stump posted:

Well I went to look the E46 320d I'd posted earlier and it seems to be in great condition.... apart from the service history.

18062: Inspection 1 (BMW)
35664: Inspection 1 (BMW)
61170: Oil Service (BMW)
92179: Inspection 2 (Private)
30k between services, unless they happen to not have been marked in.
:derp::derp:

Other than this I'm buying it, but this is making me nervous.

Why does it have 2 inspection ones? I1 and I2 alternate in logical german fashion, unless my E46 memory (sold it in 2006) is very faulty.

Possibly the oil services were not recorded, or were done privately. But to me that looks like a sales rep car, esp. being a 320d!

I would not buy this one. Have you been looking on Pistonheads? It's not perfect (chavs), but you're more likely to get enthusiast/clued up owners.

Don't know what the E36 community is like, but I did oil changes at between 5-7,500k miles on my M54 car, and that was fairly normal for the bimmerfest forum owners at the time. I don't care what unobtanium based oil matey was using, those intervals are way, way too long, and I don't even mean the 30k.

stump
Jan 19, 2006

Saga posted:

Stuff.
Thanks again. The car I drove last night had m-sport suspension & 17" wheels and it didn't seem too bad, but I'd imagine 19"s would be pretty harsh. I decided to leave that one because of the service history, shame since it was otherwise immaculate and cheap (I had him down to 4800, which is pretty good for an 04 plate with 97k). I did however fall in love with the bloody thing, so I'm glad I decided to sleep on it otherwise I'd have bought it last night!

I've been looking at some other e46 tourings (preferably 04+ which had some engine problems sorted) online, and a 1xxd's are tempting (but small & expensive), I might go have a look at one this weekend anyway. I'm looking at pistonheds, but mainly ebay, autotrader, bmw approved and just generally keeping my eyes peeled driving about. I'm up in scotland so the market isn't massive, I've bought cheaper cars from england without seeing them before, but I sure as hell aint buying a £5000 car without testdriving it!

Minimaul
Mar 8, 2003

Tomorrow at 4:30pm I'm the deal goes through for the e36 M3. gently caress yeah!

random logic
Oct 19, 2009

Raymn posted:

So any suggestions on what this could be? There is currently a thread on here for someone's S2K that was unable to go into gear at all. The general consensus and later actual cause was the master cylinder. Could this be a similar problem? The transmission gear oil has recently been replaced and there did not seem to be an abnormal amount of metal bits in the oil when it was taken out.

The two times I've had the slave/master cylinder go out on my E30's it was an immediate failure and the clutch pedal went to the floor and stayed there.


When was the last time you replaced and bled the brake/clutch system? It isn't uncommon to forget the clutch line when doing bi-annual fluid flushes and it could be pretty gunk'd up.

Scrubed
Oct 3, 2002

I am a Romosexual.

ljw1004 posted:

At least for the 1988 325i, there was crossover wiring for the "speaker+tweeter" pairs, but it didn't change anything. There were still just the normal two wires coming out of the speaker assembly, you can still just cut+solder new wires onto them, no difficulty at all.

This is incorrect; the common ground will blow newer head units or make your speakers sounds like utter trash.

Read e30tech or r3v faq's on this.

edit: Oh wait I read this wrong... you are running new wiring...

All I really have to say about the job on an e30 is the gods damned plastic mold pieces on the bottom of the door frame are god drat impossible to get off. Anyone have a good way of going about this without breaking them?

Scrubed fucked around with this message at 22:29 on Mar 24, 2010

revmoo
May 25, 2006

#basta
Speaking of stereos, what resistance is all the speakers in a (92) 325i with the uprated sound system? Also is there any wiring weirdness that would prevent me from re-doing all the speaker wiring from scratch but use the existing speakers? Obviously I would need a crossover, but is it possible to do otherwise?

The Locator
Sep 12, 2004

Out here, everything hurts.





GroovinPickle posted:

A buddy's E46 M3 convertible is due for front brakes. It currently has drilled rotors - not sure if that's OEM or not. Pelican Parts has the drilled, floating rotors for $218/side, and the plain rotors for $175/side.

1. Good price?
2. He could go with either, correct?

Unless you want the drilled for 'bling-bling' reasons, save the money and buy the plain rotors, they work better anyway, and are less likely to crack in the future.

Teabag Dome Scandal
Mar 19, 2002


random logic posted:

The two times I've had the slave/master cylinder go out on my E30's it was an immediate failure and the clutch pedal went to the floor and stayed there.


When was the last time you replaced and bled the brake/clutch system? It isn't uncommon to forget the clutch line when doing bi-annual fluid flushes and it could be pretty gunk'd up.

I've had the car not 3 weeks but the flex disc was bad and the harmonic dampener was bent so I had a local shop fix that as well as take an overall look at the car. Turns out the braking system was a bit hosed so they disassembled and reassembled it which I assume means they bled the brakes but likely not the clutch. I actually thought about this while perusing the bentley manual and will get that taken care of asap. The S2K situation was more of a leak than utter failure but I guess even being the same part can be apples to oranges between completely different cars. Thanks for the advice.

SiGmA_X
May 3, 2004
SiGmA_X

revmoo posted:

Well I got all 5 bolts taken care of, drove to Autozone and got new guide bolts. The calipers were easy, since I had them soaking in PB they came right off. I stood on the caliper and used a breaker bar to remove them. The disc retaining bolt was a little trickier, I stuck a lug bolt into the hub and jacked up my jack underneath it to hold the rotor and then used a breaker bar to get that one off. Just finished up the job, just have to wait for a helper to get the brakes bled.

I decided since it was on stands to have a look at the fuel filter--HOLY gently caress! I have an early E36 and it's up by the steering column and is loving impossible to get to. There's a chance I could potentially get the lower of the two hose clamps off, but even if I could get a screwdriver to the upper one (which I can't), there's still no room to see where it's going or even turn a screwdriver up there. This is rediculous, I've never seen a part mounted like this. It really looks like you need to start taking structural parts from the car to even have a chance at getting to the fuel filter. Anyone know the secret to how this is done?
Get a pressure bleeder, it will be the best ~$60 you've spent!

The fuel filter is pretty easy, if you've done a couple. The last one I did, I refused to go under the car, and it was more of a bitch. Plus the car wasn't at just the right height, and I'm short. You need a flexable 1/4" screwdriver. Snapon makes a kickass one that set me back ~$16. I would disconnect the hose at the hard line on the bottom of the manifold, not the top of the filter, FWIW. That makes it far easier. I can do a filter in 10-15min typically, or 30-45 if I'm drinking and BS'ing.

Sterndotstern posted:

The (excellent, cheap) $400 Bimmerzone kit:
http://www.bimmerzone.com/VSL_Performance_Radiator_E36.htm

For $100, I'd recommend it to ANYONE who anticipates owning an E36 for the forseeable future. gently caress plastic end tanks right in their distended, fragile, LEAKY asses.

Edit: I mean $100 more than comparable kits that don't include OEM waterpumps and alum radiators.


As long as you flush the old stuff out, it should be fine.
Good info, I'll make a note of the BimmerZone kit. I paid $135 for my brand new Behr radiator, and figured I'd get more life from it than I did. I think I lifted the head pretty badly when my last motor blew up, and I'm sure the endtanks didn't like 34~45psi total pressure (figure ~14-24psi normal operating pressure, plus 20-21psi..) in it...

EvilMoFo posted:

My mothers 2002 325i just crossed 170k and has started misfiring. I will be figuring out which cylinder(s) tomorrow.

My 2000 528i began misfiring (on 3 cylinders) at 177k, the stealership attributed it to a blown dme. I have been too broke to fix it so I can use those coils in testing the 3 series.

So, is this common? I sense a pattern here.
Think that new coils would fix it? News of a 1995 misfiring being fixed that way has my hopes up.

My friend and I tested the coils on my 5 series and they all worked, would new coils help even in that case?
Its not exactly a common pattern. How old are the plugs in the 325? What cylinder is the misfire on?

peterjmatt posted:

If the DME really is bad on your 5 and it isn't grounding out the coils like it should be, then no, new coils won't change a thing.

The '02 325 and the 528 should both use the same style coil, so you can swap them if you want.

It's a better idea to find out which cylinder is missing on the 3 first, then try swapping the coils and plugs from the cylinder to a different hole and see whether the misfire follows the coil or the plug.

For example, if #5 is missing, swap coils from 3-5 and the plugs from 1-5. Then clear faults and run the motor until the misfire returns. Then read the fault and see which cylinder is throwing a code.

If the original hole is still dead after swapping plugs and coils, you can try again by swapping injectors (a bigger pain in the rear end). If it still doesn't move, you have a signal problem to the coils or injectors (possible bad DME or wiring) or you have a mechanical problem with the dead cylinder. I'd probably run compression and leakdown checks at this point.

Frankly, misfires can be a pain in the rear end if swapping components doesn't give you an answer.
You seem to be knowledgeable about this stuff.. If your oscope gives good patterns on all coils/injectors, you swap coils and injectors from bank 1 to bank 2, smoke test the intake/crankcase, and replace the plugs (and swap - this was done ~8k ago), and have a constant misfire on #5, what would you suspect? Leakdown is ~6% on all cylinders, compression is ~190psi. 2002 330i, 108k. Leakdown was performed cold, FWIW, we were trying to see if lifters are a definite issue.

Saga posted:

I've just arranged to get hold of an M20 B25, gearbox and major ancillaries for a silly price and will be working it up (flushing through, new belts, adjust clearances, replace seals and rings as req'd etc etc) to swap into my E30 touring, an M40 car which currently has an aging M42 in it.

I figured rather than pull the M42 to sort out what is probably a slowly-dieing profile gasket and worn-out camchain, I might as well pull it and drop in a refreshed M20. Going by e-bay prices, I can probably sell the M42 alone for more than I'm paying for the entire M20 setup.

I've done a bit of googling, but has anyone seen a good single online resource for M20 swaps into 4-pot E30s?

There's a useful wiki for M52 swaps, but that's not much good to me. I gather that with the right brackets and mounts, the engine and gearbox are (fairly) simple to get slotted in. A lot of the PITA will be how you have to rearrange the ancillaries and what parts can be adapted and what needs to be sourced/replaced, and it'd be nice to hear if anyone's seen a good resource for this. The idea is to have everything to hand so the swap can be done at home in a long weekend.
I'm most likely doing this swap on my girlfriends 91 318i. Everything should just bolt up, make sure you have the M20 shifter/driveshaft/exhaust, and you most likely will have to make a harness adapter, but I have yet to look into the wiring. An M50 harness adapter (back in 07) took me about 4hr to design and wire, the M42 should be pretty simple as everything is in the two E30 ETM's.

McMadCow posted:

Holy crap, I just had the worst night ever. I got my replacement nose panel and kidney grills yesterday and I decided to "throw them in" when I got home from work. I say :airquote:throw them in:airquote: because that's how it was described in various forums when I was researching the fix. Someone said you need to take out the headlights. No problem. Someone else suggested the bumper might need to come off too. That's only 4 bolts and some minor screws. No problem!

Well aparently there's a difference under the hood of the '92 E36s because it took me over :argh:6 GOD DAMNED HOURS:argh: to complete the job. Not one person mentioned the two plastic cowlings opposite the front radiator that obscure the last two screws on each side of the panel. It took me 5 bloody (and I do mean bloody) hours to get those 4 screws in and out, and in the end I completely removed one side of the cowling because it was either that or just throw out my whole car in frustration. I can't believe no one mentioned the part that took literally 5 times as long to do as every other step. I went into the job expecting to be done in an hour, with time left to do my load of developing I had planned.

I will find that sonofoabitch that smashed into my grill and I will murder him slowly and painfully over 5 hours. It is only fair.
Heh. That's rather interesting. I can have mine out in perhaps 30-45min on my 93, and it didn't take any longer on my friends 92 either. Either way, good job getting it done! I'm sure it looks much better with a straight panel.

Sterndotstern posted:

Turkey baster out the old fluid, add new fluid, start car and turn lock to lock a couple times.

Repeat 3-4 times.

revmoo posted:

This is exactly what I did. I checked the fluid a few weeks later and it looks new. The stuff that came out was dark dark opaque grey, no sign of red at all. I plan on doing it again at least once this summer. It's super-cheap to do because ATF is only like 3 bucks a quart.

There are better, more thorough methods, but this method is really easy and quick. Also I'd probably advise using a syringe not a turkey baster as the turkey baster makes a mess of the engine bay.

Oh, and I jacked up the front end. You might be able to do without, but it's going to be more load on your PS system.
That sounds like a solid way to do it. I usually clamp the return hose at the res, cut it off, put it in a pan, and run the motor while pouring ATF into the res. This is, of course, when replacing hoses or major components+hoses. This turkey baster idea appears to have the potential for less mess, I like that!

GroovinPickle posted:

A buddy's E46 M3 convertible is due for front brakes. It currently has drilled rotors - not sure if that's OEM or not. Pelican Parts has the drilled, floating rotors for $218/side, and the plain rotors for $175/side.

1. Good price?
2. He could go with either, correct?
He could go with either, I'm partial to solid. Cheaper, no crackage. Check https://www.autohausaz.com for prices.

--

McMadCow
Jan 19, 2005

With our rifles and grenades and some help from God.

SiGmA_X posted:

Heh. That's rather interesting. I can have mine out in perhaps 30-45min on my 93, and it didn't take any longer on my friends 92 either. Either way, good job getting it done! I'm sure it looks much better with a straight panel.

Ugh, I don't know what the hell is so different about mine. I'm fully aware that the problem could be my absolute greenness when it comes to auto repairs, but I had two other people look at it and we were all amazed that there was no other way at the back 4 screws.
You're right though, everything BUT the four screws was a snap. I got everything back together in about a half hour once I got them out of the way.


EDIT: Mine is a 10/91 build date. That makes it the old-style suspension connection... maybe something else under the hood changed as well.

McMadCow fucked around with this message at 08:54 on Mar 25, 2010

EvilMoFo
Jan 1, 2006

SiGmA_X posted:

Its not exactly a common pattern. How old are the plugs in the 325? What cylinder is the misfire on?
that is some consolation, not much though ...

they were changed ~20k ago

it is not throwing any codes and I was in a hurry so I did not start pulling plugs on the coils to figure out which cylinder it is
I imagine I will do the unplugging diagnosis this weekend

the misfire is intermittent, which will make it even harder to figure out :\

Ethelinda Sapsea
Aug 11, 2006

Jesse Eisenberg fighting Michael Cera. It's supposed to be bundles of twigs topped with brillo pads

SiGmA_X posted:


You seem to be knowledgeable about this stuff.. If your oscope gives good patterns on all coils/injectors, you swap coils and injectors from bank 1 to bank 2, smoke test the intake/crankcase, and replace the plugs (and swap - this was done ~8k ago), and have a constant misfire on #5, what would you suspect? Leakdown is ~6% on all cylinders, compression is ~190psi. 2002 330i, 108k. Leakdown was performed cold, FWIW, we were trying to see if lifters are a definite issue.


I'm going to assume that your coils, plugs and injectors are good, but you might want to try swapping components again if it hasn't been done in 8k miles. Also make sure that it has Bosch coils and not Bremis installed.

When is it misfiring? If it's intermittent on a hot engine under load, then I'd get some more information from the customer- this is a fairly common indicator of a warped head, usually due to an over-heat.

If the misfire is constant and can be reproduced at idle on a cold engine, then you're looking at a cam or lifter problem- basically a valve isn't opening for some reason. I'd probably pull the valve cover off and take a look.

Good luck.

Ethelinda Sapsea fucked around with this message at 00:50 on Mar 26, 2010

SiGmA_X
May 3, 2004
SiGmA_X

EvilMoFo posted:

that is some consolation, not much though ...

they were changed ~20k ago

it is not throwing any codes and I was in a hurry so I did not start pulling plugs on the coils to figure out which cylinder it is
I imagine I will do the unplugging diagnosis this weekend

the misfire is intermittent, which will make it even harder to figure out :\
Its not throwing codes, but its misfiring? I'd take it to a shop that can read out the Smooth Running values. You'll see what cylinder is missing there even if it doesn't throw a code (which it will after a couple times). That could be a PITA to diagnose, if its like the 330 I'm dealing with at my shop. The lady declined the next step of repair - 4 new lifters and verification of mechanical timing - and happened to mention today, 4 days after the car was dropped off, that the car has been to a few other shops for the same issue.. She didn't both mentioning that when we tried plugs or swapping coils last time, or this time, lol. Oh well. The 330's issue is strictly when cold, when hot all smooth running values are okay.

McMadCow posted:

Ugh, I don't know what the hell is so different about mine. I'm fully aware that the problem could be my absolute greenness when it comes to auto repairs, but I had two other people look at it and we were all amazed that there was no other way at the back 4 screws.
You're right though, everything BUT the four screws was a snap. I got everything back together in about a half hour once I got them out of the way.


EDIT: Mine is a 10/91 build date. That makes it the old-style suspension connection... maybe something else under the hood changed as well.
Weird, my friends was a 91 build date too. Oh well, glad you got it taken care of!!!

peterjmatt posted:

I'm going to assume that your coils, plugs and injectors are good, but you might want to try swapping components again if it hasn't been done in 8k miles. Also make sure that it has Bosch coils and not Bremis installed.

When is it misfiring? If it's intermittent on a hot engine under load, then I'd get some more information from the customer- this is a fairly common indicator of a warped head, usually due to an over-heat.

If the misfire is constant and can be reproduced at idle on a cold engine, then you're looking at a cam or lifter problem- basically a valve isn't opening for some reason. I'd probably pull the valve cover off and take a look.

Good luck.
I should have given you more info. Coils and injectors were swapped this Monday, along with plugs (bank to bank, 1-4,2-5,3-6) and coils are Bosch marked. Tried a set off another 330 because I was doing a valve cover on it, easy test. Also checked waveforms on the injectors and coils on all 6, all are perfect.

It misfires ONLY when cold. Most noticeable at idle, barely noticeable when driving. Customer reports no overheat ever. Customer also declined to mention its been to other shops for this for the past FEW YEARS (she's been coming to our shop for 1 year or so, for 8-9k)...

I am thinking its a cam or lifter problem as well. I did do a leakdown and compression test both cold and hot, and all cylinders were the same... Minorly weird. The next step was going to be to pull the valve cover, check timing and the camshafts, and then either correct timing and try again (also, factory sealant is NOT present on the valve cover... someone has been in there before, maybe the head was off before, which could lead to this problem, w/ a slight mistimed cam issue) or replace the lifters on #5 (I wanted to do all lifters, my boss doesn't...)

Thanks for your input sir! Much appreciated.

--

Minimaul
Mar 8, 2003

Yay! I'm finally a BMW owner!


Click here for the full 800x534 image.


bonus picture with my other car

Click here for the full 800x600 image.



Click here for the full 800x408 image.


I'll get more pictures when I get a chance to clean it some more. Break-up sucks cause the car is dirty 10 minutes after you wash it. Previous owner washed it before we made the sale and I drove like 20 miles and it's that bad already. Stupid Alaska!

Minimaul fucked around with this message at 07:04 on Mar 26, 2010

Sterndotstern
Nov 16, 2002

by Y Kant Ozma Post

Minimaul posted:

Yay! I'm finally a BMW owner!


Click here for the full 800x534 image.


I'll get more pictures when I get a chance to clean it some more. Break-up sucks cause the car is dirty 10 minutes after you wash it. Previous owner washed it before we made the sale and I drove like 20 miles and it's that bad already. Stupid Alaska!

Looks like a PEACH, amigo! Congrats, you're going to love the poo poo out of it.

Minimaul
Mar 8, 2003

Sterndotstern posted:

Looks like a PEACH, amigo! Congrats, you're going to love the poo poo out of it.

Thanks! I'm totally loving it already! Although, to be honest I'm a little intimidated by RWD as I don't have very much (if any) experience with it. But I'm a little older and wiser and I know I can handle it just fine with some practice. I wish there was still snow on the ground so I can take it to an empty lot and play with it. Looks like I'll just have a crash course at my first autocross event. hehehe. :D

Previous owner was bummed to get rid of it, but glad it's going to someone he knows and will take care of it. He's going to help me this weekend and we're going to go through and get some of the little things fixed, brake light error, window stuck, window trim-seal is weird on one window. and he's going to pay for the parts as that was part of our deal! hell yeah. I'm getting a Bentley Manual and all of the stock parts, plus some Star Specs with less than 5k on 'em on some Kosei K-1's. It's on winter tires right now.

I'm stoked! Just took two tylenol pm and I'm waiting for those fuckers to kick in so I can actually sleep tonight. :o

OBAMNA PHONE
Aug 7, 2002
Well since I had my 318iS down to fix the oil pan, steering rack and subframe, I decided to go ahead and do a bunch of other work at the same time.

Next week my koni/ground control coilovers and camber plates should be here.

Installing new lemforder lca's, m3 lcab's, tie rods, e36m3 steering rack, new motor/trans mounts, new 2 front wheel bearings/hubs.

And a loving skidpan. Goddamnit.

Doctor Grape Ape
Aug 26, 2005

Dammit Doc, I just bought this for you 3 months ago. Try and keep it around for a bit longer this time.

BraveUlysses posted:

Well since I had my 318iS down to fix the oil pan, steering rack and subframe, I decided to go ahead and do a bunch of other work at the same time.

Next week my koni/ground control coilovers and camber plates should be here.

Installing new lemforder lca's, m3 lcab's, tie rods, e36m3 steering rack, new motor/trans mounts, new 2 front wheel bearings/hubs.

And a loving skidpan. Goddamnit.


You're going to have my dream E30 when you're done.

Scrubed
Oct 3, 2002

I am a Romosexual.

BraveUlysses posted:

And a loving skidpan. Goddamnit.

Yeah; I want to take my 325is out to my mom's house in Austin next week (I live in Dallas) but the more I thought about it the more I chickened out on the idea of driving down the highway at night unable to see pot holes, debris, or dips.

I already lost 1 oil pan and whatever springs the PO put on this car has it riding OBNOXIOUSLY low.

I think I will wait till I get a peerless skid plate under there.

http://www.e30tech.com/forum/showthread.php?t=74760&highlight=peerless+skid+plate

McMadCow
Jan 19, 2005

With our rifles and grenades and some help from God.
I'm having a bit of an issue and I'm not really sure where to start looking for a fix.
E36 '92 (built 10/91) 325i 4 door with an auto trans (:()

Anyway, the engine runs great. Plenty strong although there's a noticeable increase in torque at 3.5K and up. My question is about a vibration I get at hight revs. When I go to WOT and hit the kickdown button the engine really springs to life and everything is great. However, at about 5.75K the engine note changes noticeably and there's a distinct vibration that comes from the engine. It's usually enough that I don't want to push it to redline so I let it upshift. Has anyone else seen this? Obviously I don't rev it out to the 5K+ range very often, but I don't like that there's some trouble at high revs. Where should I start my search?

Only mod under the hood is a CAI, but it still did it back when I had the stock airbox.

Sterndotstern
Nov 16, 2002

by Y Kant Ozma Post

McMadCow posted:

However, at about 5.75K the engine note changes noticeably and there's a distinct vibration that comes from the engine.

I'd guess you have a cyl not getting spark at that RPM due to a failed or failing coil. That's just a shot in the dark, though.

McMadCow
Jan 19, 2005

With our rifles and grenades and some help from God.

Sterndotstern posted:

I'd guess you have a cyl not getting spark at that RPM due to a failed or failing coil. That's just a shot in the dark, though.

It's smooth as silk up to that point.
Sorry, I'm an engine noob. Wouldn't the M50 have an electronic ignition? What part is the "coil" that I should be checking out? AFAIK the PO had new spark plugs put in about halfway through last year.

Sterndotstern
Nov 16, 2002

by Y Kant Ozma Post

McMadCow posted:

It's smooth as silk up to that point.
Sorry, I'm an engine noob. Wouldn't the M50 have an electronic ignition? What part is the "coil" that I should be checking out? AFAIK the PO had new spark plugs put in about halfway through last year.

The coil is the thingie that sits on top of the spark plug which is controlled by the ignition system. Basically, it stores the spark until the computer tells it to fire. If it were failing to charge completely during the 1/95th second of charging (5750rpm ~= 95rps), it wouldn't fire and thus your fuel won't be ignited (misfire).

Sterndotstern fucked around with this message at 20:03 on Mar 26, 2010

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McMadCow
Jan 19, 2005

With our rifles and grenades and some help from God.

Sterndotstern posted:

The coil is the thingie that sits on top of the spark plug which is controlled by the ignition system. Basically, it stores the spark until the computer tells it to fire. If it were failing to charge completely during the 1/95th second of charging (5750rpm ~= 95rps), it wouldn't fire and thus your fuel won't be ignited (misfire).

Got it. I know what you're talking about now. I looked it up and I recognize the part. Rather than buying a whole set of them which I shouldn't spend the money on right now, is there any way to test them to see which one (or many) is having the issue? (assuming your diagnosis is correct)

EDIT: http://www.dtmpower.net/forum/e36-3-series/171244-testing-igintion-coils-please-help.html
That guy says failing coils become apparent at high RPMs. Sounds like you're probably correct.

McMadCow fucked around with this message at 20:17 on Mar 26, 2010

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