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Oh hey there, pre-facelift e46 buddy. I wish I had found a wagon, but i found a sedan with 95% compression on all six cylinders so I settled. Inspect the rad end-tanks for weeping, check the expansion tank for splitting on the seam, and check every single coolant hose. Most of mine were in OK shape, but the expansion tank to block hose was torn and had a pinhole leak, which i never would have noticed without taking it all apart. I still need to deal with the valve cover leak (every few hundred kms a drop falls on the exhaust and makes a lovely spell) and the oil dipstick pukes oil on hard right handers. Also, it seems that around 100k miles all the sensors start dying as my oil level light comes on at startup and 3/4 wheel speed sensors are come and go. That being said, it has never left me stranded and is a perfect compromise of comfort and performance. Enjoy!
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Jul 24, 2016 23:01
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I mean, as long as you do the cooling system ASAP, God's not going to have to help you a whole lot. Besides, LS swaps are well documented at this point
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Jul 24, 2016 23:03
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If it has a 5 speed you did something incredibly right
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Jul 24, 2016 23:20
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I hope you have a smoke tester, because if it ever leaks vacuum that's the only drat way you'll figure it out.
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Jul 24, 2016 23:25
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Wrar posted:I hope you have a smoke tester, because if it ever leaks vacuum that's the only drat way you'll figure it out. Just assume that every hose is leaking: buy a reel of vacuum hose and replace each one, one-by-one, counting each hose in screamed German with the occasional Luger shot into the ceiling for emphasis. Ein! Zwei!
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Jul 24, 2016 23:39
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Short post, I swear. It's a 2001 325Xi, 5spd, Black leather, pretty much all the options. 211k. Came with a book of receipts, a recent transfer case replacement, and a terrible cooling system problem. I purchased it from a friend of a friend who dumped $1k into a rebuilt head, gasket set, and other random bits, only to have it still overheat. I have yet to let it overheat- but his description of "shooting coolant out the side of the block" was all I needed to hear. It runs/drives, we drove it off the trailer and into the shop. All the plugs look fairly close- except #6 which has a nice clean white tip. I'm not sure where to go from here, but I'll start reading about it tonight. Oh and it was $800.
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Jul 25, 2016 00:09
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It wouldn't be a BMW without cooling system problems
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Jul 25, 2016 01:32
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the spyder posted:I'm not sure where to go from here
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Jul 25, 2016 01:46
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Hell of a bargain I say, and with your skills just swap another motor in it if that's what it comes to.
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Jul 25, 2016 01:52
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Soooooo I bled the cooling system, rechecked the torque on the head bolts, and gave everything a solid once over. I let it idle for ~45 minutes and then put 30 miles on it. It has yet to overheat or show any signs of it. It's obvious there's no guts in the thermostat, so we'll see how it behaves after the new one gets here tomorrow.
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Jul 25, 2016 04:34
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ShittyPostmakerPro posted:Pretty sure RX8's are like boats. There's no such thing as 'very little money'. It may be cheaper to drop a RX7 motor in the RX8 than rebuild it only to have it fail again later. At this point, aren't the failure points of an RX8 fairly well documented and able to be worked around?
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Jul 25, 2016 04:53
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The issues are well documented, yes. I'm not sure that there is a definite work-around. Any precautions only seem to delay the inevitable.
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Jul 25, 2016 08:04
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the spyder posted:Soooooo I bled the cooling system, rechecked the torque on the head bolts, and gave everything a solid once over. That's pretty typical, they can be a bitch to bleed if you're incompetent and/or impatient. Replace parts, bleed it a few times and make sure the aux fan is kicking in when it should and you should be ok. New thermostat will certainly help. That's one hell of a car for $800
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Jul 25, 2016 13:13
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ShittyPostmakerPro posted:
I'm glad someone beat me to this suggestion.
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Jul 25, 2016 15:31
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Yes! Another prefacelift 5speed e46 wagon! Goondolences on the x drive though.
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Jul 25, 2016 15:52
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screamin deal! i've been looking for an e46 wagon to eventually replace our jetta sportwagen which will be going back to VW in the fall.
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Jul 25, 2016 16:09
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ShittyPostmakerPro posted:
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Jul 25, 2016 22:45
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I apparently am failing at taking a break, so here's more BMW non-sense. I cleaned the wheels last night since I'm waiting for parts. Might as well make it look decent.     
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Jul 26, 2016 19:12
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Oh hey, check out this cool glove mounted fuse box. I wonder what's in it?  e46 curse present.
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Jul 29, 2016 19:00
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... I'm sticking to working on Mazdas with homebrew wiring harnesses, kthx.
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Jul 29, 2016 19:08
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 The hell is that poo poo?
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Jul 29, 2016 19:15
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IOwnCalculus posted:
My guess is rust.
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Jul 29, 2016 19:19
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I would concur. Water intrusion causing surface rust and crap to drip all over the electronics conveniently mounted in the path to which water would flow!
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Jul 29, 2016 19:36
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Apparently A-pillar leaks are a common thing from the sunroof drains. I've ordered contact/corrosion cleaner and new fuses. I'll need to address this before the rain returns here in the PNW. (So any day now, drat it.) Good news: It passed emissions and is registered. Drove it to work with just a few minor electrical gremlins. I'm trying to decide wether or not to replace the radiator/expansion tank. They were last replaced in 09. Spend this so far: $800 Car+ Case of beer for delivery. $99 Thermostat and FSR $70 NOS OEM floor mats-eBay $21 DEQ $163 DMV Title/Reg $30 Fuses+ Contact cleaner _________________________ $1183
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Jul 29, 2016 19:37
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the spyder posted:Oh hey, check out this cool glove mounted fuse box. I wonder what's in it? Wow I picked the wrong car to pull a fusebox from. That would have actually been worth the $50.
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Jul 29, 2016 20:10
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the spyder posted:I'm trying to decide wether or not to replace the radiator/expansion tank. They were last replaced in 09. That's tempting fate, I've heard 5 years for a DD being pretty common.
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Jul 29, 2016 20:31
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It's an E46, I wouldn't trust anything that even remotely resembles a cooling system component after seven years.
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Jul 29, 2016 20:36
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It's like $160 for Hella/Behr parts. Add a shift knob for $40 and a second key for $175, I'm still around $1500, which isn't bad. I deiniftly want to do motor/trans mounts at some point. It's got a pretty good clunk during 1st/2nd shifts.
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Jul 29, 2016 20:44
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Woe betide you if you go after the GDCS and not have the oil separator parts that connect to the dipstick on hand. I've heard that plastic like to cosplay as tissue paper after about 5 years. You may want to look at the ragjoint between the trans and driveshaft as it's probably turned into more cracks than rubber by this point (guibo). e: if you fill it with washer fluid that mysteriously disappears after about a week, the pump check valve has failed and pissed it all out. I could go on...
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Jul 30, 2016 11:11
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I've also seen the cowl around the windshield let water in bad places as well. Is that still good?
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Jul 30, 2016 16:57
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Seriously though, RX8's around here are running cheaper than Miatas. Provided compression checks out how cheap does one need to be before it's a slightly less bad idea?
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Jul 31, 2016 22:00
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Can you have somebody pay you to take it?
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Jul 31, 2016 22:07
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The problem with buying a used RX8 is that you need to factor in the cost of the LS motor which you'll be swapping into it.
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Aug 1, 2016 03:44
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No RX8 you buy will be as cool as this
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Aug 1, 2016 03:59
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ShittyPostmakerPro posted:The problem with buying a used RX8 is that you need to factor in the cost of the LS motor which you'll be swapping into it. I've seen completed LSx Rx8s in the 12k range. It's stunning how little those cars are worth, even with the required reliability mods completed.
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Aug 1, 2016 19:48
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They're a 10+ year old car at this point?
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Aug 1, 2016 21:41
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That and the stigma has ruined them. I bet there will come a time where seeing a renesis in a RX8 will be uncommon.
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Aug 2, 2016 05:16
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Savington posted:I've seen completed LSx Rx8s in the 12k range. It's stunning how little those cars are worth, even with the required reliability mods completed. Seriously, I think they're depressed to the point where even if you factor in a Renesis rebuild you're in good shape. Series 1 cars are dipping into the $4-$5k range for ones that still seem decent. I imagine that if you take your time and can get it inspected by a rotary specialist you could end up with something nice. If you're into the car for $5k, plus reliability mods and known failure points that seems like a pretty killer car for a track / autocross / canyon second-car kind of thing.
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Aug 3, 2016 08:07
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Small update: I've been slowly working on the Turbo II Sand Rail in what little free time I have after work. It's had a plethora of problems keeping it from running and I am super happy to say they are fixed as of today. I had a schedule change at the last minute which allowed me to drag it up to Pineapple where Rob and I were able to resolve several timing/map/electrical issues. It purr's like a kitten. The best part is it's home with it's owner who can take it the remainder of the way. I expect to see it again soon to do some tuning and this winter I'm going to help him rewire it completely while it's torn down for paint.    /Back to having the world explode around me.
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Aug 28, 2016 05:10
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| # ? May 15, 2024 11:03 |
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I am drunk and overstepping bounds but what made things go bad in life? Don't get mad when you read a forum post from someone for a few years you feel like you know them. I hope and pray things get better. I enjoy your posts.
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Aug 28, 2016 05:18
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