|
I'd recommend something like the Ireland Engineering "Posi-lock" adjustable plates - http://www.iemotorsport.com/bmw/E30-suspension-steering/adjtoekit-lock.html I ran them on my old car and never had them move. We're looking at doing something similar on the race car.
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2015 14:38
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 9, 2024 20:16 |
|
|
95 loving dollars for the toe kit and 95 for the camber? gently caress that I'll just keep wearing the inner edge of my rear tires.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2015 18:01
|
|
|
You only really need the toe kit if you want to save your tires; camber wears over the life of the tire, toe eats the tire.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2015 18:33
|
|
|
My experience owning a 2001 E39 so far: "Hm, need to replace some front en link arms, i bet that's going to be expensive. Oh it's only 200$ for a complete set? Neat!" "Oh poo poo check engine light and the car won't start? gently caress i'm going to be ruined! Oh it's just a bad battery, 116$ for a new one. No problem!" "drat got a flat, oh well it happens. 145$ for a new tyre." "Hm, headlights are pointing into the ground and the adjustments don't work? I read that the headlights are sealed and you have to buy new ones oh no! Replacement screws are 15$ online. You can open the headlights with a heat gun, no problem." And people said owning a 14 year old BMW would be super expensive. Pff this is a breeze. "Hm, the right turn signal won't turn off, wonder what that's about. Eh, probably a broken relay. No problem, i'll google it when i come home! CAN'T BE THAT BAD." "Huh, there's no relay... just a lightbox? Well every other light works fine so it can't be that! I'll just check the connections. Yeah probably a bad connector or torn wire somewhere." "Hmm, ok maybe the lever is faulty, a new one is only 80$ i'll give that a try. Nope." "Ok, i guess i'll have to check the wire, i'll just tear out the entire interior and follow the wire from the lever to the box to the lights. No? Everything looks fine... gently caress it." "Local BMW dealer, tell me what is wrong for the low low price of 150$! Local BMW dealer posted:"Well everything looks fine except your right turn signal won't shut off. Damned if i know why : D" "Thanks Local BMW Dealer, money well spent!" "Ok so maybe it's the lightbox after all, I'll just get a used one and see if it makes a difference." "Ah nice, can't use a used one without setting of the tamper indicator on the odometer, ok i'll just get a new one then, what's that only 520$ + 100$ for programming what a bargain." "Nice the error is still there and I'm already 834$ into troubleshooting with no further avenues of inquiry, no problem i'll just take out every blinker bulb and use hand signals instead" The sun is shining and the birds are singing, spring is here at last! I think i'll take a walk back from the pier. Killstick fucked around with this message at 19:03 on Apr 2, 2015 |
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2015 18:58
|
|
|
My e39 has it's share of problems, but really nothing major, and for a $1000 beater with less than $1k into mechanical stuff, it's pretty fuckin solid.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2015 19:07
|
|
|
The key to a successful beater is to not replace poo poo unless it's mission critical to getting from point A to point B. 
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2015 19:09
|
|
|
BlackMK4 posted:The key to a successful beater is to not replace poo poo unless it's mission critical to getting from point A to point B. Exactly. Things that work: engine trans diff lights Things that don't air con drivers window traction control rear o2 sensors Who gives a gently caress about that stuff. The battery died when it was parked for a month due to road ruts, and that put the tamper light on the cluster, but idgaf. I'm going to run this fucker into the ground. If i get a nicer car i'll weld the diff and use it as a drift pig. if it blows up doing that, it'll be come living room set. I have so little into it and have gotten so much out of it with no sign of stopping, there's no reason to ever let it go. Powershift fucked around with this message at 19:14 on Apr 2, 2015 |
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2015 19:11
|
|
|
Engine and gearbox work flawlessly. Basically anything mechanical is bulletproof so far, haven't had any problems with anything that isn't a wear item anyway. All problems are electric and mandatory fixes. And i bought this car to learn to work on cars, so of course the first major thing that breaks is a black box
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2015 19:22
|
|
|
BraveUlysses posted:95 loving dollars for the toe kit and 95 for the camber? gently caress that I'll just keep wearing the inner edge of my rear tires. The AKG ones (http://www.akgmotorsport.com/catalog/catalog.php?page=5&category=e30%20Suspension%2FBushings) are $130 for the kit. E30 rear suspension sucks.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2015 20:07
|
|
|
So my R56 Mini Cooper S had a couple of misfires the other day, and has lately been idling very roughly after a cold start with a fair bit of fluctuations in the revs. After a few minutes and some gas it goes away and it seems to run fine, so I took it out onto the motorway to give it a good run as it has mostly been doing short trips over the last few weeks. Seemed to be running ok but a yellow CEL came on. So I popped in at BMW on my way home today and they tell me its showing a fault on cylinder 3, and thats likely to be either a dodgy sparkplug, a problem with the fuel mixture, or carbon build up in the engine. So its going to be booked in to be looked at within the next week or so. It had a full service at the start of the year and has only done about 750 miles since, would it be in vain to hope that one of the sparkplugs just happens to be bad?
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2015 20:14
|
|
|
Killstick posted:My experience owning a 2001 E39 so far: Grounds. Triple check all the grounding points connected to the lights and the LCM. Get the wiring diagram and find all of them and inspect/clean them.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2015 20:32
|
|
|
Brock Landers posted:Grounds. Triple check all the grounding points connected to the lights and the LCM. Get the wiring diagram and find all of them and inspect/clean them. Been done already, previous owner had led light installed in the rear but as far as we can see they're properly grounded. BMW also saw no problems with them when we had the car looked at. We're still in the process of looking over every wire but that's time consuming work. I'm confident we'll find the fault eventually, it's just aggravating that you can get into this much trouble over a blinker.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2015 20:49
|
|
|
Ludicro posted:So my R56 Mini Cooper S had a couple of misfires the other day, and has lately been idling very roughly after a cold start with a fair bit of fluctuations in the revs. After a few minutes and some gas it goes away and it seems to run fine, so I took it out onto the motorway to give it a good run as it has mostly been doing short trips over the last few weeks. Seemed to be running ok but a yellow CEL came on. So I popped in at BMW on my way home today and they tell me its showing a fault on cylinder 3, and thats likely to be either a dodgy sparkplug, a problem with the fuel mixture, or carbon build up in the engine. So its going to be booked in to be looked at within the next week or so. Sounds like what my carbon build up infested 335D does. Extended warranty doesn't cover it, at least yours is cheap (~$800 from an indy) to have cleaned. I'm weighing trying to clean it myself for $200 in tools and doing an ECU tune (~$700-$1200) + hardware ($500) to remove the emissions poo poo to prevent it from happening again or just trading the car in as-is. Indy shops quote >$3k to have it done. BlackMK4 fucked around with this message at 21:26 on Apr 2, 2015 |
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2015 21:20
|
|
|
BraveUlysses posted:95 loving dollars for the toe kit and 95 for the camber? gently caress that I'll just keep wearing the inner edge of my rear tires. I dunno man those look pretty slick, I'd just eat it and pay the $190. It's a job you only have to do once. However your alignment dude is going to loving hate you for forcing him to manhandle that poo poo into position instead of having eccentric adjustment bolts with slots. Edit: Yeah the AKG ones are the way to go. AKG is a hella awesome company as well. Beach Bum fucked around with this message at 22:16 on Apr 2, 2015 |
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2015 22:13
|
|
|
Killstick posted:Been done already, previous owner had led light installed in the rear Please say that you removed those before doing any other diagnostic.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2015 22:15
|
|
EVERYWHERE 
|
I know with fords, LED light bulbs don't draw enough current for the system to register that they're there, so the signal lights flash quickly which is the signal you have a bulb out.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2015 22:16
|
|
|
A thousand curses upon anybody that runs non stock bulbs in BMWs. There's current sensors in there and poo poo. It's not just a wire to the battery. Gotta use the right bulbs.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2015 22:30
|
|
|
Jonny 290 posted:A thousand curses upon anybody that runs non stock bulbs in BMWs. There's current sensors in there and poo poo. It's not just a wire to the battery. Gotta use the right bulbs. I was following some modded e46 just yesterday with obviously cheap LED tail lights, and his blinkers were spastic as if he had a bulb out. I bet that's exactly what was wrong.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2015 22:33
|
|
|
Powershift posted:I know with fords, LED light bulbs don't draw enough current for the system to register that they're there, so the signal lights flash quickly which is the signal you have a bulb out. meatpimp posted:Please say that you removed those before doing any other diagnostic.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2015 23:19
|
|
|
Jonny 290 posted:A thousand curses upon anybody that runs non stock bulbs in BMWs. There's current sensors in there and poo poo. It's not just a wire to the battery. Gotta use the right bulbs. That's why most of the time when you switch to LEDs (even non BMWs) you pair it with an appropriate-sized resistor. Or in the newer BMWs you can just code out the bulb checks. Also, the fact that my F82 M4 has incandescent tail lights is the dumbest thing ever.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2015 23:31
|
|
|
I can't stop looking at Intrax 4 ways even though my Schirmer KW Clubsports and miles above me. What is wrong with meeeeeeeee.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2015 23:33
|
|
|
Drive the loving car.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2015 23:34
|
|
|
BlackMK4 posted:Drive the loving car. I am!! But when I'm sat on CSL register and stuff I get very excited  I LUV BITS.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2015 23:38
|
|
|
Every time you're thinking of new shocks, remind yourself how many sets of tires you could buy with that money.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2015 23:45
|
|
|
I love bits but I've decided to keep mine stock and learn to dive the dog poo poo out of it. I don't want all the variables of adjustable suspension. I do want to replace my rear struts with bilsteins though.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2015 23:46
|
|
|
So i've always had a dream of owning a BMW. They just look so drat sexy. I am moving to Australia for a year and am car shopping, so I've been looking at cars and stumbled on a 1994 bmw 318i. One fine rear end senorita. The rub is the owner describes the car as having a slight oil leak (which could mean its raining oil) and it already has 244,000 km (151,000 mi) on her. I am planning to do some serious long haul driving along the east coast of Oz and subsequently use the car in a everyday fashion once I settle down. Is this a clear no go? I know Bimmer parts are pricey and I'm not a wealthy person. But oh god i hope you say guys its safe! I want to own a BMW!!!!!!!!  FYI: I am a automotive idiot. Here is the actual ad http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/carrum-downs/cars-vans-utes/1994-bmw-318i-manual/1074605191
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2015 23:58
|
|
|
Jonny 290 posted:A thousand curses upon anybody that runs non stock bulbs in BMWs. There's current sensors in there and poo poo. It's not just a wire to the battery. Gotta use the right bulbs. Not just stock bulbs, but you pretty much need to run the exact stock setup your car came with. For example, even though several E46s had LED tail lights from the factory, many of the pre-'02 cars cannot run the later stock LED housings (or the M3 housings) as the ZKE in those cars cannot be programmed to work properly with them.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2015 23:58
|
|
|
NitroSpazzz posted:I'd recommend something like the Ireland Engineering "Posi-lock" adjustable plates - http://www.iemotorsport.com/bmw/E30-suspension-steering/adjtoekit-lock.html I was thinking about this since I don't know how to weld and need a new subframe anyway. http://store.garagistic.com/ocart/bmw-e30-parts/adjustable-e30-rear-subframe-brackets
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2015 00:16
|
|
|
Sneaky Fast posted:So i've always had a dream of owning a BMW. They just look so drat sexy. That's....actually not that bad for a beater. The oil leak is probably a valve cover gasket. And by the way, BMW parts at least here in the states are only stupid if you buy from a dealer. Plenty of good deals online. Your water pump is probably 50, 70 bucks online and you can do it in one day. How wrench-y do you want to be, and do you have a place to work on this? Because there will, not may, but will be a time when the cooling system explodes and you need to spend a weekend swapping parts.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2015 01:40
|
|
|
Maybe I got lucky, but my Eagle Eyes brand LED tail lights worked great as far as the lighting control module is concerned. No bulb errors or hyperflash until one of the resistor packs died, then I totally lost the brake light on one side. I've had the stock lights back in for a while because I'm too lazy to map out the required resistors to fix it.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2015 01:45
|
|
|
wolrah posted:my Eagle Eyes brand LED tail lights worked great ... until one of the resistor packs died, then I totally lost the brake light on one side. Why you don't buy cheap lights, exhibit A.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2015 01:51
|
|
|
Guinness posted:Why you don't buy cheap lights, exhibit A. There are lots of things to customize on a BMW. Lights should not be one of them.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2015 01:55
|
|
|
PO put them on my old ZHP, they died literally 3 days after I sold it.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2015 02:14
|
|
|
Some rear end in a top hat should un-facelift an 01+ E39 just for forum troll cred. i haaaaaaate fancy lights
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2015 02:21
|
|
|
hey gang i pulled the snows off my 330Ci and put my summer tires on today, it's like loving christmas right now also did: rear disks / pads / parking brake adjust / interior cleanout and an oil change *flexes bicep* oh and metal polish on my borla exhaust's tips, very important.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2015 02:24
|
|
|
Jonny 290 posted:That's....actually not that bad for a beater. The oil leak is probably a valve cover gasket. And by the way, BMW parts at least here in the states are only stupid if you buy from a dealer. Plenty of good deals online. Your water pump is probably 50, 70 bucks online and you can do it in one day. Firstly thank you for your advice. My follow up questions are: What is the ballpark $$ on the valve cover gasket. from google searching it looks to be an inexpensive fix. I would get it fixed by a mechanic. Im willing to try to be wrench-y but I literally have no mechanic experience... like i've never even changed oil before (Thanks dad  ) I can, however follow instructions and am persistent. I know i would love this car and would want to work on it. But this would be my very first foray into DIY.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2015 02:49
|
|
|
So now that the weather's a bit better, and I found a place to wrench, I'm going to tackle the driveline lash issue I've been having with my e30. Just wondering if I can get any tips on diagnosing this one. I'm probably overthinking it, but when I have to plan my garage time weeks in advance that comes with the territory. Will also be pulling the head on a m20b27 in a friend's $200 ix and possibly loving around cannibalizing two e21's to make one good e21. I'll take/post pictures, its my first time digging into a m20 beyond helping a different friend with his valvetrain. Anyways back to my issue: I get a pretty big amount of driveline lash at low speeds, especially in 1st gear, when I let off the throttle in 2nd, or when I downshift to 1st/2nd without rev matching perfectly. Anything above like 15-20mph and it doesn't happen. Also never happens at any speed with even a slight touch of throttle. Makes a "whooshwhooshwhooshwhoosh" sound when it happens, and I can't tell if it's coming from the driveshaft or back of the car. However, I also get vibrations in my steering wheel between 60-65mph edit: only in 5th (no lower, no higher) which may or may not be related. The entire steering rack was replaced by the stealership 10k miles before I bought the car in attempt to fix this, so I'm willing to bet it is driveline related. PO's nephew, who facilitated the sale with me, said he thought it was the rear subframe bushings, but he also said he's an e34 guy and doesn't know too much about e30's. From what I've researched it could be a variety of things. CSB, U-Joints, Flex Disc, Halfshaft, or the rear subframe bushings. Anything else I should take a look at? Everything possible should be serviceable short of the U-Joints, correct? I haven't found any posts online where anyone had quite the same symptoms as me, so it's pretty much a mystery until I get under there. If it matters, it's a US 1988 325is. Pretty sure the only thing different between models as far as I'm concerned with, is the flex-disc size but hey I'm still kind of new to e30's. My plan is pretty much to lift the car up, remove the undercarriage heat shielding, and take a good look at the driveshaft components. Also to jiggle the wheels around while it's up there to see which if any have play to them. Anything else I should do, if the answer isn't obvious? Anything else I should look at? One thing I've gathered, is that typically there's more than one thing wrong with driveline issues, so I'd like to be sure I check and replace anything that looks worn so that I don't instantly ruin ____ new part because I didn't fix ____. Car is over a quarter century old with 250k miles, so I'm expecting anything rubber that I don't have receipts on to be rotted out. Also planning on replacing the motor/trans mounts/bushings/etc next, if anyone has any experience with particular brands/materials. Every single part on the car is OEM and part of me wishes to keep it that way, but I've heard really good things about aftermarket and it's not exactly like I'm planning on showing my car as concourse =V Car is a daily driver with a focus on spirited driving over comfort, I'd rather buy a different e30 that isn't as clean if I ever get the itch to track it. Thanks in advance for any advice! HEY VAPER fucked around with this message at 06:09 on Apr 3, 2015 |
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2015 02:58
|
|
|
Sneaky Fast posted:Firstly thank you for your advice. My follow up questions are: Not that i know prices, but being a guy who does these things himself I'd feel ripped off if someone charged me over $200 to replace the valve cover gasket. Look for a FelPro cam cover gasket kit, it'll have the spark plug well seals and a good quality gasket. You may also need a separate set of the circular seals for the cam cover bolts. You'll need a small smear of orange RTV where the gasket rides over the seam for where the VANOS (if equipped? i think that vintage is "single-vanos" ) unit bolts to the front of th cylinder head. Then you'll need a tightning pattern and torque spec which will necessitate a torque wrench which is a good thing to have anyway, as they're useful for wheel lugs and various other things like suspension for example. also, oil leak could easily be the oil filter housing gasket, which is a cheap part but a little more complicated to get at. Pierced Bronson fucked around with this message at 03:21 on Apr 3, 2015 |
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2015 03:07
|
|
|
VAPER, I'd be willing to bet you're experiencing a combination of worn engine/trans mounts (the slack you feel) and something else (the sound you hear). The something else I can't exactly determine from your description though. My gearbox whines in a strange cyclical pattern if I engine brake in 1st, but I believe this to be normal or at least not exactly indicative of trouble. Does that condition produce the noise for you? It's been a while since I've heard a bad U-joint but I believe they make a rapid clacking sound. The CV joints (rear axels) in my old Nissan went bad and they made a low rumbling sound under load. I've also had a bad differential make some strange noises, like a high pitched whining that changed a bit depending on load. Also betting your vibration is a poorly balanced wheel / unrelated Pierced Bronson fucked around with this message at 03:26 on Apr 3, 2015 |
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2015 03:15
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 9, 2024 20:16 |
|
|
piercedbronson posted:VAPER, I'm willing to bet the same. I initially thought it was motor/trans mounts due to the age and knowledge that they're original (the car literally came with a binder of dealership service receipts totaling $46,000) and shrugged it off as something I'll probably want to replace anyways when I bought the car. The body/paint condition and level of originality are the main reasons I bought the car anyway so I'm not too worried about hidden mechanical issue gremlins. Everyone online has told me it's driveline related rather than mounts, but I haven't had anyone knowledgeable with e30's actually check it out in person. (Any e30 people on here within ~100mi of Seattle? heh) I could also see it being the differential, but I put those suspicions on the backburner since the LSD locks very reliably which is an indication to me that it's in good shape for the age. Definitely the next thing I'll investigate if the driveshaft and such check out. Mounts are happening anyway, so I might as well decide on some and order them. Who knows, maybe they are my problem! If not, hey I don't trust 27 year old mounts in the first place!
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2015 03:24
|
|