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peterjmatt posted:I have a US e36 M3 engine in my e30 and it's not a terribly difficult project. It's an extremely common swap on these cars and there's a lot of information online about what you need to do to make it happen. Ahhh now this may work, my car is a LHD so a US Spec engine may work. Correct me if i'm wrong but the US E36 M3 engine is the non vanos one correct? So it's basically the same as the 328i but bored out to 3.0l. I have a turbo kit for one of the US spec engines for a project so I could go with that too, but it may be a little OTT. By S54 is that the E46 plant?
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Mar 30, 2010 14:42
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There are two versions of the US e36 M3 motor and both are just slightly worked over versions of the m50- the motor that came in the 325. They added some hotter cams and changed the crank and pistons and called it an "S" motor. There is the S50B30US which came only in the '95 M3, and the S52B32 which came in the '96-99 models. They have displacements of 3.0 and 3.2 liters respectively, and both use single VANOS intake cam timing. They are similar motors, but the S52B32 has some additional complexity due to OBDII emissions changes. For that, it's slightly higher displacement. And yes, the S54 came in the e46 M3. It's a very complicated job to get one running in an e30.
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Mar 30, 2010 14:51
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Many thanks for the information. I think I may look into getting the S52B32 it's certainly going to be smoother than the old 325i. I need a lower profile sump guard but can get that off the 525i. DO you know of any good site with conversion details, hints or tips?
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Mar 30, 2010 15:02
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SiGmA_X posted: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. It is harder cold, especially at higher altitude, but it is noticeable all of the time. I imagine I need to find a decent BMW centric shop and throw money at the problem.
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Mar 30, 2010 17:53
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Anyone have experience with Airbag codes? My E34 from 1993 (1994 model with SRS3) is throwing code 2, "AIRBAG IGNITION CIRCUIT - DRIVERS SIDE - DEFECTIVE". I guess it's just a matter of beginning to measure and look, but does anyone have a good tip? The light came on out of the blue while driving, a code removal fixed it, came on again after a few weeks, and now it comes on every time even after clearing it.
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Mar 30, 2010 20:45
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Holy crap the ICV on my M50 was a bitch to do. I ended up breaking the tab on the 'connector' part that goes to the intake manifold so I had to take a trip to the dealer to replace. I had to do pretty much everything by feel. I never want to do that job again. I looked for the fuel filter while I had the whole intake off and I couldn't even find it. I'm really, really not looking forward to doing that job.
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Mar 30, 2010 21:49
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revmoo posted:Holy crap the ICV on my M50 was a bitch to do. I ended up breaking the tab on the 'connector' part that goes to the intake manifold so I had to take a trip to the dealer to replace. I had to do pretty much everything by feel. I never want to do that job again. Ditto on both those. I did the ICV and fuel filter right after I bought my car in 11/07 (meaning i should really do the fuel filter again... gently caress). Both of those jobs are about 1000000x harder than they should be. You more or less just use the Force when yanking the ICV out when the manifold is still in place. Honestly, if I had known how hard it was to get the ICV out and back in, I would have ponied up the $250 or whatever it is for a new one just so I would never have to worry about it again.
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Mar 30, 2010 21:57
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Well, at least having done it once I know I can do it a lot quicker next time since I know all the little angles. One thing that helped me is that I installed the valve first and then added the intake manifold elbow hose once the ICV was in place. Also, if I'd known to pull up(down) on the clip that holds the elbow onto the intake manifold I could have avoided a lot of hassle. I was trying to twist the hose off of the connector and that just wasn't happening. The car idled like poo poo when I first started it, I was pissed. After driving it for a few minutes though it's fine. I guess it needed to suck through all the chemicals that I put in it.
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Mar 30, 2010 22:06
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Anyone need a drivers airbag for an '03 325i? I was going to just blow it up, but found out they're worth like $800 so I'll let it go cheap. I know it's out of the blue but I figured this would be the place to ask.
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Mar 30, 2010 23:07
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I found out that the wrenches I bought at harbor freight for my inner ball joint nut won't work. However, the giant flat 22mm wrench I borrowed from work will! So, it looks like I'll tackle it Friday afternoon or Saturday. Rock! (Actually, it wasn't even siezed - I could easily start to loosen it. I don't know if that's good or bad...)
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Mar 31, 2010 00:40
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Sterndotstern posted:If you can get under it, check for all the front bumper pieces being present and accounted for: It's my experience, that most of those bumper parts, many of the front under-body parts, and the fog lights, are all there primarily to fall off randomly on the track to frighten and annoy other drivers and corner workers.
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Mar 31, 2010 00:41
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bad-yeti posted:Many thanks for the information. There are a few forums where you can find details- r3vlimited.com is probably the best e30 forum for engine swaps, but you're going to have to wade through a lot of terrible posts and drama to find anything useful there. If you end up pursuing this swap and have any specific questions, feel free to post them in this thread as well. I'm fairly knowledgeable about the details of this swap since I just did it last year to my car and there's at least one other poster here with an s52 in his e30. Pilsner posted:Anyone have experience with Airbag codes? My E34 from 1993 (1994 model with SRS3) is throwing code 2, "AIRBAG IGNITION CIRCUIT - DRIVERS SIDE - DEFECTIVE". I guess it's just a matter of beginning to measure and look, but does anyone have a good tip? My guess would be an open circuit in the slip ring- it's the most common cause of steering wheel airbag faults. Ethelinda Sapsea fucked around with this message at 04:16 on Mar 31, 2010 |
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Mar 31, 2010 01:25
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The door cards on my 4 door E36 are starting to pop loose and rattle enough to drive me insane. From what I've read, it seems like there is just an assortment of clips and fasteners that I need to buy. Does anybody know how many I would need for each front and rear door? I think they are pieces 11 and 17 in the diagram below, and there are some plastic rivets too? Also, my car is about to hit 170k miles and still has the original oxygen sensors. Is there any sort of gauge on when they should be replaced or is it a case of if it isn't broken, don't fix it? I gather they're not too difficult to replace, can anybody recommend a good replacement model? It's an M3 so I think I need four of them.
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Mar 31, 2010 05:27
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When your e36 door panels start feeling loose, it's usually not due to broken clips- it's the plastic brackets that holds the clips to the door panel breaking free. I've had good luck with using industrial 2-part epoxy for re-gluing the plastic retainers to the fiberboard panels. It's a good idea to pick up 5-10 of part #14 when you remove the door trim though- those are the clips that tend to break. And there's a 100k mile recommended replacement interval for BMW O2 sensors, but I'm firmly of the opinion that if it's not broke, don't fix it. You'll know when they go bad and they're expensive to replace. And if they do fail, they most likely won't cause your car to stop running or damage any other components (provided you don't run the car for too long with a poor mixture situation). If you're gung-ho on replacement, I'd stick with BMW sensors or find the appropriate non-BMW branded Bosch part.
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Mar 31, 2010 05:50
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hedge posted:Go ahead and order 20 of #14 while you're at it, and grab some clamps, epoxy and plastic prying tools.
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Mar 31, 2010 07:02
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hedge posted:The door cards on my 4 door E36 are starting to pop loose and rattle enough to drive me insane. From what I've read, it seems like there is just an assortment of clips and fasteners that I need to buy. Does anybody know how many I would need for each front and rear door? I think they are pieces 11 and 17 in the diagram below, and there are some plastic rivets too? Part 11 and 17 sits right in the center behind the door panel. Part 11 is put on the door itself, and part 17 is glued to the panel. When you take the door panel off, life it upwards, so the two parts come apart. Opposite when you put them together. At least that's how it is with the E34. And yeah, those small clips can break, although if you use a picklefork or "pop" them with a screwdriver as close to the clip as possible, you can have most of them come out fine.
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Mar 31, 2010 11:13
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stump posted: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! I miss Scottish roads though. The Home Counties are hell.
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Mar 31, 2010 12:56
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bad-yeti posted:How complicated would it be to remove an E30 325i engine and transplant it with something like an E36 M3 (European) plant instead or even better an E46, I take it that you would need the gearbox from the M3 as well. Do you think most of the wiring would match? Most of all would the engine mounts line up? IMO, OBD1 donors are what you're after. There are lots and lots of candidates to give you more power, including the OBDI V8 setups. Best options IMO in order of cheapness - M30 B35, M50 B28, low pressure turbo setup on your existing engine with stock internals, (if you're in the US) a Metric Mechanic motor and swap the original motor back in when you sell the car. I certainly wouldn't go to the hassle of putting a 240hp US-spec E36 M3 motor in when you can get that from a lightly breathed on M30 with a lot less cost and PITA factor. e: M30 swap - http://www.e30.de/335i/00.htm Saga fucked around with this message at 13:48 on Mar 31, 2010 |
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Mar 31, 2010 13:09
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M50 Swap, should be the same for nearly any DOHC BMW I6. http://www.rmeuropean.com/bmw-e30-m50-swap.aspx
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Mar 31, 2010 14:10
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What would cause the starter to make the grinding sound it makes when you try to start an already-running car when it's not already running? A bad starter?
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Apr 1, 2010 00:50
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My cooling system has been my headache for a few months now. It started with slight overheating (would never get higher than 1/4 past the middle mark, even when at idle for a long time) so I replaced the thermostat and coolant temp sensor. Now it gets to just below the 1/2 mark and will go down to the 1st hash mark if I'm engine braking for any time over ~5 seconds. There is minimal loss of coolant over time (I top it off every couple weeks, but no significant loss). Driving the past few months at below freezing temps, and driving today (70*F) had no effect on engine temp. Any ideas?
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Apr 1, 2010 01:35
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Clockwork Sputnik posted:What would cause the starter to make the grinding sound it makes when you try to start an already-running car when it's not already running? Yes. The starter pinion isn't retracting from the ring gear on the flywheel like it should. Time to buy a new starter motor. On an unrelated note, I finally got around to a quick stoplight race with my friend, him in his '08 Z4 M coupe, me in my e30 on 175mm snow tires. It was a very, very close race to 70mph. Ethelinda Sapsea fucked around with this message at 04:42 on Apr 1, 2010 |
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Apr 1, 2010 02:28
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Doctor Grape Ape posted:M50 Swap, should be the same for nearly any DOHC BMW I6. Sorry bad-yeti, I meant to say M52 B28. Basically the same deal as M50 with free HP, and cheaply available from the E36 328i. Looking at the link above, it even says the same thing  If you do your own engine work and it's a road car, the M30 has a lot of advantages (although it's a boat anchor). If you want to take it to the track or really make it a serious performance car (throw £1000s at the chassis, etc), the M52 has to be the way to go. Both respond well to FI IIRC - M30 turbos are a known quantity, and you're probably aware of M52/M54 supercharging (e.g. ASA). So if 200+ ain't enough, you can go to 300+ if you have a few grand to spend.
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Apr 1, 2010 10:19
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Saga posted:Sorry bad-yeti, I meant to say M52 B28. Basically the same deal as M50 with free HP, and cheaply available from the E36 328i. Looking at the link above, it even says the same thing If you're going to do an engine swap, you might as well swap the M50 intake manifold on to the M52 as well
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Apr 1, 2010 15:47
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I'm excited to have crested the first birthday marker in my E90 and resume the good times in a BMW once again. Photos will come once classes are out and I am settled in the new position. Some info: 2010 335 (E90 LCI) Alpine III Black Leather Standard 6-Speed M Sport Package Premium iPod Smart Phone  Click here for the full 800x600 image.
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Apr 1, 2010 17:20
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UPS showed up while I was out and brought what my car's been waiting for 
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Apr 1, 2010 22:28
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Got the zinc coated Zimmerman's on my car. They are great.
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Apr 1, 2010 23:17
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Speaking of Zimmermans, I have a question - compared to the M floating rotors, how are they? I'm very close to replacing all of the suspension bits/wheel bearings on my E36 M3, and figured that I might as well go ahead and do rotors at the same time, but I'm torn on getting the floating rotors (which I have now) or something less expensive. Thoughts?
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Apr 1, 2010 23:39
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My understanding about e36m3 floating rotors is that they've never been worth the higher price, and are more prone to cracking (but I have no personal experience).
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Apr 1, 2010 23:59
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multiprotocol posted:Speaking of Zimmermans, I have a question - compared to the M floating rotors, how are they? I'm very close to replacing all of the suspension bits/wheel bearings on my E36 M3, and figured that I might as well go ahead and do rotors at the same time, but I'm torn on getting the floating rotors (which I have now) or something less expensive. Thoughts? Rotors are rotors are rotors. They're just cast iron that gets abraded away with time, so why spend more money on them than they're worth? Personally I just get Brembo blanks. If you have to get something flashy, the Zimmerman X-Drilled rotors are pretty good, and reasonably priced. The Euro floating rotors are only good for putting in your BimmerForum signature.
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Apr 2, 2010 21:35
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Is it worth it to join the BMWCCA?
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Apr 2, 2010 22:08
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ozziegt posted:Is it worth it to join the BMWCCA? Depends on whether they have plenty of local autoxes and HPDEs. They were some of the cheaper and well organized events in my area. I really don't like the Roundel.
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Apr 2, 2010 22:11
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kimbo305 posted:Depends on whether they have plenty of local autoxes and HPDEs. They were some of the cheaper and well organized events in my area. I really don't like the Roundel. I'm in northern VA so there are probably a lot of members in this area. Is there any way I can find out if they have local events? Do they charge extra for these events or are they included in the membership cost?
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Apr 2, 2010 22:18
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ozziegt posted:Is it worth it to join the BMWCCA? I think so. You get Roundel magazine, and a discount at most dealership parts windows. Plus if you ever buy a new BMW, you get $500+ in rebates through the club
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Apr 3, 2010 01:00
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ozziegt posted:I'm in northern VA so there are probably a lot of members in this area. Is there any way I can find out if they have local events? Do they charge extra for these events or are they included in the membership cost? They do charge for the events, but if you go to a few, it can be worth it, over going to poorly organized / overattended events by other organizations. The HPDE I went to was like $300 for 2 days and 2+ hours of track time.
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Apr 3, 2010 02:33
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I hosed up and broke my E36. I started at 4:30 full of hope. I was in a good mood. I had bought a bunch of new tools and was all set to replace my control arms and all ball joints, LCABs and end links. I wanted to at least get one side done, hopefully both sides. It ended tragically. First I jacked the car up, removed the passenger side wheel, and unbolted the endlink from the control arm. All good so far. Then I loosened the outer ball joint nut all the way (can't remove it until the ball joint is popped out). I grabbed the 22mm wrench I borrowed from a friend and removed the inner ball joint nut without a problem. I'm pretty happy at this point. I used my new ball joint/tie rod separater that I bought the other day to pop out the inner ball joint. Awesome. But then I couldn't get it to do the same to the outer ball joint. I ended up destroying the rubber, destroying the already hosed ball joint, and an hour and a half later I had someone take me to autozone, where I rented theirs (which is almost the same size, but made of better materials). Got home, popped that ball joint within five minutes. I removed the bushing bracket bolts, and got the old control arm off. It's almost 8:00 at this point, and I'm getting worried about the approaching darkness. I go to remove the endlink, and fail because it rotates with the nut. I couldn't figure it out, and decide to worry about the control arm and replace it later. So I relocate the endlink bracket to the new control arm, and go to put the prepressed bushing/bracket on the end of the arm. That was a failure. I lubricated it with some silicone spray (it was all I had handy - turns out the instructions call for a kerosene-based lubricant, which might have ended better, but I didn't have it and had no way of getting it). I could not get that bracket on more than half an inch. I tried, I had each of my brothers try, it wasn't going on. I tried hammering it, pounding it, twisting it, and ended up tearing the thinnest part of the bushing (or maybe it was like that, I don't know). I'm getting upset at this point. I'm getting tired, hungry, depressed to the point where I felt like throwing up (I tried eating but had no appetite) and basically I saw the writing on the wall that this wasn't going to get done. So I decided to put the old hosed control arm back on and limp it home and maybe take it somewhere on Monday. Even that went wrong. The threads on the old outer balljoint locknut were hosed and I couldn't get it on. So I figured I'd waste the new one, got it on a tiny bit, and then the whole thing would rotate when I'd turn the nut. I tried using lockjaw pliers on it, a jack under it, etc... and it just wouldn't not turn. So then I couldn't even get the nut off. I'm getting really pissed at this point, and there's pretty much nothing I can do. I lightly nut the inner balljoint, can't bolt the endlink back into place because the outer balljoint isn't seated right, and so basically the car cannot be driven. I ended up putting the wheel on, lowering it to the ground, and rolling it back so it wasn't in the way of my parent's garage. I don't have the right equipment to handle it. I'm going to have to have the car towed somewhere and have them do it. Maybe the dealer (who is about two miles away, so I'd save on towing fees) or maybe one of the little stations nearby, though I don't know if they'll install the parts that are now in my trunk or if they'd even know what they were doing. Ultimately I bit off more than I could handle. The car needed the stuff done anyway, so I guess I didn't really gently caress anything up, it just pissed me off and depresses me that I can't do it and have to not only pay to have someone else do it, but have it towed there as well. And I can't exactly afford this right now anyway. I finally got home at 10:30 and all I accomplished was proving I suck at working on my car.
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Apr 3, 2010 04:06
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While it sucks that you had a bad experience with the repair, I wouldn't be so quick to give up. All your issues are fixable in the driveway. 1. To stop the swaybar link bracket from spinning while you loosen the nut, use a large open ended wrench on the bracket to hold it in place. Do not remove the bracket from the link before loosening the nut on the bottom- just remove both nuts from the left and right swaybar link brackets and the whole bar will be able to pivot up and out of the way. Then you can replace the links if they're bad, or just leave it alone with the brackets still attached. 2. As for the CAB, it might still be OK, provided you don't see fluid leaking out of the bushing you were wailing on. It's unlikely that you were able to substantially affect the integrity of the rubber, but if you see hydraulic fluid leaking from the bushing then you're going to have to buy a new one. The best way to install the control arm bushings is with a large, heavy rubber mallet and some foaming glass cleaner for lube. Hold the control arm against the ground with the bushing facing up, spray the end of the arm and the inside of the bushing with the foaming cleaner and pound away. Just make sure the bracket is positioned correctly (it can be installed upside down) and don't hammer it on too far- the control arm should poke through the bushing by about 1-3mm. You really shouldn't use silicone because it doesn't dry out like alcohol or gasoline based lubes do (and as you've found out it just doesn't work that well)- you don't want the control arm to be able to slip inside the bushing after it's installed. Seriously, you're almost there at this point. Next time you work on the car and you get really frustrated (because that happens to everyone, regardless of how easy the job should be or how much experience you have) take a long break to get your head together. Your only real mistake was starting the job so late in the day. When you're doing a project you're not completely comfortable with, budget at least a full working day to get it done. If it's something with any degree of difficulty, plan on 2 days and arrange back-up transportation for the inevitable parts/tools runs. Hang in there, and if you have questions feel free to ask. SiGmA_X posted:It should work! And next time, remember to go with poly. GL! If plain old rubber bushings are kicking his rear end, he should be very happy he didn't go with poly. They tend to be much more difficult to hammer on. Ethelinda Sapsea fucked around with this message at 14:37 on Apr 3, 2010 |
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Apr 3, 2010 05:08
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CornHolio - Just read your latest reply, and I feel for you. My first time doing suspension was that of struts/shocks/springs. I managed to royally gently caress my control arm balljoint. It was a huge hassle. If I were you, I'd bring it back in, get the new control arm mounted up, and get a socket that is a little bigger than the end of the control arm (24? 27? I forget) and lube the bushing, and beat the socket over the bushing. It should work! And next time, remember to go with poly. GL!CornHolio posted:Okay, I need some advice. I was hoping to replace both front control arms on my 1997 328i today, and, well didn't. In fact, in three and a half hours, I only got one bolt out. revmoo posted:10 hours yesterday to touch-up, wet sand, wash, clay and wax. Six hours today washing and waxing my wheels/tires. I'm exhausted. revmoo posted:I didn't even use RTV on mine when I did it. I know the factory recommends it but I was lazy I guess. It doesn't leak at all. Agreed about the dried RTV, but hopefully it wasn't fully dry. ozziegt posted:I just spent 6 hours replacing the VANOS seals on my E46. A couple questions: 2) Time will tell. You'll smell it if it does, or if you see leakage in the areas listed above. Next time when you drop one of those nuts, continue on with stage 1 torque (finger tight). EvilMoFo posted:It threw a code, actually 2, P0491 and P0492. My friend and I replaced the hose to the valve and the check engine light has not come back. The misfire is still there though. revmoo posted:Holy crap the ICV on my M50 was a bitch to do. I ended up breaking the tab on the 'connector' part that goes to the intake manifold so I had to take a trip to the dealer to replace. I had to do pretty much everything by feel. I never want to do that job again.  Um, you have a 92, right? Unless someone remove the fuel filter, its right under the intake manifold.. Here's a picture of it on my motor  Doctor Grape Ape posted:Rotors are rotors are rotors. They're just cast iron that gets abraded away with time, so why spend more money on them than they're worth? Personally I just get Brembo blanks. If you have to get something flashy, the Zimmerman X-Drilled rotors are pretty good, and reasonably priced.
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Apr 3, 2010 09:24
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SiGmA_X posted:Um, you have a 92, right? Unless someone remove the fuel filter, its right under the intake manifold.. Here's a picture of it on my motor That picture actually helps a lot. But how the hell are you supposed to reach that with the manifold and all those hoses in the way? Here's a pic:  Not bad for a '92. I have the plate delete trim in my cart on Pelican. We have no emissions and no front plates in this state, it's great.
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Apr 3, 2010 14:04
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kimbo305 posted:They do charge for the events, but if you go to a few, it can be worth it, over going to poorly organized / overattended events by other organizations. The HPDE I went to was like $300 for 2 days and 2+ hours of track time. Most chapters of the CCA are going to charge you a membership fee as the extra cost if you are not already a member. So one way or another you are going to be a member if you go to a DE. While the economy is still poo poo it is not that though to get into a DE, but normally the DE's located in high member count areas fill up very fast and members get first crack. The membership fee is fairly reasonable since you get the Roundel. The magazine is pretty well done. Between the letters to the editor and the delusional classified ads it can be entertaining. By the way go to the track and go often.
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Apr 3, 2010 14:38
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