Doctor Grape Ape posted:

I just installed adjustable lower control arms on my E36. Holy poo poo it's stupid easy to get a differential out of a BMW.

Noeland posted:

Sounds like some noisy gear lash in the differential. You say you just swapped your LSD? Check and make sure you aren't leaking out your pumpkin and if so tighten down your diff cover add a little more fluid and a bottle of Lucas or other oil stabilizer. . That should solve the problem, otherwise there could be some serious pinion bearing or gear damage and a new ring and pinion might be in order.
If that doesn't solve it and the noise really really really bothers you, throw a banana in there (its what shady used car dealers do to sell cars with hosed up rears!)

Fake edit: Don't really throw a banana in there unless you really wanna replace all the poo poo in your pumpkin.

mungtor posted:

TractionControl posted:

Wiglaf posted:

it's not that hard to do, just drop the exhaust+shields and then pop the driveshaft loose from the guibo. the tricky part is bending the shaft down and out enough to let you pull the front half out without messing with the subframe or diff.
you'll need circlip pliers and a rubber mallet to deal with the bearing itself, maybe a gear puller if you're unlucky.

and mark the driveshaft before you pull it apart, it is balanced.

Dyscrasia posted:

I've got a little situation that I would like some input on.

The car: 1991 E30 318is

The symptom: After about 50 MPH, I get a mechanical sounding whine from the rear of the car, sounds like something is spinning. The pitch changes with speed, higher when going faster, lower when slower. Engine RPM has nothing to do with it, nor does the gear I am in. I have tried shifting into neutral at speed, as well as shutting off the engine. The sound remains.

snugglz posted:

Nope, that should be perfect... and you've already replaced pretty much every item I would think of. Did you check the E-brake shoes inside the rear discs? They're held on with silly little tabs on the brake backing plate that consistently break off/pull through... I can't really imagine how this would produce a "mechanical" sound, but when mine pulled through they rattled around based on axle speed, which was annoying as all hell.

maxallen posted:

That's great. I just ordered another part from them today ($100 on a $250 new part). I guess we'll see how it turns out.

TractionControl posted:

Just put an E36 rack on my E30 because mine was pissing fluid when I turned left.

Oh my god there is a difference. Probably because my old rack was really lovely, but this is so much better. It's nice to have firm steering, with less turns lock to lock.

I think something got tangled in the SRS wires though, because something went "plunk" and now my SRS lights are blinking so I will have to take the whole thing apart again to find out what is going on there.

Oh well, the joys of owning an E30!

Crustashio posted:

Idle issues

harperdc posted:

also, the Bentley manual is like twice as thick as the Haynes E30 manual. Completeness rocks. Definitely worth the $50 for anybody interested in keeping an E30 running.

Brock Landers posted:

Question about this: My 318iS has the 4.10 LSD installed with 190,000 miles on it. When I get to about 40mph, I start to hear a whine from behind me that changes slightly when I left off the gas and continues all the way until I stop. It changes in pitch with speed. Could this be the diff input bearing? If so, how long can this go until it fails and what happens when it gives out? Finally, how much did you pay for your rebuilt diff?

EDIT: It also clunks slightly when I get on and off the gas too. The bushings and other rubber support parts look good, so I don't think that's the problem.

multiprotocol posted:

E30s are fine, but they need to be given the care and respect due an 18+ year old car. Specifically, every single bit of rubber should likely be replaced, and wear parts inspected closely.

Overall, the M20 and M42 engines were remarkably well built. Downside is that you do have to adjust valve lash yourself on the M20s, instead of relying on the hydraulic lifters in the M50 series.

That 318is linked above looks very nice. Maybe a wee bit high on the price, but depends on the area. It'll sip gas. But check for extensive rust - look under the battery tray if you can, or near rocker panels. If you don't find rust there, you've likely got a solid car.

BraveUlysses posted:

I had no problem hitting 30mpg flogging my 318iS up the coast along the 101 last week. I got 29mpg driving 70-75 the rest of the way back.

Brock Landers posted:

Don't worry. If you have the 4.10 gears, you won't be "sipping" gas. That's what I have and I'll see about 27-28 highway, 20ish city. I usually average 22-23 mixed.

EDIT: I have the original window sticker and it lists mileage as 21 city, 27 highway.

CornHolio posted:

I hate to bring this up again, but I always thought (having been told by the dealership, BMWCCA forums, and pelicanparts.com tech forums) that even on a manual, if the transmission says ATF, to fill it with ATF.

In this month's roundel, Mike says "Please do not email tech talk asking whether to use ATF in a manual gearbox. The answer is always going to be no, no matter how many times you ask or who says otherwise."

So should I go against the giant "ATF only" sticker on the gearbox itself, and against the dealership's recommendation (they were astounded that I had put 75W90 synthetic gear oil in there when I called them last summer, like only a moron would do that).

vivacthulhu posted:

It's got 238,xxx miles on it, but compression was even across all the cylinders and the price was right, so I figured why the hell not.

Demerzel posted:

Why are so many people into the 80s and 90s BMW? I'm wondering if the E46 is worth learning to tweak. It seems like it would be since I hate the new E90s, they look like generic sedans with a BMW symbol on them to me. I do have the 2004 so it's the last one before the E90. Worth playing with?

sliderule posted:

Keep in mind only the '95 M3 rack has the better ratio. I'm trying to find one now, too, with no luck.

sliderule posted:

The manual steering rack in the euro 323 begs to differ. :P

KeyserSoze9999 posted:

The shifter that came on your car is an aftermarket one and it prob doesn't fit right anymore.

It might be easier to go buy a newer lower profile one, either a used one if on a budget or a new one. I have the "weighted" lower profile ZHP one on my E46 and it's great. Even if you got a regular OEM styled one it would be a vast improvement and would stay on there. Many folks have extra OEM shifters lying around, I know I have two.....a black leather one and the original wood grain one, others will too - you just need to scour places like Bimmerfest, Bimmerforums etc.

OrangeFurious posted:

Don't get me wrong - all my cars are automatics (no other choice in those models) and I like them just fine. I think what bugs me is how many enthusiasts don't know how to drive a manual well (or don't have the practice/incentive to enjoy it). It's more nostalgia for a disappearing tech than anything else.

Pilsner posted:

Isn't there something about having to reset codes (or at least pull the battery) when you replace an item that the CEL complains about?

If not, I guess you need to begin tracing / measuring wires from the sensor to the DME.

Sterndotstern posted:

Yep, no problem.

As for the bouncy idle, you could have a gummed up idle control valve (ICV) -- another common, if involved, DIY project (unless you have tiny hands, it requires removal of the intake manifold, which isn't HARD, per se, but definitely isn't easy). I would definitely see if cleaning the MAF helps -- idle is controlled by the engine computer and, as with most computers, bad inputs yield bad outputs.

Brock Landers posted:

You can't just say this to us without pictures or some kind of story about how you did it. What gearbox did you mate it up with? Do you notice the extra weight over the front wheels?

Jerk McJerkface posted:

...so my wife gets home from work, and she tells me the car is making a funny sound. I get in and drive it around the block. It sounds like a flat tire. She said she was at a stop sign and when she put the car into gear and started to roll it made a "pop" sound, and then the noise started. It gets faster in frequency the faster the car is going.

All signs point to a flat tire, but I took a look at all the tires, and I don't see any punctures. Of course it's dark out and 30 degress, so maybe that's not the most investigative diagnosis. I also have free service and a warranty, so I call them and and she'll take the car tomorrow. I hope the tires are OK and the clutch blew, because then it'd free.

Argh.

King-Kong posted:

I haven't noticed much related to #1, but #2 sure does happen. Last week while parking at the mall, another person pulled into the spot next to mine at almost the exact same time. Then reversed out, and moved over 1 spot. When we both got out, they said, 'too nice of a car, man, don't want to ding it!'. I didn't know what to say. Just smiled and said thanks. No one ever did that for my altima