Messages

1

General Topics / Exhaust rusted through, options?

« on: November 17, 2006, 05:10:44 PM »

NM!  I went under the car and it looks as though the steel is still plenty good, just that the weld had failed at the cat....off to call some shops

2

General Topics / Exhaust rusted through, options?

« on: November 17, 2006, 04:40:10 PM »

Id get a piece welded in, but it looks to be rust from one end to the other.....is this possible still?

3

General Topics / Exhaust rusted through, options?

« on: November 17, 2006, 02:03:21 AM »

Took the car out for it's first long trip....quick run from Chicago to Milwaukee and back tonight.  Car ran great after the timing case rebuild!  Unfortunately lil car let me know it wasn't going to put up with the noisy exhaust anymore.

Of course it couldnt be simple....it seems as though the exhaust pipe has rusted clean through and broke about 5-6" to the engine side of the cat...this seems to be a single piece consisting of the cat, some exhaust pipe and a flange that bolts to the header.

part # 18301723758

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=AJ93&mospid=47318&btnr=18_0161&hg=18&fg=10

I have no reason to think that the cat is not functioning.  Replacing the unit as a whole seems like a huge waste of money.  It looks to be a fairly clean break though.  I know there are sleeves that I should be able to buy a bit larger than the OD of the pipe, and was thinking of sliding that over the break and clamping it down.  Is this a workable solution?  What sort of clamps should I use?  Is there any sort of sealant I should be using in addition?

As much as I like to DIY, I have had enough cuddle time with lil car....is this something a muffler shop would be able to patch up for me?  I really don't want to take it in and have them give me a song and dance and then ask for 250 to slide a piece of pipe over the break and clamp it in.  On the other hand I would like the fix to last for a couple of years if possible.  I have no experience with exhaust work so any advice would be terrific!

As an aside, doing WOT starts from stoplights sound about as good as it gets :p

4

General Topics / Timing Chain / Rails / Tensioners DIY??

« on: November 17, 2006, 01:49:12 AM »

If you can spare the time to have the car down for a few days, I would say this isn't a bad job at all.  

I am not super experienced, having changed water pumps and timing belts on a couple of cars.  It wasnt bad.  If you are going through the trouble to get to the chain and sprockets, I would say go ahead and pull the timing case as well to replace the profile gasket...although that means you will need to pull the upper pan as well.  If you go this route, you will not need to touch the head.

Once you get the radiator out of the way, there is plenty of room to work.  It was quite the novelty for me to be cleaning off the front of the block while sitting up from underneath the car

I was fortunate enough to have receipts for the past several years when I bought the car.....it looks as though one of the PO had not replaced the tensioner for quite a while.  A loose chain will wear the sprockets very quickly.  It was obvious as both cam sprockets and the crank sprocket teeth were worn down to sharp points.  The upper, lower and guide rail were also worn.  I replaced them all along with a new timing chain.  The idle sprocket and tension rail didnt look bad at all, so they stayed.  I learned quickly while working on my motorcycle to change chains and sprockets as a set.  You really need to replace them together...a worn sprocket with a new chain is just not going to work.

It was a chunk of money to replace these parts, but now I know I wont have to touch it before the rest of the car starts falling to pieces on the expressway!

5

Engine + Driveline / Cam adjustment question

« on: November 14, 2006, 03:43:27 PM »

That would be excellent if he had the time.....I would love it!  I am reading through various methods now.....seems foolish to have someone do it for even 70 bucks when it seems as though you can get it just as accurate with a bit of time.

6

Engine + Driveline / Cam adjustment question

« on: November 14, 2006, 03:25:00 PM »

Thanks for the tip....the Firestone down the street has Hunter equipment and will do it for 69 bucks....cant beat it!

7

Engine + Driveline / Cam adjustment question

« on: November 14, 2006, 11:46:24 AM »

Looking at the old sprocket as it sits here on my desk....seems as though it allows for adjustment of one tooth in either direction.  Everything is all lined up properly now, and the only ticking I hear is from the injectors....the engine is very quiet and smooth now that I have replaced the timing parts.

I will try not to worry about it too much!

Not to hijack my own thread, but since replacing the steering rack I need to get the front end re-aligned.  I have a service appointment set up at my local BMW dealer, and they are quoting me 180 for the alignment, 1.5 hours work.

I noticed the previous owner had gotten his alignment done at a Firestone shop for 80 bucks.  Is it worth the extra cash to have the dealer do this?

Much thanks to everyone, you all have been a great help!!!

8

Engine + Driveline / Cam adjustment question

« on: November 13, 2006, 01:24:51 AM »

I have just finished up replacing the timing case, most all of the timing parts, lower and upper pans and the steering rack this weekend.  Miracle of miracles....nothing leaks!!  But I do have a question or two about the cam positioning.

I did not have a tool to hold the cams in place when I removed the chain and sprockets.  I did pin the flywheel to keep the crank from moving.  When the tension on the cams was released by removing the old chain, one or both of the cams had moved some.  I didn't think it would be a huge issue, as all I needed to do was center the cam mounting bolts in the slotted holes in the cam sprockets, make sure the indexing marks were pointed up, and make sure the flats at the rear of the cams were level with each other.  I counted 15 pins between indexing marks when I reassembled.  I did not put a straightedge across the flats in the back, as they looked reasonably level to each other.

Fast forward 6 hours and I am ready to fire this thing up.  Huzza!  It started, but sounded like a truck!  From what I had read I realized I must have been one tooth off when I reassembled.  I did not want to pull all of that off the front of the car again....it wasn't leaking and I didn't want to tempt fate!  Looking at the flats at the back of the cams, I could see the intake cam was slightly off...placing a straightedge across them made this more noticable.

Looking at the engine while standing in front of the car:

Exhaust cam level ---  Intake cam \\\ (exaggerated)  The gap seemed to be a few mm at most.

Crap....well I really did not want to tear everything apart again!  I loosened the intake cam sprocket and moved the intake cam CCW (looking at it from the front of the car)  Now the flats at the rear of the cams are level with each other:

Exhaust cam ---  Intake cam ---

Is this an acceptable fix?  Am I overlooking something?  I am assuming that the sides of the flats should be 90 degrees to the surface of the head when #1 is at TDC.  I realize this keeps me from being able to adjust the intake cam, but I am not interested in that....just want to have it set to the stock position.

The engine fired right up after this fix, and sounds good to me.  I haven't taken it out yet as I am waiting to get the front end aligned.

Did I mention the oil drain plug seal, lower pan gasket, the upper pan gasket, th dipstick tube o-ring, the crankshaft seal, the block to timing case gasket, the timing case cover to timing case gasket, the profile gasket, the upper timing case gasket, the gasket between the upper and lower timing covers, the oil filter housing gasket and o-ring, the water pump o-ring, the thermostat o-ring , the thermostat housing gasket, the camshaft position sensor o-ring,the valve cover gasket, and the power steering banjo seals aren't leaking?

9

General Topics / Help locating lower chain case!!

« on: November 07, 2006, 10:55:52 PM »

Thanks for all of the great advice....I ended up purchasing another used one from http://www.auroraaw.com/ , Aurora Auto Wrecking Inc. located in Wasington.  65 plus shipping, near half the price I had paid from Euro Depot.  They were a great help, checking the casting numbers against my original to insure I was getting the correct part.

Now I get to start on putting this all back together!  At th end of it all I will have replaced all of the timing parts but the idle gear and tension rail.  I also will have replaced all of the seals and gaskets on the front of the engine.  

The engine was coated with a thick layer of oil and dirt....hopefully my luck will turn and the engine will stay clean.  I am also replacing the steering rack, which was leaking.  The vaccum lines and coolant hoses look good, although if I were really ambitious I would go through the trouble of replacing them as well since they are so easy to get to now.  

It really is hard to stop replacing parts preventitively, as so much of the engine is easily accessable with both pans and the timing gear removed.  Enough is enough though, I want to start driving this thing again!  This is my second e30, the first being a 91 iX that was destroyed when the timing belt slipped a tooth on the highway  One of the valve heads cracked off and beat a hole through the piston before I slowed down enough and pulled over.  

I ended up with a 93 Tempo as a beater for WAY too long (year and a half) and finally got around to replacing it with this 91 318i.  I picked it up off craigslist for 2k.  Even with the ~600 in parts I think I got a good deal.  The engine has 168k on it now, and I am hoping to get another 50,000 miles out of it.  

The PO replaced all of the suspension rubber and installed bilstien sports and HR springs.  The paint isnt bad but it does have 15 years worth of dings and small scratches.  The interior is in great shape with no cracks or tears.  I forgot how much I missed the WX radio!  I think with an OBC conversion and the map light rearview, I will have a quite nice commuter car

The only other pressing change would be the exhaust.  I havent looked to see what was installed but it is much too loud for my taste....does anyone have any ideas on a replacement that is close to the stock sound level?  I have never done any exhaust work.  I am assuming I would be able to purchase a replacement and have a shop cut off the old muffler and weld on a different one?

Thanks again everyone....

--Ian

10

General Topics / Help locating lower chain case!!

« on: November 07, 2006, 12:03:45 PM »

I need to replace my lower chain case...such fun!  

I knew things were going too well when Eurodepot had the part for 125 shipped....when it arrived I could clearly see that it was damaged...one of the lower chain guide mounts was cracked and still had part of a bolt in the remaining threads!  Eurodepot was not helpful at all, telling me that "that's the way used parts work!" and "you should have inspected the part when it arrived". I am of the opinion that the part should have been inspected before it was sold and shipped to me...but no matter.

I now need to find another lower chain case.  Bavarian does not have one.  Eurodepot is not interested in helping me find a good replacement.  Short of paying through the nose for a new part, where else might I stand a good chance of finding this cursed hunk of aluminum?

Any help at all would be appreciated......I have all of the parts but this ready to go now....I was planning on getting this done this week, where temps are going to be close to 70 in Chicago......Now it looks as though I will be freezing my butt off...grrrrrrr!!!! :mad:

--Ian

11

Suspension / Tire size and suspension height

« on: November 05, 2006, 10:20:14 AM »

I recently picked up a 91 318i and need some advice on tire sizes that will fit the lowered suspension that the PO had installed.  

Sport Bilsteins with HR sport springs (29664)

I had the car in my hot little hands for three days before I managed to rip out the lower pan, crack the upper pan and, lucky for me, cracked the lower timing case on a steel construction plate in the road!  Lots of work, but on the plus side I discovered that the timing chain/sprockets were very worn....something I probably wouldnt have looked at until the timing chain assembly exploded and done signifigantly more damage.

Now that I am putting things back together, I am looking at alternatives to raising the pan some without replacing the shocks/springs.  I will see if I can add spacers at the engine mounts to raise it a bit if at all possible.  I was hoping for something around 1/2"  I also want to fit winter tires, which leads to my question....

Now I am running 14" wheels, and they do not seem to rub.  I was wondering if I might be able to go to a 15" wheel with this suspension setup.  Or overall, how large of a wheel would I be able to fit without rubbing?

Any other advice on how to raise the pan without swapping shocks/springs would be greatly appreciated......

As an aside....I love working on this car!  I was a bit intimidated by the prospect of pulling the front of the engine off, but it has been no trouble at all...no cursing...no impossible to reach fasteners...and just all around smiles at the job