Messages

1

Engine + Driveline / Oil pan removal

« on: July 13, 2011, 10:38:40 PM »

I bought an engine support bar from Harbor Freight. It cost about $80 shipped. Worked just fine. Make sure you disconnect the air intake boot before you lift the engine, or you could end up stretching it until it tears.

http://www.harborfreight.com/1000-lb-capacity-engine-support-bar-96524.html

2

Engine + Driveline / Timing chain woes...how screwed am I?

« on: July 07, 2011, 01:50:40 AM »

I had the exact same thing happen to me, except the idler pulley stayed in place long enough to limp home. Thankfully, the chain didn't slip. I replaced the timing case without removing the head by dropping the oil pans instead of pulling the head, using the procedures described in this forum and the Bentley manual. However, it sounds like you have bent valves and need to pull the head anyways.

As for the alignment of the sprockets in relation to the camshafts, if you have the camshafts locked at TDC for cylinder 1, the arrows on the sprockets should point up, perpendicular to the mating surface of the valve cover. Check to make sure the 4 fasteners holding each sprocket onto the camshaft are centered within the slot, and you should be good to go.

3

How-To's / Easy profile gasket/timing case install. No head removal required,

« on: June 05, 2011, 03:25:13 AM »

Great tip with using the feeler gauges. The Bentley mentions using a thin sheet of metal, but I could see that not working as well because when you try to remove the metal, you'd have to fight the friction across the entire gasket, instead of being able to pull out feeler gauges one at a time.

I had trouble viewing the photo too, but managed to figure it out - thankfully before the sealant cured! Did anyone use oil to ease the removal of the feeler gauges? Would that harm anything?

4

How-To's / Deleting throttle body heater plate.

« on: June 04, 2011, 04:42:34 PM »

I've had my throttle body deleted for about a year now. The rubber intake boot has to stretch a little farther because of the mod. I've noticed that my 1 year old boot is starting to show signs of cracking already - possibly due to it being stretched. Does anyone else have this issue?

5

How-To's / DIY Fuel Pump Replacement

« on: June 04, 2011, 04:24:44 PM »

I put in a new fuel pump assembly, but I replaced the entire assembly instead of just the pump. Is only changing the pump a lot cheaper?

Don't forget to disconnect the battery too. I also like to move the car out of the garage when dealing with the fuel system so that the house doesn't burn down if the car catches on fire.

6

General Topics / Heater Delete Question

« on: June 04, 2011, 03:58:43 PM »

I looped mine about a year ago and have had no issues beyond freezing my @#$ off in the wintertime.

7

Suspension / Cutting front springs

« on: May 25, 2011, 10:23:56 PM »

I would like to chime in too, hopefully without sounding like an arrogant know-it-all. On Efunda.com, they lay out the equation for calculating spring rate.

k = spring rate
G = shear modulus
d = diameter of the wire
D = diameter of the entire coil
na = number of active coils

k = (G*d^4)/(8*D^3*na)

Ignoring the complicated stuff, the bottom line is that spring rate (k) increases as the number of coils (na) decreases.

8

Suspension / Steering Rack Swap-E30 vs. E36 Tie rods

« on: May 21, 2011, 01:01:58 PM »

I haven't performed the swap, but I do know there is quite a  bit of adjustment available in the outer tie rods. There are about 3 inches of thread engagement on each side, so there should be an adequate amount of adjustment. I can't imagine the E36 front track being more than 2" off from what the E30 is.

I would guess that you could go either way and be fine. Take this with a grain of salt, because I'm just speculating.

9

Suspension / Wheel Bearing Question??

« on: May 21, 2011, 12:48:34 PM »

The non-ABS wheel bearings lack the toothed ring, but the non-ABS wheel bearings are hard to find. Luckily, you can remove the toothed ring to convert an ABS wheel bearing to a non-ABS wheel bearing. According to the BavAuto, to convert the ABS wheel bearing to a non-ABS wheel bearing, put the wheel mounting flange in a bench vise and take a hammer and chisel to it to break off the toothed ring.

http://www.bavauto.com/Assets/inst_pages/ins064.pdf

10

Suspension / Clunking noises after front suspension redo

« on: May 21, 2011, 12:39:58 PM »

I had a problem with clunking over bumps. It turned out it was the collars on my Bilsteins had loosened up, since I didn't have the Bilstein tool to properly torque it. Redoubling my efforts using my improvised torquing method and using a bit of blue Loctite solved the problem.

I also had a separate clunking problem with the muffler hitting the rear valence on bumps because the exhaust hangers were shot.

11

Engine + Driveline / Adjusting Cam Sprockets

« on: May 20, 2011, 09:47:24 PM »

I did a timing chain job recently and debated advancing the intake timing 5 degrees as markus24q mentioned. I ended up not doing it because I didn't want to make troubleshooting any harder if there were any issues. From what I understand, all you have to do is lift the valve cover, loosen the qty (4) bolts that hold the sprocket onto the camshaft (10 mm) and use a 24mm wrench on the camshaft to rotate it 5 degrees while the sprocket stays still. Tighten the 10 mm bolts back up, put the valve cover back on, and you're good to go.

The other reason why I didn't do it already is because I haven't come up with a way to accurately measure out 5 degrees. Ideas, anyone?

12

Engine + Driveline / Damn Behr...

« on: May 20, 2011, 09:40:36 PM »

The bleed screw broke off on my E36 M3. Luckily, the screw broke in such a way that it easily turned and I was able to get the rest of it out. No issues with my E30 yet.

13

Engine + Driveline / Water pump removal flanges snapped off, how do I remove water pump? Please help!

« on: May 20, 2011, 09:30:51 PM »

I recently had a stubborn water pump problem, and I thought I'd share what worked for me. I removed the upper and lower timing chain cover and the harmonic balancer to provide a little extra space (I was doing a timing chain job anyways). I put a big pipe wrench on the pump and then a cheater bar on the pipe wrench. Using all the strength I have, I was able to get the pump to turn. It only moved a few degrees at first. After turning it clockwise and counter clockwise many many times, it slowly started to work its way out. It was calcium deposits that had made it stick. Of couse, be careful and don't scratch any mating surfaces while the timing covers are off.

14

Engine + Driveline / redline water wetter

« on: May 20, 2011, 09:04:14 PM »

FWIW, I prefer to used the factory coolant. The book 101 Performance Projects for Your BMW by Wayne Dempsey (founder of Pelican) says:

"In 1991, BMW issued technical bulletin 17 01 88(1743), detailing problems with what is known as "silicate gel precipitation" in engines. This green goo... is a consequence of antifreeze overconcentration combined with hard water and the phosphates commonly used in antifreeze. BMW factory antifreeze has been formulated to prevent the problem of silicate drop-out without any coolant performance loss. This antifreeze contains no nitrites and no phosphates."

In other words, the coolant has no preservatives. It's healthier for your car.

15

Engine + Driveline / Help with Flywheel Locking Pin Please.

« on: May 20, 2011, 08:23:24 PM »

I had the same problem with the tool (also purchased from Pelican). I tried to see if I could clean up the hole with a file but was unsuccessful. I ended up using a drill bit to pin the flywheel.