Messages

1

Engine + Driveline / Engine Ticking...

« on: December 03, 2012, 07:08:51 PM »

Might sound overly simplistic, but have you checked your oil level? Mine started ticking like that on start up and after freeway trips. Ended up being I was a little low on oil.

2

General Topics / My M42 Fuel Economy and Maintenance Logs

« on: November 27, 2012, 02:23:57 PM »

I can access it now. Not sure what the deal was.

How on earth did you manage to almost squeeze 16 gal into your tank :confused:

The most I've ever put in was just over 14 gal. I thought our cars came with a 55 L tank (14.5 gal)?

3

General Topics / My M42 Fuel Economy and Maintenance Logs

« on: November 27, 2012, 09:30:48 AM »

I believe your site is down.

4

Swaps, Turbos, Buildups / Engine Swap Project & Checklist

« on: August 16, 2012, 01:59:17 PM »

Update?

5

For Sale / FS: M42 Parts Sale In Charleston

« on: June 26, 2012, 09:09:24 AM »

Valve cover & upper intake shipped to 91765?

6

Engine + Driveline / What's the best/easiest way to replace the steering gluibo (coupler)?

« on: June 22, 2012, 04:13:33 PM »

I ordered the same one from IE. Are you saying the 325 coupler is larger than the 318? So the new coupler from IE isn't going to work?

Looks like it should work. Someone over on R3V just did this to their 318 without dropping the rack.

7

Engine + Driveline / What's the best/easiest way to replace the steering gluibo (coupler)?

« on: June 21, 2012, 03:40:35 PM »

I ordered the same one from IE. Are you saying the 325 coupler is larger than the 318? So the new coupler from IE isn't going to work?

Unfortunately, I didn't take a photo of the rubber coupler I took out of the 325, but, I believe it was larger. The diagrams RealOEM has for this component are misleading. It shows that both the 318 and 325 use the same coupler assembly when clearly this is not the case with my cars.

On a related note; I was experiencing sloppiness in the steering of my 318 and at first thought the coupler was the culprit. After some research, I read about tightening the large nut on the steering column shaft. The nut felt tight at first but, with a large enough crescent wrench and extra effort, I was able to turn the nut a few times. If you haven't done this yet, now's the time before you take shit apart.

The nut is located on the steering shaft just before it disappears into the foot well. You'll have to remove the knee bolster in order to get access to it. Just grab the steering shaft and shake it; if it rattles, the nut is not tight enough. Good luck.


Nut is just above item #1

8

Engine + Driveline / What's the best/easiest way to replace the steering gluibo (coupler)?

« on: June 20, 2012, 10:55:29 PM »

Just did this on my wife's '89 325i and found that the steering coupling assembly is different than the one on my '91 318i. The one on the 325i is much larger then the one on our cars. I had to drop the rack in order to remove it. I'm not sure if that would be necessary on ours. I sawed off the rivets with a hacksaw and then pushed out the remainder of the rivets with a 2-jaw puller (worked really nice for the job). Here are some photos for comparison followed by something I posted on another forum earlier today.

'91 318i (topside)


'89 325i (topside)


'91 318i (underside)


'89 325i (underside)


Here's what I posted on R3V earlier today...

Actually, I finally did this job on my wife's stock '89 325i this past weekend using the IE coupler above. Prior to the replacement, the original coupler appeared to be in decent shape with no obvious signs of cracking or deterioration. Even after I removed it from the car it looked ok. However, when looking down on the coupler from the engine bay, you could see the coupler flex when the steering wheel was turned . This explained why the steering wheel would turn a few degrees before the tires would respond. After the replacement, there is zero flex in the coupler so the tires turn in unison with the steering wheel . There was no noticeable increase in vibration in the steering wheel either (keep in mind this was done on a stock suspension). Overall, I'm very happy with the product and the positive difference in steering feel and would recommend this upgrade to anyone needing to change their stock coupler.

Replacement tips (sorry no photos):

1)Although I did the job without removing the steering rack completely, in hind sight, it most likely is easier to just remove it. Either way, rack bolts have to be removed in order to move the rack down and towards the front of the car.
2)You'll need a big ass flat head screwdriver to wedge into the coupling slots. These couplings were a pain in the ass to pull them off while under the car.
3)I used a pair of dikes to cut away the old rubber coupler. This separates the whole assembly into 2 pieces.
4)I sawed off the rivets that held the coupler in place as close to the universal joint as possible. Once sawed off I used a 2 jaw puller to push what remained of the rivet out.
5)When putting the assembly back on the car, I found it easier to slide the couplings on the splined shafts one end at a time. Once each end was on, I then attached the new coupler between the 2 ends and tightened the nuts and bolts using a little lock-tite.

Hope this helps.

9

Member Profiles / New Wheels

« on: June 12, 2012, 02:57:19 PM »

Got some new wheels.
16 x 7.5 wrapped in 205/50
Opinions?

10

Electrical / Rear door lock troubles

« on: June 03, 2012, 11:14:00 PM »

Wire weasels indeed:D

I pulled back the rubber boot between the rear door and the B-pillar to expose the harness and found 2 wires were broken. So, I pulled out the entire door harness to check for any other issues and ended having to solder 3 wires. Problem solved.

For anyone having issues with their central locks I would suggest checking here first.

11

General Topics / New Belts / New Noise

« on: June 02, 2012, 06:17:06 PM »

a new belt will stretch a tad after say a hundred miles and need to be retensioned.    this can make a new belt squeal.   the reason it does it when you turn is turning makes the power steering pump work harder (more resistance to  spinning) and the loose belt makes noise.  while going strait ahead there is less resistance to spinning,  so no noise.  
                                                                      Geoff

Makes sense, but why does the noise go away completely after 15 seconds or so? The noise wont reappear until the car is cold again.

12

Electrical / Rear door lock troubles

« on: June 02, 2012, 05:06:46 PM »

Im having trouble with my rear driver side door lock. At first I thought the actuator was going out which was causing the lock to only work intermittently, but now it's gone completely out. I decided to replace the actuator with a known working one but no dice. I connected the actuator to the rear door on the passenger side and it works fine. I connected a multimeter to the actuator connectors on each door and found that I'm only getting around 3v to the problem door and 12v to the good one. Anyone know what's going on here?

13

General Topics / New Belts / New Noise

« on: June 01, 2012, 09:35:32 PM »

If the ps belt is too loose, wouldn't it squeal all the time?

14

General Topics / New Belts / New Noise

« on: June 01, 2012, 07:57:44 PM »

Recently replaced all 3 belts on my car. About 3 weeks after doing so, I started hearing a loud squeal when I start it up. A few notes:

• Car only squeals if it's a cold start
• Squeal gets louder if I turn the steering wheel
• Squeal only lasts about 15 seconds

My thoughts are that the power steering belt is the culprit. Is it too tight? Too loose? Something else?

15

Engine + Driveline / air conditioner clutch

« on: May 04, 2012, 11:46:34 PM »

Are you sure it's the clutch? I thought my clutch was out cause the car would start squealing when I'd turn on the AC and no cold air was coming out the vents. I replaced the belt and... Voila! Problem solved.