M42/M44 ITB Kit Design

[lambertius]

Sweet, I must've just misinterpreted what you meant!

Wish I had gotten lucky and got your top cap when I set mine up, then I wouldn't be here rebuilding it... 

All my bits are starting to arrive... Not long now! Though I'm sure all the snow will be gone before I get to use it...

[lambertius]

Shamelessly hawking my wares here!

I've rebuilt one of my LSDs which you can buy here if you're keen http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/162138184383?ssPageName=STRK%3AMESELX%3AIT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

I'm filming the process on the second one tomorrow and will be making a short episode on how LSDs work and the parts that go into making one! 

I'm looking forward to it, they're actually a surprising simple bit of kit but at the same time aspects of how they work are quite clever.

[lambertius]

I've got another video up on my youtube channel if anyone is keen!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yhst51n6TuQ

[Darky]

Nice video lambertius

What cams did it run?
Was it a s50b30 or 32?
A lot of people believe the b30 engine was a lot better.

Check out the engine whisperer site they pull apart a e36 race car with a s42b20 in it!
I shall call that car captain carbon.

Cheers Rohan

[lambertius]

Nice video lambertius

What cams did it run?
Was it a s50b30 or 32?
A lot of people believe the b30 engine was a lot better.

Check out the engine whisperer site they pull apart a e36 race car with a s42b20 in it!
I shall call that car captain carbon.

Cheers Rohan

Its a very strung out b30, the 257kW sticker on the back was the wheel power when the owner had it dynoed!

I'm under the impression that the cams were sourced from AC Schnitzer, though I'm not sure. What I do know is that all the parts were used in the DTM cars and were from that parts bin.

The key thing to take away here is that it was epic to drive!

[cool-shi]

hello  lambertius,


so finally I had some time to install my kit during my summer break!!
it took about 2.5 days working from 9am to 8pm.

most of the time was taken for the reworking wiring harness and thinking of the vacuum hose layouts.

and the last most difficult part was putting on the carbon airbox, the bottom and most rear bolts took me many hours to tightening down.
after confirming with rama, to take out the assembly and put the air box together then put everything back......thats the way I did initially not knowing but just couldnt do it so, anyways its all in there with right hand drivin 318ti which has the battery up front.

I really like the sound and the engine responses!!!!!

I have 2 questions.

1. I made extra vacuum block coming from each cylinder to attach the brake booster and the crankcase breather.
    the crankcase breather I have attached PCV valve --> oil catch tank --> to the vacuum block
   is this setup bad? or creating vacuum leak?
   for past few days of driving, I do not have any oil leaks like your intial setup where pressure was build up.
   
reason why Im asking is I have very high lean air/fuel mixture during idle only.

Countermeasures
C/M1: should I delete the PCV valve and just connect with oil catch tank and to the vaccum block?

C/M2: keep current setup but instead of vacuum block (unstable vacuum?) go directly to the one of the manifold ports like you did with your brake booster?

C/M3: delete the PCV valve and after the oil catch tank put a small airfilter?

I would like to return the hose into the engine for regulations.....
I would appricate your advice

thanks in advance,

[lambertius]

hello  lambertius,


so finally I had some time to install my kit during my summer break!!
it took about 2.5 days working from 9am to 8pm.

most of the time was taken for the reworking wiring harness and thinking of the vacuum hose layouts.

and the last most difficult part was putting on the carbon airbox, the bottom and most rear bolts took me many hours to tightening down.
after confirming with rama, to take out the assembly and put the air box together then put everything back......thats the way I did initially not knowing but just couldnt do it so, anyways its all in there with right hand drivin 318ti which has the battery up front.

I really like the sound and the engine responses!!!!!

I have 2 questions.

1. I made extra vacuum block coming from each cylinder to attach the brake booster and the crankcase breather.
    the crankcase breather I have attached PCV valve --> oil catch tank --> to the vacuum block
   is this setup bad? or creating vacuum leak?
   for past few days of driving, I do not have any oil leaks like your intial setup where pressure was build up.
   
reason why Im asking is I have very high lean air/fuel mixture during idle only.

Countermeasures
C/M1: should I delete the PCV valve and just connect with oil catch tank and to the vaccum block?

C/M2: keep current setup but instead of vacuum block (unstable vacuum?) go directly to the one of the manifold ports like you did with your brake booster?

C/M3: delete the PCV valve and after the oil catch tank put a small airfilter?

I would like to return the hose into the engine for regulations.....
I would appricate your advice

thanks in advance,

Ho-ho! Looking good! I'm glad that you like the drive ^_^ Its great fun having that little extra poke, and the the way the power curve comes on is satisfying!

I was wondering when I would start seeing other kits fitted!

To answer your questions to start with...

1. Your setup is fine, as long as you have the PCV valve there will be no vacuum leak. I would be interested to see a picture of your second vacuum block? Your setup may be generating enough vacuum to make the PCV work which it wasn't on mine.

C/M1: NO - this is introducing a vacuum leak. The car will run rough to about 1500RPM and may cut out under acceleration.

C/M2: I had thought about trying something similar like that. If you do it you will need to keep in mind that one cylinder will be running lean compared to the others. For this reason I would consider trying cylinder 4 since it is the most likely to be running slightly rich from a front feed box. That said, the PCV valve won't activate till higher RPM so it should only be a minor affect, but you should at least be aware. I have everything in place to try this... but I just haven't... I should really try this...

C/M3: I would suggest this option for ease - this is currently what I'm running.

If your engine is running lean at low RPM  I would check the PCV valve your running isn't in backwards? When you have a vacuum leak you'll know though, at low RPM the engine will run like a dog and will cut out under minor throttle.

Now... as for C/M... I have a 'solution' that I want to implement that will keep the engine 'regulated' and won't need the PCV valve.

Please forgive the ghetto bucket - it is for test fitting before I 3D print something. I need to make sure it fits before I spend my $$$






I've been needing to make an intake shroud for regulation purposes so I figured I would make a cold air intake while I was at it. The ghetto bucket is shrouding the air filter and the air temp sensor (its making a difference, the exhaust smells less rich. Presumably because the ECU is less worried about detonation with a cooler air temp).

ANYWAY... if you look at the back of the engine bay you can see the air filter sitting on the top of my catch can. In most locations, an air filter is all that is required to be compliant but if it isn't the requirement is usually that it needs to be ducted into the engine intake. My solution would be to run the catch can into the ghetto bucket (with its own filter). The crank case would be ducted into the enclosed intake, and because it would be on the outside of the air filter it wouldn't be lining anything with oil. It would also be on the 'outside' of the MAF it won't introduce an air leak. Its an easy solution and it would be compliant almost everywhere.

For anyone who is interested, here is another kit being fitted in Melbourne on a different forum http://www.stanceworks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80984

I'm still working on my LSD, I got all my new parts, clutches and bits but I had some issues getting shims and finding a competent mechanic to build it... You think it wouldn't be too hard, but it always is. I have the second one still listed on ebay for anyone who is keen http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/162169755041?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649 I've filmed a video on the LSD as well, which I'll get up on youtube eventually

[cool-shi]

hello  lambertius,

thanks for the reply.

I have followed your simple C/M by removing the PCV valve and the hose which was connected to my addtional vacuum block, then adding small air filter on the oil catch tank.

now its running like normal, idles fine and AF is jumping around 14.3 to 14.9, just like before.
no more rough idle and very high lean mixtures

so assume the PCV valve was not working well with this unstable/weak vacuum!!!

now I will drive for couple of days for my DME to reset and have it study the current setup.
after that I will read the A/F with innovate LM2 and play with air/fuel mixtures with AFC-neo, sub-computer thingy and hopefully make it much better, sort of like step 2 or phase 2.

here is my addition of the extra vacuum block
just adding extra ports on all ports
then adding extra aluminium block to attach now is only the brake booster as the breather hose w/pcv is removed

now that is working order, I may just follow Rama's instructions and delete the second vacuum block!?
and add a small sealed container to be added before the brake booster connection to make the vacuum stable? dont know if it will work or not?


so I believe now, this kit will fit the RHD with battery upfront, RHD and LHD M42/M44 vehicles!!!
ALL E36 318is/ti will fit!!!

next I will paint the engine valve cover dark grey and hydrographic with carbon to match the carbon air box.

now while its still studying, under normal driving (small/half throttle) is kind of dull compared to before.....however when its WOT its a totally different engine!!
it feels more torque and power all thru the powerband
and anywhere its very very  responsive engine, I need to adjust since its too responsive my driving feels jerky with throttle on/off......hahaha

I believe once Japan's hot summer ends and becomes more cooler it will be more lively engine

I am really satisfied with this kit!!

[lambertius]

I just made a quick post on the front page for anyone who is interested. I've indexed all the important stuff as this thread is approaching its end!

The last thing to do is a detailed write up on how LSDs work, and the people I dealt with to get mine rebuilt, but that can wait a little bit longer till it is back in my car...

[lambertius]

I thought I would do a bit of an update on my car because a few things have happened.

Unfortunately my car was badly scraped a little while ago with a bit of paint transfer and scratches going into the metal.





I had to get some PDR to straighten the panel out before I started fixing the problem. Once the panel is straight, the first step is to clean it. Clay bar it first, and then hit the surface with at least 2000grit paper.



Make sure you clay bar the surface again, and then using thinned colour matched paint and a fine brush over the scratched surface.



Once that is done let the paint dry. Then get a thin item like a tooth-pick or a skewer and progressively fill the deeper scratches to a point that you're happy with. This can take a few days to do properly, and since this is a daily car I didn't go nuts. The closer to a level surface that you get the harder it will be to spot the difference. You will need to intermittently wet-sand the surface as you paint to keep it level so you know what you're working on.



I used a fine grit paper so I was able to use a medium polish straight away. It took a bit of elbow grease but it came up very clear. You can see where I was lazy and didn't fill the deeper scratches enough - but I was lazy and the damage is very very well hidden. It would easily pass a 1 metre test.

The benefit of doing this as opposed to spraying and blending is you will have a much much smaller area where there are colour differences. It is a much better way of preserving the original paint by hiding minor or even medium paint damage. You won't have any blend lines and if the damage is small enough (and you're patient enough) you won't need to do the whole panel.




When I bought the car I sprayed all the sunburned bumpers gloss black with clear coat. I did this for two main reasons:

• Gloss surfaces are easier to keep clean
• The car had never been kept in a garage since it was built in 1997, and I didn't have a garage so any new bumpers would get sunburned within a year

Well, with a bumper broken and the car in a garage for the first time in its life I decided to get some new bumpers. I hadn't intended to get the M-kit bumpers, but I got them cheaper than the standard set as one of the bumpers had a scratch. I've very pleased with the look!




And in other news...

More 3D printed parts!

The slit in the base is for pressure release to prevent sucking up water and to allow any water that is sucked up to drain - this is the same as the stock airbox.




My favourite part was the satisfying *click* as the temp sensor went into place. It looks so much more complete just from that alone!



Here are some pictures of the box fitted.





Below are the CAD drawings. I placed a velocity stack inside the air filter like in the OEM design. This will improve the accuracy of the MAF readings.




I'll paint the box and eventually get some perspex for the window over the filter. The next thing I'll be doing is replacing the centre vent on my car!

[lambertius]

I felt like sharing this because I'm just so damn happy! The first time I've washed my car properly in over a year! After I moved to Perth the car was with friends, or in storage so never got washed. When I moved to Melbourne, because of my apartment block I hadn't washed the car because after all the effort I put into restoring the paint I couldn't bring myself to use a self-serve or auto car wash and scratch the paint. I tried to find a few different places to wash it, but in the end I just sucked it up and would fill buckets up in my apartment then take them downstairs to wash and rinse the car by hand. Though it was a massive pain, I'm very happy with the results and will keep on top of it again now.

[lambertius]

I took some photos with my proper camera. These are the first photos I've ever taken of my car that I've specifically driven out to take. I've taken a few photos after cleaning it but never anything intentionally like this, so I'm really pleased with the results!


















I hadn't yet painted the last intake part which is why there isn't a full photo of the engine bay, but soon there will be!

[lambertius]

This will be the last video on my car, and will be one of the last posts on this project. I have a two more things to finish up before I consider the whole thing completed, and they shouldn't be too far into the future!

In the meantime - this is a video on how the E36 small case (168mm) diff works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PZIn-3wXsM

The three companies that I dealt with in order to rebuild the two broken diffs I had were Bimmertune http://bimmertune.com/, ECS Tuning https://www.ecstuning.com/ and  Thayer Motorsports https://thayermotorsports.com/

In all cases I found them easy to deal with, honest and helpful. They were well priced and provided feedback to my questions. I have dealt with ECS tuning several times, and they have made a few mistakes shipping. To their credit they rectified the issues almost immediately accounting for the fault and ensuring that I had no trouble - especially helpful considering I'm an international customer.

As for some info on the LSDs to help people in the future:

The top cap on ALL small case LSDs is a point of failure. A brand new LSD cap broke after ~1000km of driving. If you wish to run an LSD in your car I highly recommend replacing the top cap.

If you change the top cap you MUST get a new set of side shims in order correctly set the ring and pinion backlash. Though this is not a difficult task to do, you will require special tooling to set this up correctly so I recommend finding someone who specialises in diff assembly.

When assembling a new top cap, the cap tightening torque is 45Nm WITH Loctite. The bolts holding the ring gear in place are torqued to 80Nm WITH loctite

There are two types of internal components, which you can tell by the number of splines around the spider gears. When you order new clutches make sure you order the 21 tooth or 23 tooth clutches accordingly.

The bearing in the case and on the diff carrier are all a standard part that - you don't need to order them in from BMW. Any shop that is capable of pulling the bearings off the carrier will be able to inspect the part number and get them off their supplier. The part number for the carrier bearings (I don't know the pinion bearing though) are LM501349 LM501310 CUP & CONE.

If you pull the pinion out you MUST get a new crush sleeve 33121200259. You will also need tools to correctly set the preload here. Don't do it by feel, or by tightening to the previous location. If you pull the pinion out, have it reinstalled properly.
[/list]


http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=BE72-EUR-03-1997-E36-BMW-318is&diagId=33_0372 The part number for the front flange shim kits can be found here.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=BE72-EUR-03-1997-E36-BMW-318is&diagId=33_1968 The part number for the side flange shim kits can be found here.

Hope that helps some people in the future!

[anthonymax007]

Any confirmation on whether or not this will fit LHD M42 equipped E30s?

[lambertius]

Any confirmation on whether or not this will fit LHD M42 equipped E30s?

It does but you must let them know at purchase. Its a bit more work and you need some different parts to get it to fit. They'll be able to explain it all to you as I haven't had any experience fitting it myself.