June GRM DA/SC article, your moment of ZEN

[Febi Guibo]

The small case diff is good for a little over 200hp ...if you were to install the supercharger, it would prolly be a good idea to check out the driveshaft (wiggle for any play) and check out the rear end (unseal the diff, check it out etc.).

more power will cause already failing stuff to fail in a hurry.

[318kid]

So can anyone post up the following articles ? I want to see how they fixed the engine's lean problem

They added in March if you haven't seen the web page already...
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/news/category/project-cars/current-project-cars/1991-bmw-318is/

[doitover]

I've owned the GRM project car for a couple of weeks. It seems to be running fine but has a couple of problems. The ICV needed replacing and a couple of days after doing that the tube that they used to move the ICV came loose under the intake manifold. So far it looks like everything up to the head will have to come out to replace it and I'll need a better solution to keep it from happening again.

Other than that it still seems to be running fine. Once I get it back to running well I'm going to put a megasquirt on it. I've had it for just a couple of weeks and in that time it's only ran well for a couple of days but so far the power seems to be good for a real driver. It isn't crazy fast but it's fast enough. As it is it needs more handling before it needs more power.

[P. Kennedy]

I have a slightly used DASC kit on the way to me.  I emailed Tim Suddard, Grassroots Motorsport editor, to ask how the project car ran while in their possession.  He said it was awesome, except the supercharger belt came loose more often than it should.  I have replaced all my suspension (and then some) and will be replacing all the hoses (+ ICV) under the intake.  I am cautiously optimistic about my project.

Thank you for posting.  Good to know your car is in good hands.

Patrick Kennedy

[doitover]

The 92 and 93, I think, M42's had a tensioner for the serpentine belt. I'm guessing that it would fit this application and it isn't terribly expensive. I suspect that would be a better solution than the idler pulleys that are on the car now.
The belt does occasionally squeal and always squeals for a few seconds when the A/C comes on.

Once everything is running correctly I plan to check into it.

[318kid]

I've owned the GRM project car for a couple of weeks. It seems to be running fine but has a couple of problems. The ICV needed replacing and a couple of days after doing that the tube that they used to move the ICV came loose under the intake manifold. So far it looks like everything up to the head will have to come out to replace it and I'll need a better solution to keep it from happening again.

Other than that it still seems to be running fine. Once I get it back to running well I'm going to put a megasquirt on it. I've had it for just a couple of weeks and in that time it's only ran well for a couple of days but so far the power seems to be good for a real driver. It isn't crazy fast but it's fast enough. As it is it needs more handling before it needs more power.

Cool! I wana see some pics, oh and if you don't mind me asking how much did you pick it up for?

[doitover]

In answer to the question of what I paid, given what I found this weekend I'll just say too much. Compared to some pictures of engine bays I've seen here, this car is pristine though.

I don't have pictures ready yet but I'll try to get some up after I have the car back together.

I took the supercharger off this weekend and found what I think a lot of people do. The Idle Air and PCV hoses were all either cracked or disconnected or both. I'll be doing the cleanup that's described on the mess under the intake thread. The throttle body already does not have the warming plate.

I also found that the serpentine belt was misrouted and was so loose that by turning the supercharger pulley the belt would easily slide without turning the engine or AC over. How the AC worked is beyond me. I suspect the car will feel different when it's back together. The PCV worries me, if it blew off due to too much blowby from the boost, that wouldn't be good.

I was also apparently wrong about the 92/93 years using a tensioner on the belt. Apparently one of the idler pulleys is adjustable but it wasn't apparent to me this weekend how.

Finally, there is a pretty good oil leak at the front of the engine. I'll leave that until after I have the car running again, as much as I hate dripping oil around.

[quinn11m20]

Hey I live just south of the GRM headquarters. Tim Suddard is the editor in chief, that was his wifes BMW that they mounted the supercharger. One of the guys who is the advertising sales manager for GRM, Joe Gearin is a good friend of mine and I had an opportunity to help them out. The supercharger is made by Downing Atlanta and costs around $4000. Tim told me at the pub that the car has close to 230 hp, and that it drives quite well. If I had 4k I probably would put on one.

[EN318isPDX]

Hey I live just south of the GRM headquarters. Tim Suddard is the editor in chief, that was his wifes BMW that they mounted the supercharger. One of the guys who is the advertising sales manager for GRM, Joe Gearin is a good friend of mine and I had an opportunity to help them out. The supercharger is made by Downing Atlanta and costs around $4000. Tim told me at the pub that the car has close to 230 hp, and that it drives quite well. If I had 4k I probably would put on one.

In the GRM they claimed like 3500 for the entire kit. Honestly thats not bad, if it has 200+BHP with ONLY 50-60 pounds added to the front... thats gonna be insane compared to a stock M42 or Built M20 or M50 swap IMHO

[doitover]

If I can get the car running again I'll let you know.... I replaced the front crank seal and seemed to have messed up the crank timing.

[doitover]

Nearly a year later and it is running again.

Not that this is interesting but it bugs me when other people leave threads dangling.

I don't get to work on this often, the car hasn't really been drivable since last August.

Since then I've done the following,

1. Replaced the front engine seal.
2. Replaced the timing chain cover gaskets, one broken guide, and the tensioner.
3. Replaced the cam cover gaskets.
4. COP kit.
5. Deleted the mechanical and aux fan.
6. Installed an electric radiator fan.
7. Replaced the low speed resistor.
8. Replaced the expansion tank.
9. Removed the power steering belt.
10. Replaced the in tank fuel pump, deleted the second pump GRM added.
11. Rerouted the upper radiator hose, flipped and split the one that came with the car so that it is below the top of the radiator.
12. Reseated the expansion tank.
13. Reseated the expansion tank. Notice a trend?
14. Replaced the radiator, goodbye leaking expansion tank/ deleted the electric fan. I'm pretty sure that the replacement tank was leaking due to mold flash under the o-ring. I was about to break out the silicon when I saw a new radiator on craigslist. Probably a good thing, the new one takes fluid a lot faster than the old one, it was probably becoming clogged.

I drove it in to work today for the first time in months. I still can't get the coolant to bleed correctly. I can fill it to the top of the expansion tank neck without fluid coming from bleed screw. I spent a fair amount of time idling this morning without the temp gauge going more than a little over half way, but I need to figure that out. I also need to find a better way to mount the electric fan I have than to use the through the radiator pins that came with the fan. I didn't mind doing that on the old radiator that was in there but not on the new one.

Finally, the car is running well now. It isn't frighteningly quick in the way that my Cooper S is ( at low speeds ). I haven't had it over 4,500 RPM though, it will take a few drives before I have enough confidence to do that.

It is throwing a check engine light occasionally. I haven't read it out yet to see why.

What's left that I know of.

1. belt tensioner. The belt that is on it is too short for the tensioner that is on it. To fit the belt has to go on the outside of the wheel which actually lifts it off of the crank wheel. The belt squeals a bit and the grooved side of the belt goes over the wheel, something that can't be good for its life.
2. Lifter tick. I'll need to replace them but I'd like drive it a bit to see what else needs fixing before I take it apart again.
3. Fast idle when warm. It idles under 1K until it warms up.
4. Sloppy suspension. Something is soft. It isn't obvious what, all the rubber I can see looks to be pretty solid and new. I'm guessing the subframe bushings, wish I had a list of everything GRM did to the car.
5. Use up the gas that has been in it for nearly a year.

[doitover]

Had to update, after three days of driving it to work, it is running much better. I've had it a bit over 5K RPM and it seems the higher it revs, the better it sounds and feels. The clicking seems to be gone from the lifters as well.

I also think that some of what I thought was sloppiness in the suspension was just my lack of feel for the car. Overall I'm pretty happy with it.

[DesktopDave]

You're really doing some work there...you sound like you're enjoying it though!  Post some pics.  If you really want us all green with envy, post a dyno chart...

I love GRM.

[doitover]

After I get the electric fan back on, replace the temp switch on the radiator, figure out the fast idle issue, and then drive it a couple of weeks I'll take it to a dyno and post the results.

I'm pretty sure the idle is just due to someone having adjusted the idle stop up to accommodate vacuum leaks and fuel pressure issues but I didn't get a chance to check it out this weekend.

GRM is the best magazine out there by far.