JP 91iS

[JP 91iS]

Thanks for the comments.  I definitely consider this a (black)diamond in the rough.  It was only $500 so I knew I had plenty of financial room to work with.  Plus, doing this kind of maintenance allows me to become familiar with the car.  I like knowing whats under the manifold, where all the sensors are, etc.  And seeing a clean engine every time I pop the hood gives me a satisfied feeling.  After I finish maintenance (and a few mods), I'll be moving on to the interior.  My benefit is that this isn't my daily so I can be patient with my work.

[ponchiz318]

Mine is my daily. And it cost me 4k. The main reason why why havent taken down  the engine and clean it all out was because my dad took all the tools to Mexico. (insert :shifty: here) Now I have to buy my own. Maybe a Craftsman 300pc for starters.

[bme30]

awesome cleaning!  i'm going to do the same thing over the winter... but i'm going to look for other used parts to clean then install... i only have one car

[JP 91iS]

Latest project updates:

My shifter was sloppy and I was hearing some noises from the driveshaft so I thought I'd take care of both while I had access.  I also replaced the seals on the back of the transmission.

Old shifter linkage parts:



New Parts:
I installed a shorter shift arm from the E36 M3/328.  I replaced all the parts except the guide arm and selector rod.  I also put in some UUC delrin carrier bushings.  I had a lot of these parts left over from my 1st E30 that I had never installed.



I cleaned the back of the transmission and installed a new selector rod seal and output shaft seal.  Pretty straight forward but I had a hell of a time popping out the selector rod seal.



Here is everything back together.  I also put in Ireland Engineering Polyurethane Transmission mounts.  My old stock mounts were shot - the left one was sheered completely in half.



The front half of the driveshaft with new parts installed:
I put on a new guibo, center guide bushing, center driveshaft bearing and clamping ring.



When I removed the exhaust at the back of the exhaust manifold, all 4 of the studs snapped in half just behind the heads.  I thought no big deal but it turns out they are welded to the manifold.  So I took it off to fix and while I had it off I sandblasted and painted with the left over paint from my intake.  My advice is try to never break these bolts.  I decided to replace with oem studs and they are pricey - like $7 a piece.  If any ever break again I'm just going to replace them with a bolt and nut from the hardware store.

(I also got a new camera, so the pictures from here on should be better

Before:


After sandblasting:


After painting:

[JP 91iS]

Exhaust manifold re-installed.  I used new studs and bolts at the cylinder head.



From above:



New IE Polyurethane Motor Mounts installed:
This was also easy to do along the way since to get the exhaust manifold off and on I had to unbolt the engine mounts and jack up the engine.  I also unbolted the passenger (right) control arm lollipop from the body.  I'm not sure if there is an easier way but this worked and wasn't too hard.



Decided to put on new exhaust mounting hardware too.  Here's the old muffler hangers next to the new.  I also replaced the rubber exhaust hanging ring and the bushings at the transmission exhaust mount.  They were both also sheered in half.



Put in a new oxygen sensor.  I figured it probably had not ever been replaced.  I used PB Blaster and a propane torch but still managed to damage the bung threads.  I picked up a 18x1.5 tap and chased the threads back.  They were still not perfect but I think they were good enough.  Next time I change it I will probably have to weld in a new bung.



Exhaust remounted.  You can see the new bushings in the transmission hanger.  They are under sideways stress so I hope they don't just break again.  I may have to adjust something.



And finally a shot of the muffler.  I can't tell but I think it looks a little low.  I'm waiting for my Super Sprint catback so whenever that gets in I'll tweak the setup and try to get it perfect.  Right now the part that passes under the rear subframe (with the crimp) is low enough that it looks like it could pass w/o being squished.





So I'm glad this project is done.  It was delayed by various things.  I took it for a test drive and things seem to be doing good.  Its definitely much tighter than before.  The difference from the poly mounts is noticeable but with only a small increase in noise/vibrations.  I really can't wait for my Super Sprint - my current exhaust has holes in the muffler and it sounds so raspy and ricey.

I noticed that my temp gauge never got out of the blue.  I felt the radiator return hose and it didn't seem like it was as hot as it should be.  My heater was blowing nice and hot.  So this is probably due to the thermostat?
Also noticed my gas gauge was jumping around.  I replaced the board batteries a little bit ago - so maybe something else?

[derek9702]

Excellent job!  Looks like a fun project.

[e30Andym42]

I noticed that my temp gauge never got out of the blue.  I felt the radiator return hose and it didn't seem like it was as hot as it should be.  My heater was blowing nice and hot.  So this is probably due to the thermostat?

Yep that does mostly sound like the thermostat, but you got the better end of the failing.  If it was stuck closed, there would be no coolant flow, and your engine will overheat.  But if it is stuck open, your engine will take a very long time to heat up, which means your heat WONT blow "nice and hot"  More like you will be blasting yourself with outside air until your engine heats up.

So, either your temp gauge is broken AND you were wrong about the radiator coolant return hose AND your thermostat is fine, or your heat wasn't hot, or I should shut up

[JP 91iS]

Yep that does mostly sound like the thermostat, but you got the better end of the failing.  If it was stuck closed, there would be no coolant flow, and your engine will overheat.  But if it is stuck open, your engine will take a very long time to heat up, which means your heat WONT blow "nice and hot"  More like you will be blasting yourself with outside air until your engine heats up.

So, either your temp gauge is broken AND you were wrong about the radiator coolant return hose AND your thermostat is fine, or your heat wasn't hot, or I should shut up

Thanks for the info.  Actually at the time my windows were stuck down since I had taken out the window lock switch.  I forgot to put the windows up before I left.  So, the 45 degree air blowing in both open windows may have made the heat feel warmer than it actually was.  We'll see.  Looks like my coolant is low but it was full and I don't see any signs of a leak.  I think it might be steaming out around my semi-stripped bleeder screw.  But I have to get it up and running again before I can look any of this stuff over.

[JP 91iS]

So while I'm waiting for my fuel pump to arrive, I received one of my other recent purchases.  




This is the first cosmetic issue I've done since I'm trying to focus on more practical projects first.  But I couldn't pass up on a good deal.  Got the whole package delivered straight from Germany by a member of R3V (euro3, great to deal with).  Bosch Euro Smileys, Euro Grilles, Euro Rear Plate Filler, German Check Panel (just part of the package deal) and some crosshairs.  He threw in the license plate as a freebie.

Here's a side-by-side comparison of the US Grilles and Sealed beams on the drivers side next to the Euro Grilles and Smileys on the passenger side:
(please disregard unsightly cosmetic issues going on here, I have many more future projects planned)


The install was pretty simple.  Rather than cut & splice any wires I just crimped on some male connectors to the Smiley wire pigtails.  Then I just plugged them into the stock wiring where the old headlights would plug in.  For the city lights I used the side markers.  I plan on deleting them anyways with some euro bumper trim.


This is the city lights with White 5W bulbs, as they came:



But I saw some Amber 5W bulbs at the store so I thought I'd see how they look:


Amber lights in the dark:



Close up with the Low Beams on:


Looks a little off but I like the way they match the turn signals.  I was thinking I'd smoke the turn signals at some point and I may switch back to the white city lights.

I also jumped the High Beam and Low Beam relays so that the lows stay on with the highs:



I love em!

[JP 91iS]

It's been a while since I worked on anything.  After the fuel pump and some bad online buys I kind of stalled.  I sorted out the fuel pump, but I still want to check on some stuff.  I'll update that when I get it done.
But last week I pulled the lower oil pan and didn't have any debris or bolts sitting at the bottom.  The oil pump/front pan bolts were decent- only one bolt was hand loose.



There were thread imprints in the oil pickup so some previous owner had already taken care of this.  But I retorqued all the upper pan bolts - only one was missing and a few were loose.

Then I pulled the valve cover to check the timing chain assembly. Looked pretty bad and one of my valve cover bolts stripped the head.



I did a compression test and it was a solid 220 psi across all 4 cylinders at 7 cranks.  I don't know what a "good" compression reading is but the Bentley listed 142-156psi as the minimum.  I ordered the parts I'll need for the timing chain and they should all be here by next Tuesday so I'll try and finish it next Wednesday.  At the same time I'll be installing an electric fan and hopefully replacing my smashed front valence.

[Bunta]

Looking Good dude
Lots of nice parts.  Nice job cleaning up everything
bring that car back to life.





Hunter

[JP 91iS]

Thanks, it gets old cleaning all that shit but it will be awesome when its done!  My timing chain parts are arriving box by box, hopefully it will all be done on Wednesday.  Somehow I know that it wont be... but I can try.  I'm looking at getting this Lubro Moly Engine Renewal Kit from bavauto.com.  Lubro Moly is a good brand and the kit is on sale this month.


But really I don't need the injection cleaner since I just put in fresh injectors and cleaned out my intake. So I dunno.

[JP 91iS]

Well, I didn't finish my timing chain.  I actually spent most of the time cleaning the 1/4 inch of sludge off my engine and parts.  But I did pick up this pair of Volkswagen MkII Recaro seats!



They're in decent shape, drivers side has some stains from some spill and a torn bolster seam.  The bolsters themselves seem ok, overall I'd give the seats a 7 out of 10. I'm thinking about having them recovered.  They are out of a GTi so they fold forward.

[JP 91iS]

So it took a bit longer due to a few things, slowness, cleanliness, a broken sprocket that needed to be reshipped and some torn gaskets because I had to redo the upper timing cover.

Pics:

Obligatory before picture - Engine before the project


Homemade cam locking tool.  I used some blue locktite on the adjusting threads to help lock them in place.  This setup worked great - never fell or moved.  You can see how off center my exhaust cam gear was.


Dirty ass front of my engine. I think it had leaking gaskets for a while and driven on gravel roads. Or its just years of crud.  When I pulled off the upper timing case I discovered that there was NO thermostat installed. :confused: I guess that explains why my temp gauge never rose above 1/4 and why the previous owner had stuck a thick piece of cardboard in front of the radiator.


Old timing components.  Hopefully I'll be cleaning all that oil varnish out with some lubro moly products soon.


Old sprocket teeth compared with the new.


New timing components installed.  I replaced everything except the intermediate gear and the upper and lower chain guides.


I used my trusty Pro Art ruler to square the cam shafts perpendicular to the cylinder head and parallel to each other.  This helped with aligning my cam sprockets to their correct positions.


Clean front of engine with main accessories reinstalled.





Everything back together.  Of course I sandblasted and painted my valve cover with VHT Aluminum header paint to match my intake manifold.  I accidentally put on a few extra coats so its a shade darker.




Here is a before/after video of the chain sounds: (can anyone tell me how to post this video rather than have the link? I can't figure it out right now.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75MrTAdDTg4

[Jimmy Lewis]

Looks very very nice man.

It's amazing how much tidier the engine bay looks with a nice clean valve cover and clean timing cases. Brilliant cam locking tool as well.