M3AN

Pretty sure I've worked out why my VANOS exhaust solinoid wasn't working...

No. And don't be mean my seats make me weep.

Its a project of love (and frustration) for me, have to keep going. Perhaps I can achieve the best OEM+ daily driver M3 in NZ?

Delighted to receive my new steering rack today and hope to get it in ASAP because the steering feels sloppy after the suspension upgrade. After oodles of research I decided not to go with the quickest rack available (Z3) because a lot of people (but certainly not all) feel the result is a little too twitchy. That rack is 19% tighter than my stock one, the E46 Compact rack I've just received is 11% tighter than my current one so hopefully a perfect compromise and the reports out of the UK are that it's a fabulous upgrade. I paid £55 and that included lots of high resolution photos and I was allowed to choose a clean low mileage one (27k miles) that had no front end damage... not bad considering they're hundreds and hundreds (and hundreds) of dollars over here. Indeed it is very clean and in great condition overall, the boots hardly seem used (I don't need the arms but they came included). Will probably order a new reservoir (because it has a non-serviceable filter in it) and gets some hoses made up before I shove it all in (or more likely talk to SJ about it!).

I'd be happy to visit if you lived 800 k's further north! I added extra tape after the first coat as the wind tempted my paper to go AWOL. Feel for ya.

What you can't see in the pictures above is the horrible condition on the black trim that runs across the top of the windows from the A pillar right back to the C pillar. Mine looked like: So a bit of this: And this: And I got this: Much better: I'm delighted with the results and although the texture is a different to OEM you wouldn't know unless you knew. It looks so much better than it did that I'm happy even if it's not perfect. I used Dupli-Color "Custom Wrap" which seems to be the same sort of thing as Plasti-Dip. I'm not sure how long it will last but I used about 3/4 of a $28 can to coat each side 7 times. Application was easy, my second side (driver's) turned out better than the first but even so the first side isn't worth redoing, the imperfections are tiny. It really looks a million bucks - that trim in poor condition is in a place that you simply can't "unsee".

Cheers guys. I'll feel even better when the wheels are fixed up.

Washed...

I had exactly the same issue as you and although it didn't cause a problem it wasn't ideal. Yes the cap nuts are sleeved so they're both more secure in the strut mount ends and they grip more thread. BMW Part #: 51-71-2-268-565 And I got them from: http://www.schmiedmann.com/51-71-2-268-565/product-type/new/search-by-productnumber.aspx

Oh... and did I mention I've got a quick ratio steering rack on the way?

Yippee, some new bits! So yesterday I picked my car up from EUROHO's (SJ's) shop Apex Autos in Porana Road here on the Shore because I now have all of the suspension bits discussed here installed! As well as some reinforcements welded in. I only knew SJ though the forum until we met in person at the recent Coffee & Cars mini-meet and I subsequently found out that he and his dad have a workshop close to where I live and are also competent welders. After discussing what I needed doing and getting competent and confident replies as well as a more than reasonable estimate for the work I had no hesitation signing Apex up for the job. Boy did I make the correct decision! I can't recommend SJ, his dad and Apex enough. These guys aren't just mechanics they're enthusiasts and it shows in every aspect of their work. I received text and mms updates throughout the day, I visited during the job and they were happy to step me through everything and show me progress whilst it was up on the lift. Finally I went to pick her up and SJ had a massive cache of progress photos that I hadn't even asked for! (I was going to ask for photos but the estimate was so reasonable that I didn't think I deserved optional extras). Plus I got a loan car to boot! Without a doubt I'll be using them for more work now and this is not to detract from other other forum sponsors and contributors but when you find a winner you've got to run with that right? I can't recommend them enough, go down, have a chat and draw your own conclusions, I think you'll be happy. I'm glad I got the reinforcements welded in, especially the sway bar ones because boy the stock ones look very, very weak. I got mine from RallyRoad.net but any reputable aftermarket ones will do. If you're not tracking your car or have standard suspension they may not be necessary but it's piece of mind for me, especially with the up-rated suspension. Stock sway bar tab! Reinforced: RTAB reinforcements after a quick spray seal: New springs: So... how does it feel? In a word amazing. It is far, far more compliant than I imagined and is actually more comfortable that it used to be! How? Well I put it down to two things: 1. The spring rates are matched to these specific dampers with the E36 M3 in mind, it's all optimised to go together. 2. The springs are progressive rather than linear like stock therefore they actually 'start' softer than stock. Over typical undulations the car feels softer (vertically) but you can tell the springs get harder faster over more aggressive bumps. Pitch under hard braking is also less. The sway bars seem to have made quite a bit of difference to roll. I've not had the opportunity to get to any significant twisties yet but on some curvy roads that I know I can already feel a difference. It's certainly more confidence inspiring. I'm not used to it all yet but I am very happy. There's absolutely none of the bone jarring rattle and bump that I've experienced with some aftermarket suspension. I'd actually say this is how the car should have some, no M3 driver would reject this as a stock setup in my opinion. Interestingly the car doesn't seem much lower. I did use 15 mm spring pads in the rear because I'm running 255's and needed them to fit. I'm glad I did because the front hasn't come down by the claimed 25 mm and now the rake seems perfect. There's still quite the gap above the front wheel but it's not as cavernous as stock. Note that I was not going for a dumped look. Front gap: Rear gap: And finally I got it all aligned. Now often threads pop up here on the best place to get an alignment and I've previously used Peter Alder at Andrew Simms in Newmarket but he's since moved on. I'd prefer someone local and my brother suggested Wairau Alignment so I went and spoke to them. A brief chat and the fact that they could do it while I waited convinced me to proceed. What another fabulous experience. Caesar the tech that did my car is a BMW enthusiast from way back having owned many cars included an E30 M3 Evo Sport and a E30 335i that had a 635 CSi engine... and he has a couple of BMW bikes that he's prepped for racing including one he chucked a supercharger on... He was happy to show me the alignment equipment (laser of course) and how the machine worked and he stepped me through all of the settings and variations. And he took me for a shake-down drive just to verify. So now I can also recommend Wairau Alignment for those wanting great service on the Shore! Overall I'm delighted with the experience and the rest, happy as a pig in mud! But now the steering can't keep up and feels (relatively) terrible... see the next post... Some proper photos when I get her cleaned (edit: I didn't know it was a 'she' - no problem with that but I'm fascinated that I called 'her' that).

Yeah, a couple of people have mentioned that they're not beyond repair but it will take a lot of manual labour to bring them back. And TBH on that basis I'd probably pay to have them done, my time is too valuable. Whereas I wanted to do the VANOS myself (arguably more time) because I was interested in the mechanics, I'm not particularly interested in leather restoration. Another member here posted a thread with some amazing restoration results about 8 months ago and I called the lady that did his. She came around and took heaps of photos but never got back to me and it just fell off my list in the face of other priorities. I was still looking at over $800 as a rough estimate for a job that would look good for 2-3 years. So I'm weighing up lots of options, repair, new leather (AutoBerry.com), recover (Alcantara etc), replace interior (full Alcantara M3 swap in)... DIY aside, nothing will cost me much under grand, most options much more... Priorities are wheels first though and that's next on my list (QUBE will be happy!). Thanks for the link, it's an encouraging read!

Just installed the official BMW Motorsport cap nuts on my front struts - these are the ones that come with the official Motorsport strut brace and are much cooler than the standard 13mm self locking nuts.

I replaced the chain guide yesterday and re-torqued everything up top which took a few hours but I learned a trick for the hard to get bolts on the valve cover. Ratcheting hex bit screwdriver -> hex to 1/4" socket adapter -> 1/4" universal joint -> 1/4" extension bar (to suit) -> 10mm socket or similar arrangement - perfect, wish I'd discovered this the first time. Took it for a test drive up to red line in a few gears and no codes so it seems okay. Eibach suspension (springs and bars) and rear reinforcements (rear trailing arm pockets and sway bar mounts) go in on Tuesday. New gaskets and HT bolts for VANOS rebuild should be here in the next few days. Big cleanup job ahead.

Okay so I wonder if it's an omen? One of my aux fan fuses blew today effectively eliminating all low speed cooling. Not good. I was at my destination and had a spare fuse but this certainly illustrates the benefits of redundancy. I'll be getting a spare fuse but may just chuck the clutch fan back on to avoid the hassle of future worries.

Hey buddy, glad to know it's of some use. The list never gets shorter so keep an eye on the thread! I had nothing going on, it was a precautionary measure. It's inexpensive and easy, not sure why I delayed it for so long. You can use stock Z3 parts to reinforce this spot, no need to go aftermarket (see here). Good for your fronts, they actually reinforced those from the factory in 96+. A strut brace does away with the need for reinforcements but if you already have reinforcements after the repair you're good to go. It will probably get worse, the silicon (?) inside the hoses deteriorates over time. New clamps will help, then after 18 months tighten those, but eventually you'll need new hoses. Take it to a hydraulics shop, not a mechanic!

True, true... lots of alternator amps available for us though...

I agree but parasitic loss is parasitic loss and electricity is "free" if the car is running. TBH I don't imagine I'll need to do it but if I did it would be because: No parasitic loss Lower profile fan, easier to get out I could control when it operated Less stress on the water pump But don't get me wrong - I don't believe for a minute that it's a significant "upgrade" and I have no intention of buying one at this stage!

Yeah, I think if I did put a fan back on I'd probably get an electric one anyway...

So far so good on the VANOS front but I've still not reved it out and won't until that chain guide arrives - it's halfway here now. FYI - Dealer = NZ$135 and three week delay - Schmiedmann US$29 and delivered within 7 days. I'm also running without my clutch fan and have been doing so for over a week. It's an interesting experience that has taught me a few things: The fan is absolutely superfluous in anything other than hot weather (by NZ standards) The fan does nothing at all over about 80km/h, natural airflow simply overcomes it's ability to keep up The electric fan does a fine job of keeping everything under control It has averaged 25 - 27 degrees here in Auckland over the last 8 or 9 days I've been driving without the fan and even in stop/start traffic on the motorway the water and oil temp needles (which I've been keeping a hawk eye on) very infrequently move above their nominal centre point. It's important to point out that both needles do push past the halfway mark occasionally when stationary or going very slow for extended periods but they don't rise further 1 - 2 mm past centre and then they stop. As soon as airflow picks up they drop back down. I find the electric fan comes on quite late so I wonder if we can get a lower temp thermostat for that so it kicks in a few degrees sooner? I wouldn't recommend this for an Albany to City run in rush hour at 27 degrees but that's an unlikely scenario for me. But it does seem that for at least 9 months of the year, whatever your circumstances are the fan is unnecessary. It would definitely not be providing any benefit whatsoever for a track car (or any car on the track for that matter). I'm leaving it off for now and will report back if I notice anything untoward.

Cheers and no, the drop links aren't adjustable although the bars themselves are. With this kit you reuse the OEM front links and replace the rear links and since the suspension isn't height adjustable I shouldn't need to adjust the link length. The bars are set to soft, medium or hard based on which hole you use to attach to the drop links. I'll be using the hard front setting but I'm undecided about the rear yet.

More parts arrived... water pump, belts and tensioners. Ordered on Sunday, shipped on Monday received on Friday, great work Schmiedmann! And no duty!

I've unfortunately had to spend the last 4 days getting my car started again after a VANOS solenoid crapped itself. Details in this thread but it involved a new VANOS unit (thanks Mark!) and taking the exhaust cam out so I had to re-time the entire lot (again). The solenoid that failed was the only part I couldn't clean/repair when I did my VANOS overhaul about a year ago (see this thread). Now I have the task of cleaning my VANOS unit up and getting it fixed and bench tested. Car is humming now and no error codes but I've not stressed the engine yet and won't do so until I can get a new chain guide because I broke mine (it was very, very brittle - like the e46 ones that go boom). I've ordered the part. On a happier note my pile of parts is building up and this lot arrived from Amazon yesterday. Eibach Pro Plus kit matched to my Bilstein B6 shocks (the combo sells as the B12 kit direct from Bilstein). Will lower the car by 25mm up front and 15mm at the rear but I'm going to use spring pads to push the rear back up when I'm using my 18" wheels (i.e. most of the time). Sway bars F/R are 26mm/24mm and adjustable (stock is 23/20 fixed). Not bad for less than NZ$190 eh? See here for the crazy details.

Another full day... cam out, engine re-timed, new VANOS installed. I don't recommend this to relax. But - apparent success - it started up perfectly first time and sounds pretty sweet to be honest. I've only taken it for a short test drive at less than 4k RPM but it all seems good. No trouble codes and cam timing is only about 0.4-0.6 degrees out from "perfect" according to the live data (which I've not looked at through the entire rev range yet). That's a pretty sweet result really. Let's see how it holds up to the next few hundred kilometers yet...

Believe it or not... Springs, sway bars, sway bar end links, bushes, mounting kit - NZ$189.85 (so far).