KwS

Any ideas? Should i look at adding the O2 sensors back in? The Previous owner has mentioned that no coding/flashing of the DME has been done, and the sensors were removed when the cats were removed.

This isnt a discussion about oil guys. Im using the oil i want to use based on the recommendation and experiences of many others, and thats the end of it.

should have purchased this instead

Cars are built by accountants. BMW will do whatever is cheaper, and in this case its clearly done by using the same oil in all M engines. If manufacturers did everything perfectly there quite simply wouldnt be a market for aftermarket items (including oils/fluids).

even if the rubber bits on the key are gone, can you manually press the actual button on the circuit board to see if it works (or bridge the contacts if its a silicone button)? Thats also provided the battery isnt dead.

so in that case, it would be beneficial adding them back in, wouldnt it? If the DME hasnt been altered, shouldnt i have an error code or CEL? The car runs great, no soot on the bumper, and the economy would be in line with the way i drive it and the type of car it is.

huh, strange. That looks the same as the manual i have then. Red M3 on the front? My trawling through the interwebs to find an answer on oil viscosity led me to believe the Evo had a different manual (maybe it was just UK ones). Im sure mine does specify a viscosity for harsh climates under the table. Shall check tomorrow. Its a real pain, i have spent too many hours trying to work out which oil to use.

The evo manuals are different to the 3.0 ones. The 3.0 only specifies the SAE grade (SG or SN or something). Regardless, im trying this oil, and if i dont like it ill change further down the track.

Used the valvoline on all my past BMWs with no ill effects. You also need to remember that the 10W60 was only recommended for M3s AFTER the E46 came out, and didnt exist when the S50 was in production. The owners handbook doesnt specify a viscosity unless in a harsh climate. There is a huge amount of debate on the interwebs, with no solid answer on which oil is actually good for the S50, but the camps are generally split between 10W60 and 5W40. Its also well documented that in the S50 thicker oils result in higher oil temps, and more top end noise (both of which i have noted are reduced now running 5W40). FYI Castrol SAF-XJ is the old name for Syntrax Limited slip. Its the same stuff. Going from that its cheaper at BMW than Mercedes, and Merc doesnt do bottles bigger than 500mls. Good thing i didnt pay retail.

Did the sedans come with the lip, or was it like the vaders, and just not fitted?

Both previous owners. Its NZ New, and i think only two owner (now three).

Hi All, You some of you may have seen in my project thread, i discovered today that my M3 has had the Cats removed and replaced with resonators. I also noticed that both of the O2 sensors appear to be missing. There are two plugs tucked away next to the tans/drive shaft which i presume are for the O2 sensors. I dont have a CEL. My car is a late 1993 build. Being this early, does it need the O2 sensors, or could it have come without them? I dont know if the car has been coded to eliminate the O2 sensors. Removing the cats is OK as my car is too early to have post cat sensors, but having no pre-cat sensors is a mystery to me. Real OEM shows two sensors. If they have been removed, should i not have a CEL? Also, if i wanted to add then, can i? How can i tell if the DME has been coded to remove them?

You can get them from the dealer or pelican too, but all the overseas ones have stupid freight charges on them. Was hoping someone might have a spare in NZ they would part with. Ill probably hit the dealer up next week.

i love Dakar. Looks very tidy, although its almost E46 money now. I wish the sedans came with vaders and without the woodgrain, would be prefect.

ugh, ash tray full of butts. Maybe natural selection took its course with this car?

You'd be surprised actually. I have a massive folder of receipts and service history, including regular services. Why the oils were wrong, and over filled, im not sure, but it was regularly changed. Its also had a lot of other work like suspension, bushes, brakes etc. Other than the vanos, there is really nothing that is more than cosmetic. Even then the vanos is just noise (and maybe a little loss of power), and in terms of noise its pretty minor (going from the tube of you videos of noisy vanos's). E: Yes, Castrol Syntrax Limited Slip 75W140 is what BMW specs the plate type LSD for, and its what i have used. Its a great fluid, im impressed already. I think BMW sells it, but repco and BNT dont. I got mine from work, which was Mercedes, as its also used in the latest AMG diffs.

Havent had an update in a few days... So today, was Fresh Fluids Friday!!!!! Started early (about 10am, thats early for a public holiday!), and it took a good 3-4 hours by the time i rolled the car out of the garage. Diff oil, trans oil and engine oil all drained filled and filter changed. Had some small issues, like the bungs on the diff being crazy tight, so much celebration was had when i broke them loose. I also had issues filling the trans, as my suction gun decided it didnt like pumping ATF and stopped working. Thankfully the diff oil bottles were awesome and had spouts, so i filled one with ATF, attached the hose from my suction gun to the spout, and away i went. Trans definitely didnt have ATF in it (despite the huge orange "ATF ONLY" sticker next to the fill hole), and the engine was over filled by about 1.5L. No pics of the work in progress, far too messy (and smelly, ugh diff oil) for that. A few hundred dollars of oil Hovercar. Bilstein and braded lines Front to back Back to front Awesome oil bottle And some fancy bits i had to buy as i needed a 14mm Hex socket for the diff plugs I did note a few things whilst under the car. Firstly, it looks like its being mud bugging before i got it, so much mud coating the underside. Secondly, the cats are gone. Both have been removed and resonators fitted instead. Guess this explains the increased noise over standard. Also noted that both the O2 sensors are completely missing. Pretty common thing to do on the old ones, but not sure why its not throwing a code (no CEL on, and CEL works). Might look at refitting them at some point. In summary, Diff is good now, silent like new. Cant recommend that Castrol Syntrax Limited Slip enough, its good stuff. Gearbox is smoother, but still a little notchy, but its a 20 year old car, so good enough (no grinding, crunching etc). Engine feels a bit freer, and feels more powerful but this is likely just a placebo. Vanos still rattles, so that will need a rebuild to shut it up. Oil temps are lower by about 5-10c (also a common thing going to a lighter weight oil).

yeeeah boi. Will PM later.

Hi I thought i would try here before hitting up the dealer. Im after a 5 speed ZHP knob, PN 25117896031. Must be good condition. Cheers

the wheels and racing stripes can GTFO imo.

Any updates on the plates broski?

ive read his thread, but i believe it was a dual vanos 3.2 he did, not the single vanos 3.0 i have

Has anyone rebuilt the Vanos on an S50B30 engine? Ive done it on an M52, as it was OK but removing, refitting and doing the anti-rattle kit on the S50 seems much more complicated. Is it actually as hard as it looks to remove and refit the vanos unit and not have the timing on the piss?

On an S50B30, with the older metal cap on the oil filter housing. How does one remove the cap? Im used to the newer plastic cap which just screws off. Do i just undo the screw in the middle and the cap comes off?

Oh that is very nice!