Ahmedsinc

Front end looks remarkably like the last VR4 Galant to my eyes. Butt end kinda like the E36 M3. Odd combination!! Looks killer on the 16s but!

Righto, gave the car a decent amount of time at idle outside the shed. KTMP briefly touched 97* at idle, electric fan stepped in and brought it back to 96*. Better than 112* but still seems a bit high to me? Or am I just being paranoid? Recalling Allans post on OBC functions, cruise range is between 92-98*, would this be a reasonable range for idle as well or should it be higher / lower? Pardon my ignorance here, but it's something I've never had to pay attention to before. REALLY can't afford for anything major to go wrong with this car at the moment, hence the anxiety over what is hopefully nothing. Thanks for all the input so far, most appreciated

Hmmm, did it have the widescreen monitor display?

Crap, that IS a headache! No sign of any scale on the hoses so I'm picking no blockages in the passages, though I will add the disclaimer as I'm no expert. Only non OEM part is the pump as it's the metal impeller variety. Hoping like hell the KTMP stays stable around the 93* range tomorrow, otherwise it's off to the local shop for a TK & compression test

That'll soon change!!

Hell of an introduction to BMW you've got yourself! Prepare to spend a whole shedload of dough on dinosaur juice, the S85 isn't renowned for it's frugality....... but with 500hp & 380 ft/lb torque it's never gonna be a nana friendly daily driver More pics or your membership will be cancelled Welcome aboard!

Ok, ran the motor for a bit and KTMP reached 93* before I turned it off (had to run inside for another spew ) Amusingly, the bulbs are the same as the E36 OBC & dash items........ Exhaust still producing steam, not billowing as it was earlier, but as it's 8* outside and dropping quick it's no major surprise. Does smell 'wet' but doesn't seem to have the sweet smell of coolant, or at least not to my nose. Used 3 litres of the genuine BMW concentrate stuff, though a fair percentage of it was drained back out after having to swap radiators. Saved as much as I could in a clean bin and reused, so won't be at 25% concentration but still pretty close. Long story short, temp climbed at a steady rate whilst at idle. Will give it another run after work tomorrow (after checking reservoir) and see if it climbs beyond the 92-98 range as mentioned in Allans thread http://bimmersport.co.nz/topic/47848-e39-obc-secret-menu-ktmp-coolant-temperature/ . Fingers crossed it sits steady and this has all been a mad panic for nothing

Score!! Don't suppose you remember what spec the stereo was? Edit: If youre not planning on using the MS43 DME pm Silver Fox. He knows a thing or two (or fifty!) about what to do with these engines Second edit: Got the VIN for this, by any chance??

Good to know, thanks mate. Just swapped bulbs in the obc and can read the display, will follow Allan's write up and see what I can discover

Thanks Tom. For the meantime I'm trying to find a users guide, written in Idiot English, on how to use DIS v57 & NCSExpert. For the most part I just want to know how to scan the car correctly & reset fault codes, reset service lights & intervals etc on both the E36 & E39. Once I build confidence there I have an MS43 M54B30 DME I'd like to practice on to see if I can remove ASC & EWS from. And I'd also like to know if it's possible to copy the fuel map from one DME and write to another. All of which is way above my comprehension level at this point in time, hence the desire to find a numbskull-friendly guide. If such a thing exists

Via the gauge. I need to replace the bulbs on the OBC dash cluster, can't see the messages well enough to tell what it's saying Was looking to do that this week if bulbs can be found locally

Cheers Sam. I guess there is a remote chance the steam may have drifted from the rear to the front of the car, though I'm probably clutching at straws here. Needle never made it to halfway, panic response saw to that! I had thought the top hose would remain cold until the thermostat had opened as well?

Would need auto ecu and loom to go. B25 got a 5 speed auto where the B18 had the 4 speed, not sure if the trannys are interchangeable. Diff ratio probably needs changing too.

Doing the cams & ECU remap to suit?

Update Took the car out for its maiden run with the new radiator this evening. Let the car idle up to nearly operating temp in the driveway, had a bit of exhaust scented vapour at idle, thought nothing out of the usual. Moved car 15 metres, hopped out to close the gates and saw quite a bit of vapour, had a good sniff and it smelled 'wet'. Pretty sure I noticed a tiny bit of steam coming out through the grills on the bonnet so shut engine off immediately. Checked reservoir and the coolant level is the same as last time I checked it. Strangely the upper hose was warm / hot to the touch where the bottom hose was cool. Suggests to me a blocked rad but that's impossible as it's brand spanking BMW approved new. Parts replaced so far are new OEM Behr radiator, upper and lower rad hoses, thermostat, reservoir return hose, water pump and reservoir. Hoses, pump, reservoir and thermo are from the parts car I wrecked, have checked all the parts from the wreck for any signs of browning or perishing and were all good. I'm shitting myself at the prospect of the HG having failed, are there any other possible causes? Engine seems to run well, no hesitation at idle but as I haven't been able to road test it I can't say for certain. Help!! Edit: No visible leaks either

Really long shot here............. but does anyone have an invite code OR a user account they would be kind enough to let me use? Please? I have a lot of things I want to learn about DIS etc that I'm too chicken to muck around with myself in case I inadvertently brick my DMEs. I solemnly promise not to post under someone elses account and make them look dumb. Optimistic TIA

I suspect the OP is wondering more about the M60 reliability than a proper turbo setup. I imagine it'd be fairly big dollars to develop a decent jump in HP out of one of those engines

Given the state of the body, no WoF, cert or rego, and the bugs that need ironing out I'd be thinking 3k, +/- a couple hundred dollars. Not knocking your efforts, think you did pretty bloody well given it was your first crack at such a job. But new tyres, power steering issues, multiple panel woes, cluster swap and all the other details that need attention plus the cost of having it certified does knock quite a bit off the value, at least from my perspective. I'm picking it'll need driveshaft hoops as well. Real shame you've lost the urge to finish this off mate, M54B30 internals and a turbo would've made it into a real sleeper! Depending on what you're offered for it, you might make better money by parting it out.

LSD does not require a cert any more than changing your final drive ratio. Increasing the track is fine as long as the correct changes are made to the suspension & steering. Which would probably cancel out any "stance". Engine mods are ok provided they stay within a 20% gain of factory rated output. S50 headers, cat delete & remap would be well under a 40hp gain. Any form of forced induction, or using a different displacement engine, or change of fuel will require a cert, i.e petrol to diesel, LPG etc. http://www.lvvta.org.nz/documents.html#thresholds It's all there in black and white. Best you do your research.

Granted, I'm stepping away from the BMW vein, but what about a Gen 3 LS1? Stock engines from the VY SS made 350hp ish at the crank, 350 ft/lb torque. CAI, headers and a remap sees them easily into the 300kw range. Yeah they're dinosaur tech, but a large displacement pushrod V8 is still a thing to behold. T56 gearboxes will be much easier to come by as well, if you're thinking of going manual, otherwise the 4 speed auto, while fairly sedate is still an ok option. Plus they're physically smaller and narrower across the heads than the M6x, reasonably sure they're lighter too. Less complex design, parts are readily available here and upgrades are an off the shelf proposition. Fairly common conversion for the E36s in the US & A, probably not so difficult for an E30. Reckon there'd be a fair bit of structural reinforcement required though! I totally agree with you about keeping it in the family, but if it's sheer grunt you're chasing the GM 8 pots make a compelling argument.

You're telling me! Was having nightmares of HG replacements. Good to know. Have seen squiliions of threads related to dead pixels and ribbon replacements but hadn't come across any regarding lcds that are just dark. Can read messages if you get your nose as close as possible to the steering wheel and squint but I'm not so keen to try it while driving

Sit on a cushion or two. Will raise your driving position so your elbow clears the rest. Just remember to tilt your head a little so it doesn't hit the ceiling and leave marks on the headliner

Oooooh f**k! 18k!! MIght pay to onsell fairly soon after the rebuild, would hate to see you go through the heartache twice! Those wheels look stunning though!

Bit OT but the Eibachs I have in my ratty old E36 are gloss black with manufacturer ID an P/N in white. Thought the blue ones are part of the coilover kits? Nice score Jooles, always thought the E31s looked better on M-Pars than styles 5s

Thread dredge! Installed the new OEM radiator from Pelican last Saturday. Perfect fit, followed your instructions on bleeding (that secondary pump is handy, innit!!), car seems to be happy again BUT The LCD display below the odo is so dim as to be unreadable. How does one sort this matter out? Would be nice to see the messages hat the car is trying to warn me about