Statek

Yes Sorry, I've done quite a few things in the last few months and no longer remember them all. I'll add that to my previous post.

Kept trying to sort the issue out. - Scanned ECU - no codes, diagnostics didn't show anything interesting - Replaced DISA - Swapped cam sensor with one from another vehicle - Unplugging the O2 sensor didn't change anything, so replaced the O2 sensor with a new Denso sensor (only around $40US, so worth a shot) I've had several friends use the car, and nobody noticed anything wrong, so I'm beginning to think I'm being overly sensitive. If it keeps bothering me, I'll attempt the timing, but I'm overly busy at work recently and don't really have time/desire to mess around with it.

What did you do about the seat-belt stalks? As the original stalks are mounted to the seats, you need a cert if you wanted to mount them anywhere else.

Big Money Woes?

+1 for Beisan Systems

It's an idea. The automatic gearbox will compensate for the lack of torque...

Try www.partsouq.com for parts next time. I've ordered quite a few bits from them, some genuine and some aftermarket, almost always cheapest on the market. The genuine BMW DISA valve from these guys, including shipping would end up around $380.

While waiting for the o-rings to arrive, I've been thinking (dangerous!). I was still very suspicious of the DISA valve so I pulled it out - easy enough. Checked visually - it has a little play on where the lever holds the flap, but nothing terrible. Applying vacuum to (read: sucking) the little hole under the solenoid closes the flap. However, manually closing the flap and looking through the hole at the diaphragm I noticed that only around 3/4 of the rubber diaphragm move with the lever, and the rest remains attached to the housing. Looks like I may have found the problem. I can't seem to find a rebuild kit for the M44 DISA valve... anyone have any leads? I might pop up to pick-a-part on the weekend and pull them until I find a good one, as I don't really want to spend $400 on one just to find out it doesn't fix the issue.

Hmm... didn't think something like this would develop before the engine even hit 60,000kms. Good to know it's common though. I'll look into it, thanks!

Further checked: - PCV hose - Injector hoses - Cleaned MAF (no change), swapped MAF with 2 spares (no difference) - Checked DISA valve while manifold is off - looks ok, closes and opens when applying vacuum as expected I'm not ruling out worn engine mounts for some of the vibration, but the engine definitely has a misfire at idle. While the manifold is off, I've noticed the number 3 and 4 injectors have wet spots around the top. I'm pretty sure that leaking injectors could cause this misfire, although I'm not sure why it's only affected at idle. Thinking about it, it would also be increasing fuel consumption... Hmm.. Looks like I'm going to need some new o-rings, and continue tracking this down afterwards (although fingers crossed this might be the cause).

Yes, both cold and hot, although it is more noticeable when it warms up and the revs drop further. I'll look into that. Yeah, the more BMWs I acquire, the more I think i'll have to look at making a smoke machine for myself

Thanks for the leads Brent, I'll check those things and see what I find. If nothing comes of it, then I'll get in touch to arrange a scan. Cheers!

Hi guys, I've got a 1998 Z3 which has a weird misfire at idle. It feels absolutely fine while driving, but it vibrates at idle. It's been slowly getting worse, or at least more noticeable. The revs at idle are at around 650rpm, which seems ok. If you stand by the exhaust pipe, you can hear it misfiring maybe once every few seconds though. What I've done so far: - New spark plugs - New PCV valve - Cleaned throttle body - Cleaned IAC valve - Visually checked for vacuum leaks - all hoses are like new, the car has <60,000kms - Replaced the coil with one from another car Cleaning the throttle seemed to help a little, but definitely still has the intermittent miss. My 318ti has a similar issue, but that car is a 'race-car-in-progress' so (A) the shaking doesn't bother me there, and (B) it doesn't tend to sit on idle for much of its life. Any pointers as to what to look for? Cheers, Kris. p.s. Not sure if related, but it tends to get around 10L/100km (or 10km/L if you prefer), which seems a bit high for a 1.9 which doesn't get driven all that hard.

Co-drove at the Arcadia Rd rallysprint mid-Feb. Great fun to be had, can't wait to start driving at these types of events. Also, got my hands on a 4.44 LSD, fitted a Powerflex bush and then fitted it to the compact. It's only a factory 25% lock, but man, driving the car when it's wet is FUNNNNN. It definitely has more grip on take-off than the locker, but is still very predictable when oversteering. Can't wait for the next autocross to give it a proper go! Next step will be to remove all the glue from the ceiling, remove the sound deadening, buy some seats and harnesses and get a roll-cage in there.

Hi guys, My brother-in-law's E46 330i lost reverse. Anyone have a good A5S325Z lying around? Located Auckland. Cheers, Kris

Got some mudflap material under the Christmas tree, so now it's starting to at least look serious, if nothing else. Red goes faster, right? I also test fitted the rally tyres, to make sure there's enough space. Did an HCMC autocross in Massey: Decided I needed a new daily so went for a test drive. It was nice, but it doesn't make "vroom vroom" noises, so settled on a Z3 for the summer instead.

Welded the 4.44 diff: Made a floor plate so my feet don't have to hover: Did a few autocrosses at the end of 2017: Convinced the wife to have a go at the HCMC Christmas autocross too - at first she was worried/scared due to a big, cambered corner in the paddock, but after the first run came back in with a huge grin and then went faster and faster each time:

Style points (yellow lenses and halos), extra HP (RCIS sticker) and something actually useful on a race-car (wheel stud conversion). The studs are a little bit long, but they make changing the wheel really easy - just got to get some longer wheel nuts to cover the entirety of the thread at some stage.

I got asked if I wanted to be a stand-in co-driver for the Maramarua Rallysprint. I wasn't sure how I'd feel in the passenger seat, being thrown around blind corners, but I said "Why not?", because motorsport in the passenger seat is still motorsport. Had a few good runs in the mighty 316ti, but it was so wet and slippery, that most of the field ended up leaving before the 3rd run - which is where our day ended. We saw a warning triangle indicating someone got in trouble after the next corner or two, and sure enough came flying around towards a BMW 2002 parked in a tree. Letting off the accelerator resulted in our car understeering into some deep mud, where we got stuck and had to wait until all cars passed so we could get pulled out. We decided to call it a day at this stage. The 2002 only had a minor dent on the front lower valance, so no biggie either. Goals: The plan for the 316ti is to drop in a M42 so it can stay in the under 1800cc class for now.

Catching up on things which have been done since the last post. Around May 2017: Completely stripped out the car (rear seats, carpets, etc) and took everything to the dump: Installed some rear top strut mount reinforcement plates: Scored some used rally tyres and bought wheels to fit them to - on a side note, a stripped out compact can fit more wheels/tyres (17 in total!) than an X3 with the rear seats folded down (8 with with room for at most another 4):

I'm speaking from experience as I used to work for VINZ between high school and uni. The person responsible for entering the car into the system has to check the VIN/chassis number, colour, body shape, etc before putting it in the system. In case of Japanese cars, the computer then spits out a VIN number and that same person has to make a tag and rivet it to the vehicle. Guesses should not come into it - it's just laziness, I think.

It's not the dealer that decides how the car is entered into the LTNZ system, but the poorly paid souls in compliance when the car enters the country. I guess some people just don't care enough...

Front and rear struts still available?

Car looks real good Chris!

This is definitely an M42. From the pictures I can't see anything obvious, but Brent is probably right, in that it sounds like an air leak causing your trouble. Did it idle well before you started the job?