HalfJobHarry

I'd take the kit off your hands for that price if you do go down this route. It's going to pay for itself twice just the first time ...

The latter once quoted me $250 + GST to change the oil housing gasket on an N46. It's three bolts easily accessed from the top of the engine and the OE gasket is $12.....

Hmm.....could be. Would need to take a deposit at least to the value of the tool though. Even in a more casual way for those who might already have the tools. I'd certainly be willing to pay for a rental plus a security deposit.

Good to know..yeah I'm only about 10 mins from Onehunga, Zebra is my 'local'...my pop in tomorrow and have a scavenge...got a few odds and ends on my hitlist. Unfortunately it's not the bottles themselves that are usually the issue..it's just a big flat plastic tank afterall, it's usually the plastic housing on the pumps that spring a leak or where there pump goes into the holes on the tank itself. Probably worth the trip even to nab a couple of pumps...although I think it may be an age related plastic fatigue thing so another 10+ yr old pump may not help. My leak is somewhat 'large' so I'm actually curious to see what's going on. The other annoyance is my theory that some of the many FRM problems people have are actually due to water ingress in this area from leaking water tanks or even rain/roadwater. I had to repair my FRM as it had some corrosion on the board...and I noticed some dampness and humidity in this area which the logical source would seem to be the water tank..it's just a theory though... Regarding photos v video. I find I intend to document my efforts but forget to photograph critical points :D. Video would just run and capture everything. Photos for now though.

I've had it all with the washer. My import sat for 3 years in somebodies garage in Japan and the detergent turned to sludge totally blocking the washer pumps...the tank is really slender and fits inside the wheel arch so even when removed it was a bugger to clean. Was rolling marbles around in it and all sorts to dredge it out. Washers were just not working then. Sorted that, cleaned the pumps etc...all good. Now when I fill it it just leaks out. The pumps fit in upside down into two holes at the bottom of the tank. My money is that they are leaking at that point. It will be new o-rings at best, or worse new pumps (I'm not going to go that route as they are outrageous money...might hit a pick a part..nobody takes those because they are so hidden away)...but the 'go to' options seems to be pipe repair putty (the stuff that works in the wet and dries hard). To cap things off...the rivets holding the wheel arch panels are single use plastic rivets so have to have spares on hand to seal everything back up afterwards (fortunately they are only a couple of bucks for a handful at the dealer). I'll take plenty of pictures as I go, I need to look into how these people do good DIY videos....I'm thinking perhaps a Go-Pro on a head mount?

I think 'learning mode' is too much of a fancy description. This is something that happens EVERY time the ignition is turned on. If you fitted the new servo and extended the screw all the way as you found it....you're essentially good to go. Are you experiencing a problem? If so what is happening. You getting a CEL or something? I've removed my servo at least twice without really going to any special measures..... If you replaced the battery with the same chemistry type and ampage then there is nothing to register. That's only required if you change the chemistry or capacity so the IBS system knows what is fitted. The 'learning process' is only key in slot, press start (without foot on brake)...that's it. It does it every time.

How did you get on with this? As others have said, it's not worth doing it without doing the filter and pan gasket also. That said, at the age these cars are now...I'd check the colour of the fluid before changing it...if it's really really dark/black (due to neglect) I'd be inclined to just leave it until it dies as it's probably too late and changing it does run a real risk of causing slipping etc. I had the pleasure of rebuilding my ZF box back in 2013 as the reverse gear G Drum blew up in typical fashion...in the second pick you can see the metal shards from the broken G drum. This was a ZF 5HP19 on a E46 2001 330i . The procedure is a pain as there will unavoidably be many many (5 litres) perhaps trapped in the torque converter when you do this with the trans on the vehicle. You'll need some kind of pump to pump the new transmission oil in through the oil cooler hole too once you replace the filter and gasket and bolt everything back up.

After working nicely for a year, my washer bottle is leaking. I know there are number of guides out there on this...but if there is any demand I'll document my efforts and throw a guide together....

That doesn't sound outrageous for an N46.....do you have the new or old timing chain tensioner? The original kind has a large bolt and the new kind is flat. Given the age unless it was replaced it is likely to have the "old kind". Sadly the tension delivered by this old part is insufficient and is highly likely to lead to timing chain issues from 70k onwards (although that's reportedly the start and it can happen much later). It's hard to tell if it's tappets or chain on video audio.. Have a listen with a stethoscope (best 20 you'll ever spend at Repco) or failing that put your ear to the handle of a screw driver. If it's the chain you won't miss that the sound is coming from the timing case...... Another thing is that i've found the valvetrain noises are quite sensitive to different oils on BMWs. I once used Mobile in my M54 and it sounded like a rickety old train...went back to Castrol and all was good again.

$1000 is nearly 9 hours of labour.......and a a maximum of $55 for walnuts? So taking off the intake...turning the engine over a few times and putting the blasting machine on....the "Euro Tax" here gets to the point of taking people for mugs really.... A 'pricey" place in the UK would have charged no more than $500 and that was seem as steep. I've also seem some excellent results with GDI intake cleaner. I'd be a little hesitant to fill up the inlets with the stuff and start scrubbing away...but frankly it's not any more crazy than blasting walnuts in there at high pressure. I feel like some good soul should just offer the gear for rental like those carpet cleaning machines or something. That said, I wish all the BMW special tools were available for rental...for DIYers we may only need these special tools once every few years...

What's wrong with the FRM? What model is it in etc. If you cannot "see" the module on the bus at all then it's likely has a corrupted bootloader (or has died in some other physical way), and needs an XProg or something similar to put right. If it's not I have a couple of trace files with FRM settings I've loaded from various modules I've come across. I only have E series experience and am currently only setup to reliably diagnose and code (don't have a decent interface or charger for reliable programming). I've had a few FRM issues over the years so know my way around that annoying box.

Thanks, I miss the 330i.....no idea why I didn't import it to NZ in hindsight. Corrosion gets at the older British cars and there was some Valve stems seals seem to be a weak point on many of the engines around this time, it's quite annoying. I cannot see myself ever being motivated enough to do this job on a 120i (just not attached enough to the vehicle). Happy to share what I know, with the caveat that I'm far from professional, my rebuilds ran, and to my knowledge the M54B30 is still okay 5+ years on. the K20A ran...and I haven't heard that it had a problem. Basic foundation knowledge was from engine rebuilding books (I have found "automotive engine repair and rebuilding" by Chris Hadfield a great reference) among some others. To supplement that youtube videos, although there are some very questionable practices shown on youtube so they of course shouldn't be blindly followed. I've also leaned heavily for advice on a performance builder that was just two units down from the workshop I had use of back in the UK (very handy). Building up a good relationship with a machine shop is vital too....I used one in Auckland for the K20A build , which will remain nameless that ended up causing no end of unnecessary complications on the build. I've learned to not trust the statement "don't worry we do this all the time we know what you want!". I'll dig out some pics of the various builds, in hindsight I wish I had documented my efforts in a more organised way as I'm not always sure looking back over 5+ years what pics related to exactly what stage (or problem I was having). I think looking back, that engine rebuilding at least in a home garage setting cannot be something you do with any sense of urgency for a vehicle you rely on or need/hope to get running anytime soon. I've always approached my builds as a learning experience, and have certainly learned a lot along the way. I'd say unless you are seriously motivated to do it, it's almost just nearly too much like "hard work". I'd like the opportunity in the future to follow/assist a build for myself through a professional rebuild shop, to really get a feel for if it can be 'easy' given access to all the right tools at the exact time.

As far as I am aware it is not necessary. A number of posts also say it is not needed. It would appear the crucial thing is to extend the eccentric shaft back to the full out position that it is in when the engine is off...essentially how you found it. I've taken my servo out and put it back in with no ill effects whatsoever. Putting the key fob in and pressing start without putting your foot on the brake will trigger the 'learning' process too apparently. When I did my valve cover gasket I do remember listening out for the 'noise' after turning the ignition on (not starting the engine) and there is/was a clear 'whine' of the motor doing its thing. BMW TIS mentions nothing of it being needed either. I have have the 'relevant software' (not sure how the forum is about mentioning names) and wouldn't have hesitated to use it if needed. EDIT: For clarity this is on my N46T E87...

Thanks! The N46 gets a really unfair rap as far as I can see The real issue seems to be timing chain tensioner on the earlier models is a poor design. I changed mine for the revised part (good ol BMW) prior to 30,000 km and not and no signs of issue. It appears that the engine will pretty much self destruct once premature timing chain failure creeps in due to the bad tensioner. If there are any sources of solid info on other weak points to be aware of on these engines I'd love to hear. I'm all about preventative maintenance. Had the leaky vac pump, which was a simple if somewhat awkward job. Stuck a new valve cover gasket on too, and have the oil housing and vanos gaskets 'in stock' for when they start go on me. I'm sure the valvetronic motor will go at some point..it's a 13 year old car. I cannot help but feel that at high revs the oil pump setup is a cause of issues too...although I imagine a lot of that would generally come from people ragging the little 4 cylinders like it's a 5.0 V8 or something . I seldom break 3,500 in mine as it's my runaround.

Hi all, Moved to Auckland back in 2016 from London. Owned a 335i and 330i over there and didn't need a vehicle for a good few years here so wasn't sure if I'd ever rekindle my BMW love. However finally dived back in opting for a sensible daily (more like weekly driver, I really don't drive often) in a 120i E87 which gets the job done. Over the last 7 years I've rebuilt a couple of engines, the M54 from my 330i (this engine eventually ended up in a Z4 project car in Holland), a K20A (here in Auckland which I had planned to put into a Civic but eventually just sold the completed engine, I presume it's still running fine.......). This brought me to my next BMW project. I'm just about at the end of an N54 rebuild (having decided that 400 HP+ is where I'm going) and will be wanting to drop that into a chassis soon enough.... I don't seem to have any decent pics of my 120i (will take some once it's clean and I can use the waterblaster again...damn droughts). Hope a pic of the N54 project the day it arrived and my old 330i when I'd finished it's paint cut and polish will do for now

I know this is an old post....but white smoke is more likely to be PCV or other oil leak related issues than it is to be rings on anything but a CRAZY high mileage engine. Hopefully this got resolved and the outcome was better than en engine swap :(.