Eagle

You are right, it is a Conti\VDO one from Spareto. Yeah a steel plate could work too but more work i agree. All M4X\M5X engines use the same bell housing pattern iirc, but someone else would know for sure.

Could be a hairline crack in the plastic. I have a new OE VNE one if it's indeed one of the issues. Some on facebook or wreckers may have a stuffed one. Pickup a part would have to sell you the whole box wouldn't they?

No. Haven't started the car but given the cig lighter is constant 12V it stays on or off regardless of ignition key position, just like a normal toggle switch.

Has the oil been wiped away in that crankshaft sensor photo? Those o-rings hold the sensors in pretty well even without the bolt, you oil'd everything up im guessing when installing. You can generally reuse the new o-rings if they were lubed well. If i was were me id locate stuffed auto transmission, cut the bell housing at the front so it turns into an adaptor plate or half an adapter plate, bolt it up then mount the flywheel and starter. At least then will have an idea of where to look before ripping it all apart. Should be able to see exactly what area it is without the transmission in the way.

Aliexpress USB charging. Cheapest mod yet at $10. Not something you need often but handy when you do. Dremeled out the cig lighter hole and filled down the + terminal so i can use the OE plug. Nice and stealth and can be switched off and on. ATE handbrake shoes and hardware. Heard a slight drag on L\R when the boot rim was off when the wheel rotates to a certain spot. Could be the the disc but thought id replace them first since they are cheap. Will have to bed them in at some point and recheck the noise.

Purple tag rack feels so good in these

Im got the manifold off on @hunter E39 atm so i took a look. The recess below the crank sensor is concave and slanted towards the rear, i sprayed brake cleaner into it and worked it way down the rear oil pan bolts\engine casting out the middle of the bellhousing.

Well that sucks. As you said its hard to diagnose in that area and you've had so much work done. Guess the problem is now that you were certain it was the real main seal you removed the box, as you say you can't start the engine (was thinking starter bolts to engine for some dumb reason). Bore scope come in very handy for situations like these, but i think could still visually check it with the right angle, maybe with some stuff removed. Oil pool under the crankshaft sensor i would say coming from that, dont see how that much oil could get there if you can feel anything from obvious from above. Oil does tend to wick a little so that may explain the small amount on the on the bell housing plate. You might be right about multiple leaks. As you say it could be a machining issue or a gasket failure. I id think start with the crank sensor since that the easiest and make sure no other external leaks from above. It that checks out then it has to be something to do with the gasket or seal surface around that pan area (engine out job i would assume)

Cleaned then checked for straightness is the standard procedure.

I think you may of misread the rear size

Speed cameras have proven very profitable for minimal setup costs, you can keep lowering the tolerance for more revenue safety when the road toll doesn't meet your expectations. Gotta start paying back all that new national debt somehow. Amazing what a govt can achieve under the guise of 'safety'.

Yeah the E85\E86 shares subframes etc with the E46.

Yeah im already running the 25mm Z4 front bar and 19mm rear. Nice subtle tweak.

As i found out they messed with the sizes on the sedans and coupes around April '01. Everything incl msport went 23.5\18mm.

Did you use the early msport swaybars? 24mm front and 19mm rear

Just light curbing? Many places offer machining and re-coating services for them (Diamond cut). Probably degrees of quality depending on their setups. Id sell them as soon the tyres wore out and get some normal painted wheels. Easy to fix and are more durable, another dumb modern trend.

They looked pretty good when i sent it to you but may not of been completely retracted. The springs can move in certain conditions, probably more likely when doing it up. They used to come with a set with a locking plate that you removed after installing the pressure plate, seems they don't ship with that anymore. Suppose to use a special tool when doing them up, given the cost of it i doubt it's common though.

All good. Dont need the EWS wire anyway.

Damn that's bad alright, something must be really fubar. Sealant on the base and edges? Your machine shop done any work there? Installed flush is fine, maybe its not quite even or somehow damaged during install. On the bright side at least with a leak like that you can run it up on stands to see when the box is off being manual. Self adjusting clutches dont have the best feel, but if the springs aren't set properly or moved during install it would probably feel weird im guessing. Think i pm'd you about that when i sold it to you?. You will have to reset it now anyway since you are taking off the flywheel. Hope you got a big 3 jaw.

Foam in the RHS lower bolster was starting to cave in at the top. Many SR seats use the same piece and its easily available from the Capital Seating in the UK for ~$160. Very little effort and straight forward to replace so why not. The SR3 seems to be getting more comfortable so im sticking with it for now. Will try it again on some 1hr+ drives.

It did occur to me that some woman logic may be on display, but i thought it may simply be a case of needing some re-education on peak BMW design.

If it has a plastic head on then give it a try.

Does she need glasses? They almost look the same.

What does on its way out mean? If the actual pump is dying then you'd need a good 2nd hand or new one, the rebuild kits are just seals.

Likely wiring. Had a similar issue myself with the pin 7 wire. If its not showing in INPA no cruise and rev hang are expected.