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jeffbebe

Jooles' E31 project log

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At your house, Josh? ;)

(Good idea though! I do want to start edging down concourse road).

EDIT: I was referring to your post about cleaning the undercarriage... But I can come and do burnouts at your house too if you want.

Edited by jeffbebe
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Josh loves the skids. Ollie maybe not so much ahem.

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Out with the old...

In with the new.

That is all.

Excellent... B) Just in time for tomorrow (though I won't be there anyway)

...but... I have to have a little Giggle (because I'm a nerd) - the technology on that board is hilariously ancient... :lol:

(... which is why it's probably still going ;) )

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Sweet. Are they soldered or socketed?

Socketed. Hardest bit is popping the top PCB out. DME's are virtually identical so at least I know what I'm in for now, and nothing major.

Results??

Extremely positive. Throttle is a lot more responsive and smoother power delivery. With the new diff it feels as quick off the mark as my 540i.

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So I've done a couple of hundred kms since installing the EML chip and LSD (sorry, not many skids yet) and it's night and day. The shorter ratio has obviously provided plenty more get up and go in lower gears and it's still only revving at around 2200rpm at 100kph. The EML chip has completely changed the dynamics of the throttles. Far more responsive making the power much more readily available. It might be placebo but I'd say it has shaved an easy second of the 0-100kph.

The only downside at this point is that it has accentuated an issue with the throttle bodies. The electric motors in the throttle bodies are prone to getting clogged over time and as the contacts get dirty it affects the throttle response in different ways. With mine the issue is that the throttle doesn't open gradually. You have to press the accelerator quite firmly for the throttle to open, so you basically get... no power, no power, no power.... LOTS OF POWER. It's not a problem on the highway, but is a real PITA in slow city driving. It's less noticeable if you pull away in second but the manual mode on the old 4 speed is not very user friendly so it's definitely time to fit the refurb'd throttle bodies I have. Once done it should be amazing.

Now I'm keen to chip the EGS - Dinan do a chip that has similar properties the s/w upgrade I had in the 540i (harder/quicker shifts at higher RPM) but research seems to point to it only working on US cars which have a different EGS. Not sure if there are other EGS chips out there?

So the to do list is currently looking like this:

(Things that I'll need professional help with)

  • Replace headlining
  • Deal to rust spots on the sunroof and paint
  • Polish wheel lips
  • Find source of a/c leak and fix

(Things I'll do myself... eventually)

  • Fit new ignition leads
  • Fit refurb'd throttle bodies
  • Fit motronic chips
  • Clean/paint valve covers and manifolds - reassemble with new gaskets
  • Paint and fit rear diffuser
  • Replace EDC shocks with standard
  • Clean the f*ck out of the engine bay and replace a few bits of broken/worn plastic trim, etc

I've got a few of the parts already but it will require around $2-2.5K to complete... Better start saving.

Edited by jeffbebe

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Not sure how I feel about this yet but I've added 10bhp to the boot lid. Is a boot spoiler acceptable on the clean lines of an E31? Discuss.

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E39 lip?? Looks good.

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E39 lip?? Looks good.

Similar but more 'streamlined' made specifically (in Taiwan) for the 8.

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yep looks awesome ...

might be worth having a go cleaning the TBs up yourself ?

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I've got some professionally refurb'd ones, Josh. Was planning to then have a crack at cleaning the old ones and sell them on (or keep as spares).

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Hi Jooles,

Normally a bit skeptical of boot spoilers on what I perceive to be a nice posterior on a BMW coupe. I have seen some shockers that I believe detract from the lovely lines of the E31. However this is extremely subtle. Looks good. Any luck securing a CSI body kit?

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That lip looks great.

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Normally a bit skeptical of boot spoilers on what I perceive to be a nice posterior on a BMW coupe. I have seen some shockers that I believe detract from the lovely lines of the E31.

Agreed, there are some monstrosities out there.

Any luck securing a CSI body kit?

I've got the mirrors (actually some E36 M3 reps and some Engl adapter bases) and the rear diffuser but not the front yet. I'll probably leave the mirrors until I can find/afford the front lip but will fit and paint the diffuser in the next couple of weeks to tidy up the back.

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Spent a couple of hours on the car on Saturday and...

  • Replaced air temp sensors
  • Replaced intake boots
  • Replaced the RHS ignition leads with new in the proper harness and cleaned up the dis cap and rotor connections - so no more random plug wires hanging around (will do LHS next weekend)
  • Covered everything important and took a wire brush to the manifold covers (they look a lot better but definitely need proper cleaning and repainting. The acoustic cover also looks pretty shite so I either need to refurb or replace at some point)

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What I found out...

The bad

  • When the steering wheel adjuster is set so the wheel is right in there is a LOT of play in the steering column. When it's fully out (where I have it) the rings beneath the wheel lock in place and the play is reduced at the wheel but clearly there's a wider issue at one of the various points from steering box to wheel on the column... Further diagnosis when I can get it on a hoist
  • The old air temp sensors (which are at the back of the intake manifolds on the M70) were really oily which can't be good.
  • The LHS headlight can't be adjusted any lower and still sticks about 4-5mm above the bonnet. Haven't sussed out why yet.

The good

  • Idle is even smoother now (leads and air temp sensors have probably contributed)
  • Probably placebo but it feels like there's a wee bit of extra power - the old intake boots were so munted that plenty of hot air would have been going straight in
Edited by jeffbebe
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Something rattling around in the head about a steering column nut that loosens on E34/32 etc. Does it share a column with?

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