January 21st, 2008 Pierre
Over the last few weeks I have accepted that my M3 is a semi-basketcase-no history, no service records, has some gremlins, paint is OK at best, interior is good. But, for some damn reason I love this machine. I truly don’t know why. The racing history? The design? That boy racer feeling? The singularity? The laugh I get when the silly tow truck driver tells me not to buy fiberglass aftermarket body panels because it makes the car hard to tow? Don’t know.
One day the M3 bug hit me hard when looking for another BMW to buy once my old trusty e12 528i died. Must have been the old Noble BMW catalogs with the DS and Alpine M3’s on the cover. That was over ten years ago when I bought my first e30M3. I was enthralled with the overall package-the perfect car. I met my wife in this car, maybe that’s why she liked me? I remember her reaction when she found out it was “only” 4 cylinder. Her ex was a Mustang head. lol.
Then I crashed.
Fast forward 4 years. I buy another m3 just like my former-this time it isn’t as “smooth.” It was kinda rough, ticketty engine, and wouldn’t pass smog. I should have walked away. Seriously. But, the devil on my shoulder made me do it. My fiance and I gave them money we didn’t have and paid it off in a couple of years. The car was driven for only 4 months when the harmonic balancer (crank pulley) flew off on the highway while going to school. Off it went to sit in my dad’s back yard.
Fast forward another 6 years. We tow the M to our new house (see true “tow” reference above). I still love this car, thick cobwebs and all. No matter how much I know we shouldn’t have gotten it I still dream of it running again. We struggled to pay it off with one income. My wife knew I loved it, and I love her for it. Just that makes me attached to it.
So…it’s my M. It’s my problem. It’s my wife’s envy. It’s my greasy hands after working on it in my cramped garage. It’s my endless nights at pondering as to what kind of transmission mounts to get. It is me. It’s my basketcase.
I wouldn’t change any of it.
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Picture of the M at the dealer almost 7 years ago.
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January 13th, 2008 Pierre
Update: New Images of #4 lower rod bearing:
So this weekend I decided to finally check, and replace, my rod bearings.
A couple of weeks ago I readjusted my valves to try to diminish the louder-than-average “ticking”; it did, a little. So, I posted the audio/video of my engine idling on s14.net and one reply concurred with what I didn’t want to hear – rod bearing play.
So off I go this morning into my cramped garage to tackle this situation. I open her up take out the lower bearing and what do I find? This…
A pitted bearing shell!
It must have been the six years sitting at my dad’s house with old crummy oil. The oil accumulated moisture; moisture settled on the bearing; rust began to form; voila, rust pits. Sheesh. No problem, the crank journals seemed ok, no scoring. I then notice the old bearings are 0.50mm oversized…double sheesh. I bought standard. Where to get oversized bearings without going to the dealer?
My next step was to check the bearing/journal clearance with some green plastigage. The number came out to be >0.055, closer to 0.070. Definitely time for new bearings. I’ll need to continue this project next time when I get oversize bearings.
A closer look:
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December 11th, 2007 Pierre
I just got the first batch from parts ordered from autopartswarehouse.com.
- New clutch hose
- Coolant temperature sensor (for DME, blue plug)
- Extra water pump gasket
Still waiting…(Recieved)
- Magnaflow cat
- Transmission mount (updated one from a 6er)
- Some copper gaskets (timing chain tensioner, oil plug)
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December 5th, 2007 Pierre
So the first time I checked the compression was way back when he M was brought over from my dad’s. It hadn’t actually started yet. The numbers hovered around 180psi. Meh, I knew the engine was a bit worn.
This past weekend, after the oxygen sensor was replaced, I rechecked the compression. This time letting the engine run for a few minutes. Essentially getting a “wet” reading. This time the numbers came to around 215psi. Basically this tells me my rings are tired, but ok. I feel better.
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December 5th, 2007 Pierre
This past weekend I decided to replace my oxygen sensor with my ebay bosch universal. It was a steal at $23 (now $27.50 on Ebay). Though when it first arrived I questioned its provenance as it had a Ford oval etching. Looking closely it’s definately Bosch-the logo said it all. Here it is:
I began by dousing the old sensor with liquid wrench the day before and the morning of. With no special tools in hand, I unplugged the wire and slid under the car. A 22 mm wrench was all I needed. This came out…
Ugly!
So at this point I cut and spliced the existing wire.
The new sensor went back in. I started her up and immediately noticed a better idle.
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November 25th, 2007 Pierre
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I have these stock wheels for sale. Contact me at tectonics [at] gmail.com if interested.
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October 28th, 2007 Pierre
Good news, she started after lots of cranking. Bad news is (was) that the 3 and 4 cylinders don’t fire. I reverted to the old parts, same deal. Checked the electrode gap, fuel pressure, and coil. All checked ok. Then I scratched my head for a few hours. Ultimately I guessed the DME was caput.
I posted on s14.net regarding my situation and got lots of help. One particular post mentioned the injectors and how they may be “stuck.” I pulled the injector plug rail to check connectivity, ok. Then I tapped the injectors and cranked. She started right up with an obvious smoothness.
It feels great to hear the engine up and running in all it’s metallic caucophonous (word?) glory!
Next up on the agenda:
- looking for vacuum leaks, changing leaky hoses/boots, changing throttle body gaskets
- flushing brakes
- installing new brake parts
- flushing diff
- flushing tranny
- flushing power steering fluid
- investigating shifter components
- looking for gremlins
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October 25th, 2007 Pierre
I had bought a spare engine that was delegated as the one to be rebuilt then installed. That plan has been scrapped for financial reasons and discovering that the engine currently in the car is pretty good. The compression numbers came out to 180, 190,185, 185. The numbers aren’t great either, but they’ll suffice for now.
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October 25th, 2007 Pierre
So its the 24th of October; it has been about 1 month since I brought over the M3 from my dads house. The poor car is covered in old, stiff cobwebs filled with debris. I’ll spend a good day cleaning out this mess. Meanwhile, more important things. Since the transfer I acquired several replacement parts due for change, i.e. cap, rotor, wires, water pump, e36 timing tentioner, etc.
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These last two weekends I got my hands dirty installing all the parts, it felt great. I’ve been waiting to do this for several years! I popped open the valve cover to get a feeling of the cleanliness of the motor. Pretty darn good. The radiator was flushed to uncake the deposits from stale water/coolant. Most importantly I reattached my crank pulley with new impact wrench (set at 35o lbs-ft), worked like a charm. Red thread locker too, just in case.
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All the parts went in pretty much ok, except for the water pump. I should have gotten the oem piece, as one of the M8 bolts is too short. The non oem pump casting has a taller flange. How did that get by the sensors? BTW the old pump was a horrid mess. Check it out…
223228233I added new gas, changed some brittle gas hoses while I swapped the fuel filter and replaced the plugs. In my excited state, I grabbed the battery from our Mini and cranked her over. Over…and over. Until she fired! Sort of…the 3 and 4 cylinders don’t fire. Update this weekend.
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