'Oddjob' aka 2002 330i Touring
Discussion
Ok update to the job list, just a few more jobs to complete
Exhaust leak - was a big one to resolve and took 2 goes but now sorted, still loud but it doesn't do my head in the car
Found these when swapping out the crank sensor - turns out it's a vaccum line for the rear valve on the exhaust, which in my car isn't there anymore. A trip to the dealers gave me some nice little caps, though wish i ordered the larger 7mm one as well. Either way, all are in place (7mm is GLUED on) so no more vaccum leaks now, fingers crossed. See below
Old vaccum line was toast, and duely tossed in the bin.
While I was working on the car though , seems Sam left a few items behind from when he rebuilt the engine.
1 x 11mm spanner left under the scuttle panel of all places... . How?
1 x pair of sunglasses
Both will be returned to their owner as of friday
- AC needed recharging - Done
- Tracking was out - Done
- Oil leak from sump plug - Done with an oil change, no leaks so far
- Crank sensor needs swapping out. + fresh seal Done
- Exhaust leak at mid pipe to rear box Done
- Found and fixed vaccum leak from back of manifold, caps replaced or glued
- Rear brake sliders to be upgraded to ECS brass ones with seals. - Delayed till after mapping.
- Need to finish the design for Mk2 oil distribuion block as the current one doesn't quite fit as nice as i'd like. Drawings and model done - sent off machinist.
- Needs a deep clean outside - Still do do!
- Mapping - Slot confirmed , Car heads up on Friday
Exhaust leak - was a big one to resolve and took 2 goes but now sorted, still loud but it doesn't do my head in the car
Found these when swapping out the crank sensor - turns out it's a vaccum line for the rear valve on the exhaust, which in my car isn't there anymore. A trip to the dealers gave me some nice little caps, though wish i ordered the larger 7mm one as well. Either way, all are in place (7mm is GLUED on) so no more vaccum leaks now, fingers crossed. See below
Old vaccum line was toast, and duely tossed in the bin.
While I was working on the car though , seems Sam left a few items behind from when he rebuilt the engine.
1 x 11mm spanner left under the scuttle panel of all places... . How?
1 x pair of sunglasses
Both will be returned to their owner as of friday
So.. after waiting for a few weeks for James at Dervtech, and spending yesterday helping a friend purchase a 330ci. I started getting some messages from himself and Sam. Seems my car had been on the dyno all day (10 hours total!) to dial the engine in.
Initial runs had anything from 183bhp to 204bhp at best, given the fueling was massively lean. This took some work , not helped by a faulty knock sensor, but thankfullly no damage had occured. Still, once the fuel map was duely resolved, the numbers started looking much more healthy, with the first proper run saw 252bhp and 324Nm.
Already up on the 247bhp I'd previously seen however the engine had more to give once the vanos was dialed in.
Final run with reasonable igntion timing and the cam timing dialed in yeilded some very healthy numbers.
And final comparison graph of what it came in at best pre mapping, and post mapping.
Also it turns out James decided to add something to the setup.. I couldn't help but giggle
The car's due to be collected tomorrow from Dervtech , have the knock sensor replaced and another oil change before i finally get it home later this week. Then I can finally enjoy the car after this whole saga, before doing some general maintenance including having to put some fresh tyres on and look at having the mid pipes changed out on the exhaust so it's just a little more liveable and less likely to trip dB meters at the track.
Plans are for some track days this year, and hopefully go to a few meets at Caffine and Machine.
Initial runs had anything from 183bhp to 204bhp at best, given the fueling was massively lean. This took some work , not helped by a faulty knock sensor, but thankfullly no damage had occured. Still, once the fuel map was duely resolved, the numbers started looking much more healthy, with the first proper run saw 252bhp and 324Nm.
Already up on the 247bhp I'd previously seen however the engine had more to give once the vanos was dialed in.
Final run with reasonable igntion timing and the cam timing dialed in yeilded some very healthy numbers.
And final comparison graph of what it came in at best pre mapping, and post mapping.
Also it turns out James decided to add something to the setup.. I couldn't help but giggle
The car's due to be collected tomorrow from Dervtech , have the knock sensor replaced and another oil change before i finally get it home later this week. Then I can finally enjoy the car after this whole saga, before doing some general maintenance including having to put some fresh tyres on and look at having the mid pipes changed out on the exhaust so it's just a little more liveable and less likely to trip dB meters at the track.
Plans are for some track days this year, and hopefully go to a few meets at Caffine and Machine.
Edited by Sf_Manta on Monday 3rd January 09:04
So has been a few weeks since i got the car back and genuinely enjoying the power, credit to James at Dervtech and Sam.
A long drive did show that the exhaust does need a little bit of work to resolve a drone due to a adhock joint in the back to the Eisemann rear box so that's planned to be resolved end of Feb into March.
The car though was filthy, so i got to work last weekend giving it a good wash, though it was far too cold to get any polishing done.
As for general servicing, fresh tyres were the order of the day, new set of Michlien PS4's on all round yesterday after the fronts had the inner edges knocked off, and the rears were completely down to the blocks
Also set about sorting out the service history and filling things away, which is now getting close to starting folder number three...
A long drive did show that the exhaust does need a little bit of work to resolve a drone due to a adhock joint in the back to the Eisemann rear box so that's planned to be resolved end of Feb into March.
The car though was filthy, so i got to work last weekend giving it a good wash, though it was far too cold to get any polishing done.
As for general servicing, fresh tyres were the order of the day, new set of Michlien PS4's on all round yesterday after the fronts had the inner edges knocked off, and the rears were completely down to the blocks
Also set about sorting out the service history and filling things away, which is now getting close to starting folder number three...
d_a_n1979 said:
Such a superb looking touring…
Always wanted a 330i E46 touring but unfortunately they’re just too small for me…
But for my wife, well…
Hee, Still thank you, i do try and keep my cars tidy, there's some trim that needs fixing in the split tailgate and a few other nigglesAlways wanted a 330i E46 touring but unfortunately they’re just too small for me…
But for my wife, well…
GrantD5 said:
Them service history folders are impressive! 
They go all the way back to new, so it's the complete history and tune up. 
So, having run the car for a while a few niggles have appeared which needed solving or still yet to be solved.
Firstly the exhaust has a drone at motorway speeds. which was traced to the adaption put in to get the M3 pipes to marry up with the Eisermann rear box.
Coupled with the small resonator box, it's quite loud and intrusive. Plans are affoot to have this section of the system redone next week with Sam's tame welder.
Another issue that has arisen has been a persistant oil leak. After some cleaning and checking.. it was determined to be the sump gasket leaking at the timing cover joint. b
ks. So will have to fix this before June as I'm looking to head to Le Mans for the first time in 10 years. This time though I'll not be awake for 39 hours straight in the pitlane!
For now the oil leak is being sorted by this... a makeshift nappy if you will
Old cars, don't we love them here, still in other news, looking to move house finally and put an offer in on a place, though 50/50 if i get it.
Firstly the exhaust has a drone at motorway speeds. which was traced to the adaption put in to get the M3 pipes to marry up with the Eisermann rear box.
Coupled with the small resonator box, it's quite loud and intrusive. Plans are affoot to have this section of the system redone next week with Sam's tame welder.
Another issue that has arisen has been a persistant oil leak. After some cleaning and checking.. it was determined to be the sump gasket leaking at the timing cover joint. b
ks. So will have to fix this before June as I'm looking to head to Le Mans for the first time in 10 years. This time though I'll not be awake for 39 hours straight in the pitlane!For now the oil leak is being sorted by this... a makeshift nappy if you will
Old cars, don't we love them here, still in other news, looking to move house finally and put an offer in on a place, though 50/50 if i get it.
LanceRS said:
It should be the idea car for a Le Mans trip.
Good luck with the house too, I’m guessing that the new house will have suitable garaging?
It should be, I've been to the Nurburgring 4 times in it already, and I'd like to go back now the engine's been redone and see what i can achieve Good luck with the house too, I’m guessing that the new house will have suitable garaging?
And yes, the houses I'm looking at will have a garage and drive, as this car's about finished now and it's just maintaining it more than upgrades.
The car that my user name is derived from will be coming out of storage and having a full rebuild, which likely will be recorded on here and maybe youtube.
So yesterday involved a trip over to Carpetsoiler's new workshop, and got the car up on the ramps.
Between himself and me, we got the subframe and other items off and the sump pan dropped, which confirmed the issue with the gasket not working. The timing cover was sat slightly proud of the block and allowed it to leak.
So fresh gasket, a liberal amount of high temp sealent on the required areas both on the timing cover and on the rear main seal and all back togther
Sam doing his thing working on getting the dipstick free to allow eaiser extraction of the sump
Some issues have been spotted and are to be dealt with:
Between himself and me, we got the subframe and other items off and the sump pan dropped, which confirmed the issue with the gasket not working. The timing cover was sat slightly proud of the block and allowed it to leak.
So fresh gasket, a liberal amount of high temp sealent on the required areas both on the timing cover and on the rear main seal and all back togther
Sam doing his thing working on getting the dipstick free to allow eaiser extraction of the sump
Some issues have been spotted and are to be dealt with:
- Power steering lines are completely shot, and the cooler 'bobbins' are now both torn in half, got zip ties holding it for now. I'm looking at getting E36 items to delete the front cooler, this'll allow packging for oil lines to be run from the oil filter housing to a cooler I'll mount on the fan mounts in the front end.
- The coolant return line fittings are leaking (5 years old) and given they've been undone and redone a few times, a new hose assembly is now on order with a expansion tank to resolve this.
- Front brake discs are finally done, given I've had them on the car since 2018, i got a good run out fo those.
- Steering guido has finally gone soft, and theres a dead zone in the centre. An Ireland engineering polybush is on the way for that.
Edited by Sf_Manta on Sunday 10th April 17:12
Update time again, and rapidly moving towards MOT time in May
Spent a few days on my week break after easter working on a few things, fixed the parents fence for one. And worked on getting the car back up to a decent level of maintenance.
Spent last Thursday putting in a new coolant expansion tank was fitted along with the return line as the level float had stopped floating and one fitting was weeping. I didn't get any pictures as i just wanted to get it done.
Of note around this time I saw this youtube video from M539 Restorations (before the engine died again due to incorrect clearences)
He had hot start issues with stuttering and such with the car which was the same fault I've been having for a while but no-one could figure it out.. till now. My car had exactly the same symptoms. So brand new VDO injectors have been ordered and on the way.
Saturday i did the major amount of work after collecting some parts from Carpetsoiler which was included all new power steering lines and new CSL dics. Between that and the injectors , my wallet took a hell of a beating
However it'll be all set for Le Mans in June. Added to this was a new giudo from Ireland Engineering to replace the aging rubber. The exhaust rework has been put on hold for now due to someone letting us both down, so have to wait till later this year to resolve that issue.
As a result the car is now 100% leak free of fluids
Just once the injectors turn up, I can get those fitted and go for an MOT and alignment, and i should be ready for the summer.
Pictures below of just how bad the front discs were though!
Spent a few days on my week break after easter working on a few things, fixed the parents fence for one. And worked on getting the car back up to a decent level of maintenance.
Spent last Thursday putting in a new coolant expansion tank was fitted along with the return line as the level float had stopped floating and one fitting was weeping. I didn't get any pictures as i just wanted to get it done.
Of note around this time I saw this youtube video from M539 Restorations (before the engine died again due to incorrect clearences)
He had hot start issues with stuttering and such with the car which was the same fault I've been having for a while but no-one could figure it out.. till now. My car had exactly the same symptoms. So brand new VDO injectors have been ordered and on the way.
Saturday i did the major amount of work after collecting some parts from Carpetsoiler which was included all new power steering lines and new CSL dics. Between that and the injectors , my wallet took a hell of a beating
However it'll be all set for Le Mans in June. Added to this was a new giudo from Ireland Engineering to replace the aging rubber. The exhaust rework has been put on hold for now due to someone letting us both down, so have to wait till later this year to resolve that issue. As a result the car is now 100% leak free of fluids
Just once the injectors turn up, I can get those fitted and go for an MOT and alignment, and i should be ready for the summer. Pictures below of just how bad the front discs were though!
Edited by Sf_Manta on Tuesday 26th April 08:07
So today was my last real chance to get the car fixed. Thankfully friday the injectors showed up from Germany.. (only 9 days after order , thanks Brexst)
So i spent a good hour or so changing out all 6 injectors, using a bit of vasaline to ensure they all seated nicely. Did have a few issues getting the 'C' clips seated but that was all done.
Moment of truth was to see if we got hot start issues.. and no more issues She starts FAR FAR better than it has ever done in the past few years. It even sounds crisper and doesn't stink of fuel anymore on startup. Roll on Wednesday and MOT time.
Pictures below:
£535 of injectors.. ouch
Old Vs New . massive difference
New ones going in
Coupious amounts of blue paper to catch any dribbles.
All seated and in.
t)So i spent a good hour or so changing out all 6 injectors, using a bit of vasaline to ensure they all seated nicely. Did have a few issues getting the 'C' clips seated but that was all done.
Moment of truth was to see if we got hot start issues.. and no more issues
She starts FAR FAR better than it has ever done in the past few years. It even sounds crisper and doesn't stink of fuel anymore on startup. Roll on Wednesday and MOT time. Pictures below:
£535 of injectors.. ouch
Old Vs New . massive difference
New ones going in
Coupious amounts of blue paper to catch any dribbles.
All seated and in.
Well.. after all this work , frustration and pain
MOT time and results are?
Car mechanically is fine bar a slightly rusty brake line advisory, otherwise it was perfect.
Emissions however?
Nope , failed again I'm fking fed up.
Does anyone know of a tuner near MK whom might be able to solve this and actually get the sodding thing to pass?
MOT time and results are?
Car mechanically is fine bar a slightly rusty brake line advisory, otherwise it was perfect.
Emissions however?
Nope , failed again I'm f
king fed up. Does anyone know of a tuner near MK whom might be able to solve this and actually get the sodding thing to pass?
Update time!
It's been a while since I've updated this, so here we are. I spent a while getting all the issues resolved including putting some new discs and replacing the powersteering lines. I though I got all the leaks sorted after that.. but there's still a oil leak somewhere round the oil filter housing .. frustrating and annoying as I can't find it.
This was all cause I was heading out to Le Mans back at the start of June, and besides the AC resistor (the dreaded hedgehog) failing on the last leg from Dover to home , it performed fine, despite being fully loaded both directions and wizzing along the Autoroutes in France.
Since getting back, the car's been wanting another oil change which i duely did but found the supplied filter i got given.. didn't fit. Note to self, don't order filters from Opie.. thats twice I've got the wrong one! I've got to do the O2Pilot Mod to help oil consumption and trace the source of this leak AGAIN.
I also fitted up some titanium brake shims, pretty easy to fit and hopefully means I can change pads without struggling to remove them as the rattle pads stick to them instead of the pads.
It's been a while since I've updated this, so here we are. I spent a while getting all the issues resolved including putting some new discs and replacing the powersteering lines. I though I got all the leaks sorted after that.. but there's still a oil leak somewhere round the oil filter housing .. frustrating and annoying as I can't find it.
This was all cause I was heading out to Le Mans back at the start of June, and besides the AC resistor (the dreaded hedgehog) failing on the last leg from Dover to home , it performed fine, despite being fully loaded both directions and wizzing along the Autoroutes in France.
Since getting back, the car's been wanting another oil change which i duely did but found the supplied filter i got given.. didn't fit. Note to self, don't order filters from Opie.. thats twice I've got the wrong one! I've got to do the O2Pilot Mod to help oil consumption and trace the source of this leak AGAIN.
I also fitted up some titanium brake shims, pretty easy to fit and hopefully means I can change pads without struggling to remove them as the rattle pads stick to them instead of the pads.
Update time again.
Finally traced the likely source of the leak, seems the oil filter housing gasket's perished? Apparently was a Febi item, but it's leaking from that area.
Either way, I've decided to quit messing around with OEM ones and ordered the Vitron component from Turners. Not cheap at $85 shipped!
This has turned up so will be fitting that next weekend after the heatwave abates.
Sides that, another job required needing sorting out.. and I've been struggling to do this one for 4 years.. .if you know this item below, you will know how much of a pig of a job it is.
That's if you don't get told about taking a T20 screw driver, and hacking it down with an angle grinder to 140mm overal length.
Add in a bore scope. and suddenly the job is 100 times easier, if still requiring removeal of your driver's seat...
Finally have nice consistant AC and MAN does it blow much better now
Finally traced the likely source of the leak, seems the oil filter housing gasket's perished? Apparently was a Febi item, but it's leaking from that area.
Either way, I've decided to quit messing around with OEM ones and ordered the Vitron component from Turners. Not cheap at $85 shipped!
This has turned up so will be fitting that next weekend after the heatwave abates.
Sides that, another job required needing sorting out.. and I've been struggling to do this one for 4 years.. .if you know this item below, you will know how much of a pig of a job it is.
That's if you don't get told about taking a T20 screw driver, and hacking it down with an angle grinder to 140mm overal length.
Add in a bore scope. and suddenly the job is 100 times easier, if still requiring removeal of your driver's seat...
Finally have nice consistant AC and MAN does it blow much better now
d_a_n1979 said:
Never had issues with OEM BMW oil filter housing gaskets on my M54s; however, you're pushing your car much harder than I ever did!
Wow; is the E46 a ballache for the FSU change? The E39s a doddle thankfully (panel off and there it is), unlike the E38 which requires a dash-out jobby!
Given it did 10 hours on the dyno and was pushed HARD during tuning. I wouldn't be suprirsed if the material did perish.Wow; is the E46 a ballache for the FSU change? The E39s a doddle thankfully (panel off and there it is), unlike the E38 which requires a dash-out jobby!
I can't find anywhere else it's leaking from, the sump gasket's fine and the oil is coming from further up the block.
As for the hedgehog.. it's an absolute pig of a job if you don't have a few tools and prepared to wedge yourself up in the footwell.
Getting to that thing also involves removing the driver's seat too, i forgot to mention 
Update time again, and I was correct in the diagnosis on the filter housing gasket having gone bad. Just finished up 2 hours work to change it out, and it went rather smoothly and with minimal fuss and mess as i didn't move the car for 24 hours.
Just as i got to it having removed a number of items
Confirmed with oil vapour and residue all up the inside of the housing and all round the gasket. The gasket itself was like plastic and rock hard
Having spoken to the engine builder Carpetsoiler, we came to the conclusion that all the dyno pulls and breaking in miles pretty much cooked the seal, given the OEM ones are well known for cooking off and dying. Just never this quick!
New one from Bavian Motorsport via Turner Motorsport / ECS (who carry it) went in and no more leaks found so far
Hopefully should be the end of all my oil leak woes for the foreseable future.
Update time again, and I was correct in the diagnosis on the filter housing gasket having gone bad. Just finished up 2 hours work to change it out, and it went rather smoothly and with minimal fuss and mess as i didn't move the car for 24 hours.
Just as i got to it having removed a number of items
Confirmed with oil vapour and residue all up the inside of the housing and all round the gasket. The gasket itself was like plastic and rock hard
Having spoken to the engine builder Carpetsoiler, we came to the conclusion that all the dyno pulls and breaking in miles pretty much cooked the seal, given the OEM ones are well known for cooking off and dying. Just never this quick!
New one from Bavian Motorsport via Turner Motorsport / ECS (who carry it) went in and no more leaks found so far
Hopefully should be the end of all my oil leak woes for the foreseable future.
motorhole said:
Good job tracking that down and getting it sorted! Hopefully you can just enjoy kicking the hell out of the engine now
Funny you should say that... I had a fun week last week as on Tuesday i was down at Brands Hatch with a friend in his MX5 for the day there after we were invited down by a somewhat well known Youtuber / race driver / former shed dweller aka Jimmy Broadbent. Myself and Chris (MX5 owner) split the day out after asking the organizers, thank you MSVT!Jimmy was planning to do some testing on his Mk4 Supra however that car had other ideas at the start of the day as the rear wishbone bushes decided they were having none of it, resulting in variable geometry at the back of the car and would be out for the count for the rest of the day.
So myself and my friend Chris offered him some seat time given he was going to loose the day otherwise. Excellent day too as seeing him pedel the BMW for a few laps taught me i can push that bit more on the tyres and they don't give up. The BMW was absolutely spot on all day long and the only issue was a bit of PS fluid burping from the tank. I'll need to look into gettting a 'sock' for it sometime.
Brands Hatch indy is a bit small i found and quite difficult to get onto a decent lap as I was being swarmed constantly though by faster traffic. Still doing Paddock hill feels like a rollercoaster and has strong vibes to the Foxhole at Nordschifle
Do have some more video to upload, I'll add those in due course.
Small update this time round, firstly got a few chips in the windscreen fixed
Red dot was the worst of the 2 fixed.
And spent this weekend finally tracing where the random vacuum line went, as i wanted to do the known "o2Pilot" mod to run a line from the CCV to the manifold. From reading up on this, it adds a bit more vaccum to the system and reduces oil consumption by quite a bit.
Red dot was the worst of the 2 fixed.
And spent this weekend finally tracing where the random vacuum line went, as i wanted to do the known "o2Pilot" mod to run a line from the CCV to the manifold. From reading up on this, it adds a bit more vaccum to the system and reduces oil consumption by quite a bit.
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