'Oddjob' aka 2002 330i Touring
Discussion
Some good news, i got in contact with the seller whom is quite apologetic, and very honourable in wanting to help with the costs of repair, Hopefully in a week or two we'll have the caliper repaired and can finally get everything bolted up 
Fingers crossed the costs aren't astronomical.
Fingers crossed the costs aren't astronomical.
Some good news, managed to get a partial refund, so that's put to bed.
Went to Brake Caliper Specialists and they've been able to repair the caliper, as well as repaint / replace the decals. The seals were in good condition so didn't need to have those replaced.
Still the bill was not much short of £300...but should resolve any issues with regards to leaks and the caliper's due back tomorrow or being shipped for Saturday morning fingers crossed.
Should have some pictures of the finished article this weekend
Went to Brake Caliper Specialists and they've been able to repair the caliper, as well as repaint / replace the decals. The seals were in good condition so didn't need to have those replaced.
Still the bill was not much short of £300...but should resolve any issues with regards to leaks and the caliper's due back tomorrow or being shipped for Saturday morning fingers crossed.
Should have some pictures of the finished article this weekend
They're still bedding in on the pads that i got with the calipers, to be fair they're a little off..? But yes when you stomp on it, the car stops in a very big hurry Plan is to bed these discs in with the pads then install some fresh DS2500's next month.
Lines are these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HEL-PERFORMANCE-Front-Br...
Plan is to bed these discs in with the pads then install some fresh DS2500's next month. Lines are these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HEL-PERFORMANCE-Front-Br...
Well, been busy, I'd actually picked this up a few months back, but finally got around to getting it prepped to fit.
Booked a lift at a local garage.. went down on Wednesday to find they'd filled all their ramps up, which completely kaboshed my plans.
So after popping over one of the 2 garages i normally approach for work, got it booked in tomorrow to have this fitted..
Yes.. it's a full genuine E46 B3 system with the mainfolds. Having spoken to a few people in the BMW Club, the air bleed valve isn't actually required, so a friend of mine knocked up some blanking plates from 3mm plate steel.
Booked a lift at a local garage.. went down on Wednesday to find they'd filled all their ramps up, which completely kaboshed my plans.
So after popping over one of the 2 garages i normally approach for work, got it booked in tomorrow to have this fitted..
Yes.. it's a full genuine E46 B3 system with the mainfolds. Having spoken to a few people in the BMW Club, the air bleed valve isn't actually required, so a friend of mine knocked up some blanking plates from 3mm plate steel.
So, today was the BMW national meeting at Gaydon, to which i popped along and joined the Central stand for a few hours.
... and i couldn't resist getting one thing whilst i was there. I was hoping to find some side repeaters to replace the cloudy ones currently on the car..
That.. kinda went out the window when i saw this. Also done a deal to get some clubsport front lips as well.
Also managed to get the car on the rolling road there.. and was surprised that despite the intake and the Alpina exhaust, I've only got back to stock power levels.
Some further investigation turned up a faulty cam sensor code, and apparently this can cause the dip in power.
... and i couldn't resist getting one thing whilst i was there. I was hoping to find some side repeaters to replace the cloudy ones currently on the car..
That.. kinda went out the window when i saw this. Also done a deal to get some clubsport front lips as well.
Also managed to get the car on the rolling road there.. and was surprised that despite the intake and the Alpina exhaust, I've only got back to stock power levels.
Some further investigation turned up a faulty cam sensor code, and apparently this can cause the dip in power.
Haha, i bet he was rather surprised to see the brakes and the suspension. 
It's setup to be completely deceiving in how it looks
Done some research and with help from a few friends, it's looking like a new sensor and some repair work to the loom will be required before it's all back to 100%, who knows what'll it make once the cam timing sensors are working fully.
It's setup to be completely deceiving in how it looks
Done some research and with help from a few friends, it's looking like a new sensor and some repair work to the loom will be required before it's all back to 100%, who knows what'll it make once the cam timing sensors are working fully.
Thanks Helix for the offer, emailed on that subject
So far managed to replace the exhaust camshaft sensor which was the cause of the dip in torque. As a result, the power delivery is MUCH smoother and feels like the car is much more on song.
Also managed to sell my brakes to a friend, he has a Z4 3.0 Si which was rather well tinkered with, (Coilovers, bushings, intake and exhaust.) however he'd managed to obtain an upgrade in the form of a Z4M. Thus he needed the brakes from it, a set of M135i 6 pots he'd managed to figure out how to fit with some help from me.
So far the car's been alright, though the expansion tank seems to have decided to spring a leak, so will have to order / purchase a replacement and get it fitted before the MOT in October along with fresh auxiliary belts and tensioners.
So far managed to replace the exhaust camshaft sensor which was the cause of the dip in torque. As a result, the power delivery is MUCH smoother and feels like the car is much more on song.
Also managed to sell my brakes to a friend, he has a Z4 3.0 Si which was rather well tinkered with, (Coilovers, bushings, intake and exhaust.) however he'd managed to obtain an upgrade in the form of a Z4M. Thus he needed the brakes from it, a set of M135i 6 pots he'd managed to figure out how to fit with some help from me.
So far the car's been alright, though the expansion tank seems to have decided to spring a leak, so will have to order / purchase a replacement and get it fitted before the MOT in October along with fresh auxiliary belts and tensioners.
Ok.. bit of an update, and pictures curiously of Sam aka Carpetsoiler and his company JustDeutsch
Popped down to his (2.5 hour drive each way!) today.. and we ended up spending a couple of hours rebuilding the engine, be it top end.
In has gone a set of JustDeutsch V1T cams, and a full vanos seal rebuild.
Took a bit of a fiddle and finished around 4.30pm having arrived at 10.30am. Suffice it to say... the car is a bit of an animal now. It sounds completely different and we were genuinely shocked how much mid range torque it picked up. A full mapping session and power run to see what it's making, but we're guessing it should be around the 250-260bhp mark.. and maybe even more.
Popped down to his (2.5 hour drive each way!) today.. and we ended up spending a couple of hours rebuilding the engine, be it top end.
In has gone a set of JustDeutsch V1T cams, and a full vanos seal rebuild.
Took a bit of a fiddle and finished around 4.30pm having arrived at 10.30am. Suffice it to say... the car is a bit of an animal now. It sounds completely different and we were genuinely shocked how much mid range torque it picked up. A full mapping session and power run to see what it's making, but we're guessing it should be around the 250-260bhp mark.. and maybe even more.
shalmaneser said:
So have you put the old brakes back on? Did you not get on with the upgrade? Just asking cos I've got a set of porsche calipers to put on my m3 and would like to know if I'm wasting my time!
The brakes have been on a good month or two now, just had to take them off to get that one with the damaged bleed nipple repaired. 
They are SO worth the hassle on getting them installed, trust me, the brake setup is much more sharper, and combined with the suspension, it stops in a very big hurry.
Some minor prep work before Sunday, first bit would be these
Oil change has been done, though got some extra oil to top off after i got some Millers Nanodrive from a friend whom brought it for his car, then sold the car... whoops. His loss my gain , be it £60 down (he paid nearer £100
)
Will be doing a full check of fluids, hopefully no leaks now, and get the car cleaned and polished Saturday ready for Sunday
Oil change has been done, though got some extra oil to top off after i got some Millers Nanodrive from a friend whom brought it for his car, then sold the car... whoops. His loss my gain , be it £60 down (he paid nearer £100
)Will be doing a full check of fluids, hopefully no leaks now, and get the car cleaned and polished Saturday ready for Sunday
Max M4X WW said:
What oil would you recommend for these? My 325ti needs an oil change and is used solely for track (and driving to).
M54-B25? probably similar grade to what I run in my M54-B30, given they do have a tendency to drink oil more so when it's a thinner grade like 0w30 / 0w40.I did read into this and found the thickest grade i could put in was 5w40, which has proven pretty good both in longevity and reduced oil usage by a good 40-50% though this was coupled with a complete CCV system renewal (2 days of pain and annoyance.)
As for what brand? anything that's a known high quality oil, Castrol Edge / Millers Nanodrive / Royal Purple, might be worth asking Opie oils what they'd recommend or a few people on the BMW club racing circuit.
Well after a brilliant Sunday service.. yesterday brought me down with a bump 
Well not as in i got into a shunt with the car, but after catching the light on one of the rear arches.. I spotted this
Godamnit.. Does anyone know a decent body shop in the region of Milton Keynes or such whom can check both sides out, repair and repaint?
Given this will need painting, it'll be the front wings, bonnet and bumper whilst it's in.
Well not as in i got into a shunt with the car, but after catching the light on one of the rear arches.. I spotted this
Godamnit.. Does anyone know a decent body shop in the region of Milton Keynes or such whom can check both sides out, repair and repaint?
Given this will need painting, it'll be the front wings, bonnet and bumper whilst it's in.
Well with regards to the rust, I'll be looking to get it dealt with in the new year when finances allow.
On the short term, it transpires the clunk in the back of the car has been a normal point failure.. the diff bushes have given up the ghost, partically the rear one. I got a look under there and it's got a tear in the rubber around half of it
So a trip to the Powerflex store online has resulted in purchasing of the following parts with the view to replace them over the Christmas holidays.
Having looked up the process to do it, and help of a friend with his bush removal kit should mean It's a day's work.
On the short term, it transpires the clunk in the back of the car has been a normal point failure.. the diff bushes have given up the ghost, partically the rear one. I got a look under there and it's got a tear in the rubber around half of it
So a trip to the Powerflex store online has resulted in purchasing of the following parts with the view to replace them over the Christmas holidays.
Having looked up the process to do it, and help of a friend with his bush removal kit should mean It's a day's work.
helix402 said:
I have a Powerflex Bush for the largest bush on my diff. I got the old bush out with by knocking the centre out then sawing through the outer. (In case your puller doesn’t work)
I know that trick well, done a few bushes in my time 
Parts are here, so will be spending sometime over Christmas putting them in , fingers crossed no more clunks.
Well... today went surprisingly well.
Though for the most part i ache like a gooden.. but the car is back on it's wheels ready to go again.
Had the diff out of the car in 1.3 hours, pretty good considering I'd never done it on a E46 before, though did help having read through a guide on how todo it a few times and memorised it.
Now the diff was vacated... time for the bushes
This kit proved so damned useful.. though the rear bush didn't want to let go.
45 mins... to remove this son offa.....
These.. took less than 10 mins thanks to the kit!
New rear bush installed, I forgot to take pictures of the front ones, but they needed some help with the kit to go in, otherwise it was a reversal of the dismantling.
https://youtu.be/Bar7lQAabtk
Before the backbox went on.. had to give it a little blip
Completed
All told, took me nearly 7 hours, aching a lot but happy with the results.
Though for the most part i ache like a gooden.. but the car is back on it's wheels ready to go again.
Had the diff out of the car in 1.3 hours, pretty good considering I'd never done it on a E46 before, though did help having read through a guide on how todo it a few times and memorised it.
Now the diff was vacated... time for the bushes
This kit proved so damned useful.. though the rear bush didn't want to let go.
45 mins... to remove this son offa.....
These.. took less than 10 mins thanks to the kit!
New rear bush installed, I forgot to take pictures of the front ones, but they needed some help with the kit to go in, otherwise it was a reversal of the dismantling.
https://youtu.be/Bar7lQAabtk
Before the backbox went on.. had to give it a little blip
Completed
All told, took me nearly 7 hours, aching a lot but happy with the results.
Well.. some evening work to resolve a bad misfire, code reader had spat out a P1351 code and a P1620. First was coil 5 gone bad, which explains the misfiring I've been getting, added a fresh set of plugs and everything's working again it seems, least on that.
Second code was the thermostat. which is odd considering I changed it with the full coolant system refresh 18 months ago, then again have done 40k in the past 2 years and the car's now on 101k miles.
Still got the joy's of swapping the infamous 'hedgehog'.. aka the resistor pack in the AC. For those whom don't know, it's up here in the footwell.
This is up in the driver's footwell, and you have to be a contortionist to get to it.
Edited by Sf_Manta on Wednesday 28th February 08:02
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