'Oddjob' aka 2002 330i Touring
Discussion
Luca Brasi said:
Won't one of those play havoc with your MAF? That's what my indy always told me anyway..
Friend of mine mentioned this as well, but I read into it; there's a lot of scare mongering on various forums, but no-one's actually got conclusive proof that the filter's to blame. And given F1, Nascar and several other high end motorsports use them, I can't see it being it being at fault.K&N even has a highly in depth investigation to ISO standards to dispel the myth their filters caused the problem.
Given the ISO test regulations are on ISO's own website and do outline the testing method I don't think blame could be squarely placed on the filter. See: http://www.knfilters.com/MAF/massair.htm and the attached links.
There's even results of examination of several hundred (including BMWs) MAFs which had been sent in - supposedly failed from oil contamination, turned out to be faults in the MAF's construction.
Factor in that MAF sensors are like most mass produced items, built at the lowest price possible to the tune of several hundred thousand, and there's always a small % risk you'll have a bad one.
So far the car's racked up a good 200 miles or so on it's new filter, and as yet, not a single problem.
F1, NASCAR and most other high performance series don't use MAF sensors.
The problem with oiled filters and MAFs is that very small particles of oil can leave the filter and contaminate the hot wire in the MAF sensor. The contamination leads the MAF sensor to under read the flow of air, which in turn leads to lean running as the ECU thinks there is more air than there actually is.
The MAF will not contaminate instantly, it can just seriously reduce it's life.
If the filter is perfectly oiled, which they usually are when they leave the factory, the extra MAF contamination will be minimal, the big problem comes if you clean the filter and re-oil it. The chances are that some part of the filter will be over oiled and the MAF will be contaminated.
The problem potentially catastrophic (burnt valves, melted pistons ...) and not particularly easy to keep an eye on.
The problem with oiled filters and MAFs is that very small particles of oil can leave the filter and contaminate the hot wire in the MAF sensor. The contamination leads the MAF sensor to under read the flow of air, which in turn leads to lean running as the ECU thinks there is more air than there actually is.
The MAF will not contaminate instantly, it can just seriously reduce it's life.
If the filter is perfectly oiled, which they usually are when they leave the factory, the extra MAF contamination will be minimal, the big problem comes if you clean the filter and re-oil it. The chances are that some part of the filter will be over oiled and the MAF will be contaminated.
The problem potentially catastrophic (burnt valves, melted pistons ...) and not particularly easy to keep an eye on.
I'd respond to this argument, but given it's my project thread, and the fact there's a huge amount of information on K&N's web page disproving the above idea's I'm choosing to ignore internet 'experts' and go with the conclusive data.
Plus it's been a horrid week since both a friend of mine and my dad both got admitted to hospital which has been worrying me silly, not fun seeing your own father being rushed into hospital for the 3rd time in 2 years (First time seeing him sitting in a pool of his own blood is f
king scary) 
I did however manage to get something done in installing a new CD head unit as the original CD changer wasn't working anymore despite repeated attempts to repair it, but also added in bluetooth and DAB tuning which is nice.
Plus changed out the 545i shift lever for a Z4 3.0 item, which has improved the shift considerably though needs a little fine tuning to bring it back into line.
Plus it's been a horrid week since both a friend of mine and my dad both got admitted to hospital which has been worrying me silly, not fun seeing your own father being rushed into hospital for the 3rd time in 2 years (First time seeing him sitting in a pool of his own blood is f
king scary) I did however manage to get something done in installing a new CD head unit as the original CD changer wasn't working anymore despite repeated attempts to repair it, but also added in bluetooth and DAB tuning which is nice.
Plus changed out the 545i shift lever for a Z4 3.0 item, which has improved the shift considerably though needs a little fine tuning to bring it back into line.
Edited by Sf_Manta on Monday 2nd January 16:43
Update time.
After a few days down south seeing Tankfest, (pics in the WoT thread), spent my final day off changing out the lines on the car.
So out came the old lines and old fluid.
And in went the new brake lines with ATE Superblue.. the last tin of it I had before running out, you can't get it in blue anymore as the yanks put paid to that
However the clutch line proved a royal pain in the arse as i couldn't figure out how to free the plastic clip? (no information online on how to remove it..) so it's still the old rubber line, but the CDV is now out so the clutch bite point feels more defined.
After a few days down south seeing Tankfest, (pics in the WoT thread), spent my final day off changing out the lines on the car.
So out came the old lines and old fluid.
And in went the new brake lines with ATE Superblue.. the last tin of it I had before running out, you can't get it in blue anymore as the yanks put paid to that
However the clutch line proved a royal pain in the arse as i couldn't figure out how to free the plastic clip? (no information online on how to remove it..) so it's still the old rubber line, but the CDV is now out so the clutch bite point feels more defined.
Edited by Sf_Manta on Monday 2nd January 16:45
Sf_Manta said:
Friend of mine mentioned this as well, but I read into it; there's a lot of scare mongering on various forums, but no-one's actually got conclusive proof that the filter's to blame. And given F1, Nascar and several other high end motorsports use them, I can't see it being it being at fault.
K&N even has a highly in depth investigation to ISO standards to dispel the myth their filters caused the problem.
Given the ISO test regulations are on ISO's own website and do outline the testing method I don't think blame could be squarely placed on the filter. See: http://www.knfilters.com/MAF/massair.htm and the attached links.
There's even results of examination of several hundred (including BMWs) MAFs which had been sent in - supposedly failed from oil contamination, turned out to be faults in the MAF's construction.
Factor in that MAF sensors are like most mass produced items, built at the lowest price possible to the tune of several hundred thousand, and there's always a small % risk you'll have a bad one.
So far the car's racked up a good 200 miles or so on it's new filter, and as yet, not a single problem.
Coming along nicely SfK&N even has a highly in depth investigation to ISO standards to dispel the myth their filters caused the problem.
Given the ISO test regulations are on ISO's own website and do outline the testing method I don't think blame could be squarely placed on the filter. See: http://www.knfilters.com/MAF/massair.htm and the attached links.
There's even results of examination of several hundred (including BMWs) MAFs which had been sent in - supposedly failed from oil contamination, turned out to be faults in the MAF's construction.
Factor in that MAF sensors are like most mass produced items, built at the lowest price possible to the tune of several hundred thousand, and there's always a small % risk you'll have a bad one.
So far the car's racked up a good 200 miles or so on it's new filter, and as yet, not a single problem.
With regards to the filter, I was a bit lucky on mine and got the BMW Performance airbox as an option from new - it's only the 2.5 ( in the ti ) but with standard exhaust ( no 'quiet' valves on the shorter Compact system ) it really sounds pretty good although they don't do the standard paper filters at BMW anymore - you can get an almost identical one from another maker though
s m said:
Sf_Manta said:
Friend of mine mentioned this as well, but I read into it; there's a lot of scare mongering on various forums, but no-one's actually got conclusive proof that the filter's to blame. And given F1, Nascar and several other high end motorsports use them, I can't see it being it being at fault.
K&N even has a highly in depth investigation to ISO standards to dispel the myth their filters caused the problem.
Given the ISO test regulations are on ISO's own website and do outline the testing method I don't think blame could be squarely placed on the filter. See: http://www.knfilters.com/MAF/massair.htm and the attached links.
There's even results of examination of several hundred (including BMWs) MAFs which had been sent in - supposedly failed from oil contamination, turned out to be faults in the MAF's construction.
Factor in that MAF sensors are like most mass produced items, built at the lowest price possible to the tune of several hundred thousand, and there's always a small % risk you'll have a bad one.
So far the car's racked up a good 200 miles or so on it's new filter, and as yet, not a single problem.
Coming along nicely SfK&N even has a highly in depth investigation to ISO standards to dispel the myth their filters caused the problem.
Given the ISO test regulations are on ISO's own website and do outline the testing method I don't think blame could be squarely placed on the filter. See: http://www.knfilters.com/MAF/massair.htm and the attached links.
There's even results of examination of several hundred (including BMWs) MAFs which had been sent in - supposedly failed from oil contamination, turned out to be faults in the MAF's construction.
Factor in that MAF sensors are like most mass produced items, built at the lowest price possible to the tune of several hundred thousand, and there's always a small % risk you'll have a bad one.
So far the car's racked up a good 200 miles or so on it's new filter, and as yet, not a single problem.
With regards to the filter, I was a bit lucky on mine and got the BMW Performance airbox as an option from new - it's only the 2.5 ( in the ti ) but with standard exhaust ( no 'quiet' valves on the shorter Compact system ) it really sounds pretty good although they don't do the standard paper filters at BMW anymore - you can get an almost identical one from another maker though
Also it seems the car's developed a nasty clunking noise when coasting / off power...
Finger points to a fubared CV joint on the driver's side rear hub... and those aren't cheap as you can only get a complete output shaft. Not what i needed before heading out in August on my Ring trip.
Sf_Manta said:
That's pretty good, I've not seen the BMW performance airbox before.
Adds only 2 or 3 bhp even according to BMW but the noise is different to standard
Mine's a Compact so slightly different box to that but the principle is the same - filter is curved position rather than a panel
s m said:
Sf_Manta said:
That's pretty good, I've not seen the BMW performance airbox before.
Adds only 2 or 3 bhp even according to BMW but the noise is different to standard
Mine's a Compact so slightly different box to that but the principle is the same - filter is curved position rather than a panel
Also found the source of the clunks... wheel nuts not torqued up..
That'd be me being distracted by a friend who'd helped me waffling on... Well.. the last week threw up a problem i didn't want only a few weeks before my ring trip
Driver's side front caliper decided to freeze up and lock itself on.. to which it's then taken the front right disc with it by warping it.
...Annoying as I'd only put them on 3 months ago.
So having to source some replacements, got some MTEC discs on order once the ring trip's done, I'll hang onto the old discs and see if i can't get them trued up via a local machinist.
Driver's side front caliper decided to freeze up and lock itself on.. to which it's then taken the front right disc with it by warping it.
...Annoying as I'd only put them on 3 months ago.
So having to source some replacements, got some MTEC discs on order once the ring trip's done, I'll hang onto the old discs and see if i can't get them trued up via a local machinist.
Well best i update this finally.
After a few months of planning, a fair bit on cash, and a last minute brake pad change to DS2500s, which only arrived the Tuesday before me and a friend left for Germany, required a last minute sort out.
So off to Dunkirk from Dover, having left around 4.30am for the 8am sailing.
I drove all the way from Dunkirk to the ring, exhausting but given my friend had no exprience driving on the Continent, we agreed it'd be better for me to do that leg since we had to deal with the Brussels ring road.
Still we arrived, got unloaded and had a quick look on the Wednesday at the track. Unfortunately it was chaos already as someone in a Subaru ended up destroying 150m of barrier, and dropping off a 300ft drop. I saw the pictures of the car afterwards, sheet over the top and it was pancaked... Ambulance, Fast response and police were in attendance.
Next day was spent exploring around the area, and my friend getting some time in behind the wheel to get acustomed to driving on the other side of the road and car (right hand drive on the right is a lot more difficult than left hand drive on the right side). Then it was down to the track for our first attempt.
Though we were in luck, another BMW owner, Stuart (CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH!) graciously offered to take us out for a passenger ride and get a feel for the circuit. He'd done 1300 laps and it showed, he was FAR faster than when i tried. Though when we got back to the pits, it was found a rear tyre hadn't survived due to a bolt in the inner arch rubbing at the side wall. Tyre was still holding air but in no condition to be used again. I did the decent thing and offered up some cash to help compensate the costs.
And then it was our turn.
Did 3 laps over 2 days, and my friend did a lap himself (paid for 4), we were going to have a go on Sunday but the weather closed in and I wasn't about to go spin or crash in the wet. I'd done what i'd set out to do and well.. I want to go back and do some more laps now
The brake setup was epic, no fade, and held up well, the car was faultless all through the holiday, cept for a bit of oil usage, but that was to be expected.
After a few months of planning, a fair bit on cash, and a last minute brake pad change to DS2500s, which only arrived the Tuesday before me and a friend left for Germany, required a last minute sort out.
So off to Dunkirk from Dover, having left around 4.30am for the 8am sailing.
I drove all the way from Dunkirk to the ring, exhausting but given my friend had no exprience driving on the Continent, we agreed it'd be better for me to do that leg since we had to deal with the Brussels ring road.
Still we arrived, got unloaded and had a quick look on the Wednesday at the track. Unfortunately it was chaos already as someone in a Subaru ended up destroying 150m of barrier, and dropping off a 300ft drop. I saw the pictures of the car afterwards, sheet over the top and it was pancaked...
Ambulance, Fast response and police were in attendance.
Next day was spent exploring around the area, and my friend getting some time in behind the wheel to get acustomed to driving on the other side of the road and car (right hand drive on the right is a lot more difficult than left hand drive on the right side). Then it was down to the track for our first attempt.
Though we were in luck, another BMW owner, Stuart (CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH!) graciously offered to take us out for a passenger ride and get a feel for the circuit. He'd done 1300 laps and it showed, he was FAR faster than when i tried. Though when we got back to the pits, it was found a rear tyre hadn't survived due to a bolt in the inner arch rubbing at the side wall. Tyre was still holding air but in no condition to be used again. I did the decent thing and offered up some cash to help compensate the costs.
And then it was our turn.
Did 3 laps over 2 days, and my friend did a lap himself (paid for 4), we were going to have a go on Sunday but the weather closed in and I wasn't about to go spin or crash in the wet. I'd done what i'd set out to do and well.. I want to go back and do some more laps now
The brake setup was epic, no fade, and held up well, the car was faultless all through the holiday, cept for a bit of oil usage, but that was to be expected.
Edited by Sf_Manta on Monday 2nd January 16:56
Looks like you had a good time, glad you enjoyed it. Your's does look good with the black grills. A couple of questions, where did you get your brakes from and how much dust do they produce (bit of a tarts question I know but the longer I can put off refurbing my split rims the better)?
Brake wise I've got the following:
HEL Braided stainless lines: http://www.brake-lines.co.uk/automotive
Mtec Front dimple / grooved discs: http://www.mtecbrakes.com/
ATE Superblue (TYP200 now) Fluid - Euros for about £15 a litre.
Ferrodo DS2500 pads all round.
Dust wise, no more than a normal OEM pad, but it does make your wheels a bit orange. I've also found there's more flex in the alloy's laquar , though my rims do need a refurb badly these days.
HEL Braided stainless lines: http://www.brake-lines.co.uk/automotive
Mtec Front dimple / grooved discs: http://www.mtecbrakes.com/
ATE Superblue (TYP200 now) Fluid - Euros for about £15 a litre.
Ferrodo DS2500 pads all round.
Dust wise, no more than a normal OEM pad, but it does make your wheels a bit orange. I've also found there's more flex in the alloy's laquar , though my rims do need a refurb badly these days.
Well today after the touring round Europe, the front left caliper decided it was going to do the same as the front right... and get stuck on every so often.
So back to Euros and another caliper exchange unit.
Decided to get this changed out before it nuked the DS2500s and the discs like the last one did.
So back to Euros and another caliper exchange unit.
Decided to get this changed out before it nuked the DS2500s and the discs like the last one did.
Edited by Sf_Manta on Monday 2nd January 17:00
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