g3org3y's shedtastic £900 BMW E46 330Ci

[g3org3y]

craigjm said:

Cheapskate

Thank you.

[g3org3y]

dhutch said:

Love this thread!

I have an Jan 2001 X-reg SE in Imola which I have now had and used as my daily for about 4 years, replacing a E36 316 compact I bought in a hurry as a stop gap and ended up running for years as it was just awesome cheap motoring.

Paid double what you did, but also considered it a bargain.

I had a country road commute, and the prices for the rears on the staggered 182 MV1 setup (255 40 are they?) was eye watering so I swapped from them to 17" style 44's and PilotSport4s all round. Odd on a slightly mixed set of bridgestones I got no tramlining on the 18s but bucket fulls on the 17" for the week I ran them with the mixed ditch finders ahead of changing them, its not fine unless they are getting low on tread and I am in a really rutted bit of lane 1 motorway.

I went with the Bilstein B4 + Eibach kit from TDC when I refreshed the suspension and have been very happy with it, the dust covers on the rear failed within a week, got replacements foc but never fitted them, but otherwise the ride is great, very oem feel.

People talk about the cooling system being cheese, and I have had a top hose go on me (fortunately literally as I reversed on to by drive), the smaller bottom hose develop a 1pint in 10miles leak, and the GSF own brand replacement rad last under a year, and the stat stick open (expensive oem replacement). However with new hoses all round and a Hella (i think) rad and bottle we have been good! I also had the aux belt snap, which as it drives to coolant pump, leaves the car undrivable. £15! I have also had the oil filter housing gasket (between housing and engine) go which was a bugger to diagnose but cheap to fix!

I have an occasional slight hiccup in the power band at about 3-4k sometimes, only really noticeable in 2nd, which was not cured by a Vanos rebuild at the ZedShed Earlestown, St Helens (rocker cover gasket was leaking so rude not too) and at one point it started stalling at low rpm which was traced to a cam sensor which was replaced with a part-warn bmw unit.

Anyway. Yes. Loverly cars!

Biggest car I've owned having mainly had 1.8 306's and the like, but cracking engine, and still looks half its age half my friends think it is on a private plate....


Daniel

Hi Daniel, thanks for the reply.

Yes, those rear tyres are an annoying (uncommon) size and hence quite expensive. I'll probably chuck on something mid range (Kumho etc) at some point.

I had a few cooling bits and pieces to sort out on my E36 328 but so far so good on the 330. (obviously expect epic failure in the next few days!).

I'm sure the 330 probably deserves a lot more love, but I'm treating it as a bit of a shed. Do have MTF and diff fluid sitting here to replace at some point. Must admit, not washed it since I bought it last September.

At the mo, the priority is that wheelspeed sensor.

[g3org3y]

dhutch said:

Yes, they are silly price. Managed to get a nearly new partworn for not a lot, which might be a genuine option, but while for some reason I still have them cluttering up the shed, ive not looked back since going to 17's much easier to clear too.....

For me its about having a nice car to be in, either on the commute (which I often do by train these days) or when on holiday or going to see a friend (remember when we did that) without it costing me a monthly lease deal, or having to worry about getting charged for a scratch the dog has made. Spend as little as you can (time and money) on something which is nice, but also reliable.

I figure even if it does £500 garage bill twice a year, its buttons compared to a £300pcm lease deal.

The detent on my box (also 5sp) was sticking a bit so I had that cleaned up and new box oil at the same time I think, but haven't touched the diff and feel no need to at the moment, life is too short.

Hope the wheel speed sensor is sorted soon!

It's a shame my 330Ci doesn't have the Sport seats. The standard ones aren't especially comfortable to be honest. (The Sport seats in my wife's E91 are much more comfortable). Lack of heated seats is a minor grumble too. They seem quite an arse ache to try and retrofit and I'm not that bothered.

A few bills here and there on a otherwise decent car are reasonable.

Speaking of which, wheel speed sensor done. Garage had to drill it out, apparently it was a right bd of a job. (Makes me feel better about me not being able to get it out myself ). Finally can drive with no warning lights on the dash - true luxury!

pmorg4 said:

Just spotted this thread and thought I'd comment being that I have a similar E46 330Ci Sport manual coupe, although in Topaz Blue (mid-blue metallic). It was originally owned by a friend, who sold it to another friend, who then sold it to me as I needed a stopgap car after deciding I could no longer face repeated breakdowns with my 987 Boxster S. The intention was that I'd run it for a few months while finding another car to replace the Boxster.

That was over 5 years ago, I've still got the E46 which is quickly approaching 200k miles, gets driven hard just about every journey (country roads and an engine that loves revs) and it just won't break!

...

I used to own a late E36 328i coupe in Techno Violet with the obligatory inlet manifold upgrade which was a lovely car and in my opinion a nicer drive than the E46 (better response from the cable throttle, more steering feel, and I fitted the M3 LSD which is an easy swap on the E36 but not on the E46 unfortunately) but the E46 is definitely faster both acceleration and round the bends.

Incidentally, how do you find the E91 in comparison? I must be honest much as I enjoy the E46 coupe, the practicality of a touring does appeal to me and it's probably not worth switching to another E46 and trying to find a decent one. I'm seriously considering seeking out an E91 330i manual with the N52 engine, as I'm not willing to put up with the endless problems the N53 seems to bring.

Thanks for your reply. Yes, the M54 likes to rev. For me, a different character to the M52 (2.8) which felt like a slug of torque and then running out of puff towards the red line. The M54 is much more progressive and feels strong all the way to the top.

I really enjoyed owning my E36 328 Touring. Compared to that, the E46 feels a bit softer and vaguer in the steering. But tbf, the same could be said of the E36 vs my E30.

E91 is a good car. It feels a lot more modern (and in M Sport trim, looks pretty modern) and just overall a more polished product. A few people grumble about the interior, but I think it's decent. Needs to be in a good colour combo to work well though. The N52 is a great engine, keep it high in the revs and it really does fly. Bit of a leaky git though. Manual E90s are not that common. Manual E91s are especially rare. I looked at N53s as well, but as you say (and as is documented in the straight six bearding thread) potentially problematic. As it was a car for the wife, wanted something relatively trouble free.

Mr Tidy said:

Not quite the same, but in 2014 I bought an E46 325ti Sport Compact in Imola Red as my "sensible" car as my 90 year old Mum struggled to get in or out of my Z4!

It drove really well, but the short boot meant Zimmers and wheelchairs required dropping the rear seats which wasn't great.

So in 2018 I replaced it with an E91 and given budget constraints it was an early 325i SE with the N52 engine. It just never felt that special - too refined and too quiet as well as not feeling as quick. But it worked well with elderly parent accessories!

Anyway I got frustrated with that and in 2019 I replaced it with an E90 330i SE that also had the N52 engine because I didn't fancy risking the N53, and maybe it's just as well my budget ruled them out anyway.

But I think mine has had the "golf-tee" mod as it sounds much better and drives really well, but it doesn't fell as "pointy" as my E46 Compact did.

In an ideal world (as in budget allowing) I would have got a 5 door 130i so at least dropping the rear seats would have been easier.

130i is just too small for us with baby + dog.

I've actually toyed with the idea of an X5 (E70) but they are almost all diesel or (problematic) V8s. N52 engined ones are very rare indeed!

I did the golf tee mod on my old E36 328 saloon. Did probably sound louder but must admit it was so long ago, can't remember!



(And yes, those are aftermarket angel eyes, t'was the fashion in those days. )

Edited by g3org3y on Friday 3rd July 21:33

[g3org3y]

helix402 said:

I’ve got a pair of black Nappa M3 E46 front seats for sale if you fancy sport seats.

Sounds a bit fancy for my shed. I'll buy a cushion.

dhutch said:

g3org3y said:

Yes, the M54 likes to rev. For me, a different character to the M52 (2.8) which felt like a slug of torque and then running out of puff towards the red line. The M54 is much more progressive and feels strong all the way to the top.

Very willing little engine isnt it, obviously its a 2.0l inline 4 with an extra two cylinders on the end, so there is no reason at all why it shouldnt rev well, but it is very nice that it does. Coupled with the very long 'rep mobile' cruising gearbox actually works really well, and while I expect the lower ratios of the 325ti compact feels a bit more sporty and nibble at time, I really like the box I have; for commuting to work or driving up the M6 to the Lakes for a week, or a weeks road trip with uni mates around the back lanes Ireland, it just works. I haven't driven a 6sp but I understand the bulk of the box has very similar ratios, at which point its just one less gear change, happy days!
Daniel

I remember reading the 6th gear was almost like an overdrive for motorway speeds. I suspect would help with economy on a run.

Mr-B said:

Heated seats shed style

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RAC-Universal-12v-Heate...

Aldi or Lidl have something similar occasionally with their special offers.

Or buy another car with heated seats?

[g3org3y]

pmorg4 said:

The M52 likes revs too, but for reasons unknown the E36 328 has a restrictive inlet manifold (apparently it's the same flow rate as the one in the 320). It's a common mod to fit the manifold from the earlier 325 which is quite obviously bigger, which gives a bit more power but more importantly gets rid of that "brick wall" feeling when the engine hits 5000 RPM making for a much more enjoyable drive. I think an E36 328 with the manifold change and ideally a remapped ECU to make the most of the manifold (both of which I'd done in my 328 Sport) brings its power delivery very close to the E46 330. The M3 diff on the 328 was the icing on the cake, lower ratio works well with the more rev happy engine after the manifold swap, and LSD just makes it more usable. Fitting an LSD to a non-M E46 is comparatively big money, which just doesn't make sense in a cheap car.

Thanks for the info on the E91. It sounds like it could be an ideal replacement for the E46 in my current circumstances. I do have a browse now and then, and I agree they are rare in manual (which surprises me with a revvy petrol engine - I can see the logic in matching a diesel to an automatic). However there always seem to be at least a few on sale if you're prepared to travel to buy one, so when the time comes I'm sure I can find one. I've always been happy to travel the around the country to buy specific cars, one example being a manual 840Ci which is a rare car indeed!

I actually sold the M50 manifold on my old E36 325i for more than the entire scrap value of the car itself (killed by terminal rust).

I think the E36 328 was a bit a BMW sweet spot. It performed over and above what the official on paper figures suggested.

Autocar got 6.1sec 0-60 for a manual Touring

[g3org3y]

pmorg4 said:

There's a good reason why M50 325 manifolds are in such demand

Wow I'm surprised at that 0-60 figure, that suggests that with the manifold mod in a lighter coupe it's going to be dipping into the high 5s. I'd love to have my E36 328 coupe back, but I bet it would cost multiple times what I sold it for if it hasn't been eaten by the rust bug.

I'm sure in years to come I'll be lusting after the E46 when I eventually have to put up with small capacity turbo engines and lifeless steering! Progress eh...

Everyone knows Tourings are quickest.

New rear tyres on the E46. The 255/35 R18 size limits options. Went for Kumho PS71.


Got some bits and pieces I need to fit at some point: control arms, control arm bushings and anti-roll bar links. Maybe will tackle them over the weekend.

In the meantime, collected this yesterday:

[g3org3y]

Jakg said:

Love the 6!

Thanks!

JakeT said:

Tidy. I'm guessing it's an N52, because it's a pre facelift model? A mate has an N53 one. Drives nicely. Strangely small in the back.

Yes, N52. 3rd N52 of the fleet in actual fact.

Speaking of which, first world problems: having to spend 10 mins moving the cars about to get the one I need (E46) in the garage.

[g3org3y]

A couple of bits done to the E46:

Anti-rollbar link was in need of replacement:


Decided to do both sides, was relatively straightforward with no issues


Looked at the control arms and bushings. They seem fairly solid tbh. Don't think they are causing the creaking.


Changed the differential fluid.

Used this adaptor


New plugs. Genuine BMW items have the washer complete with the plug.


Need a litre and a bit of Castrol Syntrax Longlife 75W90


Ended up being an annoying and messy job. The tubes that came with the ebay siphon/pump kit were quite kinked from being in the packet.

This kind of thing:


Trying to hold it all in place and do the pumping (as the actress said to the bishop) was a bit tricky. Cue frustration, accidents and diff fluid on the garage floor.

Might look at doing the manual transmission fluid as well at some point....

As an aside, here's the new wheel speed sensor in situ:


No warning lights anymore (and full use of ABS and DSC)...which is nice.

Edited by g3org3y on Saturday 11th July 13:24

[g3org3y]

First wash since purchase in Sept 2019.

Was dirty tbf.


AG Shampoo
AG SRP
Meguiar's Gold Class Wax

Sorted out some scratches on the bonnet (caused by my careless reversing into the bush at the end of our drive) using Meguiar's Scratch X.

Before


After


Car nice and clean

[g3org3y]

You know how old BMWs often have issues with the cooling system?



Yeah...that.

[g3org3y]

dhutch said:

If I got a quid for every time someone said "cooling system is rubbish, replace it all on spec asap" I would be nearly as rich as if I got a quid for every time the E46 sprung a leak after I didn't.

Literally have now done the lot, radiator, rad cap and top hose, then thermostat inc housing, then radiator (again) and header, rad cap, both bottom hoses.

Got through a few rads (+other bits) during my time with the E36.

Sf_Manta said:

Been there twice before on mine. Last time round the radiator was trying to be circular instead of rectangular.

Sf_Manta said:

I'm looking into replacing the stock one that's in there with a CSF item soon, the hoses on mine are already upgraded to Samco items to prevent those bursting.

http://www.csfrace.eu/CSF-Race-Radiator-for-99-03-...

Whereas I was thinking second cheapest from ECP.

JakeT said:

Ah Christ. The depressing look of seeing coolant on the undertray. My 328ci leaked the entire time I owned it from underneath the expansion tank. I replaced the rad, expansion tank (twice), the mounting plate for the expansion tank, and all of the hoses. Still leaked! In hot weather it was dead fine though. Never leaked enough to put the light on, but I had to add coolant occasionally.

How big is the leak? If it's not a lot, short term it's liveable. I'm sure the rad is about past its best though.

Topped up last night and drove to work and bad this morning. Not actively leaking that I could see when I returned home this evening (though I did drive the car relatively sedately). I've filled up a bottle of water to have in the car, just in case.

PaulGT3 said:

A good idea to replace the o rings in the coolant hoses that attach to the rad as these can weep especially if they've been on and off a few times.

Thanks for the advice, will look into it.

[g3org3y]

Nissens is the second cheapest on ECP

Cheapest: EIS
Middle: Nissens
Most Expensive: Hella

Sounds reasonable to do the thermostat, housing and waterpump at the same time?

Anything else to change while I'm there?

[g3org3y]

Sf_Manta said:

Might as well swap the upper and lower hoses too, they do come pre-assembled and as someone mentioned previously, the O rings go in them, I know from having one go on my upper hose.

Expansion tanks are known to pop too depending how hard you drive the car, and given the youngest E46 is well into it's teens, not worth trusting aged plastics from my experience.

Good plan.

dhutch said:

I would day definitely do the hoses, as ive had two of the three fail when I didn't, top hose, and the breather hose or whatever it is, smaller dia of the two bottom ones.

Last time I did the expansion tank while I was at it because why not, its money but not a huge amount and you obviously have to separate and re assy when you swap the rad.

Thermostat housing was not due to a leak, but a stuck open stat. They come as one part, and I was recommended to put in a BMW one, but they are not cheap and at easy to do without draining much coolant, so if it gets upto temp in a sensible time, leave it?

Waterpump. Think mines had one, can't remember.

Daniel

Car comes up to temp no problem.

Interestingly, when I stick a code reader on it, it shows 7B Activation Map Cooling. Does this suggest the thermostat is at fault or some other sensor associated with the cooling system?

[g3org3y]

helix402 said:

Your thermostat code means you need a new thermostat.

For the parts you’re considering changing I recommend:

Water pump: gen BMW-they last the longest
Thermostat: MAHLE or gen BMW as above
Expansion tank: gen BMW as above

Coolant is G48.

I wouldn’t worry too much about the coolant hoses. The main problem with them is minor leaks from the o rings. You can buy a kit of a full set of uprated o rings.

Yes, googling did suggest likely new thermostat needed.

Thanks for the advice, much appreciated.

[g3org3y]

MOT day today...it'll be fine...probably.

[g3org3y]

Never in doubt.

MOT said:

Date tested
17 August 2020
PASS
View test certificate
Mileage
162,394 miles
MOT test number
2146 5016 5594
Test location
View test location
Expiry date
26 August 2021
Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories):
covers fitted to n/s & o/s sills
Offside Rear Direction indicator slightly discoloured (4.4.3 (a))
under body shields fitted
o/s/r shock absorber dirt shield loose

It actually failed the first time for 'offside headlamp aim too high'. Looks like they adjusted it and re-tested.

The E46 survives for another year. Rad behaved itself until a really hot day last week where it started leaking again from that problem area. Should probably get that sorted out at some point.

[g3org3y]

dhutch said:

Nice one.

Bit of a funny one about the cill/body covers, they can make good inspection hard, but what can garage or owner do about it?
The dust covers on my rear B4's failed within a few weeks, got replacements sent out, but never fitted them as likely fail again!
So yeah, your worse item is in my book, a slightly discoloured indicator. Aka, its a minter!

Daniel

Boom, value instantly doubled.

[g3org3y]

craigjm said:

g3org3y said:

Boom, value instantly doubled.

Yeah but it was already halved by just looking at the owner

Am sorry to inform you that your Jag must be worthless.

pmorg4 said:

Woohoo

My E46 330Ci has just passed its MOT so lives on for another year. It wasn't due until November, but as the car has been parked in my garage for most of the year, and I needed to take it in for the replacement of springs, I figured I might as well get the MOT refreshed as a kind of health check before I start using it again. It ended up needing a rear wheel bearing and DSC sensor (I wonder whether the latter was damaged during replacement of the former, being that there were no warning lights when it went in!). Not bad for going on 200,000 miles

Thanks I wasn't worried...much.

TBH, I'd been under the car not that long ago sorting the ARB links so everything looked pretty decent good enough to pass the MOT so I was cautiously optimistic.

You may be right regarding the 'collateral damage' theory for your DSC sensor

Sf_Manta said:

Congrats on the pass. I'm looking forwards to when mine goes in as i've used the same place for the past couple of years. They know they can't get any work from me, but I always make sure they're strict on it, so I know it's been checked correctly.

Last year the car was a bit tatty underneath.. this year it's a bit different





The exhaust is due to be done in Sept using M3 and Eisenmann parts in stainless steel.

Thanks.

Sounds like yours is a keeper.

[g3org3y]

Update:

Expansion tank started leaking quite a bit after my previous post and I didn't fancy having to top up coolant on a daily basis so the E46 hadn't been used for a couple of months. I was pleased that despite sitting unused and subjected to a lot of rain there was no damp in the car at all. Attached my CTEK charger for a couple of days and it started first time. Idle was a bit grumpy for 10-20 seconds but then settled down. Has been fine on subsequent starts but the aux air pump (that is used for emission control on cold starts) has started whining. Will ignore.

It finally had its cooling system refresh last week:

- New radiator (Nissens)
- New thermostat (Wahler)
- New expansion tank (Meyle)
- New hoses (Febi Bilstein)
- New AC condenser (Hella/Behr Premium Line)
(Didn't do the water pump as looking in the SH, was already done a couple of years back).

Oddly enough, the lower return pipe was reportedly faulty when the mechanic put it on so they had to put back on the original item. Will find out the specifics next week (and decide whether to bother returning the hose). Otherwise seems the refresh went ok.

E46 will probably move on to make way for a new addition (E70 X5). Having 5 cars is probably a bit excessive so need to make some space on the drive. Will be passing the 330Ci on to my dad.

Overall the E46 has been pretty decent in the time I've owned it. Of course it has cost some money and time to get bits and pieces sorted, but it's a 20 year old BMW with >160k miles. As long as the body remains relatively rust free, I don't see why it shouldn't last a quite more years.

[g3org3y]

Thanks chaps, made sense (plus topping up the coolant every other day gets annoying quite quickly). Car is otherwise in decent shape.

pmorg4 said:

I read your thread about the X5, sounds like a lovely machine and I'm sure it will serve you well.

Thank you, will probably start a new thread about it. Going to collect this weekend. It's for the wife...obviously.

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