BMW 330 Clubsport
Discussion
And back on topic.
I got in it the other day to be greeted with the low washer fluid light. Not a problem, filled the bottle up again and all was well.
Until I got in the following day and was met with the same pretty little orange picture. “Bugger”, I thought to myself “it’s guaranteed to be something to do with the headlamp washers”.
Unimpressed with the idea of pulling the front of the car apart in the week leading up to what passes for Christmas this year, I did what any decent home car tinkerer does, start at the easy end.
To my absolute amazement, the trick of putting it off until the next day had worked, in about 10 seconds I spotted the slow drip from the area around the pump for the windscreen.
Pulling it apart I found this ( I didn’t even know it was there, so I’ve learned something)
little fella all blocked with congealed washer fluid.
It turns out the the issue was in fact this.
It was actually leaking from the motor itself. New one ordered and fitted this morning, problem solved
Not a very riveting update I know, but there’s not much going on and I seem to have time on my hands.
I got in it the other day to be greeted with the low washer fluid light. Not a problem, filled the bottle up again and all was well.
Until I got in the following day and was met with the same pretty little orange picture. “Bugger”, I thought to myself “it’s guaranteed to be something to do with the headlamp washers”.
Unimpressed with the idea of pulling the front of the car apart in the week leading up to what passes for Christmas this year, I did what any decent home car tinkerer does, start at the easy end.
To my absolute amazement, the trick of putting it off until the next day had worked, in about 10 seconds I spotted the slow drip from the area around the pump for the windscreen.
Pulling it apart I found this ( I didn’t even know it was there, so I’ve learned something)
little fella all blocked with congealed washer fluid.
It turns out the the issue was in fact this.
It was actually leaking from the motor itself. New one ordered and fitted this morning, problem solved
Not a very riveting update I know, but there’s not much going on and I seem to have time on my hands.
And, I’m back with a new mystery to solve.
I took the car out to do some shopping on Sunday and took the back way. Having very thoroughly warmed the it up on my travels, I thought that I heard the exhaust getting louder. About half a mile from Tesco I realised that it was not my usual paranoia and that the car now sounded like a tank.
Suitably embarrassed and feeling very conspicuous I crept into the car park on tick-over, checked that the exhaust was not lying on the floor and went shopping with the usual intent of checking it out properly when I got home.
Twenty minutes later, food loaded in the boot I started the car, full of trepidation.
It started perfectly making no more noise than usual. I drove five miles home without incident. How the hell can an exhaust blow that badly and then fix itself?
This of course meant that when I got home there was no apparent leak to look for
I took the car out to do some shopping on Sunday and took the back way. Having very thoroughly warmed the it up on my travels, I thought that I heard the exhaust getting louder. About half a mile from Tesco I realised that it was not my usual paranoia and that the car now sounded like a tank.
Suitably embarrassed and feeling very conspicuous I crept into the car park on tick-over, checked that the exhaust was not lying on the floor and went shopping with the usual intent of checking it out properly when I got home.
Twenty minutes later, food loaded in the boot I started the car, full of trepidation.
It started perfectly making no more noise than usual. I drove five miles home without incident. How the hell can an exhaust blow that badly and then fix itself?
This of course meant that when I got home there was no apparent leak to look for
As above, though I had the same issue, and it was the resonator box which had gone.
It cracks around the welds at the backside of the box (can be seen if looking from the back end of the car) and tends to cause the car to get louder initially as the system heats up then closes up once everything's to temp.
Might be worth checking that with a torch on a lift as it's not easy to spot the cracks.
It cracks around the welds at the backside of the box (can be seen if looking from the back end of the car) and tends to cause the car to get louder initially as the system heats up then closes up once everything's to temp.
Might be worth checking that with a torch on a lift as it's not easy to spot the cracks.
I still have not had a chance to have a proper look, I have managed to make the blow a permanent feature though. It seems to be coming from the manifold end. I think, manifold to engine rather than manifold to exhaust. When I got it home, there was smoke/fumes from under the bonnet. That however I think is a result of the leaking gases being near the oil from the seeping cam cover gasket.
Having made it pretty much unusable, I will have to sort it out this week.
Having made it pretty much unusable, I will have to sort it out this week.
daveco said:
What a great thread!
I'm lucky to have a 330ci sport with the 6 speed manual but the clubsport always intrigued me.
Where was the 20kg stripped from?
The engine insulation on the underside of the bonnet weighs nowt so genuinely curious as to where it was lightened.
Exhaust system flanges......I'm lucky to have a 330ci sport with the 6 speed manual but the clubsport always intrigued me.
Where was the 20kg stripped from?
The engine insulation on the underside of the bonnet weighs nowt so genuinely curious as to where it was lightened.
s m said:
daveco said:
What a great thread!
I'm lucky to have a 330ci sport with the 6 speed manual but the clubsport always intrigued me.
Where was the 20kg stripped from?
The engine insulation on the underside of the bonnet weighs nowt so genuinely curious as to where it was lightened.
Exhaust system flanges......I'm lucky to have a 330ci sport with the 6 speed manual but the clubsport always intrigued me.
Where was the 20kg stripped from?
The engine insulation on the underside of the bonnet weighs nowt so genuinely curious as to where it was lightened.
s m said:
daveco said:
What a great thread!
I'm lucky to have a 330ci sport with the 6 speed manual but the clubsport always intrigued me.
Where was the 20kg stripped from?
The engine insulation on the underside of the bonnet weighs nowt so genuinely curious as to where it was lightened.
Exhaust system flanges......I'm lucky to have a 330ci sport with the 6 speed manual but the clubsport always intrigued me.
Where was the 20kg stripped from?
The engine insulation on the underside of the bonnet weighs nowt so genuinely curious as to where it was lightened.
The sound insulation is missing from the bulkhead and/or floor. There is definitely more cabin noise than the standard, although it’s not unbearable.
I’ve only had a quick look but it seems that decent replacement manifolds for these are a bit thin on the ground. The main problem being clearance for the steering, most are listed as LHD only.
helix402 said:
Does the M52tu manifold fit? (It doesn’t have the cats in).
Not sure, but they are similar to the Alpina B3 system. I'd have offered the complete system but someone already put a deposit down and collected it not long ago. Fingers crossed you can find a fix. That said if you're prepared to replace the system.. I had mine swapped for a M3 system, modified to fit via laser cut flanges for the M52/ M54
S54 Manifolds are worth peanuts compared to the S52 ones and can be made to fit...
I am slightly hampered by needing the car so I cannot have it off the road while things are made or adapted. At the moment I have replaced one of the bolts that was missing which has improved things and temporarily at least made it sort of usable.
Plan A is definitely to try just replacing the gasket along with new nuts and bolts.
Amazing, SWMBO hasn’t suggested that I need to replace the car again.
Plan A is definitely to try just replacing the gasket along with new nuts and bolts.
Amazing, SWMBO hasn’t suggested that I need to replace the car again.
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