2003 BMW M3 - The New Daily
Discussion
darreni said:
Nice job!
The E46 is a great car for tinkerers, most stuff is accessible & easyish to work on.
Re the rear knock, have you checked the rear shock top mounts?, these go often & are peanuts £30-40) to replace, go rogue engineering replacements for a fit & forget option at 100 quid
Cheers! I agree about the working on part. So far it has put up less of a fight than my E36 323i did!The E46 is a great car for tinkerers, most stuff is accessible & easyish to work on.
Re the rear knock, have you checked the rear shock top mounts?, these go often & are peanuts £30-40) to replace, go rogue engineering replacements for a fit & forget option at 100 quid
Regarding the top mounts, how would you check them? I attempted moving the damper about sideways and up and down by hand, albeit it was all bolted up but all seemed OK.
I'm 99% sure it's the ball joints. As you say the spring tensions everything even when jacked up, when you pop them out you'll probably be shocked at their condition.
It's really not too bad of a job if you have a rattle gun, get some correct size spacers (probably sockets) and a good bit of threaded rod and you're away.
The ball joints themselves are pretty cheap too.
It's really not too bad of a job if you have a rattle gun, get some correct size spacers (probably sockets) and a good bit of threaded rod and you're away.
The ball joints themselves are pretty cheap too.
darreni said:
Cheers for the link. We shall see what happens 
.The temptation is very strong for me to upgrade bits on this car but I am tempted to keep it stock for the best part. I almost forgot what it was like to own a car not on the floor for once! We shall see.
I did see the Rogue mounts and I like the idea behind them. If I don't get them I planned on getting the following:
Genuine mounts (but they are ££££ ; OTOH they have lasted a while...)
Meyle HD mounts ; there seems to be alot of good things said about these.
shalmaneser said:
I'm 99% sure it's the ball joints. As you say the spring tensions everything even when jacked up, when you pop them out you'll probably be shocked at their condition.
It's really not too bad of a job if you have a rattle gun, get some correct size spacers (probably sockets) and a good bit of threaded rod and you're away.
The ball joints themselves are pretty cheap too.
That is my plan It's really not too bad of a job if you have a rattle gun, get some correct size spacers (probably sockets) and a good bit of threaded rod and you're away.
The ball joints themselves are pretty cheap too.
.I reckon the balljoints are fine. Compared to my last E36 on new suspension everywhere (dampers, bushes, arms etc.) this handles spot on and was one of the better M3s I drove out of the 5 I saw
. But with the dampers off it should be easier to tell with less spring resistance on them . I take it the movement if there is any will be in all planes of the suspension and not just the camber?It is surprising how much nicer to drive this is than my old E36 despite being a similar car under the skin. Here's my old E36, as good a car as it was. I'm not saying that car was free of faults either
.http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
It's time for another update.
For some odd reason a mate of mine decided it would be a good idea to go down to the Southampton Boat Show. With the promise of beer and Michelle Keegan being around it didn't take alot of convincing for me to go down.
It was a good weekend out in all honesty. The boats were great to look at both inside and out. Man, I need to mix in the right circles!
That was not to say the humble M3 was forgotten about. Going to and from Southampton, the car was a joy for three of us to go up there in and back as a package. It chewed up the motorways without a hitch and me not nodding off, overtaking in it was an effortless affair and man that engine can sing! Even in town the car was fine, with me generally getting about very nicely.
The car saw its own little milestone as well:
Now, why would I show this? The last service this car had was at 114k which should have been a normal 'oil service' according to the schedule. According to the receipts it had all of the filters and bits and bobs done for what should have been the car's "full service". I knew that the air filter had been changed then as I checked that before. The price however, even with using Purflux parts did seem a little cheap. I was skeptical to say the least!
With this in mind I decided to give the car its oilchange around 4k ahead of schedule.
A sort-of before photo that is actually a during photo! I decided to go with BMW for the filter after reading up a bit about the filter and seeing that getting the M spec filter from Mahle actually costs more from Amazon! Most sell the normal 3 series filter for these.
Going by the date on the filter it ties up for when the car last had an oil change, going by how old the stock tends to be at GSF when I go to buy bits:
And during:
The car doesn't seem to burn oil, but Christ alot of oil came out! I may have to use the larger, but hard to clean oil pan next time!
Being the skeptic I decided to pull out one of the plugs to see what state they were in, and give myself a taste of what part of the valve clearance job will entail:
The electrode looked fine but a little dirtier than expected, but not 30k dirty either (when the last Inspection II was and the ceramic looks surprisingly clean. We shall see if I get another set for when I do the clearances.
Now to source a micrometer and to do the clereances next week. I checked under the car last week and this week with the oil change, with it all looking OK for now.
I was surprised at how simple it was to do the oilchange on this car though. I was expecting it to be hard in all honesty!
Edited by SebringMan on Friday 22 September 22:27
I need to take the bottom damper nut off to check that! There is movement between the two cups on both sides but the bush looks OK in the mount itself. I will take a look one day.
In other news today was the day that I started to finish off the Inspection I, or rather the last process I have been procrastinating over. The valve clearances.
Maybe I procrastinated over it because it's a job I wasn't looking forward to. It may also have been down to me not wanting to pay a fortune to BMW or a specialist either! But I have been a busy boy, with attending weddings of some great folks. I also somehow ended up going to the Nurburgring, and trying my hand at this little machine of goodness!
What's more, I ended up enjoying the delights of a place which is popular for some reason in the town of Nurburg. I have no idea why! You cook your own steak on a stone and there is so much writing on the walls! Ah well, it was a good time:
So it was fair to say that procrastination was treating me well! But then it was time to get stuck in.
Well, that was if my sister's replacement car didn't arrive via a mate buying a new car and then me offering to buy his! The Mondeo with starship mileage (325,000 for those wondering) could finally go on to somebody else as she could enjoy her new car:
With a service being due since my friend was going to part-ex it anyway It got treated to:
-A full service including plugs, filters and all of those wonderful things.
-Parking sensors ; cosnidering she is a newish driver and a 9-3 'vert is hardly an easy thing to see out of they got fitted. For a cheap kit they work well!
Yes, I am well versed in procrastination!
Anyway, I did eventually get stuck into doing the clearances. Here is a 'final' shot before I really took more of the car to bits just to check the clearances:
I would have taken more, but I was taking my time.
What did I learn?
-I can see why BMW charge £700 for an Inspection I and £1492 for a Inspection II. As if an £8 discount off the Inspection II makes a difference!
-It's a good idea to blank off any oilways and holes with loose shims being about.
-Specialists do like to lie ; read on.
I rang a couple of local specialists that were recommended and their advice did not fly with me to be honest! I was told that the clearances didn't need doing on almost all M3s despite it being required every 30,000 miles or 4 years for the Inspections (Is and IIs). It seemed they really didn't want to do the job or maybe they were telling the truth?
With the gaskets ready I cracked on with the job.
Anyway, I cracked on. 3 are out of spec, but not by a lot. BMW specify a 0.05mm tolerance for the gaps; pretty tight really! Judging by how easily the bolts came out complete with witness marks and how consistent the clearances are they do seem to have been done before which is always good!
As a bonus I thought I would check the exhaust tabs on the exhaust cam hub going onto the VANOS. Thankfully mine is fine here [] .
Now to order the shims, but I can reuse one of them already [;)] . So, the clearances never need doing eh?
In other news today was the day that I started to finish off the Inspection I, or rather the last process I have been procrastinating over. The valve clearances.
Maybe I procrastinated over it because it's a job I wasn't looking forward to. It may also have been down to me not wanting to pay a fortune to BMW or a specialist either! But I have been a busy boy, with attending weddings of some great folks. I also somehow ended up going to the Nurburgring, and trying my hand at this little machine of goodness!
What's more, I ended up enjoying the delights of a place which is popular for some reason in the town of Nurburg. I have no idea why! You cook your own steak on a stone and there is so much writing on the walls! Ah well, it was a good time:
So it was fair to say that procrastination was treating me well! But then it was time to get stuck in.
Well, that was if my sister's replacement car didn't arrive via a mate buying a new car and then me offering to buy his! The Mondeo with starship mileage (325,000 for those wondering) could finally go on to somebody else as she could enjoy her new car:
With a service being due since my friend was going to part-ex it anyway It got treated to:
-A full service including plugs, filters and all of those wonderful things.
-Parking sensors ; cosnidering she is a newish driver and a 9-3 'vert is hardly an easy thing to see out of they got fitted. For a cheap kit they work well!
Yes, I am well versed in procrastination!
Anyway, I did eventually get stuck into doing the clearances. Here is a 'final' shot before I really took more of the car to bits just to check the clearances:
I would have taken more, but I was taking my time.
What did I learn?
-I can see why BMW charge £700 for an Inspection I and £1492 for a Inspection II. As if an £8 discount off the Inspection II makes a difference!
-It's a good idea to blank off any oilways and holes with loose shims being about.
-Specialists do like to lie ; read on.
I rang a couple of local specialists that were recommended and their advice did not fly with me to be honest! I was told that the clearances didn't need doing on almost all M3s despite it being required every 30,000 miles or 4 years for the Inspections (Is and IIs). It seemed they really didn't want to do the job or maybe they were telling the truth?
With the gaskets ready I cracked on with the job.
Anyway, I cracked on. 3 are out of spec, but not by a lot. BMW specify a 0.05mm tolerance for the gaps; pretty tight really! Judging by how easily the bolts came out complete with witness marks and how consistent the clearances are they do seem to have been done before which is always good!
As a bonus I thought I would check the exhaust tabs on the exhaust cam hub going onto the VANOS. Thankfully mine is fine here [
] .Now to order the shims, but I can reuse one of them already [;)] . So, the clearances never need doing eh?
Edited by SebringMan on Saturday 23 September 06:54
helix402 said:
Re top mounts, Meyle don't last. These are gen M3 ones:
You will also need the modified washers, only available from BMW.
Cheers for the headsup!You will also need the modified washers, only available from BMW.
The Meyles not lasting I knew about. Some told me it was 'the internet' but after seeing the design of them it makes alot of sense! How on Earth can they honour the two year warranty?
I was going to get the genuine BMW items on the basis that these ones seem to have lasted, but if these have been used by others over quite a mileage with good results I may well use them ;this car is my daily most of the time ; it's the first time it has been off the road in my ownership for more than a few days.
I need to take off the bottom damper mount to check the damper and top mount fully, but I suspect it is the top mounts. A friend who works in a dealership reckons they are the two most likely culprits.
helix402 said:
These are gen BMW, with the BMW badge ground off.
Now that does swing my opinion! Cheers for letting me know .In other news:
Balls!
It seems I need two shims of a certain size, and BMW don't have any in the country at the moment ; I am looking at 7-10 working days with the car being booked for the PH Sunday Service at Silverstone! The alternative Wiseco shim kit is not available in this country either!
I'm potentially looking at not having a car for a week. Ah well. At this point, I do wonder if I shouldn't have been so tight and bought the BMW shim kit!
Any have around 3 2.28mm shims? I really don't want to pull my name off the list but it is potentially looking that way.
Edited by SebringMan on Wednesday 12th October 14:42
Huskyman said:
I know it sounds a bit daft but why don't you get some bigger shims and get a local engineering company to grind them down to spec? Could save you a bit of time here.
Considering I have a few large ones that is not out of the question. Reducing the surface hardening is one of my concerns but a few peeps reckon it should be OK.shalmaneser said:
Have you asked in M3 Cutters? Normally some floating about.
I have indeed and have put a Wanted ad up. It does sound like I am begging for them mind you!Thanks to a fellow PHer it seems I may be in luck .
They are Wiseco shims. I was hoping to use the BMW items but the former do look to be proven with quite a few outfits like ECS Tuning etc. selling them. It will also save the car sitting on the driveway for potentially a week.
In other news, while waiting for the shims and sourcing them I have been busy elsewhere. Not massively, but every little helps. More to come soon.
.They are Wiseco shims. I was hoping to use the BMW items but the former do look to be proven with quite a few outfits like ECS Tuning etc. selling them. It will also save the car sitting on the driveway for potentially a week
.In other news, while waiting for the shims and sourcing them I have been busy elsewhere. Not massively, but every little helps. More to come soon
.It's about time I updated this thread! Anyway, there has been progress and I wouldn't want you thinking no news is good news [;)] .
After getting stuck in I did end up with an engine bay in quite a state for most of the week. The spark plugs were in for this shot!:
Yup, the fan cowling, blower ducting and other bits were all removed, just to allow me to the turn the engine over easily!
While a fellow Pistonhead came to the rescue with the Wiseco shims I figured I would check the rest of the engine bay. For quite some time I have had a very minor and faint continous squeal coming from the front of the engine, almost unoticable! When I took all of the fan bits off the cause was revealed:
Yup, the belts were not the best!
How do you like your crack sir? Would you like it filed down more?
It is fair to say that the belts were shot despite being intact! After looking at them I noticed that they were geniune BMW belts with ContiTech being the OE supplier for them. And so off I went to get more spares. How heavy is that hydraulic tensioner to rotate in order to release it?
While searching and waiting for vital parts the arrive (the shims basically) I decided to make a start on the engine seals that I would be renewing. This would include:
-Rocker Cover Gasket
-Spark Plug gaskets
Rocker cover nut gaskets
-Copper O rings for one of the oil return pipes
-Clean things up along the way.
By the end of the day I ended up with a finished car, honest*
.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEZIt17wd5Q
OK, sorry for the poor video [:P] .
In short it's all put back together now. I wanted to ensure there were no leaks present [] .
I have to say that it may be psychological but it does seem slightly perkier in the midrange. It's good to back in it!
It's not the easiest of jobs to do TBH but if I was doing it again I'd definitely get the shim set beforehand!
The Wiseco shims seem to do the job quite well, but they are different in appearance to the BMW items. The genuine parts have more of a grey coating on them, not far off what you get on new camshafts or followers. Whether it will make a difference only time will tell, but it is running a little nicer in my mind.
Now to sort out the other couple of niggles now that it is back in daily service.
After getting stuck in I did end up with an engine bay in quite a state for most of the week. The spark plugs were in for this shot!:
Yup, the fan cowling, blower ducting and other bits were all removed, just to allow me to the turn the engine over easily!
While a fellow Pistonhead came to the rescue with the Wiseco shims I figured I would check the rest of the engine bay. For quite some time I have had a very minor and faint continous squeal coming from the front of the engine, almost unoticable! When I took all of the fan bits off the cause was revealed:
Yup, the belts were not the best!
How do you like your crack sir? Would you like it filed down more?
It is fair to say that the belts were shot despite being intact! After looking at them I noticed that they were geniune BMW belts with ContiTech being the OE supplier for them. And so off I went to get more spares. How heavy is that hydraulic tensioner to rotate in order to release it?
While searching and waiting for vital parts the arrive (the shims basically) I decided to make a start on the engine seals that I would be renewing. This would include:
-Rocker Cover Gasket
-Spark Plug gaskets
Rocker cover nut gaskets
-Copper O rings for one of the oil return pipes
-Clean things up along the way.
By the end of the day I ended up with a finished car, honest*
- I wish! That was last Friday!
.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEZIt17wd5Q
OK, sorry for the poor video [:P] .
In short it's all put back together now. I wanted to ensure there were no leaks present [
] .I have to say that it may be psychological but it does seem slightly perkier in the midrange. It's good to back in it!
It's not the easiest of jobs to do TBH but if I was doing it again I'd definitely get the shim set beforehand!
The Wiseco shims seem to do the job quite well, but they are different in appearance to the BMW items. The genuine parts have more of a grey coating on them, not far off what you get on new camshafts or followers. Whether it will make a difference only time will tell, but it is running a little nicer in my mind
.Now to sort out the other couple of niggles now that it is back in daily service.
Edited by SebringMan on Tuesday 18th October 08:49
Edited by SebringMan on Monday 21st November 18:44
Edited by SebringMan on Friday 22 September 22:31
helix402 said:
Good job, glad the shims did the job.
Cheers as always, they did the job a treat . Next time I do this I'll most likely buy the shims! If I had them the car could have easily have had the clearances done in a day!mattwhite709 said:
I've always liked the E46 M3 ever since it first came out and It looks like you have a great car there.I have one on my bucket list waiting to be crossed off. I've been looking at yellow ones (The best colour) for a weekend toy.
Many thanks fella.Mine's not perfect but it's not that bad at all it seems. I've done over 3,000 miles since May and it is generally pretty good
. Certainly consider one, but depending on the cars you have owned before I'd do your homework. Before this I thought my modded 944 Turbo was expensive to own! If I am honest this comes close! In some areas it is cheaper to maintain, while in others it is pricier. But such is life .As always it's time for yet another update. This one is less of a mechanical update and more about cleaning and driving 
.
After the valve clearance saga I have wasted no time in MULT : Making Up Lost Time, or in my case mileage.
Seeing as I have not taken good pics of the car I figured I best give it a clay, polish & wax. With the clay mitt, the job didn't take too long! IMO they are probably not as effective as a bar but they certainly make the job far far faster!
While it is not mega shiny it's an improvement on before with less swirls. After a dose of Collinite over the body it should be easier to keep clean too.
Even the Grey Nappa Leather hated by many came up a treat:
Now that the engine is back together I figured I'd take a shot of it complete:
With this done it was time to hit Silverstone for the Sunday Service. With quite a bit of trepidation I went onto the track. After all, I am used to hot hatches on a track and not a 300+BHP car!
In truth I needn't have worried. The Falkens, while struggling for grip did hang on for the best part and I was quite surprised at how composed the car was. OK, the DSC was on but I wasn't going to ruin some peoples' day over a bit of willy waving!
The time I got was OK too. I managed a 1:15. Not brilliant, but not horrific. Hopefully that can improve with some new rubber:
So, I had fun! As a bonus unlike the Escort last year, the M3 didn't take a wee on track! Always a bonus.
What was not so good? I managed to make the rear brakes smoke when coming back into the pits! That was initially a heart in the mouth moment until I saw where the smoke was coming from. Also, the tyres didn't take too kindly to being thrashed around. Despite the tyres having done 40 miles from me leaving the track day they still don't look too hot:
So all in, the weekend was pretty good.
As for mechanical work, I ended up adjusting the handbrake prior to the event. For months the handbrake has only worked on the driver's side, strange when the car has had new discs, pads and shoes fitted by a specialist 10,000 miles ago and 2 years ago. Initially I thought something had broken. Taking the rear disc off revealed that all was well, but that the passenger side was miles out of adjustment.
With me loosening off the handbrake cables, adjusting the drums to be even, and then adjusting the handbrake cable to get the travel and balance right I now have a great handbrake. Maybe I am being hasty but I do wonder if it was adjusted correctly before! But then it did pass an MOT...
.After the valve clearance saga I have wasted no time in MULT : Making Up Lost Time, or in my case mileage.
Seeing as I have not taken good pics of the car I figured I best give it a clay, polish & wax. With the clay mitt, the job didn't take too long! IMO they are probably not as effective as a bar but they certainly make the job far far faster!
While it is not mega shiny it's an improvement on before with less swirls. After a dose of Collinite over the body it should be easier to keep clean too.
Even the Grey Nappa Leather hated by many came up a treat:
Now that the engine is back together I figured I'd take a shot of it complete:
With this done it was time to hit Silverstone for the Sunday Service. With quite a bit of trepidation I went onto the track. After all, I am used to hot hatches on a track and not a 300+BHP car!
In truth I needn't have worried. The Falkens, while struggling for grip did hang on for the best part and I was quite surprised at how composed the car was. OK, the DSC was on but I wasn't going to ruin some peoples' day over a bit of willy waving!
The time I got was OK too. I managed a 1:15. Not brilliant, but not horrific. Hopefully that can improve with some new rubber:
So, I had fun! As a bonus unlike the Escort last year, the M3 didn't take a wee on track! Always a bonus.
What was not so good? I managed to make the rear brakes smoke when coming back into the pits! That was initially a heart in the mouth moment until I saw where the smoke was coming from. Also, the tyres didn't take too kindly to being thrashed around. Despite the tyres having done 40 miles from me leaving the track day they still don't look too hot:
So all in, the weekend was pretty good.
As for mechanical work, I ended up adjusting the handbrake prior to the event. For months the handbrake has only worked on the driver's side, strange when the car has had new discs, pads and shoes fitted by a specialist 10,000 miles ago and 2 years ago. Initially I thought something had broken. Taking the rear disc off revealed that all was well, but that the passenger side was miles out of adjustment.
With me loosening off the handbrake cables, adjusting the drums to be even, and then adjusting the handbrake cable to get the travel and balance right I now have a great handbrake. Maybe I am being hasty but I do wonder if it was adjusted correctly before! But then it did pass an MOT...
Edited by SebringMan on Tuesday 25th October 13:42
Edited by SebringMan on Friday 22 September 22:34
Well it seems the luck of the drawer has been handy for me here! The car has made it to the review post on Pistonheads! Happy days
:http://www.pistonheads.com/news/general-pistonhead...
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