E46 330i Touring
Discussion
Good to see another E46 Touring being saved. Feel free to drop any queries and we can help 
Have got my own, which was a 5 speed manual now convered to 6 speed (M3 box). It's currently awaiting to have it's engine refreshed.. though has been extensively reworked into a bit of a fast road / track tool. Also sounds a bit fruity these days
Have got my own, which was a 5 speed manual now convered to 6 speed (M3 box). It's currently awaiting to have it's engine refreshed.. though has been extensively reworked into a bit of a fast road / track tool. Also sounds a bit fruity these days
Edited by Sf_Manta on Friday 29th January 14:37
Edited by Sf_Manta on Friday 29th January 15:14
Nice find - I must get around to updating the thread on mine. still going strong and has had a new wing and fuel pipes since I last updated
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Sf_Manta said:
Good to see another E46 Touring being saved. Feel free to drop any queries and we can help
Have got my own, which was a 5 speed manual now convered to 6 speed (M3 box). It's currently awaiting to have it's engine refreshed.. though has been extensively reworked into a bit of a fast road / track tool. Also sounds a bit fruity these days
Nice! Like the colour! Have got my own, which was a 5 speed manual now convered to 6 speed (M3 box). It's currently awaiting to have it's engine refreshed.. though has been extensively reworked into a bit of a fast road / track tool. Also sounds a bit fruity these days
Edited by Sf_Manta on Friday 29th January 14:37
Edited by Sf_Manta on Friday 29th January 15:14
smn159 said:
Nice find - I must get around to updating the thread on mine. still going strong and has had a new wing and fuel pipes since I last updated
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I like the headunit! Can't decided where to go for a branded one like yours or a Chinese Android unit.https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Nice car and love the unique color.
Have mine for 9 years now and they are great do it all cars.
Personal the best upgrade was using oversized tires : 245-40 on 18 square.
Front and overal grip improved a lot, better balanced car.
I do live in neighborhood with lots of speed bums so the extra road clearance came in handy.
Still think it looks good.
Have mine for 9 years now and they are great do it all cars.
Personal the best upgrade was using oversized tires : 245-40 on 18 square.
Front and overal grip improved a lot, better balanced car.
I do live in neighborhood with lots of speed bums so the extra road clearance came in handy.
Still think it looks good.
Jhonno said:
smn159 said:
Nice find - I must get around to updating the thread on mine. still going strong and has had a new wing and fuel pipes since I last updated
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I like the headunit! Can't decided where to go for a branded one like yours or a Chinese Android unit.https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Falcuono said:
Nice car and love the unique color.
Have mine for 9 years now and they are great do it all cars.
Personal the best upgrade was using oversized tires : 245-40 on 18 square.
Front and overal grip improved a lot, better balanced car.
I do live in neighborhood with lots of speed bums so the extra road clearance came in handy.
Still think it looks good.
I like the wheels.. I was probably going to go 225/40/18 square as it is a nice cheap and available size.Have mine for 9 years now and they are great do it all cars.
Personal the best upgrade was using oversized tires : 245-40 on 18 square.
Front and overal grip improved a lot, better balanced car.
I do live in neighborhood with lots of speed bums so the extra road clearance came in handy.
Still think it looks good.
smn159 said:
Jhonno said:
smn159 said:
Nice find - I must get around to updating the thread on mine. still going strong and has had a new wing and fuel pipes since I last updated
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I like the headunit! Can't decided where to go for a branded one like yours or a Chinese Android unit.https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Next up.. Fog lights.
They weren't working when I picked it up. Assumed bulb. It was also missing the trim on the OS and it was letting moisture in, so I took the plunge/risk on some after market new ones that came with trims. They were half the price of a bare new OEM unit.
They arrived and the quality seems OK, adjuster is the other way round, but I can't see it being a big issue.
We shall see how they stand up to being on the car..
The trims however, didn't feel like they fitted all that well, so I only used the OS one to replace the missing one.
Went to turn them on and nothing.. Turns out the first stop of checking fuses was as far as I needed to go. The fuse had been removed out some point!
I also invested in some LED bulbs to match the xenons from Horizon LEDs.
Obligatory 50:50 shot..
Then all done.
I bought some sidelight bulbs too.. Well.. Thought I did.. 1 arrived. Apparently they don't come in pairs.. So left the halogens in for now..
It's a subtle difference, but looks much better with the clean lenses and trims all in place.
They weren't working when I picked it up. Assumed bulb. It was also missing the trim on the OS and it was letting moisture in, so I took the plunge/risk on some after market new ones that came with trims. They were half the price of a bare new OEM unit.
They arrived and the quality seems OK, adjuster is the other way round, but I can't see it being a big issue.
We shall see how they stand up to being on the car..
The trims however, didn't feel like they fitted all that well, so I only used the OS one to replace the missing one.
Went to turn them on and nothing.. Turns out the first stop of checking fuses was as far as I needed to go. The fuse had been removed out some point!
I also invested in some LED bulbs to match the xenons from Horizon LEDs.
Obligatory 50:50 shot..
Then all done.
I bought some sidelight bulbs too.. Well.. Thought I did.. 1 arrived. Apparently they don't come in pairs.. So left the halogens in for now..
It's a subtle difference, but looks much better with the clean lenses and trims all in place.
Handbrake sorted..
New backing plates arrived. The only way to replace the backing plates properly is to pull the hub and do the bearing at the same time. Couldn't be arsed with that. The bearings are good, so I slit the new backing plates and twisted/slid them into place instead. Problem solved. Handbrake rebuild with new springs/pins and greased all moving parts. Must be one of the best E46 handbrakes in the country now..
Also ordered and fitted new caliper bracket bolts as the ones on there were getting a bit sketchy to undo..
New backing plates arrived. The only way to replace the backing plates properly is to pull the hub and do the bearing at the same time. Couldn't be arsed with that. The bearings are good, so I slit the new backing plates and twisted/slid them into place instead. Problem solved. Handbrake rebuild with new springs/pins and greased all moving parts. Must be one of the best E46 handbrakes in the country now..
Also ordered and fitted new caliper bracket bolts as the ones on there were getting a bit sketchy to undo.. Front wings were rusted. Standard E46 affair.
Managed to source a pair locally in the right colour so swapped them on..
Someone mentioned to me they collect mud at the base of the a-pillar.. He wasn't wrong!! All cleaned out and zero rust.
All done..
The difference in shade is because the wing was clean and the car isn't.. The arches were mint, but to make sure, I cleaned up behind the lip, applied Aqua Steel and then primed and painted them to make sure. They shouldn't rust for many many years now..
MOT ready.. Still dirty, other than the new wings
Managed to source a pair locally in the right colour so swapped them on..
Someone mentioned to me they collect mud at the base of the a-pillar.. He wasn't wrong!! All cleaned out and zero rust.
All done..
The difference in shade is because the wing was clean and the car isn't.. The arches were mint, but to make sure, I cleaned up behind the lip, applied Aqua Steel and then primed and painted them to make sure. They shouldn't rust for many many years now..
MOT ready.. Still dirty, other than the new wings
Edited by Jhonno on Sunday 31st January 20:53
On the MOT ramps..
For those sat waiting with baited breath.. It passed with a clean bill of health and a compliment on it's condition. Chuffed with that after my efforts.
A couple of quick improvements after I ended up with a "free" afternoon this weekend..
The seller said he'd send some dealer plates as part of the deal.. He actually came through, and they arrived this week.
Old plates were shot..
Old plates removed, quick clean up behind..
On...
Next up, at some point a dog had chewed various bits of trim in the boot including the seat backs.. Which aren't available as a separate item..
The breaker who sold me the front wings also sold me a rear seat back with the correct anthracite carpets on the back, and trims in place. Que an hour of carefully unsticking/peeling the backs off the donor seats.. A quicker removal of the chewed ones in the car due to knowing how to remove trims, and less care taken not to damage the trims. Some extra sticky trim adhesive, and a bit of wiggling later and..
Ahhh.. So much better. You'd never know! Bloody lucky it didn't chew the exclusive leather headrests!!!
Random shot of the C10 I sold over first lockdown..
I have a constant itch for new cars! Absolutely need another daft V8 Yank Tank on the drive again at some point.
For those sat waiting with baited breath.. It passed with a clean bill of health and a compliment on it's condition. Chuffed with that after my efforts.
A couple of quick improvements after I ended up with a "free" afternoon this weekend..
The seller said he'd send some dealer plates as part of the deal.. He actually came through, and they arrived this week.
Old plates were shot..
Old plates removed, quick clean up behind..
On...
Next up, at some point a dog had chewed various bits of trim in the boot including the seat backs.. Which aren't available as a separate item..
The breaker who sold me the front wings also sold me a rear seat back with the correct anthracite carpets on the back, and trims in place. Que an hour of carefully unsticking/peeling the backs off the donor seats.. A quicker removal of the chewed ones in the car due to knowing how to remove trims, and less care taken not to damage the trims. Some extra sticky trim adhesive, and a bit of wiggling later and..
Ahhh.. So much better. You'd never know! Bloody lucky it didn't chew the exclusive leather headrests!!!
Random shot of the C10 I sold over first lockdown..
I have a constant itch for new cars! Absolutely need another daft V8 Yank Tank on the drive again at some point.
Been driving this about for about a month now, and quite like it. Returning basically the same MPG as the 530d too within 0.5mpg.. Only thing I've missed is the torque of the M57 in reality.. The couple of times I've driven it in the last month it is really noticeable. Also, the much better suspension on it (Koni Actives/H&R).
I'd noticed with the 330i, I was struggling to drive it smoothly at low speeds, and it was occasionally stalling quite easily as I back into my drive. The throttle also felt a bit wooly at low rpms, and not smooth..
It's got a small leak oil leak from the cam cover, which I have bought the gaskets for now, but figured whilst I was there I would refresh the VANOS using a kit from www.x8r.co.uk. It dawned on me they also do a DISA rebuild kit, so whilst I was paying for postage I went all in..
Tonight I took a break from building/designing my 3D Printer and rebuilt the DISA..
DISA removed. 1st tip.. Make sure you removed the right bolts to get it off the manifold. They are the easier ones to get too also.. It is just, 1 electrical connector, 2 T40 Torx, undo the inlet elbow to give clearance.. Then pull and twist it 90 degrees to remove and clear the bulkhead.
There was play in the flap, not loads, but it rattled about by hand.
Flap removed.. I had to get some circlip pliers under the crank lever to get the leverage remove it.. The pin required a small slim flat head to pry out.
New crank lever in place, with bolt greased/threadlocked and tightened.
Finished article.. Not quite as simple as the instructions have you believe, but not a difficult job either. Mostly it was removing the lever arm that was the tricky bit as it was quite stuck on mine.
Refitted and took it down the road to check it was going to work when I try and go to work in the morning!
What a difference.. Throttle response was now no longer fluffy, idle was stronger (it initially idled high), and it pulled harder at low revs, and was generally smoother and more pleasant to drive.
I'll see how it feels on the longer trip to work, but initial impressions were very positive. Considering it only has 115k on it, and well looked after, and it wasn't throwing a fault, and only had a bit of play I wasn't expecting much, but it was very noticeable on the quick go round the block.
I'd noticed with the 330i, I was struggling to drive it smoothly at low speeds, and it was occasionally stalling quite easily as I back into my drive. The throttle also felt a bit wooly at low rpms, and not smooth..
It's got a small leak oil leak from the cam cover, which I have bought the gaskets for now, but figured whilst I was there I would refresh the VANOS using a kit from www.x8r.co.uk. It dawned on me they also do a DISA rebuild kit, so whilst I was paying for postage I went all in..
Tonight I took a break from building/designing my 3D Printer and rebuilt the DISA..
DISA removed. 1st tip.. Make sure you removed the right bolts to get it off the manifold. They are the easier ones to get too also.. It is just, 1 electrical connector, 2 T40 Torx, undo the inlet elbow to give clearance.. Then pull and twist it 90 degrees to remove and clear the bulkhead.
There was play in the flap, not loads, but it rattled about by hand.
Flap removed.. I had to get some circlip pliers under the crank lever to get the leverage remove it.. The pin required a small slim flat head to pry out.
New crank lever in place, with bolt greased/threadlocked and tightened.
Finished article.. Not quite as simple as the instructions have you believe, but not a difficult job either. Mostly it was removing the lever arm that was the tricky bit as it was quite stuck on mine.
Refitted and took it down the road to check it was going to work when I try and go to work in the morning!
What a difference.. Throttle response was now no longer fluffy, idle was stronger (it initially idled high), and it pulled harder at low revs, and was generally smoother and more pleasant to drive.
I'll see how it feels on the longer trip to work, but initial impressions were very positive. Considering it only has 115k on it, and well looked after, and it wasn't throwing a fault, and only had a bit of play I wasn't expecting much, but it was very noticeable on the quick go round the block.
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