E92 Alpina B3 Biturbo #185
Discussion
Jbeale96 said:
BSSBMW said:
I've never really been a private/cherished number plate kind of person and tend to appreciate area code identifiers on standard UK registrations such as the FJ for Nottingham on the new style plates or GO for South London on a prefix pate which my E30 325i has. The Bi turbo has had a plate change or two though so i did a search on a few plates and to my surprise this popped up as available!
Now only serious Alpina aficionados will acknowledge what relevance it has which i like. OAL is for cars registered in the Ostallgau region of Bavaria where Alpina are based in the town of Buchloe and the prototypes and press cars bare this on their plates. B1 reads like BI short for Biturbo so was happy with that as B3 OAL is on another Alpina already, an E46 B3 which i happened to spot out in the wild about 6/7 years ago.
LHD press car B3 biturbo #002
RHD press car B3 biturbo #004
Thanks guys!
Before i purchased the car i conducted various checks which included the warranty history and if there were any outstanding recalls. Checking up on the warranty history found that the B3 has had all 6 injectors and High pressure fuel pump replaced along with a couple of other minor parts but those checks also revealed two recalls outstanding which were the Battery B+ cable and the heater blower motor cable which respectively can cause the failure of pretty much all of the cars electrical system or cause it to catch fire.
Being out of the dealer network for some time now meant i could not do these myself and also left me with the predicament of having someone i trust to do it. Luckily during my time as a senior tech I got to work along side some great guys (as well as some terrible ones!) but so many of the good ones have left to move onto different career paths or woking in different countries earning a better wage but i still have one or two contacts that I would trust to do a great job!
Cue a drive from Sussex to Essex one evening where a good friend and brilliant tech works at Sytner Harold wood on the night shift so he could carry out said recalls while i got to chill alongside and catch up.
Behind the glove box where the JBE and Blower motor are located.
Battery B+ cable repair kit.
Heater blower cable repair kit.
All back together and another job ticked of the list.
Before i purchased the car i conducted various checks which included the warranty history and if there were any outstanding recalls. Checking up on the warranty history found that the B3 has had all 6 injectors and High pressure fuel pump replaced along with a couple of other minor parts but those checks also revealed two recalls outstanding which were the Battery B+ cable and the heater blower motor cable which respectively can cause the failure of pretty much all of the cars electrical system or cause it to catch fire.
Being out of the dealer network for some time now meant i could not do these myself and also left me with the predicament of having someone i trust to do it. Luckily during my time as a senior tech I got to work along side some great guys (as well as some terrible ones!) but so many of the good ones have left to move onto different career paths or woking in different countries earning a better wage but i still have one or two contacts that I would trust to do a great job!
Cue a drive from Sussex to Essex one evening where a good friend and brilliant tech works at Sytner Harold wood on the night shift so he could carry out said recalls while i got to chill alongside and catch up.
Behind the glove box where the JBE and Blower motor are located.
Battery B+ cable repair kit.
Heater blower cable repair kit.
All back together and another job ticked of the list.
Good to get these things done, especially when this important.
I must have taken 4-5 cars in now for airbags. Ranging from an E46 M3 to fully stripped E46 325ti - they did the usual video and pointed out that the trim was missing and various holes were present where I had removed things
I must admit I do get pleasure from making them work on such old almost worthless cars. I've never had a problem though and the cars even got cleaned inside and out occasionally.
I must have taken 4-5 cars in now for airbags. Ranging from an E46 M3 to fully stripped E46 325ti - they did the usual video and pointed out that the trim was missing and various holes were present where I had removed things
I must admit I do get pleasure from making them work on such old almost worthless cars. I've never had a problem though and the cars even got cleaned inside and out occasionally.
Good things come in small packages, especially in Alpina wrapping!
An optional extra on the E9x B3 models was this digital gauge that fits in one of the dashboad vents. These hark back to the 80's with various Alpina models such as the E30, E28, E28 having one as either standard fit on the flagship models or as an option on the lesser versions.
The E9x version is made by Awron who sell it themselves but without the Alpina branding and it incorporates several features including a boost gauge, temp gauges for engine oil, auto gearbox oil and coolant which is important as the E9x and E8x models don't have a coolant temp gauge!
It also features a couple of gimmicky things like transverse and longitudinal G measurement, a 0-100 KM stop watch plus peak measurements recorded for all parameters on each ignition cycle.
Installation is fairly straight forward, six wires that need to be piggy backed into the JBE for CAN bus signals, ground and power. Glove box out to access the JBE and dash trim off to fit the gauge.
Very happy with it and ads to the whole Alpina feel to the car in my opinion.
Thanks guys!
The first part of next retro fit, a new rear shelf with cut out for an electric rear sun blind. A retro fit I've done on previous BMWs (as well as door blinds on some) is one some people consider to be a bit pointless but i have two children the regularly travel in the rear so it comes in useful plus I like an optioned up car!
A lucky find on german ebay scored me a used electric E92 blind for a bargain price but compared to other BMWs, this is not as straight forward a retro fit.
I could have made up the wiring but instead bought the retro fit wiring loom which means the correct colour wires and terminals.
Rear end stripped out ready to fit the loom.
Part of what makes this retro fit not as straight as other BMWs is the control side of it. Other cars such as E46 use a switch direct too the blind to operate it. On the E9x the switch input travels to the heater panel (IHKA) via a ribbon cable which then is linked to the body CAN BUS (K-BUS) to send a signal to the Junction box electric control unit (JBE) which activates a relay to power the blind.
The original JBE in my car was a lower spec one which doesn't have the relays so a new 'M' level JBE was purchased, fitted and coded to the car.
Another lucky ebay find was the switch which wasn't even advertised as having the blind function, i just got lucky and spotted it had that function!
Vehicle order (equipment list) changed on the car to ad S405 then all control units coded to recognise the change)
And the end result, one erect blind!
The first part of next retro fit, a new rear shelf with cut out for an electric rear sun blind. A retro fit I've done on previous BMWs (as well as door blinds on some) is one some people consider to be a bit pointless but i have two children the regularly travel in the rear so it comes in useful plus I like an optioned up car!
A lucky find on german ebay scored me a used electric E92 blind for a bargain price but compared to other BMWs, this is not as straight forward a retro fit.
I could have made up the wiring but instead bought the retro fit wiring loom which means the correct colour wires and terminals.
Rear end stripped out ready to fit the loom.
Part of what makes this retro fit not as straight as other BMWs is the control side of it. Other cars such as E46 use a switch direct too the blind to operate it. On the E9x the switch input travels to the heater panel (IHKA) via a ribbon cable which then is linked to the body CAN BUS (K-BUS) to send a signal to the Junction box electric control unit (JBE) which activates a relay to power the blind.
The original JBE in my car was a lower spec one which doesn't have the relays so a new 'M' level JBE was purchased, fitted and coded to the car.
Another lucky ebay find was the switch which wasn't even advertised as having the blind function, i just got lucky and spotted it had that function!
Vehicle order (equipment list) changed on the car to ad S405 then all control units coded to recognise the change)
And the end result, one erect blind!
Suspension.... Ride, handling, balance etc. One of the key elements that makes up part of what we love about BMWs being the 'ultimate driving machine'.
In recent times (ok maybe the last 25 years or so) Alpina have been famed for getting the balance right for making a car handle well yet retaining a ride comfort that doesn't try to break your car or spine especially on our blighted UK roads.
Alpina (as well as BMW to a lesser extent) have moved away from using Bilstein shock absorbers to solely using units made by Sachs so pretty much every BMW and Alpina have used Sachs units since the late 90's and Alpina up until the E9x used their own specification Sachs units.
The advent of the E9x B3 and D3, a standard BMW spec Sachs shock absorber was used with the B3 using an Alpina specific spring, the D3 using a BMW spec spring and losing the run flat tyres obviously helped a lot. This in my opinion was a compromise especially on the D3 part.
Fast forward 77k miles and like most Sachs shock absorbers by approx 60-80k miles they are finished.
New OE spec Sachs units and genuine BMW mounting parts acquired to give the original Alpjna spec every chance to enamour itself with me as dare i say it, its not quite stiff enough with compression being ok but rebound not to my liking.
Contemporary road tests naturally drew comparisons to the M3 and testers always picked up on the chassis not quite being as accomplished at the upper echelons.
The very tired looking parts removed from the B3 to be replaced with new.
The nearside front shock was pretty corroded. After a couple of pumps off the car it started leaking from the seal so it was only a matter of time before it failed in use.
I've yet to put it through an paces since replacing everything so the jury is out on weather i'll stick with Alpina efforts in this department.
In recent times (ok maybe the last 25 years or so) Alpina have been famed for getting the balance right for making a car handle well yet retaining a ride comfort that doesn't try to break your car or spine especially on our blighted UK roads.
Alpina (as well as BMW to a lesser extent) have moved away from using Bilstein shock absorbers to solely using units made by Sachs so pretty much every BMW and Alpina have used Sachs units since the late 90's and Alpina up until the E9x used their own specification Sachs units.
The advent of the E9x B3 and D3, a standard BMW spec Sachs shock absorber was used with the B3 using an Alpina specific spring, the D3 using a BMW spec spring and losing the run flat tyres obviously helped a lot. This in my opinion was a compromise especially on the D3 part.
Fast forward 77k miles and like most Sachs shock absorbers by approx 60-80k miles they are finished.
New OE spec Sachs units and genuine BMW mounting parts acquired to give the original Alpjna spec every chance to enamour itself with me as dare i say it, its not quite stiff enough with compression being ok but rebound not to my liking.
Contemporary road tests naturally drew comparisons to the M3 and testers always picked up on the chassis not quite being as accomplished at the upper echelons.
The very tired looking parts removed from the B3 to be replaced with new.
The nearside front shock was pretty corroded. After a couple of pumps off the car it started leaking from the seal so it was only a matter of time before it failed in use.
I've yet to put it through an paces since replacing everything so the jury is out on weather i'll stick with Alpina efforts in this department.
Good work on the retrofit. Re dampers. I have had goodish results on the E46 with Bilstein B8 dampers. I used B8s with both Eibach and H&R springs.
The front B8s gave a much improved ride quality. I think this is due to the internal bump stop.
The rears oddly gave a much too hard ride.
I suspect a set of B6s on an E92 would do a good job. I know the Birds kit uses re valved Bilstein dampers.
The front B8s gave a much improved ride quality. I think this is due to the internal bump stop.
The rears oddly gave a much too hard ride.
I suspect a set of B6s on an E92 would do a good job. I know the Birds kit uses re valved Bilstein dampers.
helix402 said:
Good work on the retrofit. Re dampers. I have had goodish results on the E46 with Bilstein B8 dampers. I used B8s with both Eibach and H&R springs.
The front B8s gave a much improved ride quality. I think this is due to the internal bump stop.
The rears oddly gave a much too hard ride.
I suspect a set of B6s on an E92 would do a good job. I know the Birds kit uses re valved Bilstein dampers.
Bilstein B8's are my go to damper. Both my E30s have them plus i have fitted them to many other BMWs of mine and customers, usually combined with eibach springs and roll bars.The front B8s gave a much improved ride quality. I think this is due to the internal bump stop.
The rears oddly gave a much too hard ride.
I suspect a set of B6s on an E92 would do a good job. I know the Birds kit uses re valved Bilstein dampers.
I did drive a 335i recently with this very set up and non run flats which i felt was just right so chances are this is what i'll end up fitting.
Those of you who own or have owned a modern BMW with direct injection are probably familiar with various misfire faults often caused by failing injectors. When i bought my B3 i checked the warranty history to find it had its high pressure fuel pump replaced at 17405 miles when it was nearly 2 years old and all six injectors replaced at 28253 miles when it was close to 3 years old so great i thought.
After a couple of weeks i started to notice a lumpy idle on cold start for the first second or two which i ignored for a week or so but when i noticed the fuel consumption had dropped from approx 300-350 miles to a tank down to approx 160 miles to a tank it was obvious something was amiss!
A cold start injector test on BMW ISTA resulted in a pass which was not conclusive in the slightest.
Engine cover removed to reveal index code 09 injectors, the latest being index 12.
Spark plugs removed to reveal a rich combustion mix but what the picture does not reveal is how wet they were with fuel when first removed, all clear signs of leaking injectors.
All six cylinders were inspected for any potential damage but luckily only wet piston tops from the leaking injectors.
All six 09 index injectors removed.
Six new index 12 injectors, buffers and (not pictured) spark plugs. Injectors coded and adaptations reset i am pleased to report perfect cold starting manners and fuel consumption has returned to approx 300-350 miles to a tank. Happy days.
After a couple of weeks i started to notice a lumpy idle on cold start for the first second or two which i ignored for a week or so but when i noticed the fuel consumption had dropped from approx 300-350 miles to a tank down to approx 160 miles to a tank it was obvious something was amiss!
A cold start injector test on BMW ISTA resulted in a pass which was not conclusive in the slightest.
Engine cover removed to reveal index code 09 injectors, the latest being index 12.
Spark plugs removed to reveal a rich combustion mix but what the picture does not reveal is how wet they were with fuel when first removed, all clear signs of leaking injectors.
All six cylinders were inspected for any potential damage but luckily only wet piston tops from the leaking injectors.
All six 09 index injectors removed.
Six new index 12 injectors, buffers and (not pictured) spark plugs. Injectors coded and adaptations reset i am pleased to report perfect cold starting manners and fuel consumption has returned to approx 300-350 miles to a tank. Happy days.
In the run up to the BMWCC festival at Gaydon i decided to get a couple of things sorted. First up were refurbishment of the wheels as they had been touched up by the seller but looked crap close up. I have used Lepsons many times in the past and their quality is top notch so off the 19's went and came back like new in the correct sparkle silver.
A bit of preventative maintenance and cosmetic improvement at the same time.
All four wheel arches thoroughly cleaned and dressed, brakes tidied up with a bit of paint as a stop gap until a brake upgrade is devised that will fit behind the original wheels.
MattOz said:
Lovely work on a fantastic looking car.
Can you let me know where you got the gearbox service done please? I have an F30 D3 and it's coming up to the time to get it done.
Cheers
Matt
Matt, Barry owns BMR Performance in Crawley. I don't think that you'd get a surer bet than a BMW fetishist that runs his own BMW Specialist garage!Can you let me know where you got the gearbox service done please? I have an F30 D3 and it's coming up to the time to get it done.
Cheers
Matt
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