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> Boost's 1997 BMW 328i, oh my god why
Mr b00st
post Aug 15 2011, 10:56 PM
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That Frigging BMW Driver
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Car: 1997 BMW 328i



Question: you know how long you can drive a Honda Accord before you get fucking sick of it and get rid of it?

Answer:



about a year.

Sold it today, bought this:




1997 328i sedan, 5 speed, black on tan. Bought it for about half of what I sold the Honda for, it's in great shape. heart.gif E36's.
Roll on with the "b00st is a douche" etc, since I have a BMW now, I guess I am! Haha :-\

Seriously though, car is fantastic. There's a list of things I need to take care of, then a list of things I want to do, but it's well cared for and well preserved. Love it already. I will update this thread later, had it since like 4pm today.
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Altostratus
post Aug 16 2011, 06:21 AM
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get a good coat of wax on the wheels, nothing spits brake dust like a bmw.
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Razor
post Aug 16 2011, 06:24 AM
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IT SLIDES!
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QUOTE(Altostratus @ Aug 16 2011, 10:21 AM) *
get a good set of wheels


Fixed.

And make sure you don't stretch'n'slam this.
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green73ta
post Aug 16 2011, 06:44 AM
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Now fortified with Fahrvergnügen!
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I like it!
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dukenukem
post Aug 16 2011, 01:16 PM
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Reliability is tedious, eh?

Congratulations on the new car.
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Altostratus
post Aug 16 2011, 05:23 PM
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i see this on my local craigslist and methinks you need a road trip to Cambridge, Ontario

1998 M3 part out black on black
Edit: view his other for sales. fap.
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Aircooled
post Aug 18 2011, 10:36 AM
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Real car
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shandyman5
post Aug 18 2011, 02:33 PM
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LSX LOL
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And to think you defended that beige turd.... congrats man much better choice.
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b0mb3r
post Aug 19 2011, 03:05 AM
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...
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awesome and it is not too surprising that you got rid of the honda.
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Mr b00st
post Aug 22 2011, 03:08 PM
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So i've been keeping super busy getting this car up to daily driver spec in the last week. Here's what I've been doing.

Replaced the plugs - used the NGK equivalent of the bosch twin-tips, then seafoamed the car, fouled all the new plugs, warrantied them out at Advance Auto laugh.gif Also changed the oil - 7 qts of 5w30 castrol syntech, ouch.


these cars have nicely designed ignition components. The coil packs actually bolt down (HEY VW!) and the harness clips actually work. Very nice.

Replaced the serpentine belts - they were cracked beyond belief - with new Dayco belts. I really like the auto tensioner setup on these, much better than manual tensioners like the Saab had

Adjusted the handbrake - loosen cables in the cabin, jack up and remove rear wheels, rotate hub till you can see a sprocket through the rear lug holes, rotate until the disc stops turning, rotate back a half turn, replace wheel. Handbrake went from doing nothing all the way up to locking up hard at 5 clicks. Pain in the ass to do but worth it.

Took the intake restrictor out of the airbox - if you have an E36 you need to do this, free power! Also took the vacuum line off the exhaust flapper to make more noise and eliminate possible vacuum leaks.

Speaking of vacuum leaks, maybe this was causing one?



this is the intake boot between the ASC throttle body and the MAF. That fitting connects to the intake manifold and I was getting a terrrrrible idle issue with this crap all ripped and glued together. So I got a new one.



Also cleaned both throttle bodies. The first TB is for traction control - when it sense wheelspin it shuts partially to limit power (rather than using the brakes). The primary TB was FILTHY, TB cleaner around the hinges and where it seals helped the idle a lot.

Last few days I've been chasing down a "hanging idle" condition - which is why I cleaned the TB's, replaced that boot for the vacuum leak, cleaned the PCV out and seafoamed and FI cleaned it. Turns out my idle control valve is jammed - you can tell because it hangs revs like a boss with the main TPS plugged in, and doesn't with it off. So I ordered one on ebay and get to enjoy replacing that crap when it comes. (it's under the IM near the firewall!)

Also going to be changing some vacuum routing - there's a vacuum resevoir that operates the exhaust flap I'm going to bypass, because it's a pain to remove and I just want to minimize vacuum issues.

Car needs some more mechanical work before I start any modifications. Front lower control arm bushings are shot, there's about an 1/8" play in the rear universal joint on the driveshaft, trans and diff bushings are shit, needs a blower motor resistor, needs brakes, etc. I have the 2 qts of Mobil 1 75w90 for the rear diff and 2 for the trans, just gotta get around to doing that as I'm burned out from chasing down this hanging idle crap.

Still, I wanted something to both tinker with and daily drive. Mission accomplished. It's a LOT of fun and a great highway car. I'll continue updates when I have some!
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Altostratus
post Aug 22 2011, 04:19 PM
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1. buy a bunch of hockey pucks
2. make a bunch of bushings
3. ???????
4.profit.
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Mr b00st
post Aug 22 2011, 04:45 PM
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QUOTE(Altostratus @ Aug 22 2011, 08:19 PM) *
1. buy a bunch of hockey pucks
2. make a bunch of bushings
3. ???????
4.profit.



Energy Suspension poly bushings are surprisingly cheap for this car! But that is a good idea.
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b0mb3r
post Aug 22 2011, 06:27 PM
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I read that this kit makes a difference in the OBDII motors:
http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-1965-m50...-an-m52s52.aspx
of course you need to source your own manifold or pay them 699 for one smile.gif
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Mr b00st
post Aug 22 2011, 08:18 PM
Post #14


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Car: 1997 BMW 328i



QUOTE(b0mb3r @ Aug 22 2011, 10:27 PM) *
I read that this kit makes a difference in the OBDII motors:
http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-1965-m50...-an-m52s52.aspx
of course you need to source your own manifold or pay them 699 for one smile.gif


I've come across mention of the M50 intake manifold swap a few times too, it seems tempting if I could find a good one. Thanks for the link!
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ImAwesome
post Aug 25 2011, 04:33 AM
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silly bimmer
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Mr b00st
post Aug 28 2011, 10:51 AM
Post #16


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brakes... are not supposed to look like this. WTF previous owner?!? What's weirder, they were grooved like records but not warped at all - stopped OK but not great, no vibration. Still, fuck that. Needs new brakes. Front pads were pretty low too.



Calipers off. Like every BMW, the brakes are disappointing: single piston sliding calipers! Hooray!



Old vs new. Yeahhhh



Pads aren't supposed to look like this, either. wtflolbbq



Huzzah! Akebono ceramic pads, too. Stops like a boss. Need to borrow a friend with a power bleeder and flush out the brake fluid too.


Other stuff recently done:
-Replaced brake switch. OBC was throwing a pretty consistent "brake circuit failure" code. Turns out my brake lights were only coming on half the time, lol. The switch under the pedal is perhaps the crappiest design ever but at least they're cheap. Of course replacing that made the brake lights work but somehow killed all the lights on the left side of the car - tail lights, corner lights. Hours of head scratching lead to a blown fuse, although I did also figure out the headlight switch is supposed to be lit - put a bulb in it - presto! I figured it was either a relay or the switch or a grounding problem - always forget to check simple stuff first!

The "hanging revs/high idle" was chased down to be a non-op ICV. Go figure. These OBD2 motors make it a pain in the dick to change it - since the top side fits into a grommett on the underside of the intake manifold. I actually have a new ICV sitting in my garage, but I'm waiting on parts from BMW - a new hose to go to the intake elbow, and a new grommet for the manifold. Figure I will do it once and do it right. parts should be here next week. In the mean time I"ve been driving around with the throttle position sensor (for the main TB) unplugged, which cures the rev hang BS although gives me no traction control.

Got a set of Powerflex bushings for the front LCA's. Going to have someone that knows what the f*ck they're doing put those in.

Ordered a final stage resistor for the blower motor, which is the issue. $204 at BMW; $52 for an OEM part through an online supplier; i'm happy to wait a few days! This part is right near the brake switch so thankfully not a dash-out situation, but I still don't like laying upside down!


anyway that's most of what's new.
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clarkma5
post Sep 1 2011, 04:01 PM
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That's exactly how my rotors and pads looked when I cooked them on the track, no warpage but grooved like corduroy jeans.
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Mr b00st
post Sep 1 2011, 05:13 PM
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QUOTE(clarkma5 @ Sep 1 2011, 08:01 PM) *
That's exactly how my rotors and pads looked when I cooked them on the track, no warpage but grooved like corduroy jeans.



very weird, maybe they were overheated but the rotors on my Honda warped instead of grooved when I overheated them, and it's the same brake design (single piston sliding caliper.)

Today I converted the main serpentine belt tensioner from manual (internal spring) to hydraulic (little shock absorber.) Getting my voltage regulator for the blower motor (working AC!) tomorrow, idle control valve on tuesday. Also got my low control arm bushings (front) pressed in, steering is MUCH better. Been messing with a few other things too but that's the big stuff.
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clarkma5
post Sep 2 2011, 05:06 AM
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It doesn't have to do with caliper design, warpage is a result of thermal expansion battling very firm mounting points and losing.
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Mr b00st
post Sep 2 2011, 10:10 AM
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That Frigging BMW Driver
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QUOTE(clarkma5 @ Sep 2 2011, 09:06 AM) *
It doesn't have to do with caliper design, warpage is a result of thermal expansion battling very firm mounting points and losing.


so would grooved rotors be a sign your lug nuts aren't torqued enough? I just don't get how they'd groove and not warp.

I do like the way you put that though smile.gif
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