1999 M3 daily driver running log
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I need to wire in my headlight adjusters and city lights too=) How long would you say it took?
City lights were super easy, you could probably do it in under an hour for both if you've already got the rest of the wiring done. The adjusters were a pretty big pain because you have to pull apart the fuse box and run two wires (black and black/gray) through the firewall. Maybe 3.5 hours total, but I wasn't too focused and was wrapping everything for an OEM finish. Definitely wire the adjuster switch into the dimmer switch wiring instead of going to the fan distribution box, really simplifies the process.
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City lights look cool
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After weeks of trying to solve this annoying noise I think I got it! I started the engine without a serpentine belt on it a week ago and the noise was still there, eliminating any of the accessories as the source (shoud've done that a while ago...). I was getting the noise when the engine was warm and above idle but was not noticeable with the engine cold. I changed the oil to Mobile1 5w50 (previously had 5w40) and it seemed to help a tiny bit but that could also just be the fresh oil. I finally bit the bullet and bought the secondary timing chain tensioner since FCP was having a memorial day sale that made it as cheap as I'm ever going to get it. After a bit of a fiasco with incorrect parts being shipped by their warehouse I finally got the right part and popped it in last night. The noise is pretty much gone as of my commute this morning! The old tensioner didn't seem to actuate very smoothly so I'm pretty convinced that was the culprit.
Also, with regards to the metal shavings issue, the magnetic drain plug had one or two small pieces on it and a thin film of basically metal powder that you would expect for 3500 miles, glad it wasn't a huge ball of shavings. Ripped apart the oil filter and ran a magnet over the folds, got a few metal flakes but nothing excessive. I'm pretty sure these were all just knocked loose or missed when I did all my cleaning. I got an oil sample to send to Blackstone Labs to get some more information, hopefully the results are good! I'm still planning to pull the valve cover again and re-inspect everything in the next week or two, but I am getting more confident that whatever was causing this issue has slowed down or been solved.
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Got my oil analysis back from Blackstone Labs. Everything came back well within acceptable ranges and Blackstone gave it a good bill of health. Really happy to hear that.
Did more investigating related to my annoying noise. Ran the motor with the oil cap off to check for vacuum leaks, noise didn't change at all with the cap on or off so I now know it isn't vacuum related. I also have been listening to it on the road and it is purely RPM based. It doesn't get louder or quieter depending on the load placed on the engine, which leads me away from thinking it is an exhaust manifold crack/leak. Since I know it isn't related to the accessories and it is solely based on RPM, and also that the timing chain tensioner seems to have affected the noise a little, I am thinking it is related to the timing chain guides. It's entirely possible that one of them is cracked or gouged from when that random plastic cap fell into the engine (or some other time). I am going to order both lower guides and just bite the bullet (again) and pull everything apart to replace them. I didn't see anything horribly bad last time I had a look at them but I also didn't get to inspect them all that closely.
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118k: Replaced the rear rotors and pads as they were pretty shot. Also installed the rest of the braided stainless brake lines and flushed the system with Ate type 200 fluid. No more brake squeal and it stops on a dime!
Haven't had time to get to inspecting the timing guides, but it is running great and the noise isn't getting any worse so I don't think it's too big of a deal.
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119.2k: Installed an OEM 3-button keyless/alarm system last night. Pretty easy to install, only issue I had was the siren mounting location was being occupied by the larger euro headlights so I had to modify the mounting bracket and place it near the radiator. Not too happy with the location though, had to point it upwards towards the hood insulation so the alarm isn't very loud despite being ear splitting with the hood open. Eventually I will lengthen the wire harness and put it somewhere else in the bay or possibly behind the front bumper where the sounds isn't so muffled.
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I always felt like I was walking away from a spaceship when I would lock my last e36 with the factory alarm.
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I feel like I'm in a submarine that's under attack when I forget to turn the lights off.
DIVE DIVE DIVE DIVE
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I wish my coupe had the fob still=/ My compact had both fobs and two original keys. Only thing I didn't have was the plastic key. I have that for the coupe though=)
Alarms/keyless systems were a dealer installed option so if you have all the other parts installed you can buy the correct fob (ebay usually has one or two) and program it to the module behind the glove box! You just need to get one with the right FCC ID. I only got one fob for my system and I'm going to pick up another soon
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I wish my coupe had the fob still=/ My compact had both fobs and two original keys. Only thing I didn't have was the plastic key. I have that for the coupe though=)
I have it somewere I think. Along with an extra key as well.
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Bought some LED headlight bulbs from a group buy on r3v to put in my low-beams and it turned out they didn't fit in my ZKW's. So, instead of returning them I bought some cheap fog lights and put them in there since I didn't want to chop up my stock ones. They definitely light things up better than before:
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119.5k:
Picked up an x-brace from a guy down in Racine over the weekend, threw some paint on it and bolted it in the car tonight after work:
The hardest part of that install was probably jacking up the car thanks to the later M3 front subframe already having the threaded holes. Took it for a quick spin and it felt a little sharper and more stable while I aggressively dodged potholes around my apartment, and the extra oil pan protection is a big plus.
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