I done did it now... A new toy!

[patsbimmer1]

Snap said:

http://bringatrailer.com/listing/1998-bmw-m3-8/

You know my weakness.

[Jdesign]

Ouch.

[patsbimmer1]

Buy a new Bosch starter, beat book time installing starter, attempt to start car... attempt to start car.... bad starter.

12v at the power wire and 12v coming from the signal when cranked but no crank.  Fuck.

[YoungCR]

That's a bummer  did yours come with a lifetime warranty?

[jc43089]

Check your grounds.

[B C]

This is not a good way to start the weekend

[Jdesign]

Damn. I would be not happy.

[patsbimmer1]

I got a replacement starter to throw in and I had the same issue.  I scanned it and had a bunch of CAS (car access system) codes and started freaking out.  I double checked my work, checked fuses, looked at wires for breaks then I thought about the ground strap so I used jumper cables from the battery ground to the block and voila!  She started right up.  I lifted the car and the ground strapped looked alright at first glance besides a little corrosion on the end... then I touched it and it crumbled.  I ran to Farm and Fleet and picked up an insulated cable and it's all good now!  I tested the old starter and it was bad but the first new one wasn't bad. The good news is I can do a starter on an n54 in about an hour now.

I'm wondering if the excessive resistance in the ground strap caused my starter to fail and if it had anything to do with my DME frying itself earlier this year.  Ibdo know that this thing feels so much more confident at start up now!

I should probably buy another under tray...

[jc43089]

Good deal, ground problems are tricky because you assume when you see power during testing all is good. Glad you figured it out.

Sent from my 831C using Tapatalk

[B C]

I know the intake manifolds arent too large on the N54, but did you have to remove it to get to the starter?

[patsbimmer1]

Snap said:

I know the intake manifolds arent too large on the N54, but did you have to remove it to get to the starter?

Yup.  The whole thing comes off but it's pretty simple.  Not nearly the amount of shit that's attached to an m5x manifold.

[KaiserRolls]

Holy shit that ground was crusty!

[patsbimmer1]

I made it through another track day without blowing up.  I started in novice again and I was quickly moved in to intermediate.  The car felt great and I felt like I was in the zone all day.  By the end of the day I was consistently in the low 1:30's.  I did end up leaving early because the car felt a little light in the front end in my last session.  When I got home I found that my FR strut bolt was loose and my strut pulled out about an inch from the knuckle!  All in all it was a great day to be at Blackhawk Farms and I look forward to getting there again in September!

[patsbimmer1]

I had another track day on 9/13 at Blackhawk Farms again and bested my times from August!  This was my first full day in the intermediate class so I went from being one of the faster guys in the class to being passed more than I was doing passing. I'm fairly competitive and I had to keep reminding myself that you only win a track day by going home in one piece.  I got into 1:29's and the car didn't break so the day was a win!

My brakes started to show that they're still the weakest link on the car at the end of the day and started to get a little glazed. Regardless of this, each session was all really consistent. I installed CAtuned adjustable sway bar links up front after my oem links got destroyed during the track day in August.    

This car continues to draw compliments from other drivers but only because people are shocked that a car this big and boring can move as quick as it does.  My instructor from last time was telling a group of us how shocked he was at how fast the car is along with the owner of the Lotus that passes me in the video coming up to me later in the day to telling me how shocked he was at how fast it was.  Feels good but at the same time I'd love to be talking about how flat it corners or confidently it stops. It's a great daily but as so many before me have learned, this is not a track car without some serious money being spent.  I need a racing seat, better brakes, less weight, stiffer rear subframe bushings at least, square wheels with sticky tires, etc and so goes the rabbit down the hole. My brother in law came with and let me use his gopro while he took pics.  

Without further ado here's the most boring track day video ever.

[Iceddragon]

That looks like so much fun, this is one of my plans for next year. Maybe I'll see you out there

[patsbimmer1]

It's a ton of fun!  I got my brother in law a ride in an instructor car and he's hooked. It only takes once and there's no looking back!

[B C]

The car looks pretty fast in the video and that says something because of how video can really dumb down the sensation of speed

[patsbimmer1]

Snap said:

The car looks pretty fast in the video and that says something because of how video can really dumb down the sensation of speed

Thanks!  I've been dissecting this video since Saturday and making notes on where I did well and what I screwed up.