5 speeds, 4 cylinders, 3 doors, 2 wheel drive, and 1 loose nut behind the wheel

[wasnt m3]

You'll want to find coupe seats so you can flip them forward

[Rekpoint]

Cheap e36 sport seats https://eauclaire.craigslist.org/pts/d/e36-bmw-black-seats/6291827708.html

30 mins from me.

[Daggerty]

wasnt m3 said:

You'll want to find coupe seats so you can flip them forward

That's what the hatch is for

[Earl]

I've had to crawl in through the hatch before. It wasn't too fun lol

[HipMF]

So... nüb question here. My check engine light is on; what's the easiest way to pull the codes on these things (early '96 model)? I'm assuming the good ol stomp test doesn't work anymore?

This OBD-II life is new to me. It's different, and I don't like it.

[wasnt m3]

Need an obd2 scanner

[Earl]

^ditto lol

[m42b32]

I have an ultra-gauge for my M3 and its been an awesome purchase. Gives you a live readout of a lot of the sensor data used by the ECU including engine coolant temp, intake temp, throttle position, O2 sensor voltages, etc. You can set audible alarms for things as well which is super useful for keeping an eye on your coolant temps. More improtantly, it can also read and clear check engine lights! 

http://www.ultra-gauge.com/ultragauge/

[Bassboy3313]

You can even go to any auto store and have them scan it for free

[Jdesign]

m42b32 said:

I have an ultra-gauge for my M3 and its been an awesome purchase. Gives you a live readout of a lot of the sensor data used by the ECU including engine coolant temp, intake temp, throttle position, O2 sensor voltages, etc. You can set audible alarms for things as well which is super useful for keeping an eye on your coolant temps. More improtantly, it can also read and clear check engine lights! 

http://www.ultra-gauge.com/ultragauge/

This is really sweet for the price!

[m42b32]

Jdesign said:

This is really sweet for the price!

Yeah! Its not the most quality construction (housing is a little flimsy and the buttons on the back arent great) but it works really well and you definitely can't complain at that price. I would 11/10 buy another without thinking twice.

They occasionally have sales (at least they did when I got mine two-ish years ago, not sure now) for 5-10 off too

[HipMF]

Finally got the car registered and did some driving. It did pretty well, but the chassis isn't exactly confidence-inspiring with bad subframe bushings. Also had some shimmy through the steering wheel and vibration that feels like a wheel out of balance.

Got the car up in the air at the shop and was still really impressed with how clean the undercarriage is. No rust surprises at all. Giubo looked great. Fuel filter has definitely been changed and looked relatively new. Exhaust is solid, although seems to be missing a hanger somewhere (no support at all between the header and the rear subframe). Trans-mount bushings are super soft and need to be replaced.  Insulation in the front of the tunnel is drooping and wore the paint off the driveshaft. All-in-all, not bad at all.

Also did a quick alignment using the string method. Had almost 3/8" of toe-in on the front. Dialed it back to about 1/3rd that amount. That took care of about 80% of the shimmy and the car feels less dart-y now. There's still definitely something amiss in the rear. So far, I like the car and am hoping to have it far a few years, so I'm currently planing on dropping the subframe and doing all-of-the-things "while I'm in there".

[HipMF]

Car was overdue for a wash, so I spent a couple hours getting it clean up today.

It's official now, she's one of the fold.

[HipMF]

Picked up a nicer set of seats from Earl. Not my first choice in terms of comfort or support, but I do like the fabric pattern, and mechanical adjustment. Regardless, it's a big improvement over what was in there...

Also picked up and UltraGauge to check out the codes. I had a catalyst efficiency code, and a camshaft position sensor "pending" code, After clearing them, they stayed off for a couple days, but both have come back now. Unfortunately, M42 and M44 camshaft sensors are different, so I can't just swap it out with one I already have. I'm a bit concerned that it might be worn timing components, and not the sensor itself...

After driving around with the UltraGauge plugged in waiting for the codes to come back, I also discovered that the engine was running cold. It seemed to take a long time to heat up, and never seemed to get over 175 degrees. I put new thermostat in yesterday, and it's now running steady at about 208. The old thermostat looked to be relatively new and in good shape, so I think it may have just been a lower temperature unit. I seem to recall that being a thing that's recommended for high-mileage engines, but can't remember and haven't bothered to look it up yet...

Found some janky car-audio guy stuff going on with the rear speakers (gotta love the "twist and tape" soldering technique). Got that semi-fixed up. Also did the most glamorous and exciting car mod out there... cabin air filter replacement. Boom!

[Earl]

Those look much better in there=) That is also about usual for the cabin filters. Yuk

[Jdesign]

Those filters are gross. Sadly I think about 80% of the cars I have bought all look just like that. 

What I really want to know is how did you fix up the tears in those seats? Just thread and needle, or did you have a magic wand and have not shared your magic touch with us?

They look great!

[HipMF]

Jdesign said:

Those filters are gross. Sadly I think about 80% of the cars I have bought all look just like that. 

What I really want to know is how did you fix up the tears in those seats? Just thread and needle, or did you have a magic wand and have not shared your magic touch with us?

They look great!

I picked up a whole new set of the exact same seats from Earl. No magic necessary other than cleaning a little rust off of the rails and touching them up with some black paint.

[Jdesign]

HipMF said:

I picked up a whole new set of the exact same seats from Earl. No magic necessary other than cleaning a little rust off of the rails and touching them up with some black paint.

Gotcha. I read that as they were both the same set of seats.

[GunMetalGrey]

Even if those seats aren't your first choice, they look so much better than the old ones!

[stealthbimmer]

m42b32 said:

I have an ultra-gauge for my M3 and its been an awesome purchase. Gives you a live readout of a lot of the sensor data used by the ECU including engine coolant temp, intake temp, throttle position, O2 sensor voltages, etc. You can set audible alarms for things as well which is super useful for keeping an eye on your coolant temps. More improtantly, it can also read and clear check engine lights! 

http://www.ultra-gauge.com/ultragauge/

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005NLQAHS/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thats another, cheaper option. Thats what I use. Download torque on a phone, plug it is and bam. You can set it up with all sorts of gauges to your liking.