Non-BMW Stuff on a BMW Forum

[SteelBlue]

gilber33 said:

I got it as best as I could. It's better than what it was before. And the hood has so many dings that there isn't a lot of motivation to do it. It needs a new hood. Also, I've kind of embraced the patina of the car. I've had the odd desire to own a car that was a little rough on the outside, but very clean where it counts. This one fits the bill. 

Aldo, pro tip. The guy who was going to remove my tint gave me the advice to remove the glue: glass cleaner and 0000 steel wool. Worked like a charm and the glue came right off. 

There's some rust on mine that I am going to fix, but I've also kind of come around to just accepting that it's 30 some odd years old and it can't be perfect.

We used to use the steel wool at the dealership all the time for getting adhesive off where window stickers were.

[Boris3]

All depends on your intended use of the car. Year round daily, only out when the sun is shining, show stopper, future BaT retirement fund, etc. All are worthwhile pursuits.  But if you're thinking about the car as a daily with all the bumps, dings, and bruises that'll throw at it,  once you let go of "perfect" you can actually relax a bit and focus on the the things that make it fun to drive and actually be out there driving it.

[straight6pwr]

Boris3 said:

focus on the the things that make it fun to drive and actually be out there driving it.  

Ne'er a truer word spoken. Amen, father Boris.

[gilber33]

SteelBlue said:

There's some rust on mine that I am going to fix, but I've also kind of come around to just accepting that it's 30 some odd years old and it can't be perfect.

We used to use the steel wool at the dealership all the time for getting adhesive off where window stickers were.

I fixed a giant rust hole in the rear driver side butt cheek, and there's a spot on the bumper that I'll take care of. Was the fix of the hole perfect? No. Will it keep blowing wind out of the trunk? Yea.

Boris3 said:

All depends on your intended use of the car. Year round daily, only out when the sun is shining, show stopper, future BaT retirement fund, etc. All are worthwhile pursuits.  But if you're thinking about the car as a daily with all the bumps, dings, and bruises that'll throw at it,  once you let go of "perfect" you can actually relax a bit and focus on the the things that make it fun to drive and actually be out there driving it.  

I intend to drive it all summer when it's nice out; a "sun's out, windows down, music up" driver. If it were to be a show car it would need a new hood, a shit load of dings removed and full re-spray (roof and trunk are fucked). I want it to look nice and when it's warm out I think I'll get some paint from some online paint store to try and spray the trunk.

It's weird because I think of everything I spent on the car and I step back and the car is still mostly stock; and I think I actually made it more stock along the way.  But it should be a very reliable, fun car that I can fully enjoy without stressing about rock chips and door dings.

[gilber33]

It's alive. 

Took a few tries but to be expected when it hasn't  ran in almost 6 months. 

After a few mins I noticed gas pouring on to the floor. Pulled out the rear seat and the feed hose must have dried out or loosened up a bit. 

Luckily I had ordered a meter of fuel line when I had the e46 and has some clamps to replace it. Leak free now. 

One thing I felt like was different is it seems to have more noise from the starter as it cranks over. I don't remember it doing this before. I don't know if the light flywheel just gives off a different noise as the starter is turning it over. Not sure.  Something that caught my attention. I should also note  i am extremely paranoid when it comes to my cars and make stuff up in my head all the time. 

Here's a video for your input. 

I also dialed in the subwoofer a bit and the sound in the car is dramatically better with it. The stock speakers are great for 30yo speakers, but this makes it so much better.

[gilber33]

Fully back on the ground and the cooling system bled. I hate bleeding the coolant on these. It seems like if it's not done just right the expansion tank overflows really quick and it makes a mess. Getting coolant all over my clean engine. 

The starter still seems louder compared to when I was driving it last year. Anyone else have any ideas on that one? This is a brand new starter.

[straight6pwr]

gilber33 said:

compared to when I was driving it last year.

someone said:

This is a brand new starter. 

is it new or is it from last year? what brand? is that noise as 'grindy' in person as it is on video?

[gilber33]

straight6pwr said:

is it new or is it from last year? what brand? is that noise as 'grindy' in person as it is on video? 

I had the OEM starter rebuilt last year by an alternator and starter rebuilder shoppy place in Butler:

milwaukeestarter-alternator.com

Never made any strange noises last year. That's why it makes me think maybe it has something to do with the flywheel. 

 And yes, it's noisy and it almost feels like it hangs on for half of a second after the car starts.

[HipMF]

gilber33 said:

The starter still seems louder compared to when I was driving it last year. Anyone else have any ideas on that one? This is a brand new starter. 

I just installed the same flywheel and noticed it's quite loud while cranking. I pulled the starter out and the witness marks on the brand-new starter gear make me believe that the ring gear could be slightly too large in diameter. I wedged the starter as far away from the ring gear as I could when I re-installed it, but haven't tested it. I guess it may just need some time to "wear in". May be a case of "you get what you pay for"

[gilber33]

HipMF said:

I just installed the same flywheel and noticed it's quite loud while cranking. I pulled the starter out and the witness marks on the brand-new starter gear make me believe that the ring gear could be slightly too large in diameter. I wedged the starter as far away from the ring gear as I could when I re-installed it, but haven't tested it. I guess it may just need some time to "wear in". May be a case of "you get what you pay for"

Interesting. The situation isn't great, but I'm glad I'm not alone with hearing this. I'll pulling the starter out as far as I can like you did and see if I have any luck with it. Thanks for chiming in!!!

Onto bleeding the cooling system. Does anyone have experience with one of those pressure bleeder systems like the Schwaben one?

[Jdesign]

That starter is totally binding. It sounds like the gear mesh is not very good, likely a tighter gap than it should be. Worst case is you go to the parts store and get another starter and see if it still makes the same noise. You can always return it.

Schwaben bleeders are awesome.

[straight6pwr]

I never had a problem bleeding them. i certainly don't remember expansion tank overflow issues. its time consuming, and you may have to drive the car a bit to finish it completely.

from R3vlimited:

1. jack get the front of the car higher than the rear.
2. With the bleed screw open, add coolant until no more air comes out of the bleed.
3. Leave the filler cap loose. Set the heat on max/fan on max. Start the engine and allow it to warm up to operating temp. As it warms up occasionally crack the bleed screw to release any air and top up the coolant as necessary. You'll need to tighten the cap down as it gets up to temp as the coolant will boil without the system pressurized.
4. Once the engine is at temp rev it up to 2000-2500 for a few seconds several times. Then crack the bleed until no more air is released. You may have to repeat this a few times to get all the air out.
5. Drive the car a bit, allow it to cool back down, and recheck the bleed for air. Over the next few days you may get very small amounts (a few bubbles) of air out of the bleed screw.

[gilber33]

straight6pwr said:

 I never had a problem bleeding them. i certainly don't remember expansion tank overflow issues. its time consuming, and you may have to drive the car a bit to finish it completely. 

from R3vlimited:

1. jack get the front of the car higher than the rear.
2. With the bleed screw open, add coolant until no more air comes out of the bleed.
3. Leave the filler cap loose. Set the heat on max/fan on max. Start the engine and allow it to warm up to operating temp. As it warms up occasionally crack the bleed screw to release any air and top up the coolant as necessary. You'll need to tighten the cap down as it gets up to temp as the coolant will boil without the system pressurized.
4. Once the engine is at temp rev it up to 2000-2500 for a few seconds several times. Then crack the bleed until no more air is released. You may have to repeat this a few times to get all the air out.
5. Drive the car a bit, allow it to cool back down, and recheck the bleed for air. Over the next few days you may get very small amounts (a few bubbles) of air out of the bleed screw.

Ultimately, I always managed to get it. I think I've done it three or four times now. Last night I didn't rev it a few times and there was an air pocket that was forcing the expansion tank to overflow. As soon as I revved it held the RPMs up for a bit the air bubble was released and it was completely fine. I was annoyed because I had gotten coolant everywhere with the expansion tank overflowing.

It's not that big of a deal, but if I didn't have to do it, I would be a happier person.

[gilber33]

Jdesign said:

That starter is totally binding. It sounds like the gear mesh is not very good, likely a tighter gap than it should be. Worst case is you go to the parts store and get another starter and see if it still makes the same noise. You can always return it.

Schwaben bleeders are awesome.

 Okay. At least I know what it most likely is. I'll see if there is any wiggle room in the starter bolt holes to pull it a little further away from the flywheel. I put in the RHD Engineering lightweight flywheel.

Let's say I use all the gap in the existing bolt holes to pull it out of the flywheel a bit and it still binds. WHAT IF I sliiiiightly enlarge the bolt holes on the starter to give it some more room to pull it away from the ring gear on the flywheel?

[jc43089]

Is there a dowel in the starter to position it precisely?  I thought there is, you would have to remove that to be able to push it to the outer tolerance of the bolt holes.

[HipMF]

jc43089 said:

Is there a dowel in the starter to position it precisely?  I thought there is, you would have to remove that to be able to push it to the outer tolerance of the bolt holes.

There is a dowel on my G240, but the M20 starter that I have does not have a hole for it. Don't know about other transmissions...

[Jdesign]

gilber33 said:

 Okay. At least I know what it most likely is. I'll see if there is any wiggle room in the starter bolt holes to pull it a little further away from the flywheel. I put in the RHD Engineering lightweight flywheel.

Let's say I use all the gap in the existing bolt holes to pull it out of the flywheel a bit and it still binds. WHAT IF I sliiiiightly enlarge the bolt holes on the starter to give it some more room to pull it away from the ring gear on the flywheel?

Not sure if that will help. It could be not reaching the teeth completely as well. I know that its common for those flywheels to be loud, but that video makes it really loud.

[gilber33]

jc43089 said:

Is there a dowel in the starter to position it precisely?  I thought there is, you would have to remove that to be able to push it to the outer tolerance of the bolt holes.

That's a good point, I'm not sure if there is. I'll have to look through old pictures.

edit: I don't think there is a dowl, but I think it's the gear housing on the starter that centers it in in the correct location.

I think I'll just live with it for a little while, and maybe it's a noise that will go away as the car is started more times and it "wears" in.

Jdesign said:

Not sure if that will help. It could be not reaching the teeth completely as well. I know that its common for those flywheels to be loud, but that video makes it really loud.

To be fair, the video emphasizes certain sounds, too. Like the video of it running makes it sound way more chattery than it is in person.

What would be the best way to see if it's reaching the gear all the way?

[rampelsauce]

gilber33 said:

To be fair

[Jdesign]

gilber33 said:

What would be the best way to see if it's reaching the gear all the way?

lil grease or nondrying paint on the gears to measure the lash?