Yet ANOTHER Noob from Milwaukee -- Looking to replace suspension
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Sounds good. Well I'm doing my radiator tomorrow (got all the parts, woo!), so if that all goes well I'll put in an order for the Ultimos! Do you know if you actually have to jack the car up to bleed the radiator properly? My driveway is inclined, and there's a piece of cement that you have to bump over to get in the garage... I was thinking of just putting it there when I bleed the system. Thoughts?
Thanks for all your help, I'm really glad you saved me $400 lol
BTW: Based on the good old finger test, my back wheels currently have no clearance between them and the fender... I guess that means it's a little low? ha! The front I can fit ~3 fingers. I'm assuming it's because the back springs are broken, whereas the fronts are in tact.
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Bleeding is not as difficult as it is made out to be, a slight upward incline can help. I drill a 1/16" hole in the thermostat at the highest point possible, some brands come with a hole already and the tiny hole does not flow enough during normal operation to affect anything. I would recommend BMW blue coolant or Evans NPG (the Evans is more work because the system must be flushed and all water removed so it's not really feasible unless doing major work already), both will protect against corrosion better and the Evans is lifetime coolant. Use a bottle of Redline "Water Wetter" or Royal Purple "Purple Ice" if using regular green/yellow coolant for additional corrosion protection.
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i would recomend jom's veedubmachine.com like 310 shiped don't buy billies or bav auto springs
i like the jom's but really thier the same as racelands and while your under there you better replace your trailing arm bushings I have the tool if you need it
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I have owned parts made in China that have had superior quality and performance to parts made in the US or Germany.
It has little to do with the country of manufacture, and a lot to do with the company that does the engineering and dictates the tolerances, standards of quality, and inspection/acceptance.
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Hmmmm.... fair point. I guess I give too much credit to that TUV certification I know nothing about! Any thoughts on the product themselves? Jom's vs. racelands vs. a struts/shocks/springs set (probably monroes to match this pricepoint...).
I'm impressed that these coilovers are so cheap, when low end struts/shocks/springs can barely match the price. I would only lower a bit from stock (maybe an 1" since I like where my blown suspension sits). I really just want to save money for decent handling on the street.
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Alrighty! I think I got my radiator leak figured out (drove to work today.. .no leaking so far), so I ordered the Raceland Ultimos. I was debating it and googling around, but nothing beats a recommendation based on experience vs. fan-dom. I will order the mounts from PelicanParts either today or tomorrow, so I should be good to throw 'em in next weekend provided you are also free
I'll be getting the e46 convertible rear mounts and just normal mounts for the front, then?
What kind of spring pads should i throw on the back of this beast?
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http://www.wibimmers.com/board/index.php?/topic/942-welcome-to-the-new-member-introduction-section/
This should be in the General Technical section.
Just sayin
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Well I will admit it has developed into something that should go there, but the thread you referenced does say "newbie questions" and "anything goes"
I think this thread is about wrapped up though, and I'll communicate with Earl via PM from here on out. Sorry about that!
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Well I will admit it has developed into something that should go there, but the thread you referenced does say "newbie questions" and "anything goes"
I think this thread is about wrapped up though, and I'll communicate with Earl via PM from here on out. Sorry about that!
No problems! We're loosely organized around here anyways
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Welcome! If you haven't already ordered a radiator I highly recommend the Turner Motorsports all aluminum radiator. I bought one for my 97 328i after replacing 2 oem radiators in my 95 325is due to cracked necks.
I am in Greenfield if you ever need a hand!
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Hey patsbimmer1,
thanks for the offer! I finished my cooling system swap last weekend. I'm still having to top off the expansion tank, but I read that you have to do that for a few days after finishing up... I don't see any leaking underneath so my fingers are crossed. I went with a Nissens radiator, but I kind of wish I did the aluminum one as it really wasn't that much more expensive
oh well! -
May need to bleed a couple times, but always let it cool before taking the expansion tank cap off. Let it cool and just crack the bleeder loose. I did a conversion to the euro/e30 overflow on an e36 and will be doing it to mine this winter. No idea why they went to a manual bleed system from a self bleeding design.
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Yeah, I bled it, as best I could without jacking the front end up. I eventually said screw it, and just drove around stopping every few blocks to open the bleeder screw (who knows if that was risky or not
)You mentioned to always let it cool before taking the expansion tank off? Is there a reason for this other than coolant being hot and pressurized? I have taken the cap off a hot radiator several times now to check the level.. (oops?)
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The pressure prevents boiling on a hot engine, mine just did not seem to like it, if I opened it hot, I kept getting more air to be bled out, not sure why. Could be that when it gets closed again while hot it will then draw air in when it cools as the coolant contracts, I would think it should draw in at the cap when there is a vacuum in the system which would cause no issues, maybe I need a new cap. Once it is bled its not ever an issue. The level in the overflow will be off of the line except when the car is completely cold.
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