1999 M3 daily driver running log
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still not sure how bmw f'ed up so bad on those shock towers. glad you caught yours before they failed. my dad's e36 m3 had to have new towers welded in at about 100k miles.
Dan
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still not sure how bmw f'ed up so bad on those shock towers. glad you caught yours before they failed. my dad's e36 m3 had to have new towers welded in at about 100k miles.
What blows my mind is they never really fixed it. The e46 had the same problem on the rear shock towers. I'm not sure if any other models suffered the same fate.
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I think its amazing how easily they fail even when new, and even the upgraded mounts aren't that great. I'm lucky my sheet metal wasn't damaged! It really shows the effects of having computers and simulation software in design work. It allows engineers to easily find the thinnest possible sheet metal and least expensive parts that appease the bean counters and also accomplish the job. I think, in the case of the e36, they went a bit too far in favor of the bean counters in some areas...
I repaired my faulty climate control module this morning, following the DIY from Pelican Parts: http://www.pelicanparts.com/BMW/techarticles/Borrowed/e36-climate-control-repair.htm
I removed and disassembled the climate control module
Located, scraped away the varnish, de-soldered, and removed the faulty capacitor (The blue square component)
Once the old capacitor was out of the way, I soldered in a 0.47uF tantalum capacitor
Got the unit reassembled and it works great now! The AC blows ice cold and the heat is nice and hot.
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Got some good work done on the car over the holiday weekend.
Rebuilt the cooling system and did the fan delete mod while I was there. Put in a new radiator, water pump, 80C thermostat, aluminum thermostat housing, lower temp fan switch, hoses, expansion tank, and flushed the coolant. I've put 300 miles on it since Saturday and temps have been great even in the heat and sitting in traffic. I will eventually put an electric fan in after winter.
I also upgraded my failing Valeo 80A alternator to a Bosch 140A unit. I probably don't need the extra power, but I got a deal on a junk 140A to use as a core and get the proper pulley, so now I'll have all the power I'll ever need for better lights/stereo/etc.
I also replaced the faded M sticker and it makes whole back end look way better
Before:
After:
I got the sticker from http://www.donewhenimdead.com/garage/e36-m3-emblem-stripe-replacement, which is way better than buying a whole new badge
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Nice job man! I put the 140a in my e36 when I had it because it was required. The reason for the two options is if you have the ability to have a car phone. Look in the trunk and if you have the phone symbol somewhere on the left (if I remember correctly. The guy I bought my e36 from had just replaced the alternator but put in the 80a in stead of the 140a and it didn't make it very far.
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awesome. Love the sticker overlay for the badge. That way you don't have to worry about putting a new badge on and not having it line up properly.
2011 E92 M3 6MT ZCP - ESS 625 supercharged
2007 Z4MR
2003 E39 M5
2002 E46 M3
2021 X5 40i -
That site has been around for awhile but it's really hard to find them unless you are looking for them.
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Replaced the torn intake boot with a non-asc boot and the matching IVC vacuum line. While I was in there I also replaced all of the idler/tensioner pulleys as the bearings were making quite a bit of noise. It sounds a lot better now!
A note to people who care: I recently installed Continental brand accessory/ac belts and they seem almost too short (have to bottom out the tensioners to get them on) and are a HUGE pain to get on/off. Next time the belts have to come off I'll be replacing them with something else
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Picked up a new audio system for the M3 from andyhundley along with the e30 parts car:
No idea what brand it is but it looks decent, I'm going to polish it up and install it this weekend.
Replaced the cabin air filter today after work because even at full blast there was almost no air coming out of the vents, and what a pain that was... I was able to "cheat" it in on my old e36 but that trick wasn't gonna work this time, ended up pulling out the glovebox and everything else in the way and finally got it in. The old filter was absolutely disgusting...
Also bought an UltraGauge and mounted it under the headlight switch, its been really interesting keeping an eye on all the things it can display. I highly recommend it as a dedicated OBD2 readout as it is very compact and easy to read at a glance
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Installed the exhaust on Saturday, the bolts connecting the midsection to the rear section weren't horrible, only had to use the dremel on one of them which was better than I had expected. Started the car with no muffler on which was fun too, didn't get a video of that though.
Once I got everything bolted up it sounds incredible, I've been driving everywhere with the windows open. I can barely hear it while cruising on the freeway which is nice for longer drives too
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Installed the exhaust on Saturday, the bolts connecting the midsection to the rear section weren't horrible, only had to use the dremel on one of them which was better than I had expected. Started the car with no muffler on which was fun too, didn't get a video of that though.
Once I got everything bolted up it sounds incredible, I've been driving everywhere with the windows open. I can barely hear it while cruising on the freeway which is nice for longer drives too
I am glad to hear you are happy with the exhaust.
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I am glad to hear you are happy with the exhaust.
I am for sure, thanks again!!
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I hate doing those e36 cabin air filters! They are such a pain! I remember doing it for my first time and prior to it I did not have a sagging glove box door and I was so proud of that... after service I had a sagging glove box door and it was never right.
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I hate doing those e36 cabin air filters! They are such a pain! I remember doing it for my first time and prior to it I did not have a sagging glove box door and I was so proud of that... after service I had a sagging glove box door and it was never right.
Yeah I just made my sagless glove box sag, only after I had it all apart did I realize how the little tabs that stop the sag are shaped...
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Installed a spal fan (medium profile puller, 1600cfm) over the last few days. Wired it in with a relay, and properly sized fuses on both the power and switching circuits.
Decided to mount a manual switch in the center console instead of running it off the temperature switch in the radiator. I have my ultragauge to read out coolant temps so I will know when I want/need the fan on or off.
I am also planning to eventually repurpose my ASC switch to control the fan for added OEMness, should be a fun little project for the winter
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