German Engineering: What's Your Limit

[suspenceful]

Snap said:

DrLeadfoot's E46 not starting is a good example. Without an extremely detailed service manual, I wouldn't suspect the hood being popped to be a possible cause for a no-start condition. 

I remember the first time this happened with my E82. It was hilarious.

[Chris Welter]

Initially the newer bmw's are a pain to get over the technology hump. Take it from me, I came from the audio world initially and basic engine work on my own domestics or Japanese cars. It took a while to figure out how the N54 works, but I'd never be afraid again. I'd honestly prefer an older bmw like an e30 though for simplicity. The really trying part of these new cars is when something acts up intermittently and you have to diagnose. A good challenge for all and it will test your troubleshooting abilities... Although I'm a bad example since mine went from oem to full retard in about 2 months.

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk

[i_love_cars]

Chris Welter said:

Although I'm a bad example since mine went from oem to full retard in about 2 months.

lolol truer words never spoken

I will say after jumping into this turbo swap, I stand by my original statement that understanding how a car is put together and how things work together combined with diligence/patience will allow you to get through most things. However, it is astonishing just how much crap you have to remove to get at anything on newer BMWs. I spent about 6 hours just to clear the area to get to the turbo, and I spent probably 1.5 hours of that time just simply observing and taking stock of everything I was looking at because it's rare that I get an upclose look at the n-series this way. 

It's fascinating, but I'm with you - preference still goes to like an E30 or something. I think back to the first car I ever worked on seriously when I was old enough to realize what I was doing (16), which was a 1956 Bel-Air with a 289 v8 that only ran on 7 out of 8 cylinders, and I could literally just stand inside the engine bay with my feet on the cement below.

[Chris Welter]

i_love_cars said:

Chris Welter said:

Although I'm a bad example since mine went from oem to full retard in about 2 months.

lolol truer words never spoken

I will say after jumping into this turbo swap, I stand by my original statement that understanding how a car is put together and how things work together combined with diligence/patience will allow you to get through most things. However, it is astonishing just how much crap you have to remove to get at anything on newer BMWs. I spent about 6 hours just to clear the area to get to the turbo, and I spent probably 1.5 hours of that time just simply observing and taking stock of everything I was looking at because it's rare that I get an upclose look at the n-series this way. 

It's fascinating, but I'm with you - preference still goes to like an E30 or something. I think back to the first car I ever worked on seriously when I was old enough to realize what I was doing (16), which was a 1956 Bel-Air with a 289 v8 that only ran on 7 out of 8 cylinders, and I could literally just stand inside the engine bay with my feet on the cement below. 

Lol I am happy someone agrees with me [emoji3]. Yes it is overwhelming at times and you question why you are doing it over and over again in the process, but the end result is so sweet. Installing it is the first challenge, tuning it is the second. I came to a point that I was going to sell my car, then it was a 2jz swap with driveline changes, but after realizing it'd cost more for the same power and a more crappy powerband I decided to stay put in N54 land. Remember if you think about giving up just remember "at least it isn't an xdrive".. lol [emoji23]

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk