Hello. My name is Dan, and today I doomsday prepped

[straight6pwr]

wasnt m3 said:

What tires are you planning on running? 

same as before. 205/50r16 BFG G-force Sport Comp 2. they were grippier than the 225/45 Nexen Nferas I had previously.

however, there are a couple more choices this year in 224/45. the last couple times i've looked there was only 1 or 2 to pick from.

[gilber33]

I think those are the same wheels that came with my car. Do you like those BFG's? The Kuhmo Ecsta XS that are mounted are just about at the wear bars and are $150ea. Rather not drop $600 on tires.

[straight6pwr]

yeah, i think they are the same (ESM). I do like the BFGs. They are withstanding the tortures of auto-x and my heavy right foot.

[straight6pwr]

so i had replaced my sunroof crank back when I bought the car 2 years ago.  the new one already is having ED issues...

the handle will not stay up in the detent, so it just sits like this.

i bought a new one in the mean time, which sits properly in its home.

i decided to figure out what was actually happening. well, there are two ball detents on the sides of the handle in the mechanism. they ride along a channel, then hit a detent at each end. I figured the balls or spring were worn out already, but what I found is that the actually metal frame has been stretched open by the force of the spring over time.  the green lines show how the frame has stretched open (slightly exagerated). anyways, this causes the balls not to hold in the detents. a quick squeeze with a vise grips put them back straight, but i suppose in a year or so they'll just stretch back. sad, since this probably isnt permanently fixable and is only due to crappy quality of the metal (pot-metal). i guess it would be possible to put a spring with less pressure and  test how that goes.

next up, windshield replacement.

the replacement was from a parts car and is in better (not perfect) condition than mine. i may buy a brand new one in the future, but i didnt want to break it on my first attempt. turns out, if you break your windshield installing it than you're just an idiot and i didn't need to worry.

replacement glass:

You'll need a Lisle 47000 lockstrip tool and plastic pry tool to accomplish this.

first step is to remove your wiper blades. then, just pull out the old lockstrip: comes out easy, just start at the ends in the bottom middle of the windshield:

if your lockstrip is old, it my break or fall to pieces. mine stayed together.

next step is to push out the original windshield. start at the top corners and just push from inside the car. it pops right out.

here's your chance to clean out those bugs and dirt chucks that have been lodged in the front corner of your dash for 15 years:

also a good opportunity for me to test fit this dash cover for a future project:

onto installing the new windshield. start by sliding it in to the seal at the bottom. check both sides and make sure you have it centered in the opening.

set in place:

next, work up the sides of the seal with the plastic pry tool. from the inside of the car, just push the seal over the glass. it pushes on real easy, just beware not to stab a hole in the seal from pushing too hard. work back and forth on the top corners, then finish with the top middle.

lastly, is the pain in the ass part. installing the lockstrip. i chose to reuse the old one since nothing was wrong with it and if i messed it up i could just use the new one i bought.

this takes some practice to get right. first, apply some soapy water on the seal to help the tool slide. starting from the center bottom, insert the tool into the seal so that it spreads it open. insert the end of the lockstrip then start sliding the tool down the seal while pushing the lockstrip into the opening.  getting the speed, pressure, and angle of the tool is a dance. it took me about 10 times starting over just to get the feel for how to do it. even after all that, i was still scratching the lockstrip and missing parts as i went.

the tool will pop out. to get it started again, the best method i found was to stick the tool back in the seal and apply extra pressure with the pry tool directly where the lockstrip passes through the lockstrip tool as shown below. you will be left with a section of the lockstrip which is not engaged, but i was able to gently flip the seal over the edge with a small, dull screwdriver.

overall, i think it took me 5 min to get the new windshield in place and an hour of fiddling to get the lockstrip in.

lastly for the night, i installed the replacement injectors from the rebuild supplier. they sent new ones free of charge. I tested these all with a 9v battery before install and they all were clicking open properly this time. this time, the car started up and ran great.

the winter list is dwindling:

5.wire aux fan properly, currently running with an on/off override switch and no temp control.

6.detail interior

7.detail undercarriage

and I've added a couple new items:

8. add black trim to carpet edges along footwells, then secure them to car better.   the edge of the carpet likes to pop out from under the door sill trim.

9.shadowline window trim

[Jdesign]

When @GunMetalGrey told me it was that easy to do BMW glass I was hesitant, but that seems pretty easy. Nice work!

[YoungCR]

So easy you can use a spatula if you really want. That’s how the windshield was replaced on the dirty Delphin. Added the proper tool to my shopping list though, great write ups as always Dan!

[Jdesign]

YoungCR said:

So easy you can use a spatula if you really want. That’s how the windshield was replaced on the dirty Delphin. Added the proper tool to my shopping list though, great write ups as always Dan!

[straight6pwr]

YoungCR said:

So easy you can use a spatula if you really want. That’s how the windshield was replaced on the dirty Delphin. Added the proper tool to my shopping list though, great write ups as always Dan!

thanks, and yeah several kitchen utensils would probably be usable. just dont tell the estrogen people.

[straight6pwr]

the new wheels are on, and the car is out for the season. i put her to work right away - no rest for the wicked.

hilariously, my skid plate's hoop bar is a great tie-down point. i'll be using that instead of threading in the tow hook for future kayak hauling.

there won't be any e30 projects this summer. summer/fall will be setting up the new(to me) garage to get ready for winter projects.

[m42b32]

straight6pwr said:

the new wheels are on, and the car is out for the season. i put her to work right away - no rest for the wicked.

hilariously, my skid plate's hoop bar is a great tie-down point. i'll be using that instead of threading in the tow hook for future kayak hauling.

there won't be any e30 projects this summer. summer/fall will be setting up the new(to me) garage to get ready for winter projects.

Looking good! The new wheels fit perfect!

[straight6pwr]

m42b32 said:

Looking good! The new wheels fit perfect!

thanks! even though they are knockoffs, i'm pretty happy. cleared all the brake stuff, fit on the hub properly, a socket fits over the lugs without 'tuner' bolts, etc, etc... all that unknown stuff you can get with cheap wheels.

[straight6pwr]

in May I had my powersteering go out on me while driving (i forgot to post it). luckily not while doing a critical maneuver, but it was disconcerting. the failure mode left me with stiff steering. it felt like if you've ever driven a car with no powersteering at low speed, except at every speed it was that heavy. anyways, i diagnosed it as a dead pump and ordered  a reman unit. swapped in easy and works great. i think the shaft sheared in half, because the front spun freely. 

\

another update:

today I finally bit the bullet on a replacement driveshaft. i destroyed another csb (clunking under the car) and I finally gave in. again, its a reman unit, from an e36 328i manual car.  e30 24v swaps with the e36 zf 5-speed can use either an early (1995 only) e36 m3 manual driveshaft or an e36 328i manual driveshaft. they have the correct length and the 4-bolt rear. both need to be combined with an e30 CSB due to the offset needed to keep the driveline straight. 

top is the bad driveshaft with seizing joints, bottom is the replacement before I swapped the e30 CSB onto it. i think i covered this in a previous post, but the process is pretty simple to swap these on an e30. pull exhaust, remove heat shields, remove 4 nuts at the rear 4-bolt flange, the 3 giubo front bolts, and 2 bolts on the csb. the driveshaft then drops out. if you're swapping CSBs you need a big 3-jaw puller, a snap ring pliers, and a section of 1-1/4 PVC to tap the new bearing into place. don't forget to mark the alignment of the driveshaft halves if they arent already marked! everything is balance after assembly of the halves, so getting them back together the same is important. 

im getting really good at pulling the driveshaft, this time the whole process only took about 90 minutes. 

[B C]

Where did you source the reman?

[gilber33]

What kind of clunks were you getting with the driveshaft? I.e. what was happening when clunks were present? And how did it destroy your CSB? Was the bearing toast? Did it rip apart the rubber surround on it?

[straight6pwr]

B C said:

Where did you source the reman?

driveshaft: BuyAutoParts.com $350 w/free shipping.  i basically cruised the internets until one went on sale, as I didnt want to pay 500-900 for a driveshaft.

gilber33 said:

What kind of clunks were you getting with the driveshaft? I.e. what was happening when clunks were present? And how did it destroy your CSB? Was the bearing toast? Did it rip apart the rubber surround on it? 

a 'thunk thunk thunk' when accelerating from a stop. goes away in every other condition.  even worse when accelerating and turning (loading up the back suspension causing the driveshaft to flex even more). pretty easy to tell it was coming from under the ebrake in the tunnel.the seizing driveshaft joints were causing the driveshaft to want to stay in a slight 'v' shape when spinning, causing it to hit the tunnel or the sides of the CSB bracket. after awhile if you leave it go, the metal bracket part of the CSB breaks and/or the rubber surround gets torn.

the first one i replaced looked like this, and the one i replaced yesterday broke in a similar way:

[gilber33]

straight6pwr said:

driveshaft: BuyAutoParts.com $350 w/free shipping.  i basically cruised the internets until one went on sale, as I didnt want to pay 500-900 for a driveshaft.

a 'thunk thunk thunk' when accelerating from a stop. goes away in every other condition.  even worse when accelerating and turning (loading up the back suspension causing the driveshaft to flex even more). pretty easy to tell it was coming from under the ebrake in the tunnel.the seizing driveshaft joints were causing the driveshaft to want to stay in a slight 'v' shape when spinning, causing it to hit the tunnel or the sides of the CSB bracket. after awhile if you leave it go, the metal bracket part of the CSB breaks and/or the rubber surround gets torn.

the first one i replaced looked like this, and the one i replaced yesterday broke in a similar way:

Thanks for the explanation! My drivetrain still has some noises, but nothing remotely similar to that. I think the car just has drivetrain noises and I have to learn to accept that. I believe it might be some excess lash in the diff (or maybe completely normal and I’m a paranoid psychopath).

[B C]

gilber33 said:

Thanks for the explanation! My drivetrain still has some noises, but nothing remotely similar to that. I think the car just has drivetrain noises and I have to learn to accept that. I believe it might be some excess lash in the diff (or maybe completely normal and I’m a paranoid psychopath). 

As I mentioned before, you would probably be horrified by the sounds my diff makes, which are completely normal. They are inherent to clutch-type diffs 

Smooth driving can make them unnoticable but backing out of a parking spot will almost always make noises. 

Some clunks can be from the driveshaft and CSB but there is also an inordinate amount of gear lash in our old transmissions as well.

Get a louder exhaust

[gilber33]

B C said:

As I mentioned before, you would probably be horrified by the sounds my diff makes, which are completely normal. They are inherent to clutch-type diffs 

Smooth driving can make them unnoticable but backing out of a parking spot will almost always make noises. 

Some clunks can be from the driveshaft and CSB but there is also an inordinate amount of gear lash in our old transmissions as well.

Get a louder exhaust

Backing out the garage and driveway is when it’s the loudest. 

I was planning on opening up the exhaust at some point. I can always keep the stereo cranked too.

[straight6pwr]

lol  i everytime i close my windows in the e30 while driving for a phone call, there seems to be even more tire/diff noise from the back of the car and I'm like

[gilber33]

It’s loud when the windows are open. It’s loud when the windows are closed. I tell myself this is normal it’s an old car it’s supposed to sound all clunky.