BMW Sienna 2.5i build

jc43089

Finally going to get back to this tomorrow. I had to work all weekend last weekend.

Thinking about instrumentation. I have used Autometer in the past and had good results. But populating the whole cluster will be quite pricey. I do see that the digital gauges from Autometer are somewhat cheaper than full sweep gauges because they don't need the stepper motor mechanism. I don't care for a digital tach though, maybe digital everything else and analog tach. Any other thoughts?

Also going to try to get the clutch pedal area measured up so I can figure out what to buy for that.

I'm wishing I had insulation in my garage, also being interrupted by "nesting" about 2 weeks until baby is due.

Jdesign

Does it not have a factory tach? Why not stick with the factory gauges? I know that aftermarket stuff is more precise but I would think you would want to keep this as stock as possible inside?

jc43089

Jdesign said:

Does it not have a factory tach? Why not stick with the factory gauges? I know that aftermarket stuff is more precise but I would think you would want to keep this as stock as possible inside?

It does have a tach in the factory dash. I haven't dug into the wiring diagrams much yet for the Toyota but I assumed it was canbus from ECU-Dash. If not then maybe I can drive the tach with the BMW signal. The speedometer signal came from a sensor in the transmission. Maybe I could mount it to a custom bracket and look at a tab on the driveshaft. I will have to see what the relation of speed would be compared to what it was looking at inside the transmission.

I got it in the garage this weekend and up on jack stands. Installed N54 studs and OBD2 exhaust manifolds. There is much more room than in an e36 which is nice.

B C

probably tons easier than working on the original V6 too.

jc43089

Snap said:

probably tons easier than working on the original V6 too.

This too. You can't even change spark plugs on the 3mz without removing the intake manifold.

B C

I did it once without pulling the manifold. the last 2 were horrible

stealthbimmer

jc43089 said:

also being interrupted by "nesting" about 2 weeks until baby is due.

You have one of those as well?

jc43089

stealthbimmer said:

You have one of those as well?

yup, this is number 3. Hence the van for kid hauling.

stealthbimmer

jc43089 said:

yup, this is number 3. Hence the van for kid hauling.

Twinsies....although we got the van before the second one. Mine isn't bmw powered though.

Sent from my SM-G930R4 using Tapatalk

basedspider

Definitely looking forward to watching this build enfold.

jc43089

Ordered a bunch of Willwood parts for the clutch pedal setup. I need to modify the brake pedal bracket to get a little room and move the pedal over about 2 inches and trim it narrower. The reverse swing mount pedal is necessary because there is no room on the other side of the firewall from where the pedal needs to be. The strut tower is hardly an inch away.

The warmer day yesterday was nice, I got a couple hours of work done after the kiddos were in bed. My wife's due date is tomorrow so baby is coming anytime.

B C

I didn't even think about the clutch pedal situation. By the way the pedal bracket looks, the MC will be mounted inside the car with the fluid reservoir inside the car also, is this correct?

Hope everything is well for you guys tomorrow and if nothing else, that everybody is calm and relaxed.

jc43089

The MC will be inside facing back, I ordered a -4AN bulkhead to get through the firewall and an adapter for the MC inlet to -AN so I can put the reservoir in the engine bay. It would be a pain to check/fill under the dashboard. So yes there are some additional parts than shown in the pictures. There is a nice racing parts shop in town that ordered the stuff and has lots of hoses, fittings, and adapters in stock so I will figure some of it out as I go. One thing I forgot is an adapter from M10 bubble flare to -AN for the slave cylinder.

Everything is going well with this pregnancy. We are crazy hippies and having a midwife come for a homebirth. We haven't done that before but neither of us is worried about it. It is our third so not the first rodeo.

KaiserRolls

jc43089 said:

The MC will be inside facing back, I ordered a -4AN bulkhead to get through the firewall and an adapter for the MC inlet to -AN so I can put the reservoir in the engine bay. It would be a pain to check/fill under the dashboard. So yes there are some additional parts than shown in the pictures. There is a nice racing parts shop in town that ordered the stuff and has lots of hoses, fittings, and adapters in stock so I will figure some of it out as I go. One thing I forgot is an adapter from M10 bubble flare to -AN for the slave cylinder.
Everything is going well with this pregnancy. We are crazy hippies and having a midwife come for a homebirth. We haven't done that before but neither of us is worried about it. It is our third so not the first rodeo.

Hippies!

jc43089

Another slight issue is that the radiator is backwards compared to the BMW one, as in the low connection is on the left and the high connection is on the right. I have plenty of room to cross the coolant hoses in front of the engine which will solve that. Also the Toyota engine has the "radiator cap" on top of the engine. I plan to use an expansion tank and plumbing it similar to a stock BMW setup, I got a radiator hose temp sender adapter thing to install in the upper radiator hose but instead of a temp sensor I will put a nipple in the 1/8 NPT hole and that will be the bleed line back to the expansion tank. Conveniently the stock radiator looks pretty solid, it has aluminum tanks too which I didn't know was a thing.

Jdesign

Could you just source a radiator from another car that has dimensions and outlets that you need?

YoungCR

If you'd be interested in a E34 expansion tank I have 2. Not sure what kind of space you have to work with but they mount on the firewall.

jc43089

YoungCR said:

If you'd be interested in a E34 expansion tank I have 2. Not sure what kind of space you have to work with but they mount on the firewall.

I might be, are those similar to an e32 style where it is above the engine on the firewall?

More pictures soon. I got the clutch pedal/MC and a bunch of AN fittings to get through the firewall. I got some 1/4" Cunifer tubing for a fuel return line. There is no access door under the carpet so I have to drop the fuel tank, that should be exciting, it's about 3/4 full I think. Yesterday after work I cut the CV axles off right by the outer joint so I could spin the cage sideways and get the balls and cage out. I will be reinstalling just the cup part with the spindle to hold the front wheel bearings together. They also have the tone ring for the ABS so I have a small chance of the ABS still working.