Non-BMW Stuff on a BMW Forum

[straight6pwr]

gilber33 said:

I will!

Question time: I ordered a keyless entry box and I'm trying to figure out what wiring diagram I should use. I have read the write-ups for the REC-43 keyless entry and that one is very simple with a power, ground, and an opening and closing sign wire that is spliced into the harness in the trunk. I found one on amazon for a bit cheaper with great reviews but it has more options than the REC-43, thus a more complicated wire harness. Here's the wiring options for it. There's different options for how your car is equipped; this is only showing the section of harness related to the lock/unlock signal. There is a separate 12v and ground for the box.

I think I'm going to start with splicing the white (closing signal) and white/black (opening signal) into the correct wires in the car harness, unless someone reads this differently than I do.

you've read it right.

white - closing signal wire

white/black - opening signal wire

yellow + yellow/black - connect both to ground (e30 is "negative pole" grounded)

i used the signal wires found in the harness right under the truck lock. i ran the unit's constant 12v positive back along the drivers side to the antenna harness and i ran the ground to the battery. sorry, my wiring is messy - i connected the whole unit with quick-connects in case it fails in the future i can just swap it out quickly instead of cutting out splices. . you can actually see my unit has the same colors as yours. red = 12v constant, yellow/black = ground, solid white = closing, white/black = opening

[gilber33]

Thank you so much! That is a ton of help. I was going to use everything you described, so the confirmation is great.

[Jdesign]

I also did the same thing to double confirm on both my E24 and E30.

[gilber33]

Thanks for your help on the keyless entry. Made install so much easier and it worked! Super gratifying to have something as simple as remote locks. 

On to another thing. Anyone install a performance chip in their e30? Obviously they add some power, but is it significant enough to make it worth it? Looking for some honest feedback on them.

[Boris3]

Re chips: Mark D (D'silva) and SSSquid have good reps of late. Both have multiple options based on octane and injector size

http://www3.sympatico.ca/mdsylva/

https://www.sssquid.com/v3/

Earlier the options were mainly the Conforti (JC) now sold by Turner and Dinan both of which needed higher octane but used the stock injectors. The rep on the Conforti was some impact along the entire rev range while Dinan was just at top end. Both bump the red line up. I've got an old Conforti on the track car. Used it when it when the 325i was just a DE car and started using it again last year since it was class legal. I can feel it in the midrange on corner exit which is where I wanted a little help.

When megasquirt came out the focus on chips decreased but the SSSquid tunes have lead to new interest.

Is it "worth it"? You've got an e30, short of FI or an engine swap the car is pretty much a low HP brick. A chip will tweak it a little bit but you'll still get dusted by minivans.

[B C]

Its both a slippery slope and an all-or-nothing endeavor. 

If you get a cam then you need a cam gear to keep timing dialed in. Then you should really get stiffer valve springs that support higher revs. If you get a big enough cam you should get some headwork done. If you get headwork done you would be smart to get megasquirt or some sort of way to keep the fuel mixtures safe and optimized, etc etc.

If the steering, shifter, and throttle response are sharp it should be, maybe added some sway bars, some bracing and removed weight within reason, then the overall feel of the car should suffice. 

At the end of my turbo m20 and cammed/modded M52 escapades I would have happily gone back to an M20 with a 2.8, ITBs, megasquirt and a mild cam upgrade. Something that might only dyno 185whp but would be crisp, responsive, plenty of top end pull, and easy to work on

[gilber33]

Sooo, the vibe I'm getting is if I'm planning on staying with a more or less stock m20 setup, the chip is worth it, albeit it will still be a slow car at the end of the day relative to modern cars. 

I should have prefaced this with i do not plan leaving the m20 platform (at least with this one). I am going to rebuild my other m20 to drop in and maybe put in a real mild cam. I have had projects who's "fun" power curve was 100mph+ and the goal of the e30 was not to have a fast car, but a car  that was fun in the curves in  did burnouts.

[gilber33]

So I had an appt scheduled for April 10 to have the tint removed on the bmw and have the XC70 tinted. I figured why not try removing it myself and see what happens. Used my heat gun to heat up the area I was working and a razor to get a corner started. After about 45 mins I had it all off. Must have been cheap tint. Still some adhesive I'll have to get off, but I absolutely love it without tint. Fits the car so much better. 

[YoungCR]

I liked the car with tint but love it without! Shows off that great cardinal now.

[straight6pwr]

so much better without! i think tint on old BMWs makes them seem less sleek and more top-heavy due to the amount of glass.

[gilber33]

straight6pwr said:

so much better without! i think tint on old BMWs makes them seem less sleek and more top-heavy due to the amount of glass.

I totally agree. I did not think removing the tint would change the look of the car as much as it did. It works so much better.

[m42b32]

gilber33 said:

I totally agree. I did not think removing the tint would change the look of the car as much as it did. It works so much better. 

No tint looks so much better, especially when you have a cool interior color!

[straight6pwr]

m42b32 said:

a cool interior color!

someone should do a harlequin interior. one panel/part from every leather or vinyl color.

[gilber33]

Back on the ground! Need oil and more coolant. And gotta put a couple bits and pieces here and there back together. 

[straight6pwr]

[m42b32]

Looking great!! The wheel fitment is perfect

[gilber33]

m42b32 said:

Looking great!! The wheel fitment is perfect

Thank you. I can't take credit on that, the car came with these wheels. But I agree, they fit awesome. I also like the look of the slightly chunkier 205/50/16 vs the 215/45/16.

[rampelsauce]

Needs tint.

[Ryan...]

Zach, is the car I sold you??

[rampelsauce]

Ryan... said:

Zach, is the car I sold you??

Yep.  It didnt work good, I want my money back.