New Ride: e46 330i ZHP

[jc43089]

This is for an e36 but they aren't much different.  I have Eibach springs on my coupe and find them very streetable but firmer and slightly lower than stock but not so much that I have trouble in winter.  For reference I am 30 years old, I know streetable means different things to different people .

[straight6pwr]

any reason to NOT do sways before springs will be based on things irrelevant to street driving. it will reduce body roll without adding stiffness. i say absolutely do that.

[wasnt m3]

H&R sports for an e46 ride like stock in my opinion. I had them on 2 of mine. Didn't help much, if at all with body roll. I'd just do the swaybars right away.

[Boris3]

Thanks guys. Sways it is.

[Boris3]

Figured out my oil leak

Replaced the passenger front window regulator and found leftovers from someone's earlier work in the bottom of the door

[B C]

appears to be some sort of healing/energy crystals. I’d keep em.

Anecdotal evidence makes me feel like BMWs are more prone to oil leaks than a lot of cars. At least they are usually worth repairing oil leaks on

[Boris3]

Oil leaks corollary: no matter how much you clean up remnants from the old leak and removing the ofh old oil will be caught up in the metal undertray and will drip on floor the day after car is off jack stands making you think new gasket is leaking...when it isn't.

On another note I'm replacing tie rods today. Does anyone actually source a 34mm crows foot to torque the inners, or do you just plumbers / big creasant wrench them tight?

[Jdesign]

Boris3 said:

Oil leaks corollary: no matter how much you clean up remnants from the old leak and removing the ofh old oil will be caught up in the metal undertray and will drip on floor the day after car is off jack stands making you think new gasket is leaking...when it isn't.

On another note I'm replacing tie rods today. Does anyone actually source a 34mm crows foot to torque the inners, or do you just plumbers / big creasant wrench them tight? 

I use a , but you can get a 34mm from a bike shop locally.

[Boris3]

Cresant works thanks

[KaiserRolls]

Boris3 said:

Cresant works thanks

I prefer to call it the “thumb detecting nut-fu**er”

[Boris3]

I tend to call it the "when you don't have the proper size tool and really should buy said tool rather than cheaping out" wrench. Which might explain why I never knew how to spell it. But I did already have a Harbor Freight set of them because well they were really cheap with coupon.

Anyway, the crescent wrench worked. Finished the tie rods without drama. Installed new rods and boots so didn't have to deal with what I've read is the usual nightmare of trying to separate the old inner and outer rods to reuse the old boots.  Next up alignment.

[Boris3]

Able to get back to wrenching on the ZHP this weekend. We found a little surprise at the alignment last fall. Drivers side lower trailing arm was a wee bit bent. New versus old in the picture.

Replaced both sides. Access to the inner bolt on drivers side is certainly a pain. Joys of unbolting and shifting the diff to get to it. Passenger side is easy.

[Rekpoint]

Boris3 said:

wee bit bent

Nothing a little hammer couldn't fix.