My BMWs:

... and we have a problem...

2011-04-13T08:15:00.001-04:00

Yeah, so I probably drove the car around for about 20 miles yesterday, took a nice long drive at lunch, took some photos, etc.
I was under the car not 24 hours before that, and thought I checked everything...
I'm pulling away from a left turn off the road where I work on, not even going 30 mph yet, and all of sudden a loud whirring noise, and loss of drive occurs. No forward motion, but the whirring winds up when I press the gas pedal.
Yup, the halfshaft bolts came off. They loosened themselves in NO TIME.
HMMMMMMM. This would be funny... BUT! It's happened before.
I had done some work on Green Hell like this back in '09, and ended up taking the diff out and then putting a newer LSD one in. Drove it around for a couple thousand miles, down from MD to NC for 4th of July, and I'm leaving NC for the weekend when the same thing happens.

When am I going to learn that I need Loctite on those bolts!!

(Yesterday, as it turns out...)

I called up Orlando, we made a quick trip to his house, then Autozone for ANOTHER 8mm hex head socket (I believe I have 3 or 4 of them now...), fixed it up, and I was on my way. Thanks Orlando!

5er at work

2011-04-12T13:11:00.000-04:00

I thrashed last night so that I could drive the 5er in to work today. Got it done, but just barely. I started with the exhaust. Besides doing a 3 man job alone, it was a pleasure with new hardware. It made everything go together so well. Then I went around and made sure all the suspension components and stuff underneath were properly torqued. Good thing I checked!! I did those trips around the block with some stuff that probably shouldn't have been loose... oops.

Still some issues I need to address on the car, but I'm going to continue to shake her down and see if stuff breaks...

... or if I REALLY fixed it, this time.

Back in business...

2011-04-08T07:23:00.000-04:00

So, the 535is had the wonky idle like I was talking about. With the help of several members of MYe28.com, I was able to get her running right. I took her for a 5 mile drive last night around the neighborhood, and she runs GREAT! I think I'm finally ready to pop an exhaust on her, do one last sweep on the underside to make sure everything's torqued down/connected correctly, and start driving her daily. YESSSSS!!
(keep tuning in, I'll be updating the photo as I get her put together)

THANK YOU to everyone at MYe28.com, I've learned so much!

That means I can start working on other projects.
In the next couple weeks, I'll try to get the Mini going, and do all the necessary work on the 325ix. The ix will be easy, since it already runs; it's just nut and bolt mechanical stuff that needs to be refreshed.

Another fun-filled weekend...

2011-04-04T09:36:00.000-04:00

When we got the L6 started in January, there were three leaks that I could find. A fuel leak from one of the injectors, a coolant leak from the overflow tank attachment on the radiator, and an intake leak from a loose hose clamp.

Friday afternoon, I had about an hour or so to spend with Orlando, so we went to the garage and pulled the leaky injectors and the leaky radiator.
He was able to re-install the radiator, but after we discussed it a bit, he decided to try the professionally rebuilt Design III injectors like I had.
Those should be coming in this week, and then we'll try to run her again.

As far as the 535is, I had a friend come down from DC to help out, and Orlando came over on Saturday. They both brought red cars, so it was quite a striking sight, 4 RED BMWs behind my garage. After we bled the brakes and made sure the wheels were torqued on correctly, I took her for a drive around the block a couple times. No exhaust. It was LOUD, obviously. I only went around the block because my seat wasn't bolted in, and I had no seatbelt... (or any other interior, lights, grills, bumpers, front valence, etc.) I jammed on the gas a couple times, and she responded the way she should have, so that was a decent sign...
I still have a wonky idle, but I'm going to put the car together, get an exhaust on her, and see how she does then. The ICV is not buzzing the way it should when power is applied... hmmmm. I got the new carpet in there last night, and put the driver's seat in. It's actually going to look pretty nice in there, I think. The car has been apart for so long that I have to search for all the parts, because of course, they aren't all together...

The new mantra: a ROLLING project, a ROLLING project, a ROLLING project!

VICTORY!

2011-03-30T22:08:00.000-04:00

I went ahead and changed out the injectors tonight. I changed out the injectors that I had rebuilt incorrectly (4 hole injectors with a 1 hole pintle cap). I was totally ignorant. I mean, it didn't quite LOOK right, but I didn't know the difference. I put in some professionally rebuilt Design III injectors, put the engine back together, said a prayer, and started her up. She cranked a little bit to fill up the fuel rail again, then PURRED. A loud purr, to be sure, but she ran FINE. We'll see if it's the same tomorrow.
I am so glad. Another victory for...

THE WOLF

The e28

2011-03-29T14:50:00.000-04:00

Attempted to start her up last night, NO PROBLEM.
However, even after fixing the vacuum leak I had, she still will not idle.
I have some different parts to throw at her to see if they will help, and I'm going to rebuild the fuel system, so we'll see if that's the issue.
Sure was nice to hear her run again.
I wonder how many of my neighbors heard her run, too?
(There is that slight exhaust leak...

More windows

2011-03-28T08:50:00.000-04:00

Seems the jobs are coming in pairs and sets now.
Since I was so successful with my window job on the x3, Orlando invited me over to help him with his M3 window...
...after it hailed on the M6 last week. Sorry, man.
Luckily the M6 was fine, but enough was enough. It was time to get that M3 out of the M6's garage spot.
So I went over on thursday to get the lay of the land, we ended up taking the door panel off and seeing the problem. Yup, the two sliders were broken beyond repair. They were also sticking in the tracks pretty well; I guess BMW didn't expect the grease to maintain it's slick properties for 15 years...
So, on Friday, the tracks were cleaned, the new sliders were installed, and we used a little lever ingenuity to get the scissor studs to seat in the sliders all the way. Pretty good stuff.
Orlando went and re-installed the door panels this weekend, and his M3 looks as good as ever, and has functional windows again!

After we got the sliders seated on Friday, Orlando pulled the M6 into the garage, but then decided we should take it out for a spin. He allowed me to drive. It was just what I needed. We went for about 30 miles, and the car performed flawlessly. I seem to remember the last time I drove it, it was down on power, and it felt like the car was too "heavy". Consequently, I had not given the car it's due respect and nit-picked other things that I felt were issues. The car just didn't impress me at the time.
But Friday? (since we did the fuel system last fall and other gremlins)
The car was proof positive that BMW just DID IT RIGHT in the 80s. The car was powerful, sure-footed, and smooth as butter. Looking down that long red hood just made everything else seem like background noise.
What a great car.

Working on the x3

2011-03-23T20:45:00.000-04:00

Well, since the x3 is basically a lifted e46, it has a lot of the same issues. One of which is electric windows that like to stop working. There's usually a *SNAP*, and then it doesn't want to do it's thing anymore. It will stay up in the channel for a little while, but the kinda jouncy ride that x3's are known for usually has it riding at about half mast in no time. Anyways, the fix is not THAT hard, but it is kinda fiddly. I bought the $30 part, researched the job, found pics and a writeup... then sat on it.
It's been broken for an embarrasingly LOOOOOONG time.
I wanted to work on the e28 tonight, but I figured I might as well do this window and show the x3 some love, as jamming the window up by hand is getting old, and it's spring in Maryland which equals LOTS of rain. Including tonight.
The lightning was getting closer and closer, and the sky was threatening all afternoon. I needed a third hand for a couple of the steps, Heather was glad to oblige. I got the job done with about 5 minutes to spare.

The job wasn't that bad at all! Now that I think about it, taking everything apart took longer than actually replacing the bad part.
... and now Heather has FOUR power windows, as opposed to THREE. :)

Engine swap

2011-03-21T08:17:00.003-04:00

Well, I wish I was actually doing the engine swap on MY car (I'm sure Heather feels the same...), but I agreed to do another "mobile workshop" job. This time, it was taking an M50 swap out of an e30 sedan, and putting it into an e30 convertible.
The hard part was already done, I saw the donor car move under it's own power, etc. So I know the swap worked. I took off as soon as I could on Friday afternoon and made it up there and into Joe's space by 6. We worked until about 2:30 in the morning with a couple stops and breaks. This time was spent pulling front subframes from both cars, and switching over a lot of the extra stuff that the swap entails. Brake boosters and throttle cables come to mind as some necessary, but pain in the neck stuff.
We slept a little, had a huge breakfast at Shea's, and went to Salvo's for some parts (including a new tool for me, ball joint separator, YES!), then started again at about 11 am. We ended up switching subframes under the swapped engine to keep the good suspension stuff that was installed on the vert. This included replacing a bent tie rod end. Fun stuff. This was my first time using a ball joint separator. I have to admit, I have always used a pickle fork which, while effective, usually requires a LOT of force in the form of hammering with the BFH, and also tears up the rubber boots needed to protect the bearing inside. Not exactly the best solution if you want to use the joint again. So I've heard and seen pictures of this tool several times before, but it plain looked too cheap and easy to work. (Although not exactly cheap to buy, $40.) Well, let me tell you, the dang thing WORKS. It is remarkably simple, easy to use, and makes it possible to use your joint over again. What a great combination!

So, after a couple hours, the magic time comes when we jack the front end of the vert as high as we can get it, then slide the swapped subframe with engine underneath the radiator support, and into that huge hole waiting for it. The engine fit FINE, but we just couldn't get it lined up right so that the subframe would bolt to the frame rails. We must have pushed, shoved, cajoled, hammered, and slung every profanity we knew at it, but it just wouldn't go. ONE INCH. That's how close we were. Looking back, we should have done it differently, but we just didn't know.
So, after about 3 hours of that, we came up with a different plan. We left the engine in the bay (tight squeeze, by the way) and decided to lift the entire car up off the ground, rather than just the front end. We must have only lifted the rear end up about 6 inches, but it made ALL the difference.
Hold on, let me back up a little bit. We ended up keeping the swap together for simplicity's sake, but it introduced a couple headaches. Now, there are about three other things that we should have been paying attention to when we were lining the subframe up. The steering linkage, the shifter linkage, and the driveshaft. The shifter linkage was easy, we just had to make sure that the shifter made it through the hole in the tunnel. The steering linkage was a little more complicated, but since I READ THE MANUAL this time, I was able to get it apart and together without destroying it. The driveshaft... Whoever the gorilla was that put the driveshaft on the tranny was REALLY strong. Like stronger than an impact gun. We worked on it for a little while, then just gave up and left it on. Unfortunately, it just wouldn't bend enough at it's union to get past the fuel bridge for the two halves of the gas tank. We should have been lining that up when we were getting the subframe close to seating, but we were so wrapped up into getting it seated that it just didn't register. Live and Learn.

Anyways, with the whole car about 10 inches in the air, we got the subframe seated and bolted up. Easy. It was just putting everything back together from there.
When I left at sunset on Saturday night, Joe was draining the gas tank to get the driveshaft mated up, and he had to hook up the electronics, the throttle cable, fuel lines, and some coolant hoses. Haven't gotten an update yet. But I'm confident that it will fire right up and he'll be driving this swapped vert VERY soon.

Lessons Learned:
1) I brought the right tools, but I should have brought more. I really like how I have my stuff organized, and it makes it easier for me... I did my tool check before I left, and I'm pretty dang sure I got everything.
2) Take your time. If you round a crucial nut or mangle a line, it's a show stopper.
(I only had to cut ONE bolt with the dremel, it was an exhaust bolt that was just too rusted to move. Easily sourced at the local hardware store.)
3) It's always going to take about three times longer than you think. ESPECIALLY when you're taking your time, trying not to break anything.
4) If you're not sure how to take something apart, READ THE MANUAL. All it takes is ONE SENTENCE to prevent you from destroying something that you could have just as easily used again. (steering linkage that I destroyed on my car, but saved on Joe's)
5) Don't leave a curious 17 year old alone at an electronic security gate about the same time that it's going to close for the night. Especially when the other owners in the compound are kinda twitchy about security after hours.

I think that's it. I'm fully confident that I will be able to finish my swap VERY soon, and with a minimum of effort.

Pulling an engine

2011-03-15T10:28:00.003-04:00

So, I learned a couple things about dropping an engine this week.

1) If your battery is in the back of the car, you'll be taking apart the power distribution block in the FRONT of the car, which means you won't really have any electrical function after you pull the engine. This becomes a problem when you leave an electric window down, and you want to park the car outside for a few days during a rainy spring. Luckily, BMW is way ahead of you, and there are provisions for rolling the window up manually, IF you have a full tool kit... ;)

2) Just when you think you have EVERYTHING disconnected, and you're ready to drop the engine, there's always ONE MORE thing to disconnect. In my case, it was the steering linkage which happened to be absolutely locked on the two splined shafts at each end. No matter how much I loosened the nuts and pried with every appropriate tool, they wouldn't slide off. So, I attacked the rubber donut that holds the two halves of the steering linkage together. Fell right out after that...

3) When doing major maintenance on someone else's car, no matter what kind of hurry you're in, DO A TOOL CHECK. I've been gloating for months about the fact that I can do tranny work and I have ALL the tools, etc. Well, my brother was in a hurry to leave when we did that auto tranny job last year. I didn't do my tool check. Guess what I lost? THE MOST IMPORTANT TOOL for seperating a tranny from the engine. E14 socket. $40 later, I have an all new set of torx sockets just so I can replace the ONE. (sigh) Boy did I need that tool, though.

4) Pushing a car with no drivetrain is a CINCH! Taking 500-600lbs out of the front end of the car makes it so much easier to move around! EXCEPT, when you can't steer the car using that incredibly useful wheel in front of the driver's seat. (see #2)
You can do it, it just takes a lot longer.

5) Engines get violently sick once they leave the engine bay. It's like a crazy motion sickness, EVERY time you move the thing, it pukes up some kind of liquid all over your concrete garage floor. Then, when you can't mop it up fast enough, it dribbles outside onto your driveway and makes a HUGE mess that says, "HEY, I'M DOING ALL KINDS OF CRAZY CAR MAINTENENACE HERE, JUST THOUGHT I'D LET EVERYONE KNOW THAT I'M A DIRTY FINGER NAIL, NOISY AIR TOOL SLOB!" ... and just for added fun, I was out of kitty litter. We finished up at about 10:30 last night and that wasn't too bad, until I needed an extra hour to go get kitty litter, then clean THAT up. Boy am I tired.

6) It can be done on your own, and isn't too bad if you're brave and apply necessary OSHA procedures (What's OSHA?), but it does make it easier if you have a helper.

THANKS, ORLANDO!!

I sold one of my beloved cars...

2011-03-10T11:38:00.002-05:00

Last night I sold my 1992 BMW 325i sedan. I loved that car. I love ALL of my cars. Adam is happy because he hates E36s. I am ready to reduce the quantity of my collection and increase the quality of the cars I already have. After selling my E36, Adam and I took apart most of the underside (exhaust, driveshaft, engine bolts, suspension) of his E30 325e. That was fun. We are both making progress with our fleets and that is a good feeling.

Less E36...

2011-03-10T08:01:00.003-05:00

Everything's falling into place. Muahahahahahahaha!

I sold the Dinan chipped ECU out of the eta, and that just snowballed for me. I really wasn't sure about the condition of the extra ECU I had laying on the shelf, but I found out today. Plugged it in, and the car started RIGHT up!

Also, an opportunity came up to sell most of the drivetrain (the good stuff) from the 325e. Last night, I just about dropped the engine, tranny, and driveshaft.
Will finish it up today. Then box it up, and out the door!

That's what I needed to get moving on that project!

NO MORE ETAs.

Less e28...

2011-02-18T08:37:00.000-05:00

and more e30. Bye Bye Beater!

Great Success!

2011-02-12T20:58:00.002-05:00

The missionaries came over last night for dinner, and I accepted their offer for some kind of service. I had them sit in the 535iA to weigh the car down while I tightened the upper control arms. Then they helped me bleed the brakes. Thanks, Elders!
Today, I invited Orlando over to help finish it up, but buttoning things up went a lot faster than I had expected, so by the time he arrived, I had already been around the block a dozen times, and was ready to go on the highway. No drama. Much less shimmy. I didn't rebuild the ENTIRE front suspension, but I know I helped a little. Brakes work fine, and best of all, all those pesky warning lights that I was looking at before (false low oil level light, and a very old brake wear sensor) disappeared. Tranny shifts fine, she run great! I'm going to shake her down for a couple days, then off she goes to the new owner! Bye Bye, beater!

I'm pretty excited for continued progress on the other cars, hopefully my success streak can continue.

The Wolf

well, CRAP.

2011-02-09T15:42:00.002-05:00

Last night got everything ready to go on the Beater. Finally got the rest of that nut off. It was cold, so I got the new hardware in there, and I'll have people come over Thursday to weigh the car down while I torque to proper settings.

Took an hour at lunch today to try and get the 535is going. No dice. It cranked and cranked and cranked. I think the fuel pumps are dead. I'm going to check the relay, drain the fuel and replace some lines and the injectors. May pop in Orlando's old pumps just for test purposes. She's close, I know it!

progress

2011-02-08T10:55:00.002-05:00

Went out to the garage WAAAAY late last night; past my self-imposed "noise curfew" and got most of that stripped nut ground away with the dremel. Please accept my apologies, neighbors. I was lying right underneath it, so I'm sure there will be about a zillion pieces of metal floating around in my eyes for the next few days. Terrific.

Also, I was so busy on Sunday that I put a battery on the buzzbox while I was frying wings and then TOTALLY forgot about it. When I went out there last night, it was fully charged all right. Gosh, I really DON'T want to burn my garage down.

Hopefully tonight I can put new hardware on, torque it down correctly and drive the beater to work tomorrow.

Then trade for the 325ix. Maybe next week, I'll have to get my rookie body guy vibe going on, and seal up the tail light section the way it's supposed to be.

This week, after the Beater has left the building, and I try to get the Mini going, I'll pull the 535is in the garage and get that thing started and RUNNING. I really think I've got it licked this time. I think it's gonna run. 4 years has come down to this. Come on, baby.

Time flies...

2011-02-06T15:21:00.003-05:00

Got to work on the beater again last night. I had been waiting for a spare brake hard line for the passenger rear (which I mangled, and consequently couldn't replace the last soft line), and another rear caliper with a WORKING bleed screw. I've been fixing so many hacks on this car, it's rediculous. Oh, by the way, I was this [] close to getting it back on the road about a month ago, and as I was tightening the LAST bolt on the driver's side UCA, (with people IN the car, weighing it down, close to BMW spec...) it STRIPPED. I was NOT pleased. After I had my fit, and beat an old E30 Euro DOT bar into submission, I ordered new parts, and should put them on in the next couple days.
Like all good things, they must come to an end, though. I'm trading up from the beater. Losing my shirt on the deal, I guess, but I'm getting Fred's newly totalled 325ix. If you go back a few months, you'll see that I went to actually inspect this car when he bought it. I'm pretty excited to finally take possession, although, it will need a little body work, and some wheel bearings SOON. Otherwise, the car is a peach, and exactly what I always wanted. 2 door, 5 speed, Red, and 4WD. Can't wait.

Let's see, what else. Oh, I helped a friend instally euro bumpers on his e28 last weekend. That was fun. We cranked my space heater, got the garage up to 60 degrees, and proceeded to DO WORK. It looked great, and everything went relatively smoothly. I even got my chance to practice with my cheapo body work kit. In the end, I only had to shave off a long fingernail's clipping worth of metal to get the valence to fit snug and nice. I was pretty proud.

About a month or so ago, I helped Orlando purchase an L6 to add to his collection. It is a relatively rust free sample, has the full zender body kit, is black, and pretty complete. It's fallen on hard times in the engine department, though. We couldn't actually start it when we picked it up, but the seller assured us that it did in fact run. So Orlando brought it home, we hooked up a good battery to it, and turned the key. Nothing. So we poked around in the engine bay and I discovered that one of the leads for the starter was disconnected, and there was NO way it was going to go on there correctly. I tried though, and was greeted with a shower of sparks as I made contact with a live battery attached. Ha!! After disconnecting the battery and checking the manual to make sure that I hooked up the wire to the right terminal, we acquired some wire to reach the terminal and hooked it up. That baby fired right up!! I was so happy. Not all good news, though. The way the car ran pointed to a decent size vacuum leak near the ICV, and it was missing a little. Orlando looked in the engine bay and said that we had a MAJOR oil leak near the head. Uh-oh. I investigated and found a very wet and leaky injector. There is also a coolant leak that will need to be remedied with a new radiator. We also have to pull the windshield, clean the track, and reinstall with a new gasket. I'm reasonably assured that Orlando will be able to drive the L6 to Sharkfest (Memorial day weekend) in air-conditioned comfort. That's the goal.

Speaking of vacuum leaks near the ICV...
The 535is has not travelled 200 miles in the 4 years that I have owned it. I tuned it up and fixed a lot of garage hacks when I first got it, but then it ran worse than ever. Now that I've got a couple other M30s under my belt, I've realized that I've been missing something as simple as a hose clamp that should cure all my ills. I really hope that I'm right. I need to put the rebuild injectors in the car, fix that hose near the ICV (Gee, it kept blowing off whenever I ran the car, and the car didn't want to run... hmmmm Explanation: when I purchased the car, the hose was actually RTV'd to the ICV. I got a new hose, cleaned the RTV off the ICV, and pushed the hose on there. I had never seen a hose clamp there, so I assumed that it didn't need one. I also assumed that since it was blowing off there, that there was some deeper issue with the engine. Sigh. So much assuming), and button up the rest of the car. The interior is stripped, and so is the outside; no grills, lights, trim, bumpers, valence. My plan is to try and FINALLY get this car running and on the road by the end of the month. We'll see...

I want an M5.

2011-01-21T12:09:00.000-05:00

I can scarcely think of anything else lately.

Update

2010-11-13T23:35:00.001-05:00

M6 UP.

That is all.

Progress...

2010-11-10T22:11:00.003-05:00

Last night, I tried to throw my back out by pushing the 535iA in the garage for the LAST time. Well, first I rearranged things and made some more room. (I need to purge some stuff) So there was plenty of room this morning when I jacked the car up and got to working.
I started with the front left brakes, and got to the root of the problem with the dragging brakes. Turns out the boot for the caliper cylinder was TOTALLY jacked,and the cylinder was corroding in there, so I need to rebuild it. A quick puter search at all the local auto parts stores produced nothing. So a quick email to Steve at Blunt Tech netted me rebuild kits all around, should be here by Friday. Good stuff.
Luckily, I have a bunch more stuff to do.
Did the other rotor, pads, and flexible line.
Oil change, filter, and level sensor. (one of the bolts stripped, of course)
Then started on a filter and fluid, and gasket change for the transmission, but of course, the drain plug stripped. (No matter how careful you are sometimes...)
Oh, and one of the cooler lines (attached to the pan) needed a REALLY big wrench, which of course I don't have. (I've been meaning to get a set of wrenches for 22-32mm...) I was going to make a trip to an auto parts store, but it turns out I know some people. Brooklyn has a friend who has the wrench set I need, so I asked to borrow one. Fit perfect.
Then I had an appointment.
All day, I was cleaning stuff, too. It was so dirtygreasy...

Tomorrow, Brooklyn will be joining me. We have to finish tranny stuff, UCAs, New Fuel Filter and lines, Halfshafts, Diff mount, and Dogbones.
Felt good to be under the car all day.

9 Lives...

2010-11-09T08:03:00.003-05:00

Well, that's what Brooklyn said. I'm starting to believe it, in regards to my 325e. I've been super busy, so I haven't done too much work on the cars. However, I've been having trouble with a flickering oil pressure light at idle that kept getting higher and higher until it was just about undrivable. So, I decided to pull the oil pump and replace it. This was the second time I've done this, but the first time, I had a lot of stuff taken apart, the oil pump was broken clean off, and the oil pan was busted, so it made things VERY easy... :(
Anyways, I found an oil pump locally for FREE, and it worked okay when removed, so it was worth a try. As ///Marine alluded, I was trying to get that oil pump finished in time to take it to Chapterfest, but it just wasn't meant to be. I got all the way to lowering the engine back on the subframe, and it just wouldn't line up. I screwed with it for about an hour (it was now 2 AM), then gave up. I had a business trip the next day, so it sat for a week until I came back and had time for it. Last night, I got it back together, it felt so good.
While I was in there, I installed the power steering delete plate on the steering rack, pulled the rest of the power steering lines and reservoir, pulled the ballasts and most of the wiring from the old HIDs, and pulled some more AC lines.
I'm really hoping to clean up the engine bay (not quite "shaved") when I do the engine swap.
I still have a flickering light at idle, but it's just at idle now, even when warm. Engine must be shot. Maybe I'll try a valve adjustment before I throw in the towel.
All of this is just elementary now, as I'll be getting the 535iA back on the road by week's end. Hopefully I can be in a position with other cars up that I can drop the engine out of the 325 by Thanksgiving.
I start leave this afternoon, I'll be trying to get the 535iA up the next couple days, get the Mini on the road, help ///Marine with the M6, and try to get my 535is up. We'll see!

As for today, I'm looking outside, and I see a Copper e30, and an e36 M3.
Life is good.

EDIT: ///Marine, I'm sorry we never got the family photo, maybe it will be a holiday card?

Return of the Beast!

2010-11-03T10:04:00.003-04:00

The M3 is back on the road in a big way. I called in the Wolf (Adam) to help me out with his specialized tools and his can-do attitude. We replaced the two broken belt tensioners that turned the Serpentine belt replacement into a month-long delay fest. Speaking of festivals, I worked most of Friday afternoon to get the M3 back together in time for BMW Chapterfest in Bowie, Maryland. I reinstalled the radiator, hoses, MAF, Air filter housings, connectors, and all associated tidbits. I never got to wash the car, but I didn’t care. I bleed the cooling system as the Bentley manual instructed me too; with the car OFF. Then the battery died. No worries, I charged the battery overnight and got ready to meet Adam (who took the E83 BMW X3 instead of the E30 BMW 325i) and Brian (who took his ever-nicer E38 BMW 740i).

I got to a stop light about a mile from home when I saw that the temperature gauge was creeping up. This isn’t good. I shut the car down IMMEDIATELY and cruised into the Shell gas station to avoid overheating and cracking the cylinder head on the S50 engine. I called Adam and Brian, who were waiting at the meet up location. They came quickly and helped me properly bleed the system by keeping the engine running while bleeding the coolant. After about a half hour, the car bubbles were gone and the cooling system was good to go. I took the M3 home and drove the E46 instead. I had delayed the group enough. I drove the M3 on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and today, Wednesday. The car is still a beast. I love to drive it, and it loves to be driven. I rewarded her patience by buying her a new OEM M3 muffler that I found on Craigslist. The guy selling it had it in the back seat of his 1986 325 two door. Good times.

Busy Busy Busy

2010-10-21T23:45:00.003-04:00

I was warned about 9 credit hours... but I just had to do it... Anyway... Since going down to Richmond to pick up the iX (a great time by the way thanks again to Adam and of course the ever understanding Brooklyn) I have not truly had the opportunity to tear into the car the way I would like. Fortunately it has held up well since being pressed into service. Hopefully I will be able to make time this weekend to at least get an idea of what needs to be done, and if he still needs the help I will be over at Brooklyn's to get the M6 up again. Great and trying times!!!

Family Portrait:

2010-10-01T08:40:00.003-04:00

Hello team members. I propose a family portrait of our BMWs. We should get our entire fleet together for a family portrait. I realize this is a tall order. I want us to do this by or on the weekend of BMW Chapterfest (October 30). That means we have a whole month to get (almost)every BMW we collectively own in one place and take an official team photo. Yes, this includes the wives' BMWs. Yes it includes the cars that have down arrows that can be conceivably turned to up arrows within the next month. It's time to take action people. Govern yourselves accordingly!

On a roll...

2010-09-29T07:29:00.005-04:00

The Hulk is back on the road and we are a go for the road trip to pick up the
325iX (at an undisclosed location). I couldn't wait any longer to fix it. I needed to NOT procrastinate in order to make sure I didn't mess up our trip. I also put the door panel back into the passenger side of the E36 sedan. I have to install the painted S38 valve cover that came out pretty well and then install the fuel pump (I haven't ordered it yet). I plan to install the M3's new belts and tensioner tonight. I need to keep the momentum going. I also need the guys to come over and help me transfer the X-brace from the underside of my 325iC Cabriolet and unto the underside of my M3. This brace was standard on the M3 Lightweight and all E36 convertibles. A write up about the purpose of the X-brace can be viewed here:

http://www.uucmotorwerks.com/html_techtip/techtips/e36_xbrace.htm

"For improved turn-in response from your E36, few bolt-on parts are as effective as the BMW cross reinforcement (aka the x-brace) which is factory equipment on all E36 Z3, Convertibles, and the 1995 M3 Lightweight. By bolting the subframe (which the engine is mounted atop) to the chassis, you get far less movement when the car is turned left or right. As a added bonus, the x-brace covers the bottom of the oil pan, protecting it from curbs or other items which might otherwise damage the oil pan. The oil drainage plug is not inhibited in any way with the addition of the x-brace.

Most E36 M3s are ready to accept the x-brace with little fuss since the subframe already has the needed "nutserts" or "inserts" for the brace. We have seen some early production 95 M3s that do not have the nutserts and require them to be installed." -Source: UUCMOTORWERKS.COM

The build date of my 1995 M3 is 11/95 so it should be plug and play... Should be...

The Hulk has risen!

2010-09-28T20:40:00.003-04:00

My Green Eddie Bauer Expedition, affectionatly known as "The Hulk" has been down due to a bad alternator. I am proud to say that I changed the alternator myself. I was assisted by Troy and Mack. The Ford alternator was literally ten times easier to change than the alternator on the M6 that Adam, Fred and myself toiled for days to remove, rebuild and install.
Unlike the M6, I chose to buy a brand new alternator for the Expedition. We took the old alternator to Autozone to test it. It only produced 10 volts before dropping off line. The new component was tested in the store at over 14 Volts. Once installed in the truck, the alternator produced 14.67 Volts with headlights and Air Conditioning on. The Hulk is back!

There's a fine line between brave and stupid...

2010-09-25T23:21:00.003-04:00

Just about crossed it tonight.

Let me back up.
Haven't been working on the cars too much, as I've still been "shaking the e30 down", and super busy otherwise... Friday I went to College Park to meet with some R3v e30 guys. Good times. About a 1:15 trip, not pushing too hard. There is every type of road surface and normal obstacle to avoid for someone driving a heavily lowered car. Everything is doing pretty well, still have idle oil pressure issues to a small degree, but what can you expect at 210k+ miles? Still going great!
I've just about got my confidence back in Green Hell.
At the meet, they gave me a sticker to put on the car, I was floored at the offer, and the profoundness of the quote:
Rule the bends, Bend the rules

Words I LIVE by.

Anyways, tonight, I had to go somewhere, and on the way back, there was a pretty heavy wreck. Someone probably ran a red light, like they do here, 'cause they're in such a damn hurry all the time. Stupid, and HIGHLY dangerous. Well, this wreck happened on a bypass around Waldorf. So how do you bypass the bypass? I could have backtracked and gone the long way to the West, but there is a pretty wicked set of railroad tracks that I hesitate to take the x3 on, let alone a car with an oil pan two inches off the deck! So I went east. I ended up doing a full circle, that kinda pissed me off. Then I pulled over and broke out the smartphone and looked at the map. Sure enough, there appeared to be a road that went straight through where I had just turned. It looked kinda dodgy, that's why I turned the first time. (Dodgy, meaning DIRT, NOT PAVED.) Yeah, so I get another look at it, and there are two crossovers in front of me. They have NO problem negotiating the humps and dips, puddles, mud, and brush. Me? Heart attack city. I'm all by myself, it's dark, and the road keeps getting worse the farther I get. I made it, but I know I put a new scratch on the oil pan, I smacked it pretty good. Also, some new scratches all the way down the underside of the car. Not fun, but it worked! (I shudder to think if that would have happened last year; the car was about 3/4 of an inch lower...)
I can only imagine the call to Heather or Orlando... and the tow bill? Fuggeddabouddit.

So, the car can go anywhere. If it was going to break, it would have done so by now.

Alas, I need to park it for the engine swap that I promised to do on my PREVIOUS e30.
GOAL: Have it swapped and driving before the first snowfall of this winter. Keep me honest, Orlando...

Procrastinators unite! Tomorrow.

2010-09-15T18:09:00.004-04:00

I realized today just how much I am behind in my BMW upgrades/repairs. All the cars are good as far as regular maintenance but I am remiss in some crucial areas.

A) The M6 still needs it's fuel delivery issue addressed. The culprit is likely a fuel pump or fuel pump relay.

B) The E36 325i sedan needs it's passenger side window fixed. It's window sliders won't stay on track.

C) The wife's E46 325i sedan has blown all of it's crappy factory speakers and needs an upgrade.

D) The E46 also still has traction control+brake+ABS warning lights that won't go off.

E) I just got the E46 iPod aux input jack kit that I ordered on Monday. I am doing the same upgrade to my wife's car that Adam did to his wife's X3.

Saving $$, making the wife happy.

2010-09-08T20:39:00.003-04:00

I've been pretty dang busy, and basking in the accomplishment of that tranny swap... but it's time to get back to business. I ordered some stuff for the X3 so that I can do a minor tuneup, and some other small stuff. Our windblasted, bug splattered front roundel lost a pretty sizeable chunk of paint near the letters, so it was looking like a 26 year old car, rather than a 6 year old car. Heather came out and helped, I showed her how to pull and replace the roundel. Go Heather! Then I decided to tackle one of my BMW pet peeves, no aux input. Seriously, BMW? You want over $300 for the aux input option? No thanks. I found a cheap, relatively simple work around, for only $32. All over that. I had to take the whole center stack apart, and wire up the aux input wire to the radio. The connector was easy to work with, and I didn't even break anything! Yess!! I love how the BMWs come apart like LEGOs sometimes...

Wish I didn't have prior plans this weekend, would love to get the suspension, tranny flush, oil change, fuel lines, and brake lines sorted on the 535iA.
Temperatures are coming down, it's becoming a little more bearable to work in the heat of the day. Let's get all FIVE cars up!

Maximum Underdrive:

2010-08-31T15:06:00.003-04:00

The M3 is down because I attempted to do some simple maintenance. All I wanted to do was change the serpentine belts. I had removed these belts on the 1995 325i Cabrio, as well as assisted Adam on the removal/replacement of these belts on Heather's X3 (notice, Adam that the "X" in X3 is capitalized the way BMW intended). The tensioner system used in E36 and newer BMWs is a stroke of genius, generally straight forward and easy to use... usually. I used the 32mm wrench that Adam graciously let me use, and loosened and removed the fan.
I needed more clearance, so I eventually removed the top coolant hose from the radiator neck. That caused a minor coolant spill that I had prepared for by placing a pan under the M3. I needed more clearance so I removed the entire upper hose. I got the a/c belt off with no problem, it's tensioner worked fairly well, although it did not have the full range of motion. I eventually realized that the main belt tensioner was old and malfunctioning. It moved slightly but not enough to properly release the belts. I quickly realized what i needed to do. I needed to cannibalize the tensioner from the convertible that had been sitting in the garage doing nothing.
I did a quick check of the parts on the convertible. Sure enough, everything seemed to match up. I removed the main tensioner assembly from the 325iC and prepared to install it on the M3... Then I ran out of time. I had a prior engagement that I just could not miss. I cleaned up, organized and accounted for all my parts and tools, and called it a day. That was Saturday. I need to get back out there soon. The M6 and the Drop Top are hogging the garage and Bill Gates has not sent me the money to build the Eight-car garage that I have been dreaming of, so I will have to brave the current heat wave at some point this week and work on the M3 out in the elements like I did on Saturday.

An E34 has risen from the grave!

2010-08-26T22:12:00.002-04:00

Grabbed my brother, the new parts, and my tools this morning and swooped to Baltimore again to finish the auto tranny swap. Got there earlier than they expected, I thought I would hit a little traffic...

Anyways, we started with preparing the transmission for mounting, then tried to finagle it in. That lasted about 3 hours. It just didn't want to seat. Finally we pulled it off and looked at the mating splines one more time. We noticed that there was an empty shaft that had a couple slots in it, look at the tranny, and there's a couple teeth that should mate up with these slots. We turned the torque converter to get the slots close to matching, put it back in position, then we heard the most beautiful hollow CLUNK! that you can imagine as the tranny seated. Everything else was pretty much gravy from there, but there are a LOT of parts of the car that you touch when messing with the tranny. Driveshaft, tranny subframes, tranny cooling lines, differential, heat shields, exhaust, front swaybar, and tranny shift linkage.
Then we had to get oil in the tranny. oops, no fill or dipstick tube. there is however a fill and drain plug on one of the tranny oil pans. However, that fill plug is right next to the frame rail; very awkward. I finally pulled the big pan, and dumped 3 quarts of ATF in there. Ended up losing some, but got enough to not KILL the tranny the first time it was run.

So, now the big moment. The owner gets in the car and twists the key. NOTHING.
oops, battery's dead. His brother was running the radio earlier in the day. Nice.
So I back the x3 up and we jump the car. Starts up fine, he's got it in park, and revs the engine, and it lurches backward. ummmmmm... Guess I better adjust that tranny linkage. So he keeps the car running to charge the battery, brake pedal floored, and the emergency brake on, I jack up the driver's side of a RUNNING vehicle and get under it to adjust the linkage. Worked a charm, and I didn't even die!! Now park was park, reverse was reverse, and he had drive, but he had to rev the engine a bit to get it to move. I'm thinking it's just a symptom of low tranny fluid level. He's going to have it towed to a friendly shop to check over my work and fill the tranny all the way up. I think it's pretty good to go.
After a year parked in the same spot, the car moved on its' OWN POWER!! YESS!!

After we did the initial cleaning of hands and pack up all the tools, two guys come up to the x3 before we pull away. "Hey man, can we have a card?" huh? "I'm having tranny problems, and I've been watching you. You performed a miracle! In a parking lot!!" haha. I don't think I'm really up for this long distance, haul all my tools, working in a parking lot stuff on a regular basis. I'm just happy that I beat the odds, and the car moved!

I'm super happy that the car works, although he will need a professional to spend an hour, tops on the car. A lot better than the $800, and a threatened tow from his landlord.

p.s. This was my first tranny swap. DOOOOOOOOOD. :)
p.p.s. That's right, Orlando; I'm FEARLESS.

Reescar...

2010-08-23T09:01:00.002-04:00

I've been helping my friend move for the past week. Haven't worked on the cars at all. Was also waiting on some parts for the E34 auto swap, the tuneup on the x3, and another couple parts for the 535iA.
I HAVE however, manned up, and started driving the E30. I bought one of those cool guy laser thermometers, and have been checking the temps every time I stop the car. Temps are staying pretty steady. Would still LOVE to have a temp gauge, we'll see if I get one in the next week.

Went out for a "run" on some of the twisty roads around here. Man, it's nice to be driving the car like I mean it, again. Still haven't pushed too hard to check for grip on turns yet, but I'm getting there.

Anyways, put Blake in the backseat, it had been a year since he'd been back there. We rode around on Friday, then Saturday, we went to dinner, and when we went back out to get in the car, he was pointing to the E30 and saying, "Reescar, reescar!"
Far as I can tell, he was saying Racecar. I told him, "No, Blake, it's NOT a racecar." But I guess a loud exhaust, low ride height, and bigger tires means "racecar" to him. Officially, the proudest Dad moment, yet!

Just wait, Blake. Just wait...

E34 auto tranny remove and re...

2010-08-14T17:24:00.001-04:00

Okay, just removed. Turns out someone was under there already, trying to start the job. Unfortunately, they started with the tranny mounts and driveshaft, by way of the rear diff (??). It helped a little a couple hours later, but not starting out. So we jacked the car as high up as my jack would allow, and a little higher. We used spare wheels, a wheel platform, and some of my wood. It was crooked, but secure, high enough for me to flip over underneath; I figured that was enough room for a dropped tranny. Pulled the exhaust, all six bolts gave minimal fuss. All other hangers were absent, save the rear muffler hangers, which I promptly snapped off by mental will alone. (Okay, I was just starting to crank on the nuts...man, they were RUSTY!) So after nearly being crushed by falling exhaust, I was able to basically pull the driveshaft out of the way. Then I started on the tranny. I had an E36 bentley manual, which was pretty helpful, but not EXACTLY right for the E34. Everything was going so well that I expected a hurdle eventually...

... and I got it. There are two transmission oil cooler lines that had 19 mm fittings on them. Okaaaayyyy... I don't have a 19 mm flare nut wrench, but plenty of regular 19mm wrenches. I pick the most awkward one to do first. Lefty loosey... nothing. get some extra leverage? Nothing. In fact, it's starting to deform a bit. Okay, let's go to the other one. It's finger tight. Hm. I go to the trunk and try the two on the new tranny. Easily loosened. So I mess with it for another half hour or so, then spray it with PB blaster and let it sit while I work on the bolts that connect the tranny to the engine. I had to get pretty creative with the extensions and wobblies, but they all came pretty well. Even the one that was E12 size that I loosened with an E14. Chewed it up some, but still loosened. So now that I have my confidence back, I go back to the cooler line. Still no dice. I don't really feel like mangling this thing beyond repair, so I look for another solution. The lines are too long and curvy to just pull with the tranny, but hey, there's this really big nut that connects the line to the tranny. My biggest wrench is 22mm. Too small. I get Roge's adjustable wrench, but it's too awkward, and won't fit right. So Roge' offers to go to autozone. I tell him 23mm, or a 19mm flare wrench. He finds a 23mm. I try it on the tranny in the trunk. Too small. oops. So he goes BACK, returns it, and gets a 24mm. Perfect fit. I get it nice and square on the nut and it budges. Sweet!

We move the jack that's been holding the tranny up, and the tranny separates from the engine like butter. Awesome. We have removed the tranny!
Oh wait, Roge' got called in early to work. He says I can stay, but I decline.
It would be a REAL PAIN to get the tranny lined up by myself, plus there are some other issues. We have to change the pans, because the junkyard drilled the pans on the "new" tranny. We use this as an opportunity to check out the innards of the box. The "new" tranny is oh so clean. Delicious, if you will. Pretty good indication of a well cared for tranny. We take the pans off the "bad" tranny. Goodness. Gracious. (Oh, I forgot to mention that the fluid I drained was BLACK. Okay, it had a reddish tinge to it. Like cooling lava. Wowza.) Well there was black sludge all over the pans. I asked Roge' to clean them, and he was gone for quite a while. He destroyed his brother's bathroom, but couldn't get all the sludge off. He says he'll take them to a shop and get them cleaned. Plus, we need basically ALL of the rubber tranny mounts. Oh, and some UNsnapped rear exhaust mounts. So I told him that we should hold off and wait till we have ALL the parts that way it can be driven as soon as we have it together. Sounds like a plan. Not a bad day!

Your FIRST stretching exercise will BE...

2010-08-13T22:40:00.002-04:00

Rear brakes! READY.... MOVE!

Got outside tonight and got the rear brakes done. I'll still have to take it back apart to replace that one stripped hard line/soft line connection. You win some, you lose some. Didn't take too long, it certainly helps that I've done it before. The most time-consuming part was disconnecting and reconnecting the springs on the e-brake shoes. I always feel like I'm going to get a spring to the front of my face...
Didn't really help that the driver's side of the vehicle was about a foot away from the mini. oops. There was enough room to get in there, put it all together, then take the rear off the jack stands. Then back and forth, back and forth, cranking the wheel lock to lock to get it moved over a couple feet in the garage. WHEW! Now I can breathe in there!
I'll still have to put the car back up on jackstands to do some more work in the rear, I need to replace the half shafts, the rear diff bushing (maybe upgrade to a 3.73 LSD?), and re-plumb the fuel lines. I have some kind of hard start issue that I would REALLY like to go away. Then I can get going on the front brakes and some suspension work and maybe get to driving her again! (It was pretty obvious that the front driver's caliper is sticking; hope I can get it loosened up without replacement.
Pretty good warm up for tomorrow.
E34 auto tranny remove and replace; wish me luck!

SSDD

2010-08-11T11:10:00.004-04:00

Well, like I said last week, I got the e30 running and all that. Been kinda lazy the past couple days, but I guess that's relative. I still don't have a temperature gauge. I did buy an IR thermometer though, (fun to play with, btw) and have been driving around, then stop, pop the hood and flash the gun everywhere. I see a top temp of 155 on all of the various coolant hoses. Sounds good, but I still want a temp gauge. After all, having situational awareness on the temp gauge is the ONLY reason that we can still drive the x3. Anyways, I took the gauge cluster apart and reseated the temp gauge on Monday night, no dice. Last night, I tried messing with the sensors for a bit, but really didn't know what I was looking at. I took the e30 out on the road for a more extended flogging, and stopped several times to let it idle. Also did the newspaper test on the fan clutch when it was warm, it didn't act like my last fan clutch at all. If it was going to overheat, I think it would have last night. I'm still leery to pull it out in the 100 degree weather we've been having, though. I don't have an extra temp gauge, but after I came in last night, I found the troubleshooting guide for the temp gauge in the Bentley, so I have something to try tonight. Maybe I'll try to get another gauge in the next few days.
Also, I'll try to get the rear brakes done on the 535iA tonight so that I can take it off the jack stands and move it over some. It's crowding the mini in the garage.

Plus, I'm going to need the jack stands (maybe) for the e34 automatic transmission swap that I'll be attempting on Saturday. This one is going to be tricky, as it's not going to be in my garage, so I have to try and think of ALL the tools that I'll need to complete the job, as the person I'm helping is woefully lacking in the tool department. I wish it was as easy as bringing the entire tool box... but that would be very cumbersome. I'll just have to bring most of my sockets, extensions, wrenches, etc. AND a couple cans of PB blaster. Man, that stuff is great.

Three big parts to this operation: Exhaust removal, driveshaft removal, and finally, the tranny. Each of these actions have the potential to stop us in our tracks if something goes wrong. I'm planning to bring my wood blocks (12x12) to raise the car up to an appropriate height SAFELY, with no possibility of toppling. Hopefully, I can photo-document this pretty well. We'll see.

UPDATE: Drove the e30 around tonight, got some gas, etc. Nice to drive her in anger again. Got back home and let her idle for about 10 minutes, waiting for her to overheat... Nothing. Coolant hose temps stayed pretty constant. Now to try that in the 100 degree heat! (While I'm trying to locate another temp gauge.) Yess!!

Shark bait

2010-08-09T08:10:00.002-04:00

Moments after my last post, I went outside to test the fan clutch on the M6. I was joined by stalwart BMW enthusiasts Adam and Keith. I started the M6 and attempted to test the fan clutch utilizing a rolled up newspaper. Adam alerted me to the fact that the viscous coupling would not work until the engine was sufficiently heated up to operating temperature.

Keith had never driven the Shark so I suggested that he take it around the block to warm it up. His idea of "around the block" is apparently different from most peoples. Adam and I waited outside in the hot sun for quite a while, until we realized that no matter where he went, he should be back at this point. We hopped into Adam's X3 and began the BMW reclamation mission. A couple miles away we spot Keith... WALKING. This can't be good....

To be continued....

Back in the saddle.

2010-08-06T10:05:00.002-04:00

I was determined to drive the ///M6 to work this morning. I figure that the problem that occured earlier in the week were the result of leaving the hood unlatched while the car was parked outside. In my defense the M6 hood opens backwards (like most 80's BMWs ) and is pretty flush even when unlatched. That being said, I should have ensured she was buttoned up tightly. I went outside at 6 a.m. to start her and let her run for a few minutes to see how she was feeling. The burble of the S38 engine is intoxicating. Even at idle. Even at 6 a.m. with not a creature in the suburbs stirring, besides the rabbits that don't even get out of my way when I'm walking to the car. The deer that eat my wife's flowers even seem to enjoy the Bavarian goodness. The drive to work was uneventful except for an uncomfortable rise in temperature to slightly right of center. I will have to "newspaper test" the fan clutch, even though I am pretty sure I had Martin Motorsports change that when they did my valve adjustment less than 1,000 miles ago. The Zinnaberrot (Cinnabar red) 1988 M6 still turns heads like Monica Bellucci at a random family Barbecue. I call it a Whatsthat because people always stare like: "What IS that?" Upon closer inspection they say things like "There was an M6 in '88? Really?!?" It as if the first M6 was a Cold War secret. I would love to restore this car to factory freshness. For now I will drive it for the sheer fun of it. I find my self sneaking peeks at it through my office window; that is the sign of a beautiful machine.

I guess I'm finally a "Hack Mechanic"

2010-08-04T21:51:00.002-04:00

I was so bummed this morning. So bummed that I went to Lowe's and picked up a hacksaw and 4 blades.
Now's a good time to admit that I've never owned a hacksaw before... I guess I've tried to purchase all the "correct" tools for the job whenever it comes up. I have (until now) considered myself a "shadetree mechanic". Just haven't had a job that needed a hacksaw before. So, I guess I've graduated (or is it regressed?) to "Hack Mechanic". At least it worked!
Then I spent 2 hours cutting through 32mm worth of bolt.
Success! I pulled the fan and pulley off each of the pieces and went to the car to start cleaning up the mating surface for the water pump. Got it all cleaned up and dry, then mounted the water pump. That was tough because there's this tensioner with a spring that you have to compress with the water pump. All the while, trying NOT to mess up the gasket you just put on the block with a bit of adhesive. I messed it up a little, but it will have to be good enough. Then I put each piece together, very deliberately trying not to mess up. Had to stop for about an hour and a half for a meeting I had. Finished at about 915, and took it out for a drive. My coolant temp gauge isn't working. Fine time for that. Otherwise, she's running the same as before, minus the overheating, of course. (for now)

Meanwhile, on the mini, David plumbed the fuel system, installed the new solid state fuel pump and filter, and found a power source. We'll get some gas tomorrow, wire the pump up, and give it a go! Great work, David!

We suck again!!

2010-08-04T07:44:00.002-04:00

No dice.

Got Blake to bed and went out to the garage. I had my plan all set out and everything. Played with the mini first; got the carb back together, dashpot oil filled up, choke pulled, battery charged (pretty sure it's dead, won't hold the charge) crank her up, and she won't run. At least she won't STAY running. It sounds and feels like she's running on all four cylinders now, but she just won't stay running. Must have cranked and cajoled for about a half hour. No good.
So we started with the new fuel system anyways. David pulled the old fuel tank and pump, mechanical pump on the engine, and we picked a hard line to use.
That was kinda funny, actually. David said, "Hey, go to the trunk, and I'm going to blow through this old line that we were using. See if you can feel my breath." Okay, doodeedoo, I get back to the trunk and I'm about to stick my head in the trunk when about 9 feet worth of fuel comes pouring out of the line he's blowing in. Haha. Came about this [] close to getting a faceful of fuel... Guess that's the one!! Now we have to hook up and setup the new solid state fuel pump and filter. Fun.

While most of this was going on, I worked on the E30, pulling the water pump. Sounds easy, right? Well, if you remember, the reason I want to pull it is because the fan clutch is stuck on the end of it. This helps to cool the engine after it's warmed up, and if there's no air flow because you're in traffic or something. Well, there's a reason that they tell you to remove the fan, clutch, and pulley when removing the water pump... because it's a real pain to do it with all of that installed! Here's the real kicker; it's like a sandwich. It goes: pump, pulley, fan, and clutch. I can't separate the pump and clutch, so the parts that I need for the NEW pump and clutch are trapped by the two who are married at this point. Sucks. I bit the bullet and decided to try putting the pump in the vice to see if I could get it to hold the nut still, I just ended up turning the shaft anyways. Wow, this thing is MESSED. UP.
Now I have to get some kind of hacksaw and try to get through the fan clutch nut. That should be fun. If that doesn't work, maybe I'll go to the picknpull and get a pulley and fan. I'm really close to just pulling the engine and tranny altogether, and just commencing with the engine swap, but it would be nice to win this battle. You will drive, then I will put you down MYSELF to do the engine swap. (kinda like Orlando with the M6)

1988 BMW M6 For sale! Cinnabar Red! Low miles! Never seen rain!

2010-08-03T15:27:00.004-04:00

O.k. The "low miles" and "never seen rain" parts of that statement are not true. O.k., neither is the for sale part. I have said many times that I will never sell my M6. Very few people get an opportunity to own thier "Dream Car". I own mine, and I'm keeping it. Damn it!
I hopped in the M6 this morning, determined to drive it for the first time since last Friday, when Adam fixed the alternator issue and got her back on the road. As soon as I got out of my driveway and up the first street she unceremoniously cut off in second gear. What?!? Oh no... Oh HELL no. Seriously? I tried to start it back up again, but the car refused to cooperate. I was forced to try to push this behemoth uphill backwards. I've lived on this street for years and never noticed there was a gentle incline at that point in the street. It is 6 am. I am alone with a very heavy car in the middle of the road. I am less than amused.

I get back in and explain to the M6 what will befall her if she does not start up right now and return to the driveway from whence she came. I turn the key. She ROARS to life with the 24-valve urgency her makers intended. I park her back home and hop in the Expedition. I WILL get to the bottom of this treachery. At this point in time the M6 is acting more flaky than a $10 croissant.

Eureka!

2010-08-02T21:42:00.002-04:00

Well, got a bunch of parts today.
Since David is here, and I have an extra set of free hands... (okay, he doesn't turn down home-cooked meals; can't blame him!)
Set him to work on the Mini.
He installed the cat-delete pipe, only half of the hardware I bought worked, so, ANOTHER trip to Lowe's for longer bolts. No problem, we have a complete exhaust again. I had him install the old gas tank again. The fuel pump is NOT connected, he can't remember for sure if it was connected or not when he removed it a couple months ago. There is a manual fuel pump (to go with the carb) on the engine, soooo... I got the special spark plug socket from england, and we pulled the plugs to check them out. They were brand new 250 miles ago, now, they are still good gap-wise, but #'s 1 and 4 were wet. Indicating what I suspected, the wires were making crap connections. #'s 2 and 3 were dry. Gee, I wonder why it felt like I was running on 2 cylinders???? Funny how that works. I'll charge up the battery tomorrow, say a prayer, and try to fire her up...

(I say Eureka!, because I bought all the stuff to replace the entire fuel system but I wasn't ENTIRELY sure that I had troubleshot correctly. So I stalled. I didn't want to go through all that effort and be wrong. Plus, I couldn't check the plugs, and I really thought that I would find an indication for the crap running. I have a lot more confidence in just the plugs being the faulty part. I will still install the other fuel tank (no fuel pump, carb setup) later. Maybe I'll even spring for the Cooper right hand tank and double our fuel capacity. (15 gallons, woohoo!)
You should have felt this thing when it was running right. It was SO AWESOME. 70 mph in a go kart with a windshield, mixing it up in traffic... Heaven.)

I went to work taking the front of the engine apart on the E30. I got everything off but the water pump. Sure makes it hard to reach stuff when you can't get that stupid fan and clutch off. I made things easier by removing the radiator. Now I only have the 3 bolts on the water pump left to remove, then that badboy is getting thrown in the vise. I still need the fan and pulley, so it's going to HAVE to come apart.
I should be able to finish pulling it tomorrow. We'll see.

Maybe we'll be too busy and excited about another car being up and running... ;)

weekend and an anniversary

2010-08-01T19:58:00.002-04:00

So, this weekend, I didn't work on my cars too much.

We jacked up David's jeep so that we could do an F1 style wheel rotation, then messed with a couple other nagging issues. Good, simple, little stuff.
I was expecting some parts on Friday, but they haven't arrived. Maybe tomorrow.

Also, this was the weekend that I wrecked my car last year. Man, it's still "down". I really wanted to have it "up" a year later, but I'm REALLY close. Maybe if I get some parts this week, I can have 3 cars back up? Man that sounds INSANE, but I hope that maybe if I put enough work into it, and cajole David into the garage, I can get A LOT done. All the stars have to align, and I need to be right about a lot of the troubleshooting I've done. We'll see; you'll be the second to know!

Make it rain!

2010-08-01T13:17:00.003-04:00

In order to work in my garage, I put the M6 outside. The garage is usually home to the perrenial project car, my 1995 325i convertible, as well the M6. I have disassembled most of the front end of the convertible, which means that it must stay inside; out of the elements. The unfortunate side effect is that for the last year, my beloved 1995 M3 has lived outside instead of in the two-car garage. The result is a very faded hood on the M3. BMW paint was not stellar in the 1990s.

The M6 has a habit of attracting precipitation. If this car leaves the confines of that garage; it rains. No. It pours. Every single time. Without fail. Within minutes of the car leaving the garage. Before even getting out of the driveway. It doesn't matter if there is a drought going on at the time. The M6 makes it rain like a team of NFL players at a Las Vegas strip club. The last month here in maryland has been steaming hot and cloudless; breaking temperature records and reaching/exceeding 100 degrees. Since parking the M6 outside on Friday, it has rained every day. Adam and I are accustomed to supernatural BMW occurrences. We have seen our BMWs die and come back more times than Ali Larter's character on "Heroes."

Orlando... The introduction:

2010-07-30T14:04:00.002-04:00

Hello BMW lovers;

My name is Orlando, and I am a BMW fanatic. I grew up an all around motor head like every other kid with a Lamborghini Countach/M5/Callaway Corvette poster on his/her wall. My good friend Adam has allowed me to co-author his blog and I welcome the opportunity. After months in the garage my M6 is now back on the road in a BIG way. Thanks Adam!

... lunch update

2010-07-30T13:28:00.002-04:00

Went over to Orlando's for lunch to try and seal up the M6. He found "a" bolt, still not sure if it was THE bolt, but it fit, and it was laying around all by itself...
Got it all put back together, and went for a test drive. What a great car!

Back in business. :)

Anybody need dental work done?

2010-07-30T07:54:00.002-04:00

Yesterday afternoon I got home, changed over, and went right to the garage. The clouds were gathering, so I wasn't going to chance working on the e30 outside. I had to do SOMETHING. So I got underneath the mini and started poking around at the catalytic converter. Luckily, the car is a '76, so I don't have to play that anymore; also, the cat is it's own section with a flange on each side, which makes it easy to buy the cat delete pipe that bolts right in from the UK. Anyways, I couldn't quite get enough leverage on these rusted, heat-cycled bolts, so I broke out the air impact gun. The gun is a little bulky and it wasn't a straight shot at the 4 bolts, so I got a wobbly extension. While effective, the wobbly tends to throw the socket AND the nut it just loosened in two opposite and deadly trajectories. I was under the mini, so there wasn't too much room, they usually bounced back up and hit the bottom of the mini and came to a rest just. out. of. reach. After this happened the first time, I thought about either looking away or maybe trying SOMETHING different. Honestly, the first thing I thought was, hey, if one of these bounces up and hits me in the mouth, I'm going to need some dental work. So I made sure to close my mouth so my teeth weren't hanging out in the breeze. The socket only hit me once, and not that hard on my left pointer finger. No biggie, now I've bled for the day. All four came off with a minimum of fuss, and as I was pulling it loose, all kinds of stuff was falling out. THAT can't be good. Putting in that "test pipe" should really open up the exhaust.
I then ate dinner and went to Orlando's to do the alternator. Everything went together pretty well. I took my sweet time, got the belts adjusted nice and tight, was just about to put the ground strap on the alternator and realized that we were a bolt short. It's been about three weeks since we worked on it, so we did a quick search, then a more detailed search, no dice. Luckily, it's a pretty common bolt, so we'll just pull it off one of our spare engines/cars. Really wanted to finish and button it up last night, but it was getting late. It'll probably take 20 minutes to finish it up now... Good sign that we were getting close to the M6 running: We had a very healthy rain last night.

Speaking of brakes...

2010-07-28T22:36:00.002-04:00

Our friends, the McCombs have come to visit again. I've known them for almost my entire Marine career, and now that he has retired, he's moving to live about 10 miles away from us. The move is still in its' infancy, but they are making good progress. Anyways, they have this Ford Excursion that had a soft brake pedal when I drove it last time they were here. The brakes started grinding when they left NC to make the 350 mile trek here yesterday. The Mrs. refused to drive the truck today, so that was the hint that we needed to work on them. They were TOAST. One of the inside front brake pads was totally gone, which cooked the rotor. oops. So, one trip to autozone and $200 later, we've got front rotors, and pads all around. We changed them all in a couple hours' time, and rotated the tires. Pretty good. The pedal is even firm again.
Since I was dirty, I decided to do a little work on the 535iA. Pulled the last brake line in the rear, and set David to work on my stripped line. No dice. At least I'm not crazy here, just incompetent. ;) I even pushed in the caliper for new pads, so now I can try to mount the new rotors and pads. Maybe I'll get some new e-brake pads, though, since they are literally falling apart. Driving with the e-brake on for about a mile really cooks them, as indicated by smoke coming off the rear wheels. oops. Doing research on new fuel lines and a maybe a new fuel filter, too; since I'm back there, and it's easy to reach. So maybe I can get it lowered off the jackstands by next week, then jack up the front and do the front brakes (SHOULD be good to go, but won't know until I pull them. Then a fluid flush, and we'll see if I'm back in business...
Tomorrow, I'll either help Orlando put in his alternator, or get the water pump off the E30.
Couple hours at a time, here!

Another few months gone...

2010-07-27T11:31:00.002-04:00

Well, my buddy Orlando called me out and said I should probably post something.
Let's see... The e30 got put back together, different wheels and tires, new engine mounts, everything all pushed out, euro front end and ran great! I only had a couple start-up hiccups.
1. In my excitement to take my first drive the car (after 8 months), I didn't fully torque the wheel bolts. Luckily I was only going 5 mph when the wheel came off the hub. The car just sat on the tire until I ran down the hill, got my jack and torque wrench. During this same drive, the oil pressure light stayed on FOREVER, then went out. I thought the engine was toast for a minute there.
2. So I drover her around a bit, babied the crap out of her, and started having more oil pressure woes. As the car would warm up to operating temps, the oil pressure light would first flicker at idle, then stay on unless I kept the RPM above 1k. Kind of annoying. I parked the car at work for a month, then figured I could do an oil change and use higher viscosity oil. When I drained the oil, there was this silvery sheen of stuff on top of the puddle. DOH! I media blasted the oil pan, but never blew it out or cleaned it with gasoline, so all that extra media dust made the rounds in my engine. Great. I switched the oil and she runs awesome!

I started taking her out on back road runs, trying to get my confidence back up. I "tiptoe" around in the rain now, even though I have meaty, wide, brand new tires (that aren't stretched at all) on there now. Just gotta work on the confidence before I start bossing her around again. Then, another issue.

3. She started overheating at anything below 30 mph. I wracked my brain over this one. Finally, I stuck a roll of newspaper in the clutch fan at idle, and not one sheet of paper was torn. That's a problem. Fear not, I have the special wrench for the clutch fan, I know that it's reverse threaded, and I've done this job several times before. Just seat the wrench on there, make sure you're twisting the right way, and give it a healthy smack. Should break it loose! Nope. After several HOURS of cussing, cajoling, making a jig to hold the pulley still, etc., NOTHING.
So, that's where I'm at now. I've decided that I'm going to pull the entire water pump and try to stick it in the vise and break it loose that way. Or dremel it off, very carefully. Something. I'll probably order another water pump for the time being just to be safe, even though I really don't want to put any more money into this engine.
Anyways...
A quick update on the other cars, then I'll let Orlando get on here and intro, etc.
^ 2004 x3: Did the complete coolant change after a second attempt at suicide by overheating. (I'm assuming that they thermostat ate it this time.) Car runs great, and we can use the AC again! (Just in time for the hottest summer in history for DelMarVa...)
v '87 535iA: #2 in line. A beater I picked up for $500. Brakes were GONE. Reason #637 for owning the correct tool for the correct job, you WILL strip something that's not easily replaced. So, I'm stalled out on the brake job right now. Also thinking about tossing the automatic tranny. I have most of the parts assembled, just need to order about $300 worth of nuts and bolts and consumable items from the Fatherland. Might need to run new Fuel lines as well.
v '87 535is: Still down. She's #4 in line to get worked on. Can't wait to get this car going.
v '76 Mini: I just keep finding more stuff with this frankenstein of a car. Got her on some ramps so that I can start poking around under the hood. (I'll have to take a picture of me "under the hood"... There's this wicked awesome wasps' nest formed on the block right up front. Gotta put a new fuel system in the car... or do I???? A friend of mine pulled the old gas tank and I have the new one ready to install. So one day, I'm out there looking at the engine, and I pull one of the plug wires. Pop! and it leaves the metal clinger thingy on the plug. Gee, might need that to be attached to the wire to get a good connection?? One of the other ones has a shorter boot than the others... Hinky stuff. I look at my embarassingly expensive bill for when this car was worked on by some crooks, before the ride of my life limping it home from NC. Nope, no plug wires replaced or ordered. Wires on the way from England now... Maybe that's why it seems to be running on 2 cylinders? I'm on the fence, I might just reinstall the old fuel tank and give it a go before putting in the new stuff. We may drive this car yet! (hopefully by my wife's birthday in October...)

That's all for now! Except to say that I'm ready to finally turn those arrows over. We've been surviving on one car (we own 5) for almost a year now. We make it work, but it's no fun at all. I miss driving my cars! My wife misses going out when I'm at work. etc. Talk about spousal abuse. Love you, babe!

Orlando? Do you want to say anything?

Yup, it's been MONTHS.

2010-01-22T08:39:00.003-05:00

Well, things have been crazy. Shortly after my last post, I parked GREEN HELL on a median. It was wet out, and I'm pretty sure that I got a flat tire right as I was going around a corner with elevation and surface changes. It was just too much to try and catch. Blake was riding with, and we were both fine.
The car? Not so much. Tore up the oil pan, front end, wheel, etc.
Kinda knocked the fight out of me for a bit, but I'm back and motivated again. Spent some time working on her last night. Gotta get going on these cars, I was filling out my calendar for the year, trying to plan vacations and trips. I've still got a few months, so I better get going!

Here's my inspection and to do list: (PICS LATER)

Got everything pretty much taken apart. I forgot how much of a PITA it is to pull the hood. Especially when you don't disconnect everything you're supposed to. Awkward.
Looked at my euro bumper stuff. They're not as bad as I remember. I still have to remove the "DOT bars" that were bolted onto Federalized Euro cars. Picture 30 lbs of bar stock running the whole length of the bumper. Only two bolts holding it in, though. Hehehe Man, is it going to be awesome.

Good news:
It doesn't look too bad. The exhaust is the lowest part of the car, and it shows. Scraped it up pretty good, but everything looks intact, at least up front. I'd say about a 6x6inch hole bashed into the floor right below the dead pedal. I think it will be okay, hope it's not too expensive to get something welded in there. Little bit of scrapeage on the frame rails, but nothing crushed that I can see. The little shield that goes in front of the gas tank... Hehe. Barely hangin on. Might need to take care of that, along with the previously severely dented gas tank.
Started loosening up the bolts on the oil pan, easy as pie, so I shouldn't have too many problems there. Took the remaining pieces of the oil pump off, and everything looks okay there, too. The oil pump I got looks like it'll go right in, and the key part; the little hex end rod that goes to the gear that actually turns the pump guts looks okay, too.
Subframe looks okay, suspension bushings are still in need of refreshing, but it doesn't look like anything is going to prevent me from driving it; other than the lack of oil.

Bad news:
The radiator support pretty much took the brunt of the impact, and it shows. Lower end of the radiator is mashed up against the engine fan. There's interference with the (non functioning) a/c compressor (passenger side), and a little more on the drivers side with the power steering pump (which is also non-functional, but still hooked up, belt driven and all??) the fan shroud is pretty much jacked, too, although, once I get the rad support pulled out a bit, it might be okay. Looking carefully from the top, it looked as if the drivers side of the engine was a little closer to the front than the passenger side, although the passenger side of the rad support is the most bashed in/pushed back. As I investigated further, I found the culprit. Drivers side engine mount. I would say that the bolt that goes through it ripped through the rubber about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch. Not good. Luckily, I was planning on lifting the engine to wrangle the oil pan out, so I needed to unbolt the engine mounts anyways. Unluckily, I don't have any engine mounts ON HAND, so I'm kinda stuck. It's going to take a bit to get everything straightened out anyways, so maybe waiting for the engine mounts isn't so bad. They're soaking in PB blaster now, they're probably the original mounts.

To do:
I really don't want to, but I might have to drain the coolant and pull the radiator, so that I can 1)get my ghetto "straighten the fins out" on, and 2) bash out the radiator support from the backside. This NEEDS to be done, as when I do the M30 swap, the radiator sits lower, past the mounting points of the original radiator, so I have to get this right or close to it.
Gotta disconnect the engine mounts and pull the engine up a bit so that I can pull what's remaining of the oil pan, then replace it and do the pump and all that.
Guess I'll pull the AC compressor. Might explore what going on with the power steering, too. While I'm waiting for motor mounts, might work on the interior, test fit all the euro bumper stuff, etc, etc.

I think it's going to be OKAY. I'm taking my time and being careful. I'm trying not to think about if I do all this work and the car decides not to run/drive right.

An Eventful Month for the E30

2009-07-07T13:33:00.002-04:00

I'm sure that I've driven the E30 at least 3000 miles this past month. Time for an oil change... Anyways, I took it camping in the boonies, carried scouts and gear out there, tires are still okay, but it's getting close. Might have to break out the euroweaves and spring for some new tires. 225s!!

Let start last week.
I took off to a scout camp for the week. Took two passengers plus some gear way back in the boonies. Scraped a lot. Car did fine. (tires aren't smiling yet)
Friday night we leave camp, and I make the 2.5 hour trip back home. Two passengers again, some gear, they fell asleep in the car. Guess it's not stiff enough.

Saturday morning, my wife took off for NC on thursday, so I need to get my happy tail down there. 5.3 hours later, I arrive. Tried to break 5 hours, but I made three mistakes. (I had to gas up, I had to pee, and I took a wrong turn) Oh well, next time. I saw no less than a dozen coppers, could have been up to 20. I got lasered twice, pinged LOTS, no tickets or chases.

Yesterday morning, we need to come back. My wife goes to get the boy from the babysitter, and I decide to get a head start on the drive. We go opposite directions at the stop sign, and I hear a "chunk" sound then a woWOWwoWOWwoWOW sound, along with some vibration. I push the car back to our friends' house, and look underneath. 5 of the 6 bolts holding the halfshaft to the drivers side of the differential have loosened. (!?!) One is holding it on. How the hell, I have no idea. Go buy an 8mm socket, tighten them up, and away we go, with my wife leading me by a few minutes. Car drove fine, but everyone else was CRAZY. Not so many cops yesterday. Someone tried to rearend me while merging from three lanes to two, and had to be between my wife and I. I hate 95, lotsa frost heaves, potholes and rough transitions before/after bridges. Took an excursion into the grass when someone HAD to come over, then SLAMMED on the brakes. Not fun. It happened so fast. Got back on the road, whipped around him, gave him a salute, and on my way.
Later tonight, go to get a soda, and almost t-bone a honda civic that decided that I wasn't worth waiting for at this really shitty intersection. (I think that road is on my ban list now, there are 2 other ways to get into my neighborhood, too many close calls there)

Distressing thoughts: On my way down to NC, I pass this Pilot with all the beach gear hanging all over it within 15 minutes of my house. I stop to get gas, pee, and get some cash for the toll. I wasn't taking my time, and really trying to break my 5 hour record. It took me 2 HOURS and 150 miles to catch that same truck again. (???) I couldn't believe it.
Same thing happened today, my wife and I gassed up at different stations, and she got a jump on me because I needed a full tank and a bathroon break. Same thing. 130 miles to catch her, after she started cruising the speed limit to let me catch up.
There were lights and traffic both times, but it just seems INSANE that 5 to 10 minutes can loose you that much ground on the road, and can be that hard to make up.
Makes me wonder if I'm just not using the big pedal on the right enough...

Almost time for me to put this car up for a while. I need to get the Mini going, and get my E28 going as well, then I can finish all the stuff that needs to get done on the E30. I'll take some pics once I decide to park it.

On the road again...

2009-06-04T13:33:00.002-04:00

Well, I needed get the car back together, and figured out a way to separate the driveshaft, so on Tuesday night, I started. First I had to remove the old Center support Bearing. Just like the guibo, it was deformed and showed incredible wear. I ended up removing the snap ring, dust cover, then just dremeling it off, one layer at a time. In case you ever have to do this, be VERY careful, and don't mar the bearing mounting surface. I managed to get it off succesfully. Then I drifted the new one on, replaced the dust cover and snapring, reassembled the driveshaft halves, and started reassembly on the car. I started at about 8 pm, and finished getting everything together about 0230. Had a heck of a time lining up the holes on the rear subframe with the holes in the 3.25 LSD differential, but eventually got it to work.
Got everything buttoned up, and went to start her... no battery voltage. So I put the battery on the buzzbox for about an hour, and changed out one of the door panels.
Started her up and took her for a spin at 0400, and she drove fine!! Yesss!!!
got home, parked her, and then saw the sky lighting up like sunrise. Crap. I had to be at work at 0800!! All for the love of Bimmers!
I've been beating the car up for yesterday and today, and besides forgetting to tighten up the exhaust all the way (SUPER loud, but glorious), she runs fine. Can't tell if she's faster, but it's just nice to drive her again after a month of downtime. ... and what would that month have cost me if I had taken the car to BMW?
hmmmmm? Check back later!

A little work, a LOT of carnage

2009-05-28T08:29:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, I had a chance to work under the E30. (Things have been CRAZY!!)

First I tried to compress the driveshaft so that I could pull it, but I couldn't turn the nut, so I decided that I would just pull the differential. That made things a WHOLE lot easier. the driveshaft practically fell out! It also gives me a chance to upgrade from my pegleg 2.93 diff to an LSD 3.25 Maybe I'll get a little bit more acceleration out of the car!

So I got the driveshaft out, and here is what I found:

Notice how the threads are a bit smashed on the one bolt, and how the nuts are TOTALLY deformed? All 6 bolts are like that. Luckily, I could still get a box end on them. Maybe I should have changed this thing out 20k miles ago? I mean, I knew it was acting up, but gosh...

(sigh)

2009-05-04T13:34:00.000-04:00

Well, I got underneath the E30, had all my tools ready, parts ready, got the exhaust heatshield off, and hit my first roadblock.
I had visions of when I did the Guibo on the E28: piece of cake. (6 bolts in front, 2 bolts in middle, 4 bolts in rear)
What I failed to realize is that the E30 has a "vibration damper" around the guibo that prevents you from getting to the back of the 6 measly bolts that hold the driveshaft to the transmission. So, I'm trying to finagle it loose, and just haven't gotten there yet. I don't want to have to take the rest of the car apart to do so, though. Looks like I might have to do a little.
What makes it even tougher is that the bolts have become a little deformed from contact with the yoke on the driveshaft. I'll post a picture later, but I should have done this a LONG time ago... I'm just glad it didn't leave me stranded somewhere. (Well, I guess I'm kinda stranded with one car, right now...)
Oh, and the Center support bearing is TOAST, too. Good thing I got one of those!

Edit: I spent a little bit of time on the E28 this weekend as well. Got everything out of the cab, put together the euro main console, (looks nice) and got most of the euro front valence together(looks nice, too). If it would ever stop raining, I could put the carpet out and get it dry, once and for all, and get it installed!! Of course, I need to see if I can find the leak on my car, going to check out the sunroof drains, maybe chase some weedwacker wire down through there to clear the passages...

Next job...

2009-04-27T09:51:00.001-04:00

I'm out of town right at this point, but I have some work to do this weekend when I get home.
Now, car has been having issues with the driveshaft pretty much the whole time I've owned it. I've been putting it off forever, well, it's getting to the point where I can't put it off anymore.
I did a dyno run last year, (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NUJ4umdIiI) and even then it was a bit of a problem. A couple months ago, I had the catalytic converter replaced, and while I was under there, I checked out the driveshaft. The driveshaft looked fine, but the guibo was TOAST. So, it's pretty much been a ticking time bomb for the past few months. Last week, it gave up the ghost. I took it out for an extended ride, then parked it in front of the house. The car was acting fine. When I went out to get a soda a few hours later, the driveshaft started banging against the tunnel that it runs through to the back of the car. Shook the whole car!! I ordered parts, but they have been on backorder for a couple weeks now. I gave up and ordered from another company, because I need the car up and running NOW! So, this weekend, I'll be replacing the guibo, and the center support bearing on the driveshaft. Pics to follow.

A YEAR LATER

2009-04-26T22:25:00.000-04:00

Yup, it's been over a year. we moved, and I had to trailer two cars here. Now I REALLY have to finish all the projects. So, this tim, I'll be updating you FOR REAL.

Let me start by telling you about an oil change I did.
I bought 8 quarts of performance oil from BMW for $6.50 a piece. About $10 f)r a filter, and an hour of my time. The BMW x3 3.0i requires just under 7 quarts for the oil change, and I keep an extra quart for general purpose or whenever the light comes on signalling low oil.
I needed to buy a maintenance light reset tool (which can also read codes from every BMW from 1987 on... ) This tool was over $100, but I only have to buy it the once, it's in my toolbox, I can loan it out, and I don't have to go to BMW (an hour away) to get my engine diagnosed.
So, overall, the oil change cost me over $150, but I'm going to consider the tool paid for now. I'll consider it paid for, because, the day after I did the oil change, I called the dealership to ask how much an oil change is. Their reply? "$109.95" Yeah, that's what I thought.
I love DIY!!

more to come...

Let's get this started

2008-04-06T00:08:00.000-04:00

Well, let me start off by saying that I have a lot of work to do. I have three BMWs that need a lot of care and attention to be perfect daily drivers that I would show and drive anywhere. Vintage at the Vineyards is in May, and I plan to drive GREEN HELL and BADWATER there, to show. I refuse to pay exorbitant amounts for other people to work on my cars, so I buy my own tools, use my own elbow grease, and derive all kinds of enjoyment from it. I'll post lists of what each car needs in the coming days, so stay tuned! I'll try to attach DIY links for those interested as well.