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I took advantage of way to early summer-like weather to give the Z a good wash and hit it with some Mother's ceramic spray. It needs a good decontamination and polish, but this'll do for now. It still cleans up really well (at least for photos).
Up close, there's many issues with the paint, and I'm beginning to think the entire car was resprayed (poorly) at some point in the past. I've found some over spray behind the door handles and a few clear coat runs (rear 3/4 panel, front 1/4), which I don't expect from a factory paint job. I think I can recover it enough to not be noticeable, but I am considering a wrap/color change. However, that's WAAAAY down on the to-do list. Speaking of, I haven't done any mechanical repairs to it yet. We've had way too much going on over the past few months and I haven't been able to find the time.
Looks good enough to clean and take photos with, which is a fine place to be. Time to take the hardtop off?
Soon; this is the rainy season for us and the soft top hasn't been tested yet I still need to replace the back window since it's looking rough but I'm hoping to start driving it without the roof regularly once the weather is stable.
Morgan, be kinder to yourself. You are a badass that gets everything done to the closest version of perfection.
The car is no different. Looks tits. And nice full ones we all want to suck. Leave the paint alone, polish, ceramic, send it. (LOWER THAT BITCH THOUGH).
It's killing me that I have coilovers sitting in the garage but no time to install them. The female and kid are going out of town for a week in June; I'm taking time off from work and focusing on the car. I plan on lots of wrenching, cursing, and beers
So we decided to take the Z out for a quick drive to run some errands last week for some top down fun since the weather was gorgeous and the kid was in daycare. While running the last errand, I noticed water spitting out the front of the car, onto the hood, headlight, windscreen, and just missing my head. Luckily we were just pulling into the parking lot, so I shut it down quick and popped the hood to survey the damage.
The upper radiator hose barb broke off right at the hose clamp, and the hose slipped off.
We were able to get a ride back to pick up the CRV, grab the kid since it was almost 5, hit the parts store up for some coolant, and swing back to reattach the hose to what remained of the barb to limp it home. Thankfully, there was no other damage, though I was fully prepared to have it towed if needed. The good news is the female laughed about it all and the kid was very interested in what I was doing, and even I thought it was funny - at least until I dropped $1k on parts to replace the entire cooling system
- CSF Z3M/E36M all aluminum radiator (thicker core compared to the stock non-M rad)
- Upper and Lower rad mounts/brackets (they're rubber and plastic)
- Expansion tank, cap and hose
- Upper and Lower rad hoses
- Heater inlet pipe (plastic)
- Coolant pipe (also plastic)
- Water pump (cheap insurance, plastic impeller)
- Lower temp sensor
- Thermostat assembly (plastic)
- Metal water pump pulley (factory is...plastic)
And I'm removing the clutch fan since it doesn't really do anything. My car has an auxiliary fan controlled by the temp sensor in the radiator, and with the lower sensor (80*C for low speed, 88*C for high vs 91 and 96 I think stock), so it'll be fine without it. Lots of Z owners have removed their clutch fans and haven't had any cooling issues, even in the desert. I also have headers to install, so moving the cats out of the engine bay will bring underhood temps down a good bit too.
With the family heading out of town next week, I hope to work on the cooling system Tuesday/Wednesday to get that sorted, then pivot to the suspension and clutch/transmission work, but I'm also trying to be realistic with my time, so...cooling system would be a good check mark on the to-do list.
BMW cooling systems shit the bed after 5 years. Don't ask how I know.
Based on 100k+ BMWs you have owned all that had their cooling systems die at or prior to 5 years? Otherwise, a pool if one (or a few) is not scientifically significant.
Morgan & I have 2 BMWs with 15 & 27 years on the cooling systems that say uh no.
To your point, lots of guys in the Z community have gotten 15-20 years out of their cooling system. That's not to say there are never failures, but preventative maintenance and inspections help.
I have had 2 very used, unloved Fiats, both sucked. That is not Fiat's fault. Based on that pool, is it fair to say all Fiats suck?
(both were "throw ins" on cars I sold & the buyer was a bit short & I took/sold them for more than the difference so they worked out for me)
2009 335i - 185k miles, owned it since 2012 and 36k miles, replaced radiator and hoses at 175k miles. Did have to replace the water pump in 2017; they are a known problem (stupid plastic impeller).
2014 M5 - 139k miles, owned it since 2019 and 79k miles, replaced hoses at 126k miles (with the engine...grrr). Radiator is still fine.
I almost went with an aftermarket metal impeller water pump, but they are (supposedly) harder on the water pump bearings, and if they fail, do way more damage. So I just went with the $53 Saleri from FCP and will likely change it every 3-5 years as preventative maintenance - assuming I keep the car that long.
Based on 100k+ BMWs you have owned all that had their cooling systems die at or prior to 5 years? Otherwise, a pool if one (or a few) is not scientifically significant.
Morgan & I have 2 BMWs with 15 & 27 years on the cooling systems that say uh no.
lol
I, personally, had to preventatively replace a lot of things on my E46 numerous times to avoid the catastrophic failures that are well known and documented. So no, I have not owned 100k BMWs, but I have been a contributing member of a few BMW forums for longer than I've been on here and the problems/issues are not a secret.
Also, having to rebuild the whole thing every 5 years for fear it'll leave you stranded is not considered "good".
Originally Posted by civicdrivr
To your point, lots of guys in the Z community have gotten 15-20 years out of their cooling system. That's not to say there are never failures, but preventative maintenance and inspections help.
That's the thing though, you HAVE to preventatively change parts often or else it goes kaboom. I would not consider that to be particularly reliable.
Originally Posted by e30cabrio
I have had 2 very used, unloved Fiats, both sucked. That is not Fiat's fault. Based on that pool, is it fair to say all Fiats suck?
(both were "throw ins" on cars I sold & the buyer was a bit short & I took/sold them for more than the difference so they worked out for me)
I, personally, had to preventatively replace a lot of things on my E46 numerous times to avoid the catastrophic failures that are well known and documented. So no, I have not owned 100k BMWs, but I have been a contributing member of a few BMW forums for longer than I've been on here and the problems/issues are not a secret.
Also, having to rebuild the whole thing every 5 years for fear it'll leave you stranded is not considered "good".
That's the thing though, you HAVE to preventatively change parts often or else it goes kaboom. I would not consider that to be particularly reliable.
That's a Fiat so...yes they do all suck.
I'm sorry yo bought a lemon, I'd say the real issue was your previous owner not maintaining the car. My Z3 had a bunch of PO nonsense fixes, can I blame BMW for that? Don't think so.
I have been on BMW forums since they were invented (who remembers USENET BBS)?
My first forum was a BMW forum specific to the e30 (shocking huh) in about 2002.
Saying you HAVE to replace parts "every 5 years" is disingenuous.
I have had all kinds of cars some needed more maintenance, some less.
Dead clutched fan was one of the first fixes I found was needed on the Midget. Replaced it with a constant speed from a Spitfire & not more engine overheating
Still need o replace the fuel pump so I get no more fuel overheating
My 1994 grand Cherokee had a fan clutch thing… I think it had too much gap between the shroud and the fan, because even after the clutch was replaced, it still overheated in the summer at lower speeds or stop n go.
the 5.9L limited went to an electric fan, much better in my opinion.
also the engine fan was great when off-roading and going through a water crossing. It made sure everything in the engine bay was covered in muck.
Well this repair is turning into a project I've had to place a few additional orders over the past few days for various gaskets, as to replace the heater pipes on the block requires removing the intake manifold, and if I don't want to mess with the CCV, I have to then pull the oil filter housing. No big deal, but I wanted to replace it with the S50/54 housing to do an oil cooler anyway, and well, there's no time like the present
So, I ordered the following today:
- S50/54 Oil Filter Housing
- Z3M Oil Cooler lines
- Z3M Oil Cooler
- Z3M Ducting
- VANOS banjo bolt adapter
- Power Steering Pump spacers (it mounts to the oil filter housing)
- PS Pump Reservoir bracket
- Various bolts and brackets
Some of these are coming from Europe thanks to parts availability/cost, but I do still plan on doing some of this work next week while the family is out of town. But it's highly unlikely that the car will be running & driving by the end of the week.
Funny how things tend to snowball. I suddenly understand how E30 ended up with an S52
I think that there's a place in this world for EV.
That said, with enough ICE vehicles you too can experience the joy of never being stranded as if you owned an EV.
I think that there's a place in this world for EV.
That said, with enough ICE vehicles you too can experience the joy of never being stranded as if you owned an EV.
Depends on the ICE vehicle lol.
I've been stranded three times. Once with a VW Passat, once with my E46 BMW, and once with my S2k.
05-03-2024, 10:46 PM
Looks good enough to clean and take photos with, which is a fine place to be. Time to take the hardtop off?
I still need to replace the back window since it's looking rough but I'm hoping to start driving it without the roof regularly once the weather is stable.
To your point, lots of guys in the Z community have gotten 15-20 years out of their cooling system. That's not to say there are never failures, but preventative maintenance and inspections help.
