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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)
Last edited by e30cabrio; Jun 3, 2024 at 02:25 PM.
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.
So... I finally decided to turn some wrenches on the Z3
First up was a very small, but very necessary repair - replacing the crumbling rubber surround on the factory subwoofer. The surround literally fell apart in my hands while I removed the box from the car.
I was a bit sloppy with the glue, but the replacement was pretty quick and easy, and the factory sub actually sounds decent.
After that, I decided to focus on some of the less important things, like the cooling system
Pulling the components off the front was pretty easy, especially since I didn't need any special tools to take off the mechanical fan. I just wrapped the belt around itself and it had enough friction to hold the water pump pulley in place.
After that, I pulled the thermostat and water pump off the car. Notice the build up near at the bottom of the thermostat passages? Yeah...leak.
Since I figured now was the perfect time to install the oil cooler, I removed the oil filter housing, which required removing the alternator and power steering pump, since they bolt onto the OFH. The oil on the block is not from a leak - that's when it spilled out while removing the OFH.
Next came the fun part. Removing the intake manifold. It was a bitch, so I didn't take any photos until it was done. But see those two black plastic pipes? Yeah... I needed to get to those. And they fell apart in my hands as I removed them. I had to spend about 15 minutes on each coolant passage picking out pieces of stuck on coolant pipe. It was a pain. You can see the new S54 oil filter housing in this photo as well. The band clamp is not factory - that's required as the M54 OFH has a mount for the power steering reservoir, while the S54 housing does not.
While removing the intake manifold I came to conclusion that I was INCREDIBLY lucky this thing made it to VA all the way from AZ. Nearly every single piece of rubber was dry rotted and crumbling. From the intake boot post-MAF:
To vacuum caps on the intake manifold:
To pretty much every single vacuum line:
Not pictured - the fuel line. This was barely connected. When I say barely connected, I mean I simply pulled the hose down from the fuel rail and it disconnected. I do not know what was holding it on, but it sure as hell wasn't the fitting.
But aside from the fuel and vacuum lines, the one thing that really made me feel lucky was the DISA valve. This is an intake flap that opens/closes depending on RPM. Someone used black silicone to seal the thing - ON TOP of the factory seal. Secondly, the pin that holds the top of the flap was more than half way out of the housing. It was very close to falling into the intake, which likely would've destroyed the engine. So I ordered a DISA repair kit from German Auto Solutions, which came with an aluminum flap, aluminum bell crank, a new seal, and most importantly, a pivot screw that mounts from the bottom of the valve, so there is no way it could physically fall into the intake.
Installed:
Next up, I needed to get a oil distribution block for the S54 oil filter housing, as it only had one provision for a sensor, and I needed 2 (oil pressure switch and temp). Thankfully RallyRoad makes one, which includes a 4AN to 1/8npt adapter fitting if I ever go turbo. I also installed a new VANOS oil line. I had to turn the block over after this photo was taken once I reinstalled the intake manifold.
Next was time for the replacement part that started this whole fiasco - the radiator. Since the oil cooler mounts directly to it, and two aftermarket parts are never plug and play, I had to do some modifications. First was trimming the bottom flange of the radiator, which was about 1/4" of space I needed. Next, I filed down the welds slightly on the oil cooler so they were flat, allowing the cooler to sit evenly against the radiator. Next, I grabbed some all-thread, lock washers, and nuts, drilled some holes, and attached them. Is it pretty? Not really. But it works, and it's solid. Best of all, the cooler (which is 2x the size of the factory M cooler) does not hang below the bumper at all.
Once that was done, into the car it went. I haven't attached the top mounts yet, just in case I need to remove it for some reason. Those top brackets tend to break when you separate them
After that, the intake manifold went back on, with a brand new CCV (basically a catch can/PCV) system, all new gaskets and seals, and vacuum lines and caps.
However, in true shitbox fashion, a few items broke along the way. First up, there's a "jet valve", which is just a vacuum distribution block that comes from the bottom of the manifold and T's into the intake boot and brake booster. That valve snapped in half (you can see the half that goes to the booster sitting on the manifold in this pic). Thankfully there are aftermarket options for that valve, so $30 and it should be here in a few days. But more frustratingly, the fuel line - as I do not trust it - is a special order part with no aftermarket options. There are none in the states, and it will take 4-6 weeks to get here from Germany. Thankfully it was "only" $90. I'll likely get some rubber fuel line just so I can start the car up and make sure there are no leaks anywhere, but that will not be permanent.
These photos look like a solid days 10-11hrs worth of work, but in reality it's taken about 2 weeks of working on and off while waiting for parts to show up - and I still have more waiting to do before it's back together. Thankfully I don't daily this car.
I've got a spreadsheet tracking all of the parts I've ordered & installed, because of course I do... parts that have been replaced during this phase:
BMW Crankcase Vent Valve
BMW Crankcase Breather Hose
Oil Seperator Hose
ICV Grommet
Air Distribution ORing
Tensioner Hex Bolts
Vacuum Hose Connector
Oil Seperator Hose
A/C Belt Tensioner
Brake Booster Check Valve Seal
Intake Boot (lower)
Breather Hose
Intake Boot (upper)
Intake Boot Connector
4mm Vacuum Line - 10ft
8mm Vacuum Line - 10ft
Lower Rad Mount
Expansion Tank Hose
Lower Rad Hose
Heater Inlet Pipe
Expansion Tank Hose
Coolant Pipe
Water Pump
Radiator
Temp Sensor
Expansion Tank
Expansion Tank Cap
Metal Water Pump Pulley
Heater Hose x3
Upper Radiator Hose
Block Coolant Drain Crush Washer
Thermostat Assembly
Mechanical Fan Delete Nut
Accessory Belt Tensioner
A/C Drive Belt
Fuel Injector Seal Kit
Spark Plugs
Manifold Gasket Set
Hose Clamps
Throttle Body Gasket
DISA Valve Repair Kit
S50/54 Oil Filter Housing
Oil Line O-Ring
Oil Line Retaining Screw
Oil Lines
Oil Cooler
Power Steering Spacers
Power Steering Reservoir Bracket
VANOS Bolt
Oil Filter Housing Gasket
Oil Distribution Gauge Block
VANOS Oil Hose
Oil Dipstick ORing
Oil Dipstick Seal
Parts that I'm currently waiting on:
Vacuum distribution block/jet valve
Fuel line
Next up - suspension. I've already taken a peak underneath and the front lower control arm bushings are barely there, so it's no wonder the thing won't track straight
Last edited by civicdrivr; Oct 8, 2024 at 10:25 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.
