welshname
ClioSport Club Member
Re: E36 v2
That sounds more like the Rob I know.
That sounds more like the Rob I know.
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BMW E36 328
DC2 TypeR / E36 328i
Re: E36 v2
Great updates buddy.
Out of interest are you northern?
Great updates buddy.
Out of interest are you northern?
DC2 TypeR / E36 328i
Re: E36 v2
Wondered if you were local with you doing Blyton, guess not!
I'll drive over to swap that cruise control over though... HINT HINT.
Wondered if you were local with you doing Blyton, guess not!
I'll drive over to swap that cruise control over though... HINT HINT.
DC2 TypeR / E36 328i
Re: E36 v2
LOL. Ive only got the stalk to remove now I think. PM incoming in the next few days
George@RTR_Parts
ClioSport Trader
Re: E36 v2
Great work so far mate! :approve:
Great work so far mate! :approve:
Re: E36 v2
Set about sorting the thermostat this weekend, along with a couple of other bits. They use a 92deg thermostat as standard, I've switched to an 88deg. I had ordered a few new bits from BMW in the week - two new radiator supports (as the standard euro 328 ones are not the same as the M3), and a new inlet elbow as mine was split. Removed the rad and hoses..
Then set about making a bracket for the header tank. I moved the two connectors that are usually next to the fusebox, they are now down below at the back. Removed any other brackets that were no longer needed..
Then checked the lower hose would reach, inlet elbow would fit etc. All fine so welded it into place and gave it a coat of satin black so stop it rusting. Tank fits fine..
Moved onto the thermostat. Two types of housings available on the M52, plastic and aluminium. People say the aluminium ones are better, but they are known to crack at the casting points, as are the cheap plastic factor specials. Luckily this still had the composite plastic BMW housing on, so it can stay. It had a genuine thermostat too, maybe it was the original, it was certainly stuck in there..
New seal and 88deg thermostat..
Now I wasn't really convinced the thicker oil would cure the 'tapping' I was getting when the oil was hot, it has to some degree but not fully. At least I know what sort of temperature/pressure its running now though. Still, even though its a high milage engine I wanted to be sure the temperatures were consistent all the time. I already had an 16row oil cooler element from the E30 which I had kept, although the hoses were no use.
The M3s (S50) have an oil cooler standard, and have two take off's on the oil filter housing. Nothing like a sandwich plate setup as the BMWs use a paper filter inside a housing. I spent a while finding an S50 oil filter housing (M52 has a plastic cap and the S50 a metal cap, along with a different oil filter)..
vs the M52..
Once the alternator and power steering pump have been removed the entire housing can be removed from the block..
There are a few other differences between the two. The M52 has one M14 port (for the Vanos feed), and one M12 port for the oil pressure switch. Whereas the S50 has two M12 holes as the Vanos takes its oil from elsewhere (S50 on the left in the picture). I just swapped my M14 > AN4 fitting to an M12 > AN4 fitting and the Vanos line was as before.
The oil take off ports are ran from an internal thermostat as seen below, so the cooler is not circulating all the time which is handy. New gasket fitted..
The power steering pump mounting on the S50 is different also, it sits further back, so if you bolt up the M52 pump to the bracket the pulleys do not line up. Easily solved though. It needs spacing 15mm away from the bracket, then the pulleys line up fine. The M52 tensioner also bolts right up to the S50 bracket also.
So with the filter housing bolted up to the block, you need some way of feeding the cooler.
On the M3 there are two hardpipes that bolt to the housing with two seals. Many people tap these with a BSP or Metric fitting, but its hit and miss whether you get a leak free seal once done. Luckily you can buy an adaptor off the shelf which converts the standard BMW fitting to 10AN..
With the fittings now in place I needed to mount the cooler itself. Due to the way the E36 front end is designed there is no 'slam panel' as such, but just lots of bits that unbolt to remove the front end if required. I stuck to using these only, so the cooler mountings would come off at the same time if that ever needed to happen. The most commonly used place is behind the front grills. Decided to mount it from the top and bottom, with the hoses ran round behind the headlight. Plenty of room between the grills and fan..
Drilled two holes and mounted it central with some rubber bushes between the chassis and cooler..
Next I cut and welded two flat bars to either side with holes drilled for the cooler to mount to..
Before fitting the cooler I swapped the radiator supports that I mentioned earlier. You can see how the mounting points are closer to the edge on the new ones. Luckily only £4 from BMW.
Re-fitted the radiator with the standard rubber feet, then bolted the cooler into place..
Screwed in the new lower temperature fan switch also (Intermotor 50172), which cuts in at 88deg and out at 83deg. I wired this up to the standard wiring on the E36, so literally all the work is already done.
I then made up two hoses with AN10 fittings on either end, using the same process as the Vanos line. Really good stuff to work with, literally takes minutes to assemble to any length you want.
They run along the chassis rail, down behind the headlight and fit pretty well with the standard air box. Everything back on..
I ran the car up to temperature and bled the coolant system through with fresh anti freeze. Topped the oil up beforehand and checked for any leaks, all fine. Ran it for long enough for the oil thermostat to open and the oil cooler filled with warm oil, so everything seemed to be circulating fine. Hopefully this will keep temperatures more consistent especially when on track.
The only issue that seems to be causing slight concern at the moment is every time I remove the oil catch tank (which is linked to the crank case breather on the rocker cover) it is full with oil. The engine is breathing pretty heavily, which is odd as it pulls harder and smoother than it ever has. Can't find much information elsewhere about that yet, so I will just keep an eye on it. Need to compression test it too really.
Set about sorting the thermostat this weekend, along with a couple of other bits. They use a 92deg thermostat as standard, I've switched to an 88deg. I had ordered a few new bits from BMW in the week - two new radiator supports (as the standard euro 328 ones are not the same as the M3), and a new inlet elbow as mine was split. Removed the rad and hoses..
Then set about making a bracket for the header tank. I moved the two connectors that are usually next to the fusebox, they are now down below at the back. Removed any other brackets that were no longer needed..
Then checked the lower hose would reach, inlet elbow would fit etc. All fine so welded it into place and gave it a coat of satin black so stop it rusting. Tank fits fine..
Moved onto the thermostat. Two types of housings available on the M52, plastic and aluminium. People say the aluminium ones are better, but they are known to crack at the casting points, as are the cheap plastic factor specials. Luckily this still had the composite plastic BMW housing on, so it can stay. It had a genuine thermostat too, maybe it was the original, it was certainly stuck in there..
New seal and 88deg thermostat..
Now I wasn't really convinced the thicker oil would cure the 'tapping' I was getting when the oil was hot, it has to some degree but not fully. At least I know what sort of temperature/pressure its running now though. Still, even though its a high milage engine I wanted to be sure the temperatures were consistent all the time. I already had an 16row oil cooler element from the E30 which I had kept, although the hoses were no use.
The M3s (S50) have an oil cooler standard, and have two take off's on the oil filter housing. Nothing like a sandwich plate setup as the BMWs use a paper filter inside a housing. I spent a while finding an S50 oil filter housing (M52 has a plastic cap and the S50 a metal cap, along with a different oil filter)..
vs the M52..
Once the alternator and power steering pump have been removed the entire housing can be removed from the block..
There are a few other differences between the two. The M52 has one M14 port (for the Vanos feed), and one M12 port for the oil pressure switch. Whereas the S50 has two M12 holes as the Vanos takes its oil from elsewhere (S50 on the left in the picture). I just swapped my M14 > AN4 fitting to an M12 > AN4 fitting and the Vanos line was as before.
The oil take off ports are ran from an internal thermostat as seen below, so the cooler is not circulating all the time which is handy. New gasket fitted..
The power steering pump mounting on the S50 is different also, it sits further back, so if you bolt up the M52 pump to the bracket the pulleys do not line up. Easily solved though. It needs spacing 15mm away from the bracket, then the pulleys line up fine. The M52 tensioner also bolts right up to the S50 bracket also.
So with the filter housing bolted up to the block, you need some way of feeding the cooler.
On the M3 there are two hardpipes that bolt to the housing with two seals. Many people tap these with a BSP or Metric fitting, but its hit and miss whether you get a leak free seal once done. Luckily you can buy an adaptor off the shelf which converts the standard BMW fitting to 10AN..
With the fittings now in place I needed to mount the cooler itself. Due to the way the E36 front end is designed there is no 'slam panel' as such, but just lots of bits that unbolt to remove the front end if required. I stuck to using these only, so the cooler mountings would come off at the same time if that ever needed to happen. The most commonly used place is behind the front grills. Decided to mount it from the top and bottom, with the hoses ran round behind the headlight. Plenty of room between the grills and fan..
Drilled two holes and mounted it central with some rubber bushes between the chassis and cooler..
Next I cut and welded two flat bars to either side with holes drilled for the cooler to mount to..
Before fitting the cooler I swapped the radiator supports that I mentioned earlier. You can see how the mounting points are closer to the edge on the new ones. Luckily only £4 from BMW.
Re-fitted the radiator with the standard rubber feet, then bolted the cooler into place..
Screwed in the new lower temperature fan switch also (Intermotor 50172), which cuts in at 88deg and out at 83deg. I wired this up to the standard wiring on the E36, so literally all the work is already done.
I then made up two hoses with AN10 fittings on either end, using the same process as the Vanos line. Really good stuff to work with, literally takes minutes to assemble to any length you want.
They run along the chassis rail, down behind the headlight and fit pretty well with the standard air box. Everything back on..
I ran the car up to temperature and bled the coolant system through with fresh anti freeze. Topped the oil up beforehand and checked for any leaks, all fine. Ran it for long enough for the oil thermostat to open and the oil cooler filled with warm oil, so everything seemed to be circulating fine. Hopefully this will keep temperatures more consistent especially when on track.
The only issue that seems to be causing slight concern at the moment is every time I remove the oil catch tank (which is linked to the crank case breather on the rocker cover) it is full with oil. The engine is breathing pretty heavily, which is odd as it pulls harder and smoother than it ever has. Can't find much information elsewhere about that yet, so I will just keep an eye on it. Need to compression test it too really.
Re: E36 v2
If you look on eBay for AN fittings, they sell under the name of 'Torques'. Good quality and basically the same as what you buy from any other supplier. Earls sell the proper 'speedflex' stuff, but its very expensive, and this stuff does the job fine. Basically AN fittings are the same as JIC, same seat angle, etc. The cooler was 10JIC, so 10AN fits fine etc.. both interchangeable.
If you look on eBay for AN fittings, they sell under the name of 'Torques'. Good quality and basically the same as what you buy from any other supplier. Earls sell the proper 'speedflex' stuff, but its very expensive, and this stuff does the job fine. Basically AN fittings are the same as JIC, same seat angle, etc. The cooler was 10JIC, so 10AN fits fine etc.. both interchangeable.
Re: E36 v2
Good work.
Re fittings, I have a load to go on my car from torques so good to know they work well. Is the Teflon fittings with or without the olive that goes under the braid, I forget.
I have a few styles from them waiting to go on, there's differences in the sealing method between the high flow and standard stuff. Been a while since I bought them though.
Good work.
Re fittings, I have a load to go on my car from torques so good to know they work well. Is the Teflon fittings with or without the olive that goes under the braid, I forget.
I have a few styles from them waiting to go on, there's differences in the sealing method between the high flow and standard stuff. Been a while since I bought them though.
Re: E36 v2
Yeah the Teflon/PTFE is the one with the olive, I found them really easy to work with. No issues so far anyway!
Yeah the Teflon/PTFE is the one with the olive, I found them really easy to work with. No issues so far anyway!
DC2 TypeR / E36 328i
Re: E36 v2
Awesome work mate, whats the key benefit to the lower degree thermostat?
Spotted a coolant AND an oil leak on mine at the weekend. b*****d thing.
Awesome work mate, whats the key benefit to the lower degree thermostat?
Spotted a coolant AND an oil leak on mine at the weekend. b*****d thing.
Re: E36 v2
Just lets water circulate the rad from a lower temperature, it doesn't really need it with the size radiator I've got but its always better being on the cooler side of 'hot'.
Where is it leaking from?
Just lets water circulate the rad from a lower temperature, it doesn't really need it with the size radiator I've got but its always better being on the cooler side of 'hot'.
Where is it leaking from?
DC2 TypeR / E36 328i
Re: E36 v2
Don't actually know, can't see it physically leaking from anywhere just keep walking up to my car and seeing its wet itself.
The only part thats slightly wet is the bottom of the rad, but its intermittently leaking, very confusing!
Don't actually know, can't see it physically leaking from anywhere just keep walking up to my car and seeing its wet itself.
The only part thats slightly wet is the bottom of the rad, but its intermittently leaking, very confusing!
Re: E36 v2
Mine pissed out a LOAD of power steering fluid. Turns out it was just over filled, but I didn't half s**t myself.
Mine pissed out a LOAD of power steering fluid. Turns out it was just over filled, but I didn't half s**t myself.
DC2 TypeR / E36 328i
Re: E36 v2
Got an E36 now Joey? Nice one, somethings definitely broken on mine. Will limp her home tonight and have another look.
Got an E36 now Joey? Nice one, somethings definitely broken on mine. Will limp her home tonight and have another look.
Re: E36 v2
Yeah, had it around two months now and I've broken it already. Snapped a hub bolt trying to fit s**t coilovers. Meh! Two front hubs set me back £30 posted, so who cares
Yeah, had it around two months now and I've broken it already. Snapped a hub bolt trying to fit s**t coilovers. Meh! Two front hubs set me back £30 posted, so who cares
DC2 TypeR / E36 328i
Re: E36 v2
Wheres your thread atttt attt wheres your thread at, wheres your thread at
Yeah, had it around two months now and I've broken it already. Snapped a hub bolt trying to fit s**t coilovers. Meh! Two front hubs set me back £30 posted, so who cares
Wheres your thread atttt attt wheres your thread at, wheres your thread at
Re: E36 v2
Not done one yet - I've not really documented anything tbh. I can't really be arsed :dapprove:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/j0eyd/sets/72157637342676935/
Anyway. Enough hijacking!
Not done one yet - I've not really documented anything tbh. I can't really be arsed :dapprove:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/j0eyd/sets/72157637342676935/
Anyway. Enough hijacking!
Re: E36 v2
Daniel... Going from the picture and which side its from, it will more than likely be the seal on the bottom of the 'header tank' which is part of the rad. Done a few of them.. Number #3 on here..
http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=BG12&mospid=47431&btnr=17_0089&hg=17&fg=05
Also probably worth replacing the O ring on the coolant level sensor too (#14)
Daniel... Going from the picture and which side its from, it will more than likely be the seal on the bottom of the 'header tank' which is part of the rad. Done a few of them.. Number #3 on here..
http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=BG12&mospid=47431&btnr=17_0089&hg=17&fg=05
Also probably worth replacing the O ring on the coolant level sensor too (#14)
DC2 TypeR / E36 328i
Re: E36 v2
Oh I do like a cheap fix - would it be noticeable externally if this was the cause?
Had to commute in the Integra today, was not fun. I want my panzer back.
Oh I do like a cheap fix - would it be noticeable externally if this was the cause?
Had to commute in the Integra today, was not fun. I want my panzer back.
Re: E36 v2
Few changes made this weekend. I've been meaning to sort the idle control valve pipework for a couple of weeks, and tidy up underneath the inlet manifold. Removed it..
Better picture of the oil pressure take off + oil cooler take off..
Due to the way the airbox sits, I wanted to change the fittings for the oil cooler to 30degree ones, instead of the straight ones. Mainly so the pipes followed the shape of the alternator and out of the way of the airbox..
After some messing with different sized pipes, I ended up with this setup under the manifold for the idle control valve, along with a new inlet elbow from BMW. Before re-fitting I moved a few other hoses around for the coolant, mounted the oil pressure sender and various other small bits..
When I checked the car over after Blyton, I noticed one of the new ARB drop links had split. The centre bit had become detached from the rest. After finding out 'Flo-Flex' did replacement ARB droplink bushes I ordered some for the sake of £13. I've never really rated 'Flo-Flex' due to bad reviews for other bushes, but I suppose it wont do any harm on the ARB.
Stock droplinks..
Pressed the old bushing out, which took a fair amount of force..
Poly items..
Pressed in and fitted..
At the same time I jet washed all the sh*t out of the front and rear arches/coilovers/places were dirt builds up. Spanner checked the rear end to only find one nut had come loose... the N/S hub nut. Re-torqued it back up and I'l have to keep an eye on it.
I also compression tested the engine, which returned exactly 9bar for each cylinder. Factory spec is between 10-11bar, although the gauge could be slightly off. Goes well enough, so nothing to worry about at the moment.
Last job was to modify one of the seat frames I made for the Blue E36, as I got rid of the Recaro and sorted a Corbeau replacement which was far deeper. An hour or so later the frame was modified and seat in the right position ready for Oulton Park on Saturday.
Few small bits to sort one evening this week, but nothing major. Hopefully we get a dry day.
Few changes made this weekend. I've been meaning to sort the idle control valve pipework for a couple of weeks, and tidy up underneath the inlet manifold. Removed it..
Better picture of the oil pressure take off + oil cooler take off..
Due to the way the airbox sits, I wanted to change the fittings for the oil cooler to 30degree ones, instead of the straight ones. Mainly so the pipes followed the shape of the alternator and out of the way of the airbox..
After some messing with different sized pipes, I ended up with this setup under the manifold for the idle control valve, along with a new inlet elbow from BMW. Before re-fitting I moved a few other hoses around for the coolant, mounted the oil pressure sender and various other small bits..
When I checked the car over after Blyton, I noticed one of the new ARB drop links had split. The centre bit had become detached from the rest. After finding out 'Flo-Flex' did replacement ARB droplink bushes I ordered some for the sake of £13. I've never really rated 'Flo-Flex' due to bad reviews for other bushes, but I suppose it wont do any harm on the ARB.
Stock droplinks..
Pressed the old bushing out, which took a fair amount of force..
Poly items..
Pressed in and fitted..
At the same time I jet washed all the sh*t out of the front and rear arches/coilovers/places were dirt builds up. Spanner checked the rear end to only find one nut had come loose... the N/S hub nut. Re-torqued it back up and I'l have to keep an eye on it.
I also compression tested the engine, which returned exactly 9bar for each cylinder. Factory spec is between 10-11bar, although the gauge could be slightly off. Goes well enough, so nothing to worry about at the moment.
Last job was to modify one of the seat frames I made for the Blue E36, as I got rid of the Recaro and sorted a Corbeau replacement which was far deeper. An hour or so later the frame was modified and seat in the right position ready for Oulton Park on Saturday.
Few small bits to sort one evening this week, but nothing major. Hopefully we get a dry day.
DC2 TypeR / E36 328i
Re: E36 v2
Top work mate, that an OMP wheel? I accidentally bent a friends one at the Nurburgring on an E36! Was a fake of course, but still :dead:
Top work mate, that an OMP wheel? I accidentally bent a friends one at the Nurburgring on an E36! Was a fake of course, but still :dead:
Re: E36 v2
Not OMP no, had a few of these and never had any bending issues! It is only 330mm, not the usual 350mm mind.
Not OMP no, had a few of these and never had any bending issues! It is only 330mm, not the usual 350mm mind.
Re: E36 v2
You buy the seat new or used Jord?
You buy the seat new or used Jord?
Re: E36 v2
So the car was cutting out on idle sometimes, cranking for longer than it should, etc - eventually got the code reader on it and there was a crank sensor intermittent fault. Swapped it out for my spare, all good.
Decided I wanted to swap out the (very high mileage) fuel pump, as I didn't want it failing. Picked up a Walbro 255LPH GSS340, usually from some American truck but widely used on E36s. Requires a bit of fettling but fits well. Removed the old pump..
Removed the pump from the housing..
Old vs New..
You cut the outer mounting off the old pump, and put the Walbro inside. Then clip back into the white plastic housing and re-fit to the assembly. Soldered and heat-shrinked the wires, then fitted back to the tank.
Put a new fuel filter on for good measure, considering the one on the car had BMW stamped on it and looked very old. Primed it a couple of times and started up straight away, not overly loud either. Another job out of the way.
So the car was cutting out on idle sometimes, cranking for longer than it should, etc - eventually got the code reader on it and there was a crank sensor intermittent fault. Swapped it out for my spare, all good.
Decided I wanted to swap out the (very high mileage) fuel pump, as I didn't want it failing. Picked up a Walbro 255LPH GSS340, usually from some American truck but widely used on E36s. Requires a bit of fettling but fits well. Removed the old pump..
Removed the pump from the housing..
Old vs New..
You cut the outer mounting off the old pump, and put the Walbro inside. Then clip back into the white plastic housing and re-fit to the assembly. Soldered and heat-shrinked the wires, then fitted back to the tank.
Put a new fuel filter on for good measure, considering the one on the car had BMW stamped on it and looked very old. Primed it a couple of times and started up straight away, not overly loud either. Another job out of the way.
Re: E36 v2
So yeah..
It loves a bit of a smoke :clown:
Yeah, it soon adds up when you start doing the 'proper' jobs to get it sorted. Makes it so worth while when you feel how much better it drives though!
So yeah..
It loves a bit of a smoke :clown:
Brilliant project!
Yeah, it soon adds up when you start doing the 'proper' jobs to get it sorted. Makes it so worth while when you feel how much better it drives though!
Last edited by a moderator:
DC2 TypeR / E36 328i
Re: E36 v2
Did you get into the 200bhp mark then mate?
Missing mine badly, the seals should be here today from BMW.
Did you get into the 200bhp mark then mate?
Missing mine badly, the seals should be here today from BMW.
