ISRGC Claims Another E30

[ClayW]

I bought a set of rebuilt M50 fuel injectors (p/n 0280150415) from Dima. The M50 injectors apparently have identical resistance values and flowrates to M20 injectors. The difference is that while the M20 injectors have a single pintle, the M50 injectors have four pintles, allowing for better atomization.

I began by removing the valve cover for access.

Then I unplugged the injector harness from the driver's side and unscrewed the connector from the bracket.

Then I unplugged the two engine temp sensors.

Then I pulled out the injector harness.

Then I removed the fuel lines and removed the fuel fail with the old injectors attached. Here is what they looked like when I removed them:

I suspect that these have a few more miles on them than BMW intended.

Here are the rebuilt M50 injectors.

Installed on the fuel rail with a little oil for lubrication:

Installed on the manifold:

Injector harness reinstalled:

And, lastly, the valve cover gets reinstalled and all teh connections are buttoned up.

The M20 seems to be running more smoothly now. I'll report any change in fuel mileage.

[ClayW]

would have been easier to do the inner soft hose with the subframe dropped.

good job on bumpstops.

Yeah, I know. However, I needed for the car to be back on the road and I hadn't yet received the new lines. C'est passe-temps voiture.

[ClayW]

Marc and Dudley helped to finish the suspension rehab, which included the front control arms, control arm bushings, tie rods and new power steering low pressure hoses and reservoir for good measure. Here is one of the old control arms.

Now for the control arm bushing. The bushing kit from www.blunttech.com came with a pair of M3 offset control arm bushings for a little negative camber.

Not having a press, I used more primitive installation method.

Then, Dudley and I set about the daunting task of squeezing these bushings onto the control arms. I've heard of people using using a wood block and a sledge hammer to pound these into place, but that method simply did not work for us. Instead, we used a set of spring compressors and a 2002 control arm bolt to force the bushings into submission.

This is only half as dangerous as it looks.

Here we are; ready for installation.

I didn't bother to document the tie rod installation, since it was pretty straightforward. Here is everything in place. Blunt's kit came with new swaybar links as well.

With it all settled in, the ride height is just right and everything feels tight.

I've identified the steering shaft U-joint as the source of the last "clunk" in the suspension and steering, so that will come soon.

Marc also came over and helped to install low pressure power steering hoses and a new reservoir.

[M3M3]

the offset CA bushings do not add any CAMBER. they add CASTER. they push the wheel further forward.

lots of dish soap, a pipe and a hammer get the CA bushings on easy.

u-joint in steering, eh? who'da thunk that would be the issue? ;-)

[ClayW]

Next up: Brakes

The brakes seemed okay when I got the car, but when going through the suspension, I noticed some cracks in the soft lines. So I ordered a set of stainless soft lines and some caliper rebuild kits for good measure. As it turns out, I really needed them.

Front calipers removed:

Check out the sludge inside:

The rear calipers were just as gruesome:

Cleaned, honed and with new seals installed, they went back on the car with the new braided lines.

This job was an enormous pain to do, especially the rear brake lines that should have been done while the subframe was off. It's nice to have a functional and safe set of brakes on the car.

[M3M3]

looks like the standard 25yr never been flushed caliper goo! mine were the same.

why no dust boot on your rear shocks? there is supposed to be one like this.

[ClayW]

the offset CA bushings do not add any CAMBER. they add CASTER. they push the wheel further forward.

lots of dish soap, a pipe and a hammer get the CA bushings on easy.

u-joint in steering, eh? who'da thunk that would be the issue? ;-)

Good catch, but wouldn't pushing the control arm bushing out add a little caster and camber?

Either way, I'm just happy to have replaced the dead originals!

[ClayW]

why no dust boot on your rear shocks? there is supposed to be one like this.

The Bilstein kit didn't come with them, so no boots.

http://www.blunttech.com/item.wws?sku=W0133-1662397&itempk=314125&mfr=BIL&weight=37.30

[M3M3]

the offset CA bushings do not add any CAMBER. they add CASTER. they push the wheel further forward.

lots of dish soap, a pipe and a hammer get the CA bushings on easy.

u-joint in steering, eh? who'da thunk that would be the issue? ;-)

Good catch, but wouldn't pushing the control arm bushing out add a little caster and camber?

Either way, I'm just happy to have replaced the dead originals!

no, because it does not push the bottom of strut out. it just rotates it forward a little around the axis of the inner CA ball joint.

and you need the dust boots in the rear. supposed to reuse the bmw ones. without them all the road dirt and salt get on the exposed shaft and tear up the seal on the top of the shock in short order.

[Conway]

interesting, even with the drop hats it does not look very low.

did you change the rear soft brake lines while you had the subframe down?

trim the front bumpstops?

The new stainless braided lines brake lines didn't show up until today, so I didn't get a chance to swap them. However, after taking a closer look at my brake system, I'm presently ordering caliper rebuild kits for all four corners. I'll get into that this weekend.

As for the bumpstops, I popped the bottoms open and trimmed a section.

What's the point of trimming the bump stop? did you do front and rears?

[ClayW]

What's the point of trimming the bump stop? did you do front and rears?

I just did the fronts on the advice of several E30 owners. Trimming the one section allows for longer travel, which is nicer when you have a lower suspension that might feel too rough if you bottom out too quickly.

[M3M3]

yes, billy's and lowered suspensions don't mix well on E30's and E36's. bump stops are huge and when the car is lowered it ends up riding on the bump stops. this prevents the shocks from working as designed and adds major stiffness to the suspension.

heck, a totally stock suspensioned E36 M3 has about less than a 1/2in suspension travel if you install billy sports and do not cut the bumpstops. i know from personal experience....

[ClayW]

It seems that, even by the early 1990s, BMW still maintained the preposterous presumption that one should focus on the road when driving instead of eating, drinking or engaging in the most appropriately set version of the board-game "RISK". I have a busy life; when else am I going to catch up on emails, shove a full meal down my throat and/or knit a sweater? So, Bavarian engineers sought to force their "road safety" agenda on we the drivers by not including cupholders, stand mixers, blenders or card tables in our cars. I decided to remedy the first one; I'll let you know when I get around to the others.

I bought a couple of plastic cupholders from eBay for about $5 shipped. I then cut up a perfectly good emergency brake console. I scribed out the circles for the cupholders, then made some seriously ugly holes.

This was also a good opportunity to learn how to use fiberglass and Bond-O. Ever wonder how people get really good at something? They suck at it first.

Some body filler for the imperfections:

Then a whole lot of sanding with a few Bond-O coats in between:

Then some paint and installation:

Though the color isn't such a contrast in reality, I'll likely repaint it to a darker gray. It could also use a little more "bodywork."

Most importantly, it holds beverages.

[ClayW]

I decided that I needed a voltmeter. Who doesn't want a constant, digital monitor of their car's operating voltage?

I ordered some inexpensive digital voltmeters from China and did surprisingly little work to fit one of them into a disassembled E30 stereo fader. Since there is not simpler wiring than that of a voltmeter, the installation took less time than a battery swap.

Here are the results:

*Yes, I can see that I need to screw in my knee bolster.

[dasfrogger]

Just read your thread front to back. Really inspires me to get to work on my E30! Mine needs an major engine refresh/replacement and the trans redone too though.

Keep up the good work!