autoaloha

there's a movie playing in the background of Talladega Nights in the scene where they're at Ricky Bobby's mother's house. Its on the big projection screen TV. Looks like a good chase scene as there is a few jumps. -ken

you're doing god's work...

That's what I had planned on doing, but it's way too big. The fitting(same as front supply and return) without that valve fits in perfect though... I'm gonna have to develop a work around.

What kind/brand/mounting are people generally using? If anyones got a link to this I'd really appreciate. I think I can run without it until I find the right pieces for rear brake setup. I ended up using some VW reservoir grommets with the e12 528i MC. It's installed, bled and ready to go now. Just gotta rebuild my recaro and I'm driving...to the junkyard to loot a 320i and a volvo... -ken

hey all, after getting my car together this weekend I find the stock master cylinder weeping from the tell-tale drain. So, I assume it's blown. No one on Oahu has a new master cylinder for my 2002a- but there is a e12 master cylinder. I know this is one piece of the 'volvo girling upgrade', can I simply use this master cylinder until I source the other parts? What will be the result? Firmer brakes I assume, bigger MC with smaller brakes means less pedal travel right? Please tell me this is ok! thanks -ken

oh snap! thanks for all the valuable feedback. Here's what I've learned: So i guess I'll hold off on the tii distro with my low compression ratio. Everyone recommends the tii exhaust and manifold, so I'm feeling good for picking up those cheap! The big brakes won't make sense unless I come across the parts cheap or have to replace something. H4's and a 3rd brake light are worth doing ASAP. Maybe I'll put in this spare e30 maplight while I'm illuminating things... and I have a e30 snail horn i'll throw in as well! someone said e30 sunvisors... I've got some spares but haven't seen any installed on an '02. I'll look into this. I have to check into my diff. ratio and maybe I can find some low end power there! thanks ray! Alternator upgrade: ifayeoh, is this needed for my car? I still have the original radio, but I'll look into it. 84/5 318i right? I'll have to find some H&R springs somewhere. hmm... about the cam: According to Mike McCarthy's book and http://www.bimmers.com/02/upgrades/engine.html: 292 Probably the best overall street cam. Works well with either a 32/36 Weber or sidedraft DCOE's. Excellent mid range (3500-5500 rpm) performance. Power gains are seen throughout the rpm range, and the top end really benefits from the breathing capabilities of the DCOE's. This cam will yield 140-150 horsepower with accurately jetted DCOE carbs. Low end is still very impressive. Valve lift: 10.m intake; 7.6mm exhaust. maybe not so much with my auto? does anyone have any experience with this unique setup? there's got to be some kind of auto tuners out there! Anyone? and finally, a big thanks to tom jones. I think we'll have a blast at an SCCA class! what a great 'date'! I've already looked at the website and marked my calendar! thanks all! -ken p.s. - anyone visiting Oaho please PM me first and you might find yourself enjoying the view from an '02!

for an auto? is that possible or desirable? (sometimes I wish i had a 5sp... maybe the auto will come into fashion at some point haha) @dave: I've read that the 32/36 is suited for the 292 at standard compression( in the mccarthy blue resto book). Maybe 38, or a single 45, but I got the 32/36 as a bday gift and am kinda partial. If one falls into my lap: different story. you're certainly right about the maintenance though! As far as setting the carb, advancing the timing, flushing the fluids, gaping the plugs, adjusting the valves, and general maintenance, I'm pretty well set! Made sure I performed all this stuff before I began 'molesting' the stockness. Plus, I'd hate to see my gf stranded(it's hard enough to convince her to share my Bimmerthusiasm as it is!). One thing I forgot to add was a good 3rd brakelight, I remember eurotrash had a good write up. keep 'em coming! I'm on Summer break!

search seems to be broken and isn't letting me move past the first page of results and I figure this is a question many might have also: what mods are considered excellent bang for the buck? here's what I've pieced together for my stockish '74 auto (don't tell me to do a 5sp swap, this is my gf's daily and we live in Honolulu, which has got to be rank up there with London and Dehli in traffic congestion) car will never be tracked. I have this stuff, please tell me if there's some other inexpensive items I could hunt for that will improve our fun or safety and work well with the existing items I've accumulated: 32/36- installed 74tii distributor- just got 74tii exhaust manifold- just got tii eberspacher- just got 292 schrick cam- just got Bilstein Sports- installed (cut my springs) Blunttech suspension refurb kit- installed ST sway bars- installed e21 recaros- installed e21 sportwheel- installed 76 seatbelts- installed e30 weaves- installed so what else guys? i've got vovlo girling BBK on the list already. thanks in advance! -ken

naw, i got the bottom ones okay, actually ended up just having to shear off the cotter pin. the top one was giving me the gruff. the strut itself has a miniscule 8mm end, and the nylon nut it 19mm. wth? had to use a pipe wrench between the spring to free the strut to spindle fastener. Then, with the strut end(it was blown and getting trashed) in the vise and a vise grip on the 8mm end, assisted by copious amounts of PB Blaster, I was able to just crack the nut with an long box 19mm. whew. are you a kamaaina? i got this the other day. i was 2 months, 2 days old wow. what a video... i almost choked up... are you richard sullivan or? if you're on oahu, I live in Kapahulu and would like to talk 02s anytime. 916 799 6607 -ken

naw, i got the bottom ones okay, actually ended up just having to shear off the cotter pin. the top one was giving me the gruff. the strut itself has a miniscule 8mm end, and the nylon nut it 19mm. wth? had to use a pipe wrench between the spring to free the strut to spindle fastener. Then, with the strut end(it was blown and getting trashed) in the vise and a vise grip on the 8mm end, assisted by copious amounts of PB Blaster, I was able to just crack the nut with an long box 19mm. whew.

I've got the nuts loose, the ball joint just won't seem to break free. Any tips? thanks in advance. edit: alright, got it with the heat gun. now onto the strut nut... 8mm vs. 19mm... any tips here? none of the write-ups i've seen have these crucial pieces of advice.

89-91 325ix for the win. ( new Mini, reliable? howso?)

looks like a blast! ...is it just me or was your gascap not tightly screwed in?

what makes you think the MC failed? Brakes aren't spongy or soft. Car stops with lots of pressure. I believe this is the servo. anyone know where I can get one, or have mine rebuilt? IE doesn't have them on their website and Blunttech said he didn't have a supplier or reman. source....

after exhaustive research, this makes the most sense to me. Is it possible that either the empty reservoir caused the diaphragm to rupture? Either way, I now need to find a servo unit diaphragm, or the entire servo.

Upper Inner Outer according to my FAQ searches and Haynes manual. I got the brakes bled with my GF pedalling the heck outta the brakes. Continued until no bubbles issued into the jar, did this for all four brakes, because the brake fluid reservoir was empty at one point prior to fixing the leak. leak has been fixed, reservoir has been refilled, brakes have been bled. Brakes are firm and do indeed stop the car, but they still make the engine stall out and die. Is this symptomatic of a failed MC? I can afford a rebuild kit, but don't want to 'chase' this problem with money. I retested the 1way valve with my lungs. putting the intake side to my mouth and sucking does yield a small amount of air and I can hear the diaphragm moving. thanks all for your input! Please don't give up on me!

sorry to confuse you, I meant power bleeding as in, "not using the pedal method". The reservoir was initially empty because of the res. to MC feed hose and grommet leak. I saw the fluid around the grommet and the hose was wet w/ brake fluid. The hose and grommet have been fixed, no more leaking there. The reservoir is full and hasn't lost level since I've filled it. First paragraph was a description of how this issue began. I thought I constructed my sentences rather well, evidently this was not the case. again, sorry to confuse you. as for the brake fluid being sucked into the intake: I see no evidence of brake fluid on either side of the 1way valve. I believe I correctly diagnosed the loss of res. level with the leaking feed hose and grommet. My issue is why the reservoir isn't feeding the brake system when a vacuum is drawn. Is this indicative of failed MC internals? Failed servo internals? Maybe clogged lines, but the brakes DO work well.

chris, I don't think the brake fluid is going anywhere! that's what's vexing me. no drop in res. level.

thanks chris, my girlfriend is on the way over right now for assistance. I don't believe any brake fluid is being sucked into the intake though, the 1-way valve is intact and functioning properly. The braking causes the stalling, release the pedal and it comes back to life idling flawlessly. I am still in college, (read: poor like california) so i can't afford to buy another bleeding system, otherwise I'd def. go pick up the pressure bleeder... so far I'm into this job $13 already for grommets and hose.

Never said I was pressure bleeding. I did say I was vacuum bleeding though, and I'm certain I'm creating a fair amount of vacuum as I can hear it being broken. I agree with you though that it's not 100% airtight, but it should be enough vacuum to suck the brake fluid through the lines. The reservoir isn't empty. Neither has the level dropped since I began. What makes you think the MC is shot? On what indications are you basing this diagnosis? (the pedal feel isn't spongy and it doesn't compress to the floor unless the bleeder valve is open, and only then with appreciable force). thanks again. still troubleshooting in the garage, laptop on the workbench.