ZHPBruin's Project Log: "Gertrude"

Hello everyone,

I wanted to start a project thread for "Gertrude," my recently purchased '04 Mystic Blue 330i 6MT. I had to give her a proper German name, and Gertrude means "spear of strength" which I thought was fitting for such a majestic ride!

I bought the car from another forum member who took had taken good care of her, so my goal is to carry the torch onward to build out a reliable and enjoyable daily driver. The first maintenance item I wanted to tackle was occassional hesitation when starting off and loss of low-end torque, which after research pointed to the ICV and DISA as culprits.

DISA
I didn't know what to expect when before removing the DISA because it wasn't making any noise, but when I took it off I found that the flapper valve was rotating freely, and that a small chunk of the middle of the blade had even come off! How does that even happen, and where did the plastic go? :dunno I immediately ordered a G.A.S. rebuild kit (with the upgraded fluorosilicone gasket), which I installed yesterday. I missed out on the group buy, but given the condition of my DISA I couldn't wait for the next one. All the reviews that rave about this kit are spot on; the build quality is excellent and the kit is incredibly well thought-out with the included thread-locker, silicone, and twist-tie to hold the vacuum lever in place.

http://i723.photobucket.com/albums/w...ps6kkib08q.jpg
Old DISA valve with mystery gouge in center

http://i723.photobucket.com/albums/w...psadvpfx9c.jpg
Old bell crank lever had worn down, vacuum pot is fine

http://i723.photobucket.com/albums/w...psxmmhpsej.jpg
G.A.S. rebuilt DISA with ugpraded gasket -- very painless to do thanks to the detailed instructions


ICV
Removing the ICV for cleaning was a chore, but less-painful than I thought it would be thanks to the P.O. who must have flipped the intake boot hose clamps (screws facing up) so they could be easily loosened. I don't have any records that the ICV was cleaned before, and it showed. A little CRC Throttle Body Cleaner got all the grime off and it started moving freely again.

http://i723.photobucket.com/albums/w...psrldy4tch.jpg
Before cleaning the ICV

After completing both of these items the car accelerates without any hesitation, and it seems like MPG has taken a slight tick upwards. Not bad!


Alarm & Coding
I bought a used alarm off Ebay for extra peace-of-mind, and coded it myself with NCS Expert & NCS Dummy (which was such a quirky process it may become its own thread). I had to install VMWare Fusion with Windows XP on my Mac laptop to load NCS Expert, but once I had it set up I was also able to code euro hazards and visual arm/disarm only. It turns out I have an older LCM so triple-blink indicators aren't an option.


Upcoming Items
When I purchased the car, I also got all the parts for a cooling system refresh that the PO had bought but not yet installed; radiator, hoses, expansion tank, thermostat, and water pump. I've been keeping an eye on the cooling system and there are no visible leaks or cracks, so I am planning on doing the refresh at the end of the year when I have a little more free time. The rear diff mount also has some play in it, but may need to be done at a shop. There's also an occasional buzzing sound that I think is coming from the fuel pump; it sounds like it comes from the right rear passenger seat and usually occurs when I first start the car, and intermittently when I accelerate. Has anyone else had this issue, and is it a noise I can live with or a sign of a failing pump? And lastly, the VANOS seals are also original but there's no rattling or sign of failure, so I am not yet sure how necessary this might be (or if it can wait to be done with other items like the VCG and maybe plugs).

When I write it all out it seems like there's so much to do, so any suggestions on how to prioritize and group items to be done simultaneously would be appreciated. Thanks for listening!


-Andrew

All good for Gertrude (nice name for an older German frau). There are several coders on the forum, they'll chime in!

Welcome. Post some pics of the car. BTW who was the previous owner ?

As far as the fuel pump, you do hear it prime when you turn on the ignition and hear it running with the car on.

I got the car from user "redwagon" (Tim) who lives up in the Bay Area. I live in Los Angeles, so it was a short flight and a road trip to bring it down here. According to the records he gave me, the car has spent its whole life in California which is another plus!

http://i723.photobucket.com/albums/w...ps4jomb7h6.jpg

I can hear the fuel pump when I turn on the ignition, but I don't really hear it over the sound of the engine when the car is running. My ZHP has fixed rear seats, and I have been looking for anything loose in that area that might be causing a low-frequency buzzing sound. At first I thought it was the rear deck, then the license plate frame, and now the fuel pump... obviously I don't want to throw parts at it but I'm having trouble diagnosing the source since it happens intermittently.

Has the fuel pump ever been replaced ? If it's over 100k and original, replace it before it dies.

Nice work and welcome aboard.


Thumbs, iPhone, TaT.

Nice work, sounds like you've got a solid maintenance plan ahead of you

Well it's been quite a while since my last update, but I wanted to share my recently completed Sony XAV-AX6000 head unit install and share what I learned by doing it myself. Overall I'm satisfied with the end result but made some mistakes during along the way, so hopefully this info is helpful to anyone else who is interested.

I had been considering an upgrade to a wireless CarPlay head unit for a while, and finally bit the bullet in December and chose the XAV-AX6000. I was less interested in the Eonon / Dynavin products and was not interested in a full-depth unit that required modifying the airbox, so the Sony unit had the right specs for me. My car had factory navigation so I didn't need to relocate the HVAC controls.

To get the head unit installed I followed the Enfig Car Stereo E46 video, but at this point I realized I didn't order the correct harness to connect to the factory wiring. I decided to splice into the factory wiring to the Harman Kardon amplifier in the trunk which does work, but required a lot of time with the Bentley manual to identify the matching end for each wire in the trunk (multiple wires are the same color). I removed the tuner, GPS nav system, and an aftermarket Dice iPod adapter from the trunk. I also installed the Enfig steering wheel converter from this harness to keep the functionality of the steering wheel buttons.

I used the Sony mic and GPS antenna and snaked the cords up the A pillar to the factory mic / sunroof controls panel and they seem to work well, though at times the GPS gets confused and thinks I'm on the correct road but driving in the opposite direction. I'm not sure if this is related to antenna signal itself or a software issue, but it doesn't happen often and usually corrects itself quickly. I hardly ever listen to the the radio so I didn't connect it to the head unit.

For the dash bezel, I combined the internal bracket from the Enfig kit with a Scosche bezel (which does not come with any brackets) to get a cleaner look inside the cabin. I like the Scosche bezel because it doesn't have a lip at the top of the opening, and it angles the screen slightly upwards for better visibility when driving. I had to drill two small holes in the plastic arms to screw in the head unit, but I didn't need to do anything to the front bezel.

For the backup camera, I ordered this camera / license plate light combo (for sedans) and followed this install guide. At first I used one of the reversing lights for power and ground, but switched the grounding to the inside of the trunk behind the right rear wheel (less noisy video). Second to the CarPlay navigation features, the backup camera is very convenient and makes the E46 feel much more modern, and from the exterior the integrated camera looks discreet and practically OEM.

The Sony head unit has good build quality and solid-feeling buttons, and the startup and pairing time to for CarPlay is fast. I didn't notice a major improvement in sound quality, but that wasn't a major factor in my purchasing decision. I think the only, minor gripe I would have about it is that the lighting for the buttons is a bright white color and cannot be changed, so it does stick out a bit in the otherwise all-orange glow of the E46 instrument lighting. I know other head units have tunable colors for the lighting, so if that's important to you be forewarned that this unit doesn't have that feature.

https://imgur.com/V0rFh20.jpeg

Most importantly, this creature-comfort upgrade has already gone a long way already in keeping me happy with my ZHP, and I hope that other owners can have the best of both worlds: modern, integrated electronics with a "classic" BMW driving experience!