William's 330Ci ZHP Maintenance and Project Thread

[BMWCurves]

Quick crappy phone video of the car during a cold start with some light revving. You can hear the crackling toward the end of the video:

Nice work!

I am so lagging behind on updating my project thread. I am planning to replace the vanos, vcg and spark plugs soon...


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You and me both, minus spark plugs

Good maintenance update. I loved my TSE3 (as I've said a hundred times on here)

Thanks! It's still taking time for me to get used to it. It's surprising how much quieter the exhaust is inside the car than outside or with the windows down.

[anandoc]

Quick crappy phone video of the car during a cold start with some light revving. You can hear the crackling toward the end of the video:

Sounds like crap bruh. Sell this PoS exhaust immediately!

[DeathTrap]

How much do you guess the TSE3 weighs compared to the stock exhaust?

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[BMWCurves]

Sounds like crap bruh. Sell this PoS exhaust immediately!

How much do you guess the TSE3 weighs compared to the stock exhaust?

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Not a clue. UUC's website says "substantially lighter" than the stock exhaust (link), but they give no numerical data. It did feel lighter, maybe 10-20 lbs less? But that's just a wild guess.

[BMWCurves]

I updated my original TSE3 install post with my current impressions (link). I'd be interested to hear what other TSE3 owners have to say in comparison to my thoughts:

Now that I've driven the car for a little while with the UUC TSE3 installed (with a GruppeM intake), here are a few of my thoughts so far (07/27/2017):

• Start up: Start up is definitely louder than stock, and I'm sure it'll be even louder in colder weather. You could not make an inconspicuous get away in the middle of the night with this exhaust. After starting the car and warming up, the exhaust will become quieter at idle, almost stock. You can hear this in the above video.
• Volume: The TSE3 is much louder than the stock exhaust. Above 2,500 rpm with any significant throttle input, you know you have a different exhaust. Oddly, to my ears, the volume sort of peaks at about 4,500 RPM and then sort of levels out above that. Just cruising along at a constant speed, the exhaust is only slightly louder than the stock exhaust, similar enough not to notice. At wide open throttle (WOT) though, it is loud.
• Exhaust note: It is coarser, and somewhat less refined than the stock exhaust. That's not a negative necessarily, just depends what you're looking for in an exhaust note. It is a much deeper sound, almost a bark vs a higher pitched "whine" of the stock exhaust.
• Drone: Pretty much nonexistent. You hear the exhaust a little more than stock at highway speeds, but really not much and it does not drone in the classical sense. You're just a little more aware of the engine.
• Crackles, burbles, pops: I didn't notice this much on Daniel's exhaust when I rode in his car, but mine definitely pops and burbles and crackles when the engine is at very little or off throttle at low RPMs (<1,500 RPM). I noticed this most when the MPG gauge reads ~50 MPG, when the ECU is feeding the engine just little bits of gas to keep it going.
• Weight savings: When installing the exhaust, it definitely weighed a little less than the stock exhaust, but how much I couldn't say. UUC states the TSE3 is "substantially lighter than the original exhaust" (link), but I've never found literature that gives a numerical value to that claim. I'd guess maybe 20 lbs lighter than the stock exhaust at best.
• Open vs. closed windows: I'm not sure if my "custom" added insulation to my car has really worked or if the cabin was that good at insulating sound to begin with, but the exhaust is much quieter with the windows rolled up than down. The TSE3 is still appreciably louder than the stock exhaust with the windows up, but the volume is not overwhelming or obnoxious, and sounds great under acceleration.
• Current overall opinion: I'm torn. I love the sound, it's the right level of aggressive but not too unrefined. I like the crackles and burbles although it seems a little juvenile. The volume is what I am still having issues with. I'm not the type of person that wants an overly loud "look at me, bro" exhaust that makes people turn heads and think *look at this asshole.* For the most part, this exhaust isn't that, but I do wish it were a little quieter in the lower RPMs, say below 3,000. I just don't enjoy being almost self conscious about the noise I produce, although I have yet to notice anyone really turn their head toward my car when I drive by, even when I'm driving moderately spiritedly. What's interesting is that so far I haven't told any of my friends that I've replaced the exhaust and not one of them have asked if something is different about the car. So for now, I'll keep it on. We'll see how I feel in the future.

[BMWCurves]

Purchased the following from FCP Euro in preparation for VCG and VANOS seals repair:



Still need to purchase some RTV silicone sealant (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...=ATVPDKIKX0DER) and the Beisan Systems seals repair kit (http://www.beisansystems.com/products.html)

[anandoc]

Awesome! I guess you are tackling this job over the weekend? Let us know how it goes.

Also curious to know how the oil looks which drains off your VANOS unit when you are taking it apart. Mine looked pretty dirty for whatever reasons - although I had just had an oil change a week before the VANOS rebuild job.

[BMWCurves]

Awesome! I guess you are tackling this job over the weekend? Let us know how it goes.

Also curious to know how the oil looks which drains off your VANOS unit when you are taking it apart. Mine looked pretty dirty for whatever reasons - although I had just had an oil change a week before the VANOS rebuild job.

Not this weekend, but hopefully soon. I'm a cheapo and opted for the free shipping option from FCP Euro.

Is it necessary to drain the engine oil to do this job, or is generally not that messy and fine to just top off whatever's lost in the process?

[san]

Not this weekend, but hopefully soon. I'm a cheapo and opted for the free shipping option from FCP Euro.

Is it necessary to drain the engine oil to do this job, or is generally not that messy and fine to just top off whatever's lost in the process?

I didn't do it yet, but a friend of mine said he added about half a quart after he was done...


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[anandoc]

Is it necessary to drain the engine oil to do this job, or is generally not that messy and fine to just top off whatever's lost in the process?

Absolutely not required to drain the engine oil. Just have some spare rags lined up right below where the VANOS sits so that the little bit of oil that spills does not go on the belts. Just top up a bit of oil after the job. In my case, I didn't even do that and I was still fine.

What I meant in my previous post was, when I took the VANOS apart, the little bit of oil inside was very dirty...especially since I had just had a oil change the week before. I am curious if you see the same.