William's 330Ci ZHP Maintenance and Project Thread

[YoitsTmac]

Side question: What was the difference between your OE door panels and the ones from the M3? Leather type?

I've seen both. Yeah it's like leather vs nappa leather

[slater]

And here is Gary's test for too much vacuum that Peter was referencing.

thanks dude. i'm curious if we can run the M52 rear crank seal or not...

[BMWCurves]

You guys are invaluable

he actually built a test rig for it - i think there's a video on his website. pretty cool. after seeing that.... yeah, i am intrigued for sure, and definitely more 'on the fence' about the catch can setup if left unregulated. the stock CCV is definitely still a steaming pile of dung for anyone living in a climate with temps that get below freezing.

the magic amount of vacuum required would be nice to know - enough to help those low-tension rings to seal better, but not enough to allow the RMS to be flexing enough to let air/etc in.

Yeah, it sounds like the CCV is a very poorly designed solution from the numerous threads I've read about it. #HotGarbage

I wonder if Gary has done more testing to figure out a good range for proper vacuum. I assume the G.A.S. CCV solution is aimed at that range.

i would love to install it now, but i think i'm going to wait until the motor swap happens. we'll see. the M54B25 in the red Touring is using a crapload of oil right now, so i might do it soon just to see....

That's what I figured. Sigh...

Yep, should hear bubbling as you're essentially blowing into the oil pan. The valve in the CCV opens under vacuum from the intake manifold. I actually broke that hose when I was blowing into mine, but it was cooked in Florida for 10 years, so brittle af.



Excellent thread here full of information and test procedures. Note that we do not have the vacuum line on our CCV's, but everything else is the same.

And here is Gary's test for too much vacuum that Peter was referencing.

Get to work, son!

Thanks for that. Helps visualize both the plumbing and the actual issue at hand. To be clear, is that video supposed to show too much vacuum caused by some modification? Or a failing RMS? Because otherwise it shouldn't be sucking in the smoke under normal conditions, right?

Side question: What was the difference between your OE door panels and the ones from the M3? Leather type?

I've seen both. Yeah it's like leather vs nappa leather

Yup, leather type (Napa vs. Montana). Otherwise everything should be the same, and appeared so when I swapped my door cards (link to my interior swap DIY). The used M3 door cards I bought came with H&K speakers which I'm not sure were standard on all M3s. I swapped my speakers from my ZHP door cards because the previous owners were a middle-aged couple, so the speakers probably had more life in them than the ones coming from an M3 owned by a 20-something year old mobbin' around with his "squad":



#CallingTheKettleBlack

[slater]

I wonder if Gary has done more testing to figure out a good range for proper vacuum. I assume the G.A.S. CCV solution is aimed at that range.

not sure, but i did ask him about it the first time we talked about his CCV design. he said it does pull more vacuum than the stock CCV... if i remember correctly, something like 8-10inHg. a new, stock CCV pulls anywhere from 3-6inHg (a tired/clogged one will pull close to 0inHg, or worse - produce positive pressure - which equals blown gaskets), and a catch can with a standard PCV valve will be pulling around 15inHg. a HUGE difference.

so, yes, in short - i am very curious to see how gary's CCV performs!

Thanks for that. Helps visualize both the plumbing and the actual issue at hand. To be clear, is that video supposed to show too much vacuum caused by some modification? Or a failing RMS? Because otherwise it shouldn't be sucking in the smoke under normal conditions, right?

that video is showing what a catch can setup without a PCV would be doing - it's connected directly to intake manifold vacuum. introducing a PCV does limit vacuum somewhat, depending on the PCV - but not much.

M/E Wagner makes a super cool adjustable PCV valve, that i REALLY would like to try with my catch can setup. it's $129 though - if it works, it actually would put the catch catch setup on par cost-wise with the G.A.S. setup. and gary's is way cooler than mine!

[Tatarin]

Hey, wondering about the wheel and tire package.
What size and composition tire are you running? I like the "meaty" look of it.

[BMWCurves]

Hey, wondering about the wheel and tire package.
What size and composition tire are you running? I like the "meaty" look of it.

They're square Apex Arc8 17x8.5" ET40 wheels in Hyper Black finish, wrapped in 245/40R17 Continental ExtremeContact DW tires.

[BMWCurves]

All of my VCG, VANOS oil seals, and VANOS oil line replacement parts have arrived. Now I just need to read through the Beisan Systems guide a few times to get familiar and a cooler day to work.

Side note: For those of you that use a collapsable sun shade for your windshield, what do you use?

[webster]

I use the bav auto "ultimate" sunshade or whatever they call it. Works great. I can definitely notice a difference in cabin temps.

https://www.bavauto.com/catalog/prod...hoCW28QAvD_BwE

[BMWCurves]

I use the bav auto "ultimate" sunshade or whatever they call it. Works great. I can definitely notice a difference in cabin temps.

https://www.bavauto.com/catalog/prod...hoCW28QAvD_BwE

I've seen that and considered it. Unfortunately, the problem I'm foreseeing is that the coupe and sedans are slightly different in terms of their windshield (coupe is larger and more raked, I believe) so they require different sunshades or else the sedan version will be too short and fall over in the coupe.

Another option I considered is this, anyone familiar with them? Supposedly it is specifically made for each body type of E46.
http://www.autoanything.com/driving-...0A2051710.aspx

I've been looking at these types since they collapse a lot smaller, like this: https://www.amazon.com/Custom-Access...=sunshade&th=1

[John in VA]

I have the Covercraft product for a number of my cars. There are different patterns, ex., with or without rain sensors. Not as compact as the fabric ones you linked to, but they both work well, depending on which style you prefer. I rarely have passengers, so just fold up the UVS100 and have it on the passenger floor.
Search eBay for UVS100 - you'll sometimes catch a bargain there.
https://www.covercraft.com/us/en/pro...FdOCswod7dEBpw