GotZHP's E46 330i ZHP Maintenance & Build Thread w/ Pics & DIYS

[GotZHP]

Few photos from the tear down. I will have more of these coming too. The tear down has been completed!!! And 90% of the parts are in. I will be picking them up Monday afternoon! First thing to be done, replace my leaky oil pan gasket and put fresh oil in. From there I will rebuild the cooling system in its entirety, and add fresh coolant. After, will re line the fenders and place all the air ducts and plastic bits on. Then hood and bumper and headlights.



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[GotZHP]

Honestly, there is nothing wrong with the radiator above beside the dirt and dust and bits in the fins. I am reusing my condenser and AC components. I am replacing the Radiator because it was on my maintenance to-do-list and now is the time. I will sell the radiator cheap if anyone is interested. There will be some other parts coming of the car that are great used parts. I'll post a list of this when complete, and prices will be low. The car would have bee driveable if it werent for the expansion tank. The tank was pushed into the alternator and cracked.

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[GotZHP]

Current status of the car. I am taking a weekend off to catch up on sleep and to arrange the final parts order. Last week's routine. Up at 4am for work, hour drive to work. Work 5 to 4pm then hour drive to car. work on car from 5pm to 11:30pm, in bed 12Am. Repeat. Her she is, ready for build up. my goal is to have the engine running again to test the AC by next Wednesday.

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[GotZHP]

Some recent purchases :D Only one item I actually needed, but hey might as well do some mods while I'm working away. Need to have some fun

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[Vas]

Nice catch on those headlights

[GotZHP]

Nice catch on those headlights

Thanks for the heads up on those. I got the price down to $540!! saved 60 bucks, plus I plan on selling the trim pieces, corners, and wash nozzles. Good Deal All Around.

[BMWCurves]

Nicely done!

[GotZHP]

Nicely done!

Thanks! There is going to be a lot of late night labor hours coming up. I am going to try and GoPro all my work, so basically there would be a DIY for everything I plan on doing

[GotZHP]

Rented a ford escape to pick up all the parts tomorrow! Hope its big enough lol

[GotZHP]

Well, $2,600 dollars later, all these parts were in my trunk. This picture does not do justice to the number of parts I have bought. Very organized and ready to be picked up at Irvine BMW


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[Karl Lazlo]

There is something very cathartic about walking into a room with a pile of BMW parts.

[GotZHP]

I traded in my rental Hyundai for a Ford Escape to fit them all

I am now wishing I did not buy one of the parts thought.... GD PITA oil pan gasket

[GotZHP]

I have built a BMW! Now where is the "BUILT NOT BOUGHT" sticker decal :guns:headbang:rofl
I will have a ton more pictures up this weekend! Hopefully midnight riding it home tomorrow night, just waiting on a few fasteners to button her up!!!

About to turn the motor over. New oil pan gasket, filter, and oil. New radiator, hoses, coolant temp sensor, 50/50 mix, expansion tank, T Stat & housing. Should be a happy BMW for awhile to come :danehappy

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[Vas]

Killing it

[Karl Lazlo]

Solid.

[GotZHP]

Yeah boi. Put in 10 hours today. Was about to fire up the engine and was like wait a minute. I forgot the air box was off. Then I forgot the air box at the office. If I can find a hood tonight, I'll take tomorrow off and get it done. If not, rental car next week :/

[WOLFN8TR]

Nice work! [emoji106]

[GotZHP]

Nice work! [emoji106]

Thanks! I won't be working on the car this long weekend as I'll be driving up to my place in Santa Barbara, but I'll upload pics. Lots of pictures to dump and resize. I am happy with how it came out so far. Only challenges left will be fixing the passenger side hood hinge, then aligning everything once the new hood is mounted.

[GotZHP]

So iPhone is dead and I left the charger at work. next time I leave the house, I'll pick up a cheapo cord and get some pics up in here.

In the meantime, need some new lenses for my used headlights. Is khoality the way to go?? Last item besides a hood and the car is good to go!

[GotZHP]

So in trying to find a hood locally, I came across a carbon fiber hood painted black for $500, but its for an M3. Now form what I have read, the M3 has slightly smaller grills, and this kind of makes an M3 hood look weird on a ZHP. My thoughts were this. Pick the hood up at a lower price if possible, then dremel the openings to install the new matte black w/ ///M colors grills I just picked up off of ebay.

https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/pts/5732394631.html

I may have to adjust the fenders, but after all the work I have done so far, this should not be hard. Plus I will be fiddling with fitment anyways, as I need to align the front panel with the hood, bumper, and headlights. Will achieve even panel gap!

Should I go the route of the M3 hood if I could get it $400? I am very comfortable with a dremel. Or is it not worth my time and hold out for a Sedan hood of some type?

[az3579]

An M3 hood doesn't fit the sedan. I believe it's wider.

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[GotZHP]

It will with adjustment to the fenders. An extra step for sure, but my whole front end needs to be realigned anyways

[GotZHP]

Few more photos of how the car sits now. Still trying to figure out that hood :scratchinghead

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[GotZHP]

recent purchases. Man i've spent a lot of $$$ these past two weeks.

Grills for the hood I don't own
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Line out to RCA converter to install subwoofer that has been sitting around for a few months now
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New lenses for the used headlights I bought. Going to see how well they work before buying new bulbs.
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[GotZHP]

O boy, getting addicted to buying car parts. Already researching the next maintenance steps. Control arms and tie rods. Any recommendation for better than OE performance?

[johnrando]

Good stuff. Not sure re: suspension

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[GotZHP]

Good stuff. Not sure re: suspension

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Thanks JohnRando. We are both in Socal, we should meet up some time, go for a drive, talk about cars. Mine should be on the road by Wednesday!. Whether I have a hood or not lol.

Been a lot of work to get this car back together, but I have enjoyed almost every minute of it. My mechanical skills have greatly improved and this has been the most challenging work completed to date.

[holyc0w]

O boy, getting addicted to buying car parts. Already researching the next maintenance steps. Control arms and tie rods. Any recommendation for better than OE performance?

It seems like the ZHP control arms are pretty solid. I haven't read about anyone upgrading to something better.

[GotZHP]

It seems like the ZHP control arms are pretty solid. I haven't read about anyone upgrading to some better.

Thats what i've been finding as well. Going to tackle this depending on how bad the shimmy in the wheel is. Before the accident had a little flutter in the steering wheel around 40 - 60mph, depending on temp of the car. Right around 50 once I have been driving for awhile, but lower down first thing in the morning before the sun is out. If this is worse now, I'll tackle it right away.

If not, Buying some headers from Luca (BossZHP) :thumbsup:roundel

Going to have one bad ass sounding car.

[sillieidiot]

Good work. I didn't know that you are close by lol The M3 hood doesn't fit on the sedan. It's both too short and wide. It will require more work to get the hood to fit. The curvature is kind of weird, also where it touches the fenders. Those will need to be cut down to fit flush. Even after all that, it doesn't look that great. I would go with the CF hood. Make sure you buy the M3 hood shocks else the hood will start to bow out. Heck even with M3 hood shocks, it might still do it (ask me how I know lol).

Pretty much ZHP arms are good since they have the ball-joints. There's nothing really better for tie-rods either.

[johnrando]

Definitely. A few of us SoCals around. William and I are in the South Bay for starters.

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[Sockethead]

Check your control arms before you replace them. Mine were still in perfect condition at 141k hard miles. You might be able to put off replacement and use those funds for other parts in the meantime

[GotZHP]

Picked up the rest of the goodies at work today :thumbsup

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[GotZHP]

AND THEN THERE WAS LIGHT!!!

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Just realized that the new headlights have a silver interior while the olds have a black. The silver does help to reflect some light and makes them seem brighter, but that black interior trim looks sooo good. Currently using new headlights with old corners. One side, passenger, lines up and fits great. Driver side not so much. There will be some fiddling and adjusting to do. really hoping there is no bend in the fender.

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Just re-installed the DISA and the new air box. Thanks Ray AKA Karl Lazlo! Air box is in great shape. How many miles are on that filter? Going to put it in the Pay It Forward thread as I have one with only 10,000 miles on it.

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Moment of truth... Going to fire it up:begging:begging:begging

[GotZHP]

And......























My heart just fell out

[Vas]

Meaning ?

[GotZHP]

It starts. Will rev up to 1,500-1,700 rpm like normal, sounds normal, then will drop to idle like normal. Idle is not normal. Really rough and a lot of idle hunting going on. It almost stalls itself out. It is really erratic. No CEL and SES was on for post cat o2 sensors, but that has been an issue for months now.

I took off all the intake side of things, and put them back on. No vacuum leak i am aware of.

[GotZHP]

Ok, so momentary freak out calmed by a quick Google search. I need a new alternator.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIpihqpROtg

1.) My interior lights were flickering while engine was at idle
2.) I started the car 4 separate times and let it run for 20 seconds or so. 4th time it almost didn't start
3.) The expansion tank was pushed into the alternator with enough force to break open the tank and spill fluid all over the alternator.
4.) There is absolutely no vacuum leaks and everything is plugged in as it should be
5.) No CEL and no relevant SES

Back to the parts store tomorrow. Needed to pick up a few pop rivets and fasteners anyways.

[GotZHP]

Anybody? Bought the alternator today. there is a very small chance I did not seat the dipstick tube firmly and that is causing issues but I think it is slim.

God OE alternators are expensive!!! At net price after core exchange, ~$430 buhuhuhuh

[GotZHP]

Well, alternator picked up from the BMW parts store was the wrong one. ran to an Oreilly auto parts to pick one up with the right plug connector. While there figured I should prove it was in fact my alternator that was the problem.


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[johnrando]

Wow those are expensive. At least you know the culprit

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[GotZHP]

Wow those are expensive. At least you know the culprit

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Unfortunately there is more going. I think I am going to have to bring it to a shop. Its getting beyond my skills and abilities to figure out whats wrong. I am going to post some videos through Vimeo tomorrow for people to see.

video link https://vimeo.com/181899506

Can you recommend a good indie shop near by John?

[GotZHP]

https://vimeo.com/181899724

https://vimeo.com/181899726

https://vimeo.com/181899770

More videos

[Karl Lazlo]

Just re-installed the DISA and the new air box. Thanks Ray AKA Karl Lazlo! Air box is in great shape. How many miles are on that filter?

Actually, I have no idea... The previous owner put it in the trunk when I bought my ZHP, as he installed the BMWP intake. Glad to worked out!

[slater]

are you sure about no vacuum leaks? also, is your MAF plugged in? (gotta start with the basics. ;))

do you have a scan tool? (i.e., PASoft) what does it say?

[GotZHP]

are you sure about no vacuum leaks? also, is your MAF plugged in? (gotta start with the basics. ;))

do you have a scan tool? (i.e., PASoft) what does it say?

Pretty sure its not vacuum but going to tear down and rebuild it today again. I have already placed intake boots, intake manifold gaskets, all vacuum lines, CCV system, New air filter, new air box, MAF plugged in and working. (started the with it unplugged once and got a code right away). New dipstick tube O-ring, oil pan is on firm, dipstick tube pressed in as hard as I could.

I am ordering PA Soft today. As for other basics, going to check fuses. Also, going to let the car run for a little bit longer to see if it will throw a code or maybe work itself out. Going to try and smoke test it as well today.

[slater]

Pretty sure its not vacuum but going to tear down and rebuild it today again. I have already placed intake boots, intake manifold gaskets, all vacuum lines, CCV system, New air filter, new air box, MAF plugged in and working. (started the with it unplugged once and got a code right away). New dipstick tube O-ring, oil pan is on firm, dipstick tube pressed in as hard as I could.

I am ordering PA Soft today. As for other basics, going to check fuses. Also, going to let the car run for a little bit longer to see if it will throw a code or maybe work itself out. Going to try and smoke test it as well today.

it likely won't sort itself out, but it might throw a code after a drive. definitely let us know what PASoft says when you get it - that will help tremendously.

[Sockethead]

Check the rubber on both ends of the plastic vacuum line that runs to the fuel regulator.

Also my car sat for a really long time a few years ago. It barely ran when I started it. Idle problems missing etc. I ended up swapping out the plugs and it ran great... Just something to think about

[johnrando]

I only know indie shops in the South Bay like Auto Werkstatt

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[GotZHP]

Check the rubber on both ends of the plastic vacuum line that runs to the fuel regulator.

Also my car sat for a really long time a few years ago. It barely ran when I started it. Idle problems missing etc. I ended up swapping out the plugs and it ran great... Just something to think about

Good Idea, will check the fuel regulator.

I have spark plugs and coils waiting for me once I am out of work. The car did sit without running for almost 3 weeks which is the longest it has sat since I bought it. It did sit for a 10 day stretch while I was on vaca, but started fine then.

Is there a chance a bad battery could cause some issues? I don't think it would be that big of an issue since the alternator runs things mainly?

If i cant figure it out this week, the car will be going to a shop in Huntington Beach for Diagnostics.

[Sockethead]

yea, a bad/weak battery will cause weird issues. If you have a trickle charger get it on that. I usually don't let my car sit for more than a couple of weeks without putting it on the trickle charger

[BMWCurves]

yea, a bad/weak battery will cause weird issues. If you have a trickle charger get it on that. I usually don't let my car sit for more than a couple of weeks without putting it on the trickle charger

+1

Having a 10 year old battery didn't affect the running of my car, but it did some weird electrical stuff. Swapping it out for a new battery solved all of those problems.

[GotZHP]

Word, new battery will be added to the list. Basically, if its on my maintenance list, I am ok with spending money on it at the moment. This way its justified and im not just throwing parts at the car.

Current plan for tonight:
1.) Smoke test - Just bought a black & Mild
2.) Inspect all vacuum lines & Connections
3.) Inspect fuel regulator
4.) Tear down intake side of things and rebuild - triple check dat shiz
5.) Replace dipstick tube O-ring - small and stupid but I have a friend who's car did all kinds of weird things when his tube wasn't seated
6.) Fire up car - see if anything changed
No Change in status
7.) Install new plugs and coils
Still no change in status
8.) Battery
Still no change
9.) Towed to indie :(

Going to be another long night in the garage

[GotZHP]

I FIGURED IT OUT!!!!!!!

I FORGOT TO RECONNECT THE OIL RETURN FROM THE CCV TO THE DIPSTICK!!!

[GotZHP]

Well this is concerning.... A lot of moisture out the tail pipes, very loud ticking noise, spark plugs that are wet looking, and oily residue at the base of where the plug threads into the block....


This looks a lot like what happened to BimmerDude's ZHP :rolleyes:eeps:facepalm I hope not. New plugs and coils going in now as we speak (or type

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[johnrando]

Hmmm

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[GotZHP]

Hmmm

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I know right.... Out of the pan and into the fire. I really hope I dont need a head gasket. That would be way too much for me to handle and is probably super expensive to get done.

[Sockethead]

Don't worry about the water in the tailpipe... that's normal if all you been doing is starting it up for a bit then shutting off. It would take several miles or more of driving before it all dries out. My car has done the same thing.
Have you taken it for an extended drive yet now that you found the problem? When my car has run like that it has sorted itself out after a few miles of driving.
I know it sounds cliché but you probably need to burn off some of the crap in there I'd do that before fouling a new set of plugs The tips of the old plugs don't look like they are fouled with oil from that angle in the picture you posted...

[GotZHP]

Another shot of the spark plug. Pretty dirty and you can see the oily residue around the crush washer at the base of the threads.

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New coil pack on the left vs old coil pack on the right. These are the latest and greatest design. These packs are also used in the newer 328i and 335i models

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[GotZHP]

Rough looking but running strong. Drove her home under the cover of darkness. I do need to replace the valve cover gasket and rebuild the vanos but that can wait. 3 weeks of going to bed at midnight and waking up at 5am has caught up with me. Going to catch some ZZZs

Hood goes on tomorrow or Monday. New lenses and weather strips / seals for headlights next week. Other than that, no car things for a few weeks. I need a well deserved break. Going to enjoy a few brews this weekend for sure

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[BMWCurves]

That's dedication

[Sockethead]

Glad you're getting it sorted out!

[slater]

awesome update! so it WAS a vacuum leak, haha... (CCV hose)

glad you sorted it out. with so much going on, it's easy to miss stuff. how is it running now after a bit of a drive?

[Karl Lazlo]

Hard. Core!

Love it!

[GotZHP]

Thanks Guy! was some serious work to get er done but so worth it. I've already lost one car this year, and even though my ownership of the ZHP has been the shortest of any car, I am more attached to this car than any of its predecessors.

I drove it home this Friday, 3 hours of miscellaneous California highways to get to Santa Barbara. Waze took me on an AWESOME canyon road that I have never been on before. This is one of those roads where you tremble in your seat going slow. There was no guard rail and only a few feet on the side of the road before a 1,500ft drop down the side. The view was stunning and I held it in second or third and just used the engine breaking to stay at a constant speed.

I will stop and take photos next Friday. the view is Jaw dropping.

Car drove great. Had a slight mishap with the plastic screw that is on the hose that leads into the top of the expansion tank. It broke and was weeping coolant. Luckily, I was able to get it out and put the old one in its place. Will be doing some small things today including reinstalling the horns (doh!), spray painting the oxidize grill, reinstalling splash pan, and tearing down the old head lights to extract good parts.

Car will be fired up tomorrow morning around 4AM PST for a blast down Route 1 to Malibu. This is a much preferred route to get to work, but you need to be up early for it to be open and rewarding. Going to check fluids today to make sure everything is in order.

[johnrando]

Phew

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[GotZHP]

Phew

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I know, right.

Was worried there for a sec. Besides tires and the occasional detail, I am the only who has repaired or modified all my past cars.

[GotZHP]

Got the horns back in and they still are working which is good. Did a quick spray paint job on the lower grill and bumper trim pieces. Came out mostly decent. Going to lightly sand it at work tomorrow with some insanely high grit count sand paper (used for polishing titanium jet engine parts) and will give it a second coating. Should even i tout some.

Pictures are misleading as the sun was still shining through the trees some. Not bad I'd say. I still need to hit the fog light trim pieces with matte black. Going to slowly improve the looks of the car and get everything aligned and fitted just right. Important thing is its running again!

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[BMWCurves]

Damn, I'm impressed. It's no easy feat to get a car back up and running, but you did it!

Lower grille looks good too

[GotZHP]

Damn, I'm impressed. It's no easy feat to get a car back up and running, but you did it!

Lower grille looks good too

Thanks BMWCurves. It was quite the feat but so worth it. It is ridiculous how insurance companies operated within the US and by no means was this car totaled. Honestly, the work wasn't too hard, just time consuming.

Can't wait for the end of next week. New hood should be one and will have my Vibrant muffler on as well :thumbsup

[Sockethead]

You grill looks 100% better than my respray. The nozzle was partially clogged so now it looks like a wrinkle finish.
Great job rescuing your ZHP. It's always a good day when one is saved from a part out or crusher ;)

[GotZHP]

I swear to god if it rains :mad

Hasn't rained in months and I don't have a hood still....

[GotZHP]

Well, GF is out of town this weekend, so that only leaves all my attention for my other love :D

Going to get the car ready for the hood to be installed on Monday. Once the hood is on, its off to the DMV (God help me) to get the car through the safety inspection and registered. Once I get my sticker, its off to the muffler shop to get the Vibrant muffler installed and the 2nd resonator cut out.

Also going to finish aligning the front end after rebuilding the headlights. I have new lenses and will pick up weather seals. Once rebuilt, headlights back on, and micro adjustments will commence.

Lastly, going to dump photos to the laptop, resize them, and organize them. I have about 200 to go through. Going to play some video games too :gun1:guns2

[GotZHP]

Well,

car is going through the safety inspection. State law requires that Brakes & lights be tested to ensure proper working order. Not worried about this at all.

what does worry me some is I threw a lean code this morning. P0174, forget which bank it is, but only one bank is running lean. Cleared the code and drove for another hour, didn't return.

Smog date is only a few months away and I feel the car won't pass. In addition to the above code, I keep throwing codes for both post cat O2 sensors. Looking at replacing these ahead of time so I pass smog the first time around.

Any advice on any codes stated above?

[GotZHP]

Car passed the light inspection no problem. Was pretty sure it was going to pass the brake inspection as the ABS works, but it failed :(

the rear pads were to warn. I was looking at a pretty decent brake upgrade but plans have changed. The car is not registered, and this needs to be corrected ASAP. I ended up buying Zimmerman Rotors and OE pads and senors for all corners. These parts will be available tomorrow for pick up and will be on the car by Friday so I can retest Friday afternoon. Also, going the cheaper route as I may need new O2 sensors to pass smog in a few months. Buhuhuh.

There is a really cool BMW specialty shop a block form where I work Called Lang Racing Development. They are hidden at the back of the building they are in, and I had trouble finding them til I came across a alley like parking lot FULL of M cars. IN the shop they had about 5 E46 M3s as well! It was heaven. I met the owner, Andrew, and he ordered the parts for me and charged me at cost pricing! I will be a returning customer for sure.

They race an E46 M3 that I will ask if i can photograph to share. They moved the motor back 10 inches for better weight distribution and put a dry sump oil system in the passenger seat. Check out there site below

http://www.langracing.com/

Hood goes on Wednesday! Been putting this off, and was finally ready, but waiting on a check to clear. Very unsatisfied with BoA as of late. Opening a Chase account with direct deposit this week and will get $300 from Chase for doing so! As much as I want to use that money on the car, I think it's going towards my 4th year anniversary with the GF

[GotZHP]

Time for some photos!

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[GotZHP]

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[GotZHP]

The used headlights I bought were in decent shape. As for light projection, they are excellent, however, the did need new lenses and both weather seals (lens to housing and housing to hood) really needed to be replaced. These headlights look brand spanking new! Can't wait to test them out once the sun sets shortly here.

A few comparison photos showing the old versus new lens. What a difference!
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[fredo]

Really good job on the headlights. :thumbsup Is that a BMW motorcycle in the background ?

[GotZHP]

Really good job on the headlights. :thumbsup Is that a BMW motorcycle in the background ?

Lol glad someone picked up on that detail! It is a BMW F650GS. The guy I live with during the week has 8 motorcycles, 1 moped, and 2 scooters. Bike is in pretty decent shape and he just replaced the seals around the front fork shocks. I think it is going on the market.

He also has a 2007 Aprilia tuono on the market, which I really really want, but 1000CCs is a lot for a first bike. Using my better judgement.. for now anyways

I am really happy with how the headlights came out. I cleaned everything up really well and took my time getting the weather seals in place. Real easy job and worth every minute.

One set back though. As I went to reinstall the headlights, both mounting plates, left and right side, had loose fasteners. Need to investigate if I was given the right part. I think the plan is to just grab some SS bolts, washers, and lock nuts from work tomorrow to get it back together.

[douglasmoto]

Just so you're aware...I own a motorcycle dealership. If I can help sometime when you want a bike don't be shy. Triumph and MV Agusta mainly. We have another major brand in the works and we are hoping to be able to talk about soon.
Art

[GotZHP]

Just so you're aware...I own a motorcycle dealership. If I can help sometime when you want a bike don't be shy. Triumph and MV Agusta mainly. We have another major brand in the works and we are hoping to be able to talk about soon.
Art

O really. Where is your place? A bike will most likely be my birthday present to myself next summer!

[GotZHP]

I am hoping this job won't take long. New Pads, Rotors, and Sensors going in tonight.

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[Redline61]

New brakes always feel so amazing!

[GotZHP]

New brakes always feel so amazing!

I will say, the feels is far improved, but I was expecting more...

I passed the safety inspection today and car will be registered on Monday. the tech looked at the new parts and was like nice, here is your documents. Out the door I went. I need to see how the funds look after registering the car and paying for plates but the plan is stainless steel lines, bleed and new fluid. This should greatly improve the feels. the car does stop pretty quick now though!

[GotZHP]

The one nice thing about finishing a brake job at 1 in the morning is that you can go out and bed the brakes without having to worry about traffic. I did almost hit a possum though.

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Reinstalled the headlights after changing out the fasteners on the mounting brackets. New lenses look great and the lighting is much improved!

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[Sockethead]

I hear ya about bedding in the brakes. That's about what time I'll have to do it with the crazy traffic here. Good opportunity to check out the new headlights too, eh?

[GotZHP]

I hear ya about bedding in the brakes. That's about what time I'll have to do it with the crazy traffic here. Good opportunity to check out the new headlights too, eh?

Changing the lenses made a huge difference, especially on the passenger side. From inside the car, it almost looked like I had two different types of bulbs when compared to the driver side.

Going to address the fog lights next. One needs a new lens and was looking to go LED. Was going to spray the frame pieces matte black while I am at it too.

Then some clear corners and smoked side markers to finish off the lighting. Should be looking good then

[GotZHP]

Took yesterday off to head on down to the DMV to get the car re titled and registered. Brought the inspection certificates and all the paperwork I had from the accident. Wait time was not too bad actually. I live 5 mins away from a DMV office so I got my number, went home, showered, got coffee & laptop, and drove back. Got set up to do some work and they called my number! Great start, wouldn't have to spend hours in the DMV despite them being down 2 clerks for the day.

Get up to the window and the guy rings up my bill. $370 all said and done for registration, title, old plates (going to be destroyed), new plates, and associated salvage paperwork. As he started to do the salvage paperwork he paused. Not good, I did everything and it was done right.

Problem was with the insurance company. They did not send along the information to the DMV stating that I am retaining ownership of the vehicle!!! It has been 6 weeks since the accident! Called the insurance company and got on their ass. I ended up with a temp sticker for now and have 30 days. The paperwork should clear through the DMV in a week or two and I am hoping my vanity plates show up while I am waiting.

Not happy with my insurance company once again :mad

In other news, Vibrant exhaust is going on later this week and I still need to get the hood on the car.

[johnrando]

Sux. The exhaust will be fun though.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

[GotZHP]

Sux. The exhaust will be fun though.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

The DMV is my vision of Hell... and I have to go back. That is one job you could not pay me enough to do!

[GotZHP]

You know you're a car guy when yours parts are on the shelves and your clothes are on the floor... :biggrin

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[sillieidiot]

nah it's easy to tell if you're a car guy. if you just have a shitload of parts/boxes all over your room in a corner somewhere lol

Yeah I hate going to the DMV. i had to go a couple of days ago too to get a moving permit for my car. I just drove all the way down to San Clemente's DMV and went to theirs lol It's the least busy one. Still took 2 hours total, but the wait at mines would have been like all day.

[GotZHP]

Man, not a good day for the ZHP... As I threw 4 codes today :eeps

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[anandoc]

Those sound like lean codes. Similar to this guy:

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=992520

All your intake boots etc in good shape?

[GotZHP]

Those sound like lean codes. Similar to this guy:

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=992520

All your intake boots etc in good shape?

Everything on the intake side is brand new, even the intake manifold gaskets. I am going to double check all the connections tomorrow but I doubt it is vacuum related.

Was thinking fuel filter would be a good start. Needs to be replaced anyways and Cali has crap gas. Need to research this some more. thanks for the link!

[GotZHP]

Few updates from today and will have a video shortly. So these two items may or may not be related. I have been throwing lean codes recently, and I thought my vanos was becoming nosier. However, it turns out that my DISA valve is chattering and failing!!! with only ~10,000 miles on it! I bought this DISA valve from Turner.

https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-2872-adjusting-unit-for-intake-manifold-disa-valve-30-liter-e46-e39-e60-x3-x5-z3-z4/

It says that it is a genuine BMW brand, but the one they sent me is NOT! No BMW logo or part #. Cannot believe I didn't spot this right away. Going to call them tomorrow and will see how they are going to handle this. I should not have installed it, but it is their fault for sending the wrong part! Any ways not happy about that:mad:shift

On the flip side, made a stop into Irvine BMW's Parts Department today and picked up some new goodies. Two new Tie rods, a fuel filter, and the headlight to hood trim pieces.

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[san]

Massive respect for the dedication you have towards getting the Zhp back to top shape...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[GotZHP]

https://vimeo.com/186512179



Link to video on Vimeo

[Sockethead]

Turner should make good on that. They exchanged CF mirror shells for me that were way out of warranty....

Those headlight trim pieces.... were you old ones rotting/falling apart along the edges?

[BMWCurves]

That is one chattery DISA valve


Massive respect for the dedication you have towards getting the Zhp back to top shape...

+1. Seriously.

[Karl Lazlo]

+1. Seriously.

+2

[GotZHP]

That is one chattery DISA valve



+1. Seriously.

Thanks man. This car has been a lot of work, not even considering the accident damage. A lot of time on weekends and after work have gone into this car. I have not had more of a connection with any other inanimate object before. This is my first BMW too, so a lot of this is very very new to me. I love working on cars and it was always a hobby of mine and I didn't realize it was a passion until recently.


While the accident was a very negative moment and event in my life, it lead to a lot of good, and I was able to use the insurance money as a catalysis for some maintenance tasks and paying back my school loans. Only downside is, I am very far behind in a lot of the "Planned" maintenance tasks. I still haven't finished my AUX cord install and need to put the trim back in. Both my front window regulators need to be replaced. I want to start a tuning project on a spare DME. Fuel filter and tie rods need to be replaced. I want to install my sub that has been sitting around for months. Only so many hours in a day.

All in all, this has been the craziest 8 months of car ownership i have ever experienced. So many highs and lows with a huge range of emotions. The ZHP is a car i will never forget and it brings up this bubbly feeling every time I fire it up. It is far from perfect, but I love her! Now she just needs a name.

[GotZHP]

+2

Thanks Karl! I owe it to guys like you and those that have contributed to the BMW Forum communities. Could not have done it without this help.

[BMWCurves]

Thanks man. This car has been a lot of work, not even considering the accident damage. A lot of time on weekends and after work have gone into this car. I have not had more of a connection with any other inanimate object before. This is my first BMW too, so a lot of this is very very new to me. I love working on cars and it was always a hobby of mine and I didn't realize it was a passion until recently.

While the accident was a very negative moment and event in my life, it lead to a lot of good, and I was able to use the insurance money as a catalysis for some maintenance tasks and paying back my school loans. Only downside is, I am very far behind in a lot of the "Planned" maintenance tasks. I still haven't finished my AUX cord install and need to put the trim back in. Both my front window regulators need to be replaced. I want to start a tuning project on a spare DME. Fuel filter and tie rods need to be replaced. I want to install my sub that has been sitting around for months. Only so many hours in a day.

All in all, this has been the craziest 8 months of car ownership i have ever experienced. So many highs and lows with a huge range of emotions. The ZHP is a car i will never forget and it brings up this bubbly feeling every time I fire it up. It is far from perfect, but I love her! Now she just needs a name.

It certainly seems to be a roller coaster series of events with your car, but glad you've stuck with it. Working on a car will create a relationship with it that little else will. Even if I found the equivalent version of my car but as a sedan, I wouldn't consider trading it, I like mine far too much with all I've done with it.

As for a name, might I suggest Sloan? I think it's Gaelic or Irish for fighter, and you and your car are certainly a pair of troopers.

[anandoc]

OMG that DISA valve is a PoS. If they send you a OE DISA valve, I would highly recommend you do a GAS kit on it and then install it. This way you will have a worry free DISA for the life of your car.

[Aeternalis]

It says that it is a genuine BMW brand, but the one they sent me is NOT! No BMW logo or part #. Cannot believe I didn't spot this right away. Going to call them tomorrow and will see how they are going to handle this. I should not have installed it, but it is their fault for sending the wrong part! Any ways not happy about that:mad:shift

Back when I first got my ZHP and started collecting parts for it, I noticed early on that ordering "OE" parts from Turner generally meant they sent OEM-manufactured things instead of Genuine stuff that I was expecting. Usually there's very little difference between the two but clearly there are exceptions.

Not trying to shit on Turner at all here, since they've taken care of me in the past. But FCPEuro's interface when looking up part numbers is miles ahead of Turner. There are very clear distinctions between OEM (Lemforder, Mahle, Behr, Bosch, etc.) and Genuine parts.

That said, I went with the DrVanos rebuilt DISA and have had no issues with it after 11k miles.

Can't wait to see you and your car back on the road again. :)

[Karl Lazlo]

Thanks Karl! I owe it to guys like you and those that have contributed to the BMW Forum communities. Could not have done it without this help.

Don't thank me. You're doing the work. I'm just sitting back, drinking coffee and making sarcastic remarks on this forum. If you call that "contributing," the BMW community is more dysfunctional than I had originally thought. :biggrin

Cheers!

[Vas]

You can return that DISA and buy the Gold DISA from German Auto Solutions

[GotZHP]

Back when I first got my ZHP and started collecting parts for it, I noticed early on that ordering "OE" parts from Turner generally meant they sent OEM-manufactured things instead of Genuine stuff that I was expecting. Usually there's very little difference between the two but clearly there are exceptions.

Not trying to shit on Turner at all here, since they've taken care of me in the past. But FCPEuro's interface when looking up part numbers is miles ahead of Turner. There are very clear distinctions between OEM (Lemforder, Mahle, Behr, Bosch, etc.) and Genuine parts.

That said, I went with the DrVanos rebuilt DISA and have had no issues with it after 11k miles.

Can't wait to see you and your car back on the road again. :)

There website states "Genuine BMW". This to me means the part comes with the BMW logo

[GotZHP]

Don't thank me. You're doing the work. I'm just sitting back, drinking coffee and making sarcastic remarks on this forum. If you call that "contributing," the BMW community is more dysfunctional than I had originally thought. :biggrin

Cheers!

You did send me an air box, which was a $300 dollar part, so that was helpful!

[GotZHP]

You can return that DISA and buy the Gold DISA from German Auto Solutions

Part comes with a 1-year warranty so we will see how this goes

[GotZHP]

Really wish I noticed this before...

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There are some differences between the two. The flap looks different, the gasket looks different, and there is no BMW logo or part #. I called Turner today and the part comes with a 1-year warranty. However, to get a replacement or a refund, I need to send the part to turner, who will then send it to BMW or the manufacturer to have it tested. If the test shows that the part is faulty or failing, Turner will be reimbursed, and then I will be reimbursed.

Meanwhile, I have to pay out of pocket for another DISA valve since I can't drive around with a 3" open hole in the manifold. F me. I didn't ask about shipping fees, and imagine I'd be out that money. Seems like a hassle but i am going to send the unit in as there is something clearly wrong with it. Have been driving with it unplugged and my god, the difference in performance and noise is huge!

My local parts guy at Irvine BMW has a new DISA valve for me for $251 after tax! That is cheaper than Turner's by ~$30. pretty good price i'd say. It will also come with a 2-year warranty from BMW.

[az3579]

You should get a DISA from FCP Euro. Then you'll never have to buy one again!

[edwin.colo]

FCP Euro are awesome. Great prices and quick shipping.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[anandoc]

@GotZHP, it seems you already have a older (perhaps non-functioning) BMW DISA lying around - the one on the left in the pictures. Why dont you order the GAS DISA kit and rebuild that one? Much cheaper than buying a brand new one (which is bound to fail again sometime in the future) or having to deal with Turner's shitty warranty process.

I did the same thing with my previously failed BMW DISA when the Vaico one (which I got from ECS) failed after a year. Although ECS tuning was nice enough to ship me a replacement one before I had to ship them the defective part. I sold the replacement Vaico DISA to a local BMW owner, with all the warnings that it would eventually fail.

The GAS rebuild is permanent and it literally took me 30 mins to do it. They have very detailed instructions with pictures and it makes the job really easy.

http://www.germanautosolutions.com/bmw_solutions/disa_products/m54_m52tu/m54_disa_repair_kit/product_m54_disa_repair_kit.php

[GotZHP]

Man, I cannot catch a break............





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At first, radio stopped working. Odd but kept driving as I was two miles from the coffee shop I go to. Then ABS, Brake, Traction control lights come on. Yellow at first, then turn red. Airbag light came on next and the mpg needle got stuck at 20. Parked the car at the coffee shop and shut her down. Went to start it again and click click click click click. FUU

New alternator and voltage regulator so that isnt the issue. I unhooked the battery, grabbed a coffee, and chilled while caffeinating. Luckily for me, I broke down across the street from Irvine BMW and right next to another parts store, and next to the coffee shop (thank god).

Hooked up a jump started and the car is running again. Seems like the battery is the issue. New one will be ~$200. Waiting to see if I can get an OEM one, but if not, the parts store next to me has one.

Total for this week of BMW ownership.....

Tie rods, fuel filter, a few nuts and bolts = $495
New DISA Valve = $250
New battery = $200

Just shy of a G after tax.... Dayum.

[BMWCurves]

Can save ~$20 if you get a Duralast 94R-DLG battery from Auto Zone. Better CCA than BMW's

[GotZHP]

Can save ~$20 if you get a Duralast 94R-DLG battery from Auto Zone. Better CCA than BMW's
I have bought so many parts from Irvine BMW that they now offer me preferred pricing as if I had a a business account. After tax and core exchange was 160 ish for a genuine BMW battery. Damn those things are heavy. I see why the trunk is a logical place.

[GotZHP]

@GotZHP, it seems you already have a older (perhaps non-functioning) BMW DISA lying around - the one on the left in the pictures. Why dont you order the GAS DISA kit and rebuild that one? Much cheaper than buying a brand new one (which is bound to fail again sometime in the future) or having to deal with Turner's shitty warranty process.

I did the same thing with my previously failed BMW DISA when the Vaico one (which I got from ECS) failed after a year. Although ECS tuning was nice enough to ship me a replacement one before I had to ship them the defective part. I sold the replacement Vaico DISA to a local BMW owner, with all the warnings that it would eventually fail.

The GAS rebuild is permanent and it literally took me 30 mins to do it. They have very detailed instructions with pictures and it makes the job really easy.

http://www.germanautosolutions.com/bmw_solutions/disa_products/m54_m52tu/m54_disa_repair_kit/product_m54_disa_repair_kit.php

My apartment is round abouts 450 sq ft, unfortunately all old car parts end up in the trash or offered on the pay it forward thread. I had kept the old DISA with a rebuild idea in the back of my mind. GF cleaned the apartment and needed more room for storage, so old car parts were tossed. I think the plan is to get a new one from Irvine BMW and send the current one back to Turner. Once the new one starts acting up I will go with the GAS rebuild kit.

The ZHP is my only vehicle and at the moment, it sees between 500 and 700 miles a week. Need to have it running and Irvine BMW has the part on the shelf.

[anandoc]

GF cleaned the apartment and needed more room for storage, so old car parts were tossed.

Sigh! My wife often complains about all the car parts taking up our limited storage space. However, I have set the ground rules - car parts take priority over everything else! :)

[GotZHP]

Sigh! My wife often complains about all the car parts taking up our limited storage space. However, I have set the ground rules - car parts take priority over everything else! :)

I wish I could keep all my parts but I am already taking up my share. I used to be a carpenter and work as an independent contractor / handy man so I have a lot of word working tools and power tools. Since I know have a new career, and a new hobby / part time job maintaining the BMW, i have started to pick up a whole new tool set. My mechanic's tools has at least tripled since I bought the BMW in late Feb.

I'll have to post a picture of just the tools I have bought. That is one part of the accident story I havent talked much about. I've picked up around $500 dollars of new tools and equipment :biggrin

[GotZHP]

I think something is still up the ZHP. I drove today for about an hour and then parked for about an hour. I then got in the car, started it, and let it idle while I loaded some things in the trunk. Got in the driver's seat and sent a text and was starting up the nav on the phone when the idle dropped and the battery light came on for a second.

Light went off and I revved the car up to 1,500rpms while setting up the nav. My idle hasn't been the smoothest and the DISA valve is not helping. It was unplugged up until the battery incident. replugged it for a few days, and unplugged it for the 2.5 hour drive to Santa Barbara today.

Going to do a little tear down tomorrow to ensure the alternator connections are snug and that there is no vacuum leak on the intake side of things. Going to smoke test the car to see if anything occurs.

I forgot to pack my new parts from this week so no maintenance this weekend.

[GotZHP]

Not many updates at the moment, for my car anyways. GFs car will be getting a new air filter & an oil change this upcoming weekend. I bought her a Green Filter. never heard of this company before but this filter is all the rave on the ST forums.

http://www.greenfilterusa.com/store/7158

I have been getting a surprising amount of people coming to me for help with their cars, and of course I do not mind helping where and how I can. My coworker's 2000 328ci 's expansion tank blew up while he was parking today, so I will be replacing it for him in the parking lot at work. He has an AT, so hopefully I can get the mechanical fan off.

I've recently had a few peeps from e46f come to me for advice on dealing with insurance companies after accidents. BMWCurves sent one of them my way. If you guys know anyone who has been in a front end accident with their e46, I can def help out with how much you could be looking at to fix the car. I am by no means an insurance guru, but I can help you navigate the ridiculousness that is called insurance.

plans for this week. Fuel filter and a tear down / smoke test of the intake manifold in hopes of eliminating my lean codes. Hood goes on Friday and if I can't find a decent used one, Im getting one form the dealer. I do have access to a massive Sand Blast Room, so color does not matter, but I am having trouble finding one that is not bent or damaged or dented.

Other news, I started a garden! Put up some post with fencing and built a door. Started to build supports for a netting canopy. No critters are getting at my veggies. Another weekend hobby.

Fetching lumber in the ST. Pop the sunroof and bam, 8ft. 2x4s fit no problem.

27683

Post and chicken wire up. There are a lot of squirrels and gophers in the near by field. The chicken wire goes 18" underground as well.
2768427685

Started constructing a support system for overhead netting. Should keep birds and squirrels out. I've since added cross members across the top of the posts for added support.

2768627687

[BMWCurves]

Good stuff all around! I'm surprised you haven't been able to find a hood locally on Craigslist or something. Usually there's a junkyard or something nearby. And yeah, the guy who contacted you seems to have had a rough going with his Imola ZHP and contacted me on reddit, you were the first person that came to mind who's dealt with insurance recently.

Gardens are awesome. Nothing like fresh produce you grew yourself

[sillieidiot]

Yeah i'm surprised too. There were a ton of hoods when I was selling like 2-3 of them. Although mines did sell within a few hours of posting them on CL so I guess I would keep a lookout on them everyday. But if the dents aren't that bad, I would just have your body shop fix them as they are painting it. You should be able to just send them a picture of the damage before you buy the hood to get a quote

[Sreten]

Shame about the accident but great job on putting it back together!

If you need any help let me know. I have PA Soft and INPA on my laptop.

[GotZHP]

Yeah i'm surprised too. There were a ton of hoods when I was selling like 2-3 of them. Although mines did sell within a few hours of posting them on CL so I guess I would keep a lookout on them everyday. But if the dents aren't that bad, I would just have your body shop fix them as they are painting it. You should be able to just send them a picture of the damage before you buy the hood to get a quote

I've been finding a bunch on craiglist, but they are in terrible condition for the most part. The good hoods sell right away. Every time a parts car comes up on the market, it normally has pictures of the car with no hood :(

For instance https://inlandempire.craigslist.org/pts/5804520634.html

pretty sure that hood was in a fire or something and they want over $300!

I have a few inquiries out at the moment. hoping to make something happen this week. I just order new PPE (personal protective equipment) for our Abrasive blasting operations and really want to try it out. Positive pressure abrasive blast helmets from 3M, really nice units. One f the guys said he would show me how to operate the equipment, so I could sand blast a hood anytime after 7PM once I am the only manager on-site.

[GotZHP]

Good stuff all around! I'm surprised you haven't been able to find a hood locally on Craigslist or something. Usually there's a junkyard or something nearby. And yeah, the guy who contacted you seems to have had a rough going with his Imola ZHP and contacted me on reddit, you were the first person that came to mind who's dealt with insurance recently.

Gardens are awesome. Nothing like fresh produce you grew yourself

Dude, nothing beats fresh veggies, except fresh steak, but I can't grow a cow. I realized that my one of my highest monthly expenses was fresh veggies from a farm that is about 2 miles from my house and on the way home. I would drop anywhere from 50 to 75 dollars to get food for the weekend that would then be left overs for the work week. Figured the garden plot was free and there is a shed full of free tools to use, so why not.

So far about ~$200 into the garden. Building materials, compost and other soil amending products, and seeds. Little investment up front as there will be some more funds spent, but should pay off in the long run. Anything to help the car budget grow. I feel the mod bug setting in and I still have some maintenance to finish first

[Karl Lazlo]

except fresh steak, but I can't grow a cow.

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

[GotZHP]

And the smoke test reveals........

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27733

27735

A leak at the dipstick tube to oil pan connection..... God am I light headed :cigar

[holyc0w]

Nice, what were you smoking?

[Karl Lazlo]

"Now my BMW smells like the art teacher's office..."

[GotZHP]

Nice, what were you smoking?

Wood tip Swisher, nothing fancy. The wood tip was definitely dipped into something sweet! Got such a head rush from chiefing on that thing and trying to find where the smoke wqs coming from

[GotZHP]

"Now my BMW smells like the art teacher's office..."

For me, it was the wood shop teacher lol.

It was crazy taking the upper boot off and just seeing how much smoke was in the lower boot and on. Car stumbled hard once then started right up. Coughed up all the smoke.

[ELCID86]

I'm glad you found it. I need to try smoke testing mine again.


Sent from my iPhone with TaT.

[GotZHP]

Oil is pumped from the pan to the filter correct?

27737

Cannot positively locate the other 1/4th of the O-ring. pretty sure its in the pan :facepalm

[GotZHP]

Here is a good one for us E46 owners :roundel

27743

[holyc0w]

I'll be the one on the left.

[sillieidiot]

I tell them some ridiculously large number and then watch their reaction LOL

[GotZHP]

I tell them some ridiculously large number and then watch their reaction LOL

I'm about to add up my receipts this weekend and will find out my number. Kinda scared, never show the GF:eeps

[sillieidiot]

I'm about to add up my receipts this weekend and will find out my number. Kinda scared, never show the GF:eeps

Yeah well it's probably not too bad. If you consider upgrades, then yeah it tends to go up a lot lol Yeah I did that once. Didn't really faze her. But then used it against me a few times and hinted at how this LV purse/wallet/etc is way more practical than whatever equivalent priced mod I was planning to buy lol

[GotZHP]

Well, confirmed that my DISA valve is a bad unit. 10,000 miles and the flap can move freely about a centimeter back and forth. I have a video I will upload but it is on my Nexus phone and I dont have the right cord at this moment.

Turner Motorsports wants me to send this one in, then they would send me another one but I cannot have the car out of action. Would be unreasonable, once I share the video with them, to ask for them to send me a new one first, then I will return the old one? First of, they would keep my business and the part would come from them. I can't have a 3" open hole in the manifold, and I only have the ZHP for transportation, so I would buy one locally. Secondly, it would make me a happier customer and they would get continued business from me when it comes time to buy the kind of parts the dealership doesn't have. Lastly, they could ship a prepaid, pre addressed return box.

I don't want to shell out another $250 this up coming week along with buying a hood. Added up a large portion of my receipts last night, and I've spent waaaaayyyy too much on the car outside of the scope of work to repair from the accident. Has been running much smoother now that is has a full O-ring at the dipstick tube connection to the pan. One of my pulleys is starting to make some noise in the morning and I am wondering if it is the alternator?? All my other pulleys except 1 (tensioner?) are new with under 15,000 on them.

[Sockethead]

When my CF mirror shells started delaminating, they cross shipped me a new pair. Hopefully they'll do the same for you.

[GotZHP]

When my CF mirror shells started delaminating, they cross shipped me a new pair. Hopefully they'll do the same for you.

O man I really hope they do this for me. Cash is going to be tight for a few months and I need to start piling up suspension parts so it would be nice to not have to buy on out of pocket and wait for the refund to show. If memory recalls, My Dad actually paid for that Turner Motorsport purchase as a late x-mas gift... So it be nice if I didnt have to technically buy it :)

[Sockethead]

They may ask you for CC# as collateral, if they don't, offer a CC# ...

[GotZHP]

They may ask you for CC# as collateral, if they don't, offer a CC# ...

Not a bad idea. Going to give them a ring tomorrow to ge tit sorted out. Need to get the DISA figured out and need to see what happened to my PAsoft. Been waiting awhile for that to show up...

[GotZHP]

https://vimeo.com/189257479

A link to my DISA valve. Lots of play for around 10 to 15k miles.

[GotZHP]

Also, got a package in the mail today! Thanks for hooking it up Tony, much appreciated. Now to figure out how this thing works lol. I can rebuild a BMW but cannot do anything computer related


27846

[Aeternalis]

Also, got a package in the mail today! Thanks for hooking it up Tony, much appreciated. Now to figure out how this thing works lol. I can rebuild a BMW but cannot do anything computer related


27846
BMW Scanner was a very simple and straightforward install for me on my wife's old 32-bit Windows 7 netbook. Good luck!

[edwin.colo]

Yeah that DISA looks toast. Mine which I think is original was pretty solid when I got my car. I only replaced the big o-ring because it was all worn.

PA Soft wasn't that bad to install. You just need all the right drivers.
One thing to note that I overlooked when installing the software: I was getting a hardware error and it was simply because the computer does not power the OBD connector, the car does. Simple but I wasted 10 minutes trying to figure it out hahaha.
First thing I did, made my side markers light up when lock/unlock the car with the remote. [emoji1303]
Good luck.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[GotZHP]

New fuel filter going in! Will have some pictures up in a bit. Any one have some advice before diving in?

[anandoc]

A pretty comprehensive DIY:

http://www.pelicanparts.com/BMW/techarticles/BMW-3-Series-E46/18-FUEL-Fuel_Filter_Replacement/18-FUEL-Fuel_Filter_Replacement.htm

[GotZHP]

I hope this is the last of the vacuum leaks. I should have assumed this connection would be toast because the other end at the F-connector was. Not to self, Have vacuum line and new clamps before starting the fuel filter replacement. I thought I had some vacuum hose from fixing the F-connector end but I only had larger sizes. I am hoping fixing this line and a new DISA should have the car purring at idle.

27948

[BMWCurves]

Good work!

And yeah, if there's one thing I wish I had done when replacing my fuel filter its also replacing the soft fuel lines while I was in there.

[GotZHP]

After a healthy dose of fumes, I got the new fuel filter installed with new fuel hose sections, a new vacuum line connector piece, and all new hose clamps. I left the protector plate off tonight to see if there will be any leaking and I will snip the excess on the hose clamps. All and all a very easy job. I just jacked up one corner and did it on the ground, but a lift would be far preferred as it was very tight under there. I was outside in a parking lot, but the breeze had died down some so the fumes were very present. I was surprised how big the fuel filter was! And even after running the engine dry and bleeding off pressure at the Schrader vlave, there was still some pressure and A LOT of fuel.

27950279512795227953

I tried to show the quality of the fuel that poured out of the filter and it was horrible!! It was tinted black as it was coming out of the filter. Tried to show this in some pictures of the paper towel. All the gas liquid had evaporated, and the blacker spots was what was left. This filter change was definitely over due.

2795427955

New filter in with a new vacuum line. Made a big difference in my idle, however it is still not perfect. I still have that faulty DISA installed but unplugged. With that said, noticeably better idle that was mostly stable. I found it to idle a little higher too by about 100-200 rpms.

[sillieidiot]

Nice, yeah it's easier with a lift like with most other things. Have to do mines too, but i'm lazy cause I have this whole mess of parts and I don't want to do it at all lol Especially lazy because there's nothing broken, just all preventative.

[GotZHP]

Nice, yeah it's easier with a lift like with most other things. Have to do mines too, but i'm lazy cause I have this whole mess of parts and I don't want to do it at all lol Especially lazy because there's nothing broken, just all preventative.

Lol, that's how I have been recently. I've had the fuel filter and tie rods laying around for weeks now. Tie rods are worn but not clicking or knocking so I havent been rushed to do them. Fuel filter was already over due so I figured a few thousand more miles wouldn't kill the car. But off my lazy ass now!

Hood goes on this week. I am at the dead line of my temporary registration so I hope I find a good used one this week! Tie rods will go one later in the week followed by an alignment. Next weekend, Fiesta ST gets new oil, oil filter, and engine air filter. Just rolled passed 36,000 miles in the Goldfish, so it will need some attention.

[holyc0w]

Here's a picture of the fuel I received from the mechanic. 27967

[sillieidiot]

Lol, that's how I have been recently. I've had the fuel filter and tie rods laying around for weeks now. Tie rods are worn but not clicking or knocking so I havent been rushed to do them. Fuel filter was already over due so I figured a few thousand more miles wouldn't kill the car. But off my lazy ass now!

Hood goes on this week. I am at the dead line of my temporary registration so I hope I find a good used one this week! Tie rods will go one later in the week followed by an alignment. Next weekend, Fiesta ST gets new oil, oil filter, and engine air filter. Just rolled passed 36,000 miles in the Goldfish, so it will need some attention.

Yeah I'm pretty sure my stuff has been lying around for months lol But I'm aiming to do it all at the end of the month this time.

[BMWCurves]

That picture of the fluid from your filter is gross. I can't remember but I think mine looked sort of similar with only 49k miles on it.

[GotZHP]

Here's a picture of the fuel I received from the mechanic. 27967

Damn, that's nasty

[GotZHP]

That picture of the fluid from your filter is gross. I can't remember but I think mine looked sort of similar with only 49k miles on it.

California has terrible gas quality which sucks, because there are several refineries here so one would think it would be decent. At least we know the filter is doing its job! But if they are nasty at ~50k maybe we should be doing them more often :dunno Definitely glad I got this job of the to-do-list. First time replacing a fuel filter on anything larger than a lawn mower

[holyc0w]

Damn, that's nasty

Yeah, he texted LOL lifetime filter. That was I believe the original filter at ~102,000 miles.

[GotZHP]

Yeah, he texted LOL lifetime filter. That was I believe the original filter at ~102,000 miles.

Yeah I don't get this "lifetime" stuff. Fuel filter for the life of the car, I now would certainly not recommend that. Plus, you see endless threads about people changing their transmission fluid and the shift feels so much better. Again, lifetime fluid, again would not recommend. Fluid swaps are next on the list as my shifting is quite notchy.

[GotZHP]

OFFICIALLY SES LIGHT FREE!!!!

No more check engine codes :fistpump:happyspidey

I've been getting constant Post cat efficiency codes almost since day one of owning the car. It appears that fixing the vacuum leak on the fuel pressure regulator is a cure for the P0171 & P0174 codes! makes sense and I wish i knew about this potential failure earlier as I have now fixed every single possible vacuum leak there could be!

Did a few test pulls today 1st thru 3rd gear to red line and the car pulls so much stronger. Had a coworker in the car and there is a HOV on-ramp to the 5 near Disney in Anaheim that is one lane and walled off by cement on either side. Figured this would be a good place to let her rip and I am impressed. I would always get the codes once I got past 80mph but they did not come. Very happy about this. Makes you feel like a man's man when you get results from your maintenance.

figured I would share :biggrin

Up next on the maintenance list (not including hood install) = 1.)Tie Rods & alignment 2.) stainless steel brake lines & fluid swap 3.) Transmission fluid swap. Please chime in f you have any tips on any of the above mention tasks. Also, would be interested to hear peoples opinion on fluids. Car is in Socal and temps will not go below 45 degrees F. Mostly highway driven at this moment, but plan on tracking it a few times next summer.

[Sockethead]

Congrats on curing your issue. That must be great feeling!

[sillieidiot]

OFFICIALLY SES LIGHT FREE!!!!

No more check engine codes :fistpump:happyspidey

I've been getting constant Post cat efficiency codes almost since day one of owning the car. It appears that fixing the vacuum leak on the fuel pressure regulator is a cure for the P0171 & P0174 codes! makes sense and I wish i knew about this potential failure earlier as I have now fixed every single possible vacuum leak there could be!

Did a few test pulls today 1st thru 3rd gear to red line and the car pulls so much stronger. Had a coworker in the car and there is a HOV on-ramp to the 5 near Disney in Anaheim that is one lane and walled off by cement on either side. Figured this would be a good place to let her rip and I am impressed. I would always get the codes once I got past 80mph but they did not come. Very happy about this. Makes you feel like a man's man when you get results from your maintenance.

figured I would share :biggrin

Up next on the maintenance list (not including hood install) = 1.)Tie Rods & alignment 2.) stainless steel brake lines & fluid swap 3.) Transmission fluid swap. Please chime in f you have any tips on any of the above mention tasks. Also, would be interested to hear peoples opinion on fluids. Car is in Socal and temps will not go below 45 degrees F. Mostly highway driven at this moment, but plan on tracking it a few times next summer.


Well if you're doing SS lines, might as well do the clutch SS line and do the CDV delete while you're at. But the clutch one is a bitch to do Well it's just messier to do lol The CDV delete doesn't do that much though. I don't know why everyone raves about it. I swapped both fluids already, I just don't remember exactly what I put in it. I think redline for the tranny and motul for the brakes.

The temps here sometimes go below 45 lol But it's mainly like late at night/early morning which no one drives during except me.

[GotZHP]

Congrats on curing your issue. That must be great feeling!

It was... but very short lived. Threw a code this morning 30 mins into a 90 min drive. Have yet to read it. Man...

[Sreten]

We can scan it on Saturday and see if we can get more precise readings.

[BMWCurves]

Well if you're doing SS lines, might as well do the clutch SS line and do the CDV delete while you're at. But the clutch one is a bitch to do Well it's just messier to do lol The CDV delete doesn't do that much though. I don't know why everyone raves about it. I swapped both fluids already, I just don't remember exactly what I put in it. I think redline for the tranny and motul for the brakes.

The temps here sometimes go below 45 lol But it's mainly like late at night/early morning which no one drives during except me.

Agreed. UUC has a SS clutch line for a decent price. It isn't too bad to swap out. For the transmission fluid I used Redline MTL, and for the diff I used Redline 75W90. Note that the diff requires (at least in my car) a 14mm male hex wrench and the transmission (again, for me) required a T50 Torx bit. Some members had different sizes/bolts for the transmission.

As for brake fluid I first used BMW's stuff and that worked fine. I now have Pentosin DOT4 LV. A lot of people swear by ATE TYP 200.


It was... but very short lived. Threw a code this morning 30 mins into a 90 min drive. Have yet to read it. Man...

Oof. That's annoying, sorry to hear.

[san]

Agreed. UUC has a SS clutch line for a decent price. It isn't too bad to swap out.

What is the benefit of a SS clutch line?


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[BMWCurves]

What is the benefit of a SS clutch line?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Beyond minimizing the risk of a burst soft line I'm not really sure. I doubt it would change pedal feel. My gut tells me that since the brake system and clutch system share the same reservoir, that changing out only the rubber brake lines for SS lines will make the rubber clutch line the new weak point in the system.

I did notice a slight difference in clutch pedal engagement when I replaced my rubber clutch line for an SS line, but then again I did the CDV delete at the same time which I would think contributed to most of the change in pedal feel. Interesting aside, wsmeyer wrote an interesting post about the CDV and its impact on clutch pedal feel, stating it really shouldn't occur and is most likely negligible under regular driving conditions (http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?8918-CDV-Hydraulics-Explained)

[Vas]

I have the UUC SS clutch line in both of the cars. Nice quality piece. Gave more a firm pedal feel IMO

[GotZHP]

Agreed. UUC has a SS clutch line for a decent price. It isn't too bad to swap out. For the transmission fluid I used Redline MTL, and for the diff I used Redline 75W90. Note that the diff requires (at least in my car) a 14mm male hex wrench and the transmission (again, for me) required a T50 Torx bit. Some members had different sizes/bolts for the transmission.

As for brake fluid I first used BMW's stuff and that worked fine. I now have Pentosin DOT4 LV. A lot of people swear by ATE TYP 200.



Oof. That's annoying, sorry to hear.

Thanks for the input. Nice to hear from guys who have done it all once before. A UUC SS clutch line seems like a good idea and I was planning on getting their short shifter and shifter linkage kit (DSSR). Asking the GF for new shift know for X-mas so that should be huge feels improvement. Honestly, to me the biggest let down coming from the BRZ to the ZHP was the clutch feel. The clutch in the BRZ was light, crisp, precise, and extremely easy to quick shift. The ZHP feels squishy and soupy. This is going to be my first mod once maintenance is complete.

Fluids I was thinking redline for Tranny and Diff. I think it is worth the extra $$$ when it comes to lubricating fluids. Brake fluid, I may go cheap for now and will replace in a year (as well as pads) before hitting the track

[GotZHP]

Beyond minimizing the risk of a burst soft line I'm not really sure. I doubt it would change pedal feel. My gut tells me that since the brake system and clutch system share the same reservoir, that changing out only the rubber brake lines for SS lines will make the rubber clutch line the new weak point in the system.

I did notice a slight difference in clutch pedal engagement when I replaced my rubber clutch line for an SS line, but then again I did the CDV delete at the same time which I would think contributed to most of the change in pedal feel. Interesting aside, wsmeyer wrote an interesting post about the CDV and its impact on clutch pedal feel, stating it really shouldn't occur and is most likely negligible under regular driving conditions (http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?8918-CDV-Hydraulics-Explained)

I'll need to look up a CDV DIY but is it an easy job? Would this be recommended if future plans may involve moving away from the SAC design?

[san]

I'll need to look up a CDV DIY but is it an easy job? Would this be recommended if future plans may involve moving away from the SAC design?

Yup, takes 10 min...


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[GotZHP]

Yup, takes 10 min...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Lol, sounds easy enough

[GotZHP]

We can scan it on Saturday and see if we can get more precise readings.

That would be cool. My scanner is a cheapo $30 unit from AutoZone

[BMWCurves]

I have the UUC SS clutch line in both of the cars. Nice quality piece. Gave more a firm pedal feel IMO

Agreed. It seems like a well made piece and I got mine free with my order of their SSK.


Thanks for the input. Nice to hear from guys who have done it all once before. A UUC SS clutch line seems like a good idea and I was planning on getting their short shifter and shifter linkage kit (DSSR). Asking the GF for new shift know for X-mas so that should be huge feels improvement. Honestly, to me the biggest let down coming from the BRZ to the ZHP was the clutch feel. The clutch in the BRZ was light, crisp, precise, and extremely easy to quick shift. The ZHP feels squishy and soupy. This is going to be my first mod once maintenance is complete.

Fluids I was thinking redline for Tranny and Diff. I think it is worth the extra $$$ when it comes to lubricating fluids. Brake fluid, I may go cheap for now and will replace in a year (as well as pads) before hitting the track

I have UUC's SSK as well. I didn't have the best customer experience (they sent the wrong unit but refused to believe me until multiple calls and emails back and forth). It's better now and I really enjoy it. When it's cold it's sometimes hard to get into first gear, but I plan to swap out the engine and transmission mounts for M3 ones to see if that'll help at all. Redline isn't expensive, and is cheap preventative maintenance. Brake fluid isn't expensive either, but there's nothing wrong with BMW's stuff. I would wager more track-experienced owners would suggest you flush your brake fluid with something like ATE just before a track day.


I'll need to look up a CDV DIY but is it an easy job? Would this be recommended if future plans may involve moving away from the SAC design?

As San said, it's very quick. I didn't actually remove the CDV, I just replaced my CDV with UUC's "unlock" valve which is just a modified CDV. I used that instead of just removing the CDV because it came free with my SSK order, but it amounts to the same thing (link: http://store.uucmotorwerks.com/unlock-valve-cdvclutch-delay-valve-delete-kit-p1382.aspx)

[Sockethead]

The UUC SSK and CDV will help a lot. The UUC SSK and DSSR is still my favorite mod...

[GotZHP]

So I guess I need to start following the oil consumption thread. Very weird top end noise started today after a hard pull through a few sweeping corners... Comes to find out, no oil on dipstick :facepalm The noise is not traditional lifter tick and I only noticed as a I drove by a concrete walled building and thought, that is a weird sounding lawn mower, o wait, that lawn mower has no one on it and is off, (turn music down some), o FU, that is me.

Also, my growler for cold brew contacted my 32mm wrench in the trunk and lost that battle. So not only is my car making weird noises, I am also going through Cold Brew withdrawal... Damn it feels like a Monday. Going to take the work truck to get fix for both of us. Hoping a quart of engine oil added top down will quiet the engine down and make my tick / knock noise go away

[ELCID86]

You didn't get a low oil light/beep? I did while in SC and had to add almost a quart.


---
"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - anonymous E46 fanatic

[edwin.colo]

Same as ElCID.... I got a low oil light and it also needed about a full quart.


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[Sreten]

I think pretty much every M54 uses oil. My e39 as well. It became my habit to check the oil level often and I always have a quart of an oil in the trunk.

[slater]

I think pretty much every M54 uses oil. My e39 as well. It became my habit to check the oil level often and I always have a quart of an oil in the trunk.

all engines use a little oil... the M54 uses oil thanks to the CCV system. it's entirely fixable for $10 in parts.

[Sreten]

Right, little is what I meant. I haven't replaced my CCV system yet and haven't had any of the symptoms.

What kind of fix are you exactly talking about?

[slater]

Right, little is what I meant. I haven't replaced my CCV system yet and haven't had any of the symptoms.

What kind of fix are you exactly talking about?

3' of vacuum line and a 1-way check valve for the drain line to the oil pan. if you search of 'oil consumption thread' on here, you will find it detailed. this 'fix' works well if you're in a warm climate - where are you located?

[Sreten]

Southern California.

[san]

Southern California.

Oil Consumption Thread

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ezhpmafia%2Ecom%2F forums%2Fshowthread%2Ephp%3Ft%3D19089&share_tid=19089&share_fid=14392&share_type=t


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[BMWCurves]

all engines use a little oil... the M54 uses oil thanks to the CCV system. it's entirely fixable for $10 in parts.

3' of vacuum line and a 1-way check valve for the drain line to the oil pan. if you search of 'oil consumption thread' on here, you will find it detailed. this 'fix' works well if you're in a warm climate - where are you located?

Are you now proposing this over your oil catch can setup?

[slater]

Are you now proposing this over your oil catch can setup?

no... well, yes and no. ;)

i think my catch can, with the heating system, is the best solution for any climate where it gets below freezing temperatures.

for warmer-climate folks - this mod (with a fresh CCV i might add - an old clogged one won't help much), seems like a solid choice - the vacuum results are the same as my catch can, which is important for good ring seal. also important is the 1-way check valve for the oil drain line - that is crucial. i'm recommending this simply for OEM-ness and ease of install. if you want a catch can setup, you need to be willing to check the can contents every so often, and you need the right can - 95% of the designs i've seen out there aren't very good.

[Sockethead]

and you need the right can - 95% of the designs i've seen out there aren't very good.

Great point!
The Mishimoto can I have is well made and looks great but it's just an empty can, no baffling whatsoever inside. Research well before purchase...

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161112/cca5726faeaecd036c069062f0a85f19.jpg

[sillieidiot]

Beyond minimizing the risk of a burst soft line I'm not really sure. I doubt it would change pedal feel. My gut tells me that since the brake system and clutch system share the same reservoir, that changing out only the rubber brake lines for SS lines will make the rubber clutch line the new weak point in the system.

I did notice a slight difference in clutch pedal engagement when I replaced my rubber clutch line for an SS line, but then again I did the CDV delete at the same time which I would think contributed to most of the change in pedal feel. Interesting aside, wsmeyer wrote an interesting post about the CDV and its impact on clutch pedal feel, stating it really shouldn't occur and is most likely negligible under regular driving conditions (http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?8918-CDV-Hydraulics-Explained)

Yeah I pretty much replaced it for the same reason. I couldn't feel the difference since I did a flush as well so all the pedals feel firm already without the air/water in the system. But the CDV doesn't affect the feel of the clutch at all. All it did for me was get rid of the slight delay when you let the clutch out fast. With the CDV, it just slows it so that it always goes the same rate no matter how fast you let the clutch go.

I went with the Rogue Engineering SS Clutch line. It looked to be better quality than the UUC SS. Also, I had a discount on RE since Tom@EAS gives me a discount on most things he sells.

[sillieidiot]

Thanks for the input. Nice to hear from guys who have done it all once before. A UUC SS clutch line seems like a good idea and I was planning on getting their short shifter and shifter linkage kit (DSSR). Asking the GF for new shift know for X-mas so that should be huge feels improvement. Honestly, to me the biggest let down coming from the BRZ to the ZHP was the clutch feel. The clutch in the BRZ was light, crisp, precise, and extremely easy to quick shift. The ZHP feels squishy and soupy. This is going to be my first mod once maintenance is complete.

Fluids I was thinking redline for Tranny and Diff. I think it is worth the extra $$$ when it comes to lubricating fluids. Brake fluid, I may go cheap for now and will replace in a year (as well as pads) before hitting the track

Man I hated the clutch in the BRZ lol It was way too light. When I first stepped on it, it was like wham to the ground lol To me, it had less feel than any other car. However the pedal didn't have any play. What I like more about the BRZ was the shifter. Feels more precise than the E46, even mines with the RE SSK. But I have a custom Autosolutions SSK sitting here waiting to be installed. I'd recommend getting the AS SSK personally. It feels great in my buddies M3 that I tried. Definitely don't go with RE SSK. For the clutch pedal, I want the Mason Engineering one. It's more solid, changes the engagement point as well. But I doubt you would like it, since it would be an even heavier feel than stock.

Well you'll be replacing the brake fluid after every track session anyways. I don't think it's that much. I swear motul was like $40 for 2 bottles or something.

[GotZHP]

You didn't get a low oil light/beep? I did while in SC and had to add almost a quart.


---
"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - anonymous E46 fanatic

No warning light or beep to appear which is slightly scary. I am going to double check the connection but I am pretty sure the connector was in good condition. I did not replace that sensor but I havent heard anyone mention it failing. The sensor that attaches to the passenger lower control arm was in rough shape (headlight angle sensor? or is a pitch or yaw type sensor?)

Added a quart and then cracked a second bottle and poured in half to get it back to a more normal level. I drove 130 miles on Friday and will be doing 130 miles tmrw morning at 4 or 5 am. I really like driving Rt 1 hard in the morning but may have to coast (no pun intended :) ) it this time. I will hit 500 miles by end of the week and will check it before driving from Irvine to Santa Barbara. This will be ~130 miles of mostly traffic with a few stretches of highway moving at 85mph or so.

The car does need some tie rods, but at speeds around 80 on the highway, the ZHP glides. This car is so much more comfortable at speed than the BRZ and the ride is not as fatiguing (or deafening #3"Non-ResonatedStraightPipeExhaust)

[GotZHP]

3' of vacuum line and a 1-way check valve for the drain line to the oil pan. if you search of 'oil consumption thread' on here, you will find it detailed. this 'fix' works well if you're in a warm climate - where are you located?

Socal. Always pretty warm. It was "cold" the morning at a brisk 46 degrees out. My washer bottle emptied all its contents in protest.

[GotZHP]

Man I hated the clutch in the BRZ lol It was way too light. When I first stepped on it, it was like wham to the ground lol To me, it had less feel than any other car. However the pedal didn't have any play. What I like more about the BRZ was the shifter. Feels more precise than the E46, even mines with the RE SSK. But I have a custom Autosolutions SSK sitting here waiting to be installed. I'd recommend getting the AS SSK personally. It feels great in my buddies M3 that I tried. Definitely don't go with RE SSK. For the clutch pedal, I want the Mason Engineering one. It's more solid, changes the engagement point as well. But I doubt you would like it, since it would be an even heavier feel than stock.

Well you'll be replacing the brake fluid after every track session anyways. I don't think it's that much. I swear motul was like $40 for 2 bottles or something.

So, you have to do a few things to the clutch first, to get the right feel. First, acquired a custom weighted shift knob for better shift feel. Then I adjusted the pedal to sit a little lower than the break pedal so it was a very short motion. Also removed the clutch pedal return spring and swap out the clutch master slave cylinder to a slightly larger bore ( a Forester Part I think?). Then you are good to row through the gears like a mad man. The gears would go by really fast when running on Ethanol and having a catless header.

And I do like the way the ZHP shifts for the most part, although shorter is always nicer. A new alcantara shift knob would be nice too.

[anandoc]

No warning light or beep to appear which is slightly scary. I am going to double check the connection but I am pretty sure the connector was in good condition. I did not replace that sensor but I havent heard anyone mention it failing.


I had the oil level sensor fail earlier this year. Didnt get any yellow light warning either and when I checked the oil level, it was barely at the 'minimum' mark. Its a cheap part and an easy DIY during an oil change.



The sensor that attaches to the passenger lower control arm was in rough shape (headlight angle sensor? or is a pitch or yaw type sensor?)


That's the headlight level sensor for NA cars equipped with the HID lights.

[sillieidiot]

No warning light or beep to appear which is slightly scary. I am going to double check the connection but I am pretty sure the connector was in good condition. I did not replace that sensor but I havent heard anyone mention it failing. The sensor that attaches to the passenger lower control arm was in rough shape (headlight angle sensor? or is a pitch or yaw type sensor?)


It doesn't really beep unless it's extremely low. The warning light does go on though if you're pretty low.

The sensor on the control arm is the auto-leveling sensor.


So, you have to do a few things to the clutch first, to get the right feel. First, acquired a custom weighted shift knob for better shift feel. Then I adjusted the pedal to sit a little lower than the break pedal so it was a very short motion. Also removed the clutch pedal return spring and swap out the clutch master slave cylinder to a slightly larger bore ( a Forester Part I think?). Then you are good to row through the gears like a mad man. The gears would go by really fast when running on Ethanol and having a catless header.

And I do like the way the ZHP shifts for the most part, although shorter is always nicer. A new alcantara shift knob would be nice too.

Well I mean stock vs. stock. If you're doing all those mods to get it to feel right, you could mod the E46 as well and they would both feel great lol Other than that, the BRZ is a nice little car to play around with. I had this customer that came to me to do some lighting stuff. The car was modded ugly as hell lol But I did a few things that I guess hasn't been done on the forums yet which sucked cause I had to think lol Like making the DRL fog things stay on all the time (now I see that there is an easy way to do that). Then did those Diode Dynamics turn signal boomerang things (which I ended taking back off, long story). I think I installed like a Greddy ti-c exhaust and stuff. That car has so much space to work on things. Just hated taking off the bumper to do lighting stuff.

[BMWCurves]

I had the oil level sensor fail earlier this year. Didnt get any yellow light warning either and when I checked the oil level, it was barely at the 'minimum' mark. Its a cheap part and an easy DIY during an oil change.

Don't buy BMW for the oil level sensor. It's the exact same part as the Hella unit, with the BMW logo ground off. Save yourself $70 and get the Hella.

[anandoc]

Don't buy BMW for the oil level sensor. It's the exact same part as the Hella unit, with the BMW logo ground off. Save yourself $70 and get the Hella.

+1

This is where I ordered mine from:
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B003NE119O/ref=pe_386430_200185580_TE_3p_dp_1

[Sreten]

Even cheaper ;)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HELLA-Oil-Level-Sender-Sensor-FITS-BMW-E38-E39-E46-325i-525i-540i-12617508003-Z3-/162235533537?hash=item25c5fdc8e1:g:7AkAAOSwAL9UkbD R&vxp=mtr

[BMWCurves]

Alternatively, I'd get it through FCP Euro since they have a lifetime warranty on their parts:

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-oil-level-sender-12617508003-1

[GotZHP]

Great point!
The Mishimoto can I have is well made and looks great but it's just an empty can, no baffling whatsoever inside. Research well before purchase...

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161112/cca5726faeaecd036c069062f0a85f19.jpg

I had started to look around at catch cans and was eyeing the Radium Engineering setup. Did not see if the catch can was baffled. I really like the idea of a catch can, but in general, think they are over priced for what you actually get which is some hoses and a can and a few clamps.

[GotZHP]

It doesn't really beep unless it's extremely low. The warning light does go on though if you're pretty low.

The sensor on the control arm is the auto-leveling sensor.



Well I mean stock vs. stock. If you're doing all those mods to get it to feel right, you could mod the E46 as well and they would both feel great lol Other than that, the BRZ is a nice little car to play around with. I had this customer that came to me to do some lighting stuff. The car was modded ugly as hell lol But I did a few things that I guess hasn't been done on the forums yet which sucked cause I had to think lol Like making the DRL fog things stay on all the time (now I see that there is an easy way to do that). Then did those Diode Dynamics turn signal boomerang things (which I ended taking back off, long story). I think I installed like a Greddy ti-c exhaust and stuff. That car has so much space to work on things. Just hated taking off the bumper to do lighting stuff.

The BRZ is a Great little car when you are pushing 225HP at the rear wheels ;) I did a whole sound deadening mat project to the car and have the entire interior stripped out except the driver's seat and drove around like this for a week or two. Probably removed a few hundred pounds from an already pretty light weight car. Was a blast and the poor prius tires suffered dearly. Went through 3 sets of the OE tire in 36,000 miles. Guys who would buy new wheels or tires would sell the stock ones for ~$25 a tire! would buy a set and ruin them in 12,000 miles lol

[GotZHP]

Alternatively, I'd get it through FCP Euro since they have a lifetime warranty on their parts:

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-oil-level-sender-12617508003-1

Curves, I swear your car is like 1 or 2 years ahead of mine in terms of what is going to break and the new parts going in lol. never heard of the oil sensor failing until now! FCPEuro seems like a good deal and no one car argue a lifetime warranty. Not all parts that come new are of quality as my DISA valve goes to show. Speaking of, need to get that replaced

[slater]

I had started to look around at catch cans and was eyeing the Radium Engineering setup. Did not see if the catch can was baffled. I really like the idea of a catch can, but in general, think they are over priced for what you actually get which is some hoses and a can and a few clamps.

personally, i would not buy the radium engineering can. they use what appears to be a dish scrubber for baffling - pass. what if a piece of that broke loose? you don't want that going into your engine. kaboom.

[GotZHP]

200 - 300 ml of oil for 50 miles of driving would be considered excessive consumption right? I have had to add about that much for the past two days after the work commute.

[san]

200 - 300 ml of oil for 50 miles of driving would be considered excessive consumption right? I have had to add about that much for the past two days after the work commute.

That is a LOT... are you sure you don't have a m oil leak?


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[GotZHP]

That is a LOT... are you sure you don't have a m oil leak?


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Pretty sure I don't. Going to double check today at lunch. Unless something broke, I shouldn't have a leak. And if the CCV wqs broken there would be an issue with vacuum. My valve cover is leaking some but I dont think it is that much.

Going to take the car for a quick spin to bring it back up to temp, then I am going to park over some SPC spill mats to see if there are any drips.

[Sreten]

What grade of oil are you using? My consumption went down a little when I switched to 5W40 Liqui Moly - Leichtlauf High Tech. Short distance driving will also attribute to more oil consumption.

[GotZHP]

What grade of oil are you using? My consumption went down a little when I switched to 5W40 Liqui Moly - Leichtlauf High Tech. Short distance driving will also attribute to more oil consumption.

Using what BMW Irvine supplies me with. Was BMW Twin Power Turbo 5W30 but BMW has recently changed the standard oil, at least in Socal, to 0W30. I had 5W30 in there and have been topping off with 0W30 oil

[GotZHP]

Parked over some SPC oil spill mats at work today and not a drop on the ground. Was parked motionless from ~9:30am to ~4:00pm. Engine was brought up to temp and then parked over mats. Only some leaves and seeds from the near by landscape.

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[sillieidiot]

The BRZ is a Great little car when you are pushing 225HP at the rear wheels ;) I did a whole sound deadening mat project to the car and have the entire interior stripped out except the driver's seat and drove around like this for a week or two. Probably removed a few hundred pounds from an already pretty light weight car. Was a blast and the poor prius tires suffered dearly. Went through 3 sets of the OE tire in 36,000 miles. Guys who would buy new wheels or tires would sell the stock ones for ~$25 a tire! would buy a set and ruin them in 12,000 miles lol

Those tires suck for grip. Man that's so cheap. I'd probably do that too if I could lol Did it feel slower after you put everything back? I know sound deadening material puts on some weight too.

[sillieidiot]

Parked over some SPC oil spill mats at work today and not a drop on the ground. Was parked motionless from ~9:30am to ~4:00pm. Engine was brought up to temp and then parked over mats. Only some leaves and seeds from the near by landscape.

[ATTACH]28084[/ATTACH[ATTACH]28085[/ATTACH

Well all the oil could be contained in the underbody panel. Did you take that off before parking on it?

[holyc0w]

When my OFHG was leaking, there wasn't much if anything on the ground. The splash shield was covered in oil.

[GotZHP]

Well all the oil could be contained in the underbody panel. Did you take that off before parking on it?

LOL, Underbody panel was taken off the car a weekend ago

[GotZHP]

When my OFHG was leaking, there wasn't much if anything on the ground. The splash shield was covered in oil.

No splash shield on the car as well.

Tie rods are happening this week and I popped the under body panels off when I did the Fuel Filter. I was suppose to do both in the same day, but life happened, and then I went to work on my garden.

[sillieidiot]

lol Well I guess it's just burning then. You're still using BMW's oil which is a half synthetic blend. I would try switching to a fully synthetic oil. But it could be leaking and then just burning off. Like on the VCG near the back of the engine. It'll fall on the headers/exhaust and just burn off. How many miles are on the car now? I'd try a 5w-30 GC for a higher mileage car.

[Sockethead]

BMW's oil is full synthetic. If it was half conventional, it would need to be changed every 5k

Use of blends or strait conventional is not recommend

[GotZHP]

lol Well I guess it's just burning then. You're still using BMW's oil which is a half synthetic blend. I would try switching to a fully synthetic oil. But it could be leaking and then just burning off. Like on the VCG near the back of the engine. It'll fall on the headers/exhaust and just burn off. How many miles are on the car now? I'd try a 5w-30 GC for a higher mileage car.

Car is somewhere around 122,xxx now

[GotZHP]

BMW's oil is full synthetic. If it was half conventional, it would need to be changed every 5k

Use of blends or strait conventional is not recommend

https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-224341-bmw-0w30-engine-oil/

This is what i use for oil. Was the 5W30 up until a few weeks ago but BMW has changed what is recommended for the e46. LOL at the price. I pay $7.40 a quart at the Irvine BMW because I got the hook up! The guy in line in front of me paid $12 dollars for the same oil lol Sucker!

[sillieidiot]

BMW's oil is full synthetic. If it was half conventional, it would need to be changed every 5k

Use of blends or strait conventional is not recommend

No it's not. They are able to call it fully synthetic only because they restructure/refine the crude oil to make it a synthetic base and then add some synthetic additives for more protection and longer life. It's a group III oil. It's not really half synthetic, but it's not full synthetic either.


Car is somewhere around 122,xxx now

Yeah that's not too bad. Maybe try some BC (used to be German Castrol, but now it's made in Belgium) 0w-30 first and see. Although I would do your VCG and whatever seals and stuff you may be missing as well as the oil sensor.

[GotZHP]

No it's not. They are able to call it fully synthetic only because they restructure/refine the crude oil to make it a synthetic base and then add some synthetic additives for more protection and longer life. It's a group III oil. It's not really half synthetic, but it's not full synthetic either.



Yeah that's not too bad. Maybe try some BC (used to be German Castrol, but now it's made in Belgium) 0w-30 first and see. Although I would do your VCG and whatever seals and stuff you may be missing as well as the oil sensor.

My plan was Vanos & VCG at thanksgiving but then our plans changed and we are going up the coast to a sick mansion on the beach! I'll be sure to post a few pics. Most likely will be nursing beers instead of the Bimmer.

What is odd, is the oil consumption has slowed down the past few days and i even drove 120 miles last night at 80 to 90mph with minimal consumption. Traffic out here is terrible, but when it breaks and the highways are open, man do people haul ass. I was keeping pace at 85pmh at one point when some AMG of some sort went by going about 115 i bet. Crazy people.

I'll be checking the car again tomorrow to get a reading as it hasn't moved all day and the engine oil is cold. Will be doing some items to the GFs car this weekend, so most likely will make a run to a parts store in my car.

[GotZHP]

Man, you know life is too busy when you don't have a few minutes to update your own project thread! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, I know I did. Did not do a single car project but caught up on massive amounts of sleep and gained back some of the 10lbs i've lost since starting my new job :)

Anyways, I do have some updates! Good news, Bad news time....

Good news is I have found a hood!!!! Woohoo. Finally after 2 months with out one, I have found the replacement. It is a black hood which is going to remain black for now. Paint is in great shape and so is the condition of the metal. There may be one ding, but a guy at work does PDR on the side. I will eventually sand blast it at my work and get it painted to match the car, but for now, it will remain black. It is coming from a 2003 325i and for $200 dollars, its perfect! Will outfit with new hardware, a new safety latch, and new openers / ejectors (what ever the springy things are called). hood will be installed Friday on my way home, then off to the DMV to get it registered.

Bad news, more SES light codes. I am now throwing a P0461 which relates to the fuel level sensor? i did just replace the fuel filter so it may be time to do this sensor. Other bad news is I am still struggling with the post cat O2 sensors, and the car is going to be due for smog in a month or two. In the state of California, you cannot pass smog if you have [U]ANY[U] engine codes, regardless if they are emissions related or not.

Going to have a few solid weekends of projects coming up, especially in December when the GF is in France. Tie rods, Fuel level sensor, Oil change & oil level sensor, clear corner lights, and the O2pilotmod are on the list at the moment, and I am sure it will grow to be longer by the time I get half that done. Such is life owning a neglected e46.

Kind of been a lull in work on my car. I have been working on a few other cars and have done a break job on a Z3, fixed the upper engine mount in a Nissan Maxima, and now I am going to help a guy at work fix the front end of his 2004 Z4. I will hopefully have more updates and photos to come as get some more work done on the ZHP.

[GotZHP]

Tomorrow will be the last day rolling around like this....

28311

Finally

This will be my new my hood!

2831228313

The pictures are not the greatest because the sun was setting but the hood is in very good condition. The guy is including the hardware which means I will have a handful of items to return. Does not come with grills but I have already purchased new ones. There are few rock chips on the front near the grills, but nothing beyond what would be considered consistent for a 13 year old car. It really really needs a wash and so does the rest of my car. Can't wait to wash and wax her again. And for Christmas, The ZHPs present will be an engine detailing overhaul. It has gotten quite dirty over the past handful of weeks.

[sillieidiot]

nice update. glad you finally got that hood. since you didn't update your thread for awhile, i got bored and started doing the stuff i procrastinated on doing lol

[Sockethead]

looks like a whole car again!

[fredo]

Cool. Any plans to paint the new hood ?

[GotZHP]

The new hood is "on". I was not too happy about the whole situation of obtaining and mounting the hood. The guy said it would be off the car and ready to be installed when I showed up. I got there late and the hood was still on the car, and I noticed a "tech" reaching through the grills and fiddling around with a very small wrench.

Comes to find out, the guy had sold the section of the hood opening mechanism that includes the pull handle in the car... :rolleyes:facepalm and since the hood was closed and latched, there was no way to open except to remove the two locking spring clips...

They attempted to do this with a small wrench and had successfully removed two of the four T30 bolts. The other two ended up stripped. The guy I bought it from was like, well we will get it off tomorrow, which was not a possibility because I was already supposed to be on the road to Santa Barbara and I have my DMV appointment on Monday. What ended up happening is I went to Home Depot and bought a saws all and cut the hood free. You will see next to the left driver side grill where my frustration and impatience led to the front of the hood getting damaged.

We ended up getting the hinges on and the hood closed and opened freely and locked as it should. It was already really late so nothing else was attached and the hood was not properly aligned. I ended up giving the guy less than his asking price and after some talking, we smoothed things over a bit.

All in all for the price I paid, I am happy with the pick up. Under 200 dollars, and besides the saws all damage, there is only one other significant chip. I'll be spending today and tomorrow getting the fit right and will hook up the windshield washer nozzles.

283532835428355

[GotZHP]

Cool. Any plans to paint the new hood ?

Well Fredo this is a question I am asking myself. If I had bought gloss black grills, I would be fine leaving the hood black until I am able to have a full paint correction done on the car. However, gloss black hood with matte grills is not the greatest. the question is should I:

1.) wrap the hood matte black to match the grills and the trim I have resprayed matte

2.) paint the hood to match the car

I am currently leaning towards option 1 because of the following. Wrapping would be cheaper and since the climate is not harsh, the wrap should last a long time. Also, if I painted the hood now, it would only be the hood and it may not match the car perfectly, and may have to be touched up or repainted in a year when I have the car paint corrected. Also, the holiday season is upon us and I will be flying back east for vacation. I would much rather have some money to spend around the holiday season and vacation, then to sink more money into the car. For now, My OCD about appearance has been shelved and if something does not directly effect the performance of the vehicle, it is going to the back burner for near future.


Anyways, that is how I feel but I am open to input from others. I have never had a wrap before and know nothing about cleaning or maintaining them, there life expectancy, etc. I will get quotes for both paint and wrap and see how the numbers compare. If anyone cares to comment, I am receptive. Let me know!

[johnrando]

It looks good

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[az3579]

I'd say do it right and paint it body color.
You came this far to rebuild the car - doing it any other way is just doing half the job, IMO.

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[GotZHP]

I'd say do it right and paint it body color.
You came this far to rebuild the car - doing it any other way is just doing half the job, IMO.

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Well, I may end going the route of painting. I have an abrasive blast room at work so I can prep the hood for paint and minimize cost.

After calling around to a handful of places for a quote on wrapping the hood, the average is ~$250! I was expecting a wrap to be way less. I do kind of like a black hood on a silver car, but part of that is because it is new and unique, and I have a feeling that will fade over time.

[az3579]

Well, I may end going the route of painting. I have an abrasive blast room at work so I can prep the hood for paint and minimize cost.

After calling around to a handful of places for a quote on wrapping the hood, the average is ~$250! I was expecting a wrap to be way less. I do kind of like a black hood on a silver car, but part of that is because it is new and unique, and I have a feeling that will fade over time.


I'm really diggin' the black hood too, but it's a BMW. It calls for a little more ... refinement. :)
To pull off a black hood, you have to be prepared to go with the "tuner car" look, which would involve a lot more mods to make it look 'right'.

As far as wraps go - they are actually very expensive when you consider the reason why some people get wraps. A lot of the time, people get a wrap because they want the ability to change the color, or do it as a "try before you buy" sort of thing. To wrap a whole car, you're looking at well over a grand, probably a lot more. A hood is a large object too, so it is very time consuming to get something like that right, hence the high cost.

Since you are able to do the prep work yourself, that will save the vast majority of the paint costs right there. Prep is 90% of the job, after all. :thumbsup



Looking at the black hood is growing on me by the second, though.

[GotZHP]

I'm really diggin' the black hood too, but it's a BMW. It calls for a little more ... refinement. :)
To pull off a black hood, you have to be prepared to go with the "tuner car" look, which would involve a lot more mods to make it look 'right'.

As far as wraps go - they are actually very expensive when you consider the reason why some people get wraps. A lot of the time, people get a wrap because they want the ability to change the color, or do it as a "try before you buy" sort of thing. To wrap a whole car, you're looking at well over a grand, probably a lot more. A hood is a large object too, so it is very time consuming to get something like that right, hence the high cost.

Since you are able to do the prep work yourself, that will save the vast majority of the paint costs right there. Prep is 90% of the job, after all. :thumbsup



Looking at the black hood is growing on me by the second, though.

I agree that I would have to do a lot more and I am not at that point to go all out Tuner with the car. I did figure out how to get a matte black hood to go well with the car though, but it would involve wrapping several parts or spraying them matte. To make a matte hood at home I would have to spray all the plastic trim pieces around the bumpers and doors. I would also need to Matte the fog light trim pieces, the pieces the mirrors mount to, and the trim pieces around the windows. Would be a lot of work but I feel that would make the car look pretty cool If all the black went matte, interior gets all new alcantara vs leather to continue the gloss free look, then it got some big shiny rims :biggrin

Some day...

In the mean time, the hood did not clean up as nice as I thought it would. I will get it painted and will do the prep work myself. I do need to write some training documents on how to use the abrasive blasting room, grit elevator & bag house systems, and how to properly don all the PPE before using the equipment. Best way to write training documents is to go do the work yourself. The hood will remain black through the holiday season and I'll have it painted before going into next summer.

[sillieidiot]

The new hood is "on". I was not too happy about the whole situation of obtaining and mounting the hood. The guy said it would be off the car and ready to be installed when I showed up. I got there late and the hood was still on the car, and I noticed a "tech" reaching through the grills and fiddling around with a very small wrench.

Comes to find out, the guy had sold the section of the hood opening mechanism that includes the pull handle in the car... :rolleyes:facepalm and since the hood was closed and latched, there was no way to open except to remove the two locking spring clips...

They attempted to do this with a small wrench and had successfully removed two of the four T30 bolts. The other two ended up stripped. The guy I bought it from was like, well we will get it off tomorrow, which was not a possibility because I was already supposed to be on the road to Santa Barbara and I have my DMV appointment on Monday. What ended up happening is I went to Home Depot and bought a saws all and cut the hood free. You will see next to the left driver side grill where my frustration and impatience led to the front of the hood getting damaged.

We ended up getting the hinges on and the hood closed and opened freely and locked as it should. It was already really late so nothing else was attached and the hood was not properly aligned. I ended up giving the guy less than his asking price and after some talking, we smoothed things over a bit.

All in all for the price I paid, I am happy with the pick up. Under 200 dollars, and besides the saws all damage, there is only one other significant chip. I'll be spending today and tomorrow getting the fit right and will hook up the windshield washer nozzles.


lol Damn that sucks. You know you could still open the hood though as long as you have the cable right? Because that shit happened to me once. The hood latch handle broke. So I take the cover off to get to the wire that the latch pulls onto. Then just took the glow in the dark safety handle from the trunk and snap the hood wire onto it and pulled like hell. It opens the hood. Breaks the trunk handle thing, but it doesn't cost too much to replace.


Well Fredo this is a question I am asking myself. If I had bought gloss black grills, I would be fine leaving the hood black until I am able to have a full paint correction done on the car. However, gloss black hood with matte grills is not the greatest. the question is should I:

1.) wrap the hood matte black to match the grills and the trim I have resprayed matte

2.) paint the hood to match the car

I am currently leaning towards option 1 because of the following. Wrapping would be cheaper and since the climate is not harsh, the wrap should last a long time. Also, if I painted the hood now, it would only be the hood and it may not match the car perfectly, and may have to be touched up or repainted in a year when I have the car paint corrected. Also, the holiday season is upon us and I will be flying back east for vacation. I would much rather have some money to spend around the holiday season and vacation, then to sink more money into the car. For now, My OCD about appearance has been shelved and if something does not directly effect the performance of the vehicle, it is going to the back burner for near future.


Anyways, that is how I feel but I am open to input from others. I have never had a wrap before and know nothing about cleaning or maintaining them, there life expectancy, etc. I will get quotes for both paint and wrap and see how the numbers compare. If anyone cares to comment, I am receptive. Let me know!

#2. I don't think matte on matte looks good. Especially for matte black which I hate because cleaning it sucks. But if you do wrap, maybe considering tackling it yourself. You'd save the most money that way because the material is cheap. I think I have a roll of matte black somewhere that might be enough for a hood that I could donate to you for the cause lol

[GotZHP]

They sold the whole panel & cable as a unit. Underneath the hood right before the strut tower, you will see a junction box. I believe you can separate the cable there. So my plan was to take the one of my car and install it just to pop the hood, but the cable wasnt there and you could grab the end with pliers or anything.

As for the matte, always have been on the fence about it myself. It only looks good if it is done well and cleaned and maintained properly. It also doesn't last very long. One guy who has done a lot of nice work in the LA area said for hoods, roofs, and trunks, they only warranty them for a year. Doors and other trim pieces that are more horizontal should last 3 to 5.

Makes more sense to paint the hood, then wrap it, because I could always just go back to silver. Plus, already working with another forum member, Streten, to get a paint job lined up.

[Sockethead]

I had that cable break on my wife's 135. luckily, I was able to pop out the left grille and open it from there with a screwdriver on the mechanism. I had to replace both cables... the one that goes into the cabin was a PITA but not too bad.

[sillieidiot]

I had that cable break on my wife's 135. luckily, I was able to pop out the left grille and open it from there with a screwdriver on the mechanism. I had to replace both cables... the one that goes into the cabin was a PITA but not too bad.

yeah i did the same thing once when i still had a stock hood. replacing that cable is such a pain

[GotZHP]

yeah i did the same thing once when i still had a stock hood. replacing that cable is such a pain

Yeah, that was a huge waste of my time since the cable was gone. Not the brightest move but its on the car which is the main point.

Spent some time working on it yesterday and I dropped in the silver vent from my old hood into the new hood. I have the black hood vent but it is oxidized and missing some of the hardware to get the windshield sprayers nozzles working. Also put the hood struts in, attach the ground wire on the hood, reinstalled weather strips, and gave it a look over. Will have some photos up shortly once my iphone comes back from the dead

[san]

I kinda like the black hood, camaro 1LE style...


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[GotZHP]

I kinda like the black hood, camaro 1LE style...


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I like it to and I found someone who will do a wrap for $100 plus beer.

I will most likely go this route for the short term. There are a few imperfections with the hood, so I may keep my eyes open for one that is in tip top shape and is painted Silbergrau metallic. Now that I have a hood, I can shop around without a deadline.

[sillieidiot]

i think it's ok. Would look better in CF. But I don't think our cars aren't aggressive enough to really run it. But you really need some clears

BTW, do you have any more of that fuel line hoses and the vacuum hoses? Can I buy the rest off you? lol Someone in my household threw them away :mad All the places that can order it says it will come like after the 17th for some reason. I won't even be here lol

[GotZHP]

i think it's ok. Would look better in CF. But I don't think our cars aren't aggressive enough to really run it. But you really need some clears

BTW, do you have any more of that fuel line hoses and the vacuum hoses? Can I buy the rest off you? lol Someone in my household threw them away :mad All the places that can order it says it will come like after the 17th for some reason. I won't even be here lol

I have some of various sizes you can just have if you want to come pick them up from me. I'll have to double check if I have the right sizes left for the fuel filter job. O'Reillys or AutoZone or any parts store will stock the hoses in many sizes and cost is a little over a dollar per linear foot. I picked up mine from an O'Reillys and was less than 5 dollars for what I needed to replace the fuel filter.

I'll dig through my remnants this weekend and let me know if you still need it.

[sillieidiot]

Yeah my bad on not getting back to you. Pretty much ran into more problems with my car so I was like screw it, I'm not touching it anymore lol But yeah I still need them. Just gotta figure out how I'm going to get to you to pick them up.

[GotZHP]

Hope everyone enjoyed the holiday season and Happy New Year!

It always seems that my car likes to break down right before I go on vacation so that is a story to share. Have a lot of new parts on the way to start the new year off right!

Also, I am having phantom electrical issues that have been happening a little more frequently which is a total head scratcher. I have a ton of photos to sort through and resize but I will have a good update for everyone later tomorrow.

Car rolled by 125,000 today as well which is a good mile stone. 21,000 miles under my ownership :)

[GotZHP]

After a very long absence from the forum, I will be returning and updating my thread! I have done lots of work as of late and have been learning a lot about data logging and California Smog testing as my car hasn't been able to pass for quite some time now.

I may stay a new thread to continue my contributions to the site / community but just wanted to let everyone know that I am back! I will be answering PMs again and I know a big part of my current thread is about what to do if you end up in accident, and your insurance company deems your car "total". This is something many folks reached out to me about, and I feel bad for going inactive and ditching everyone here who have been extremely helpful to me! Time for me to pay it forward once again!

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[johnrando]

Welcome back.

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