Slavik's Tiag 2004 330i ZHP Maintenance Journal

[slavik1988]

Bought 2004 BMW 330i ZHP for the wife as a replacement for her 05 VW Touareg. It will be her new daily driver. Got a great deal on it considering the maintenance that was done to it. The mileage when I bought it was 107k, price $8,000 that I negotiated to $7,400. Bought a one way airplane ticket to Houston, TX, got picked up by the owner who lived 2 hours away from airport(I didn't even know that, feel sorry for him), completed the transaction, dropped him off at a car rental place and started my road trip back to NC.

Now let the maintenance commence:


Maintenance done under my ownership:
- Oil change 5w-30 Mobil 1 @ 112,246 miles
- Switched front seat covers from left to right and replaced alcantara trim for leather @ 115,846
- Oil change 5w-30 Castrol Edge @ 117,463


Maintenance and modifications done by previous owners:
- Oil change 5w-30 Mobil 1 @ 106,126 miles
- 4 245/35/18 Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires @ 103,xxx miles
- Battery, pressure regulating valve(11617501566), vent pipe(11611432559), connecting line(11617504535), return pipe(11617504536), vent hose(11157532649), tube elbow(13541438759), MAF sensor(13627566983), air filter(13721744869), air bag module for passenger-recall(72129384807), fasting elements-recall(51458146760), self locking collar-recall(07119905374), wiper blades(61619071613), spark plugs(12120037607), brake fluid flush Dot 4, coolant flush(82141467704), power steering flush, fuel induction service, EGR service, a/c recharge @ 95,085 miles
- Oil change 5w-30 Mobil 1 @ 95,085 miles
- Oil change 5w-30 Mobil 1 @ 90,773 miles
- Apex ARC-8 18x8.5 ET 38 Hyper Silver wheels @ 83,010 miles
- Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires @ 83,010 miles
- OEM Steering Shaft Coupler/Guibo @ 82,880 miles
- Merle HD front control arm bushings @ 82,730 miles
- OEM cup and coin holders @ 81,970 miles
- OEM cabin air filter @81,880 miles
- Oil change 5w-30 Mobil 1 @ 81,880 miles
- OEM valve cover gasket @ 81,880 miles
- Turner Motorsport rebuilt/upgraded Vanos with Dr. Vanos kit @ 81,880 miles
- Main belt and pulleys @ 9/2012
- Oil Change and cabin air filter @ 2/2012
- Differential fluid replaced Redline 75w-90 @ 1/2/2012
- Transmission fluid replaced Redline MTL @ 1/2/2012
- Removed CDV, brake fluid flush @ 1/2/2012
- Waterpump(11517527910), thermostat housing(11537509227), gasket ring(07119963200), temperature sensor(11621433077), radiator cap(17111742231), water hose(11531436408), expansion tank(17117573781), water hose(17127510952), antifreeze(82141467704), leveling switch(17137553919), water valve(64118369805), return hose(11531436410) @ 12/11 (approximately 70k miles)
- Oil change Syntec Euro 0w-30 @ 69,035 miles
- Cabin air filter @ 69,035 miles
- Windshield replacement @ 7/2011
- ZHP gearshifter(25117896886), storing partition f(51168208369), console upper(51168218307), storing partition r(51168225986), wiper blades(61610037009), floor mats(82111470424), console-center arm(51168218305), protect rubber strip(51128195317), protect rubber strip(51118195304), trim grille black(51132158542), trim grille black(51132158543), covering seat rail(52108226431) @ 3/11
- Oil change @ 2/11
- Belts changed, rear brakes, brake fluid flush @ 1/11
- Replace front left exterior door handle carrier @ 61,622 miles
- Oil change OEM BMW full synthetic(07510017954) @ 61,354 miles
- Micro filter change and power steering fluid flush @ 61,354 miles

Picture from craigslist ad.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7543/26959050554_45e7dc8b96_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/H5hbus)


Driver back:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7350/27470002012_c7e4ab1840_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/HRqWym)
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7413/27568836985_a5165fdf1f_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/J1auKB)
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7421/27568834395_f801337f84_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/J1atYX)
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7358/27568831765_578ac7dd01_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/J1atcB)
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7053/27534755646_63a796b112_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/HX9Pyj)
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7483/27534755596_d75aaaf0cd_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/HX9Pxs)
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7693/27534755536_26277595ab_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/HX9Pwq)

[BMWCurves]

Nice work, and welcome again!

[johnrando]

+1

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

[Vas]

Is she liking the car?

My wife loves her 6spd zhp.

[Lorenzo]

Congratulations!


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[slavik1988]

Is she liking the car?

My wife loves her 6spd zhp.

Mine loves hers as well.


I myself enjoy driving it. Just wish it would come with a limited slip differential.

[ELCID86]

^MFactory.

[Cadeez]

Always great to see another TiAg project thread! Car looks excellent with those wheels... Any plans for future mods/maint?

[slavik1988]

Always great to see another TiAg project thread! Car looks excellent with those wheels... Any plans for future mods/maint?

Maintenance first, then some mods will come.

[slavik1988]

Finally the oil was due for a change. I usually do not wait for this except for this time. The oil filter housing gasket failed around 1000 miles after the last oil change and oil was leaking on my garage floor. That was really irritating me beside the fact that I had to keep the oil topped off.

I looked through the services done previously and decided to freshen up some of the things that seemed necessary. A free weekend, lift and some necessary tools and the maintenance was done.

Started off my Saturday morning by draining the transmission prior to removing it to replace the clutch, guibo, throw out bearing, and rebuild shifter.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7812/31672015707_6be1c6157e_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/QfKmQk)
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4845/31672014237_7dc57766d1_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/QfKmoZ)
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4837/31672013107_33e46100cb_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/QfKm4v)
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7926/32738963378_e96ceb5997_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/RT2KcQ)
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7810/31672011877_d65616525f_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/QfKkGi)
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7854/31672010827_73ab9ecc54_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/QfKkoc)
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7877/46613146861_289437e076_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2e23yzT)

I had to trim down ECS's teflon bushings because they were to wide. Anyone run into that issue?
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4858/46613149211_df812a8052_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2e23zhp)

Rogue Engineering transmission mounts. By far the best transmission bushings that I have used. In my opinion, these are better than OEM but you do not have the harshness of the poly mounts. I have these on all three BMW's now.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7835/46613147841_821f888cb3_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2e23ySM)

Next in line was to get new fluid for the rear diff. Out with the old and then went in some Redline 75w-90
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4888/46613145281_66cdf0be63_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2e23y7D)

Before lowering the car back to the floor, I replaced the steering linkage.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7859/46561122232_cca356c32b_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2dWrVtw)
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7852/46561121162_4a41ecf637_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2dWrVa5)

With the car on the floor, I went to town on replacing the oil filter housing gasket. I thought it would be a harder task then it turned out. Except for oil being everywhere, it was not too bad. No more oil on my garage floor. :biggrin
There was a lot of oil there.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7838/46613144271_639b91708d_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2e23xPe)
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7909/46613143511_45533767b8_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2e23xA8)
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4812/32738985678_5a706d3f23_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/RT2RQj)


Last two things on my list were to install rear shock reinforcements and replace the sagging hood insulation. It is not the OEM ZHP insulation. I had a spare E46 M3 one laying around so I decided to slap it on.
Before:
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4907/32738982778_bf96eaa00e_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/RT2QYj)
After:
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4803/32738982168_c37d51eb48_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/RT2QMN)
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7861/32738981398_d0d4ac1e62_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/RT2Qyw)
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4899/32738980458_2928beb521_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/RT2Qhj)


The final thing of the day was to bleed the clutch and flush the braking system. After everything was done, I went for a short test drive. The clutch pedal felt good and the rebuilt shifter felt very direct.

Two weeks later and there are still no leaks from the oil filter housing gasket. :confirmed

[BMWCurves]

Wow, that's a lot of stuff. You'll have to let us know how it all feels long term. Nice work, I envy the lift!

[slavik1988]

A lot of things have been happening the last couple of months. The most important being that I have a baby boy. Our first child. While the wife is at home, I took the time to clean up the car.

The body panels were removed to make the polishing process easier.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7864/32738979688_fff27b1288_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/RT2Q43)
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4817/32738978978_9674fed015_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/RT2PQN)
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7875/32738978328_10d73590f9_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/RT2PDA)
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4841/32738977568_70d2774a47_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/RT2Pqu)


I didn't go too aggressive on the paint. I used Menzerna FG400 and then finished off with Sonax Perfect Finish. After that, a coat of wax and two coats of Menzerna Sealer.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4871/32738976298_f932ba205f_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/RT2P3A)


Before and after of the new lenses and corner markers.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7815/32738975528_10a0c00d95_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/RT2NPj)
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7879/32738974528_beedbceea4_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/RT2Nw5)


Got rid of the damaged from US license plate frame in favor of the European bracket. I wanted to install just a filler strip but the bumper is damaged underneath. Also, a new bumper grille replaced the old faded one.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4914/32738973598_d0601517c0_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/RT2Nf3)


Final touch on the exterior. Wash the wheel housing areas. For some reason I obsess over it even though I know they will get dirty again.

Before/After:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7849/32738972998_7aac963bab_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/RT2N4G)
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7855/32738972418_906640c524_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/RT2MTG)


With the interior I had to fix a few small issues. First, I had to pull the headliner out to get to the sunroof. The sunroof shade had a broken slider thanks to a buddy of mine who tried to force it open. Next, I switched the skins on the seats not to wear out just the one bolster. The passenger side needed a good wash because it had a stain that didn't look good. Finally, I used some 3M to fix the A-Pillars from sagging.

Almost forgot, I swapped out the alcantara pieces for all leather trim.


https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7827/32738971658_2c004f578b_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/RT2MEA)
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4910/32738970228_1e412cf36e_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/RT2MeW)
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7907/32738971048_aa0855dc75_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/RT2Mu5)
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https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7834/32738969738_ee3d064135_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/RT2M6u)
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4898/32738969228_4b4d69a193_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/RT2LWG)



Out for a drive on the finished refresh. Fresh oil and filter as well. :grooving

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7902/32738968018_27474b4d9d_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/RT2LzQ)

[fredo]

Congrats on the baby. Amazing results on the zhp. :thumbup

[Vas]

Nice job

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[johnrando]

+1111111!

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[san]

+1


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[danewilson77]

Looks amazing. Love TiAg

Sent from my S8+

[DeathTrap]

Great job! I feel a bit more motivated now.

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[webster]

Congrats on your child! Zhp looks amazing.

[JPMo]

Brother :fistpump

[slavik1988]

In preparation of a business trip to NYC, I figured some basic maintenance is in order: spark plugs, air filter and fuel filter. The air filter was filthy on it. Can't believe I didn't change it when I bought the car.:dunno

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7912/32738966908_f151f3598d_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/RT2LfG)
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https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4808/32738966148_bed5f4b745_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/RT2L2A)
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https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4899/32738965318_a99b201d0a_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/RT2KMh)


Oh...

A little souvenir from Petit Le Mans. I had the wheel for a few years. Bought it at the fan zone there. Finally I was able to pick up a used rain slick. It is a bit small for the wheel size but you can't beat free.:) It required some starter fluid air and burnt arm hair to get the bead to seat.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4825/32738964738_f82e6684b6_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/RT2KBh)

Made a garage coffee table...

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4884/32738964028_1354282503_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/RT2Kp3)
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7877/31671989517_10804977bc_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/QfKe3M)

[danewilson77]

Good work. Love the table.

Sent from my S8+

[slavik1988]

Well at the end of last year, the ZHP developed a stalling condition. From a ton of research I started the repairs with replacing the CCV. Since this was a Texas car, it had the regular CCV and I opted to go for the cold version since our winters are a little colder. Unfortunately, that did not fix my issue.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48069950306_f52e16e66f_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2geM4uE)


Next I tore off the intake manifold and decided to replace any suspicious looking vacuum lines including the brake booster hose. Also did the O2 pilot mod.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48070063697_0bb3725d79_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2geMDcF)
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48070006293_87d9898ae1_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2geMm8X)
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48070005898_79323f2e42_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2geMm29)


I also noticed that my front main seal was leaking oil. This was quickly added to the order. I also ordered an oil filter housing gasket because it seemed to leak oil in that area. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that it wasn't from there. My Vanos line was broken. That was quickly placed on order.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48069956576_9dc5a4c324_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2geM6mL)
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48070008038_bf950bbdf9_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2geMmE3)
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https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48070059582_200ba6e103_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2geMBYJ)


Not wanting to do it later, I ordered both cam position sensors and crank position sensor as preventative maintenance.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48070062597_6b41698c6b_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2geMCSH)
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48069954081_72bb3aec47_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2geM5BK)


None of those maintenance items did the trick:mad. It wasn't until the car died completely that I was able to test the fuel pump and pinpoint my problem. All of my stalling was due to a weak/dying fuel pump.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48070057592_3a071d4a1f_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2geMBoq)


I also replaced both tie rod assemblies and dust boot. The driver side dust boot decided to give out. After the replacement, the car got a four wheel alignment. I am at 153,xxx miles:rockon
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48070058842_c64a4324e1_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2geMBKY)
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[ZHPizza]

Gd man. Chasing Gremlins on these cars can be brutal. Glad you finally got it sorted and look at all of the preventative maintenance you got done!

[Will]

Great work!

[slavik1988]

Long overdue update. The Zhp is running strong and currently is at 186k miles.


Update from July 31st 2021:

ZHP developed some leaks from the engine and transmission so I figured I would pull the engine and re-seal the engine completely for a piece of mind.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51956035951_d557417361_c.jpg[/url][url=https://flic.kr/p/2nabgni]IMG_5133


The engine bay and engine were power washed out while the engine was out. This was done to spot any new oil leaks quicker and easily.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51956621845_495a51d1c3_c.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51956330489_8bee0a542a_c.jpg

The areas that were addressed on the engine was fuel pump, front and rear main seals, valve cover gasket, and oil pan gasket. On the transmission, I addressed the input shaft seal, gear selector rod seal and fresh 75-80w oil.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51956330404_fdc3bfd946_c.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51955043617_0250ae26b5_c.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51955043817_27867e09c2_c.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51955043732_53020b93f5_c.jpg


Added a Dinan front strut bar while at it.:biggrin



Over 10k miles later, the engine and gearbox are still bone dry on the outside. :)

[fredo]

Well done, man ! I like the engine bay pic.

[Will]

Nicely done. Not everyday someone pulls the motor, it certainly makes access easier.

Thanks for the updates. That engine and bay looks fantastic.