William's 330Ci ZHP Maintenance and Project Thread

[BMWCurves]

Seemed like a lot of work. Must be glad to be done with it. My car with 167k miles is so down on low end torque that is almost embarrassing when I see other cars pull away from me at a stop light. I should get this done on my car ASAP but I’ve been saying that for about a year now. I should’ve replaced the vanos line too when I replaced the ofhg but I didn’t


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This repair was not as much work as it sounds. A lot of the work is just tearing away at the engine so you can actually get to the VANOS. I'm quite slow when it comes to performing maintenance because I try and keep bolts and screws organized, double/triple check guides, take pictures of how the engine looks at various stages of tear down so I know how to put it back together, etc. If I did this again, I could probably knock it out in an afternoon. I'm very happy that I did it now though. If you've got loss of low end torque, this sounds like it might be a good way to try and improve it a bit for you. Plus, you don't even have to put the thing on jack stands, one of my favorite parts of the whole repair.

Also, the VANOS oil feed line is super easy to do if you are already in there. Just pop off the airbox and it gives you pretty good access to the lower banjo bolt if you can snake your arm around the power steering reservoir and such.

Great write up William, Thanks for including all the links and part numbers.

Thanks! I try and make a decent write up so I can remember what I did and what I used for future reference. If it helps someone else, all the better!

nice work, william! it feels good to knock out repairs like that - and as you can see, even though your car has crazy low miles, age still takes its' toll on rubber bits.

what kind of light do you have in the garage? are there any standard bulb sockets? i saw this sweet 3x LED light thing for a standard bulb socket in the latest BAVauto catalog... might be a good idea for an older garage (i would have bought them if i didn't already install 5 x twin-T8 flourescent fixtures ).

Thanks! Yeah, it feels good to put it all back together, crank the engine, and have it start up smoother than expected! I am acutely aware how time ruins these parts in my car, and my hatred of BMW plastic only grows with each and every repair.

The garage is my folks' and is lit by the garage door motor, a single incandescent bulb, and a lamp I stole from an unused bed room. I keep trying to talk my folks into better lighting, but no dice so far. I'm also trying to talk them into some QuickJacks so...

I had my eye on an LED lighting fixture from CostCo that's pretty cheap. We'll see what happens.

Nicely done!

Thanks!

[704sw]

The Costco LED fixtures (assuming you’re talking about the ones that look like fluorescent shop lights) are badass, and cheap at $30/ea. I put a few in my parents’ attic, and I’m very impressed. I will be putting 4-6 in the detached garage of the house I’m 99% buying by year’s end.

[Sockethead]

I was wondering how those were.... I have 8 double tube florescent lights in my garage now... are they the full fixtures or the replaceable bulb style that fit into existing fixtures?

[704sw]

I was wondering how those were.... I have 8 double tube florescent lights in my garage now... are they the full fixtures or the replaceable bulb style that fit into existing fixtures?

Full fixtures, if I remember correctly. It’s been about 2 years since I put them in. I think it’s basically two rows of LEDs under a diffused plastic lens. They plug into a standard receptacle instead of hardwiring, which has its pros and cons. In the new house I’ll crawl out in the attic over the garage, turn each existing fixture’s box into a 2-outlet receptacle, and hide the plugs above the ceiling. I can get 4 in the parking area, and 2 in the shop area without having to do any real electrical work.

William: you should ask Dane about the portable LED bar he has that hangs on the hood of the car. That thing was awesome.

[Sockethead]

I got the same hood light bar that Dane has... it is awesome!
I added 6 outlets to the ceiling in my garage for light fixtures...

William, they make a light bulb socket adapter that adds two outlets and retains the light bulb. You could get two florescent or LED fixtures and add them to your garage without having to do any wiring. This is what I did in my rental house....

[san]

I got the same hood light bar that Dane has... it is awesome!
I added 6 outlets to the ceiling in my garage for light fixtures...

William, they make a light bulb socket adapter that adds two outlets and retains the light bulb. You could get two florescent or LED fixtures and add them to your garage without having to do any wiring. This is what I did in my rental house....

Rob you should post a picture of your new garage!


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[Sockethead]

I was planning on it but it's only half done...

[704sw]

I was planning on it but it's only half done...

If I learned anything with my public school education, it’s that 50% rounds up.

[BMWCurves]

Quick update:

1. after driving the car for about 40 miles, the car still has improved low-end torque. It's not huge, but enough to be noticeable, especially when starting from a stop. I don't have to put as much throttle input to get the car moving.

2. I was also about half a quart low on oil. I topped it off, we'll see how my oil consumption goes in the next few weeks. I also need to change the oil soon.

3. Has anyone replaced their wiper blades through FCP Euro's lifetime warranty? If so, did you just buy a replacement and then mail back the old ones once you had the new ones on hand?

The Costco LED fixtures (assuming you’re talking about the ones that look like fluorescent shop lights) are badass, and cheap at $30/ea. I put a few in my parents’ attic, and I’m very impressed. I will be putting 4-6 in the detached garage of the house I’m 99% buying by year’s end.

These were the ones I was looking at a while ago: https://www.costco.com/4%E2%80%99-Li...100284402.html

Are they the ones you have?

Full fixtures, if I remember correctly. It’s been about 2 years since I put them in. I think it’s basically two rows of LEDs under a diffused plastic lens. They plug into a standard receptacle instead of hardwiring, which has its pros and cons. In the new house I’ll crawl out in the attic over the garage, turn each existing fixture’s box into a 2-outlet receptacle, and hide the plugs above the ceiling. I can get 4 in the parking area, and 2 in the shop area without having to do any real electrical work.

William: you should ask Dane about the portable LED bar he has that hangs on the hood of the car. That thing was awesome.

Will do. I have a small one that is serviceable, but I've been thinking about getting a larger bar as well as one of those sitting work lamps like this: https://www.costco.com/Winplus-LED-F...100375504.html

I got the same hood light bar that Dane has... it is awesome!
I added 6 outlets to the ceiling in my garage for light fixtures...

William, they make a light bulb socket adapter that adds two outlets and retains the light bulb. You could get two florescent or LED fixtures and add them to your garage without having to do any wiring. This is what I did in my rental house....

Do you have a brand/model for the hood light bar and/or a link to where I could buy it? Definitely interested.

Those light bulb socket adapters also sound interesting, I had always wondered if those were a thing but never took enough effort to actually look into it.

[704sw]

These were the ones I was looking at a while ago: https://www.costco.com/4%E2%80%99-Li...100284402.html

Are they the ones you have?

That’s them.