The Random E46/ZHP Question Thread

[nextelbuddy]

Can anyone recommend a good extractor for oil changes? This latest mess had me set on Fumoto valves for both cars, but then I thought that $80 could be used on a pretty sweet extractor instead and I wouldn't even have to get under the car. Granted, I only change the oil maybe twice a year per car, but this shit suxxxx:

I use the 7 liter one I got on amazon warehouse deals. for $50ish dollars

takes about 5 min to pull all the oil out.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1



i found after 2 uses now, the best way to get ALL the oil is to jack the front of the car slightly to get the oil to the back of the pan near the dipstick tube.... remove the oil filter then extract.... when i did it this way.. .then removed the drain bolt. nothing was left to drain.

IMG_20180206_214615 by Shawn Robertson, on Flickr

IMG_20180206_214206 by Shawn Robertson, on Flickr

[ZHPizza]

I use the 7 liter one I got on amazon warehouse deals. for $50ish dollars

takes about 5 min to pull all the oil out.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1



i found after 2 uses now, the best way to get ALL the oil is to jack the front of the car slightly to get the oil to the back of the pan near the dipstick tube.... remove the oil filter then extract.... when i did it this way.. .then removed the drain bolt. nothing was left to drain.

IMG_20180206_214615 by Shawn Robertson, on Flickr

IMG_20180206_214206 by Shawn Robertson, on Flickr

Exactly what I was looking for and I couldn't remember who had tested/reviewed it. Thanks, Shawn!

[slater]

I ran a can of lubro moly engine flush through an already warm engine for 10 minutes and then drained it immediately. The oil was very, very thin and sprayed everywhere when the drain plug came out.
Hah! I can fix damn near anything with all of the crazy problems I've been faced with in engineering jobs, but if I so much as look at an oil container, some amount of it ends up on the ground. It's inevitable.
It was one of those "hour job turns into four because everything that could go wrong did" kind of days.

sorry man... that sucks.

i just use a large (2' diameter) pan, and hold it up under the drain bolt as i'm removing it. then slowly lower it down and walk away.

Unrelated to Nate’s oil ineptitude, I have a question for those of you with LSDs. Which of the three (maybe more?) options did you choose, and why

-MFactory
-DiffsOnline
-M3 rear end conversion

M3 conversion seems to be the cheapest, but the gearing is really high.

Sub-question: helical or clutch-type?

i had a full M3 rear end here that i was going to use, but i opted not to because of the M3 diff 'clunk' and not wanting to rebuild the diff. if you're not wanting to replace the entire rear end, don't go this route (you just went through all of this anyway, right?).

i chose MFactory helical. MFactory because they ran a promo and the price was great - about half of the diffsonline clutch type (they didn't offer a helical at that point in time).

helical because i wanted engagement only on acceleration - i wanted it to act like an open diff off throttle (better turn-in is the theory). also, helical because it is much more a 'set and forget' option - normal fluid changes and that is all the maintenance that is required.

[Sockethead]

Another thing to consider is whether the LSD diff will still drive the wheel on the ground if one wheel is lifted off the pavement... not all LSDs can do this... I forget exactly which types can or can't but it's something to consider if you track the car...

The OS Giken needs a lot of oil changes... I think it has like a 24 plate clutch pack

[cornercarver]

Okay so I bought:

Valeo SMF clutch conversion kit, metal pivot pin, new fork (just in case), fork spring, crankcase gasket, rear main seal, exhaust gasket, clutch alignment tool.

Interested in hearing how you like the SMF conversion... Please post driving impressions when you're done!

[slater]

Interested in hearing how you like the SMF conversion... Please post driving impressions when you're done!

if you don't want to wait... i've had it installed for about 4 months now. loving it - feels like new stock, but better - better engagement, no DMF clunkiness. nate and BP have both driven my car and can give their opinion also.

[cornercarver]

Another thing to consider is whether the LSD diff will still drive the wheel on the ground if one wheel is lifted off the pavement... not all LSDs can do this... I forget exactly which types can or can't but it's something to consider if you track the car...

A helical LSD locks both wheels together when one side is spinning faster than the other in a low-traction scenario.

Good video here - and the part about one-wheel-peel is around 4:00:

[cornercarver]

if you don't want to wait... i've had it installed for about 4 months now. loving it - feels like new stock, but better - better engagement, no DMF clunkiness. nate and BP have both driven my car and can give their opinion also.

Sweet - thanks! Good to know because mine has about 60k on it...not that I expect it to go any time soon; the PO replaced it at ~60k miles (probably more likely that it was faulty than worn out.) Car has 126k now. SMF and clutch are on my 'upgrades' list now, along with a LSD.

Did you also do the CDV delete?

[ZHPizza]

Sweet - thanks! Good to know because mine has about 60k on it...not that I expect it to go any time soon; the PO replaced it at ~60k miles (probably more likely that it was faulty than worn out.) Car has 126k now. SMF and clutch are on my 'upgrades' list now, along with a LSD.

Did you also do the CDV delete?

PO was probably rough on the clutch if he replaced it that early. These things will last 300k easy if driven right.

Everyone should do CDV delete. No drawbacks to a proper functioning clutch pedal.

[az3579]

PO was probably rough on the clutch if he replaced it that early. These things will last 300k easy if driven right.

Everyone should do CDV delete. No drawbacks to a proper functioning clutch pedal.

I'm pretty much there and it's not even the clutch that's causing me grief; it's the flywheel and the throwout bearing. lol
I'm really curious how much longer the clutch itself would go. Too bad it won't get a chance to be tested; everything's getting replaced within a month or two.