E46 330i

Hi Guys,

Sho.. Been a while :roflol:

So I've always loved the E46 Individuals, and I regretted selling my old 320i so I decided it was time for...



So finding a clean one with the right spec is pretty fucking tough, saw some real shockers but ended up finding the one...

2003 E46 330i Individual
Aegean Blue
Usual options as well as HK sound

She does need some work, but I'll hopefully be documenting the DIY...

Snapped up a few random pics...








DISA Valve

These are a rather notorious part on these cars, they are meant to regulate intake pressure depending on driving style. Their construction is a known issue, basically the pin that holds the actual flap in place comes loose releasing all of the stuff into your intake a la hand grenade



With this in mind, it was the first bit of maintenance I chose to carry out...

Quite an easy job, I chose to clean the throttle body and Idle valve while I was in there.

It fits just above the intake boot, two T40 bolts hold it on


Here you can see the condition of the old part, the flap was actually loose and the pin was on it's way out... This is after 170k kms. The issue with the flap being loose is that the ECU fuels according to the position of that flap, the car really lacked that punch that you expect from a 170odd kw engine before.


Here's what a new one looks like at the default position (notice the flap is open), it actually has loads of tension and is difficult to move manually... Compared to the old one which basically moved without any effort.



All back together:



I know the engine bay is filthy, but there's more to do before the cleaning can happen :lol:

Not a cheap job, part from the dealers is R5200 with discount, there are several cheaper options on ebay but I chose not to install a generic part because of the possible repercussions if it were to fail.

The car now feels muuuuch smoother and the low end torque is back.

Next up...

Interior Clean

So as with most cars on the road, it looked as if the leather was never properly cleaned... So I got my detailing stuff together and tackled it on Sunday.

Turtle Wax Interior 1 for cleaning
Gtechniq L1 and C6 for protection

Before:




And after:





Next up is the valve cover gasket replacement... Another common wear and tear part, and mine is definitely in need of replacement (I can see some oil sweat around the cover).

Also, there was a bundle of wires in the cubby that annoyed me, so I decided to see where they were going

Expectation :



Reality:





And to conclude, obligatory wash pics:



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Then... After numerous complaints from family / management, I decided to have a look fixing the oil leaks.

This is what I imagine the engine looks like when it's running



I noticed that most of the oil was around the valve cover gasket, which eventually makes it's way down to any fresh tar/paving around.

Some investigatory pics






So off to ... uh... Goldwagen to get some replacement parts :fencelook:



Once I got back, it was time to...



Firstly, the cabin filter and housing, cover comes off, followed by the filter and 3 t30 bolts





And then the covers





Followed by a shitload of #10 bolts, and you're left with this:



Here we can see how the oil was seeping out of the half moon areas, probably because sealant was applied incorrectly.



Valve cover got a good and well needed clean



Took a while to clean the old gunk off, now ready for some quality sealant (Sealant is only required in the half moon and front cover areas)



New sealant applied



And then...



All done!



No more leaks, although I still need to give the engine a proper clean... Didn't want to get the pressure washer in there with wet sealant around. Strangeley enough, it was also a vacuum leak source, and my rough idle issue is now gone. Car is muuuch smoother and happier.

Thanks for watching :ty:

Saw this on the VW Forum. Nice :thumbs:

Would love to see this thread become epic. Any plans with modding?

:bravo:

As mentioned above, i witnessed it on the VW forum.

Great work so far Kyle, keen to see future updates!

Great car, also replied on your VW forum tread, but I don't think many of the VW folk believe what I said of the M54B30 capability at the coast:roflol:

Nice Work! Don't forget the oil filter housing gasket also has a tendency to leak.

Great cars these. Congratulations.

Wow the grime that came off those seats!:yuck:

Awesome stuff man.

Love the write up with the GIF's...

:withStu:

Awesome stuff man! Great work. And funny!

:bravo:

AdiS said:

Nice Work! Don't forget the oil filter housing gasket also has a tendency to leak.

Click to expand...

+1 , experienced this

Well done and congratulations on the find. Car looks amazing!:bravo:

Thanks for the kind words guys!

@Adis yeah that gasket is on the list, along with many many other things :hammerhead:

It's sad to see how neglected these cars are, but she's really starting to liven up now, can't wait to get her back to her former glory :thumbs:

In terms of mods.... I'm not really sure, these cars are becoming really hard to find in decent condition. The plan for now is to fix what's broken and add a few tasteful touches, and some modern functionality.

Epic write-up and GIFs. Read "2000 years later" in Spongebob's voice :roflol:

..Wish the images of the car would actually load on my side though...

Your thread is awesome.

The car looks like it went to a great home.

wow , she is STUNNING!!!!! :bravo: raise:

nice write-up mate. i will say that my ADSL connection screamed like hell, and took like 30 mins to load up all the pics... :hammerhead:

i have a 330ci, and most of the things you have done, all look extreeeemely familiar. its a pity you've sealed the valve cover already.. that would've been the perfect time to get the vanos seals done. that for me improved the car ALOT for lower down torque.

just a heads up on the valve cover leak. often these things get warped a little, i tried to re-seal mine plenty times... but kept leaking after a few thousand KM's. also, the rubber seals where the bolts go will leak after a while.. along with the washers that seal the spark plug holes too.. so you might find oil covering the top or your plugs. your best bet is just to get a new one with all the new washers and seals.

make sure to change your coolant expansion tank. you wont see any slight cracks, or anything like that... they just crack. the same goes for the plastic bleed screw. these things are known to go, around your mileage, and you can risk an overheat.... so be warned. overheats can be deadly with these engines. this along with the hoses, waterpump, thermo, pulley's, belts and tensioner. so make this a high priority if you can. :thumbs:

Epic thread @Kyle !!

Will say this, I agree with above poster on the cooling system items.

Found a second 330i now, where it still has the original expansion tank (2001/2002) and also the thermostat is stuck open. You wont know the thermostat is stuck open until winter time when its cold enough. I found out by checking the coolant temperature after 60 min on the highway.

Anyways, again, epic thread! raise:

:thumbs:

Congrats buddy.
She looks gorgeous
Inspiring me to get another e46

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

raise:

congrats mate - very nice looking car you have there and good job on the work done so far