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Read the WELCOME ALL BMWFANATICS post.
2011 320i E90 Turbo Kit
- Thread starter GAVz96
- Start date
DarrylvanNiekerk
Active member
Just out of interest I did an acceleration pull in my 2006 e90 Pre LCI N46 320i.
I'm running up in Gauteng on 95 so losing around 15% power.
Link -
I'm running up in Gauteng on 95 so losing around 15% power.
Link -
DarrylvanNiekerk
Active member
I find it interesting that you chose to take the time to specifically post a derisive comment.
Do you find you are generally filled with contempt or do you perhaps feel you are the de facto purveyor of advanced enlightenment?
Nishcat_M140i
///Member
Mate,
Out of curiosity, what made you purchase an E90 320i of all BMWs?
The N46 is known to be if not one of the worst, but the worst engines ever made by BMW.
320i's only became good after the F30 LCI (B48). Otherwise the 320d and above should always be the car to consider, especially when buying pre owned.
Out of curiosity, what made you purchase an E90 320i of all BMWs?
The N46 is known to be if not one of the worst, but the worst engines ever made by BMW.
320i's only became good after the F30 LCI (B48). Otherwise the 320d and above should always be the car to consider, especially when buying pre owned.
DarrylvanNiekerk
Active member
Had I known then what I know now I would have maybe gone a different route but I was naive and fell in love with the concept and how it looked.
I was making good money at the time but because I run my own company I never finance anything so I bought the car cash.
A short while later I had enough set aside to upgrade to a 320d but my sister needed a back operation and so my savings got swallowed up.
My industry as a whole took a nose dive over time and when the engine quit during Covid I was stuck with a worthless POS.
Instead of crying about it all I decided to tackle the rebuild and ended up learning a lot.
I cannot afford to take on monthly payments and risk losing everything just to have a fancy car.
I own everything I have and if I live with a car that everyone looks down on then so be it but it's mine, it runs well and gets me from A to B with no fuss.
osiris
///Member
bro don't worry about what people on this forum think, it means nothing in your life, they are random people you will probably never meet and never care about. if you want to drive a 316 or a M8 is up to you and there is no need to explain yourself to anyone. We all live our own lives and make the choices we make for whatever reason we need to make them and frankly it's no ones business but your own.
Personally I think it's very cool that you learned how to and rebuilt your own engine! I have done alot on my car and the previous Z4 and it taught me alot about cars and maintenance and doing things myself, but rebuilding an engine still scares the crap out of me so well done on this, big respect!
Nishcat_M140i
///Member
Look man, I didn’t mean to offend you regarding owning a 320i and I’m sorry that you had to go through all of that, especially with your sister. But Big ups to you for being there for her when she needed you most. I hope she’s better now.
E90 320i isn’t a car I would buy, but having said that, not everyone has the same vision, and if it brings you happiness especially in rebuilding it, it’s all that matters at the end of the day. It’s a bmw at the end of the day, a lot of people dream of owning one regardless of the model and the age of it.
I agree with not taking on monthly payments because cash is always king. I realised this when I had my 8Y RS3 because that was on finance. I enjoyed the car in my short space of ownership but there was always this big heavy weight on my shoulders knowing i financed that car, especially because i just started a new job at the time and was still under probation. I lost a lot of money on it when I sold it yet I barely used it.
I know how it feels to be looked down upon based on car decisions. When I went from the RS3 to the M140i, a lot of people told me that it was the worst the decision I could ever make and it’s a downgrade since the RS3 was newer, faster and still had a warranty. Apart from the M140i being a B58 and what it is, it’s a car that made me happy having owned the m240i before the RS3. I bought it outright and yes it costed me a lot to fix when I discovered there were issues with it; but I’m a lot happier with it even with those unforeseen expenses I had to pay out of my own pocket compared to the RS3 knowing I had these substantial monthly installments next to my name for the next few years. But even apart from that, the m140i that puts a smile on my face everytime I take it out for a drive.
The point I’m trying to make is, if you are happy with what you drive, be it an e90 320i or something else. Then everyone else’s opinion on that specific car means Fk all.
DarrylvanNiekerk
Active member
I guess this whole post got derailed a bit and I didn't expect such kind words in response, I'm a little emotional to be honest.
The reason I chose the car in the first place was because my brother and a friend had a serious head on crash in my previous car which had no airbags. Long story short I used my insurance money plus on medical and didn't have a car for a few years. I vowed then to buy the safest car I could afford not knowing I was buying a crap engine with it.
I'm not upset, embarrassed or feeling put down but simply being honest about what I can and cannot afford. I would love to upgrade but at the same time some of my best drives have been in that car. I was beyond scared rebuilding the engine as I'm not a mechanic and making a mistake would cost a lot more than simple school fees. I simply could not afford to walk away from the car and start from scratch yet again and I also could not afford to pay someone else to do the work so I had to learn on the job. It still took over a year to build up funds, buy parts and then figure out how to do everything on my own.
At the end of the day I can't believe she runs and I got it right without the engine grenading. I'm 20k km in and still enjoy driving my slow ass but not leaking or smoking N46 320i.
Thank you for your support.
The reason I chose the car in the first place was because my brother and a friend had a serious head on crash in my previous car which had no airbags. Long story short I used my insurance money plus on medical and didn't have a car for a few years. I vowed then to buy the safest car I could afford not knowing I was buying a crap engine with it.
I'm not upset, embarrassed or feeling put down but simply being honest about what I can and cannot afford. I would love to upgrade but at the same time some of my best drives have been in that car. I was beyond scared rebuilding the engine as I'm not a mechanic and making a mistake would cost a lot more than simple school fees. I simply could not afford to walk away from the car and start from scratch yet again and I also could not afford to pay someone else to do the work so I had to learn on the job. It still took over a year to build up funds, buy parts and then figure out how to do everything on my own.
At the end of the day I can't believe she runs and I got it right without the engine grenading. I'm 20k km in and still enjoy driving my slow ass but not leaking or smoking N46 320i.
Thank you for your support.
DarrylvanNiekerk
Active member
Congratulations on getting your life back on track, huge respect. 💪🏻
@DarrylvanNiekerk Bro thank you for posting your video, us 320i E90 guys may have chosen the wrong engine but we appreciate everything they throw at us, giving us a better perspective when choosing another car, I have also learnt quite a bit from my 320i and plan on learning even more. Going to end up re-doing the TCG myself as I’ve had it replaced 3 or 4 times and still sit with it leaking all the time 🤦🏻♂️
After that I’m going to try VSS myself, hope I don’t botch the job 😂🤣
DarrylvanNiekerk
Active member
I appreciate that, thank you.
There was so much I had to learn and find my way around including some things I couldn't find any info on like replacing the actual brake lines, not hoses.
I kept on getting leaks with the TCG, especially at the back by the vacuum pump. I even bought a new TC thinking mine might be warped.
According to every video and tutorial I could find you just put a little sealant in a few spots but this never worked. I went through a few gaskets and eventually got hacked off with having to undo everything to try once again.
I ended up putting a very thin bead of sealant around the entire gasket and haven't had a problem since. Be careful with those TC bolts they are max 10Nm.
Can confirm millage is a minor aspect to consider if the car is well looked after.
Hi guys.
So to add a new problem to the list 😂
Car is driving okay, still haven’t got round the TCG, will be doing that next month.
But here’s the new issue, travelling highway speeds so between 120km/h - 130km/h there is a bad vibration coming from the car when decelerating, I have a feeling it might be the clutch, because as soon as you press the clutch pedal in, the vibration stops, I had the clutch and flywheel done around November/December time after putting the new motor in, does anyone have some advice on this, 6 speed M/T, at the same time I haven’t noticed the vibration coming through the pedal or gear knob, only feel it through the car.
I did do some digging and there seems to be quite a bit of info all the way from an unsynchronised clutch, driveshafts, exhaust and even possibly something to do with the rear axle.
But maybe one of you guys has had this issue before and knows what the cause was.
Thanks in advance.
So to add a new problem to the list 😂
Car is driving okay, still haven’t got round the TCG, will be doing that next month.
But here’s the new issue, travelling highway speeds so between 120km/h - 130km/h there is a bad vibration coming from the car when decelerating, I have a feeling it might be the clutch, because as soon as you press the clutch pedal in, the vibration stops, I had the clutch and flywheel done around November/December time after putting the new motor in, does anyone have some advice on this, 6 speed M/T, at the same time I haven’t noticed the vibration coming through the pedal or gear knob, only feel it through the car.
I did do some digging and there seems to be quite a bit of info all the way from an unsynchronised clutch, driveshafts, exhaust and even possibly something to do with the rear axle.
But maybe one of you guys has had this issue before and knows what the cause was.
Thanks in advance.
DarrylvanNiekerk
Active member
I have had a similar experience.
I replaced the clutch whilst rebuilding but decided to try out a single mass flywheel for what it's worth.
On one occasion I was driving on the freeway and started feeling a vibration throughout the whole car. Pushed the clutch in and nothing changed. Even as I was slowing down the car was still vibrating. Eventually the shaking stopped at around 60kph.
I reckon the drive shaft got a bit of a wobble and the resonance of the rotational speed kept it going. I have no idea what started it but I have bought a new centre bearing to replace when next I am under the car.
I haven't had the same issue since so I hope it was a once off.
It could be that one or both of your guibos are worn or the prop shaft needs balancing.
Good luck with that and the TCG.
P.S. I would be hesitant to attack your VSS as the VANOS system is quite complicated. When the finger lifters jump apart it is very tricky to put back and you wouldn't want a cotter falling into the recesses of the engine. If it is a head off job that is different (even with replacing stretch bolts) but this is something I would pay someone else to do.
@DarrylvanNiekerk thanks man, I will take a look into that.
Yeah I’ve watched a couple of videos of guys doing it without taking the head off, but they have some or other special tool that they use, I must admit that I’d probably give it a shot if I’ve got like a week to work on the car, but yeah I’ve watched how they did the job for VSS and even I thought it’s something I might likely botch it by losing something in the engine. But will take a look at the drive shaft for the vibration, because yeah there’s no vibration coming through anything linked to the clutch, you literally just hear it when you take your foot off the gas.
Thanks again. 👍🏻
Oh and how did the Single Mass Flywheel treat you, my mechanic that did the clutch said it wasn’t worth putting it in and just replaced it with another Dual Mass.
Yeah I’ve watched a couple of videos of guys doing it without taking the head off, but they have some or other special tool that they use, I must admit that I’d probably give it a shot if I’ve got like a week to work on the car, but yeah I’ve watched how they did the job for VSS and even I thought it’s something I might likely botch it by losing something in the engine. But will take a look at the drive shaft for the vibration, because yeah there’s no vibration coming through anything linked to the clutch, you literally just hear it when you take your foot off the gas.
Thanks again. 👍🏻
Oh and how did the Single Mass Flywheel treat you, my mechanic that did the clutch said it wasn’t worth putting it in and just replaced it with another Dual Mass.
DarrylvanNiekerk
Active member
There are benefits and drawbacks to the single mass flywheel setup and it won't be too everyone's taste.
I chose to go this route because I wanted a driver's car, had it been a six cylinder I would have stayed with the original setup. I changed to braided brake hoses and the SMF, new Bilstein B4s, bump stops and top shock mounts as well as tie rod ends. Mine has the sport package so it is quite stiff though the damping is better than a lot of other cars.
I did have issues with very stiff clutch operation so eventually bought an OEM release bearing and guide bush and now the clutch is super soft and smooth.
It meant having the gearbox out four or so times so I got quite quick with that.
Rotational mass is the same so no changes in how it accelerates but there is a bit of a rattle in neutral with the clutch out until it warms up. The nice thing is that you can drive how you want to, I use my gears to slow down and the solid bite as you change gears is very satisfying. With the hydraulic steering, braided hoses and SMF you feel the car working which I think suits the four cylinder nicely.
I am thinking of trying out an OE clutch at some stage - I have heard it won't work but the dimensions match so I can't see why not.
Gordvisr
Well-known member
Guibo or centre bearing, check both
@Gordvisr still working on it man, so like in some of the previous posts, I still have some issues to take care of, hoping the TCG is the cause of the smoking or else it means VSS as well, also need to deal with the vibration that I picked up, seems to come and go lately.
But will definitely be doing this project and will keep this thread updated when I get to the job 👍🏻
