My BMW E46 330i - The stuff of dreams

[Jamaine]

wish I had taken pics of my engine it looked nothing like that mine looked like something golden brown had been gutted inside but seems to be clearing up with the HX7. your engine looks really clean by the way :clapper:

 

[Philip Foglar]

Yep, it's the same oil that I am using in the E90, and with the E90 you can easily see the intake valvetrain when opening the oil filler cap unlike the M54 motors which has that plastic splash cover, so it's easy to see what is going on in there. When I opened the M54 I was sort of preparing myself for a messy engine, but it was actually pretty good for the age and mileage, so I am perfectly happy to continue using this oil, especially with the shorter oil service intervals.

 

[Jamaine]

weird how it works on some cars and not others :skit:

 

[kilotango]

nice looking 330 bud!

just a slight warning though (something that i learned the last two weeks)... check on your cooling system asap if you havent already.

i just had an issue on my 330ci where the bleed screw cracked and spewed coolant and steam around. luckily it didnt overheat... but after reading some serious horror stories on the net of what can happen when these m54 aluminium engines overheat...i decided to overhaul the whole cooling system.

once i got into it, i found the thermostat had a leak, had severely brittle radiator hoses, and the tensioners and idler bearing were noisy.

im still busy getting spares together, but its some scary stuff on how many ticking bombs were waiting for me

 

[Philip Foglar]

E46 cooling system is a very weak link so to speak! So it is essential to inspect all components fairly regularly, and even better, replace the ageing parts so that you don't sit with a failed cooling system and overheated engine!

 

[kilotango]

E46 cooling system is a very weak link so to speak! So it is essential to inspect all components fairly regularly, and even better, replace the ageing parts so that you don't sit with a failed cooling system and overheated engine!

absolutely mate... most of us didnt realise how serious your statement is, until the s#!t hit the fan! :hammerhead:

 

[Philip Foglar]

Yep, it can lead to some serious tears!!

 

[Serg_ZA]

Nice 330i man - really clean. If it were me I would colour code the balck trim and fit the MTech II bumper and colour code that too haha. Think it gives the car a much cleaner look.

When you replaced the Vanos seals did your car have any power issues in the lower RPM's at all or did you notice a difference in how the car drove afterwards?

 

[Zound]

Nice 330i man - really clean. If it were me I would colour code the balck trim and fit the MTech II bumper and colour code that too haha. Think it gives the car a much cleaner look.

When you replaced the Vanos seals did your car have any power issues in the lower RPM's at all or did you notice a difference in how the car drove afterwards?

I agree, the M-Tech 2 is really growing on me. I am basically just waiting for the right time to do it, and the right price of course.

Quite frankly, the Vanos seals didn't have too much of a noticeable effect on my car and I really expected that it would, given that my car has over 250 000Km's. I did notice smoother engine characteristics and some of the initial jerk/hesitation on pull away had been resolved.

Still a worth-while preventative maintenance item for peace of mind.

---

Update:

Currently running the car with a litre of ATF (conservatively) and will be performing an oil service this week/weekend.

Car is booked in right now at Independent Car Radio and AC (Centurion, Pretoria) having the AC system diagnosed. Will get feedback today, hoping they can find the crux of the issue. The result will be posted and discussed in this thread: http://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/showthread.php?tid=58346

Agenda for immediate attention:
1. FM antenna amplifier (without diversity module)
2. Double Din fascia plate
3. Front door brake/ door check
4. Power steering pulley
5. Coolant flush and replace

 

[Philip Foglar]

With the Vanos seals, it varies from car to car it seems. The 320i had the Vanos seals done at 182k km and while they actually still looked pretty decent, I had my wife drive the car, since it is her car and she drives it the majority of the time, and didn't tell her what to possibly expect. Almost immediately she said that it felt like her pulling off from stops and her 1st to 2nd gear changes were a lot better and smoother. She did say that it felt as if there was a bit more power at lower revs, but not major. Mostly the smoother engine behaviour and less bogging down.

 

[Zound]

Car got treated to a few goodies yesterday:

1. Oil service
2. Coolant replaced (Note: trying to get to and loosen the drain plug on the engine block is bordering on impossible. I have three different sized socket sets and not one of them could get the job done because of the Cats being in the ways)
3. Air Filter

 

[Philip Foglar]

Good work!!

 

[Zound]

So while removing the exhaust manifold (Re: Decat) I noticed that my drivers side engine mount was in surprisingly good condition, however the same can't be said for the passenger side, which was completely torn apart.

So, E46 owners, check your engine mounts! You may be experiencing unnecessary vibrations from your engine.

FYI: The dealership sells replacement engine mounts at about the same price as aftermarket options, here's the prices I was quoted on 23/11/2015

Goldwagen Centurion- Febi - R420
Bemow Pretoria-"Some German brand" - R495
Imcomex Centurion - Moto Euro - R470
Imcomex Centurion - Meyle HD - R550
BMW Leo Haese Centurion - OEM ~ R447

 

[DINODENASH]

:clapper:

 

[Jamaine]

:coolShake: thanks for the heads up did you experience any noises besides vibrations with the torn mount?

 

[Philip Foglar]

Thanks! Will indeed have that checked out! And yes, always check the dealer prices before going out to "save" money on aftermarket parts, especially if the saving is minor! :thumbs:

 

[Zound]

So my left hand side low beam bulb has burnt out. Went to Midas and got a set of Hella Daymaker 80+. Quite a significant improvement over the stock bulbs, and for only R160 at Midas Elarduspark!

Off to Mozambique tomorrow for a short holiday, keen to see what kind of figures the old girl returns on the ~7 hour journey. I'm hoping to achieve 7.5l/100km combined there and back :rollsmile:

 

[Zound]

Update!

Got angel eyes (SMD LED) :rollsmile:

And did a bit of maintenance :
Oil filter O-ring
Tensioner pulley

Am busy painting various interior components: Drivers storage compartment, centre console and the arm rest console. All in Matt Black.

More pictures to follow!

 

[Dewald Basson]

So while removing the exhaust manifold (Re: Decat) I noticed that my drivers side engine mount was in surprisingly good condition, however the same can't be said for the passenger side, which was completely torn apart.

So, E46 owners, check your engine mounts! You may be experiencing unnecessary vibrations from your engine.

FYI: The dealership sells replacement engine mounts at about the same price as aftermarket options, here's the prices I was quoted on 23/11/2015

Goldwagen Centurion- Febi - R420
Bemow Pretoria-"Some German brand" - R495
Imcomex Centurion - Moto Euro - R470
Imcomex Centurion - Meyle HD - R550
BMW Leo Haese Centurion - OEM ~ R447

Can you DIY this?

 

[Zound]

So while removing the exhaust manifold (Re: Decat) I noticed that my drivers side engine mount was in surprisingly good condition, however the same can't be said for the passenger side, which was completely torn apart.

So, E46 owners, check your engine mounts! You may be experiencing unnecessary vibrations from your engine.

FYI: The dealership sells replacement engine mounts at about the same price as aftermarket options, here's the prices I was quoted on 23/11/2015

Goldwagen Centurion- Febi - R420
Bemow Pretoria-"Some German brand" - R495
Imcomex Centurion - Moto Euro - R470
Imcomex Centurion - Meyle HD - R550
BMW Leo Haese Centurion - OEM ~ R447

Can you DIY this?

Absolutely.

Loosen the two nuts on either side of the engine mounts (I think they're 19's, and you'll need a long extension and a universal joint to make your life easier) and then jack up the engine a small bit to relieve the weight of the engine off of the mounts. Obviously remove whatever items are in the way if they prevent access. On the passenger side you'll need to remove the airbox to give yourself some room and from beneath obviously you'll need yo remove the sump protector and splash guard. FYI, the exhaust side engine mount has a heat shield on top of it.