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Read the WELCOME ALL BMWFANATICS post.
My Hellrot E36 328i
- Thread starter Major
- Start date
abharoochi
Member
Damn!!! I just love that colour!!!!
Congratz on the purchase!:thumbs: may you have many happy miles!!
Congratz on the purchase!:thumbs: may you have many happy miles!!
Major
Active member
Coming up on 3 weeks with the car, so far I'm starting to wonder if the reason for selling wasn't because of a long list of small issues adding up. 
So far I've sorted out...
Does anyone know a good place in Cape Town to flow and leak test my injectors?
So far I've sorted out...- Replaced brake light switch as I had no brake lights, first with a Goldwagen part (working lights, but a fault on OBC) and then with OEM (all good)
- Replaced various burnt out or dull dash-light bulbs (dark spots on speedo and no lights on headlight switch)
- Replaced washer fluid sensor, the old one's magnet rusted and cracked the old housing open so it filled up with water and couldn't float
- Low beam failure, very fragile connection to one of the headlights. Fixed up and shrink-wrapped.
- Hardly any airflow in cabin, cabin filter replaced
- Aircon flaps not moving, loose connection to the HVAC control
- Replaced rubber surrounding gearknob, was letting cold Cape air through
- Replaced HVAC unit with a recon unit to 'fix' the HVAC temp sensor fan as it worked out cheaper
- Windows tinted @ 35% (I can't recommend Tint Xpress or whatever they're called now any less as they managed to screw up the mountings on two windows)
- Wipers (wet towels) replaced
- Golf-tee mod
Does anyone know a good place in Cape Town to flow and leak test my injectors?
Major said:Coming up on 3 weeks with the car, so far I'm starting to wonder if the reason for selling wasn't because of a long list of small issues adding up.
There usually is a reason why one sells a car after only owning it for a short period of time. I would be very cautious to buy a car with idling problems again. Quite coincidentally my car's previous owner's reason for selling was also to buy a bakkie.
Major said:Coming up on 3 weeks with the car, so far I'm starting to wonder if the reason for selling wasn't because of a long list of small issues adding up.
There's plenty currently irritating me at the moment, but on top of that list is the thermostat which is stuck open, a very slow coolant leak, and what I reckon is high fuel consumption with a miss at idle when warmed up. I get 8.2L/100KM with all-highway driving, and 12.4L/100km with mixed driving. I suspect the coolant leak is by the heater radiator, as the car fogs up instantly without aircon. I'm going to replace the thermostat, radiator pipes and water pump before I worry about fuel consumption, since a cold engine in winter is not doing that any good. I warm up the car for 5 minutes before driving it anywhere, and by the time I get to work it's still cold, so I sit there until it gets up to temperature before turning off. As for the miss at idle once warmed up, this could point to O2 sensors if I'm not mistaken, or possibly a leaky injector.
- Replaced brake light switch as I had no brake lights, first with a Goldwagen part (working lights, but a fault on OBC) and then with OEM (all good)
- Replaced various burnt out or dull dash-light bulbs (dark spots on speedo and no lights on headlight switch)
- Replaced washer fluid sensor, the old one's magnet rusted and cracked the old housing open so it filled up with water and couldn't float
- Low beam failure, very fragile connection to one of the headlights. Fixed up and shrink-wrapped.
- Hardly any airflow in cabin, cabin filter replaced
- Aircon flaps not moving, loose connection to the HVAC control
- Replaced rubber surrounding gearknob, was letting cold Cape air through
- Replaced HVAC unit with a recon unit to 'fix' the HVAC temp sensor fan as it worked out cheaper
- Windows tinted @ 35% (I can't recommend Tint Xpress or whatever they're called now any less as they managed to screw up the mountings on two windows)
- Wipers (wet towels) replaced
- Golf-tee mod
Does anyone know a good place in Cape Town to flow and leak test my injectors?
With all due respect Major, most of your problems are very very common problems found on the e36. In addition, the fuel consumption is not high. It sounds about right.
Major
Active member
Don't take what I said negatively guys, I'm loving the car and know that most of the stuff I've sorted and will sort out are common, there was just one or two days where the OBC was nagging me left right and centre, indicators flickering, headlight out, etc etc which takes the enjoyment out of the drive.
I'm a perfectionist, and can sympathise with the PO if he sold it off because there was a laundry list of small, common things wrong with it, but I didn't get that impression from him, which is why I say it light-heartedly.
I'm a perfectionist, and can sympathise with the PO if he sold it off because there was a laundry list of small, common things wrong with it, but I didn't get that impression from him, which is why I say it light-heartedly.
Major
Active member
I'm having to fill the expansion tank every 10 days, and I found the source of the leak; left side plastic end is seeping when cold after running the car.
There are signs around the leak of a previous repair, so instead of a possibly explosive end to my new ride, I'll replace it.
:bangdesk:
There are signs around the leak of a previous repair, so instead of a possibly explosive end to my new ride, I'll replace it.
:bangdesk:
Major
Active member
Thought I'd update this thread! Only have two pics, since I managed to YOLO my phone into the ground and crack the camera lens. Was busy using it as a torch light while working on the car!
Something I need to look into is the front suspension and steering. If I'm driving on a road that has a raised ridge or camber in it the steering wheel has a pretty strong pull in that direction. I also don't think this car is performing as it should, feels a bit lazy and I've picked up a few hesitations while driving and a small miss here and there. Gonna yank codes soon.
Anyway, that's all for now! Will have some updates hopefully by next week.
- Replaced both windscreen cowl covers
- Replaced all seals around the rear windscreen
- Got a weighted ZHP gearknob (anything beats the squeaky, twisty plastic one that was fitted already, but this gearknob feels pretty good!)
- Replaced weatherstrips/seals around 3 windows, as the inner seals were scraping/barcoding my tint
- New outer door handle gaskets from eBay
- Fitted LED lights to the brake light on the rear spoiler
Something I need to look into is the front suspension and steering. If I'm driving on a road that has a raised ridge or camber in it the steering wheel has a pretty strong pull in that direction. I also don't think this car is performing as it should, feels a bit lazy and I've picked up a few hesitations while driving and a small miss here and there. Gonna yank codes soon.
Anyway, that's all for now! Will have some updates hopefully by next week.
Sabretooth tiger
///Member
great work there
Major
Active member
Got around to overhauling the cooling system last weekend, said goodbye to all of this:
Thanks to nasser@Joe'sRadiatorsBellville for the expansion tank and new radiator. Fitted the following:
Thanks to nasser@Joe'sRadiatorsBellville for the expansion tank and new radiator. Fitted the following:
- E36 M3 radiator
- EMP Stewart water pump
- 80° thermostat and aluminium housing
- 80/88° radiator temperature switch
- Mishimoto hoses
- New expansion tank, cap and brass bleeder screw
Dewald Basson
///Member
:clapper::clapper:
Major
Active member
Had new M3 rear trailing arm bushes and limiters from ECS fitted today, would've liked to do it myself but don't have a press. And now find out that my front right balljoint has failed and it's stressing the other joint and bushing, and that my rear left tire was almost smooth. 4 new tires later, I find out while fitting them that I have 3 narrow rims, and 1 wide! So now I need to find a used wide Contour (is it snowing in hell yet?). And, while fitting them, Tiger Wheel & Tire decided to add some character to the one wheel with a nice big scratch.
splintheter
///Member
Wanna sell her to me?
Get out of jail free car?
Sent from my LG-D802 using Tapatalk 2
Get out of jail free car?
Sent from my LG-D802 using Tapatalk 2
