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Read the WELCOME ALL BMWFANATICS post.
Riaad's 330i
- Thread starter Riaad
- Start date
BeemerFanatic
Events Organiser
Can't remember if I said congrats, but anyway congrats. Looks hstunning for such an old car. Well done.
Riaad
Events Organiser
Tinuva said:He had a lot of time to plan his modsmichael.joseph said:
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I actually made a list...and its looking pricey :dunno:
SubLoaded said:Tinuva said:He had a lot of time to plan his modsmichael.joseph said:
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Heard that his homepage isn't set to Autotrader anymore :roflol:
fine, I wont help you find a new daily :YesNo:
We all do :=):Riaad said:Tinuva said:He had a lot of time to plan his modsmichael.joseph said:
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I actually made a list...and its looking pricey :dunno:
That said, the great thing about an E46 that is paid off, is you can set a maintenance budget each year. I do like R20k or so (This is still less you would pay off on a new car). Do maintenance, then do preventative maintenance, and 2 or so mods/retrofits ect. Especially if you plan on keeping the car for a long time.
Waseem 333i
Active member
Mubarak Bru. Finally the search is over
Riaad
Events Organiser
Tinuva said:We all do :=):Riaad said:Tinuva said:He had a lot of time to plan his modsmichael.joseph said:
Sent from my MI 5 using Tapatalk
I actually made a list...and its looking pricey :dunno:
That said, the great thing about an E46 that is paid off, is you can set a maintenance budget each year. I do like R20k or so (This is still less you would pay off on a new car). Do maintenance, then do preventative maintenance, and 2 or so mods/retrofits ect. Especially if you plan on keeping the car for a long time.
This is very true, luckily for me, most of the preventative maintenance has already been carried out...I just have to make sure things are taken care off :chef:
R20k does sound like a lot per annum, but I've already used up R7k of that budget:fencelook:
I do plan on keeping this one for the foreseeable future (definitely longer than my search:facepalm
...Will just have to pace myself accordingly...but I get the feeling that the stuff I plan on changing will all become available at the same time:hammerhead2:
R20k may sound a lot, but it includes maintenance + preventative maintenance + mods. Lets be honest, you dont have to spend that much, but if you do, that car will run smooth for the next 20 years to come, or until fuel goes out of fashion and the whole world is forced to use electric vehicles.
Riaad
Events Organiser
Update...
So I finally managed to get the Beisan Vanos Seals + Rattle kit installed last week (I did not have any rattles, but decided that it will be best to get this done now whilst everything is opened up).
Don't have any pics of the vanos unit...however the internals look great:thumbs: (regular services definitely showing here).
*apologies for the potato pics
Also got the mech to inspect the engine bay... the report back was positive...with no leaks or anything to be concerned about, other than the worn out V-belt and Aircon Belt:hammerhead:
This came as a surprise, since these were replaced with Conti belts towards the end of 2017 (approx. 20k kms). I opted to have OEM belts fitted and the tensioners were checked and appeared to be fine.
I have covered around 250kms since...and the car is driving a lot better...No hesitation at lower rpms and power delivery is smooth...I have not driven the car hard as yet (since the seals require 320kms to be run in) ...but I can definitely say there is alot more power available :joy:
Also, the existing P0015 code has been cleared and has not come back:thumbs:
and some pics (Courtesy of @aqeel.hotwired)
:chef:
So I finally managed to get the Beisan Vanos Seals + Rattle kit installed last week (I did not have any rattles, but decided that it will be best to get this done now whilst everything is opened up).
Don't have any pics of the vanos unit...however the internals look great:thumbs: (regular services definitely showing here).
*apologies for the potato pics
Also got the mech to inspect the engine bay... the report back was positive...with no leaks or anything to be concerned about, other than the worn out V-belt and Aircon Belt:hammerhead:
This came as a surprise, since these were replaced with Conti belts towards the end of 2017 (approx. 20k kms). I opted to have OEM belts fitted and the tensioners were checked and appeared to be fine.
I have covered around 250kms since...and the car is driving a lot better...No hesitation at lower rpms and power delivery is smooth...I have not driven the car hard as yet (since the seals require 320kms to be run in) ...but I can definitely say there is alot more power available :joy:
Also, the existing P0015 code has been cleared and has not come back:thumbs:
and some pics (Courtesy of @aqeel.hotwired)
:chef:
Riaad
Events Organiser
Bit of an interesting update:fencelook:
So the Vanos seals have been run in and definitely a massive improvement to the power delivery, she idles as smooth as butter and fuel consumption has also been decreasing:=):
However...Ive been having a few odd issues with the car since getting the seals done, initially there was some power surging going on at around 3.5k rpms as previously mentioned...with the new seals in place...this surge is now gone but has resulted in more exhaust pressure at that specific rpm causing a nasty rattle :dunnoanymore: ...upon investigations, I found that a section of the exhaust is sitting just above the chassis (no more than 5mm), so I had an exhaust shop try and add some spacers to create more clearance ...which worked for about 5mins...few bumps later...the rattle was back and worse than ever, occurring at all rpms even on idle:thumbdo:
Clear indication of some poor workmanship and shortcuts being taken...A full exhaust system is in the cards:cartel:
Before solving the rattle issue I started to notice that the steering wheel is feeling rather inconsistent at random times and also 'sticking' on slow left hand turns ...I inspected the suspension, steering coupling, steering rack, powersteering pump, and fluids...everything seemed intact ...so concluded the PS pump is on the way out as all records indicated that its the original one that the car left the factory with...however there were no weird noises coming from the pump when the car is stationary and the inconsistency in steering feel occurred mainly when at low speeds.
So without hesitation, I popped in to Goldwagen (after BMW wanted R9.7k for a PS pump...lol).
Some unexpected health issues and some holiday time delayed the car repairs by a few weeks...once I was back, I got in contact with my mech and explained the situation regarding the PS pump (at this point, I realised the only way that I was going to rid myself of the nasty rattles was by replacing the exhaust system). My mech advised me that my PS pump can not be the issue, as if it was shot, I'd either have a PS whine or no PS at all...which again, wasn't the case...He pointed me to this Check Valve that fits on the steering rack, and regulates the pressure in the PS pump...
After some digging on the interwebs...I discovered that this is a common issue among 2004 e46 drivers...Turns out a bad batch of these valves results in some inconsistent steering feel. At only R120 from Bmw, my dad and I decided to DIY ...other than it being a messy task, it was a relatively easy fix.
Left the covers off from underneath the car, topped up the PS fluid and went for a drive, steering felt consistent again, no rattles (cause the covers where out) ...all was well, untill I took a slow left hand turn and the steering started to stick :rage:
Got the car back on Jack Stands and my dad stumbled upon a broken bolt on the engine support bracket:skit:...it appeared that the bracket was mounted with 3 bolts and we could only see the one still intact with the other missing...due to space constraints, we could not inspect deeper.
Regardless to say, the 330i was then parked off till we had a plan of action.
After some Youtubing, it was clear that this was not a DIY, unless one has access to a ramp and a hoist:hammerhead:.
Back to the Mech I go, due to it being a very unusual issue...I figured it would be best for me to be present whilst any work was being done...so I had to make arrangements for a Saturday.
Okay, on to some pics of the real issue that has caused a lot of head scratching:argh:
In the background, the engine support bracket is visible...notice how one bolt head has broken off..with just the shaft remaining...also, excuse the mess, thats from the PS check valve DIY:fencelook:
Great...A bolt stuck in the block:thumbdo:
nb. the bracket is mounted with 4 bolts...I had two "intact", one shaft visible and one stuck in the block.
Engine support bracket was being held by these two guys...mad respect:thumbs:...they were ready to snap...infact, I snapped them in my hands after taking these pics:skit:
After a few minutes, my mech managed to tap out what was left of this bolt:bravo:
4 New bolts in with some locktight:hammerhead:
Would you look at that, lots of clearance.
So in summary, some how these 2 bolts broke (absolutely no clue how, cause I have be rather civilised with the car so far), so due to the engine having a "lean" on the right side...the headers were touching the steering coupling on the slow left turns, causing the steering to stick and the exhaust to lie on the chassis causing the rattle.
Had the steering coupling inspected, and no visible damage to report...and now she is driving like an absolute gem:smilebounce::smilebounce::smilebounce:
However...this post doesn't end here...
Due to the car being parked off...a small coolant leak from the thermostat occurred...once off occurrence:skit:
Im not one to take chances with the cooling system, so exchanged the PS pump for a Behr Thermostat, and although it comes with a new gasket...I decided to get an OEM one.
Just to note...the Thermostat that I replaced was rather new, the leak originated from the plastic housing and was not leaking at the time of the replacement going in...better safe than sorry:tiptoe:
New coolant was filled, and a pressure test carried out...with no pressure drops to note:smilebounce:
Long post...but at least all is well again :=):
So the Vanos seals have been run in and definitely a massive improvement to the power delivery, she idles as smooth as butter and fuel consumption has also been decreasing:=):
However...Ive been having a few odd issues with the car since getting the seals done, initially there was some power surging going on at around 3.5k rpms as previously mentioned...with the new seals in place...this surge is now gone but has resulted in more exhaust pressure at that specific rpm causing a nasty rattle :dunnoanymore: ...upon investigations, I found that a section of the exhaust is sitting just above the chassis (no more than 5mm), so I had an exhaust shop try and add some spacers to create more clearance ...which worked for about 5mins...few bumps later...the rattle was back and worse than ever, occurring at all rpms even on idle:thumbdo:
Clear indication of some poor workmanship and shortcuts being taken...A full exhaust system is in the cards:cartel:
Before solving the rattle issue I started to notice that the steering wheel is feeling rather inconsistent at random times and also 'sticking' on slow left hand turns ...I inspected the suspension, steering coupling, steering rack, powersteering pump, and fluids...everything seemed intact ...so concluded the PS pump is on the way out as all records indicated that its the original one that the car left the factory with...however there were no weird noises coming from the pump when the car is stationary and the inconsistency in steering feel occurred mainly when at low speeds.
So without hesitation, I popped in to Goldwagen (after BMW wanted R9.7k for a PS pump...lol).
Some unexpected health issues and some holiday time delayed the car repairs by a few weeks...once I was back, I got in contact with my mech and explained the situation regarding the PS pump (at this point, I realised the only way that I was going to rid myself of the nasty rattles was by replacing the exhaust system). My mech advised me that my PS pump can not be the issue, as if it was shot, I'd either have a PS whine or no PS at all...which again, wasn't the case...He pointed me to this Check Valve that fits on the steering rack, and regulates the pressure in the PS pump...
After some digging on the interwebs...I discovered that this is a common issue among 2004 e46 drivers...Turns out a bad batch of these valves results in some inconsistent steering feel. At only R120 from Bmw, my dad and I decided to DIY ...other than it being a messy task, it was a relatively easy fix.
Left the covers off from underneath the car, topped up the PS fluid and went for a drive, steering felt consistent again, no rattles (cause the covers where out) ...all was well, untill I took a slow left hand turn and the steering started to stick :rage:
Got the car back on Jack Stands and my dad stumbled upon a broken bolt on the engine support bracket:skit:...it appeared that the bracket was mounted with 3 bolts and we could only see the one still intact with the other missing...due to space constraints, we could not inspect deeper.
Regardless to say, the 330i was then parked off till we had a plan of action.
After some Youtubing, it was clear that this was not a DIY, unless one has access to a ramp and a hoist:hammerhead:.
Back to the Mech I go, due to it being a very unusual issue...I figured it would be best for me to be present whilst any work was being done...so I had to make arrangements for a Saturday.
Okay, on to some pics of the real issue that has caused a lot of head scratching:argh:
In the background, the engine support bracket is visible...notice how one bolt head has broken off..with just the shaft remaining...also, excuse the mess, thats from the PS check valve DIY:fencelook:
Great...A bolt stuck in the block:thumbdo:
nb. the bracket is mounted with 4 bolts...I had two "intact", one shaft visible and one stuck in the block.
Engine support bracket was being held by these two guys...mad respect:thumbs:...they were ready to snap...infact, I snapped them in my hands after taking these pics:skit:
After a few minutes, my mech managed to tap out what was left of this bolt:bravo:
4 New bolts in with some locktight:hammerhead:
Would you look at that, lots of clearance.
So in summary, some how these 2 bolts broke (absolutely no clue how, cause I have be rather civilised with the car so far), so due to the engine having a "lean" on the right side...the headers were touching the steering coupling on the slow left turns, causing the steering to stick and the exhaust to lie on the chassis causing the rattle.
Had the steering coupling inspected, and no visible damage to report...and now she is driving like an absolute gem:smilebounce::smilebounce::smilebounce:
However...this post doesn't end here...
Due to the car being parked off...a small coolant leak from the thermostat occurred...once off occurrence:skit:
Im not one to take chances with the cooling system, so exchanged the PS pump for a Behr Thermostat, and although it comes with a new gasket...I decided to get an OEM one.
Just to note...the Thermostat that I replaced was rather new, the leak originated from the plastic housing and was not leaking at the time of the replacement going in...better safe than sorry:tiptoe:
New coolant was filled, and a pressure test carried out...with no pressure drops to note:smilebounce:
Long post...but at least all is well again :=):
Love it that you looking after your pride and joy in such a manner. Well done bro. Keep it up.
Sent from my LYA-L29 using Tapatalk
Sent from my LYA-L29 using Tapatalk
michael.joseph
Active member
Maybe we should start a waiting list for the one day u decide to let this 30i go...
Well done bud:bravo:
Well done bud:bravo:
